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Asst. Editor: Grace Cavanaugh
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Volume 3: Spring
Editors Note: Spring is in the air, the hoped for gift of Aries, a cardinal sign of fire, of re-creation and new beginnings. Life once again renews itself, breaking through all restrictions. Today we look toward humanity's re-birth, amidst the winter of our disillusion. Up ahead...SPRING! Change yourself-change the world.
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Good News!
____________________________________________
 At Spirit Fire
An exciting
new study group is forming to discuss the book Glamour: A World
Problem. It will be lead by Donna Mitchell-Moniak every Sunday evening
via conference call, starting May 31. For registration and information
go to the Spirit Fire web site. This posting will be
available after April 15th. Participants can obtain the book Glamour: A
World Problem from the Spirit Fire book store.
In the World
Ray Kurzweil, inventor, entrepreneur and visionary, is an engineer from MIT who has made radical advancements in the field of technology. He sees technology and all forms of information and information systems as advancing exponentially and predicts the merging of man with created intelligence. You can sign up for his free e-newsletter on accelerating intelligence at kurzweilAI.net. Alex Grey, visionary artist, is attempting to integrate wisdom with art through his unique body of work. He sees his art as a process of theosis or coming closer to God. For more information about Alex Grey, his life and art, including Sacred Mirrors, go to COSM.org. |
The Power of 18 Minutes
by Karuna Kress Ed.D.
 On February 21, 2009, I received an email regarding the Aquarian Alignment that took place on February 14th. At dawn on the 14th, the cosmos embodied a perfect alignment to support our collective manifestation of love and peace, and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. At that time, the moon in Libra entered the 7th house of relationships and Jupiter was aligned with Mars in the 12th house of spiritual transformation. This created an incredible concentration of cosmic influence blending with the energies of Aquarius. For the 18 minutes of alignment, people add their intentions to the Universal Heart for love and peace.
This event was prophetically sung about 40 years previously in the song Aquarius; "When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars."
The following are the intentions which came to me:
May we all collaborate, work together.
Share, bond, support each other in these unprecedented times.
May we make everything new.
Love, love, love.
Care, connection, new understandings.
Humor, transparency.
Neighborliness.
Creativity, caring, wisdom.
Consciousness, awareness,
No war. No more.
Insights, meditation.
Support Obama, his team and his mission.
Realign true structures.
May I imbibe what this shift is about - take it in deeply.
May I share it with others.
May I help to bring people together.
Compassion!!!
Contribute, share, care.
Integrate.
Save the best of everything.
Do our best to stop global warming.
Save the forests. Save the forests.... and the waters.
Support Native Americans.
Stop killing around the globe.
Relax, open, care.
Be with friends - share deeply.
Conserve energy in all forms.
Let go of the old which is dysfunctional.
Have fun, be open.
Give thanks over and over....
Bring all aspects of life into alignment.
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Calling All Meditators
by Donna Mitchell-Moniak
Picture it. White Tara, the Medicine Buddha, or the Christ pointing at us like the icon of Uncle Sam, underneath the being of compassion a statement reads, "These unprecedented times need YOU!"
 Humanity has used prayer and meditation before, usually however, in order to save one faction from the ravages of another or from the unseen Angel of Death bringing pestilence and plague. People prayed during the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, and are still praying about Darfur. Native People prayed, South Africans prayed, Catholics during the reformation prayed. These are different times however, new times or times of newness. These unprecedented times call for meditation even more than prayer.
Meditation is an act of embodiment and invocation. It moves from the premise of inter-Being, inter-Connectedness, and inter-Dependence. Inter-Being is the dynamically illumined consciousness which is the foundation of the shared existence we call Life. Thus, we are not only ONE humanity, we are ONE Life. We are also connected to everyone and everything on this wondrous planet. Not only is no one an island unto themselves, no thing is either! Everyone's thoughts, emotions, actions, or non-action affects everyone else. The current state of the economy is proving this. People who have been laid off do not have money to spend on groceries or clothes. This means they are not shopping at the store, which means the store does not need as many workers nor as much groceries and produce on the shelves. This affects every production line and farm in America. And that is only one nation; yet this is happening in almost every nation of the world. This is a mundane example of inter-connectedness.
