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Connections
by Judy Harrison Insight is a wonderful thing. It’s born of a series
of individual understandings that start to cohere in
magnetic resonance. And then the law of attraction
takes over and we are graced with that wonderful
moment we call an “ah-ha”! By ourselves we would
have never made this discovery. That’s the magic and
the beauty of insight.
This happened to me recently as I pondered doing and
being – a hot topic in my mentoring group. I read
the e-mails that poured in. They spoke of the
difficulty in blending this seeming pair of
opposites. But here we are in the sign of Libra
whose keynote states: “I choose the way which leads
between the two great lines of force.” and whose
visual image is the balanced scale. Opening to this
energy was my first clue.
Through my most recent studies in esoteric
psychology I became acquainted with two techniques
that the soul uses in the process of its expansion
toward One-ness; the technique of fusion and the
technique of duality. In the technique of fusion
the soul gradually blends itself with its vehicle,
the personality. This happens over time after the
individual has purified his or her physical,
emotional and mental bodies. Through the act of
soul infusion we begin to recognize and let go of
our misidentification with our little ego or
personality and understand our true spiritual
nature. This process is an evolutionary one of
greater consciousness expansion. Having previously
heard the statement that “Goodwill is Love in
Action” I was graced with a new insight when I
related this to the soul infusion process. In this
insight, since love is a quality of soul and its
demonstration in action is seen as goodwill, then,
stated another way, when we become a soul infused
personality the asana we move with in the world
begins to exude goodwill. In this way we become a
revealer of light. If this is so, “What then, I
wondered, happens on a higher turn of the spiral
through the technique of duality?”
The technique of duality is one whereby the soul
infused personality begins to be impulsed by and has
access to Spirit. This is the meaning behind the
biblical quote that one cannot get to the father
(Spirit) except through the son (or in the language
we are using, soul-infused personality). With this
thought afoot a new statement came to mind: “Doing
in Being is Synthesis.” Here doing or working as a
personality infused with a measure of soul, while
standing in Being or the impulse of spiritual will,
creates Synthesis. On this level we are privileged
to consciously recognize that we are grounded in
Being while we act in the world.
Synthesis is clearly the ultimate expression of
knowing that one is God and in fact All is God.
However prior to this stage, rather than having
doing and being as separate entities and
experiencing them as polar opposites, we can attempt
to bring them into balance. This is the work of
Libra on its highest level. And so we can practice
doing in being as we move along the thread or path
until finally we arrive at synthesis.
Behold the magic of thoughts that have found each
other and given way to insight! Or as one co-worker
stated in a recent e-mail, “Once personality is done
fooling itself- there is nothing that is not God and
no resources that do not belong to the Christ
(lighted consciousness) for the work of the One
Soul. So any ‘doing’ in the world is potentially a
state of ‘being’ with God, and in doing we discover
God within and without.”
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Paula Green: Peacebuilder, Soulworker
Interview by Pat Fiero Paula Green, Ed.D., founded and directs the Karuna
Center for Peacebuilding and serves on the faculty
of the School for International Training, where she
developed SIT's programs in conflict transformation.
She has extensive international experience in
peacebuilding and has taught at several graduate
schools, universities, and other educational centers
worldwide. As a facilitator in interethnic dialogue
and conflict transformation, Green has worked in
Bosnia, Israel and Palestine, Rwanda and Eastern
Africa, Sri Lanka, Burma, Nepal, and many other
regions. In addition to consulting and training,
Green has been an active board member of several
international peace organizations, including the
International Fellowship of Reconciliation. The
author of numerous internationally published
articles and chapters, Green co-edited the textbook,
Psychology and Social Responsibility: Facing
Global Challenges.
The Karuna Center is currently located in Amherst
Massachusetts. For the first eight years of
operation it was located on Richardson Road, North
Leverett, Massachusetts, a hill away from the Peace
Pagoda; two hills away from what is now Roshi Bernie
Glassman’s peace institute, House of One People; and
a hill away from the small but warring subdivision
we moved to last April. Perhaps it is something in
the water or in the powerful serpent energies in our
region. Clearly the energy cuts both ways.
