Calming Outer Turbulence: 2011 & 111

I received an email that was really thought provoking. Perhaps you have received it, too. However, I reflected on its possible meaning and came up with the explanation below the following instructions contained in the email. As you may already know, in this year of 2011 there are 4 unusual dates . . .

1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11.

      NOW check this out. The mind-blowing thing is that it works for everybody born in the 20th century.

     Take the last 2 digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year, e.g., born in 47+ will be 64= 111 or born in 54 + will be 57= 111.

I asked myself, "What might this mean in some ultimate, spiritual sense?" Then, it occurred to me that the Spiritual Gift of this might be a preparation for the Great Shift in consciousness predicted by the Mayans I studied with in at sacred sites set in the jungles and on the coast of Central America.

My guess: it points to the interconnectedness of us all no matter what our race, religion, creed or culture. It points to the Oneness beyond the apparent duality of self and other. This accords with the teachings of two sacred systems I have studied this past year: the Template & A Course in Miracles. Both point us to the truth underlying the world as it appears with various forms. Eckhart Tolle discusses this oneness with all of life very articulately in The Power of Now and A New Earth. The final point—there is no separation from each other and from God (the Trinity of 3 Gods in One, 111). This includes the trinity of the being of each one of us: body, mind (soul), and spirit. In other words, there is no separation from love as God is love and love is who we all really are in the core of our being.

• Today, consider the following. I mentioned this in an early blog posting. I was on a plane to Guatemala to study with the Mayan shamans. The plane started shaking, and a flight attendant announced that we would be flying through turbulence. He estimated that this would last for the next 50 minutes so we should buckle up and stay in our seats. I thought of how I was missing someone I loved. It occurred to me that even when we are physically separated from people we love, we are never separated from the love we feel for them. At that very moment, I felt a lovely feeling of inner peace. Instantly, the outer turbulence stopped. Only a few minutes had passed since the attendant had cautioned us. The rest of the flight was calm and smooth. I came up with an affirmation based on that experience. Breathe in and silently say, "I AM never separated from the expansive energy and peaceful power of love." Breathe out, silently say, "For in the core of my being, I AM the expansive energy and peaceful power of love." Try repeating this during your day, especially when you encounter outer turbulence.

Relieving Pain with Focused Awareness

Cancer patients who have successfully used meditation to manage physical pain demonstrate just how powerful focusing our awareness can be. When I was in practice as a therapist, I adapted the meditation utilized by Stephen Levine in his work with cancer patients and described in his book, Who Dies. I found it useful with patients I saw suffering from physical pain while they were healing from an injury or surgery. It was especially helpful when their pain medication was not enough to ease their suffering.

By simply bringing their awareness to the area of discomfort and then softening the tense muscles around the pain, cancer patients could find pain relief. They could begin to stop tensing against the pain to block it out. Tensing to stop the pain only tends to increase the discomfort. They would then bring their attention to the area of discomfort as it is, without trying to change anything. By going beyond the concepts of pain and pleasure, the patients could experience the area as what it is, namely a mass of moving sensations. We can all manage pain by focusing on not labeling the area as pain, but instead by labeling it as sensation. The experience of the area changes and the pain either disappears, or decreases considerably. It is as if the concepts of pleasure and pain are like a pane of glass that we shatter. Then we are able to touch the true reality of the tingling sensations of the nerves.

• Today, sit or lie down for a few minutes. Focus on the sensation of the air entering your nostrils. Simply focus on feeling the sensations of the air passing over your nasal membranes. Then, as you exhale, focus on the feeling of the air leaving your body. After a few breaths, bring your awareness to any discomfort. Notice the tendency to tense against the pain or discomfort. Focus on softening the area around the pain. It is as if you are opening a closed fist clenching against the pain so that you open your hand and release the tension. Let the pain float free in the spaciousness of your awareness. You can find some relief as you stop fighting the discomfort, and sometimes the discomfort dissolves. Just as the penetrating rays of the sun melt the ice on the sidewalk, the rays of a relaxed spacious awareness melt the tension around your blood vessels increasing blood flow and bringing warmth to the area of discomfort.

Practicing the Intention to Understand

When I was in training at a major psychiatric hospital, the psychology department brought in Dr. Larry Rosenberg to teach us a psychologically oriented meditation called Insight Meditation, also called Mindfulness Meditation. Dr. Rosenberg was a former professor of social psychology from Harvard University. Unlike his contemporary, Dr. Timothy Leary, who used mind-altering drugs to expand his consciousness, Dr. Rosenberg followed the spiritual path of transformation through meditation.

At the time, another of his contemporaries, former clinical psychologist and Harvard professor, Dr. Richard Alpert, who later became known as Ram Dass, also turned to the spiritual step of meditation. Dr. Rosenberg gave us the following quote as an introduction to the essence of meditation. It is also an excellent description of what needs to happen to undo repression and open ourselves to our feelings.

"By watching ourselves in daily life with the intention to understand rather than judge, in full acceptance of whatever may emerge, we encourage the deep to come to the surface and enrich our life and consciousness with its captive energies. This is the great work of awareness and the door to freedom."

Meditation can help us find our power and freedom to truly love and enjoy life. Dr. Rosenberg also indicated that this type of meditation was also referred to as the practice of wholeheartedness. We can learn how to truly savor and enjoy every moment of our lives by being fully present in whatever we are doing. Thus, whatever we are doing, whether it is doing dishes, eating a delicious meal, working, or taking a shower, we do it wholeheartedly with full awareness. Living life this way involves living our lives with heart, spirit and soul. We embrace life and live it to the fullest, instead of living life half-heartedly as though we are half-asleep.

• Today, practice the notion of watching yourself in daily life with the intention to understand rather than judge and notice what happens. Direct this nonjudgmental awareness TWARD OTHERS as well.