Another example of Inter-connectedness is bringing our own bags to the grocery store. Reusing saves trees, water (creating anything plastic uses a huge amount of water, as does recycling), and shows a person cares. This is inter-connectedness too.
Inter-dependence is seen again at the grocery store. If the grower in Mexico did not grow blackberries, we could not buy them in February. We are dependent upon all the farmers (produce, dairy, chicken, beef, and hog farmers) to produce the products that line the shelves of the grocery store or Food Co-op. And these are only the external forms of inter-dependence. Our animals depend on us; our children as do our aging parents, and the planet does also; which brings us back to meditation.
Inter-Being, inter-Connectedness, and inter-Dependence are the reasons why there is a call going out to all meditators. Together we, the meditators of the world, are to do the "greater things" that the Christ said we would do: bring in the Light.
Daily, and as much of the day as each person can, we must embody and invoke Light, the light of Wisdom and Compassion, the light of Equanimity, the light of creativity, and the shining light of fearlessness born of trust in the embodied light that each human being is. Daily there is no greater service than meditating on Light, now and for the foreseeable future. Why? Because:
Light illumines.
Light reveals.
Light's illuminations and revelations bring understanding and we cannot fear what we understand.
Light's understanding fosters equanimity, seeing one another as the same and as of value.
Equanimity fosters goodness, kindness, truthfulness, and integrity.
Light's effulgence blots out all difference. Difference is absorbed in the brilliance of light. This undoes the heresy and illusion of separateness.
"In this light shall we see Light. This is the light that turns the darkness into day!"
The day is a new day, the day of the NOW, and it is this day, everyday.
Meditators, we have a joyful responsibility: to meditate on Light. As we do this, we join the Great Assembly (Hierarchy, the soul of humanity) and the Maitreya, the Christ, who ceaselessly and in constancy is meditating on Light. The Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Prajnaparamita tell us this. We can join all those of the Light in their meditation. As we do this, we invoke light into our selves and through inter-Being, inter-Connectedness, and inter-Dependence meditate it into the world. This is not because meditators are special, but instead because we are trained to do so. The invocation of light, then, is guaranteed to be effective because of the Law of Dependence and the Law of Invocation. "Ask and it shall be given."
Meditators, our time is now. Our responsibility is clear. Meditate, meditate, meditate, wherever you are, no longer in sacred caves, but making sacred our everyday existence. As Christ said, "You are the light of the world."
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X Wheel of Fortune
by Grace Cavanaugh
The wheel speaks of:
movement and change,
the cycles of nature,
the seasons of the year,
the movements of the heavens
Nothing remains static
Atoms spinning incessantly
Planets orbiting at varying speeds
Each affecting the other
Nothing is born and nothing dies
It lives on, accumulating and disencumbering
Refining and perfecting
Until, at last, it becomes the luminous reflection of its essence
Probably the first thing that enters most people's minds when they come upon this card, Wheel of Fortune, is the long-standing game show of the same name. In most gambling casinos, amid the noise and flashing lights, one constantly hears the refrain, 'wheel of fortune' enticing players to try their luck at the machines. How are we to move from this current association to the ancient meaning of the card before us?
At first glance, we note this card is replete with ancient symbols, perhaps containing more symbolic meaning than can be found on most other Tarot cards. To treat each of these with justice would take more pages than is allotted for this brief treatment. As we attempt to examine them, however, they can be reduced to some basic teachings. We will begin with the winged figures presented on each of the four corners. Originally they represented the cherubs of the four basic elements and depicted by the four zodiacal signs of the fixed cross: Leo, the lion, a fire sign; Sagittarius, the eagle, a water sign; Aquarius, the angel, an air sign; and Taurus, the bull, an earth sign. Later, Christians adopted these symbols to represent the four apocalyptic apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
There are various interpretations of the three figures outside of the wheel, the sphinx, the snake, and the jackal. If the wheel is to represent death/rebirth, the snake is in a downward movement and represents good and evil; the jackal, with its keen eyesight, is following an upward movement making progress on the wheel of life; while the sphinx, a symbol of resurrection, sits on top of the wheel. The turning of the wheel, then, could represent the laws of Karma and reincarnation. The wheel could also represent the impermanence of life, nothing is static, and everything is in constant flux.