I recently joined Paula in her backyard on a
gorgeous October day to learn more about her work,
which she calls “soul work”.
When Paula founded Karuna, which means compassion,
in 1994, its mission brought together her lifelong
interests in peace and social justice. As a student
of Buddhism and a psychologist, she wanted to put
the disciplines together into “something meaningful
and whole.” She didn’t want her two disciplines
split; she wanted them to be joined, to allow each
to inform the other. She saw this marriage as a way
to do non-violence training across cultures and
contexts. She found this a work to open the heart.
In 1993 Paula and her husband, Jim Perkins, also a
Buddhist practitioner, took a sabbatical year to
make a Buddhist-Ghandi pilgrimage. She came home to
found the Karuna Center. Paula says that “it wasn’t
revealed in the beginning that the venture would be
international in scope. It was founded to
investigate what modest change I could make in the
world around the issues of tolerance,
interdependence and non-violence.” Through her
meditative practice and her experience in the world,
mindfulness allowed her to see and allow “deeper
layers of the work to emerge.”
Paula founded the Karuna Center with the “express
purpose of discovering what modest contribution the
Center could make around the issues of tolerance,
interdependence and nonviolence.” Through her
meditative practice and her experiential work, the
next steps were obvious: She let the deeper layers
of the work emerge and brought mindful attention to
what emerged.
The Center’s peacebuilding workshops are not overtly
Buddhist, but they have a strong spiritual
foundation. At the deepest level the workshops
invite people to wake up, “the kind of waking up is
to interdependency, humanization and shared
responsibility. Humanization in this sense is that
of seeing the other as one sees the self, rejecting
the tendency to de-humanize in order to hurt the other.”
When asked the following by an interviewer from the
Insight Meditation Society - Paula, many people
consider inner spiritual cultivation to be one path,
and social activism to be another. Yet at the heart
of your work seems to be the intuition that the two
are part of the same thing. Can you say more about
this? - she replied:
“One important teacher for me on that issue has been
Joanna Macy, whose writing on the relationship
between inner and outer is very profound. In the
dharma (Buddhist teachings) we learn so much about
any split being artificial—the split between “I” and
“thou,” and between you and me, is an illusion. So
why do we hold to the split between the inner and
the outer? In my understanding, my service in the
world and my spiritual development are completely
intertwined and inform each other. The purpose of
developing myself is not for myself, but for all
beings. Activism is a form of service, of
generosity, of compassion, and also of pleasure.
The outer activity also informs what happens inside
me, because when I go out and work as a
peacebuilder, I see my own limits. Engaged work
contributes to my self-understanding and my
transformation. I believe that until we change
ourselves, and the unjust social structures in which
we’ve embedded ourselves, we’re not going to have
peace. And if we don’t have outer peace, none of us
will have the privilege of dharma and the inner
peace it brings. So the work I do all over the world
is to help people think about the relationship
between themselves and the structures they have created.
In my work as director of Karuna Center and as a
professor at the School for International Training
[in Brattleboro, VT], I use the word
“transformation,” which is very deliberately chosen.
I believe inner transformation and social
transformation are completely linked and cannot,
should not, be separated. I see that every time I
lead workshops in Bosnia, or the Mid East, or Sri
Lanka or anywhere. It’s what I saw when I was doing
civil rights work, and it’s why I became a therapist
in the first place. I see people’s greed and anger
stand in the way of being able to let go and make
room for social change. That’s the unfinished inner
work that contaminates the outer work of peace
building. I see the outer work short-changed because
people are not working on themselves.”
When asked about the wellsprings of her work, Green
replied:
“As I understand it, spirituality brought to earth is justice. Since the time of my spiritual beginnings at IMS (Insight Meditation Society), I have found the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhists and the Peace Pagoda community of Nipponzan Myohoji, and now also Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, to be avenues merging my Buddhist commitments with my global responsibilities. My spiritual path requires the active expression of compassion, which arises when I can serve humbly in the world, unattached to results but grateful for the opportunity to give. Well, I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, engaged in
opposition to the Vietnam War and in support of the
civil rights movement. Those were two very pivotal
experiences for me. I received my MA at New York
University in Human Relations, and was especially
interested in inter-group relations. What led me
from inter-group relations and activism to
psychology and reflection was the disturbing
observation that our socially engaged work was
contaminated by the toxins in the mind, which
spilled over and leaked on everything we did. So I
turned my focus inward, to understand myself and the
roots of human behavior. That led me first to
psychology, and then to the dharma.
