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By Jakeb Brock
The human psyche is home to several different functions, some of which are biological and some of which are spiritual. On the biological side there is our physical body and mind (including the conscious, subconscious, unconscious, and emotional mind). And on the spiritual side there is our faculty of spiritual consciousness, our soul, and ultimately the Christ. (The Christ comes only through spiritual consciousness evolution.). All of these are created functions, with this important distinction: the biological functions are mortal and temporal and last only for a single lifetime, while the spiritual functions are undying and eternal and have been with us throughout the duration of our karmic journey.
All of these functions live together in our psyche. This is how we were created, and it is this complex psychic makeup that the Bible speaks of when it says that we were created in the image of God. So this is no small calling. Rather human beings are truly a created wonder. As Israel’s poet-king David once wrote: we are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14). But there is a problem. Human beings may be fearfully and wonderfully made, but we have a long history of deeply troubled and discordant interactions and manifestations on this plane. As King David also wrote: “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3). So, what’s the problem? As wonderfully made as we are, we seem to have failed miserably to live up to that calling. What’s going on here?
The divine creation was not brought into being whimsically or haphazardly. Rather it was intricately interwoven, not only in substance but also in outworking. In other words, there is more to our universe than just the raw materials of biological and spiritual life forms; there is a projected, intended outworking—that which we call purpose. If this were not so, there would be total chaos. But the universe is not chaotic; it is orderly. Neither is it meaningless; rather it is meaningful. And the way that this outworking was achieved is through law. Law is what keeps the universe in tact, and without law everything would essentially come unglued.
Every living creature is governed by law, including man. And when law is ascertained and flowed with there is harmony and goodness. Conversely, when law is spurned and transgressed, there is disharmony and evil. When the right order of creation’s outworking is embraced and abided by, there is peace and abundance. But when that order is violated there is discord and lack.
In all the universe there exists only one creature capable of tampering with or violating created universal law. And that creature is man. How can this be? Precisely because man is fearfully and wonderfully made! With man’s complex psychic makeup, he has shown himself to be a creature capable of independent initiative and choice. This means that man has a choice in relation to the law. All other creatures have no such choice. They either abide by the law or they quickly perish. But man was created with the ability to choose and survive. He could choose to uphold the order of creation, as it is expressed in both his own makeup and the environment, or he could choose to tamper with it. Why would he choose to tamper with it? Well, that is a good question. Probably it has to do with curiosity and the desire to see if he could improve upon the creation. Of course, man also has the capacity to marvel at the workings of the creation and feel deep gratitude for and satisfaction with how things are. But at some point in time, man realized what he was capable of doing and decided to experiment. This was perhaps an innocent inclination—one that was more ill-advised than evil. Unfortunately, with all of his divine capabilities man could not foresee the repercussions of such a choice. And once it was set in motion, things began to seriously unravel—on the earthly plane itself but most decidedly in man’s own psyche and destiny.
Soon man had become a perpetual tweaker. One tweaking impulse led to another. And when man began to see that things were going amiss, he then felt the need to try to correct the damage he had done. And so the web he weaved became more and more tangled. That is how this age of time began, and that is how it has progressed. This has been the age of man—more specifically, the age of man’s experimentation and tweaking. Man has consistently meddled in the workings of universal law, and there has been no one and nothing to oppose or correct him. Only man himself can reverse this meddlesome obsession—an obsession that has brought much chaos and disintegration. And that is precisely what we have been trying to do for the past six thousand years. We have been trying to do damage control—to clean up the mess we have made and right the ship. Have we succeeded at this age-old mandate? Unfortunately, we have not.
The deeper we sunk into this morass of our own making, the more corrupt and evil we became. We established a socio-political reality system upon the earth, through which we hoped to give defining boundaries to human existence and restore a modicum of order. But this did not help matters, because the system we devised was inundated with impure human impulses, such as greed, lust, power-hunger, etc. And so over the
course of time our system became dark and oppressive. Moreover, it gave rise to a status quo movement among an elite echelon of society. And somehow that movement has managed to remain entrenched throughout the age, thereby turning human life into a nightmare of discordant and corrupt energies.
So what began as innocent experimentation became wickedness, and none of the men and women born onto this plane of existence who have dedicated their lives to trying to make things right have been able to reverse this course of human degradation.
All this being said, let us now return to the human psyche and its original created makeup—the makeup that David said was fearfully and wonderfully made. When man began to tamper with the legal universe, he acknowledged his complex inner makeup and, in accordance with his other inharmonious inclinations, decided to go in and do some tweaking in that realm too. He could not, of course, change the created substance of his psychic makeup, so he quickly abandoned that course of action. But when he discovered that there was a created legal order to his psychic activity, his experimentalism got the better of him and he could not resist trying to rearrange that order. This had become man’s modus operandi. Man had no power to change the substance of any created manifestation on this plane, but what he had discovered was that he did have the power to violate and manipulate the laws that held all this substance in check and balance. And that was exactly what he did with the workings of his own psyche. In a coup of corrupt human cleverness and meddling, he went in and anointed the human biological mind to rule over the human psyche, instead of the rightful ruler, spiritual consciousness. Spiritual consciousness had been the rightful ruler in accordance with God’s law, but he was no fighter. And so he was dethroned. Why did man prefer the kingship of mind? Because mind is powerful and easily corrupted. Its rulership appealed to man’s lower impulses of choice.
And so in all of man’s tweaking it was when he went in and rearranged his own psyche’s natural order that human life was most dramatically impacted. For, once again man had not been able to see far enough ahead to understand the great changes that such a rearranging of the psychic order would bring to pass. Mind was clever and capable of bringing to man the rewards and riches he craved. But it was also a biological function, and that meant that it would, over the course of time, decay and die. Then to make matters worse it was not long before man’s identity became bound up with it. And when that happened, man himself became a mortal creature.
Nothing has impacted human life more than this. It was as if everything that it meant to be human changed in the blinking of an eye. For, biological death impacted not only the actual death experience; it impacted the life experience itself. In other words, it did not matter which stage of a lifetime a man was currently living through, death had become a prominent aspect of the human experience. We came to fear it, obsess about it, and try to do anything we could to prevent or at least put off that inevitable fate. Therefore death became a part of our state of consciousness from the cradle to the grave. It turned human life into a hellish nightmare. Clearly, man’s tweaking impulse got the better of him in this case. For, try as he might, once man had given the biological mind rulership over his psyche he could in no way escape this monster called death.
There was only one way for man to escape the clutches of this age-old Frankenstein. And that way was to do some corrective tweaking. For, while man was not able to escape death as long as mind was in control, he did still have the ability to
rearrange universal law and order. This meant that he was fully able to go back into his psyche and reestablish the order of function ability, for which the psyche was originally created. He was able to do this, but with mind having been enthroned for so long it was not going to be easy. It was going to take work, perseverance, and dedication. Furthermore, it was going to take the willingness to be socially ostracized and hated.
The cruel reality of our predicament is that though death is a plague of unsurpassable devastation most human beings throughout this age have preferred to live as mortal creatures rather than to go inward and do the corrective tweaking needed to end the plague. In fact, some have even sought to proactively perpetuate the reign of mind in spite of its obvious negative impact upon human life. Some have actually preferred the climate of a society given over to the darkness of death to one that would be inundated with the light of restoring the rightful order of the human psyche. Why in the world would anyone willingly choose such a blighted social climate? Listen to the words of the man who became the greatest way-shower for those who were attempting to escape death: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). In other words, there are those among us, who having a vested interest in keeping human society in the throes of unlawful order actually oppose the dethroning of mind. They prefer darkness to light because their deeds are evil. And unfortunately, those of this persuasion are not only numerous; they are powerful. They are the leaders and shapers of the collective human entity and have been since the beginning of the age.
The good news is that because this corrective tweaking of restoring our psyche to its lawful order is a hidden inside work, individual human beings have always had the
freedom to pursue this directive and choose the light of correction over the darkness of death. Thus countless individuals have accomplished this great work. They have gone into their psyche and restored the rightful order of its functions. They have dethroned mind and restored spiritual consciousness to its rightful place. They have upheld the superiority of spiritual psychic functions to those of a strictly biological nature. How have they done this? Through undertaking the spiritual discipline and practice that empowers us to work with created laws for the better—to correct conditions that were set in place by man’s original ill-advised experimentation. This has been our created power since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, we have most often used this power for evil instead of good.
It is within our power as individuals to do this, but that does not mean that it is easy. What makes it difficult is all the inertia created by the collective’s status quo mandate. This mandate has gone to great lengths to keep people in the dark and to discourage them from undertaking any sort of corrective tweaking of the human psyche. So not only have those individuals who aspire to this great work been confronted with a mountain of deception and the damage it has caused; they are also, generally speaking, socially ostracized, hated, and even “removed.”
But for those that have persevered, a reward of unparalleled richness has awaited them. These have banished death forever from their consciousness and have gone on to become beings of perfect universal harmony, thereby ending the cyclical outworking of their human karma on this plane and freeing themselves for all eternity.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Shakta Kaur
Did you know that a woman is 16 times stronger, more intuitive and more powerful than a man? Did you know that a woman has 11 moon centers located in different areas of her body? That she moves to a different moon center every two and a half days? And, that she sees the world during those two and a half days through the quality of her moon center? It’s all true! Woman’s basic nature is like the Moon which waxes and wanes, while man’s basic nature is like the Sun which is continuous and constant.
The Moon Center Sequence
A woman’s moon center sequence begins in the womb. In fact, the moon center sequence begins just after conception. This is the subtlest cycle that any woman can experience. It contains the answers to many patterns that mystify both the Divine Feminine…and the Divine Masculine!
Often a female is labeled as emotional or unpredictable, always changing her mind, delivering the unexpected from day-to-day. The reality is that women have 11 moon centers that move to different areas within the body every two and a half days. These moon centers relate to different qualities and are used to process one’s environment and emotions.
The female fluctuates every two and a half days like the waxing and waning of the Moon. In the 28 days of the menstruation cycle, a woman’s moon can be found in one of the 11 different areas of the body. They are called the 11 limbs of the woman.
The 11 Moon Centers
Hairline: steadiness, stability, divine clarity, reality
Cheeks: unpredictability, emotional instability
Lips: verbal, interactive, communicative
Ear Lobes: intelligence, concern with values and ethics
Back of the Neck: sensitivity, romance
Breasts: divine compassion, giving (can be to the point of foolishness)
Belly Button/Back: insecure, exposed, vulnerable
Inner Thighs: confirmative, verifying, affirming
Eyebrows: illusionary, imaginative, visionary
Clitoris: external, talkative in social settings
Vagina: depth, sharing in personal or cultural cycles
How does the Divine Feminine use the knowledge of knowing what moon center she’s in? Well, the two and a half days when the moon is in the lips is a great day to give a public talk, teach a class or counsel a client. On these days, the female is super communicative and interactive.
However, scheduling an important meeting during the two and a half days the moon is in the belly button/back would not be ideal! Those days are when the female feels most exposed, insecure and vulnerable. Schedule that important meeting during the two and a half days the moon is in the inner thighs instead! If that’s not an option, practice meditation or another technique to increase confidence, concentration and determination.
Knowing one’s moon center pattern can provide a great deal of insight into a female’s emotional ebb and flow. Once she understands her personal cycle, she’ll have a compass to align with her day-to-day feelings, responses and interactions.
A woman’s moon center sequence is unique. It will not necessarily follow the order listed above. It will not follow her siblings or her female friends’ cycles. The way the moon moves varies in each and every woman. It often takes a few months to accurately map one’s moon center sequence. Before going to sleep at night, spend 7 to 11 minutes to ask yourself, “What moon center was I in today?” Some women use a pendulum to help determine which moon center they are in. Others have their partner help them by using muscle testing. Or, partners help by simply providing plain old verbal feedback!
After a few months, a woman’s pattern should become clearer. If the moon center pattern is still not clear, there are meditations to help increase one’s sensitivity and balance the moon centers.
One of these meditations is called Kirtan Kriya. Kirtan Kriya can break any habits, complete any unfinished cycles and assist in moving through any transition or change and its accompanying emotional turmoil. Normally, Kirtan Kriya is practiced sitting in Easy or Lotus Pose. However, this version of chanting Kirtan Kriya is done lying on the stomach with the chin on the floor to balance the 11 Moon Centers.
How to practice: Lie on your stomach. Place your chin on the floor. Keep your head straight without looking left or right. Place your arms alongside your body, the palms of the hands facing upward. The eyelids are closed. Focus at the mid-point between the brows. Silently chant the mantra, Saa Taa Naa Maa. You are chanting the cycle of creation. From the infinite, Saa, comes life and individual existence, Taa. From life comes death or change, Naa. From death comes the rebirth of consciousness to the joy of the infinite through which compassion leads back to life, Maa.
The hand position changes with each syllable. On Saa, press the index finger to the thumb pad. On Taa, press the middle finger to the thumb pad. On Naa, press the ring finger to the thumb pad, and on Maa, press the little finger to the thumb pad. The fingers move throughout this meditation.
Practice Kirtan Kriya every day for 40 days to change a habit, 90 days to confirm the habit, or 120 days so that the new habit becomes who you are. Kirtan Kriya is a healing meditation for women trying to let go of past relationships. It helps in eliminating both the physical and mental associations with these partners. Kirtan Kriya gives the Divine Feminine a brilliant internal radiance that illuminates both her presence and her aura.
Sixteen Times
Every human being has an aura surrounding and interpenetrating the physical body. What most people don’t know is that a woman’s aura is much thicker than that of a man. That’s because a woman’s aura has more antennae than a man’s aura. A woman’s aura has 16 times more antennae per square millimeter than a man’s aura. That’s why a woman is 16 times more intellectual, more patient and more compassionate than a man! It is all by divine construction!
However, this ‘16 times’ business is a double-edged sword—as the plus, so the minus. Yes, she is 16 times stronger and more powerful than a man. However, when she is feeling depressed or insecure she is 16 times more depressed and more insecure than any male. The female is, quite simply, 16 times harder on herself!
The Soul is Without Gender
We incarnate between Earth and the ethers for particular experiences. Sometimes we incarnate as a female and sometimes as a male. Each incarnation is designed for us to learn specific lessons. However, the soul itself is without gender. Each incarnation is comprised of different experiences that allow us to make decisions to ultimately fulfill our destiny.
It is said that the human incarnation is envied even by the angels, because of the unique opportunity humans have to make a conscious choice to be free from the cycle of birth and death. Whether embodied as the Divine Feminine or the Divine Masculine, let’s use this incarnation to utilize the Lunar nature of the female to better understand one another.
Shakta Kaur owns Kundalini Yoga in the Loop (KYL) in downtown Chicago. KYL offers 200-hour and 300-hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainings. Shakta’s providing two new virtual workshops, Karma Kundalini on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2020, and Lunar Woman Solar Man on May 24, 2020. For more information, call 312-922-4699, or visit www.ShaktaKaur.com
By Karen Corinne Herceg
Many of us will recall the old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, it’s blatantly wrong. As a survivor of sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, I can attest that the deepest cuts are the ones that sear the mind and emotions, words that do not align with actions, and the betrayal of promises. This is not to discount any repercussions from physical and sexual abuse. But it’s the emotional impact of words from others—especially those closest to us—that tear at the soul and spirit. They form feelings deep within us that impact every aspect of our lives and relationships. It can take decades of active healing work to recover a sense of authentic self and genuine validation from truth and to shed the skewed perspectives or opinions of others. Opinions are basically lies not based in objective truth. They’re tainted by the agendas we have infused with information instilled in us since birth from a myriad of sources—all with their own agendas of course. Then we become part of the problem that requires recovery. This is a process of remembering our true worth in the eyes of the Universe/Creator–however you wish to define it–that has been aberrated by others’ struggles, wounds, and journeys that have impacted our own. It is a journey back home to an energy that loves unconditionally. We recover our worth and value by releasing our self-prescribed notions that are mere mirror reflections and not transparent gateways to universal truths. In essence, it is the road back to Truth–that innate knowing we can all access but most often ignore because of what we’ve suffered in the world that obscures what our intuition always lets us know is the right path.
We live in a world where the illusion of separateness reigns. We’re meant to break through that illusion despite the many physical manifestations it represents to us. Do we take at face value what we see in front of us? Do we use genuine critical thinking about everything we see and hear? Or do we just spew out learned and rehearsed rhetoric we’ve absorbed as our own. Are we sensitive to how we communicate to others? Or do we interact from a myopic viewpoint we treat as sacrosanct? Do we cultivate awareness and allow an objective perspective to evaluate our belief systems and habitual responses? For this we need to leave our comfort zones of needing to be right.
Everyone has a responsibility to use words with care and compassion. This certainly applies to writers who often put words out to a larger audience—and one whose members are unseen and unknown. Emotions through words expressed in a healthy way are acceptable; rage and revenge are not. It also does not mean we compromise ourselves to fit others’ expectations out of fear or anger. Rather we can be aware and kind in expressing that Truth, not confrontational or opinionated. Truth is not opinion that is overshadowed by preconceived notions and attitudes programmed into us from birth and many other lifetimes. We can act from a place of Truth without arrogance and righteousness. How others respond is their responsibility, but first we are accountable to ourselves. No one has a monopoly on Truth, but we do have access to it. We can fool ourselves in wanting to be right, but we can always feel genuine Truth whether we want to acknowledge it or not instead of allowing our feelings to override it. Feelings are real to us but are subjective and most often not reality based. Truth does not waver. Our perceptions waver and deserve a continuous deep dive, not rote acceptance. This is the meaning of critical thinking—not to reinforce what we want to believe but to question what we do believe. Is what we see in others a true manifestation of their spirit? Do we gauge their worth by our misguided perceptions, societal norms, fears, and a desire to be right or better than someone else? How do we address the “others?” Is there inherent respect? Humility? An open heart?
I am not advocating overlooking transgressions. We need healthy boundaries as we interact with souls who are in various stages of evolution and intention. But if we listen to our intuition, it will guide us. We overlook warnings and signals when we hold on to beliefs and agendas. And sometimes we just need to leave certain people, not with anger and retribution, but as a necessary step in our own journey.
Recently, I received an email from a reader who visited my website. I’m a writer and native New Yorker who moved to France five years ago. Lyria Drake lives in Latin America. It thrills me that someone so far away can find me and connect with me, although it doesn’t surprise me. I don’t believe in coincidences, only guidance. This reader was kind enough to tell me they appreciated my work and shared an article about sensitivity and awareness in writing. While I always endeavor to be guided by the Universe and Truth, we can be mindful that others are on different parts of the life continuum. In this spirit, we can be sensitive to how we speak and write no matter what the subject. I share the article here as a practical guide not only for writers but as a reminder to all of us when we communicate with others. My thanks to Lyria for sharing it with me and to Melissa Haun for writing the article. I hope you find it insightful and helpful.
https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/sensitive-writing-guide/
Karen Corinne Herceg graduated Columbia University with a B.A. in Literature & Writing. Her second book, Out From Calaboose: New Poems, was released in November 2017. She publishes poetry, prose, essays, interviews, and reviews internationally and is currently working on a memoir. She has interviewed actor Alan Alda for the cover of Writer’s Digest and novelist Gail Godwin for The Southern Literary Review. Her review of Richard Martin’s latest poetry book Leakage & Smokewill appear soon in American Book Review.
By Jakeb Brock
When it comes to understanding how devoting ourselves to a spiritual practice and perspective can impact our life situation there is no greater single influence than spiritual chemistry. Spiritual chemistry is why our lives are such as they are. So it behooves us to take a closer look at this phenomenon.
First of all, what is spiritual chemistry? We probably know at least a little about how spirituality works, but what about chemistry? Where does that come in?
Chemistry is a science based on universal-created law. It involves the reactions that occur when mixing two or more natural earthly plane compounds or elements. For example, mixing two parts hydrogen with one part oxygen produces the element that we call water—an element that is necessary for the survival of all created life forms, including mankind. Water is the reactive manifestation that is produced when two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen are mixed together. And because this chemical reaction is governed by universal created law it is infallibly consistent. In other words, two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen always produces water. It never fails, because the laws of creation have never ceased to operate. Its chemical outworking is as sure today as it was at the very beginning of the age.
Another aspect of chemistry worth noting is that of the impact that an environmental catalyst can have on any given reaction. What is a catalyst? It is an environmental influence that can alter the shape and physical properties of the produced element. In other words, while two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen always produce water, when a catalyst is added to the mix, the shape and consistency of the water changes. For example, extreme cold temperatures make water freeze, so that it becomes what we call ice. And when we heat water with fire it turns into a gas—that which we call steam. In both of these cases the produced element is still water, but by adding the catalyst of heat or cold the water assumes a different shape and consistency.
This in a nutshell is what our natural science called chemistry is all about. It is the study of created earthly plane elements being joined together and affected by the introduction of a catalyst and the impact that all of this elemental activity has upon our environment and the human community—an impact that is governed by law and is therefore unchanging, constant, and predictable.