We note that the wheel has three divisions. The outer layer represents the world of matter, the middle layer points to the formative power of the elements, the building blocks of nature, which are represented here by alchemical symbols, and the inner layer, which is blank, is the creative unseen force of the universe. The letters found in the outer circle, TORA, the Hebrew law or ROTA, the wheel, lead us further into the wheel of life interpretation.
The wheel of life frequently conjures up thoughts about our own personal paths, concerns about Karmic obligations, and reincarnation. As we examine our own life, we find that there are periods of earth, water, fire, and air manifesting in our life. There are times when an entire lifetime may be spent dealing predominately with just one of these elements. Earth is noted in periods of endurance and persistence, of patience and resourcefulness. The hazards of this is that it can lead to a rigid approach to life, a lack of resilience and a resistance to change when change is precisely what is needed for one to move on. Water experiences are times of oversensitivity, fearfulness, and vulnerabilities. When our feeling nature dominates, we can get stuck in our passions and become confused and indecisive. Fire is about will and determination, about enthusiasm and the initiation of new projects. Too much fire can result in egotistism and impersonality, a firm focus on the task and not on the personal feelings of others. One can be blinded, impulsive, and impatient with too much intense fire. Air is about the mind, ideas that lead to inspiration and invention. We all know the expression 'airy' used to describe one who is an impractical dreamer. Airy people can be cold and detached and frequently lack boundaries.
The four elements are the building blocks of everything that exist and are demonstrated in how we walk in the world. However, the wheel of life is not just about our personal journey; the entire universe is governed by the wheel of life and by the laws that govern its movement. When we ponder on the universe, we can see these elements active on a daily basis. They are noted in floods, earthquakes, windstorms, heat waves, and droughts. They are examined in microbiology, chemistry, and physics; studied in astronomy and quantum physics in our attempts to better understand the world we live in. Science struggles daily to decipher the mysteries of the universe.
This card is ruled by Jupiter. As the largest planet, its energy is about expansion and abundance, and as such, it offers opportunities for exploration and experience. When we find ourselves in a rut with one of the elements, and end up going round and round the wheel, Jupiter will offer opportunities for growth and change. The number of this card is 10 which is the higher octave of the number 1; what has been offered in number 1 has completed its cycle and we are now offered the opportunity to begin anew with a clean slate. This card is considered the middle card of the Major Arcana and suggests that if we have done our work, the major work of the previous nine cards has been completed.
On the wheel of fortune we are constantly offered the opportunity for change and new beginnings. Life is not static; change and impermanence are found to be the basis of all of life. We are not the same as we were just a minute ago; all of nature is in constant flux, moving, expanding, and growing. The wheel of fortune is not about luck or fate, but rather it alerts us to be alive and aware, to be present to and embrace change and expansion as we daily become that which we truly are, a microcosm of the divine.
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Living Awareness
by Judy Harrison
 As a practiced meditator of many years, I could not have anticipated the gifts that I would receive from attending a foundational level Awareness Meditation Retreat. But as is often the case, "we don't know what we don't know." This would become an expression of truth for me as I re-experienced the simplicity of being. Breath, central channel, ground of Being, these were the elements fully explored and deeply integrated during my four day retreat with Donna Mitchell-Moniak.
As I processed what I had received, that which had been missing in my training and practice became clear. When meditating I had "taken up residence" too high within my system, filled myself with too many words, and was dependent on guided images and steps to keep me centered and focused. In short, I never learned how to establish myself in peaceful abiding; therefore when it did happen it was often an "accident" that I did not know how to replicate from sitting to sitting. This gift of Presence felt like an elusive and longed for friend. I always went back for more, of course, this light which I sought to sustain me, but oh how many sittings left me unfulfilled!
I don't think that I am unique in my meditative experience. I have sat in many meditation circles over the years and developed a regular inner practice, but never fully felt that I could return "home" at will. Why? What was missing? I was not grounded in being; as a result emptiness could not truly become filled! I was too much in my head and heart, aspiring beyond the self, when self was at the tip of my nose all along.
