Category Archives: Spirit

Ascension, Enlightenment, Realization, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Practicing Realization ~ Part 1 ~ Awakening Enlightenment Consciousness Through Active Meditation

Realization is the experience of understanding. It exists in the moment that we shift from one perception of reality to another. In that instant, our consciousness is able to exist and open to these two realities and being here, seeing and feeling here, we are able to understand the multi dimensional nature of our mind and body. Through this nature we are given the opportunity to find our true self.

The practice of realization is essentially about controlling the mind, and through the mind being controlled the body is mastered also. As long as we retain a connection and communication with the body and the physical then we retain the opportunity to transcend and evolve these aspects and in the process we develop mastery of our consciousness. This is the reason why our training needs to be challenging. We need to at first get a grip of the basics, learning stillness, movement and control, then we face co-operative challenges in order to increase the depth and level of our mastery. Cooperation works by seeking challenges that stretch us a certain amount, but not so much that we lose ourselves completely or give up the journey. If we were guiding a baby to walk it would be counter productive to knock it down each time it almost gets to its feet. Similarly, we must look for challenges that are appropriate to our level of skill. For this sincere and honest self appraisal is required.

The experience of realization always comes back to the same principles. By practicing the art of moving through illusions we will always find that there is more to reality than what our mind and body would grasp and have us believe. The stability that we all seek can only be found in accepting the unstable and ever changing. With beautiful irony it is through this real experience of acceptance that we can find a peace and stability that is eternal and does not change.

We also need to understand and practice the art of moving through illusions. We need to study illusion and understand what it is that makes an illusion what it is. No illusion can exist without belief in it. The deeper and stronger the belief, the more powerful and effective the illusion. The reason that it is not enough to disbelieve at a purely intellectual or conceptual level is because this level simply stimulates the surface area of the mind and consciousness, it doesn’t even touch the subconscious let alone the unconscious. Working with the senses of feeling, imagery, sound, smell and taste move deeper into the subconscious but must be trained and practiced in order to get deeper still. The deeper we get the further we move through the illusion. We then begin to understand the real nature of illusions. It is not the illusion itself that holds us, it is our grasping and inability to move past it that keeps us attached to it. Deep sensory cleansing purifies the bonds that hold us to illusions. As we move in deeper the awareness and intention of seeing and feeling, recognizing and responding all become refined and sensitive to a more accurate and effective way of finding truth.

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Ascension, Enlightenment, Mastery, Realization, Spirit, Truth

A Journey of Circles – Unlocking the Mysteries of our Karma and Past Lives

Becoming masters of our own spiritual destiny requires just that – that we be masters. This means moving our consciousness more and more in the direction of listening to our own inner voice, developing our psychic senses, knowledge and wisdom – all the faculties that provide us with the ability to make our own choices. It’s about being responsible for our own choices, progress, knowledge and intuiting. It means being in control of seeking.

It’s important to differentiate between learning and acknowledging teachers and placing all our faith in teachers and outside knowledge. It needs to be remembered that all beings have their own path and even when this path is one of teaching and sharing knowledge, it is expressed in a particular way that is specific to that being’s own journey. Tools and techniques can be given and knowledge can be imparted on how to integrate information, however the feeling of it must be done and experienced ourselves. Furthermore it is the actual process of learning to trust our own power and wisdom that opens the way for communication and a relationship with our true self. During this process we develop the ability to listen and speak, mutual trust born from learning to give and take and understanding and respect.

For a “teacher” to transcend their own ego’s need for adoration from students they must recognize that a “student” is only passing through. In this the teacher gains the opportunity to confront their own ego at the juncture where it is most powerful and in moving through the illusion of this power they find real empowerment.

At the same time as the student learns that no teacher or being can bring them liberation if they do not take the steps themselves, the teacher is also learning that no student or being can bring them power if they do not realize this power themselves. This journey of learning is a weaving and twisting, shape shifting movement of mind, body and spirit that at its depths reveals the true teacher which is always within ourselves. In looking for the lessons in every moment and place we follow the leads, the flows and spaces and find this inner teacher. For a time consciousness makes sense. Then it is lost as a new expansion occurs and the grasping mind recognizes that the unknown has met what was for a time familiar. Stretching the mind once again we come to know the unknown intimately and once again there is integration. This weave of chaos becoming order then back again is a gift that allows us to understand the real essence of integration, unity and connectedness. The journey at times may seem infinite, but realization occurs to the one taking the journey, not the journey itself. As our consciousness learns to see itself, it begins to understand that each step has removed a thread of division that separates perception from truth. The journey has come full circle.

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Enlightenment, Realization, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Illuminating the Dark ~ Part 1 ~ The Essence of Meditation, Purification and Enlightenment

Real mastery of the self can only be realized through meeting all aspects of being with conscious equanimity. In the moment of connecting with these parts unflinchingly and with acceptance, we no longer struggle with the self and we experience unity.