Asked about the role of the dharma in the mix, she
continued:
“It changed everything! What I saw, and still deeply believe, is that dharma practice and therapy practice are distinct but parallel tracks. Each has something unique and important to teach us about ourselves, but they are clearly different. In therapy I accessed the contents of my mind; but what dharma reveals is the process of the mind, and how that process spirals us into unwholesome behaviors. It’s stunning! Revolutionary! Radical! Now that I’m working in the peacebuilding field, I feel I’ve taken the therapy and the dharma and put a larger frame around them. But they are still in the center of everything I do.” Paula has been invited to present her work at an
academic conference in Cape Town to mark the 10th
anniversary of the truth and reconciliation
movement. She will talk about how “compassion
arises and helps to heal people who come from
different wars – across cultures, contexts and time
– we know that it does.”
As we ended our interview, Paula commented that “our
task is to pay attention to growth, compassion,
reconciliation. It is so easy to get caught in
greed, anger, entitlement and so important to
remember compassion, loving kindness, as the basis
for all our relationships, including our political
ones.”
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The Tests of Time
By Donna Mitchell-Moniak History repeats itself, or at least human beings do.
Thus we create the same, often destructive,
situations over and over again.
In Steven Spielberg’s movie War of the Worlds, the
character played by Tim Robbins prophetically
comments, “Occupations never succeed.” Time and time
again that has been seen in all continents, by
conquering nations great or small, and heard in the
oral histories of our ancestors. It didn’t work in
America. It didn’t work in Ireland. Alexander the
Great’s empire crumbled soon after his death. The
forward march of conquest was too costly; and the
conquered people preferred their own ways.
England couldn’t occupy Scotland. Yet for over a
century it tried. The Scots won when the king of
England was actually Scot-born.
But the question is why? Why do people in power so
often prefer to kill and conquer instead of feed,
shelter, educate, and nurture? If everyone on the
planet were happy due to good health, clean water,
adequate shelter, and common sense freedom then
there would be no terrorists in the world to fear.
If half of the money spent on war, death, and
destruction was instead spend on life – on
assistance – imagine what the world would be like.
The United States is currently is the occupier in a
war with Iraq. Iraq’s history is thousands of years
old. The Garden of Eden was said to exist between
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in other words,
within the borders of modern day Iraq. The loss of
historical and antiquarian structures in this cradle
of humanity is huge. But more important is the loss
or lack of understanding of the history of the last
several hundred years, the years since Islam, and
how that influence made Iraq and in particular
Baghdad what it was: a cultural center of learning,
medicine, architectural and engineering wonders, and
of peace.
While Europe was in the abject squalor of the Dark
Ages, the Islamic people were in an Age of
Enlightenment. As they sought scientific and
organizational solutions to bring water, food, and
stability to a newly organized people under the
faith of One God they looked beyond themselves and
found Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. They scanned
all known documents, teachers, and teachings.
Looking east they found Hippocrates the Greek father
of medicine and the first oath of medicine: ‘Do no
harm.” Looking north they learned the principles of
the Hindu Ayurvedic medicinal system. Putting the
two together the first prototype for all hospitals
to come was created in Baghdad Their water
engineering surpassed the Romans. The arch made
famous in the construction of Gothic cathedrals was
used in the building of mosques hundreds of years
before the first cathedral was built. The Moslems
found paper being made by the Chinese, yet the
Moslems were the first to mass-produce it. The
Moslems made immediate use of paper by codifying the
demographics of the widely spread Islamic
population, the various needs of cities and
villages, and how to accomplish in an efficient
manner those humanitarian needs being met. Thus
Moslems created the first governmental bureaucracy
and the ‘paper trail.’ Equally while literature was
still on parchment and the rare book found only in
the best monasteries, literature was available to
everyone and as a result even most average citizens
were educated.