So it is that by understanding the legal-chemical nature of our universe we can gain insight into why our lives are such as they are. This is a good thing because it enables us to not only see our earthly plane environment as it truly is but also how it affects our lives. By acknowledging the inescapable impacts of natural chemical activity going on all around us we cease to be at the whim of environmental upheaval and can even work together with the creation to improve human life. This is the reason that our scientists study and experiment with chemical reactions. It is one of many natural sciences that have helped man become the ruler and ultimate steward of the earth.
There is, however, a field of chemistry that our scientists have not yet endeavored to study and understand—that is, the chemistry that goes on beyond the natural seen elemental workings of our environment and involves the unseenrealm of Spirit. The elemental activity of the physical earthly plane environment has become relatively well known by now, but there is also elemental activity that is at work in the spiritual realm, and this we have yet to learn much about. Moreover, it too is highly impactful upon human life.
Spiritual chemistry is similar to natural chemistry, in that it involves the mixing of certain earthly plane elements and the products of such mixings. The difference between the two is that the elements at work in spiritual chemistry are neither physical nor natural; they are spiritual and supernatural. What does this mean? They are aspects and nuances of human consciousness.
These elements of human consciousness are not physical or natural but they are created and they are governed by law. Therefore their chemistry is just as binding and unchanging as that of the natural elements. These spiritual chemical reactions happen when certain unseen elements of human consciousness come into contact with other unseen created earthly plane realities—unseen realities such as the workings of Spirit and spiritual law. In other words, human consciousness is not merely static and isolated; it is a powerful dynamic that goes out into the universe and interacts with many other unseen elemental forces. Spiritual chemistry is what happens as a result of this unseen interaction between human consciousness and these other unseen elements of the earthly plane. And not only does spiritual chemistry happen; it also impacts human life far more than we have believed up until now.
We presume to know what human life is like. We all have feelings, keen intellects, and powers of perception that enable us to take stock of our overall existential predicament. Furthermore, we have historical records that make the case that this overall predicament of what we have come to call human life has not changed much for the duration of this age. True, cultures have varied and the human lifestyle has steadily progressed, but overall the existential dilemma of human life has remained the same throughout the age. And the reason for this has little to do with the workings of the natural world around us. Rather it has to do with spiritual chemistry—the chemistry of what happens when our state of consciousness comes into contact with other environmental earthly plane created realities.
The existential human dilemma includes several binding aspects that are not the least bit impacted by natural chemistry. They are spiritual realities that have befallen the human race on account of spiritual chemistry. They have become an inviolable part of the fabric of human life. How? By our collective state of spiritual consciousness going forth into the Spirit realm and interacting with the created elements therein, thereby producing a chemical reaction that we now call human life.
A good example of this is human death. All human beings die, and this aspect of our mortality not only impacts us on our dying day; it greatly impacts us throughout our lifetime. Most of us view death as a strictly biological phenomenon, since all living creatures on this planet die or dissolve. But human death is unique. How? Human death is the only case in which death impacts a species in the psychic realm. In other words, all other creatures die, but no other creature worries about it before it actually happens. That is a distinction unique to man. It is a distinction of human consciousness. So it might be said that the human brand of death is not natural; it is spiritual.
When we look closely at the human predicament we see that many of the binding aspects of our experience are the result of spiritual chemistry. This makes the human experience much more complex than that of other creatures. For, it involves unseen psychic realities that other species do not grapple with. And these psychic realities are largely colored by our state of consciousness.
In addition to death human life is colored by sin and morality. It is plagued by forms of mental torment and physical disease that other creatures do not experience. It is characterized by a disconnected and worrisome approach to livelihood and supply that is uniquely human. It is consumed by often-uncontrollable emotions, such as fear, hatred, and jealousy. These aspects of human life are not shared by other creatures. Why? Because they are all products of spiritual chemistry—the product of our collective state of consciousness coming into contact with the created universal environment, replete with its vast array of laws, many of which are unseen and of a purely spiritual nature.
And so we see that spiritual chemistry is not only unique to man; it is directly linked to our created endowment of consciousness—an endowment that no other creature shares. That is why the human life experience differs so vastly from the life experience of other creatures. It is strongly impacted by our endowment of consciousness and the spiritual chemistry that is constantly being produced as our consciousness comes into contact with other environmental chemical forces. And we can be sure that this has been going on since the beginning of creation. How? Because both human consciousness and the chemical-legal workings of the earthly plane environment have remained constant. So all of the chemical reactions that make human life what it is have also remained constant. It is perhaps for this reason that our best minds have come to the conclusion that human life will never be essentially different than it is now—that what we see now on the human scene is just the way life is. But this is precisely why learning the truth about spiritual chemistry is imperative.
The study of chemistry, whether natural or spiritual, reveals many important truths, but there is one truth that mankind in his present state needs to hear the most: it is
entirely possible to change the outcome of a chemical reaction simply by changing the qualities of the elements. For example, in the natural-physical realm, if we were to mix two parts hydrogen with two parts oxygen, it would not produce water at all. It would produce an entirely different chemical compound. And the same holds true with spiritual chemistry. Though we have no power to change the qualities of the created universe outside of ourselves we do have the power to change our state of consciousness. And should we accomplish this, an entirely different chemical reaction would result—a chemical compound that would be expressive of a whole new human experience.
This is the foremost thematic teaching of the Bible. In its opening pages we read of the formation and cementing of a collective human state of consciousness—the state of consciousness that has produced the chemistry that we now call human life. We also learn of some of the defining nuances of this state of consciousness, aptly called Adamic. Then throughout the bulk of the Bible’s historical middle content we are shown that this Adamic state of consciousness has controlled and dominated the human collective throughout the age. But then in the Bible’s closing pages we read of something truly miraculous having taken place in our world—the life of an influential individual called Jesus who had broken out of the collective mold and evolved into an altogether different, higher state of consciousness. And just as the defining nuances of the chemical outworking of Adam’s state of consciousness are described in the Bible’s opening pages, so the defining nuances of the new consciousness embodied in Jesus are described in the Bible’s closing pages. Thus we see that not only is it possible for human beings to alter their spiritual chemistry by changing their state of consciousness, such an altering would most certainly produce an entirely new and different human experience.
Adamic consciousness when mixed with the created environmental activity of the earthly plane produced the human experience that we now view as just the way life is. This outcome was inescapable on account of the binding legal results of spiritual chemistry. But Jesus came along and showed us that if we changed our state of consciousness from Adam to that of the Christ we could produce an entirely new human race and experience. Then before departing he set an example for us of what Christ consciousness looks like and taught us exactly how we can attain it.
The spiritual chemistry that has resulted from Adam’s state of consciousness has clearly been problematic for us. We have accepted that that is just the way things are, but the good news that Jesus came bearing was that this was not necessarily true. The Adamic world we have built is one reflective of fear and judgment. It is filled with sin, war, disaster, disease, poverty, and death. Even the earthly plane environment has been impacted by this debilitating chemistry, so that to add to our already full quiver of torment we see the environment consistently bringing forth irregularities and upheavals. All of this has been impossible to deny in the light of the past six thousand years of human history. But just because we have accepted it as just the way things are on this planet does not mean that we have to abandon ourselves to a fate of futility and judgment.
For six thousand years we have tried to lift ourselves out of the mud that has been produced by the spiritual chemistry of Adamic consciousness interacting with the created laws of the earthly plane. But we have failed miserably. We have not been able to alter our destiny as human beings in the least. Why is this? Because we have not done the one thing that can actually transform the human experience—that is, change our state of consciousness. We have not understood that this was necessary according to the legal
workings of our universe. We have not understood how spiritual chemistry works and how it impacts the human experience. We have not even understood that there is such a thing as spiritual chemistry.
All of this is what Jesus tried to help us with. Through his actions and words, he taught us first that there is an extant spiritual realm in our universe. Then he taught us that what goes on in that realm greatly impacts human life. Then he taught us some of the nuances of spiritual chemistry—nuances that we have the power to change by changing our state of consciousness. Then he showed us how life could be for human beings moving in the new consciousness of the Christ.
In Adamic consciousness we die; in Christ consciousness we live eternally. In Adamic consciousness we are prisoners to sin; in Christ consciousness sin ceases to exist. In Adamic consciousness our bodies are ravaged by disease; in Christ consciousness they are made to reflect the perfection of being. In Adamic consciousness we have societal strife and glaring economic injustice; in Christ consciousness we have peace and abundance from God. In Adamic consciousness we must earn our bread by the sweat of our brow; in Christ consciousness we find rest for our souls.
The choice before us could not be plainer. Stop believing the lie that this is just the way life has to be. Through spiritual chemistry we have the power to create a new world and a new human experience. That power lies in our own state of spiritual consciousness—a state that we can change at any given moment. All we have to do is to believe that this is possible and follow Jesus’ lead.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Dean Fraser
Building a house to stand the test of time begins with firm foundations; it is precisely the same with building a future full of personally inspiring new ideals. Only once the foundations are in place, and in our case this would be having established what we genuinely want from life and how exactly our perfect lifestyle looks, then the real construction can commence. Then arrives the exciting part when we step right ahead to see where this journey will take us!
In our information technology driven world we are easily able to instantly access the answer to virtually any question about practically anything or research the background to whichever person we want to know more about, all right there at our fingertips. Inevitably this can lead us to also sometimes expect these similar kinds of instant results from our lives. For sure we can find ourselves in brilliant new adventures by developing the habit of saying YES to those unexpected opportunities which come our way, however, the truth is that the process of building a completely new lifestyle from the ground up does require dedication and persistence.
Positive changes will never require us slogging away to the detriment of enjoying life. On the contrary, we need to ensure when fulfilling long term goals of any kind, be they improving our health or venturing onto exciting new career paths, that these genuinely improve our quality of day-to-day life.
The only way that our goals stand the best chance of manifesting for us is if we feel happy each day throughout the process of allowing them to happen!
LET LIFE TEACH YOU
If we have consistently done things one way and then suddenly shift our entire intentions this will usually take a little while to show-up in our life.
Think of it like going to university, here though the lecture hall becomes your own life experiences. You would hardly expect to qualify as a doctor in three months, becoming proficient at taking control of your own life is precisely the same. Mastery comes through experience. Learning opportunities will be encountered. You are educating yourself and your ongoing life is the lecturer.
Every time we become aware of and then leave behind any deeply entrenched mindset, one we have for far too long bought-into that might have limited our ideal lifestyle from existing; we are placing ourselves so much closer to this same ideal lifestyle’s permanence.
ACCEPT THE GIFT
What if a person you are loosely acquainted with, from the outer edge of your extended circle of friends totally out of the blue offered you an all-expenses paid holiday of your choice? All you needed to do was pick the destination and turn up at the airport on the day. How would you react?
How about a distant second cousin randomly deciding to gift you a new car? What then? Moving closer to home, how do you feel if your temporarily unemployed friend insists that he wants to stand his round of drinks at the bar or you receive an unexpectedly generous birthday present from an elderly relative who relies only on her pension to live?
With the law of universal energy taken into consideration there really can be only one response.
Smile as you graciously accept the gift and be happy for the generosity of the perpetrator, for surely their actions in due course are about to bring about many good happenings into their own life. To react in any other way we are treating ourselves like we are somehow unworthy of good things happening.
We always deserve good things happening in our lives. Irrespective of what we may have always thought to the contrary. It is our birth right to deserve to feel good…to be happy!
We need to allow for the good flow of energy. Any freely offered gift needs to be accepted with peace and grace. This is our role in the transaction.
And this can equally take the form of the gift of someone giving of their time, listening to us rather than doing the talking. This opportunity also must be cheerfully accepted and with due gratitude. Any other course of action would be interrupting the giver’s personal energetic flow of attracting good things via the actions of their own energy and you or I certainly don’t have the right to do any such a thing!
Always feel comfortable with accepting a freely offered gift and develop the habit of feeling infinitely happy for the giver’s generosity. Knowing that for sure it will boomerang straight back into their life at some point and probably soon.
Why not also get into the habit of freely giving kindness to others for creating mini miracles in your own life?
Dean Fraser began his quest to learn more about human potential well over three decades ago. Each year he writes for thirty magazines across the world on ways of living in harmony and wellbeing with ourselves. www.deanfrasercentral.com
By Glynis Amy Allen & Graham Adrian
“Wait a little,” said Frank Iriam to his mate. “Let’s sit on that old log for a few minutes and have a smoke.”
After the war, he wrote about what happened next. ‘When we were a hundred and fifty yards from the cover of some trees, I’d had a feeling of impending evil. I felt a premonition something was about to happen.’ Sure enough, a moment later a five point nine inch shell came over, hitting directly on their path. Had they carried on walking they would have been killed.
Back in London, England, towards the end of WWII the city was under attack from V1 and V2 rockets. Mr J O’Carroll was returning home on a Tube train when, out of nowhere, he had a sudden vivid mental vision. He saw himself standing in King’s Cross station, his destination, and heard a terrific explosion. This had such an impact on him that when he arrived at King’s Cross he waited for several minutes by the bookstall.
‘If there’s anything in it,’ he said to himself, ‘it should happen now.’ It did. A rocket fell on the Presbyterian Church in Regents Square and blew Mr O’Carroll’s flat to bits.
Even a certain Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler seemed to lead a charmed life, emerging unscathed from several battles during WWI. Later, he wrote about an occasion when his life had been ‘miraculously saved’.
‘I was eating my dinner in a trench with several comrades. Suddenly a voice seemed to be saying to me, “Get up and go over there.” It was so clear and insistent that I obeyed mechanically, as if it had been a military order. I rose at once to my feet and walked twenty yards along the trench, carrying my dinner in its tin can with me.
‘Then I sat down to go on eating, my mind being once more at rest. Hardly had I done so when a flash and a deafening report came from the part of the trench I had just left. A stray shell had burst over the group in which I had been sitting.’ Sadly, of course, millions of soldiers were not so fortunate and many of them had premonitions of their own deaths. ‘We have to look death in the face,’ wrote Canadian soldier, Angus Martin.
An English newspaper published a letter from a lady who said that her neighbour, a reservist, had been called up in 1914. Privately, he had given her his wedding ring and said that he knew he wouldn’t be coming home. She was to give it to his wife when she got the telegram saying that he was missing.
For months he wrote letters home regularly. Then one day, his ten year-old son came crying into the lady’s house and said, “I saw my father’s ghost at the end of my bed. He spoke to me but he had a wound in his chest and he said, ‘I am not coming home, son.’”
The neighbour took the wedding ring to the man’s wife and told her what the boy had said. She replied that she already ‘knew somehow’…
As well as the many such accounts by soldiers, there are thousands of similar stories told by everyday folk of receiving important information without having any idea where it comes from.
Alice was driving steadily along a deserted highway at night and approaching green signals at an intersection. “Something told me to slow right down. There didn’t seem to be any reason for it. But moments after I reached the junction a speeding car ran the red light to the right. It would have hit me if I hadn’t stopped.”
Bill worked the production line of a steelworks. “I had a sudden feeling that something wasn’t right and backed off.” Moments later, a section of pipe slipped and molten hot iron at 1500 degrees poured out where he’d been standing.
From life-saving instincts to simple premonitions – a friend’s name comes to mind and a few minutes later they phone us, or in conversation with a stranger we know exactly what they’re about to say – it is surely perfectly clear that our minds have senses far beyond the physical. There are moments when nearly all of us have slipped into an alternative state of consciousness where time and distance seem to be irrelevant.
The mind has extraordinary powers. Telepathy has been demonstrated with odds of billions to one against chance, even when the subjects were shielded from electromagnetic energy in Faraday cages or separated by thousands of miles. The US and Soviet governments have actively, and successfully, engaged in remote viewing. Such experiences are usually denied by science or by those in high office simply because, of course, we have no idea how they can happen, we don’t yet understand the energies involved.
But with so much evidence, should we not take the unconscious mind more seriously? The English psychic Chris Robinson has been in regular contact with the police and intelligence agencies due to having precognitive dreams about several IRA bomb attacks in London in the 1990s. In 2001 he had two extraordinarily accurate dreams about the World Trade Centre attacks. In one of them, a plane was hijacked and flown into a large building in New York City, whilst the other showed a plane crashing into two tall New York tower blocks. Chris sent detailed notes and drawings to the US embassy in London but was not heeded.
The examples described so far have all occurred spontaneously, yet perhaps there are ways of deliberately downloading information from ‘the higher mind’. The ancient Chinese certainly thought so and developed the oracle I Ching, or Book of Changes, some three thousand years ago, to interpret the subtle energies in our lives and predict how they’re likely to turn out. It’s surprisingly easy to use. A random act such as tossing coins suggests a particular chapter in the book and some specific paragraphs.
The British author Nigel Peace tells of his first experience with the book. He was applying for a new job, a promotion, and wanted to know if the prospects were good. The interview had gone well and everything seemed promising. But the reading was shocking, clearly referring to ‘misfortune’, ‘a danger of injury’, and a need for ‘great determination’. Not very encouraging!
Well, he wasn’t sure he could trust a book’s advice, and really needed the extra money, so he took the job anyway – and entered a two-year nightmare. His car was vandalised, he was personally assaulted and he struggled to keep on top of the job with no support from management. None of these things could have been known in advance by any normal means. Nigel writes that he soon learned to respect the book…
Many accounts of paranormal knowledge are dismissed simply because those involved have no ‘status’. How do we know they can be trusted? Well, in fact there have been many in high office and of undoubted reputation, from President Abraham Lincoln to Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, who have spoken publicly about consulting psychics or having personal precognitive experiences.
Sir Oliver Lodge (1851-1940) was a scientist who made his name by discoveries and inventions in electrolysis and electromagnetism, including the first moving coil loudspeaker and the first Morse Code transmission. He also carried out extensive investigations of radiation. He lost his son in the First World War; Second Lieutenant Raymond Lodge, twenty-six years-old, had been fighting with the Second South Lancashire Regiment.
Lodge was persuaded by his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to sit with the well-known trance mediums Alfred Vout Peters and Gladys Osborne Leonard, and he documented these meetings in detail, publishing his account in 1916.
Raymond did indeed communicate through each medium separately and at different times. For example, he gave a detailed description of a regimental photograph in which he appeared shortly before his death. The Lodges were not aware of this photograph, but two months later the mother of one of Raymond’s fellow officers sent them a copy of it. It was exactly as Raymond had described it. Another time, when Sir Oliver was testing the medium, Raymond referred to one of his brothers by a nickname known only among the siblings.
Sir Oliver, an eminent scientist and physicalist, was deeply impressed by the accuracy of these communications and became convinced that Raymond’s surviving spirit was in genuine contact.
Some three decades later, Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding was invited to a sitting with the renowned direct voice medium Estelle Roberts. Dowding had been Commander-in-Chief of RAF Fighter Command, overseeing the Battle of Britain that defeated the Nazi invasion of England in 1940. Nicknamed Stuffy because of his mannerisms, he did not make friends easily, yet he was known for his humility and sincerity. He was a no-nonsense, clear-thinking military man and a committed Christian, but had been very saddened by the loss of so many young pilots.
During this meeting, some eight fallen servicemen, both pilots and sailors, communicated. They provided clear evidence of their identities and of the fact that they were perfectly aware of events on Earth. Several of them also spoke directly to Dowding with great respect, thanking him for his caring leadership. This and other similar experiences affected him deeply to the point that he pursued an interest in Spiritualism and later became involved in the Theosophical Society. He wrote of his belief in an afterlife and in reincarnation, and soon afterwards became a vegetarian and an anti-vivisectionist.
Such total changes of belief and lifestyle by men of the highest reputation and undoubted integrity speaks volumes about the powerful impact of their spiritual experiences. There will always be those, of course, who doubt the real origin of spirit communication and there are alternative theories, such as C G Jung’s ‘collective unconscious’.
Yet the sheer detail of all the accounts given here
surely suggests one thing beyond doubt:
that every one of us has an extraordinary mind
that can reach far into alternative worlds of consciousness.
Our new book, Ghosts of War, has well over two hundred such spiritual stories told by honest men and women from America, Britain, across the world and throughout history. It is written as a tribute to the many who have given their lives so that we may be free.
Glynis Amy Allen & Graham Adrian are co-authors of the new book Ghosts of War, with more than 200 true accounts of communication with the spirits of those who have fallen in battle, published worldwide by Local Legend.
https://local-legend.co.uk
By Dame Marie Diamond
I’m sure you’ve heard about Feng Shui hacks to help boost your cash flow, improve your health, and even attract a new love into your life, but have you ever thought about what Feng Shui can do for your furry friends?
As a Feng Shui master and teacher of the Law of Attraction, I’ve spent the last thirty years teaching my students and A-list clients around the world how they can use this ancient Chinese energy system to manifest their goals quicker and more effortlessly. Feng Shui works by boosting the positive flow of energy, or “chi”, in your home, which in turn can attract abundance, good health, and happiness for both you and those you live with. Whilst this mostly includes parents, children, extended family, or roommates, I’ve been asked on more than a few occasions how people can use Feng Shui to help their pets. Whether you have a dog, cat, cockatiel, or even a horde of hamsters, here are my top Feng Shui tips for creating a harmonious space for your pet.