The path of ‘the dark’ means a path where we are lacking awareness. Unconscious, subconscious and spiritual dimensions all have relevance here, but it is also valuable to note the various grey areas. It is possible and common to have an intellectual awareness of certain concepts and principles, but without integration at the level of the body these skills and experiences will not be fully realized. For example we may understand the principle of ‘living in the now,’ but as long as our body still reacts to pre-programmed responses we are still living in the past. The journey of moving from an intellectual idea to an experience that encompasses not only the mental but the physical is a far deeper and more “whole” level of integration.

Mental consciousness generally works at a far greater speed than the physical, but through training and practice we can guide the body to realizing it’s own potential for development and expansion. Keeping the connection between body and mind requires that we do not neglect one over the other. When working with the body we observe the nature of the mind and learn to direct it’s energies through the body. When working with the mind we observe how the body perceives and interprets this level of consciousness and we look for the spaces and areas where it can open to the experience with deeper understanding.

Patience is important when working with an intention for integration because until full integration occurs the mind will almost always be faster than the body. This is especially true for those that are developing their psychic senses as the ability to perceive subtle energies opens a literal floodgate of information. Without integration this information will lead to various levels of agitation, stress and confusion. What is actually happening is that the physical level of consciousness has no idea of what is happening and being realized at the subtler mental and spiritual levels. We could look at it as upper level management not communicating to the middle and lower levels. While it may not always seems as exciting to work at the physical level the revelations and realizations can be just as profound if not more because they can actually be used and implemented into our physical reality. Further more what we experience is solid, tangible and built on a base of emotional, physical and mental strength. On the contrary experiences that try to ignore the body are essentially leaving the foundation or base behind.

Illuminating the dark brings light to all the aspects that we would ignore or pass off as too mundane, boring or not worthy of note. In bringing the light of consciousness we are communicating and understanding. This reciprocal interchange of energies speaks and listens and within time we realize that we understand the meaning of this communication clearly. As our ability to listen increases, so too does our ability to inject meaning into the communication – and so the product of the communication becomes more refined and more meaningful. Many results can be gained from bringing consciousness into these dark parts and each morsel of knowledge and wisdom opens up new opportunities to seek out and explore. In the end however, all paths lead back to the one true path, the path of unity, the path of peace, the path of power.

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Enlightenment, Mastery, Realization, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Finding Yourself, Finding your True Self

Finding your “self” is the experience of realizing what is important to you. This may be a many layered process which take us through questioning ourselves, our relationship with people and the world and can lead us to find what some call our “true self.”

Creating life that is based on our true principles, beliefs and values as opposed to carrying the values of other people, society or structures can be a complex thing. As soon as we come into contact physically, mentally or emotionally with anything, be it an ideal, a feeling, a sound, principle or concept our consciousness both physical and mental reacts. Whether our reaction is in the negative or positive we create a link to that experience. This forms part of our relationship with that experience from now on. Over the course of our life we are connecting with experiences at every moment, and so relationships are being formed, moved, transformed and shaped constantly. Each thought that we have elicits a sensory reaction and the first reaction that will arise is the one that has been programmed from similar thoughts we’ve had in the past. In essence while we may think that each thought is new, the reaction to them is actually old. This presents a deeper meaning to the statement “living in the past.” Like wise when we have feelings of emotion and react to them whether we choose to express or suppress we are still “dancing” within a relationship with that sensation. It is still the “past.” This is interesting because often we may believe that we have transcended an old pattern simply because we are choosing a different way to react. In truth the pattern still has influence and control over us, it’s just that we have chosen to react in a different way in order to deal or adapt in a manner that we believe is healthier or wiser.

Transcending a pattern of reaction whether to emotions, thoughts or feelings does actually mean going “higher” or leaving it behind. Transcendence is actually a state in which we have chosen to experience internal freedom in spite of being smack bang in the middle of our patterns. We are the eye of the hurricane but we are also the hurricane itself. The freedom we experience comes not from running away but from facing ourselves and using this opportunity to find true power. The first steps of facing ourselves brings us the experience or perception of being buffeted by the “hurricane” of our self. We get blown around because we are not used to being in the intensity of emotions, sensations and thought. We may feel fear but the truth is that this cannot kill us. We cannot die here – and so inevitably if we stay, remain conscious and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and sensitive, then we will learn to fly within the hurricane. We learn to make our minds and body flexible enough to move with the hurricane and eventually it becomes like walking on solid ground. Another remarkable thing happens at the point that we learn to be the hurricane – we realize that these gale force winds were caused in large part by our resistance to them. Our minds have been like magnetic fields reacting with other magnetic fields which cause chaos. By allowing our own field to become congruent and smooth with what already is two fields become one, and so we experience unity. When we become unified then we gain another opportunity – one of looking into the reflection and seeing our “true” self.