With Donna, I learned to put down lighted roots, to follow the breathe up the lighted channel, and to abide in the secret place. No practice before included any focus below my heart, this was uninhabitable terrain. And so I learned to disassociate from myself, residing within my head, which I then struggled to control and quiet.
How long it took to train my errant self; attempting to divorce myself from my own duality. There had to be a more effective way. AWARENESS MEDITATION IS THAT WAY, integrating oneself in being, thereby laying the foundation for establishing a living awareness that is carried into the life. This is the new practice that is given to us to anchor us to the ground of being, in an age when living is moving us forward at warp speed. This is our connection to breath, to wholeness, to all, brought forth by Donna for this age and this time. A gift from Beingness to Humanity, a gift of Awareness!
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Stress - Part 2
By Martha Henry-MacDonald
Previously, we discussed the role that stress plays in our everyday life. Our lives are very busy whether we are students, working, parenting, taking care of elder parents, dealing with illness and economic difficulties, or any number of challenging conditions. We are left feeling tired, stressed, and vacillate between feeling revved up and feeling exhausted.
There are, of course, positive stresses as well.
We understand that the stressful stimuli - be it physical, emotional, mental, real, or imagined, stimulates the HPA Axis (hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis) which starts a cascade of sympathetic nervous system responses, i.e. the fight or flight response (F/F). This causes increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, stimulation of our instinctual response system, inhibition of our intellectual response, and a concomitant inhibition of the immune system. (see part 1 for details)
There are many things that we can do to begin to counteract the F/F response. Many suggestions were listed in part 1 of this article.
We respond to stimuli from our senses: vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch which tell us about our external environment. Our inner senses include receptors for digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, pain, temperature, blood sugar levels, fluid balance, inflammation, muscle/tendon/ligament length, balance, equilibrium, and all the ongoing functions of our endocrine glands and organ systems, just to name a few.
The difficulty is that the majority of our responses to environmental stimuli occur below the threshold of our consciousness. We are just not aware of how we react.
For example, when standing for a period of time, the body oscillates gently back and forth to help keep blood flowing from our legs back to our brain, so that we don't faint. You may or may not notice this phenomenon. Have you been aware that as you move forward your Achilles tendon supplies information to the brain saying that enough stretch has occurred in the tendon, which then causes muscles to contract to pull you back up to neutral? This is only one of many functions that the body carries out without our being conscious of the process.
From this simple example, we can infer that we are truly not aware of most of the day-to-day ongoing functions of the body. We are likewise often unaware of our emotional responses as well. Why do we react the way we do? Where does it come from? Why am I like that? Why does my mind think the way it does? Where do our belief systems come from?
It is human nature to develop patterns of response, which are mostly held below the level of our awareness. The subconscious mind is a powerful processor, as discussed earlier, processing 20,000,000 bits of information per second. The conscious mind is much slower, processing 40 bits per second. The subconscious/instinctual mind responds immediately/automatically with previously learned behaviors. It acts like a tape player - not thinking, not analyzing, just reacting. It plays the same learned behaviors or tapes over and over again. Without conscious awareness, the response will be the same as when the response was first learned. It becomes a pattern. This is one reason why we find ourselves in the same routines, ruts, and patterns of behavior over and over again.
Bruce Lipton, PhD., cell biologist, researcher, and author of The Biology of Belief, teaches about the study of "epigenetics", which means "control above genetics". Epigenetics demonstrates that genes can be modified by environmental influences including stress and emotions. Our beliefs, fears, and patterns control our biology and physiology. The cells take in the perceptions/stimuli and determine how to respond, mostly on the subconscious automatic level.
Bruce Lipton's cell research has shown that cells will respond to stimuli in one of 3 ways:
A growth response occurs when cells are in a nutrient rich environment, the cells grow and develop.
Cells in a toxic environment will retreat or shut down, which is a protective response.
In a neutral environment, no change is noticed. Cell growth and protection are both essential mechanisms, but both don't work at the same time.
We have 50,000,000,000,000 cells in the body. If we live in a perceived state of stress much of the time, our cells are in the protective/withdrawing response, not growth. Our cells retreat or shut down. When the HPA axis is inactive, i.e. no perceived stress response, we are in growth mode. So, it behooves us to understand the stress model, what it does to our system, and how to affect it in a positive way.