Diamond Feng Shui Tip 1:
If you find that your pet is too hyper before bedtime, there are a number of Feng Shui hacks to help keep them calm. If they sleep in a bed, pick one in soothing earth tones such as beige or light brown. These colors will help ground their energy and keep them in a relaxed state of mind. Fire colors, such as red, yellow, or orange, are too active and will prove too stimulating for them to be able to fall asleep.
If they have a water bowl, make sure to keep it away from their bed and in another room if possible. The water element is a fast-moving one (think of the rush of a waterfall, or the powerful waves of the ocean) and this active energy can be responsible for your pet’s restless night’s sleep.
Diamond Feng Shui Tip 2:
Just like humans, pets thrive in clean, organized living spaces. According to Feng Shui, mess and clutter negatively impact the energy flow of a room, causing it to weaken and stagnate. This in turn lowers the vibrational field of the room which can cause any number of issues such as difficulties sleeping, behavioral problems, or a feeling of franticness.
To combat this, make sure that your pet’s sleeping area is tidy, organized, and regularly cleaned with eco-friendly cleaning products – at least once a week should do it. Lavender-scented cleaning products are particularly good because they help to cleanse and freshen the energy of the room too. Be careful though, since lavender can be toxic to cats and dogs, so double-check with your vet if you’re unsure. Adjust your cleaning schedule to account for any increased shedding your pet may have – as the proud owner of two French bulldogs, I know that the warm summer months may require a little more vacuuming!
Have a storage box for any toys your pet may have and be sure to tidy them away when they’re not being used. If there are any broken or overly chewed-up toys, throw them out and replace them with new ones.
When a pet has a clean living condition, this is a clear sign that they are being properly cared for and, in return, loved.
Diamond Feng Shui Tip 3:
If you have pets in a cage (like a hamster or a dog in a crate) or in a tank (like fish or a lizard), it’s best to avoid keeping them in your bedroom. Since the bedroom is an important space, energetically-speaking, for love and romance, keeping cages in there is very bad symbolism and can leave you feeling “trapped” in your relationship. Avoid it if possible, or, if you can’t, keep it as far away from your bed as you can.
Additionally, keeping pet fish in your bedroom is a bad idea too because it creates too much water energy. Not only can the energy of the water element “dampen” your romantic passions, but the quick-moving energetic nature of water can prove too active for a room meant for rest and relaxation. Save the aquarium for the living room instead!
Ultimately, pets are a true asset to any home because their joy, lively energy, and unconditional love help fill the space with warmth and positivity. A home filled with love is certainly one with good Feng Shui!
Dame Marie Diamond, Feng Shui Master Best-selling author and star of the TV show”Feng Shui your Life”, streaming now on Tubi, www.MarieDiamond.com
By Jakeb Brock
Human beings have always been fascinated by and obsessed with power. In fact, if one accepts the Bible as being historically valid, it might be deduced that this age of man began with a power grab when our primal ancestor fell prey to the temptation of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and his eldest son then proceeded to murder his brother in a field. And when viewed this way it makes sense that the rest of the age has been largely defined by the human obsession with power.
But even if one does not subscribe to the historical validity of the Bible, it cannot be denied that men and power have been bed partners since as long as we can remember. So let us take a closer look at this phenomenon.
First of all, let us ask ourselves what the Bible might be trying to teach us by putting forth the allegory of a tree and its fruit being able to alter the entire chemistry of the human race. Literally speaking, Adam took one bite of the fruit and was forever changed inwardly after that. But allegorically it is obvious that there was more going on than that. Allegorically, the temptation of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the temptation of power.
The next question is: How? In what way did this act of biting into a piece of fruit speak of the temptation of power? The answer is that for human beings the knowledge of good and evil is actually synonymous with mental power. It is not only the power to differentiate between good and evil; it is the power to rule, to dominate, and to control. And because these instincts tend to have a corrupting influence upon the human psyche, its outworking has most often been cruel and tyrannical.
And so when we think of power this is what we usually have in mind. We think of human beings that are mentally so strong and cruel that they have no qualms about lording over masses of people and imposing upon them all manner of restrictions and controlling energies. They even resort to brands of bodily torture that maim and kill. That is the true nature of war. It is simply the result of one or more individuals carrying out their agenda for accruing more power.
The societies of men are therefore largely characterized by this impulse to possess and get more power. And not only are rulers and dictators moving in this dynamic; virtually all the citizens are too. Even the weakest of men have adopted this orientation, so that it often plays out in personal relationships such as husband and wife, parents and children, friend to friend, etc. Power, control, manipulation, dominance—these have come to characterize most relationships, albeit sometimes subtly. And it is this power-lust dynamic that has turned our society into a Darwinian, dog-eat-dog arena.
Based on this assessment of the world of men, it would seem then that there is only one kind of power at work in our universe. But fortunately, this is not the case. There is another power at work, and this power not only permeates the universe; it also happens to live inside of men. It is the power of love. I know it sounds like an old worn out cliché. But again, let us look more closely at how the power of love works.
In religious circles it is often taught that God is love. And that is true. But again we must ask: How? How is God love? And the best way to answer this is to ask another question: What is God? Amazingly, not many people can adequately answer this question, despite the billions that practice some form of religious devotion. Most people have a rather vague idea of who or what God is. And when it comes to the equation: God is love, again this is usually accepted without much in-depth understanding. But when we gain the revelation that God is consciousness, things begin to come into better focus.
If God is consciousness and God is love, it is really consciousness then that is love, not some vague image of an old man with a long white beard smiling down on us from heaven. Consciousness is the perfection of being. It is divine, deathless, immune to disease, overflowing with abundance, limitless in potential, and it is love. Furthermore, love is power. In fact, love is the greatest power in our universe.
The power of consciousness is the power of love, and this power is at work in men. How can this be? Because the rightful identity of man is actually divine spiritual consciousness. True, we have minds and bodies, but these are merely biological created aspects of our being. As such, they are temporal and far inferior to consciousness, which is eternal and indestructible. But by falling prey to the temptation of power in Adam we have, perhaps inadvertently, come to elevate our biological function of mind above our endowment of spiritual consciousness. In fact, we have become so mind oriented that we no longer see consciousness as a power at all. That means that we also tend to scoff at the notion that love is a power.
The Bible says that God created man in His own image. This is very important to remember. For, if God is consciousness and He created us in His image, then we are consciousness too. And if the divine consciousness is love, then so also is human consciousness. And if the love inherent in divine consciousness is power, then so is the love inherent in human consciousness.
Why then do we not recognize this love as a power? Why do we view mental power as the greatest power in the universe? It is because the power of love is not like mental power. In fact, it is nothing like mental power. It is neither forceful nor clever. It is not manipulative or controlling. And never is it cruel or overbearing. Mental power is highly demonstrative, while love is quiet and unassuming. And so, we mistake mental power’s showy demonstration for true power.
If the power of love is not forceful or demonstrative, how then can it be said to be a power? The answer is that love is an attribute of consciousness. and consciousness is the perfection of being. It is eternal and divine. Therefore it endures forever. That is its power. Mental power is a product of mind, and mind is a biological function, nothing more. It passes away in time. Therefore it is mental power that is not a true power. Consciousness is Spirit. It is the power of an indestructible life—the power of the resurrection of the Christ. And so it also holds true that God is a higher power than man because God is pure consciousness-Spirit while man is partly biological in his makeup.
Returning to the Garden of Eden, we see the man created in the image of God with an endowment of divine spiritual consciousness within him falling prey to the temptation of mental power. On the one hand, this makes sense. For, Adam is not like God, in that he has a biological makeup. And it is this biological makeup that deceives him. He is beguiled by the idea that with and through his biological mind he can wield a greater, more demonstrative form of power than the quiet unobtrusive power of love. But what he did not foresee was that by making the biological function of mind into an instrument of power, he was also elevating it above his created endowment of spiritual consciousness. This subsequently led to a false identification with his mind. And the moment this happened, death entered into the picture for our species. How? Through Adam identifying with a strictly biological aspect of his being. And so, the temptation of mental power led to man becoming a dominantly biological creature. And all biological life forms are subject to dissolution and death.
So it was that this entire age of human endeavor on the earthly plane became bound up with one man’s decision to elevate his biological function of mind above his endowment of spiritual consciousness—a wrongful order in the psyche of man that results in many forms of dysfunction and disease. Through falling prey to the temptation of mental power Adam came to identify with his biological function of mind, which, in turn, led to him becoming disconnected from God and alienated from his own spiritual consciousness. He also became mortal. Indeed, this turned out to be a Pandora’s box with an almost endless list of curses upon the human race. For, the fear of death then became the mother of all lesser fears, while the instinct for self-preservation came to dominate human consciousness to such a degree that laying hold of true spiritual life has become nearly impossible for us.
Though those who are moving in the human strength of Adam and Cain often downplay their sense of disconnect from God and consciousness, this outworking has been far more harmful to our species than we tend to believe. We think that making things right is just a matter of deciding to return to God by taking up a spiritual practice. But really it is much more problematic than that. What we fail to take into account is the conditioned psychological imprint that forms in us after years and years of hardening our hearts and pursuing the path of mental power. Thus even if we make the sincere decision to return to God, we find this imprint of wrongful psychic order and identity continuing to hold sway in our psyche, as if on auto-pilot, thereby demanding that we go in and do the difficult work of erasing it and rooting out its influence permanently. This work can take literally years of dedicated sadhana.
The moment Adam said yes to the temptation of mental power, the definition of what it means to be a human being was altered beyond recognition. We went from being creatures created in the image of God to being creatures with virtually no connection to God. We went from being creatures of light to being creatures of darkness—from moving in the harmony of spiritual communion to the discord of emotionally charged biological instincts. We traded the pure benign power of consciousness and love for the cruel and destructive power of mind. We went from a life orientation based on rest and trust to one of anxious self-reliance. We went from being spiritual creatures to being mental creatures. And when all these changes kicked in, we became enslaved to them through the forming of an indelible subconscious imprint. Thus we became enslaved to our own biological workings.
But the good news is that the power of consciousness-love is greater than the power of mind. And that power lies in its indestructible, eternal quality. So, whereas the cruel power of mind may seem like it has no rival, the fact is that its rival, love, is always present, waiting in the wings. Though the cruel power of mind may very well dominate our psyche for an entire lifetime, the day invariably comes when it loses steam and begins to diminish and relinquish its hold upon us. How does this come to pass? It happens naturally as our biological makeup gives way to the dictates of time and begins to decay and move toward the grave. That is the trump card of true love. It need not be forceful or proactive. It only needs to be patient and kind—to wait and watch as mind’s power wanes and is laid low in the grave. Human biological death is therefore the genius of God in action. For, not only do we human beings have the power of love at work in us, waiting in the wings; we also are indestructible and eternal beings. Though our biological makeup will always be subject to death and dissolution, our endowment of spiritual consciousness lives forever.
So lifetimes may come and lifetimes may go, in which we live as mortal mental creatures. But eventually our karma plays itself out, to where we begin to see that the human mind is not the God-ordained ruler of our psyche. It is only a biological aspect of our being, and as such, is both mortal and easily corrupted. Thus mental power may rule for a lifetime, but when it succumbs to the grave it is a power no more.
Meanwhile, our consciousness endures forever. It reappears even as we are born into new incarnations, and this cycle may repeat itself for a long time. But eventually, consciousness rises up and receives the truth, and when that happens we are set free from the delusion of Adam—the delusion that made us believe that mental power was desirable. Then comes the day when we actually rebuke and renounce our blind ancestral allegiance to Adam—when we reject the entire wrongful order of the biological Adamic mind elevated above spiritual consciousness. And that is a day we shall never forget. For, it is the day when the power of love triumphs in our karmic experience.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Kim Chestney
To live intuitively means honoring our inner voice over the voice of the world. Once we realize that we can trust our Self above all others, we live our lives differently. We make our choices differently. We aspire differently. We understand one another differently. We experience the world in a whole new way. When we follow our intuition, we participate in something that touches the depth of our being—something more profound than we know.
We become extraordinary by making intuition an ordinary part of life, by relying on it so much that it becomes second nature. With every step of the way guided by higher insight, we are more aligned with our success, happiness, and personal growth. As more and more people around the world do this, we begin to normalize intuition. Any and all of us can use our intuition to improve all aspects of our lives.
Intuition should be a normal part of life because learning to use your intuition is no different than learning to use your intellect. Intelligence and intuition are two sides of the same coin. When they work together, they create an extraordinary mind. We go to school to get smarter, so why shouldn’t we go to school to become more intuitive? Now that we are learning more about the way intuition works, we can embrace new opportunities to rebalance the two complementary aspects of our cognitive nature.
This revolutionary union of once-seeming opposites—bringing the thinking mind and the intuiting mind together—reflects the fusion that will define life in the years ahead. With this togetherness, we become wiser and more insightful as a collective people.
With intuition in the mix, we move deeper into the experience of life and the connected awareness that unites us all. When we create a culture of intuition, we create a culture of unity, of inclusivity, of the interconnected human experience.
BEYOND MINDFULNESS INTO INSIGHTFULNESS
In recent years, the practices of mindfulness, presence, and meditation have become the cornerstones of our culture and personal development. The power of being still has become a crucial counterpoint to the busy world in which we live today. In the stillness, we find our peace, but it is also in the stillness that we find our power.
To be mindful is to be aware. It is an awareness of life, an awakening from our unconscious habits, thoughts, and actions. Living consciously, we embody a new sense of presence in all we do—with an ability to fully embrace each moment. In the ever-present now, we escape the traps of the mind—habitual judgment, relentless thinking, fear. We move out of the constant flow of thought into the quiet space between those thoughts—the stillness. But the stillness is not empty; extraordinary things await there.
In the silence of your quieted mind—the space between thoughts—the voice of intuition arrives. The stillness speaks. Only in the place of “no-mind” can you hear your intuition. The thinking mind is a bully; only when it settles down can your inner wisdom get through to gently touch you. Whether in meditation, in the shower, or during a walk in the woods, insight draws close when the critical mind is far away.
RADICAL INSIGHT
Here, in the mindful place of peace, you can receive your greatest power—the extraordinary insight of higher awareness. First, we become mindful. Then we become insightful. Presence is the gateway to insight, insight leads us to the truth. All wisdom and creativity emerge from the still, quiet gap between your thoughts.
This is why stillness, the silence of meditation, is not the final destination for those of us who are still at work in the world. We are not ready to retreat to the mountaintops; we still have work to do. We have a world to change. We have a life to live and a spirit to evolve. We can be, but we still have to do.
This is not an either/or situation. Like Yin and Yang, our fulfillment comes with the union of complementary forces—the balance of existence and experience, of awareness and actualization. The completeness of our human condition requires us to be both mindful and insightful, to be aware and to become more aware. Insight brings the gift of more awareness.
In the refuge of stillness, intuition is your guide. The practices of meditation and conscious living enable you to move into the calm center of your being. Then what? Out of the tranquility, your inner voice calls you to what’s next: the next thought that will change the way you understand your life, the next idea that will improve it, the next action you can take to further elevate your consciousness. Real illumination comes from both contemplative stillness and inspired action—the two complementary paths to enlightenment.
Kim Chestney is the author of Radical Intuition. A globally recognized innovation leader and the founder of Intuition Lab, her work has been featured or supported by leading-edge organizations including SXSW Interactive, Carnegie Mellon University, Comcast and Hewlett-Packard. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Visit www.KimChestney.com.
This is an excerpt from the book, Radical Intuition. Copyright ©2020 by KimChestney. Printed with permission from New World Library —www.newworldlibrary.com.
By Jakeb Brock
This has been the Age of Adam—an evolutionary plateau in which the consciousness of the human collective has been moving in a state that was prophetically described, albeit it briefly, in the beginning pages of the Bible. This Adamic state is one of dualistic thinking, fear, separation, and self-determination. It is primarily a mental state, wherein each individual human being born onto this plane of existence sees it as his or her destiny to become as humanly smart, colorful, multi-faceted, and well-defined as they can—to flesh themselves out with opinions and mentally instigated tendencies that act as defining characteristics of their personality. Thus we all have become uniquely individualistic people and take pride in the fact that there is no other person in the entire world that is exactly like us.
This fleshed-out complex personality, also known as ego, is not something we are born with. In fact, about the only thing we are born with is our biological givens—the way we look, the capabilities of our mind, etc. So in order to become the unique person we feel destined to become we must build our own unique personality profile and portfolio. And this building process tends to be an ongoing, lifelong endeavor. We never stop enhancing our ego with new likes and dislikes, viewpoints, and quirky attributes. Then once we find something that seems to fit us well we add it to our personality portfolio, like pushing the save button on our computer. And once something is saved, it becomes a part of us—a defining attribute that contributes to our unique profile.
All this is what makes life interesting. For, being social creatures by nature, most of us also have become part of an extended social circle consisting of family members, friends, and acquaintances. And within this circle we eagerly participate, interacting and adding to its ambience. How do we do this? By expressing our unique self and being fully ourselves, while simultaneously receiving input from others pertaining to their unique selves. Of course, there is no guarantee that others will always warm up to our unique self, and when they do not we feel the emotional pain of rejection and alienation. So human socialization as we have known it up to now has always carried some risks with it. But still, most people feel committed to this process so that they do their best to roll with the punches and continue to let their unique self be known.
This is how life in the Adamic state of consciousness is lived. And as we continue to build on it, it can have the appearance of fullness—an appearance that has not only sustained many individuals born onto this plane in this age but has also perpetuated the collective reality view and rendered the status quo inviolable. And so Adamic consciousness has become entrenched to the point that we call it reality. What we have failed to understand is that all states of human consciousness are subject to change and evolve. Adamic consciousness has been the human collective’s defining consciousness throughout this age, but that does not mean that it is forever. To believe this has been a mistake. In fact, the belief itself is a product of Adamic consciousness.
We think we know what it means to be a human being. That is what our reality view consists of—all the ways and means whereby human life ought to be lived. And this is what we have all been conditioned to believe and move in. But not only is this reality view ephemeral, it is also highly constrictive and restrictive; it sells us terrifically short. That is why many people are attracted to the spiritual life. They have lived long enough under the Adamic system to perceive its emptiness and ask themselves: Is this really all there is to life? And they have become confused by the collective’s insistence that this is as good as it gets and one is simply deluding oneself to believe differently.
Then there is the condition of our world. Why does this matter? Because our world is a precise reflection of our collective consciousness. So what does the condition of our world tell us? Does it agree with the collective’s indoctrination? Does it reflect the fullness of life? No, of course not. Not only is it flawed with violence and hatred; it is also empty and vain, and those who are drawn to the spiritual life can sense this.
Thus the condition of the world testifies to the truth about Adamic consciousness. And what is that truth? That it is not the ultimate enlightened consciousness for mankind. Rather it is, in fact, a lower, seed-nature state on the evolutionary scale of consciousness. That is why it sells us short. We can and will become much more, once we have left Adamic consciousness behind. That is the purpose of all spiritual practice. The collective may have boxed itself in to Adamic consciousness for the duration, but we, as individuals, do not need to follow its lead blindly. We can leave Adamic consciousness behind in our hearts and evolve to the next level. The question then becomes: How? How do we leave Adamic consciousness behind?
The first step is to admit to ourselves that we have been lied to about the nature of Adamic consciousness and that our conditioned reality view is off-kilter as a result—that the Adamic way of viewing life is not the fullness it has purported itself to be. This is a revelatory singular step, which, once arrived at, needs little further process to back it up. The second step differs, however, in that it requires more work and process.
The second step involves the personality-self we have built. For, in the same way that we must divorce ourselves from the collective’s reality view, we must also root out its influence from within us. In order to pave the way for a new state of consciousness to be born in us we must divest ourselves of all traces of the old. We must completely dismantle and cast out the edifice of ego that we have built. Why? Because, in truth, this edifice is an intrusive borrowed construct. It is an edifice that we built while under the influence of the collective’s cultural indoctrination. We built it, but we did not know what we were doing when we did so. We were taught exactly how to do this through the socialization of the collective. Now we must reverse that process. The very edifice that we built, we must now tear down. This may seem like a daunting task, but the good news is that it can most definitely be done.
This is the reason that in Eastern spiritual circles self-realization is put forth as a key to spiritual practice. For before we can tear down this false foreign edifice we must learn about it. We must go inward and see what it is made of. We must realize this false self so that we can begin building a true self. And one of the first things we see is that the edifice is actually constructed of flimsy materials. That is why it is within our capability to tear it down. It is not constructed of concrete and stone. Rather it is made up of thoughts, beliefs, opinions, ideas, etc. In other words, all the materials that have gone into this construct are shadowy and mental. True, it may appear that the edifice is strong and invincible, but how invincible is a belief? How immovable is an opinion? No, these can, in fact, be quite easily torn down through self-realization.
In actuality, all these things we have come to believe in are fictional. They are a big fat story, nothing more. Interestingly, this is one of the foremost characteristics of Adamic consciousness. It is a story-telling consciousness. Of course, these stories, if we cling to them as real can do real harm and damage. That is why most wars are fought. One side clings to a certain story that brings them into conflict with another side that is doing the exact same thing—that is, clinging to a story they have embraced. So we see that Adamic consciousness is a war-like consciousness. It promotes division and hatred.