Any description of the “true” self is one that will never compare to the actual experience and in a sense it is almost futile to speak about truth because words being words can carry only so far into the realm of actual feeling. The actual experience of the “true” self is indisputable simply because when something feels so right we are so in the moment the thought to doubt never arrives. It is similar to what one of my first meditation teachers related to me. He said “People only come to meditation when their lives are in pain. Then they look for answers. When life is good they do not need to look for answers – they just live.” Experiencing the “true” self is similar to this. Purists often argue that the “true” self is representative of absolute truth because it is eternal, it never changes. My own experiences of the “true” self do not necessarily support this argument either way, however one thing that I have experienced is that just looking into the window of eternal or infinite is more than I believe I can truly comprehend at this point in my life. Even at it’s furthest reaches, there is more and when I reach that point there is still more. The infinite is an experience that offers literally infinite wisdom and knowledge however I feel humbled by it, not by any means master of it. Through humbling ourselves I believe that the infinite allows mastery to be realized through and inside of us. It’s not something that we develop, it’s something that we allow to be recognized by learning to look and listen.

In order to find we do need to seek, however in seeking we must make sure to observe the seeker, because it is the seeker that transforms and reveals the “true” self.

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Enlightenment, Psychic Senses, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

How to Develop Psychic Senses Part 1

Intuition begins as a feeling, moves toward knowing and then certainty. As the five senses are allowed to experience the frequency of intuition we develop what is known as psychic senses.

The biggest cause of preventing realization of the subtle sense is the ego. By this I mean the self image that we have of ourselves. When we hold a perception of how we want to perceive the world and ourselves, we try and often succeed in preventing ourselves from seeing what is. For example just say that we want to be loving and compassionate people and our intuition tells us that someone is being dishonest, fake and manipulative, then because we want to sustain this image of being loving and compassionate, we just pretend that everything is hunky dory – we literally block our vision of what is going on. Sometimes we even make up explanations and justify why this person is acting this way. Intuition and psychic sense is a lot simpler than this. If we find ourselves justifying stuff chances are it’s the ego and intellectual side of things working to balance things out, to try to suit the perceptions that we want to promote. Nothing is wrong with this, but it’s a different ballgame from intuition and psychic senses.

There are many methods and exercises to sensitize ourselves to energy, but the actual interpretation of energy is about awareness and awareness requires sincerity and honesty. What good is it if we have developed the ability to see if we don’t use this sight? In the example of the person who wants to be loving and compassionate, what is it that is destroyed when they allow themselves to perceive a person being manipulative and dishonest? It is their own self-image which is being destroyed. In this moment we see our judgment and criticism and we perceive that we are not the loving and compassionate people we believed that we were. Well it’s about time! The truth is that we’re not seeing anything that wasn’t there before. The truth is that we’ve simply been trying to deny the reality of our ego. Further more we have been denying the existence of real unconditional love that is able to exist regardless of any perceived “flaws” in our selves. We are perpetuating a reality that it is only when we are card board cut-outs of what “loving” and “compassionate” people should be, that we are worthy of love – and we quite literally kick our “shadow” and hidden sides to the gutter. Not only is this slamming the door on our intuition and psychic senses, it is closing our eyes to the real meaning of unconditional love. What ends up being created is a self that is running so hard and trying so desperately to be something else, that we neglect to see who we actually are.

Seeing who we actually are is all that is required, but how hard is it to see when we build up the stakes? When so much is riding on us being this particular image?

So what’s the big deal about truth and all that anyway? Well without truth we never know where and who we are – and without knowing who we are we can’t get to where we want to go. We attempt to feel a certain way and we don’t know why it all feels so fake and unreal. The word “clairvoyance” simply means true sight, the word “clairaudience”, true hearing and the word “clairsentience”, true knowing. These skills essentially are derived through allowing our mind to perceive what is. Many psychics are able to read and interpret what is and through watching and communicating with the stream of cause and effect are able to interpret and predict what will be and what has been. Future predictions don’t always come true simply because a person can choose to move in a different direction and change the course of the current stream. A psychic simply has been born with or developed the skills to read energy that is at a more subtle level than the physical, but the truth is that all people are able to develop this skill to one extent or another. It just starts with being honest.

Observe what you see in other people. Interpret and understand by observing how your own body and mind reacts to them. Allow your judgments to surface, allow your own issues to surface and just observe. Learning to perceive and understand what you see in others will not only develop your intuition and psychic senses, it will give you the opportunity to see and reconcile your own truths. It can be ugly to see the judgments, issues and feelings that we have about others, but it is only in recognizing and being honest that we do in fact have these feelings, that we can heal our own fear and reconcile those perceptions about our own ugliness. The path of truth will take us through whatever lies in it’s way. Truth is not about seeing the light and avoiding the dark, it is about eventually recognizing light and love within all aspects of being – but first we need to let ourselves see all aspects of being.