All this was possible for many reasons, yet the main
one was their faith which states that there is only
one God thus only one humanity. And their religion
states that it is right and good to take care of
your brother. So instead of war and conquering, the
newly born Islamic world prospered, educated, built
some of the most lasting and beautiful architecture,
invented algebra and trigonometry, and understood
that disease is often caused by tiny particles that
attack the body (bacteria). The injunction of faith
that all people are one people fostered kindness and
simply getting along with one another.
Being ignorant of the past or ignorant of other
people and their culture, especially one that is
many times older than our own, is an error and a
great loss. For those interested, PBS has a good DVD
on Islam that can be rented through Netflix. It is
called, Islam: An Empire of Faith. Educating
ourselves about the Iraqi nation, its people, and
the religion that underpins its society helps us
understand why this occupation, like all
historically before it, will not succeed.
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Beautiful Every Step of the Way
by Martha Henry-MacDonald Is it the end?
When you’re dead are you dust? Or is it a birth into a new beginning? What the personality calls death, the soul calls
life. The soul knows there is no death, but an
entrance into a fuller life of wholeness, health,
love and reconnection with the Source.
After nine years of intermittent chemotherapy, Marge
was told she was in remission from leukemia. Less
than ten minutes later, she was informed that she
had malignant melanoma. Marge quickly declined from
working four days a week and walking two miles per
day to needing total assistance. Our goal was to
keep her as comfortable and content as possible. We
kept the wood burner roaring, music playing, family
visiting, as well as quiet times. Her last two
Saturday evenings were spent reclining in the family
room with a sip of wine (and morphine), the fire
warming the room with a lovely glow, a beautiful
smile on her face as eleven of us sat in a circle
with her, telling stories, laughing, eating dinner,
just being together. These were soulful times that
we cherish.
Two months before her death, I began a meditation
taught by Netta Wells of the INEH. It involved
visualizing our walking together through a beautiful
field of flowers- there was always a sparkling blue
sky. This was quite easy as she and I had walked
almost daily in nature together for many years. We
then approached a bridge, which traversed a lovely
stream – symbolizing the bridge we cross as we pass
over to the other side. Our first walks took us
through the field and to the edge of the bridge,
just enjoying the scenery, like on any of our walks.
While staying with her during a week of
hospitalization, I sat up at night in meditation
while she slept. About that time we began to
approach and cross the bridge, enjoying great beauty
and peace. We would always return home, having been
instructed to never leave anyone on the other side.
A month later, Marge’s condition changed
dramatically. On Saturday she had a last burst of
energy. She was anxious to get out of bed early, be
lifted to her wheelchair, listen to a song my
daughter had written for piano and watch her
grandchildren from the window, sled in the softly
falling snow. Sunday she was exhausted and the
evening was spent trying to get her pain under
control. My sister struggled with the unfairness of
her pain. I found myself demanding the physical
elementals to let go. My brothers, always the
protectors, stayed the night, feeling helpless. We
knew Monday evening that once we moved her into bed,
she probably would not be getting out again.
The Hospice nurse told us on Tuesday that mom
probably only had hours to days left. With a quick
phone call, most of my siblings were able to come
and they stayed. Those who couldn’t come
immediately were totally present in phone calls,
support, spirit and love.
During our meditation journey on this day, we were
met on the other side of the bridge by my father who
was smiling at her, her parents, and many other
souls, all-radiant with light and love. Then we
returned over the bridge.
On Wednesday, she wouldn’t go beyond the crest of
the bridge. One brother, knowing the bond of
friendship and love that my mother and I have shared
for years, felt that she would not leave because I
was present – and this can sometimes be the case.
On Thursday, I knew it was the day. We spent the
day sitting, touching, and talking with her. Early
in the afternoon while quietly holding her hand, it
was time to do the meditation. When we approached
the bridge she hesitated. At that moment my
husband, not knowing that I was meditating, came up
behind me and put his hands on my shoulders – as we
all did with each other throughout the week. As
soon as he touched me, I realized that my mother
needed her whole family to help her cross the
bridge. All of us, including my children, walked
with her across the bridge – supporting, loving, and
cocooning her while she walked with strength. Once
we crossed – she was met with great joy by our dad,
her parents, family and friends. The light and love
were beautiful and palpable.