When and how do these stress patterns begin?
It is well known that a pregnant mother's state of stress affects the unborn child's physiology. In utero, the fetus absorbs excess nutrients, glucose, cortisol, and other fight or flight hormones from the mother. If the developing baby is exposed to high levels of stress, blood will flow preferentially away from the organ systems and frontal lobes of the cortex to the muscles of the body and the hindbrain/instinctual brain. This suppresses forebrain function and development, inhibits the immune system, and it is my sense that it lowers the threshold for future fight or flight reactions.
EEG studies of children from birth to two years show a predominance of delta brain waves; and from two to six years, there is a predominance of theta waves. These are the slow brain waves induced by hypnotherapists because they are the states in which the brain is more programmable and impressionable (Laibrow 1999 and 2002). From this we can interpolate that as babies and young children absorb continuously thru their senses and perceptors, they are being programmed by their perception of stimuli from their environment. This creates patterns of response via the subconscious brain because, as you recall, these perceptions are experienced and absorbed; they are not being processed by the undeveloped frontal lobes (reasoning, processing) of the brain.
If a child is raised with abuse, neglect, or a generally non-nourishing environment, this negatively affects the potential of their genes, and also creates triggers, patterns, and mechanisms for the fight or flight response that may become automatic responses to their environment. If a child is raised in a loving, positive, nurturing environment via conscious parenting and a supportive community, the child will develop with a positive growth response. There are many other factors which can affect a child's growth or protective response mechanism including the child's astrology, ray make up, inherited tendencies, karma etc.
Through every stage of life we are exposed daily to incidents that can affect our stress response as well. For example, many people who have been in a car accident have a difficult time returning to driving without feeling afraid. This can potentially affect every aspect of their life. They may continue to drive, but in a heightened vigilant state of awareness and stress, or they may severely limit their contact with the outer world due to the fear induced by the accident. Of course, many appear to be unaffected as well.
What can we do?
As mentioned in part one, we need to learn to be the observer.
Become aware of your reactions and notice if you are in a chronic state of fight or flight (sympathetic nervous system dominant).
Ask yourself - what fears hold you back or stunt your growth?
Where do they come from? (parents, culture, community, nation etc)
Are they real, or projected possibilities?
Are they necessary? We are told that 90% of the things we worry about never happen.
Start to recognize the triggers such as guilt, fear, worry, words, traumas, and memories. Remember many may be from childhood.
Observe where the effects of the trigger reside. Is it in your physical body, emotions, thoughts (constant mind chatter, repetitive intrusive thoughts)?
Observe how these reactions play out in your emotions, thoughts, relationships, work, and daily living.
Once the observer begins to develop, you can start to use the conscious mind to change patterns and behaviors when recognized. It is difficult, because the subconscious mind does most of our walking, talking, and reacting. As soon as the conscious mind stops focusing, the subconscious takes over. It does take time and persistence to stay vigilant, watching and adjusting responses with the conscious mind.
Many people use positive affirmations today. This practice isn't always helpful, however. If the subconscious mind truly does not believe the positive affirmation because it conflicts with what we have learned as truth earlier in life, or is a statement that we do not believe about ourselves or situation, the use of the affirmation may actually weaken the physiological system. So what now?
There are many ways in which we can affect the subconscious mind, by changing patterns, awareness, and the general state of the nervous system.
Meditation - stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system - which counteracts the fight or flight mechanism. Sign up for one of Donna's Awareness Meditation weekends. (See Awareness article in Soundings) Remember that it takes dedication, persistence, and time for such a practice to become habit and then it quickly becomes something to be looked forward to with joy. Take a break and meditate!
Pranayama - simple breathing exercises can be used to stimulate the vagus nerve, which counteracts the fight or flight mechanism. We know that certain states of mind change our breathing - such as fear and anger vs. deep thinking and focused concentration. We can extrapolate, then, that the controlled use of the breath can affect our state of mind.