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Enlightenment, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

Manifesting God – Awakening the Consciousness of the Universal Creator

Most of my life has been one of independent spirituality. I have believed in divine entities, I have believed in dimensions other than this one, but I have always had a deep belief that God was within me – that true power was within me. Through years of practicing realization and manifestation I began to experience a different, seemingly contradictory yet perfect perspective on this.

My consciousness determines the type of God if any that I experience.

I’ve always been a “prove it” kind of guy which has amused many of my teachers, especially in my younger years who knew that time, practice and experience and nothing else would bear me the answers that I demanded. I’m still that same person, I’m still as stubborn as an ox, yet experiences have humbled and changed me in ways that I could never have imagined.

Although I still count myself as an apprentice on the path of self-discovery, when I look back I realize that in many ways I have worked through a lot. I remember once remarking to a teacher that no matter how far I proceeded that I still felt like I was at the bottom of the “mountain”. His answer to me? “At least you’ve found your mountain!” The realization of this was profound for me. Not only did I feel a natural sense of gratitude for the journey that I’d had the opportunity to walk up until then. I also felt a deep sense of accomplishment that all the years of confusion, trial and error and questions had led to – well, more confusion, trial and error and questions! But the gist of what I’m saying is that I realized the context – a bigger picture into which all of this fits in. From this point on, I skipped along for many more years, confident in the fact that even when things seemed chaotic I had the principles and fundamentals to surf those waves and generally minimize my “wipe-outs.” Well the universe certainly has ways of showing us. Just when we think we’ve seen it all it goes: ” Yeah? You think that’s something? Take a look at this!” But I’m getting ahead of myself. A little bit more on how I came to this juncture.

I’ve gained a lot from a wide variety of spiritual, esoteric and personal development methods and I’ve always felt intuitively that all the esoteric schools and teachings shared core principles. I could just feel it in my bones. There is a particular energy through which is congruent. I’ve never had a problem with belief in connecting to spiritual guides, entities through shamanic healing, meditation and the like. It’s just that I’d always done so on my own terms. I would take what I needed and direct the energy and knowledge myself rather than trust the consciousness of any particular spiritual entity.

During my practice in manifestation and in particular realization concepts I was getting very strong messages from my intuition to connect to a particular energy. I put it off for about a year. The message I was sending back to my intuition was basically: “Life’s good, you’ve given me what I need, I don’t need to go no further!” My intuition’s retort to this was: “If you’re so right then why are you asking so many questions?”

One day I decided to just go up and explore.

In my quest for meditation, manifestation and empowerment I had reached a point where I was seeing profound results yet I wanted to make the process effortless. I knew that it could be easy. My intuition chose to throw me the curve ball at this moment: “What if there is a power that can do all this for you? Effortlessly and easily? This consciousness and power will exist if you realize it. If you let yourself see it. If not then continue doing what you’ve been doing, but stop bothering me with your questions already!”

It was that gap in my belief system that allowed me to experience something that I’d never let myself experience before.

I call it God, because it feels more directed and conscious then the universe at large which is chaotic in it’s order. There is a definite consciousness of unconditional love and deep empowerment that exists within this God Force. The trick is: God exists in the realization of God. Without realization our end of the “phone-line” is turned off. We need to engage our senses and imagine them connecting to God.

This is where our perception and beliefs of God begin to come in. I for one choose not to connect to a God that punishes and chastises me. I’ve chosen to realize a God that fills my body with healing light, clarity, empowerment and knowledge – and so that’s what I get. In a sense there is a similarity in the concept of connecting to God and in realizing the God within ourselves. The difference and this is a pretty big advantage, is that most of us have so many doubts in our own worthiness of love that we do not give ourselves love. On the other hand it seems easier in this world to give our power out to other people, gurus, teachers, masters and Gods. Yes it is interesting that we are less likely to forgive and love ourselves unconditionally as we are to believe that there is a God that will love us regardless of our “flaws.” Just as interesting is that in my work I’ve found that it is often easier to clear beliefs about God than it is to clear deep emotional blocks within ourselves. This little quirk gives us a great opportunity to create an autonomous healing, loving, empowerment “machine.” For those of us who have come from a less religious path, myself included it will be an interesting journey – there is no doubt about that. It took me several weeks to raise and clear several perceptions that I had about God – namely that God was an old man with a beard, realizing that I hated God, ridiculing God and established religion in general and of course that God did not exist. Pretty amazing stuff considering I’d been aware for some time about the effect these types of emotions and beliefs had on the psyche and consciousness in general. Interestingly I had not been consciously aware of my perceptions towards this subject at all until I actively interacted with it.

When I look at the progression of this journey I am beginning to see the trick that I am playing on myself. Namely that I am God – we all are, and yet in the consciousness and personas that we usually play we also are not God. The infinite nature of consciousness encompasses the reality of all dimensions. Being God and not being God. Realizing God and not realizing God. God existing and God not existing. If we believe in God or a God force then we will have access to the power we perceive this force to have. If not, we don’t.