This quality of Adamic consciousness is not only applicable to large groups or nations. It happens on an individual basis also. The story that one person believes in comes into conflict with the story that another person believes in and presto: instant dislike and hatred ensues. So while our inward edifice may be flimsy and shadowy, it often causes us to come into conflict with others.
Our story is developed and enhanced as we have life experiences. And to the degree that we feel closed and threatened about our story’s vulnerability we become a combative hateful person. When we are born we have no story. Therefore we have no conflict. Then as we go through life we begin to hear the stories of others and decide to try them out for ourselves. Thus most stories are borrowed. Meanwhile, the more content we add to our story, the more our ego thrives and the stronger it feels. So it is not uncommon for an ego to branch out and embrace more than one story line. That is how borrowing stories has become an effective ego ploy. There is a multitude of them to choose from out there, and there are no patents or ownership rights. In other words, all stories are fair game; they belong to everyone.
Of course, the stories themselves are not the problem. Most of them are relatively harmless. Rather it is in clinging to a certain story and insisting that it is the one truth that we run into trouble. This is what brings us into conflict with others, not the story itself. That is why there have been so many wars fought over religion. It is because most major religions are unabashedly dogmatic. They insist that theirs is the one and only truth. But all this is an illusion of Adamic consciousness, nothing more. For, how are religions built? Through story telling. Some of these stories are borrowed and some may be original, in that they were first believed in by a certain group or individual. But they are still just stories.
Attachment to our particular story happens when we begin to identify ourselves with it. This happens when our ego, in an attempt to strengthen itself and become bigger, latches on to a story to such an extent that the story takes on the status of dogmatic truth. Thus we invest ourselves in it. We literally become our story and from that time forward we live and die accordingly. This causes us, in turn, to totally lose sight of the truth of who we are.
This is one of the main factors that keeps us stuck on the karmic wheel. If the story we are clinging to consumes our identity unto our dying day, we will die in ignorance of our true identity. And it is only by realizing our true identity that we can put an end to our karma. So our death will be a strictly mortal and unfruitful one, and a new incarnation will most certainly await us.
Eventually, however, we begin to suspect that our tendency to borrow a story and identify ourselves with it is a trick of Adamic consciousness and ego. It is Adamic consciousness expressing itself and ego attempting to dominate our psyche and grow larger. We learn that our true identity needs no story to define itself. It is already complete, whole, and perfect.
And so, as we progress in the spiritual life we begin to reject the tendencies of Adamic consciousness, including story building. We deny our ego and go forward into a new realm of consciousness, wherein there is no need for borrowed props or identity constructs. We say no to this karma-perpetuating illusion and streamline our inner life to reflect only the truth about who we are. We see that all stories are mere fictions and investing ourselves in them as if they were truth is a lie. And so we let go of our stories and in so doing, begin to be our true Self.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Jakeb Brock We talk a good deal about raising or developing or elevating consciousness. Let us now take a closer look at what this means. First of all, it is not really our consciousness that needs raising; it is our personal, individual state of consciousness. Consciousness itself needs no improvement, for it is …
By Carl Greer, PhD, PsyD People of different wisdom traditions have recognized that natural spaces can affect their own energy in particular ways. Are you sensitive enough to recognize the subtle changes in energy as you walk from one area to another, such as across a meadow or along a beach? Are you able …
By Betsy Bruns Have you ever heard of the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by the Eagles? I had that feeling recently when eating green rice for breakfast while gazing at our French Bulldog Buddha statue. The bully Buddha is purposefully placed across from the kitchen table to remind me each day that peace starts …
By Jakeb Brock Watch this progression: We have an unconscious thought, which triggers a negative emotion, such as fear, resentment, jealousy, etc., which casts us down into a sense of separateness, which promotes the inclination to fend for ourselves, which puts us on the defensive, which, in turn, puts us on the offensive around others, …
By Betsy Bruns We are already halfway through the year, and summer and sovereignty day are here. On July 4th, 1776, thirteen colonies claimed independence from England, leading to the formation of the United States. Each year on the fourth of July, Americans celebrate the freedom and independence that this historic event initiated. I …
By Judy Wilkins-Smith If mothers are traditionally considered to be the source of life and flow, fathers are often regarded as the hunters, providers, and the ones who introduce us to the ways of the world. Times are changing, but the essence of the male energy remains crucial to the creation, sustenance and joy of …
By Dean Fraser BSYA (BL) Public speaking had already become second nature to me, I felt (and still do) a buzz of excitement of pure joy stood before an audience ready to communicate. This will always be an inherently two-way communication. I know my own story inside out; I prefer to know yours and then …
By Judy Wilkins-Smith
Spring is an exciting time of year. Trees and gardens sprout new growth. Students catch spring fever and play hooky. The rest of us go into a frenzy of spring cleaning. Like our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents before us, we clear out closets, pack winter clothes away, clean windows and contemplate the garage. We get the “itch” to do home improvement. At the very least we buy some flowers to bring a bit of color back into our lives.
But spring cleaning is more than an annual household event. It’s an internal happening as well. As nature awakens, something stirs in us. We feel a twinge of creativity, a flutter of potential signaling new growth and a calling to new adventures. We feel deep stirrings. But do we always act on them? Do we pursue these inner urgings to change? More often than not, we don’t. And more often than not we don’t even know why.
I remember Louise, a client who came to me soon after she had gotten her real estate sales license. Despite the beautiful spring day, she was dressed somberly in grey slacks and a black jacket. For years she’d worked quietly as a clerk in her county’s administrative offices until she discovered she had a love for houses, a flare for sales and an easy ability to work with people. She was excited about her new career. But she felt intimidated by her female associates, all of whom dressed in an upscale manner and drove late model cars. “I bought a few new clothes,” she gestured to her uninspiring outfit. “And I know I should get a newer car. But it all feels wrong. I’m freaking out and I don’t know why. It’s just so stupid!”
It’s not like she came from a poor background. An only child from a solid middle class family, she’d gone to good schools and had never wanted for anything … except, as it turned out, anything fashionable or colorful. Her mother, a nurse whom she desperately admired, never wore makeup. She had shopped for drab, unfashionable clothes for herself and Louise at bargain basements and Goodwill. Even Louise’s bike, which she rode to school for years, was old and ugly when she got it. “I remember when I was twelve I wanted a bright red bike with a white basket for Christmas.” She sighed unhappily. “I got a boy’s used brown Schwinn.”
When Louise told me she couldn’t remember her mother’s mother wearing anything but black or dark brown, it became obvious there was a family pattern of the women being extremely modest and self-effacing. As we drilled down, a light bulb finally went off for Louise. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed. “I remember there was a picture of Grandma taken in Paris right before World War II. She had pink cheeks and was wearing this beautiful pink dress with a pink bow in her hair and she looked so happy.”
“What happened to her?” I asked.
Louise blushed and ducked her head. “I forgot because it was never talked about. But she was raped by a German soldier. My mom was born nine months later and after the war the family moved here to America.”
And there it was. All of her life Louise had lived in the shadow of that rape. Driven by concern for her safety, her grandmother had taught her daughter to never call attention to herself by wearing colorful things—to never look pretty or make a statement with her cars, clothes or makeup. Louise’s mother, in unconscious loyalty to her mother, raised Louise the same way. Now Louise, in unconscious loyalty to her mother, was doing the same thing. Almost 70 years after the fateful rape of her grandmother, she was dressing like a church mouse, torturing herself with anxiety over buying new clothes, upscaling her image and investing in a new car.
Once she saw the pattern and understood the unconscious ancestral program that was limiting her, Louise was able to make changes. She realized her fear wasn’t hers. She also realized it was okay to make other choices and that in doing so she would not be disrespecting her mother—something that was very important to her. The last time I saw her she was still dressed conservatively, but smartly, wearing a little makeup and a big smile as she proudly showed off her new car—a deep burgundy sedan. “It’s not exactly red,” she said. “But I’m getting there!”
Internal spring cleaning tips
So, what excites you this spring? What inner prompting for change is stirring? Does a new job beckon? A new hobby? A new relationship? A new step in your finances? A new fashion look?
Give yourself permission to explore possibilities and let yourself get excited about them. Just this act, in itself, is a gift. And if you need an excuse to cut loose from some of the old habits and constraints of your normal family ways of doing things, blame it on spring!
Once you settle on one particular change, explore your emotions. What feelings come up when you imagine yourself doing this new thing? Are they positive? Negative? Don’t judge. Just take note and jot all your feelings down.
Let’s say the idea of a new love relationship excites you, but misgivings show up. Maybe it even scares you. Explore relationship patterns in your family system to see if this fear even belongs to you. As we saw with Louise, emotional patterns take root and travel through the generations. You may well have inherited your fear from a parent or sibling or even an earlier ancestor who got badly burned in a love affair. Take note of the way you’re thinking. Do certain negative thoughts predominate? “I’m not attractive enough to find a great love. Good relationships don’t happen in our family. I’m not deserving enough.” Or how about, “Love is overrated.” Or “Love makes you weak.”
Just like emotions, thought patterns, words and sayings—something called systemic sentences— travel through the family line. We end up thinking and saying things automatically, never realizing these thoughts don’t really belong to us. Louise had some real zingers running through her head. “People who need attention are just begging for trouble” was one systemic sentence. Another was “Just keep your head down, don’t ask for much, and things will work out fine.” How could she possibly stand out and shine in a sales profession with thoughts like that running the show?
So, get a broom and sweep those old dusty thoughts from your focus. Acknowledge and thank the old patterns for the wisdom they have provided, then put them down and create new thoughts and feelings you can believe in deeply to replace them. Grab a cloth and polish the windows to your soul. Stand in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye and tell yourself it’s not just okay to have a new love—or a new car or a new job or a new puppy—in your life. It’s your destiny. After all, it’s just a part of spring cleaning.
Judy Wilkins-Smith is an author of Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint: A Powerful Guide to Transformation Through Disentangling Multigenerational Patterns, is a highly-regarded Systemic Work & Constellations expert, coach, motivational speaker and founder of System Dynamics for Individuals & Organizations. For more information:https://judywilkins-smith.com/
By Jakeb Brock
All of us who have felt an attraction to the spiritual life and responded to that attraction have actually responded to another subtle dynamic at work in our universe—the call of consciousness. This is because the divine consciousness that we call God created the universe out of the substance of consciousness, and this substance has also been planted within the heart of every human being. Moreover, our human endowment of consciousness is not separate from the divine and never could be. It is linked through the oneness of created energy.
As many of us have discovered, spiritual consciousness, though an impersonal life force, has certain properties and characteristics. And this holds true for the universal divine consciousness, as well as for our human endowment. One of these properties is that of a sort of vibration that reaches out to connect with other manifestations of consciousness within its orbit. This property is almost like that of a magnet in the natural world, which is, of course, a scientific attraction. That is why we are drawn to the divine. And as it turns out, the divine is also drawn to us. It is consciousness reaching out for other manifestations of consciousness to be connected to.
As human beings living busy lives in this materialistic world, very few of us were aware of this dynamic. We knew little about consciousness and probably nothing about its properties. But then something changed for us. We were mystically introduced to the phenomenon of spiritual life and began to feel a powerful attraction to it. At first, we probably saw this attraction as being a human one, because that is how we saw everything. In other words, we might have felt attracted to the trappings of spiritual practice, the people who pursue it, the benefits it promised, etc. Those were all human aspects to our attraction. What we did not understand was that there was also this property of consciousness at work. On a totally spiritual, unseen plane consciousness was calling to consciousness. And without knowing it, by feeling that attraction and responding to it we just happened to answer that call. In the Bible’s book of Psalms this phenomenon is poetically described thusly: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” (Psalms 42:7). And this is a very apt description because nothing in our universe is as deep as consciousness.
Consciousness is perpetually exerting this energy. Thus the call of consciousness never stops. It has no beginning and no end. This aspect of its character is based on scientific principles, just like a magnet. But human beings, while endowed inwardly with consciousness, also have the capability of discernment. This means that we can choose whether or not to recognize our own endowment of consciousness and allow ourselves to feel an attraction to the pull of the divine consciousness. And, of course, most people choose to ignore consciousness and its various properties and manifestations altogether. Instead they focus their discerning mind on worldly, materialistic realities. In this way they distract themselves from being able to perceive something as subtle as spiritual consciousness. But then something called karma enters the picture, and this force of destiny tends to overrule our own conditioned inclination toward distraction. For those of us whose karma dictates that we be mystically introduced or reintroduced to the spiritual life, the attraction is born and the journey begins. It overrides our discernment, and we respond. Deep calls to deep and crashes upon us like the waves of the ocean.
So consciousness calls to consciousness, and it is up to us to hear and heed that call. That is why one of the typical first steps on the spiritual journey is to view God as a personal separate being—one whose nature is proactive, individualized, and purposeful. The reason we do this is twofold. First, we have not yet learned about the true properties of consciousness. And second, because of our engrained human orientation it is difficult for us to conceive of an impersonal scientific life force displaying purposeful, proactive properties. In other words, if divine consciousness is exerting a call and we hear that call in the privacy of our own heart, that call must be personal. Hence we ascribe to the universal consciousness a personal name (such as God, Buddha, Christ, etc.) and build a world religion based on that name and whatever personal attributes we can attach to it.
But eventually we come to see that not only is this personal element misleading; it is also superfluous. It has no real purpose, other than the acting out of our human need to see things that way. And it has no power. When our emotional needs enter into the picture, the call is actually watered down and rendered superficial. Its depth and profundity become lost. On one level we have answered the call and are responding to it, but this response is often borrowed and contrived. That is why our prayers go unanswered and our lives unchanged. But when we answer the call and respond to it in truth we immediately tap into a powerful current of life—one that changes us and meets our every need. This is because consciousness is not only proactive in its connective vibration; it is also powerful as a healing-supplying force for human beings. And it is for this reason that a spiritual practice that has begun and been guided by a true answering of the call can and will change our lives much for the better.
The Bible describes several instances of regular people like you and me hearing and answering the universal call. And though most of these instances are portrayed in a personal format, the power inherent in them testifies to the fact that something real was coming through. In other words, those who were called received power from responding to the call and went on to become prophets or ministers or to fulfill other important historical roles. So we read of a man like Abraham being called out of a normal worldly involvement, set apart, instructed, and given an altogether new and different purpose in life. First, he heard the call in the form of speech instructing him about what to do. Then he responded with faith. This is where the power came in. For, faith is a spiritual dynamic. It is an attribute of consciousness. So even though it is doubtful that Abraham viewed his call as a scientific outworking of consciousness, by exercising faith he brought forth the power from that outworking nonetheless.
The prophet Samuel heard the call of deep to deep while still a young child. Lying in his bed one night, he heard a voice call his name. But this was obviously a karmic outworking that he knew nothing about. So he simply assumed that the voice belonged to his mentor Eli who was lying down in a nearby room. Getting out of his bed, he went into Eli’s room and asked him if he had called him. But Eli told him no, and Samuel returned to his own bed. Then the voice came again and again yet a third time. Finally Eli realized what was happening and instructed Samuel in how to respond. And sure enough, from that day forward the Word of God came regularly to Samuel, and he became a great prophet of Israel.
Both of these Biblical callings appear to be personal and purposeful on the part of God (consciousness). It seems as though a personal God were exerting His sovereign will to call a specific individual to an appointed task. But when we understand the true properties of consciousness and the scientific impersonal nature of the universal call, we see that something else was at work. Both of these biblical characters responded because it was their karma to do so. Through their own spiritual evolution and experiences in both their present and past lives they had been prepared to hear and receive the universal call. And the seemingly specific purposes they were called to were simply their individual destinies coming into realization. In other words, they each heard the call instruct them in a unique way because their destinies decreed as much. Thus we see that the call is always the same but that the unique karmic destinies of men cause it to appear multifarious.
Like Samuel and Abraham, all of us who have answered the call of deep to deep have had a unique experience. We have all heard the call in an individualized way and received specially tailored instruction and guidance about how to respond and to what purpose we were being called. This is because we all have a unique karmic destiny. But because the nature of consciousness is impersonal and unchanging, all of our stories also have a similar quality. The call is the same because it is impersonal consciousness doing the calling. But our interpretation of that call is unique because we are unique. As in the Bible, some of us hear a voice; others feel only an attraction; some receive the call in a dream, and others get hit over the head with it through circumstantial upheaval.
The Bible calls those who received the call prophets. But in our world that title is not often applied. In our world we have spiritual aspirants, students, and practitioners. But in truth, this is not much different than being a prophet. For what is a prophet? It is simply a human being that has opened up the channels of his or her spiritual perception and endeavored to keep those channels open and flowing. We all have this ability. And if it is our karmic destiny to hear the call and respond, we will each receive a unique impartation or message from the divine Spirit. Thus we will become prophets in our own right.
The divine consciousness is not secretive; nor is it a respecter of persons. The divine will is multifaceted but one. It is like a diamond with many sides. When we answer and respond to the universal call we will all have a similar path ahead of us, in that we will instinctively seek to bring our lives into conformity with the divine will. How we bring this conformity to pass will, however, be unique, on account of our unique destinies.
All manifestations of consciousness are divine and seek to be attuned to the one will. There is nothing mysterious about this. Human beings may be unaware and distracted, but that in no way impedes the movement or will of universal consciousness. The human psyche may be overrun by and become enslaved to many base human impulses, but consciousness is never chained. It is forever free. That is why answering the call of deep to deep can be such a powerful liberating experience for us. For by conforming ourselves to the nature and will of consciousness we invite that power to take the reins of our lives and transform us into its image.
The New Age is simply the age when consciousness will finally be recognized by human beings as the power that it is and our world brought into conformity with the divine will. It will be a time wherein all the inhabitants of the earth have heard and responded to the universal call of deep to deep. This outworking is inevitable for us because it is the ultimate outworking of our own created evolutionary instincts. In this way we are destined to become an entire race of prophets, with every man, woman and child attuned to the divine will. The dark night of our strictly human orientation to life is far spent. The dawning of the New Age is upon us.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By TJ Woodward
Forgiveness is a very powerful tool in letting go of the perspectives that keep us in a limited and limiting way of seeing and being. Forgiveness allows us to move more deeply into the truth of who and what we are, to eradicate our stories of separation, powerlessness, and being stuck in blaming and victimization. Many of us have a terrifically hard time with forgiveness. We feel that terrible things have happened in our lives, and we are unable to let them go. So, let’s start there, with the experience of forgiveness that many of us have had. When we’re stuck in unconscious reactions, forgiveness is next to impossible. The beliefs we hold about ourselves and our world become the lens through which we view the world, and the way we frame our stories. They limit our perspective and block us from freedom and authenticity. When we’re living at this victim/martyr level of consciousness, hearing about the need to forgive can push us further into limitation.
If we are holding the idea that we’re fundamentally a victim, then “forgiveness” may look like admitting that we are “wrong” or “bad,” and that we “deserve what we get.” Or it can look like giving up, admitting that the other person is stronger or better and that we cannot ever win. From this level of awareness, forgiveness supposes that we’ve been harmed, or have lost and that we need to forgive the person who harmed us, which can feel like basically admitting that the person who hurt us has won. From the perspective of a victim, forgiveness might also mean pretending that things that happened in the past never happened. This requires forgetting and burying things deep in the shadow.
Either way, this kind of forgiveness can further strengthen the belief in our own victimization because it’s based on the idea that something “bad” needs to be made right by either rationalizing it or burying it. This tends to create more suffering and more limitations. And that is not empowerment. As you begin to identify and let go of all those deeply held beliefs about yourself and the world that keep you in a reactive state, as you experience more authenticity in the safety of a supportive community, as you practice the spiritual principles, as you open to the power of spirit, your experience of forgiveness will begin to shift.
We may think of forgiveness as making peace with the past. That means different things from different perspectives. From a place of non-judgment, the past is what it is. The past cannot be different—we cannot go back and change what happened. But we can alter the way we see it. As the saying goes, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” What this quote means to me is that as we do our healing work, we can look at the past through a different lens. We can truly find a place of gratitude no matter how our childhood looked. This is in no way saying that we don’t sometimes feel pain or sadness about our past. What it is pointing to is that we have the power within ourselves to reframe and find gratitude in any of our past situations.
This shift may not happen overnight, and in certain situations, reconciliation might not be easy. Even as you’re doing the internal work and growing in awareness, you may still tend to experience forgiveness as directed outward, focusing on how someone, even you, has treated others rather than on your own inner movement. If your experience of forgiveness pushes you back into your stories of victimhood, that may mean you need to do some more work to help break the cycle. Or it may just mean you need to ask yourself some further questions, to reap the benefits of all the inner work you’ve been doing. So, let’s look at some of those questions.
Think of a situation in which you find it difficult to forgive. What is the story you have been telling about that situation? Where have you been especially attached to that story—what belief does it support? Is there another way to look at it? Keeping that situation in mind, what happens when you let go of the idea that one story is “right?” What happens when you approach what happened with the neutrality of an impartial observer? Can you let go of your initial reactive story about the situation and open yourself to other possible perspectives? If you can, what happens when you do that?