Squared Breathing - a simple and very effective exercise. Picture a square - each side of the square represents 3 seconds of breath. Starting at the bottom left corner of the square, breathe in (up the side) for the count of 3; then at the top left corner of the square begin to hold the breath in for a count of 3; at the far right corner of the square begin to breathe out (down the side of the square) for a count of three; and for the bottom edge of the square, hold your breath out for the count of 3. Repeat this cycle 6-8 times or more, and you will find that your physical, emotional, and mental aspects begin to quiet, leaving you more peaceful and aligned. This is a great exercise if you are facing a difficult meeting, phone call, or even a talk with your children. Take a moment and center yourself.
Roll your eyes slightly upward, above midline while walking, or with lids closed during meditation, or with the above breathing exercise. This stimulates the occulomotor nerve, which causes a parasympathetic response. (Quiets the fight/flight)
Conscious awareness - to change perceptions and patterns of behavior. This requires the patience and practice of being the observer as discussed above.
Energy work - in particular I have had success with Esoteric Healing techniques. This method speaks to the hidden or veiled meaning and cause of the various dis-comforts and dis-eases of the individual. The esoteric healer facilitates the balance and integration of the different aspects of the personality and opening to the higher self or soul. The charkas, endocrine glands, organ systems, and nervous system may be addressed on the physical, emotional, and mental levels to help the individual become more fully who he/she truly is. For more information on Esoteric Healing see www.esoterichealing.com or email mhenrymac@yahoo.com.
Other techniques include EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) details can be found on www.mercola.com; Use of applied Kinesiology and acupuncture points to work with belief systems; Psych-K; the use of flower essences to affect the emotional body - see www.floralivecom; life and soul centered counseling - I recommend Donna Mitchell Moniak at www.spiritfire.com.
The rewards of working with yourself and your subconscious patterns and their hidden causes are well worth the effort. Of course, we could choose to ignore this information and go with "America does run on Dunkin Donuts"! Choose healthy, be happy!
Recommended readings:
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, PhD
Change your Brain, Change your Life by Daniel Amen, MD
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Blessing of the Disillusioned
by Judy Harrison
To anyone who has turned on the news or looked at an investment statement, it probably comes as no surprise that at this time in our history we are living in a time of crisis and tension for humanity. Ours has been called the "end times" by some, but what does that really mean? One meaning that is referred to is the end of an age, the Piscean Age. And as we move from this age, or cycle, into the next we are experiencing both a climaxing period and a birthing point in our evolution. So, while this time is fraught with challenges it also poses unprecedented possibilities. What might they be?
As stated by the Tibetan Master DK in The Reappearance of the Christ; "Down the ages and at every human crisis, always in the hours of necessity, at the founding of a new race, or in the awakening of a prepared humanity to a new and wider vision, the Heart of God - impelled by the law of compassion - sends forth a teacher which will illumine a dark world problem, and give to man an expression of some hither to unrealized aspect of divinity." (p 9-10 ROC). One way this teacher may make His Presence known is through "impressing the minds of men everywhere", therefore stimulating their consciousness and the Christ in the heart. This is the true beginning of what has been termed brotherhood, with concern moving away from a solely egocentric focus on one's self, one's family, and even one's nation to a more global consideration and demonstration of empathy. We see this locally today as people forfeit pay so that others might keep their jobs. And on a broader scale, systemic issues like global warming and our economic interdependence are producing meaningful cooperative efforts among nations.
"There is now a shift of emphasis and attention in two new fields of endeavor: first into the field of world- wide education, and secondly into the sphere of implementing intelligently those activities which come under the department of government. (And so today) the common people are awakening to the importance and responsibility of government, through the education of the masses in cooperative statesmanship, in economic stabilization through right sharing, and in clean political interplay" (p 18 ROC). How exciting to think that these words, which may have appeared to be a hoped for dream when written in 1948, are becoming a possibility today under the leadership of President Obama.