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Ascension, Enlightenment, Mastery, Realization, Spirit, Truth, Unlimited Mind

The Quickening – The Acceleration of Spiritual Evolution and Consciousness on Planet Earth

The Quickening is a phenomena being used particularly in spiritual circles to describe a building of energy toward a particular destination. This build up of energy could be compared to the build up of an audience before a rock concert or the gathering of energy as an athlete or groups of athletes prepare for an event. In this case the Quickening refers to the direction of the planet’s group consciousness as a whole. This is not to say that it is everyone’s destiny. It is more to say that this is where the biggest “waves” are happening at this part of the galaxy.

The Quickening or for that matter any acceleration of energy is about pressure. It is simply a build of momentum and direction. Spirit refers to a subtler energy and because it is subtler it is able to penetrate into more substances. For example if we were to look at a stone: it’s energy is quite dense it’s structure is unable to mix with dirt very well. Spiritual energy refers to an energy that is finer than air – it is able to mix with and infuse with dirt, stones, humans, this planet and the kitchen sink. For this reason spiritual energy is said to be everywhere and in everything. This is also congruent with the practice of raising our vibration. What we are actually doing is making our density finer. The finer or subtler we are capable of becoming the more options we have to move our consciousness around the place. We also gain the opportunity to shift into a different dimension which is essentially what the Quickening is about.

Alchemy describes everything as being on the path to the original Source – give or take a couple of scenic routes and rest stops. Being true to ourselves seems to minimize the rests stops, decrease time spent in areas that aren’t congruent with the our truth and generally accelerate our journey toward the Source. This is expressed on this planet as more people wanting to realize life purpose, have meaningful relationships and generally waste less time experiencing things that have little meaning to us. This would also be the reason why interest in personal development, spiritual growth and so on is becoming more popular. When people are unsatisfied they either put up with it or look for answers. The growing trend in interest towards personal and spiritual development means that there are more people looking for answers. The really interesting thing is that people are finding them. There was a time where the personal and spiritual development field was looking a little flaky. There was a lot that seemed like pure fantasy and other stuff that people just found too difficult to integrate into their daily lives. The desire for methods which were effective and applicable for everyone, began to manifest the resources that we have available today. In truth the door to the higher self, spiritual realization, emotional mastery and effortless manifestation has always been there for everyone. It is just that understanding how to open that door is becoming easier and simpler. This too is something that is becoming more obvious as we seek to be true to ourselves.

There is a period of adapting where the body and mind in general is “stretching” and getting used to accommodating the expansion of consciousness. The body is learning to be open to the finer and faster frequencies of energy. This energy has always been available to us – the ears and eyes of our body and mind are just learning to see and hear it. It’s part of our truth and so as we seek our truth it is revealed. Energy is a communication – a cause and effect. Whether dense or subtle all energy interacts. Our body and mind is simply learning to interact at another level. We are adding another dimension to our consciousness. We are not necessarily detracting or diminishing the denser realities – we are simply adding more. Hence the term expanded consciousness.

Having issues within relationships, workplaces and so on is not always directly the issue with being true to ourselves – more to the point it is the perception that we are unable to experience certain truths while in those relationships or workplaces. Sometimes we may need to close those doors in order to open up others. Sometimes we may need to work with what and where we are in order to gain the wisdom which is inherent in all experiences. This enables us to experience a part of ourselves that perhaps had been hidden. The external world of experience leads us to the internal world of cause and effect.

Work with this exercise for adaptation to the Quickening:

Observe yourself. Notice your posture, breathing, thoughts and emotions.

Let the thoughts, feelings and emotions come at you as fast as they need.

Grasp nothing. Allow all that comes to ebb flow.

Invite it to come faster. Seek to comprehend nothing. Let comprehension come and go.

Let thought and feeling, sight and sound to move through you at the speed of light.

Intellectualize nothing. Let ideas, thoughts and inspiration come and go.

Let go of letting go.

Allow yourself to be open to the full acceleration of consciousness.

This method is seemingly the opposite of the detailed investigation which occurs in deep observation. In actual practice they are the same. Acceleration and deceleration of energy is happening simultaneously in our consciousness. By specifically following the path of acceleration we are simply directing the mind to one specific stream of what exists in the consciousness. When we come back to our “normal” consciousness we find that our range of motion has lengthened and expanded. It’s all about stretching the mind. With each stretch we explore new knowledge and ground, moving closer and closer to inner freedom. This is what the Quickening is truly about.

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*Those of us who are experiencing tumultuous times may notice that this exercise helps to create a feeling and aura of inner peace – in spite of the chaos. In essence this is because the practice tunes us into the frequency of the Quickening. We are connecting and moving with the flow instead of resisting it.