When we let go of the ego’s attachment to a particular story or a specific verdict about who is “right” and who is “wrong,” could it be that we no longer even need to forgive? If we release our hold on “right” or “wrong,” it’s easier to see people as reacting and responding out of their own perspectives, their own limited experiences and imperfect knowledge. It’s then a relatively short step to move from guilt, remorse, and forgiveness to something more like responsibility, resolution, and reconciliation. We don’t need to ignore the pain in our lives. For instance, we would not stay in an abusive relationship out of the idea that “There is no guilt here; whatever happens, happens.” We would not believe that we are no longer accountable for our actions because, “Hey, I’ve let go of ego.” That is not witness consciousness. It’s possibly denial.
Of course, we’re accountable. Of course, we might still feel pain. When we feel hurt, our first reaction might be to feel anger, to lash out, to want to harbor a grudge. When we experience those reactions in conscious awareness, we might still feel that pain, but then we go on to witness it, to observe our reactions and then choose how to respond, letting go of the need for someone to be wrong or right. Similarly, if we do something that causes pain to someone else, we may still feel an initial trigger of shame, and maybe from that feeling springs defensive anger. In conscious awareness, we’re able to look at these reactions compassionately, which empowers us to then move beyond them to choose the next step.
When we arrive at the mystical level of consciousness, of recognizing our oneness with life, there is no longer anything to forgive. This place of alignment with ultimate reality acknowledges that the cause of anyone’s harmful behavior is separation from their essential self. When we reach a state of oneness with source, we recognize that there’s nothing to forgive because we can see that everything that’s happened in our life has played a part in our transformation; it’s been useful in getting us where we are. And as we grow in conscious awareness, forgiveness becomes more of a natural process. At this level of awareness, we shift from forgiveness to compassion and gratitude.
TJ Woodward is a revolutionary recovery expert, inspirational speaker, educator, addiction treatment specialist, and author of Conscious Recovery.
By Jakeb Brock
We live in a very anxious world. And so, not surprisingly, one of the most insistent aspects of our upbringing is learning to fend for ourselves and use our human strength to gain the upper hand over uncertain circumstances. We do this primarily as a hedge against the anxious state of the world.
For most of us this posture of fending for ourselves has become habitual and deeply engrained in our psyche. It has become an unconscious conditioned response mechanism—one that we automatically click into when attempting to tackle the problems that invariably arise in our life situation. And because it is a conditioned response it tends to color our entire outlook and approach to living. What this means is that anxiety has become more than an emotion that we occasionally feel; it has become a way of life for us. It is with us at all times and in all situations. Therefore the common mindset of modern man is now an anxious mindset. And the common approach to dealing with life’s problems and challenges is to strive, fight, plot and scheme, calculate, etc.
Unfortunately, this kind of self-propelled mental energy tends to collide with the self-propelled mental energy of others, thereby bringing conflict and tension into our experience on an almost daily basis. It is not that we enjoy creating conflict with our fellowman, but with our anxiety driving us to fend for ourselves as our top priority we find ourselves creating our own little force field of hostility. This is also the reason that the overall tone of our society is one of strife and war. For what is society, but a large bunch of individuals each doing what they must do to survive.
Meanwhile, because this energy tends to be unconscious, it is actually being mostly played out on a subtle plane of reality. This subtle plane of reality might also be looked at as a kind of collective unconscious mind. And in the same way that an individual can only free him or herself from unconscious behavior through conscious awareness, the same holds true for the collective unconscious. The problem then becomes one of powerlessness when it comes to the collective. As individuals, we still have the power to change. But as a collective, the problem of unconsciousness has become too big to fix. In other words, an individual has the motivation and tools to make things right is his or her life. But the collective seems to have neither. And so its anxious state seems to go on and on, as if by perpetual motion.
Then to make matters even worse, our collective culture has over time come to equate striving with strength. This has had the effect of legitimizing the anxious state of the world. Why? Because our culture has always viewed strength as an admirable, almost virtuous quality. In our culture the world is perceived as a scary place, while strength is promoted as the tool to overcoming this perception. Nothing is done to try to make the world less scary. Rather individuals are taught to become so strong that they prosper even in the climate of anxious uncertainty.
Interestingly, when we come to the spiritual life, all of this starts to look glaringly insane. For, it does not take long for us to realize that the spiritual approach to life is one of pursuing peace and harmony and ceasing from our anxious striving. Instead of fending for ourselves, in the spiritual life we learn to relax and trust. Instead of fighting and controlling, we learn to rest and let things be as they are. Instead of allowing our problems to cause us to click into an unconscious reactive pattern, we seek to employ our conscious awareness to diffuse such patterns. Then little by little, we begin to see that we have been spreading hostility through our own unconscious impulse to fend for ourselves and we seek instead to become peacemakers. We also gain the revelation that human strength is not all that our culture paints it to be. Not only is it not an admirable quality; it is truly one of the most unspiritual energies a human being can move in. In truth, one who has attained great strength humanly is, at his or her core, a frightened, small human being.
And so it is that coming to the spiritual life turns out to be no small adjustment for us. Rather it is nothing short of the reversal of all that we have been moving in. That is why the New Testament equates it to becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). And it is this matter of anxiety-induced behavior that is at the heart of our transformation. Going from an orientation of striving to one of trust is a monumental shift in our makeup.
Thus we see that learning to trust is actually one of the foundational underpinnings of the spiritual life. It not only constitutes a change in our behavior. It translates us from the human realm into the realm of the divine—from the earthly plane to the heavenly plane. Previously, we depended on our own human strength and were earthbound accordingly, but when we learn to trust we find ourselves depending on a power greater than ourselves and transcending the earthly plane altogether. And so we find that trust and faith are inextricably joined. We also find that learning to trust can require a leap of faith for us. For before we can learn to trust a higher power we must come to believe that such a power exists.
This does not mean that we have to know everything there is to know about this higher power. In truth, such knowledge is not even possible for us in our present state of consciousness evolution. But when learning to trust, it is enough for us to believe that a higher power exists. Then little by little we can take the leap of faith into the realm of trusting in that higher power. This may sound impossible for us to do, but in actuality, not only is it possible; it is not all that difficult.
Curiously, once our consciousness has developed to the point of being able to believe in and trust the higher power, knowledge about that power becomes secondary. What matters most is that we have ceased to trust in ourselves and our own strength and begun to look upward. For, it is this lifting up of our countenance that really moves mountains in our lives. For this reason it also matters little what we call the higher power. If we have ceased to trust in ourselves and have lifted our trust upward, we are all trusting in the same power. Our trust becomes like an impersonal posture that the universe recognizes as a posture for receiving its full quiver of blessing. And this dynamic then acts as a law unto our life experience.
Biblical wisdom confirms this mystical truth, when it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your pathways straight.” (Proverbs 3:4). The main variable that most people tend to fudge on in this passage is the word all. Learning to trust takes time and practice, and at first we must start small. In other words, we might trust a little but when push comes to shove we often revert to our old ways of human strength. We acknowledge the higher power on some level but find our faith to be a little lacking. Whereas, trusting with all our heart and acknowledging the higher power in all our ways implies a very high level of consciousness development. For in order to reach such a high level we must have done the inner work needed to disarm our unconscious conditioned response mechanism of anxious striving and have freed ourselves from its repetitive instigation. So you might not at first find that all of your pathways have been made straight, but be assured: once you are able to trust the higher power with all your heart, unprecedented blessings will begin to flow into your life.
The good news is that all of this is based on law. On the spiritual journey it is never a question of the higher power rewarding us or favoring us. That would make the higher power an unpredictable, personal, almost whimsical entity. And we know that It is not like that. But based on law the universe recognizes our posture of trust and good things begin to come our way. It also recognizes when we are not trusting with all our heart, for this too constitutes a legal posture—one that may for a time result in only a partial flow of blessing.
Where did Jesus weigh in on all this? Not surprisingly, he not only echoed the Old Testament’s teaching about trust; he took it a step further. He taught about the legal dynamic of the posture of trust and he taught us how to make sure progress towards achieving that posture. How did he do this? He gave us a very simple tool for de fanging our subconscious storehouse of anxiety—a tool that we are all very familiar with and have often used in other situations. This tool is the tool of logic and reason.
“Do not worry about your life,” he said. “Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap; they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Do not set your heart on what you will eat of drink, do not worry about it. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:22-31). And so Jesus exposed worry as being not only unspiritual but also illogical. In other words, it makes no sense. So why do we do it? It is because we have lost sight of who we were created to be. We have believed the lie that separation from God and an independent life built by human strength is the highest expression of our human hood. This has caused us to have to fend for ourselves and has created a world of Darwinian strife—an anxious world, in which only the strong can survive. We have also lost sight of the nature and laws of the universe, wherein it is not a posture of isolation and strength that attracts blessedness and makes our pathways straight; rather it is a posture of wholehearted trust. Thus the entire orientation of human life has become an aberration. And as Jesus pointed out, it is not only aberrant; it is illogical.
To live by anxious striving and the exertion of our human strength is diametrically opposed to how we were created to live. No wonder such an approach has resulted in the devaluation and debasement of human life. No wonder that as individuals each one of us is beset with health problems, financial difficulties, and relationship issues. No wonder we live lives of quiet desperation—lives that are hard, frustrating, exhausting, and unfulfilling. And no wonder that the one constant that has characterized our world climate since the beginning of the age is one of hostility and war.
Meanwhile, the solution to all these problems is one in the same. It is to do the inner work of consciousness development that will bring us into harmony with our original created blueprint. That is what Jesus meant when he said to seek the kingdom of God first. That is the right order of things, not seek to insulate ourselves from anxiety and fear by becoming super strong in our isolated posture.
Trusting in the higher power with all our hearts may require a leap of faith for us at this point in time. But logic and the laws of the universe concur: It is and always has been the right way for us to live—that is, the way of peace, goodness, and the fullness of life. We not only were created to live without being anxious; we do not even need to take thought for our lives. Why? Because the higher power of our universe has already seen to our provision and well-being in the act of creation. All we need to do is to learn to trust.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Cyndi Dale
We don’t tend to think that getting in shape is a sport, but for those of us who don’t want to fit into yesterday’s outfit—or the newest look—it sure is. And I’m not talking about garb for a couch-potato.
You might not be aware of the fact, but energy medicine has a lot to offer the recliner-competitor who wants to turn into an athletic-contender. It can help you get your mind in shape to get your body in shape. I’m going to explain how all-things energy can improve your form—at all levels.
Let’s start with the basic premise, which Albert Einstein and other geniuses established as truth eons ago. Everything is composed of energy, which is “information that moves.” For instance, the data in your coffee differentiates a café au lait from a straight-up black. The vibration of the molecules in your mug makes the java cold or hot brewed.
When we focus on goals like lifting weights, toning muscle, and slimming down, we usually concentrate on the physical attributes of energy. A good part of all energy is physical, or measurable and concrete. However, there are two types of energy, and less than one percent is physical.
That’s right. The other type of energy, which constitutes 99.999 percent-plus of all energy, is subtle, which could also be called psychic, spiritual, or quantum.[1] Subtle isn’t weak, as subtle energies organize physical energies. That means that most of what appears in 3-D reality—including the muffin top of holiday treats around your middle—is there because of the programming contained in subtle energy.
Subtle energy is mainly managed by consciousness, or focused awareness. The more popular term for this action is intention. It seems rather lame to think that you can change your body, and change your life, by being intentional, but it’s quite true. First, let me explain how physical reality can be altered with mental effort, which is a form of consciousness.
Subtle energy is best explained by quantum physics. Quanta are the smallest known wave-particles in the universe, and they are super tiny. As I explore in relation to the body and sportiness in my book, Energy Work for the Everyday to Elite Athlete,[2] these subtle mighty-morphins are regulated by very strange rules, to include these:
- They only become concrete when observed. The winter-you in the mirror? That’s a product of quanta made real by factors including your self-image. If you alter your self-image, you can steadily transform the mirror-self.
- They can jump from one state to another, therefore altering reality. This means that no matter how stuck a situation seems, it can be shifted.
- They obey something called the Uncertainty Principle. It’s super complicated, but it basically says that we can’t know everything about something all at once. Your thoughts can’t give you a complete picture of reality—but you can use a tool like positivity to keep increasing what you desire.
In simple terms, positivity counts.
Consider that way back in 1995, in the non-sporty world, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, called Guruji, could alter physical reality with simple blessings. For a few minutes, he’d focus on a situation, and it would improve. Studies show his focus increased seed germination and survival rates amongst blessed plants to 99.5 percent, compared to 60 to 65 percent in control crops. He bolstered yields in a chickpea plot by 350 percent over control yields.[3]
In line with this result, several scientific studies are moving us closer to the end zone in our understanding of the power of intention to director subtle energies, which, in turn, help organize physical energies. Included in the growing body of evidence is a study from the Cleveland Clinic that discovered that participants could strengthen muscles just by visualizing a physical movement. While gym rats increased their muscle-strength by 30 percent, individuals who merely visualized their workouts bettered their muscular strength by 13.5 percent.
It pays to combine the mental and physical. By joining physical action with mental focus, you can cut your actual practice hours in half. That conclusion applies to performance, as well as to practice.[4]
You can use upbeat focus to enable better food choices too.
We know that food influences mood, but the opposite is also true. In fact, a study has shown that individuals making food choices while embracing attributes such as optimism and gratitude make healthier food choices.[5] That’s how the placebo effect works. By believing a positive outcome will occur, you’re far more likely to experience that result—even if you don’t believe in the placebo effect.[6] The nocebo effect has also been proven. If you think something will have a negative impact, it most likely will.[7]
What ways would I suggest you start steering your subtle energies this winter so you can best spring into spring—and the summer? Here are a few ideas.
- Tell yourself that your everyday movements are exercise. Yup, when you’re lifting a fork, imagine that it is as heavy as a forklift! One particularly interesting study that I read years ago found that by simply telling hotel maids that their everyday work was “exercise,” their bodies responded dramatically—with decreased blood pressure, body fat, and body mass, within just one week.[8]
- Hold spiritual qualities in your heart. That’s right. Self-love will automate your choices. Get in shape with mantras like hope, love, and gratitude. There is truly a subtle science to this idea. Every time pressure is produced in the body, such as when your heart beats, phonons are produced. These are tiny quantum energies that arise from atoms oscillating or moving in a crystal. If you are focused on positive qualities, the resulting phonons will bring positive messages throughout your body and greatly improve your health.[9]
- That’s right. Three times a day, look in the mirror. See yourself as you desire to be, even while you love yourself as you are. Then get busy visualizing an activity. Running, lifting, flexing…if you move a little while exercising in your imagination, you’ll get in shape even faster!
Bottom line, know that what you focus on will expand. Stream those subtle energies toward a svelte and shapely you, and that is what will emerge.
Cyndi Dale is the author of over 30 internationally renowned energy medicine books including Energy Work for the Everyday to Elite Athlete. www.cyndidale.com
.[1] Ali Sundermier, 99.9999999% of Your Body is Empty Space, September 23, 2016, Science Alert, www.sciencealert.com/99-9999999-of-your-body-is-empty-space.
[2] Cyndi Dale, Energy Work for the Everyday to Elite Athlete (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications), 2023.
[3] Ibid, 16.
[4] Michael Miller, “Envisioning Your Way to Success,” January 15, 2018, sixseconds, 6seconds.org/2018/01/15/envisioning-way-success-incredible-power-mental-practice/.
[5] Alba Carrillo et al, “The role of positive psychological constructs in diet and eating behavior among people with metabolic syndrome,” January 5, 2022, Sage Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20551029211055264.
[6] Maj-Britt Niemi, Placebo Effect: A Cure in the Mind,” February 1, 2009, Scientific American, www.scientificamerican.com/article/placebo-effect-a-cure-in-the-mind/.
[7] Danny Minkow, “The Nocebo Effect,” August 26th, 2014, Students 4 Best Evidence, s4be.cochrane.org/blog/2015/08/26/the-nocebo-effect/.
[8] Christopher Shea, “Mindful Exercise,” December 9, 2007, The New York Times Magazine, nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09mindfulexercise.html.
[9] Peter H. Fraser and Harry Massey, Decoding the Human Body-Field: The New Science of Information as Medicine, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008.206–214.
By Jakeb Brock
The prevailing scientific view is that we human beings are biological creatures of the earth and that our present place of supremacy among the other earthly species is the result of a biological evolutionary thrust, out from which we emerged with strong supple bodies and highly developed minds. This is, in fact, according to science, the summation of all there really is to know about us. As for the complexities of human life that we are all so familiar with, these are actually illusory and imaginary—that is to say, they are nothing more than the byproducts of our overactive, highly developed brains. Our emotions, thoughts, and layered behaviors all have a biological basis, in that they are all activities of mind. Therefore human life is not complex in reality. It only seems that way to us because our minds tend to work unchecked and be overactive.
Also according to this view, the only true knowledge is empirical knowledge. In other words, it is knowledge arrived at through the discovery and study of “the real.” And what is the real? It is only that which can be perceived with our five biological human senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. Everything else that we call knowledge, such as ideas, intuitive deductions, and instinctual awareness is, in fact, inappropriately called knowledge because it is not arrived at through empirical processes. Rather it is mentally conceived and enhanced—that is, it is just mind stuff.
This then describes human life in a nutshell. Once we are able to delineate between and separate the real from our indulgent mind stuff complexity will cease to be part of the human experience, and what we will be left with will be a very streamlined and basic worldview. This is where the scientific community would like to take us, but we seem to be dragging our heels and resisting their prodding.
Our recalcitrance in this matter has caused more than one scientist to scratch his head in perplexity. Even some who are not a part of the scientific community find it to be a curious phenomenon. For, the only plausible explanation is that we are for some reason attached to our own suffering and complexity. And there is perhaps also a fear factor at work. We fear that the pure pragmatism of the scientific view would ultimately reduce us to clone-like automatons. True, in that scenario we would no longer have the problems and difficulties that we have now. But neither would we have passion, ideals, imagination, dreams, etc. Once we got a handle on our superfluous mind stuff and were able to rein it in and relinquish it, human life would become one hundred percent biological—a biology that would still elevate us above the other species but would no longer include the entire element of mental projection that we now so freely indulge in.
And so science has the enigmatic distinction of being both our savior and our worst enemy at the same time. It is our savior because it is laboring to move us into a saner, more pragmatic reality, but it is our worst enemy because in order for us to lay hold of its brand of salvation we would need to relinquish our attachment to all the added elements that we associate with living a rich and full human life at present.
Since we cannot fully embrace the salvation that science offers and remain attached to our present way of going about things, the choice before us then becomes painfully clear: Do we want to trade our present sufferings and sometimes overwhelming complexities for a purely biological existence? We have put our trust in science and technology, and this is where it has brought us. Even now our complexities, while still indulged on the level of “quaintness,” are being exposed as non-essential mental pandering. Even now our attachment to them is steadily eroding. Even now those who are still clinging to the “old way” are being treated as dinosaurs. Even now human life, as we have known it, is slipping into obsolescence. Thus the fate of the human experience now hangs in the balance.
What is perhaps most poignant about this crossroads we have come to is that it never had to come to this. It was not a predestined, inevitable outcome to the human story. Rather it has come to pass for two primary reasons. First, the masses of humanity have always seen themselves unworthy of and shunned enlightenment. And second, we have willingly turned our fate over to those that we considered to be well-educated experts and commissioned them to guide us towards a better life. Thus we have no one to blame but ourselves. These two age-old collective dynamics have brought us to our present point of impasse, and their correction is what needs to happen in order for us to get back on the right track. The masses must take on the responsibility of individual enlightenment, and then, if we still have the need for them, we must appoint truly enlightened men and women to lead us. As it has been up until now, human society has been characterized by the proverb: the blind leading the blind.
Besides this proverbial comparison being applicable to our present condition, it also points to the fact that these things have not come to pass without warning. There have, in fact, been numerous warnings given us. A veritable plethora of prophets and seers have foreseen these days and urged us to change our direction. But our masses have persisted in their sloth and ignorance, and our scientists have dismissed the entire lump sum of warnings as the rantings of madmen because they were not empirical in nature.
The question we must now ask ourselves is: Did those who tried so earnestly to warn us know something that we do not? For, either they were indeed madmen or they understood something about human life that we have still yet to learn (or have forgotten). There can be no other deduction to make about their actions.
So let us suppose for a moment that they were not simply mad. Instead let us humble ourselves and ask: What might it be? What might they have known? Based on their earnest approach, they were obviously compassionate human beings who cared deeply about their fellowman. But even more than that, their actions speak of knowledge. It was as if they had a key that unlocked the entire mystery of human life—one truth about the human makeup that would cause everything else to come into focus; one revelation, which once collectively acknowledged and integrated would bring true sanity and goodness to the human scene, instead of delivering us onto the shoals of despair. Through their pragmatism our scientists have perpetually upheld empirical process as the only legitimate form of knowledge. But they have also steered us to the brink. Meanwhile, the discoveries and secrets of the ancient spiritual masters promise to take us in the exact opposite direction.