As we returned across the bridge, mom hesitated at
the peak and turned towards our dad. Then she
turned her face towards us, looking over her
shoulder with a beautiful radiant smile. Quickly
there were flashes of images of her getting younger
and younger – until she was in her 20’s, gorgeous,
smiling and happy. It was clear that she was ready
to move on, and the final process began shortly
thereafter.
I told my siblings that it wouldn’t be long now. We
all felt a little anxious not knowing what to
expect. Was this really the end or would it continue
for days more? One brother while looking at her as
he worked on his computer by the head of her bed
said, “No, everything looks the same”. Denial can
be a wonderful thing. My children arrived home from
school, kissed her on the forehead and said “Grammy
I love you”. She then opened her eyes for the first
time since Monday night. Her eyes found the children
and she stayed present with us until the end. They
sat one on either side, each holding a hand; the
rest of us surrounded her bed. I continued to sit
near her face so that we had eye-to-eye contact.
Her breathing became more labored. We all reassured
her again that it was ok to go, she didn’t need her
physical body anymore. It was time to be free, time
to go home. I started saying “God” with each breath
and she began repeating it and this continued as a
mantra for at least five minutes. Twice she looked
heavenward, tried to lift her arms and smiled.
There is no doubt that what she saw was beautiful.
We then resumed the mantra. Eye to eye contact
revealed no fear, no panic, and no pain, just the
natural processes of the body taking over. She was
gone with the last breath. My son, who has etheric
vision, saw a white eagle by her head during the
last hour, perhaps a symbol of the Ray 1 energy
needing to destroy the connection with the physical
etheric body. He reported a flow of energy from my
head to my mothers leading up to and thru her
transition. He also saw a portal open up which
probably explains the sense of immediate departure.
She knew where she was going and she was ready.
After she passed, we had some peaceful time in that
space, which we all appreciated. My daughter and I,
along with the hospice nurse who arrived with the
last breath, gently and lovingly bathed my mother’s
body for the last time. When the funeral director
came to take her body, my husband lifted her body,
ever so gently, resting her head on his shoulder,
and carried her down the stairs and out to the
waiting stretcher. It was beautiful. There is so
much to be grateful for. My family, who pretty much
took up residence with us the last week, was
amazing. It was a time of love, bonding, support,
grace, growth, acceptance, presence and so much more.
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Diet for Happiness
by Sara Traub Most people claim that all they really want is to be
happy. Yet what is the magic ingredient? We may feel
happy when we’ve had success in business or in
sports. We may feel unhappy when we are disappointed
or depressed. Our feelings of contentment are
strongly influenced by our tendency to compare. If
we look at others with envy and want what they have
then our sense of happiness is diminished. If
however, we take the opportunity to look at others
and appreciate what we have as a result, we create a
feeling of happiness. If we harbor hateful thoughts
or intense anger somewhere deep inside, it will ruin
our health and affect the level of happiness. The
way that we deal with our relationships determines
how happy we feel at any given time. Sooner or later
the level of happiness migrates to a certain
baseline, a baseline that is a comfort zone, a
habitual way of being. Whether we are feeling happy
or unhappy at any given moment, often has very
little to do with the objective state of what
happens around us but rather is a function of how we
perceive our situation, and how satisfied we are
with what we have.
These examples show clearly that happiness is
determined by our state of mind rather than by
external circumstances. If such is the case, then a
positive state of mind can be a gift that we can
give to ourselves at anytime, and any place,
regardless of what is happening externally.
No matter what level of happiness we are used to, we
can take steps to work with the “mind factor” to
increase our feeling of happiness. The bottom line,
our happiness is determined by our outlook. All of
this indicates the tremendous influence of the
mental state or the mind factor on our daily life.