Manifestation, Spirit

Spirituality, Money and You

Money is energy. It is in our world an exchange of energy that we have printed, labeled and defined as “money.” We have attached meaning to it through giving it the ability to be used in trade for goods and services. We have attached purpose to it by offering our own skills and abilities in exchange for it. We have attached morality and values to it by observing how it has been used by individuals and groups on this planet. Money in itself is neither evil nor good – it is the intention behind its use that defines what it is. In the hands of one person it becomes food to feed, medicines to heal, houses to provide shelter and warmth, industry to provide creativity and purpose. In the hands of another it may become the power to rule, kill and dominate. Whether we use money with gratitude and joy or whether we use it with fear and greed is a choice that begins within.

It is sometimes said that spirituality and money do not belong together. One argument has been that spirituality is far too important to not give away for free. It is ironic then that if spirituality is “far too important” that we would rather spend our money and resources on things that are not as important. Another argument has been that spirituality is far too valuable to put a price on. If this was the case then any price requested or donated must be seen as a pittance in comparison, and so wouldn’t really be that big a deal would it? Perhaps the truth is closer to the fact that we have so much attachment to our money that we do not wish to part with it as little as possible and so placing the title of sacred on spirituality allows us the leverage to imply that money is evil and spirituality should be above these things.

Spirituality is above nothing unless we put it there. If we choose to spirituality can be part of everything. It can be part of business as much as family, personal and social life.

Another argument has been that spiritual teachings have traditionally been given away for free. My own insights into our history say differently, but rather than argue a past that I was not a part of (in this life time anyway!), it’s enough to offer that whether a tradition or teacher asks for payment is entirely up to them. Furthermore tradition and spirituality are not one and the same. There is sometimes a belief that past times had more spirituality in them. The truth is that our current time has an understanding of spirituality that is perfect and congruent to exactly what we are going through here and now. It could not be any other way. Spirit does not die, it’s relevance and relationship simply is changed because of the way we change, perceive and see it. Spirit while part of many traditions, rituals and beliefs is not exclusive to any single one of them. It is part of us all.

The purpose of this article is not to say that one way is right and another is wrong. It is simply to suggest that we see things as they are and through this perhaps gain some insight into our real relationship with money. How do we truly feel about our communication with money? Are we flippant or tight-fisted? Do we see abundance or lack? Through understanding our current relationship we are able to move the stream of energy into the direction of our choosing. I believe that the main reason that many of us have the perception of money that we do is because of fear. We fear that if we do not have then we will not survive. We fear what others will do with the opportunities that money provides. Fear provides a great incentive to create. Necessity has always been the mother of invention – but invention becomes truly great when the emotions of fear shift to inspiration.

Work with this exercise:

Get all your money out and lay it on the table or floor.

Touch it and feel it. Look at it.

How does it look physically? How does it make you feel?

There is no need to try and feel a certain way. Simply observe how you actually feel.

Many mixed feelings may be present. This is fine.

Imagine for a moment giving away all your money. All the money in your bank, all your investments and assets.

Observe how you feel. Notice how your body feels.

Imagine for a moment receiving ten millions dollars. How do you feel?

Is it difficult for you to imagine receiving ten million dollars? Is it difficult to imagine giving away all your money? If it is difficult to imagine giving away your money why not go out and give some of it away. Certainly not all – but just observe how you feel as you give away a few dollars here and there. If it is difficult for you to imagine receiving ten millions dollars then start asking for money from the world. Perhaps start in small amounts. Observe how you feel in asking and in receiving.

Do you feel worthy of receiving money? Do you feel fearful in giving it away? In the moments where the transference of energy takes place there is an opportunity to “listen” for a different path. We may feel fearful and reluctant in giving – but “listen” closely. Is there a part that you can find – a genuine part, that feels inspired, empowered and abundant? Move your consciousness into this part. In asking for money do we feel guilty, unworthy and ashamed? Leave these as they are – and feel for something else. Is there a part of our consciousness that can imagine feeling abundant? What would it feel like if the world was open, generous and effortlessly providing it’s abundance for you?

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Motivation, Spirit, Unlimited Mind

The Struggle to Awaken – Breaking Free of the Matrix – Part 1

Awakening to spiritual consciousness, realization and self-mastery has always contained within it many potential challenges. Some are fun, some are a real pain in the butt. In the end however the skills developed in learning to move through them are the very skills that we used to move further.

A friend once told me a story: he had taken it upon himself to help a butterfly get out of the cocoon that it seemed to be struggling with. Having a good heart he helped to remove some of the trappings that were keeping the butterfly in. Then he went about his day. It was only a few days later when we related the story that he realized that the very muscles developed when the butterfly broke apart it’s cocoon were the ones which were required to fly. In essence he had killed the butterfly.

A similar thread exist in all struggles. There is always the opportunity to develop our strengths and these strengths allow us to explore higher and vaster realms of ourselves. This article will address several areas that are usually encountered at one stage or another on the path to self-realization.