In approaching these matters we must first let go of the prejudices we have adopted about the vehicles that were used to make the teachings of the ancient masters known to the world. These prejudices are largely the result of having allowed scientific pragmatism to hold sway over human society. Most of the testimony of the ancient seers was passed down to us through what are now considered to be religious texts. But as it turns out, their knowledge—the knowledge we are missing—was not the least bit religious. It was, in fact, scientific.
The science pertaining to man, as we now know it, is strictly biological. But the ancients were in possession of a thriving science that transcended biology. This science is the study of human consciousness. Our scientists certainly acknowledge the phenomenon of consciousness, but they have refused to embark upon its study because consciousness is not perceptible by the five human senses and therefore cannot be approached from an empirical angle. It is not biological; it is spiritual. And spirit has no basis in biology.
Spirit is the substance of the ether. It is not of the earth and does not belong to the physical universe. In fact, it has no connection to the physical aspects of our universe whatsoever. Human beings, however, possess the capability of perceiving spirit. But because it is not biological, our approach to its study has for the most part drifted into the realm of religious mysticism. In order to perceive spirit human beings have needed to develop a sixth sense—a sense that the religious mystics call faith.
Faith is the vehicle of perception, by which human beings can perceive and study the ethereal realm and its substance: spirit. Though science recognizes the ethereal realm as extant, it refuses to acknowledge faith as a legitimate sense of perception. Thus science has concluded that the ethereal realm exists but is imperceptible to human beings.
But the ancients saw faith in a different light. For them, it was as much of a valid human sense as seeing or hearing. The only difference in their minds between faith and the five physical senses was that faith needed to be willfully cultivated. Its essential functional capability was within us, but it had to be uncovered and brought to life by an act of the human will. It was a given aspect of our created makeup just like the other senses but was buried deep within the psyche and remained so until we dug it up, brushed it off, and fanned it into flame. The ancients did this routinely and with amazing results. Thus it was said of them that they lived by faith and not by sight.
Faith was their vehicle of perception but it was not the faculty by which they came to understand the nuances of spirit. By faith they perceived the ether or spiritual realm. But they used another faculty to study and interact with that realm—the faculty of spiritual consciousness. Where did they get such a faculty? That was the easy part, since every human being is born with this faculty. What the ancients learned to do (and we largely have not) is to use spiritual consciousness for the purposes it was intended for.
Most of us view our endowment of consciousness erroneously. We confuse it with a function of mind. In other words, we have come to believe that when we are experiencing consciousness we are simply using a part of our mind. One of the reasons for this is that the scientific community has elevated the function of mind above all other functions of the human psyche. It has rendered mind as an all-inclusive biological endowment. Even the body is seen in this light. It is not separate from mind, but is actually a physical aspect of mind. So when we hear about consciousness, most of us immediately associate it with mind. But the ancients delved much more deeply into this matter, and they discovered something very important: Human consciousness is not a function of mind. It is an altogether separate function of the human psyche. Why did they deem this distinction to be so important? For one thing, it meant that the human psyche was much more expansive than previously thought. The theory that all human functions are contained in mind and are therefore biological in nature is a highly limiting one. But the ancients discovered that mind is not the only function operating in the human psyche. Neither is it even the most dominant function of the psyche. It is a biological function that resides in the psyche, as is body. But the human psyche is also home to spiritual consciousness, and this function is eternal and has no limitations. As spirit, it is in no way restricted by biological properties. Therefore according to our created blueprint spiritual consciousness not only resides in the human psyche; it is meant to rule therein.
The scientific community has never acknowledged spirit as extant because it has not been able to perceive spirit with our five biological senses. It has acknowledged consciousness, but only as an aspect of mind. But to the ancients, spirit and consciousness were one. And through faith they not only perceived this function of the human psyche; they also were able to learn a great deal about it. Thus it was the study of consciousness that became their main focus and made them wise beyond our reckoning. For, to know the truth about consciousness in relation to the psychic functions of body and mind is to unlock the entire mystery of human life. It represents the correct reintegration of the human psyche, by which the optimal health and function ability of a human being is achieved.
But the ancients went even further than this. Through their study of consciousness they also discovered the true purpose for why we are here. They saw that not only was consciousness spiritual; it was also evolutionary in nature. This was in harmony with their study of the natural world around them, in which it was found that many of the earth’s created life forms were evolutionary. But the unique quality about man was that man’s evolutionary thrust was not biological; it was spiritual. Man did not evolve from one earthly species into a new one. Only his faculty of spiritual consciousness displayed this propensity. And it was this created endowment of evolving spiritual consciousness that gave man dominion over all other created life forms—not some aspect of biological supremacy. This is what the Bible means when it says that we were created in the image of God. God is fully evolved consciousness. And human beings were created with the evolutionary capacity for becoming like God.
Furthermore, the ancients deduced that consciousness evolution was the true purpose of human life. This was actually an obvious finding for them. For, what purpose could ever compare to becoming like God? But in order for consciousness to evolve it needed time and experience on the earthly plane. And this matter of earthly plane experience was neither obvious nor simple. In fact, it has been shown to be highly complex and enigmatic. That was why the earthly plane environment was created to be a naturally challenging one, presenting us with obstacles, pressures, oppositional forces, and inertia. These experiential elements act like fire to our endowment of consciousness, burning away all resistance to the evolutionary process.
And so we come to find that the complexities of human life are not superfluous after all. They are not just indulgent mind stuff that we cling to in order to make life
more interesting and intriguing. Rather they are the product of our own experiences, as we interact with the challenging aspects of the earthly plane environment. They are purposeful, in that they actually facilitate our evolutionary impulses.
If there were no evolution of consciousness then the scientific view that human life is dominantly biological would be correct, and all of our complexities would, in fact, be indulgent mind stuff. But the ancients knew that consciousness was not only a non-biological endowment; it was the only faculty of our created makeup that is evolutionary. They also recognized that suffering and complexity were elements of earthly plane existence that facilitated man’s evolutionary thrust.
One of the main motives of the scientific community has always been to alleviate and eradicate suffering. And their efforts have not been limited to their teachings. They have branched out into other more tangible methodologies, such as psychological conditioning and medical therapies. In these attempts they wholeheartedly believe that they are performing a great service to humanity. But the ancients knew that to eradicate suffering and do away with complexity would actually be counterproductive to consciousness evolution. It would remove one of the most efficacious influences on our journey toward evolutionary fulfillment.
Due to erroneous counterproductive programs such as these impacting human society, severe restraints have come upon our evolutionary instincts. Collectively, in fact, our entire evolutionary impetus has been derailed. And this is not a new phenomenon. It has been going on since the beginning of the age. Fortunately, this does not hold true for the individual. As individuals, we are still capable of growing spiritually and realizing our ultimate evolutionary fulfillment. This enduring individual capability is the pearl of great price that Jesus spoke of. If it ever gets taken away from us, human life will indeed be altered unrecognizably. Not only will our complexities become a thing of the past, but also spiritual life will become perpetually off-limits to us. Human consciousness will forever after be viewed as a function of mind, thereby rendering its expansive properties null and void. Indeed we will become nothing more than biological automatons.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By TJ Woodward
Quite possibly, what can seem even more difficult than making peace with others is the prospect of making peace with ourselves. We are burdened with what we have done or not done. And more deeply, many of us are burdened with an identity where we believe we are “wrong” or unlovable. So, it’s not just “I have done something wrong,” but “I am wrong.” That identity can be so deeply entrenched that we’re not even aware that it’s present. This is what makes it seem so hard to make peace with ourselves for things we have done. Part of the challenge in making peace with ourselves is a belief that our goal in life is to resolve our central conflict. We live as if the core conflict of our life story is the main problem keeping us from happiness, so we live as though resolving that core conflict is our life’s purpose.
Underneath many of the recurring themes or patterns in our life stories is an unconscious assumption: If we want to create the life of our dreams, then we need to resolve what we believe is our core conflict, and to do that we need to be self-critical. “If I can just overcome what’s wrong, if I can just fix certain things about myself, then I can change” (be happy, be loved, be successful). The assumption that the key to happiness is to fix things reveals another assumption: that things must be broken. This approach can temporarily work in the external realm—think of all the advances in medicine, for instance, that are based on it. But when it comes to deepening one’s spiritual awareness, this perspective eventually creates not wholeness but more brokenness in our lives.
What if the key to true happiness lies elsewhere? What if things aren’t broken? What if you are essentially perfect and fundamentally whole? How would that shift your entire worldview? If “I am perfect and you are perfect,” then neither of us is worthier than the other. That means you can broaden your awareness by investigating your perspective. No matter how difficult or how idyllic your early life was, it is about training yourself to think, feel, and embody the truth that you are whole and perfect and one with source, then to ask and follow the question “What else is possible here?” We can then also recognize that we don’t need to earn love. Love is who we are.
If you’ve been able to step back and witness your own thoughts and reactions to life and have discovered a pattern of criticism directed inward or outward, you can give a shout of joy. It’s really one minor step from self-criticism to self-compassion and from criticism of others to acceptance of others. If you continue to give yourself room and the silence to witness, to notice, what activates your criticism, I promise you will find the capacity to live beyond your previous stories and lean into what else is there and what else is possible.
Many, if not all of us, grew up with a somewhat damaged sense of self. Childhood hurts, traumas or abuse severely distort our self-image and can interfere with our ability to relate to others in meaningful ways. If this is the case for you, it is important to do the emotional work to heal and resolve whatever parts of your past are still affecting you. On your journey of healing, you can develop unconditional love, acceptance, and compassion for those inner parts where you might still feel wounded. You can be aware of whether you are acting out or demanding that your needs be met by others who may not be capable of or willing to meet them. Loving the seemingly wounded parts of yourself is a vital step in having deeply connected and purposeful relationships with yourself and with others.
However, as we fully know ourselves to be love, we recognize there is actually no separate self to love. The very idea of loving oneself suggests duality, where in fact there is only oneness. Self-love implies that we are separate from the source of love, rather than an expression of it. From the highest level of truth, the greatest act of self-love is to truly know who and what we are. Love is the truth of who we are. When we truly know this, everything changes. Can it be that simple? I say yes!
TJ Woodward is a revolutionary recovery expert, inspirational speaker, educator, addiction treatment specialist, and author of Conscious Recovery.
By Jakeb Brock
Traditionally in the East, when an individual felt and responded to a spiritual calling, he or she became a disciple of a master or guru and dedicated him or herself wholeheartedly to a spiritual practice. He or she totally withdrew from the world and gave up all their worldly possessions. They lived only for their spiritual practice from that time forward.
But times have changed, and the world has changed. The East has become largely westernized, and here in the West we have finally opened the door to eastern thought and spiritual practice. Thus in our day we have witnessed a blending of East and West that is unparalleled and long overdue. On a practical level western governing and economic systems have been embraced in the East based on their freedom and durability, while simultaneously many western spiritual aspirants have come to recognize the great value inherent the ancient eastern spiritual practices. But unlike the traditional eastern approach of total dedication, most westerners have adopted their own version of eastern practice—one that fits better with their prevailing western lifestyle. In other words, instead of total dedication most westerners attempt to fit their spiritual practice in with their existing lifestyle and thereby have the best of both worlds.
There is only one problem with this modern western spiritual approach. Most of us tend to be so busy working jobs and raising families that our spiritual practice sometimes gets shuffled to the back burner and neglected. Our schedules are literally packed full with obligations, duties, and social involvements—all of which seem inviolably prioritized. We have all been taught the great virtue of being responsible with our time and taking care of ourselves, and therefore spiritual practice takes on the quality of a secondary, even indulgent pursuit. We deem it valuable and beneficial, but finding the time and energy to pursue it and still be a responsible adult can be a little tricky.
But for many in the East spiritual practice has always been considered a number one priority. And culturally speaking, this has also been viewed as a perfectly legitimate and responsible life choice. In the East spiritual practice is a way of life, while in the West it tends to be more like a hobby. In the East spiritual practice is meant to, and often does, alter one’s worldview, while in the West it is meant only to impart side benefits to us, such as peace of mind, health of body, etc. Here in the West our approach is to stay in control and relegate our spiritual practice to its appropriate niche in our lives, while in the East it is not uncommon for a spiritual aspirant to give up all control and let their practice dictate their priorities.
Interestingly, the ancient eastern mystics who founded the science of yoga seemed to have foreseen the world developments and cultural influences of our day. Thus the spiritual practice they advocated and codified included many practical elements—elements that allow one to practice without a total commitment of time and energy. As yoga unfolded, it became like a magnificent tree—one with many varied and fruitful branches. These branches allowed the yogi to hone in on a particular path that best suited them and to work with his or her human attributes rather than repress them. The practitioner was taught to use his or her body, breath, and voice in the service of intensive spiritual practice. And in this way one could actually learn to live in a meditative state at all times.
This idea may seem a little farfetched and lofty to us here in the West with our busy lifestyles and myriad of distractions. But the eastern mystics knew better. They saw meditation as being not so much a technique as a state of consciousness. In other words, in order to enter the meditative state one did not need to sit a certain way or recite a certain mantra; one only needed to be focused and aware to such a degree that one’s mind was stilled and transported into the spiritual realm. And amazingly, they discovered that such focus and awareness could be achieved through many diverse means—means that applied primarily to the human body.
In our western Judeo-Christian culture the human body has gotten a pretty bad rap. It has been looked upon as the foremost vehicle of temptation and sin. According to this view spirit and body are not only incompatible; they are, in fact, two dualistic extremes, with spirit being good and body being evil. But the founders of yoga saw things in an entirely different light. Instead of condemning the body they put forth a prominent branch called Hatha Yoga—a branch that specifically uses the body to focus consciousness. Their vision was essentially one of meditation through movement.
How does meditation through movement work? Whenever our bodies move, a physical sensation is created—one which then sends a signal to our mind and is treated with varying degrees of awareness. In other words, some movements that register in our mind are overlooked as insignificant and thereby remain unconscious, while others are too strong to ignore. That is why Hatha Yoga involves stretches that can be both difficult and intensive. The idea is that the sensations from those stretches would be too strong to ignore. Moreover, if they are too strong to ignore, then our awareness will rise up and take front stage, thereby causing our mind to be relegated to its rightful place in our psyche. This is what makes the mind slow down and become quiet.
Many of us here in the West have missed this intended goal of Hatha Yoga. Instead of valuing its meditative properties we have taken up this yogic branch strictly as a form of physical exercise. But to the eastern mystics physical exercise was far down on their list of intended benefits. Rather to them meditation was not only the key to this spiritual practice; it was the key to all spiritual practice. Therefore every branch of yoga was actually meant to lead us into the meditative state.
When looked at in this light it is logical to assume that other physical activities could also become vehicles that lead us into the meditative state. Yoga asanas may be specifically tailored for this purpose, but essentially any movement of our body can achieve the same result. How can this be? Because the key to entering the meditative state is the rising up of our conscious awareness and the relegating of mind to its rightful place. Thus movements that we normally do not associate with meditation can cause this same dynamic to be released. The key is to become acutely aware of the sensations that a movement produces and thereby allow our consciousness to take command of our psyche. This will, in turn, strengthen our conscious awareness and free us up to be able to practice meditation at any time and in any situation wherein our physical body moves.
Of course, for those of us who are not yet spiritual masters, some movements will be more effective than others for achieving this. Hatha yoga will in all likelihood continue to be our most effective form of meditation through movement, but as our conscious awareness deepens, we may find other forms of movement work well also. The following are a few examples.
Another branch of yoga called Pranayama is a highly effective form of meditation through movement. It focuses primarily on the breath. But again, many practice Pranayama without fully understanding its potential benefits. For not only does working with our breath bring increased blood flow and a biological change in our oxygen levels, it also is an effective practice for focusing our conscious awareness. The reason for this is that, like Hatha Yoga, it is a repetitive physical movement that registers sensations in our mind.
Another wonderful but sometimes overlooked form of meditation through movement is interpretive dance—that is, the creative movement of our body in response to musical sounds and rhythms. Again, the same principle holds true here. When dancing, instead of abandoning yourself to the unconscious effect that music has on your body, try to become intently conscious of the sensations that the movements of dance bring. This can be a very life-affirming and liberating pursuit, especially for us here in the West that have bought into the lie that the body is sinful and needs to be repressed. In dance, the body finds a powerful healing release from the kind of repressive wrong thinking that can lead to sickness, lameness, and even death.
The martial art Tai Chi is another excellent form of meditation through movement. Though it uses no outside stimulus such as music to infuse the body with movement and sensation, Tai Chi has its own source of bodily impetus: the Chi. This is the silent flow of creative life energy that pulsates throughout our universe at all times. So in order to practice Tai Chi one not only needs to employ conscious awareness of the movements and sensations it produces; they also need to be a very good listener. For the Chi is all around us but like the wind, it is completely silent.
What is the one common thread that connects all of these divergent activities? They each use the physical body to achieve a meditative state. This is a very interesting phenomenon, given that we here in the West were taught that our body could not possibly be used for a spiritual purpose. Clearly, the ancient eastern masters saw things differently. They saw that the body was not only a very effective spiritual vehicle; it was for us human beings one of our greatest gifts. That is why we were created with physical bodies. Everything in creation is meant to serve and facilitate consciousness evolution and expansion, and the human body is no exception to this rule. If we did not have bodies, an entire world of movement and sensation would be lost to us. We also would have no breath and no voice.
Of course, the body also has its rightful place in our psyche, and the wrongful elevation of it is what leads to temptation and sin. Thus when practicing meditation through movement we must always relegate both body and mind in submission to consciousness.
The great spiritual masters were not concerned with the body or the mind. They were concerned foremost with the human faculty of spiritual consciousness. For, it is this faculty that sets us apart from every other creature in the known universe. Many other creatures have bodies and minds, but we alone have spiritual consciousness.
Meditation is all about consciousness expansion and elevation. Therefore every spiritual practice has meditation as both its foundation and goal, and every facet of human life can be a meditation when the expansion of consciousness is involved. This is how we transform our raw animalistic humanness into an eternal vessel of spiritual light. It is also how mankind will become the ultimate force that ushers in a New Age for our planet. In that day the human body will be seen as one of our greatest assets and friends. For it will then be recognized that the body was given to us for the foremost purpose of facilitating our consciousness evolution.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Jakeb Brock
Here in the West where science has become like the voice of God, we have come to view human life as essentially random and accidental, with the basis for this view being the Big Bang theory of our universe’s origins. Beginning with that one great accident, all life that has followed cannot be other than accidental as well, including human life. And with this scientific assessment being widely accepted as truth, the tonal quality of our western culture has become largely hedonistic and purposeless.
Also according to this view, each one of us is born into this world as the result of random biological impulses belonging to the natural propagation of our species. Then despite this accidental birth, after we reach a certain point of maturity we are expected to make important life choices, as if our life was purposeful after all. This is a conflicting message that has caused more than a few to scratch their head and wonder what is going on in our world.
Another way to say this is that even though the scientific view of life is that it has no real rhyme or reason, we can choose to live as if it mattered. We can inject meaning into our lives through our own individual belief system, and no one will stop us from doing this. They might try to correct us and remind us of the scientific reality, but in most cases we will be free to take this more serious approach, if we want to. That is why in our society people run the gamut from those who think the only purpose in life is to enjoy the ride and have a good time to those who take themselves so seriously that they have forgotten how to do that.
Those who tend to be more serious can inject meaning into their lives simply by ascribing inordinate value to some of the aspects of human life that others take for granted. For example, they might ascribe ultimate value to relationships or career, or some might take the same route with philosophy or religion. In this way they attempt to defy the scientific mandate of randomness and fill their own lives with meaning and purpose. The problem is that none of these pursuits has any real meaning on its own. Rather the meaning must come from us—that is, our feelings and beliefs. In other words, if we want our lives to have meaning, we have to be the ones to make it happen.
This has led to an interesting social dynamic in our society—that of experimentation. Perhaps we are the type of person who wants to believe that life has meaning but we have yet to find out what that meaning is. We have not found meaning in any of the pursuits that others swear by. So we decide to make this a matter of our own personal quest. We try this and that, and through the process of elimination we have the sense that we are making progress towards our goal. At least we come to know that it is “not this” and “not that.” Again, no one is going to stop us from taking this route. In our society we are pretty much free to live the way we want, as long as it is lawful. Unfortunately, our freedom to experiment does not always bear fruit in finding.
This then leads to another social phenomenon: the perpetual seeker—one who is always trying this and that, but never finding. Some perpetual seekers even lose sight of what it is they are looking for. They become so attached to their seeking that they begin to view it as part of their identity. They become intoxicated with their freedom to experiment and forget all about meaning and purpose. In essence, they end up following the cultural piper anyway, as if they knew all along that science’s take on things was beyond challenging. But for these the fact that they have spent much time and energy seeking and not finding can bring an undercurrent of disillusionment and even despair into their lives. Why? Because they sincerely wanted to find a greater truth than science’s teaching of randomness. They really wanted life to be meaningful, and this desire was pure. In this way life in the western world has not only become aimless and frivolous; for some it has also become empty and cruel.