As long as there is a lack of inner discipline that
brings a sense of calmness to the mind, it will be
difficult to experience joy or happiness. We will
forever be at the mercy of external influences for a
sense of well being and contentment.
According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, happiness
can be achieved through the training of the mind. By
bringing a certain inner discipline, we can undergo
a transformation of our attitude, and hence our
entire outlook and approach to living will radically
change.
One might ask why so many people are unhappy if
happiness is a simple matter of cultivation.
Although a diet of happiness is quite simple, it
requires a transformation of one’s outlook and one’s
way of thinking. It also requires vigilance, and an
application of true and proven methods to change.
Change takes time.
We are asked to be observers of ourselves - observe
those factors which lead to happiness and those that
lead to suffering. Having done this, we can then
choose to gradually eliminate those factors which
lead to suffering and cultivate those which lead to
happiness. If we learn to substitute our negative
thoughts for positive ones consciously, then we
begin to experience peace of mind or calm. Both of
these are rooted in loving kindness and compassion.
When this state is maintained, then something
automatically opens our inner door and elicits
feelings of kindness and compassion. Through that,
communication becomes easier. Those feelings of
kindness, compassion and warmth create a kind of
openness. We will then find that all human beings
are just like us and we will then be able to relate
to them more easily. This will create a spirit of
friendship, a feeling of trust. We are hard wired
for this kind of change so this kind of diet is
something that our system not only knows but also
craves. The key is to be conscious of what we choose
to feed our minds.
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“Our theme is the esoteric consideration of
disease and its forms; - and to indicate the general
laws with which the healer must work and the six
rules – to which he gives obedience, through
discipline and understanding.” –
Esoteric Healing, AAB, pg. 24 In preparation for the creation of a comprehensive
Esoteric Healing program, a number of us are
re-reading the text Esoteric Healing by Alice
Bailey. Below is Donna’s commentary on certain
pages. The Esoteric Healing Program is scheduled to
begin in the autumn of 2007. For more information
please contact us at retreats@SpiritFire.com
Thoughts generated by pgs. 9-17 of Esoteric
Healing - Commentary #2
by Donna Mitchell-Moniak The Tibetan begins this section reiterating again
the same ideas about the psychological and
psycho-spiritual origins of disease. “There is
today a dawning recognition . . . that in the subjective
and hidden attitudes of the mind and of the
emotional nature, and in the life of inhibited or
excessive sex expression, must be sought the causes
of all disease.”
Continuing near the bottom of pg. 14, in point 7, he
gives us another hint, which unto itself reabsorbs
several things said in points 1-6.
“The instinct to self-preservation governs the
relation of spirit and matter, of life and form as
long as the Deity Himself wills to incarnate within
His body of manifestation . . . I have in the above
statement given to you a hint as to one of the basic
causes of disease, and to the endless fight between
the imprisoned spirit and the imprisoning form.”
What do we understand from this hint?
There is only Life. There are only the laws and
purposes of Life. Life is all there is; there is no
death. And when released from the thoughtforms and
identifications of duality and limited self-styled
and appropriated consciousness there is no
imprisonment. Yet within these states which are the
seeming states of our existence, the full spectrum
of Life seeks not only self-expression but to
sustain or preserve the expressions of itself.
Therefore, both form and spirit (here the Tibetan is
using spirit as a blind for self-ascribed spirit)
seek self-preservation.
The Tibetan is telling us that as long as both form
and spirit instinctually seek to preserve current
expressions of self-reality and identity, both
suffer. This lies back of disease and why there is
an ‘endless fight between the imprisoned spirit and
the imprisoning form.’ (This is why the Tibetan with
tongue in cheek says, “you can say with a measure of
accuracy: God is guilty of wrong thinking.” Pg. 13/14)
Examples are lived everyday. Let’s say our physical
body has a predisposition to sugar. Putting aside
the underlying reasons for that, (physically,
emotionally and the possible mental reasons) if the
body has a predisposition to sugar it will do what
it can to self-preserve that desire and get what it
wants. Sugar turns to acid in our bodies. This
is why it decays our teeth and hastens the
degradation of our physical body. Yet for all the
‘bad’ that results, it is hard to change the
tendency toward sugar.