There is the struggle of moving from the societal collective stream of consciousness, to one of an explorer, branching out to new areas and searching new depths. New paradigms usually go through a process. First there is disbelief, then ridicule, then perhaps reluctant acceptance, and finally it will be accepted as norm. As explorers we are usually exploring aspects outside of the norm, perhaps in the realm of disbelief and ridicule. Moving away from a majority consciousness will often require that we work through a certain amount of energetic and emotional resistance – both from within and without. This new direction can be supported by understanding that regardless of doubt and regardless of confusion a way still exists. The essence of effort is that it is and will find a way given time. Creating a sanctuary both in the physical reality and in our own selves will provide us with the support that we initially need to push out from the collective flow. In time we will develop enough of our own momentum and inner strength to be able to maintain our direction regardless of the flow of the collective stream.

“The greatest sanctuary of all is a disciplined and focused mind.”

There is the struggle of moving from programmed patterns of being into conscious awareness. Patterns of emotion and being have within them a very strong inertia. It is this stream of consciousness that we are meeting when we first make the decision to be aware. Be gentle. Awareness in itself is a powerful step and it is often confronting to observe the inner working of the self.

“Awareness gives us options.”

There is the struggle of moving from consciousness into directing the creation of reality. Awareness alone affects a change but not necessarily the change that we wish. We must understand what we are seeking and direct our consciousness toward the reality that we desire. In a moment of consciousness everything floats for a moment. In this space we can guide our minds to realize that the consciousness we seek exists here and now.

“Energy goes where attention flows. Realize your desires and they will become apparent.”

There is the struggle of doubt. Imagine trying to see the night sky through a brick wall. This is often the experience when we first attempt to connect with new consciousness. In time we may see just one star, but perhaps so faintly that it is easy to dismiss. Doubt can prevent us from ever looking again, however if we continue to look we will eventually realize that there is in fact a brick wall obscuring our vision. With further enquiry we will discover methods to take out bricks, perhaps one by one at first, but eventually many bricks at a time. One day we will gaze unhindered at the full night sky. We will acknowledge that the presence of doubt told no true account of what did indeed lie beyond.

“Argue for your limitations and sure enough you’ll have them.” R. Bach

There is the struggle of pride. The “master’s trap” has always been pride. The more “advanced” we become, the more understanding we gain, the more our ego believes that it is better, “higher” and more worthy of respect and praise. It is a game. The real power of pride comes from knowing that we can bow our heads to the true quest: the quest for realization and self-mastery. The massive trip of false pride gives us the opportunity to find humility, to know that it exists regardless and to be open to learning and growing. In time a glowing and genuine pride is realized, it is one which is honorable to our “highest” self.

“With a beginner’s mind, see things as they are.”

There is the struggle to understanding how to systematically connect with powerful spiritual experiences on a daily basis. Big shifts occur when we have our first powerful spiritual experiences. We often perceive them as dramatic simply because relative to our usual everyday life they are. In time we may wish for our spiritual experience to become the norm, rather than the exception. When we integrate spirit into our everyday life then everyday life becomes spiritual. “Profound” will have different meaning for different people. For some the stillness and silence they receive from simple meditations will be regarded as profound, for others astral projection or meeting their higher self is what is sought. When spirituality becomes truly important in our lives then we will find that not a moment goes by that we do not seek to be aware, observe consciousness and integrate our spiritual practice. We thirst for more and more knowledge, we question, we study and we teach. Then one day we realize that many of the things that we once sought have already happened.

“Before we are seekers mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. When we seek understanding mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers. When we have understanding then mountains are mountains and rivers and rivers.”
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Esoteric Alchemy, Meditation, Realization, Spirit

Principles of Dimensional Shape-Shifting

The mind is the portal through which we can experience all dimensions. This is achieved by training the mind to become the key which is needed to open the doors. Quite literally by shaping our minds in a certain way a shift or realization occurs where we are able to perceive and connect with these dimensions. The value of this is understood when we realize that all mind and body states from emotions to expanded spiritual consciousness are dimensional realities.

An excellent foundation for developing our minds to access dimensions is through the chakras. The chakras are gateways of dimensional energy that the body and mind can easily learn to sense. From this sensory base we learn to move through the illusion that the chakras exists only in a certain location*. By learning to work with the mind in specific exploratory ways we allow it to realize that the chakra can in fact exist anywhere on the body, then extending from this – anywhere at all.

*For locations of chakras please refer to the glossary in the sidebar menu.

We need to understand that a chakra’s location is perceived as existing in specific places simply because the mind and body play into this blueprint. Anywhere on the body and as we will learn later, anywhere at all is a potential chakra or energy gate.

We can for instance feel the energy of the third eye chakra through the middle of our calf or for that matter the dining room table.