Of course, our scientists are not cruel people. It was never their intention to cause anyone disillusionment and despair. They are simply committed to finding the truth, and if their findings bring suffering to people it cannot be helped. The truth cannot be sacrificed or sidestepped in order to feed people’s illusions. In the long run adhering to the truth will make human beings stronger and increase their potential for greatness.
But the question must then be asked: Would the truth, the real truth, bring disillusionment and despair to the human ranks, even if only for the short term? That is not at all what the spiritual masters taught. In one accord they taught that instead of the truth being hard to swallow it would be a healing balm. It would set men free. It would not treat people’s instinctual desire to find meaning and purpose in life with disdain; on the contrary it would fill them with hope and vitality. No, the spiritual masters would not agree with the scientific teaching of Big Bang randomness, not only because it brings suffering but also because it is not really the truth at all. They had their own take on the truth pertaining to these matters, and that truth is as old as the hills themselves. But it is not easy for us to learn and embrace this spiritual truth in a world in which science’s view has become inviolable. It is there for the finding, but it takes a courageous soul to do so.
This truth teaching of the masters first appeared in the East approximately five thousand years ago. It takes the stance that human life is more than just a random biological happening; it is the outworking of the evolution of spiritual consciousness. In other words, we are each born into this world because our individual endowment of spiritual consciousness is in the process of evolving towards its ultimate fruition, and we need time and experience on the earthly plane, in order for that to happen. Furthermore, we are all at different stages of this evolutionary process when we are born into a particular life incarnation. These divergent stages of consciousness are known in the East as karma. And because each one of us is here to work out our karma on this plane with no guarantee that we will reach fruition in any given lifetime, most of us must be born repeatedly.
Then approximately four thousand years ago this teaching became known in what was then considered to be the West—in the Mediterranean region called the Land of Canaan. And the book that we call the Bible is actually the story of how this truth teaching from the East first became known to one man named Abraham and was then passed down to an entire nation of his descendants—a people known as the Hebrews. But not surprisingly, these early Hebrews felt impressed to guard the teaching and veil it in secrecy. Thus the writings in the Bible make no reference to their original source. For those with eyes to see, however, it soon became clear that this was, in fact, the same teaching of the masters from the East, only with a western slant and emphasis. It was the teaching about the evolution of consciousness being our true purpose for being here.
Two thousand years following Abraham’s breakthrough of consciousness Jesus happened on the scene. He was a direct descendant of the first Hebrews, so his highly evolved state of consciousness was explainable even on a human basis. But there was more to Jesus than just his ancestral link. In truth, he differed from any of the Hebrews that had lived before him. And that difference was due to his state of consciousness. As it turned out, Jesus was probably the first man ever born in the West who was already karmically fulfilled. In other words, he was already fully evolved in his spiritual consciousness. And that meant that he was here for an altogether different purpose than we are. He was not here to work out karma; he was here to teach and spread the great teaching from the East into all the western world—no more secrecy or guardedness, only the real truth about who we human beings are and what we are here for.
Jesus was fully aware of who he was and the fact that he was set apart from other men. He also was empowered to perform many miraculous signs and wonders. So it was that this western version of the teaching came forth with an emphasis greater than words alone could have achieved. This was necessary because of the hardened spiritual condition of most westerners at that time and since—a hardness due to our vain materialistic orientation toward life.
And so through Jesus this great teaching from the East has indeed gone out into every corner and crevice of our global community. Unfortunately, even with such an elite heritage most people have failed to recognize or understand the true nature of the teaching. Those who have ruled over western civilization have twisted and perverted the teaching’s true essence, embellishing it with all manner of superstitious and pagan ideas. This has resulted in a watering down and diluting of the teaching’s power, thereby creating a vacuum in the influential circles of society—one that then facilitated science’s rise to prominence in our midst.
Fortunately, this collective mishandling has not affected an individual’s ability to discover and lay hold of the teaching. And it is for this reason that ever since Jesus’ day those born into the western world have no longer been doomed to a life of purposelessness and materialistic futility. It may take effort and courage for us to find this pearl of great price, but it can and often has been done.
This is the truth that Jesus said would not only lend true purpose to our lives; it would set us free—the truth about the evolution of consciousness. It is the only truth that gives meaning to the human experience.
All human beings have spiritual consciousness. That is how we were created, and that is why we are set apart from all other earthly life forms. But this endowment of consciousness is not static and lifeless. On our karmic journey it may begin as small as a mustard seed. But when it is fully evolved it becomes like a great and mighty life-giving tree. It becomes like a bright star shining in a dark night.
Here in the West we have been given a great example of what consciousness looks like when it is fully evolved. All we have to do is turn our gaze onto Jesus. Even as he proclaimed, he was the light of the world. Why? Because his consciousness, being fully evolved, literally shined forth like the sun. This is no secret. That is why the fully evolved state of consciousness is now often referred to as Christ consciousness.
But whether in the East or the West, the fully evolved state of consciousness is the same. It is the same for all human beings. And in all cases its fullness is one of light and ultimate goodness—that which we call enlightenment.
It is this ultimate evolutionary potential of our spiritual consciousness that makes us like God. This is because a fully evolved human consciousness essentially merges into God. This is why Jesus could say that those who saw him saw God. He also said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). Contrary to what some have believed, this is not a blasphemous statement. It is the truth for all of us, once we have finished the karmic journey and experienced the full evolution of consciousness.
Jakeb Brock is a spiritual teacher and the author of The New Consciousness: What Our World Needs Most. Visit www.ournewconsciousness.com or www.facebook.com/thenewconsciousness.
By Jennifer Bugajsky
In today’s modern world, sex has become a taboo topic. For centuries, women have been taught that sex is bad, shameful or self-indulgent. Societal influences claim that a woman who thinks about, let alone engages in sexual activity, is labeled as provocative, dirty or promiscuous. Religion and culture teach about the fears and dangers of sex rather than on the healing, pleasure and self-actualization it brings.
Thanks to thousands of years of confusion, shame and oppression of the feminine essence, generations of women have lived with unfulfilled and empty lives. They have lived under myths regarding pleasure, sexuality and their body. Pleasure has been defined as instant gratification from an outside source as opposed to experiencing joy, this inner long-lasting peace.
With this stereotype, many women are either depriving themselves of feeling pleasure believing it’s wrong, shameful or selfish; while others are secretly sneaking around hiding the fact they enjoy feeling pleasure. Either way, it’s like this forbidden fruit. If I experience pleasure (or too much of it) I am “a bad girl” and if I deprive myself or sacrifice my own pleasures, I am “a good girl.”
Unfortunately, society has taught women to fear their sexuality, hate their bodies and sacrifice their own desires. When a woman does not embrace her sexuality, she buries a piece of her and hides the fullest expression of who she is.
The challenge is here, we live in a patriarchal designed society, where the main focus has been on the masculine way of doing things with little to no focus on the feminine. Women have had to work hard to get the same equality, opportunities and rights as men and in doing so have lost a piece of their feminine nature along the way. With the desire to be strong, independent and confident, many women have subconsciously put up blocks creating a false and inauthentic version of themselves without realizing it. This lack of authenticity weakens their effectiveness, self-esteem, energy and the ability to create more of what they desire. Women are working themselves too hard striving to be successful, trying to keep it together and focusing on serving and pleasing others rather than surrendering into the truest expression of themselves.
In essence, women are hiding behind the truth of who they are. The secret to unlocking that truth begins with embracing their body and sexuality as a woman. They may be strong and confident in many other aspects of life, but when it comes to their body and sexuality, they don’t see it as important. Women don’t realize the depth of love, intimacy, abundance and fulfillment that are available to them when they surrender to this deep part of themselves. It is like a buried treasure that lies deep within.
When a woman learns to give up control and surrenders to the divine feminine nature within her soul, she is filled with more love, talent and energy than she could have ever imagined. She fuels herself to give back to the world. It is no longer about control, responsibility or getting things done. She feels into the essence of herself. She embraces intuition, creativity, and sensuality. She begins to feel with her body, instead of think with her mind.
When a woman connects with and begins to feel her body, she begins to trust her inner wisdom. Diving into her sexuality and sensuality, she is opening the door to feel. If the body is numb, it can’t feel. The body was made to heal, but women must feel in order to heal. Sex allows women the opportunity to be naked in their bodies, to not hide behind who they are. If a woman is insecure in her naked body, there is something deeper within thirsting to break free. When a woman becomes more confident in her own body, she embraces and experiences the pleasures and sensations of touch. She is cracked wide open to the truth buried within. She experiences deeper expressions of love, which she takes out into the world.
A woman’s #1 need is connection. Our bodies hunger and yearn for emotional, physical and spiritual connection. We thrive when we feel it, yet so many women are too busy doing life that they are just going through the motions, not feeling the intimacy their soul desperately craves. It is more important to take care of their family, house, business and community than to focus on their own pleasure. There is no time for sex, let alone pleasure and connection with their body.
However, embracing your sexuality as a woman is the key to experiencing more fulfillments in all aspects of life. The ideas of sex, pleasure, and loving the body might seem scary and vulnerable. But as Brene Brown states, “Vulnerability is the center of shame, scarcity, fear anxiety and uncertainty, but it is also the birthplace of love, belonging and joy.”When a woman allows herself to become vulnerable and tap into her sexual power she is introduced to tools which enable her to embody a power that does not intimidate or diminish, but rather attracts and inspires others. A power that emanates from within and does not require force to achieve one’s goals. She becomes a radiant beacon of light. When a woman shares this vulnerable part of herself with another, they help heal each other, and together they bring more love into the world. It is this deep intimate connection that a woman’s soul craves.
When a woman embraces her sexuality, she learns to fall in love deeply and intimately with herself. She not only discovers how to have outrageously awesome sex, she understands the exquisite depth of lovemaking; shameless self-love with herself and others. This love generated from the divine enables her to exude a radiance that is a light to the world. She becomes a more powerful women, partner, mother, sister, colleague and friend. When a woman embraces her Divine Feminine nature as a woman, she no longer hides behind the patriarchal rules and beliefs that have been passed along through generations. She realizes her truth. She embraces all parts of herself and steps into the fully embodied woman she was created to be. She not only heals herself, but also future and past generations.
A woman who knows her sexual power becomes the fullest version of herself. She feels into the soft, graceful, gorgeous, elegant, royal beauty of her nature as well as the intense sensual, erotic, wild, saucy seductive part as well. She is a woman of love, compassion and strength. She is independent and yet asks for what she needs in an inviting way. She does not appear needy yet understands the balance of relationships. While she can do things on her own, she knows it is more fun to experience life with a partner. She attracts a partner who treasures her in the same way. She is a woman who respects herself and emits that same light into the universe. She is alluring, captivating and magnetic and inspires others to become the fullest expressions of themselves to.
Jennifer Bugajsky is a sexuality and intimacy coach. She creates educational platforms on sex, love and relationships with an emphasis on the integration of sexuality and spirituality as a vital key to healing and personal fulfillment. www.thefreedomkeys.com
By C. Scot Giles, D.Min, DNGH
Everyone has memories that are sad or troublesome. All of us get to adulthood with our share of emotional scars. They may have been embarrassing moments, betrayals by someone we trusted, or some other heartbreak or reversal.
The brain has evolved to keep us safe; it prioritizes information and recollections that it believes will make us cautious in the future. The reason is simple; in the state of nature, people who were cautious tended to survive. People who were not cautious tended to become food for other creatures. Therefore, because of how the human neurophysiology evolved, our minds give disproportionate weight to fears, failures and other unfortunate events by default.
However, you can take control of this process using the power of your mind. There is something you can do to pull the hurt out of darker recollections from your past.
Here I need to give credit where credit is due. This technique was developed by the late Ruth Carter Stapleton, a spiritual healer who was the sister of former President Jimmy Carter. She called her technique “Inner Healing,” and you can find it described in her books.
The concept is simple. In a state of mental relaxation, review in your imagination the painful past incident. Then change it. Imagine that some powerful and benevolent force or person intervenes and changed the outcome. Make that as real and as vivid as you can. You will not mistake fantasy for reality. You will always be able to distinguish between your recollection of what actually happened from the “adjusted” image you have created. But you will find that the hurtful aspect of a painful recollection decreases every time you recall the adjusted image.
Ms. Stapleton, being a Christian evangelist, always used the image of Jesus as her intervening figure, and she used nothing more psychologically powerful than guided meditation. However, others have found that any benevolent force or person can be used, even a highly abstract one such as “spirit.” If you have been trained in self-hypnotism, you will find that greatly improves the effectiveness of this self-help method.
The reason why this method works is rooted in the nature of human memory. Your memory is not like a video recording. Instead, the outline of what is recalled is encoded into your internal information processing system. Then when the memory is needed, your mind fills out the encoded outline with such relevant information as it has on hand. Memory is constructive. What plays in your head when you recall a memory isn’t an exact recollection of what happened, but a construction between the remembered outline and other thoughts that your subconscious mind thinks would fill out the picture nicely.
This is one of the problems with hypnotically refreshed memory sometimes used in court cases. For example, a witness to a hit-and-run accident can be hypnotized to recall the license plate of the offending driver’s vehicle. However, that doesn’t actually mean the recalled license plate is correct. If the witness had always believed that his or her second cousin was capable of doing a hit-and-run, the witness’s subconscious mind may easily recall the cousin’s license plate number and insert it into the memory.
In the 1980s and ’90s, there was a tremendous problem in the mental health community when a lot of therapists became convinced their clients had suffered various forms of sadistic abuse but could not recall it. Using hypnotism and other techniques the therapists “refreshed” the client’s recollection using leading questions which the subconscious minds of those clients immediately inserted into the client’s memory. The result has come to be called the False Memory Syndrome and it hurt a lot of people.
However, when done deliberately with benign intent, changing the emotions you have around painful memories under your own control can be enormously helpful. Without creating a false memory, you can rewrite your past after a fashion and spare yourself the embarrassment, shame, or dark feelings related to something that happened.
Sometimes I am asked about the ethics of this technique when I suggest a client use it. Some people will feel genuine regret about a mistake in their past and feel they need to hold themselves accountable for what they did. I understand this position completely. One of the ways we can improve ourselves is to hold ourselves accountable for what we did or did not do. This is an important way to become the best version of yourself.
That said, once one has learned from a past mistake, made whatever amends are possible and resolved not to repeat the mistake, what possible purpose could there be to inflicting unnecessary pain on oneself? Provided one is sincere in one’s resolve to learn from and not repeat a mistake, making the recollection less painful can be an important form of self-care.
Finally, we must note that some dark memories were not caused by anything we did or did not do. People are victimized by others all the time and feelings of victimization can pull happiness out of life. Using this technique to soothe some of the pain of a painful memory can enable one to move beyond the experience of victimization and adopt the identity of a survivor instead. That is always worth doing.
The Rev. Dr. C. Scot Giles is a Board-Certified Diplomate and a Certified HypnoCoach® with the National Guild of Hypnotists. You can learn more about him at www.csgiles.org.