Clearly, the campaign that helped to thrust Mr. Obama into office was a masterful effort of mass education with its subsequent participation by the masses in their government. Additionally, in his state of the union address, what was being offered to the people of this country by the president was a moral vision and a view of unity. George Lakoff, writing for the Huffington post, described this in his article "The Obama Code" where the president's code of moral law helps us to come into alignment, once again, with the fundamental values of the framers of the constitution. As Mr. Lakoff states, "He is realigning our economy with the moral mission of government: protection and empowerment for all ... Protection includes protection for the environment, consumer, workers, pensioners, disaster victims, and investors. Empowerment includes education and other forms of infrastructure - roads, bridges, communications, energy supply, the bank system, and stock market." And so, budgets are moral statements and progressive taxation, with an eye toward equality and paying ones' fair share, becomes a matter of moral accounting.
In addition to a new vision, another aspect of cyclic change occurring at the start of a new age is the impulse of divine expression brought to us by evolved /advanced souls. Under the Doctrine of Avatars, we can look back to see the mission of two great avatars from past ages, Buddha the messenger of light, and Christ the messenger of love. Each of these teachers empowered humanity with not only a different quality to support their evolution, but each used a different aspect of divinity. As Master DK points out, "it is essential that we remember- the Eastern teacher embodied in himself the Wisdom of God of which human intelligence, the third aspect of divinity, is an expression; that through Christ the second divine aspect was revealed in its perfection; and in Him two aspects therefore light and love received full expression. It remains now for the highest of the divine aspects the Will of God to receive embodiment." (p 62 ROC)
The implication of what it means for humanity to experience the dynamic power of divine will, and have a direct relationship with all three aspects of the Divine, is something that is almost beyond our ken to imagine. For it is only through good will that peace can be brought about. Are we capable of establishing right human relationships which is "an aspect of the divine will for humanity and the next facet of the divine expression to manifest in human affairs! Today humanity is being challenged. Men are rapidly disillusioned and will consequently see more clearly. World glamour is being steadily removed from the ways of men... The practical effects of this process will be the release of the human spirit from the thralldom of matter." (p 134 ROC)
Disillusioned and freed from glamour, humanity must be wise enough to recognize its duty as it awaits the coming revelation in these "end times". As stated by Master DK in Glamour: A World Problem, we are currently living under the Law of Cleavages. This is seen in the one-sided expression of our dual nature. And so, while we are developing the individual self for much of our evolution, we are unaware of our higher nature. Our personality expression, therefore, is initially one of pure ego and materialism. As such, we cleave to this aspect of self, cutting ourselves off from our own divinity. "Through cleavages the fires of destruction may end our civilization as the Atlantean civilization was ended, unless the conscious Sons of God can build those bridges and develop that understanding which will offset this law, thus bringing into functioning activity the law which governs the coming age...All today are governed by the law of cleavages, but advanced groups in each nation are beginning to respond to the Law of Understanding - a law which will eventually emphasize the brotherhood of man and thus identify all with...the oneness of Life which animates and integrates the entire solar system." (p 378-379 Glamour).
In order for humanity to move forward into a global vision or correct view, the current thought-forms or illusions around separation and materialism must be shattered so that right human relations through love, intelligence, and the will to good can be established. In the Piscean Age, we were given the lesson of the cross and the fish, both symbols of duality. Bound together by the intersection of our vertical aspirations and horizontal livingness on the cross, or in the case of the fish (Pisces), by a band that united the two, we begin to have a sense of our dual nature but our living expression is still one of cleavage. In the Aquarian Age, our lesson is resurrection, finally rising from our immersion in the material world to a greater synthesis.
Blessings come to us in the form of dis-illusion, creating the opportunity to Change yourself - change the world.
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Upcoming Programs
_____________________________________________________Programs with Donna Mitchell-Moniak
Taste Of Awareness
Introduction to Awareness Meditation
Saturday May 30, 10-4 pm
Harmony Center, Medfield, MA
Register www.HarmonyCenter.org
Living Awareness Retreats
Spirit Fire Meditative Retreat Center
Leyden, Ma.
Level I - Wed-Sun, July 1-5 & Wed-Sun, Sept. 16-20
Level II - Wed-Sun, April 15-19 & Wed-Sun, Oct. 28-Nov 1
Contact: donnasol@mindspring.com or 413-624-3955
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Programs with Martha
Henry-MacDonald
Esoteric Healing
Level I - April 4-5 & 25-26
Center @ Westwoods, Westwood Ma.
Register: 781-329-0711 or mhenrymac@yahoo.com
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