We also work very hard to preserve our image(s) of
our self. Everyone does. Therefore, the self that we
call ourselves must be maintained and this becomes a
driving force inside us. Yet, the self that we seek
constantly to preserve is only an image of part of
the fullness of our self. It is a projection in our
minds, emotions, and relationships of what we think
about our self, and what we think other people think
about us. The self that we seek to preserve usually
is dependent upon strengths and weakness, like and
dislikes, preferences and avoidances. To quote
Naropa we “suffer in our self-dividedness.”
At the same time, spirit/consciousness or that
aspect of us that is whole and One-with-All is also
working at its self-preservation. Our All-ness seeks
freedom from the limitations of self-image and
projection. Our light seeks expression from within
the façade of the personal mask. At first this is
the small voice of conscience telling us right from
wrong. Then it is the sense of what is better for
one’s self instead troubling, painful, or harmful
behaviors. This sense matures within us and becomes
the nagging feeling of lack of fulfillment, of
dissatisfaction even though our worldly needs are
met; it becomes the feeling that something important
missing. Wholeness is missing. Simplicity is
missing. Genuiness-ness and lightness of being are
missing. These experiences are spirit/consciousness
seeking to preserve its expression in a manifest
incarnated world. These experiences that can inspire
or defeat us are the rub between the image and
habits of our self and the spirit/consciousness that
is the original face – the original Self.
Yet with all of this the Tibetan reminds us that the
very processes that disease leads us through
(physical, emotional, spiritual) are purificatory in
their effects (#3). And it is with this attitude
that we can help ourselves and our clients.
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What Name You?
by Judy Harrison I went to hear Erik, our new minister, preach; to
receive the wisdom he had to offer. His sermon was
on the power of naming, the power that defines
experience. His ideas, while not new, started to be
framed for me in a unique way after he shared a
story about his young preschooler who with innocence
and openness would go up to complete strangers and
ask, “What name you?”. For this preacher-father a
sermon was brewing as the line danced in his mind.
“What name you?” – What is it that expresses your
essence? For me it was the missing link I needed to
understand the power of one’s astro-ray
configuration, the energy signature of our ray (see
Esoteric Psychology by Alice Bailey) and our
astrology combined.
“What name you?” How germane it became to discover
one’s name. It was the answer to the age old
question of “Who ARE you?” The significance of this
was brought home to me during the culmination of my
two year study of the seven rays when during
meditation at the end of our final session our group
was named. Immediately the sermon dovetailed with
what was taking place. We had become an entity and
collectively recognized that fact as we noted the
way we held a particular asana. Our group-way of
standing in the world was discovered! And in this
discovery our inner knowing had been confirmed. We
now knew our essence. By appreciating our group as
a 6th ray soul we became more in touch with our
shared sparkle and saw service as the way we moved
as a group soul. And our 3rd ray personality
qualified the many-ness that so filled each of our
collective days.
“What name you?” As a culminating exercise I got up
to share my own signature with the group, to declare
my understanding of the stream my soul poured forth
from and the vehicle (personality, mental, astral,
physical) that soul chose to be birthed in. This
persona was further qualified by my birth time and
place adding yet another energy layer for me to
understand as I moved in the world.
“What name you?” To understand this is to know how
to best interface with the world so that we can live
souls design; to move with the energies rather than
be moved by them. “What name you?”, as Erik quoted
in his sermon from the wisdom that has been spoken
before and proceeds us, “What is your True Face, the
one you had before your mother was born?” This is
for each of us to discover so that our consciousness
can shine more brightly. Our service and our joy is
wearing Our True Face. In that way do we live the
dictum that “Only a change in consciousness can
change the world.”
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Spirit Fire was on the radio!
Go online to hear the taped October 7th
interview in streaming audio . . .
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Massachusetts
Colorado
Check out our website to learn more about these
programs!
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To learn more about Spirit Fire, the newsletter, or programs we offer, please contact us! Only a change in consciousness can change the world.
Spirit Fire Meditative Retreat Center
email:
e-news@spiritfire.com
phone:
413.624.3955
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