By Lee Harris Prayer can be a wonderful entry point or gateway for many. The problem is if they don’t go beyond it. And if they don’t go beyond it, for many it can get confining to their souls. And in fact, it can start to erode their souls if they spend many, many, many, …
By Ellen Meredith Melanie, Jill, and their two dogs took refuge from Covid-19 in a sweet cottage in a rural area of Oregon. They chose to focus their energy on connecting back into mother nature, rather than feeling locked down or limited by the changes in their work and life brought on by the pandemic. …
By Jakeb Brock From the moment we enter this world we human beings are literally inundated with a consensual reality view—that is, a reality view that has already been firmly established through a broad societal consensus. Thus the main impetus of our upbringing is to learn to conform to and find a niche in …
By Janet Thompson If you’re like most people you want smooth healthy skin, but maybe you don’t want to wade through hundreds of chemically laden products to get it. That’s where antioxidants can help. Incorporating the right antioxidants into your diet and skin care routine can have a positive effect on your skin. Antioxidants …
By Betsy Bruns Giving thanks in November is an American tradition that dates back to 1621 when, as the story goes, a harvest feast was shared between the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people, or the native people of North America, who were here in America before any of the other Europeans arrived. Over …
By Keridak Silk Fall is the time of reaping the harvest. In many cultures, it also brings celebrations of thankfulness. Gratitude reaps amazing results at any time of year. The magic is that even being thankful for tiny things can make you feel good, change your outlook on life and bring more good things …
By Yoichi Utebi For most of us, the word ‘curse’ brings fantastical images of black magic, witches’ cauldrons, and a little “eye of newt and toe of frog” to mind. But though we may be tempted to believe they are merely fantasy, curses can, in fact, be a very real manifestation of negative thoughts. …
By Jakeb Brock Reintegration is a word often used to describe the fulfillment and fruition of our spiritual work. It involves bringing our individual inner world or psyche into harmonious alignment with the perfection of being — that is, the full potential for which we were created. It establishes an optimal fluid order to …
By Betsy Bruns As a classic, October-born Libra, I love the fall by design. After all the summer fun and UV rays, cooler temperatures, brilliant colors, falling leaves and warming fires are welcome—as are pumpkins, root vegetables and sweet treats. Orange you ready for fall? It was not until I sat down to write about …
By Raquel Jex Forsgren, Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT The benefits of yoga are felt the FIRST time you do it. We go to yoga because we want to increase flexibility, strengthen and tone our muscles, alleviate stress and let go of our busy days. For some, it’s the only time we may get one hour to …
By Meghan De Jong, RHN – You don’t have to look too deep into the health industry to realize there is a whole lot of buzz surrounding the topic of plant-based diets these days. In fact, according to research by Global Data (2017) there has been a 600% increase in people identifying as vegan in …
By Ania Haas It’s Monday morning. You open your eyes and realize that you are again in the same reality, in the same home with the same people and the same problems. You’ve had enough. You are dragging yourself out of bed, starting your day and the only thing you want to do is …
By Jakeb Brock We are all familiar with the emotion that we call envy. We have all had feelings of envy, though we may be ashamed to admit it. But most often we do not take this matter too seriously. We view envy as a fleeting, almost whimsical or indulgent fancy — similar to …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of September begins with Venus entering the sign of Virgo on September 5. Your thoughts may turn to practical considerations like education, healthy eating, and taking care of the home. Venus is very concerned with likes and dislikes. And you may find that something you disliked in the past, which …
By Betsy Bruns Labor Day has been a bittersweet holiday for most of my life. Sweet because we were usually having a barbeque, attending one, or off on a road trip. Bitter because it signaled the end of summer fun. What is Labor Day and why do we celebrate it? According to the U.S. …
By Dr. Jennifer Mieres and Dr. Stacey Rosen One in three women will die from cardiovascular disease this year. For men, the American Heart Association says it’s one in four. That’s higher than all types of cancer fatalities combined. Of course, there are risk factors that can increase a woman’s chance of getting the …
By Misti Dian When people hear I am from the South and then discover I am an Intuitive Healer, Metaphysical Theologian and Spiritual Activist with my messages of spiritual and religious inclusion, some are confused—and skeptical—to say the least. Most cannot understand how someone who is also a Christian can make room for any …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of August begins with the powerhouse aspect of Mars conjunct Uranus conjunct the North Node at 18° of Taurus. This is such a rare aspect that the energy will unfold for several weeks or even months. Wherever this trio falls in your chart, you want to break free and do …
By Dean Fraser Rules on what is acceptable in our own behaviour and that of others; and often these rules tend to be quite rigid. At one time in our life they may have been perfectly logical and worked for us then. We are creatures of habit unfortunately, and by being creatures of habit what …
By Jakeb Brock The goal of all spiritual practice is to elevate our state of consciousness and thereby imbue our inner world with greater and greater light. This is not an exclusive capability as it is possible for each and every human being inhabiting this planet. It simply takes the proper teaching, and openness from …
By Betsy Bruns The evolution of the sweet tooth is thought to be centered around the idea that, over generations, we have linked a sweet taste with high-energy foods, which would have helped our ancestors survive. Sourcing foods with high energy density meant less time foraging for food. It’s been observed that our ability …
By Katarzyna Szumal There are moments in our lives that change us forever. We meet someone you read some book or events happen that cause us to we feel that something inside ourselves is changing or changed… we start seeing and feeling completely differently. It feels like a layer of illusion just dropped, and we …
By Betsy Bruns To what degree will food shortages plague us in 2022? So far, I’ve not had any problems finding staples and am holding a vision of plenty of good food and health abundance in the coming year. Quinoa, beans, lentils, rice, oats, nutritional yeast, condiments, and spices have been in good supply. Not …
By Dr. Marni Hill Foderaro There have been thousands of documented testimonials supporting the correlation of surviving traumatic life challenges with experiencing Spiritual Awakenings. Numerous people have publicly shared their testimonials after experiencing accidents, medical mishaps, severe hardships, abuse, loss, and death resulting in these ordinary people’s lives being forever changed. Many of them …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of May begins with the new moon and Solar Eclipse that happened on April 30. Last month we talked about how this energy is connected to your finances. This eclipse is also about valuing the earth, the objects and people in our lives, as well as ourselves. This is …
By Jakeb Brock As we begin our meditation on any given day, chances are pretty high that we will be carrying a degree of disturbance in our psyche. This disturbance might come in the form of a problem that is currently pressing us — perhaps a financial worry or a relationship roadblock, or maybe …
By Kayla Hancock The Witch of the Forest’s Guide to Earth Magick: Ground yourself with magick. Connect with the seasons in your life & in nature, by Lindsay Squire (Leaping Hare Press, $17.99, Paperback) Earth magick is mainly magic that is derived from understanding and connecting with the powers of the elements and seasons. Lindsay …
By Linda Scotti, RN, BSN, MA I’ve always been interested in nature and plants. Scientists estimate that there are more than 5,000 phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals). These phytochemicals not only protect the plant from pathogens and cell damage, but they also help us when we ingest the plant. Herbs and spices contain high levels …
By Sue Odland As summer temperatures rise, bountiful gardens bloom, and garden pests do too. Keep your garden safe from chemicals this season by using the wisdom of Mother Nature to provide effective, natural pest control. Using a combination of the following strategies will provide your plants with well-rounded protection against unwelcome garden visitors this …
By Bernadette Evans The month of May is a busy one, with retrogrades and eclipses happening. To get the most of this month, spend some time looking within and deciding what direction you’d like to take. Mercury will station retrograde this month on May 10th and be retrograde until June 3rd. Mercury does rule …
By Denise Linn Being a Sacred Observer Nurtures the Soul As I sat at the United Airlines gate, I had to force my eyelids open just to keep from falling asleep. The annoyance of waiting, combined with the crankiness of being overly tired, was taking its toll. This would be my third flight in one …
By Stephen Hawley Martin Many spiritually advanced people believe that there are no accidents, that everything that happens is orchestrated by the force and intelligence we call God. They would say that whatever happens is part of God’s plan and that he or she works in mysterious ways. If this is so, why do bad …
By Kayla Hancock Spirituality Will Save The World: The Beginner’s Guide to Self-Realization, by Sally Smith (O-books, $14.95, Paperback) Our modern world is full of polarization and disparity — that is why it is important now, more than ever before, that we seek self-realization. Sally Smith emphasizes the importance of each person’s own individual spiritual …
By Jakeb Brock For those of us who find spiritual life and practice to be a good fit, and have therefore stayed with it even when it has not been easy, there is a high function we are fulfilling — one of which we may not yet be fully aware. In all likelihood, when we …
By Betsy Bruns Refreshing Easter Traditions Easter gatherings in our family always included two things: ham and chicken liver pâté. It was tradition. Special care was taken to secure these delicacies in advance. The Easter ham was ordered well before the holiday and the chicken liver was bought early, then frozen to assure that …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of April begins with the new moon in Aries on April 1. This brings a focus on independence, self-reliance, and taking action. This is a “work hard, play hard” energy. When obstacles arise, this brings enough speed and determination to leap over hurdles. And there will be some hurdles. …
By Bernadette Evans Hello and welcome to the month of April. The planets are still close together, which means some days the planets are busier than others. There is either a lot of activity or it’s a quieter day. This month, Jupiter will conjoin Neptune. The last time these planets came together in a …
By Ania Wilewska – “The deployment of 5G, or fifth generation cellular technology, constitutes a massive experiment on the health of all species.” – Dr. Joel Moskowitz As more scientific studies are being published, more doctors and physicians are raising awareness and alarm, even few glimpses of mainstream media show signs of an increasing concern …
By Sue Odland Spring rains recede, while sunshine warms the earth, and the time has come to plant a garden. This affordable, enjoyable activity brings fresh, flavorful offerings directly from nature to table. Developing the basic skills needed to grow your own food will always be in style. This season, turn off the TV and computer screens, take the family outside, and connect to Mother Earth. Here are some simple steps to create a successful, productive garden: Step 1: Pick a space with 6-8 hours of full sun to encourage strong plant …
By Betsy Bruns Spuds – The gift of the Irish As an Irish gal, I have consumed more than my fair share of potatoes. I love them boiled, baked, mashed, plain, or seasoned – and for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I’m clearly not alone in my appreciation for the fourth largest crop in the …
By Kayla Hancock Divine Messengers: The Untold Story of Bhutan’s Female Shamans, by Guyer-Stevens and Francoise Pommaret (Shambhala, $18.95, Paperback) To create this book, journalist, Stephanie Guyer-Stephens, and anthropologist, Francois Pommaret, traveled to the Himalayas to meet seven Bhutan female shamans who wanted their stories heard. Often referred to as “sky-goers”, deloms (returners from dead) or …
By Loretta LaRoche Recently, I stayed with a friend who had three children: ages two, five, and seven. At breakfast, she took out six different boxes of cereal and began the following litany, first addressing the two-year-old, “Do you want fruit doodles, oat squares, shredded wheat, captain crackles, Trix, or Cheerios? I can put a …
By Christan Hummel The beating of a shaman’s drum, the labyrinth at Chartres, stone monuments in Ireland, Feng Shui…what do these all have in common? All are attempts by different cultures to harmonize their space with their environment. Throughout time, temples from Stonehenge to the Great Pyramid attest to humanity’s desire to create sacred space, …
By Donna Stellhorn It’s March, and Spring will soon be here. There are no planets retrograde, so it’s time to move forward with your plans. This month, look at possibilities and take massive action on your goals. The new moon in Pisces is on March 2. This Pisces energy is about letting go of …
By Jakeb Brock One of the primary goals that we all share on the spiritual path is that of liberating ourselves from the tyrannical demands of our own ego in order that we may live a new life in service to a higher ideal. Is this even possible for us? Of course it is. Is …
By Phyllis Light, Ph.D. In case you haven’t noticed, we are all going through MAJOR upheaval in our country (and on the planet). Astrologically speaking, we are all undergoing a “Pluto Return”, a major astrological event which only comes about every 247 years or so. I am not a professional astrologer, but have been …
By Bernadette Evans Hold on to your hats my friends, March comes roaring out of the gate. There are a lot of planets grouped together which could be really powerful. Everything culminates together on March 2 during the New Moon. Venus, Mars, and Pluto are all at 27 degrees of Capricorn. Mercury and Saturn …
By Betsy Bruns February 1st, 2022, is the Chinese Lunar New Year (LNY) commencing The Year of The Tiger. It is said that Tiger years bring times of change, this year even more so because 2022 is a Water Tiger. Water is associated with sensitivity, creativity, and openness to change. Water is also powerful. …
By Jakeb Brock We come to the spiritual path from many different angles and for many different reasons. But for most of us, there was a hunger for something more than the well-defined life that was laid out for us when we were young — the life that our society and culture told us …
By Kayla Hancock Demystification: Lifting the Veils of Illusion, by Jakeb Brock (Outskirts Press, $8.13, Paperback) In this book, Jakeb Brock investigates many of the lies we have been taught through cultural conditioning. He empowers readers to go on an inward discovery to demystify the mind and find their own truth. Detailing the various …
By Ania Wilewska “The people will not revolt. They will not look up from their screens long enough to notice what’s happening.” – George Orwell, 1984 Did George Orwell predict modern times? Looking around, it’s hard to miss the modern human: hunched back position with eyes glued to the screen. It’s not just teenagers …
By Katie Davis All love is one Love and when we fall in love with one another, it is said that we are experiencing the Divine. Rumi, a 13th century Sufi poet, defines love as a mystical moment, when two spiritually connected individuals meet. We call it love at first sight. In this meeting …
By Laura Clay You used to be able to escape from the news. You could put down the newspaper, turn off the TV and not think about it anymore. But then came the internet, social media and smartphones. Now, the news has become a 24/7 presence in our lives, a running dialogue of dramatic, heartbreaking …
By Staci Culbreath Do you often feel tired or fatigued? Do your kidneys hurt after eating certain foods? Do you have skin problems such as eczema, rashes, or acne? Do you have frequent urinary tract infections? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, it is time to start thinking about detoxifying your kidneys. …
By Donna Stellhorn Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the year of the water Tiger. It’s also the new moon in Aquarius on February 1st (Lunar New Year always falls on the new moon in Aquarius). This is a great time to renew your New Year’s resolutions and to start fresh. Water Tiger energy is …
By Bernadette Evans The month begins a little slowly, which gives us time to catch our breath. Mercury is still retrograde for a few days at the beginning of February and then it will take a while for it to gain traction again. Venus stationed direct at the end of January, and she also …
By Ellen Grace O’Brian Nothing contributes more to unfolding our divine potential than “stepping out of our little corner,” reaching out beyond our personal needs alone, and opening to abundance for uplifting others. This is how we enter the stream of divine grace in its fullest expression. We open ourselves to be divine instruments of …
By Lisa Peten Many people eat fruits and vegetables, take vitamins and minerals and live healthy lifestyles to ensure good health. By all accounts, these are excellent ways to maintain weight and promote disease-free living. However, most people may not realize the profound effect these practices have directly on visual health. Similar to weight loss, …
By Jakeb Brock Finding a true, enduring purpose in life is one of the most difficult challenges we face here on the earthly plane. It is so challenging in fact, that we tend to downplay its significance and place it low on our list of priorities. We write it off as something that we …
By Donna Stellhorn Happy New Year! There’s lots of exciting new energy coming up. Of course, exciting can mean the best of times or the worst of times depending on how you look at it. But remember, throughout difficult times in history, there have always been people who have prospered. That can be you …
By Kayla Hancock Energy Healing for Trauma, Stress & Chronic Illness: Uncover & Transform the Subtle Energies That Are Causing Your Greatest Hardships, by Cyndi Dale (Llewellyn Publications, Paperback, $21.01) In this book, Cyndi Dale shares with readers various exercises to help resolve spiritual and energetic imbalances. Included are personal assessments and questionnaires that provide …
By John F. Miglio If you look at the universe in a pantheistic way, where there is no personal God and all things emanate from the same universal source, then quantum physics (which is the study of how the universe works at a subatomic level), would play an important role in understanding how the universal …
By Phyllis Light, Ph.D. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by life? Exhausted? Like you don’t have enough time or energy to get everything done? Do you ever wonder, deep down, if life is worth living like this? Life in our world today can be quite overwhelming and exhausting. But it is not because of what …
By Betsy Bruns It’s my “veganniversary” this month, and because going vegan is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life — for health and personal peace — I encourage you to give it a try. On January 1st, 2012, my husband and I were sipping coffee in bed and decided to …
By Bernadette Evans Hello and welcome to January and a new year! There’s a New Moon on January 2nd at 12 degrees of Capricorn. It’s a great time to envision the year ahead! Write your goals in a notebook. What does your life look like in a month, three months, six months, and a …
By Harmony Pavett The Harmonic Egg is an innovative technology that uses bio-geometry to harness, then focus energy directly on your body. Your experience is further enhanced with simultaneous light, color and sound therapies. The culmination of these modalities provides a deeply nourishing wellness experience – de-stressing, repairing and restoring your body, while providing profound …
By Alyssa Couture There are many ways to make your wardrobe sustainable, but here are a few specific steps to transform your current wardrobe, and your future wardrobe, and make it more sustainable, and more helpful to you and the environment. Here are 5 mindful ways to achieve a sustainable fashion wardrobe: 1. WEAR PLANT-BASED …
By Kayla Hancock Abundant Living: A Journey of Riches, by John Spender, AJ Myers, Belinda Foster, Lanelle Martine, Samuel Sykes II, Harmony Polo, Anastasia Gunawan, Abhinav Gupta, Sam Frazer, and Catherine Kavadas (Motion Media International, $14.80, Paperback) In a social world, based on impressions and riddled with comparison, it can be easy to fall into …
By Jakeb Brock Modern human life is rife with contradictions. We who live in today’s world have the greatest excess of abundance, comfort, luxury, and ease ever known. But instead of this excess making us happy and carefree, just the opposite has happened. We have become a deeply anxious and fearful people. Instead of …
By Betsy Bruns It’s the most wonderful time of the year for nibbling. Whipping up favorite family recipes, creating new foodie traditions, noshing on coffee cakes and candy canes, baking cookies, and serving appetizers are popular pastimes of the holiday season. Food can be an expression of who we are. We associate certain types …
By Shelly Tygielski Have you ever pruned or cut back a tree or a plant, then been shocked at how barren it looks? Only to then watch with amazement as each branch explodes with new life? I used to be reluctant to cut back any plant until someone told me that it is actually good …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of December brings lots of changes. There is an eclipse and three planets changing signs. You may change your mind about an important issue as new information becomes available. On December 4, there is a total solar eclipse at 12° of Sagittarius. This pushes you forward on your spiritual …
By Bernadette Evans I can’t believe it’s the last month of 2021! To say it’s been an interesting year is an understatement. The month of December is a busy one, so let’s get started. The New Moon Solar Eclipse is on December 4th at 12 degrees of Sagittarius at 11:43 a.m. It’s the second …
By Ania Wilewska The technological progress is rapidly leading us into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the Internet of Things (IoT) being the tech giant’s new catchphrase. What exactly is the Internet of Things? With the advancement of technology, we are becoming more and more connected. The internet and smartphones have given us the connection …
By Cyndi Dale No matter your biological age, energy medicine offers great anti-aging benefits. From the get-go, I must admit that I have my own secret ingredient. I have spent almost two decades following my youngest son’s baseball career, with most of the games occurring between February and June in the upper Midwest. Guess what …
By Jakeb Brock The human mind is a learning apparatus. In its natural state, it is like a blank white canvas, ready to be filled with color… or like a computer, just waiting to be programmed. The problem is, that once the mind has been imprinted and has learned a certain way of doing …
By Stefanie Arend Some types of yoga specify precisely how certain positions should look, and many people attempt to emulate this ideal image, whereas Yin Yoga is oriented towards the person practicing it. Our inner teacher is truly our most important yoga teacher, and I believe there is great healing potential when we listen to …
By Carol Tuttle You can’t force change. You must allow it and a key to allowing is accountability. When we take accountability for every aspect of our lives we are in the most powerful position to allow change to occur. Implementing these eight steps of gratitude will help you create remarkable change for good …
By Ania Wilewska In today’s society, it’s difficult to imagine a day where we don’t use our cellphones. Smartphones have become ingrained in our everyday life. For some, they even seem like an extension of our bodies. Smartphones offer a lot of positives, such as the ability to successfully navigate in a completely foreign location, …
By Kayla Hancock Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature (An Eckhart Tolle Edition), by Peter Russell (New World Library, $16.19, Hardcover) Letting go of whatever is holding us back is essential if we want to invite in new perspectives and allow for radical peace in our …
By Betsy Bruns Nearly a decade ago, a sweeping transformation happened in my life following a 30-Day gratitude challenge. During this time, I simply began each day by writing down five things for which I was grateful. These things didn’t need to be extravagant, though sometimes they were. More often it was a warm cup …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of November brings Mars into Scorpio and a lunar eclipse (more about that in a moment). Mars is at home in Scorpio as it co-rules the sign with Pluto. Mars in Scorpio is a caveman whose mind is focused on survival. With this transit, Mars gives you the ability …
By Bernadette Evans Happy November, my friends! The big news this month is that it’s eclipse season again. There’s a Lunar Eclipse on November 19th. It’s also Thanksgiving Day, so I hope you enjoy the day surrounded by the people you care about. Mercury is playing catch-up this month after its retrograde last month. …
By Dr. Steven Farmer Men can’t help but be spiritual. The fact of being alive is a spiritual experience, yet many have lost their conscious awareness of this fundamental truth. Gradually over the past several centuries, the rational, logical mind has usurped the creative wisdom of Spirit and the deeper awareness of the interconnectivity of …
By Dr. John F. Demartini Do You Know the Golden Rule? If you want to be loved, love and be lovable. – Benjamin Franklin Try as we might, it’s impossible to break the Golden Rule. This supreme universal law of cause and effect encompasses all other truths. Whatever we put energy into-whether it’s a thought, …
By Alecia Rice Ask Alecia August Question: This past year, I’ve noticed a pattern with my emotionally sensitive cousin. We’ll be in a group together and she’ll all of the sudden get up and leave the room, seemingly in an emotional huff with no explanation. It’s a horrible feeling that leaves the air thick in …
By Betsy Bruns World Vegetarian day is October 1st, and so is my birthday. Coincidence? Probably not. Is it possible we are born to be vegetarian? I’m convinced I was born this way because even as a small child, if I just started thinking about the animal who I was eating, I’d have to …
By Kayla Hancock 360 Degrees of Your Star Destiny: A Zodiac Oracle, by Ellias Lonsdale (Destiny Books, $19.99, Paperback) A culmination of over 50 years of star work, this guidebook contains in-depth explanations of the 12 signs of the zodiac, and their 360 degrees. Ellias Lonsdale shares helpful information about re-interpreting past events as well …
By Yvonne Tally Women today have reset the bar, and it’s high. They collectively aim into the stratosphere: to be the most creative and dynamic professionals, the parents with all the answers, the most understanding and loving partners, and the best and most reliable friends. Their perfectionistic expectations have led to an unrealistic and terribly …
By Jakeb Brock The sense of identification with our mind and body is deeply engrained and unconscious. For this reason, we often lose sight of the perspective that we are actually spiritual beings living temporarily here on the earthly plane. For better or for worse, we call this plane “home”. But the truth of …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of October brings more of the same energy you’ve been dealing with recently. Mercury is retrograde along with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. With so much of the chart going backward, it’s hard to move forwards. There’s a purpose in the retrogrades. It causes you to slow down …
By Bernadette Evans Every month is full of ups and downs, and this month is no exception. October is really Libra’s month, even though the Sun moved into the sign of Libra late September. This month with the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in Libra, there is a concentrated focus on relationships. Of course, relationships …
By Barbara Y. Martin From the time I was very young, I have been blessed with seeing auras. Although I didn’t know what auras were called at first, I could see energies of diaphanous colors and hues around people, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. When I was a teenager, I made the unmistakable connection …
By Donna Stellhorn The month of September begins with Mars moving to oppose Neptune on September 2. This can feel like a bit of an energy drain. It’s difficult to take effective action. There can be confusion or you can be led the wrong way. If you’re starting your Labor Day weekend holiday early, …
By Kayla Hancock The Meaning of Life: When the Black Dog is Barking Up the Right Tree, by M.H. Forest (ITZA Global Books, $19.99, Paperback) Challenging conventional wisdom with a new perspective on the mind-body-spirit connection, M.H. Forest discusses a variety of topics as he decodes the mysteries of life on earth. He compares our …
By Jakeb Brock Music is an art form—the art of producing and blending sounds to create harmony. But this is not a haphazard or arbitrary process; rather, it is based on mathematical laws that have been in operation since the beginning of time and have never failed. Therefore, music is an art form that …
By Betsy Bruns As summer is sunsetting, my husband and I are looking forward to squeezing in a bit more Lake Michigan beach time with loved ones. Moving away from family and friends in 2021 means that gatherings are less spontaneous and occur mostly on weekend visits. The memories we make feed the soul and …
By Alecia Rice Ask Alecia August My fiance wants to get plastic surgery. I’ve seen some terrible, fake-looking women, and I’m concerned because she’s beautiful as she is. I’m afraid to talk to her because I don’t want to hurt her. Any suggestions? ~Concerned Fiance Dear Concerned Fiance~ This is a delicate situation to navigate, …
By Barbie Boules, RDN, CHC We hear a lot about inflammation playing a role in our health, but what is it exactly? What do we do to reduce its harmful effects? Inflammation is a natural process that assists the body in defending itself. When trauma occurs – a virus, bacterial infection, a broken bone …
By Debra Landwehr Engle Imagine that a three–year–old says to you, “I’m bad. I don’t deserve to be loved.” How would you respond? Without hesitation, you would scoop up that three–year–old in your arms and say, “Of course, you deserve to be loved. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!” You would have no doubt …
By Bernadette Evans Everything seems to slow down a little when September rolls around…at least that’s how it feels to me. It’s the fall equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere and the spring equinox in the Southern Hemisphere — meaning the days and nights are of equal length. In the Northern Hemisphere, people are bringing …
By Scott Hilburn Early on in your spiritual journey, did you find yourself to be extreme with the changes you were trying to make? I know I did. I even went as far as to renounce all pleasures. You might laugh to know how it went down for me. Picture this: I’m 23 years old, …
By Donna Stellhorn The month begins with the sun and Mercury sitting directly opposite Saturn. You will be trying to find the balance between fun and responsibility. For some, this is the last few weeks of summer before school begins — time to get as much fun in as possible. But for everyone, there’s …
By Jakeb Brock As you begin reading this, take a moment to tune in to what is going on inside of you. And remember, we are all basically the same, with the same inner makeup and potentialities. Mind activity (thoughts and emotions) will likely be the first thing of which you become aware. This …
By Phyllis Light, Ph.D. This past year and a half on Planet Earth has been pretty intense, energetically. If you tell a group of people that they can’t go out and associate with others, must stay at home, and may not even be able to work, they will be upset to say the least. They …
By Mark Edwards Many readers will associate the word “Toltec” with Don Miguel Ruiz and The Four Agreements or as a Mexican culture buried in history. Without exploring the entire gamut of Mexican history, I’ll briefly explain what “Toltec” means to modern practitioners. The indigenous people who compromised the Toltec empire lived from about …