Location is an illusion which is dispelled when we teach the mind and body to bridge the gap between what we perceive as separate. In and of itself the experience of oneness is a profound and healing experience. Further advantages of learning how to bridge the gap is that we can connect to any dimension we wish anywhere. This goes for emotional, spiritual, physical, or any energetic dimension. We can use this skill to access knowledge, communicate, dissipate negative emotions, create empowering emotions and enhancing healing faculties.

The initial training of shape-shifting teaches us to bridge the gap between objects. It allows us to experience the unity between things and shatters the illusion of separateness. The practice described here of listening to chakra consciousness then moves us into the realm of communication and inter-dimensional awareness.

Begin with this exercise:

Closing your eyes allow yourself to become aware of the area between your eye brows.

Feel for an energy that exists here in this location.

If you cannot feel it then imagine what it might feel like.

Send your imagination out to listen for anything which might be there.

Any thoughts, sights, sounds, distractions – simply let them be. Let them be as they are.

Allow your focus to be placed only on this location and anything which flows from this location.

Allow all else to be like the water surrounding a gemstone. The water exists but we are focused on the gemstone.

Do not be concerned with whether you are focused properly, whether the exercise is working for you or not. By applying your mind in this way, know that it is finding it’s way.

These descriptions are in fact more than the exercise needs to be. Once you have realized the feeling, all descriptions become extraneous. In the beginning however we need these in order to satisfy our minds that we are doing it right. In truth by simply looking and exploring in this area regularly we will begin to see.

It is important to note that apart from the healing and regulating nature of the chakras, that their energy is also a wisdom of their own. It is one thing to control the energy with our minds – it is another to allow the chakras to express and show their own dimensions to us. It is the difference between telling the chakra what we want and listening to what it is.

This is first allowed to happen by attuning our minds to the energy of the chakra. We can then begin to move into it’s dimension – or rather the two dimensions begin to coordinate together. The mind becomes the focal point where this is able to occur.

There is an important skill that is developed here. By giving permission to others to be all that they can be – we are able to realize their power too. When we believe that we know what is best for others and try to control their path we are unable to be fully open to all that they are. There is a perception that we are right and they are wrong. That we know what is best and they do not. A chakra has an essence as much as a human being has an essence and the same principle applies. In fact the same principle applies for love, happiness, enlightenment, peace, joy and so on.

There is a wisdom and intelligence that can only be realized when we allow the universe to “come as it is.”

Without the filter of our expectation, our control and conditions, we are able to experience what these essences actually mean. As long as we place conditions all we truly hear and feel are our perceptions of truth – a far cry from truth itself.

Through listening and learning to “walk in the shoes” of the chakra’s energy, we are able to understand it’s message – then our coordination with it becomes deeply profound and powerful.

As a race human kind has a tendency to use resources whatever these may be without listening and asking. This goes for the earth, this goes for people, this goes for energy. Even in meditation we try to “control this”, “do that” and “make this happen”. It is part of our evolution that we seek to make ourselves “better” – but sometimes better experiences only come through first listening to the knowledge and wisdom that is already before us.

When we seek happiness and empowerment only in what is to come, we take away the opportunity to find it here and now.

Through listening comes understanding, through understanding comes unity. This is where the gap is bridged.

It is ironic that in our attempts to control others we lose the essence of the very power that we are seeking. In allowing ourselves to connect to them as they are – and learning to open ourselves we realize power.

The level of dimensional mind discussed here is sometimes regarded as more difficult to grasp than the usual chakra or energy work – but in fact it is more simple. It is just that we have created complex barriers in the mind. In truth young children would understand this principle in experience if not in words easier than many of us – but therein lies the method and simplicity.

Observe the areas of the mind that would resist. Observe the areas of the mind that are able to imagine possibilities. The imaginative areas are like flowing water. The resistant areas are like dams. We learn to move the flow into the areas that we wish to explore. Leave the resistance to be as it is.

Work with observing all the chakras. Explore the difference between placing your mind at the chakra and allowing it to come to you. Recognize that it is a communication between you and the energy. Play with it. Spending time with your chakras is like spending time with a child – have fun, observe. Build the trust between yourself and the chakra. Communication can only deepen with trust.

Remember that the imagination is the area of the brain that is able to stretch and this is what we are truly developing here. We are expanding and stretching our minds. In time we will want to begin moving and connecting to energies which are far beyond what we currently imagine. Each step grounds us for the next step and allows us greater insight into what is possible.

Expanded consciousness occurs one step at a time.

Keep finding ways to explore the energy of the chakra’s. Then see if you can find this energy at different areas of your body. Explore how far you can move into the dimension of the chakra. Move in so deeply that you become the chakra looking back at yourself. Work with realizing the energy of chakras existing in external objects.

Some of these may feel like a stretch – and that’s how they are meant to feel.

Remember that we are developing a communication. Communication bridges the gap. It is to listen as well as express. To be sensitive to what the connection would like. Through communication we then gain understanding, and through understanding we realize power.

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