The goal of ascending is expressed in the the Mayan symbols of Kukulcan, the feathered serpentt. Kukul translates as feathered and can translates as snake or serpent. When I asked the Maya for an example of someone who embodied this mystical symbol, they mentioned Christ. The book He Walked the Americas describes how Christ appeared to the Maya, and to other Native Americans such as the Apache.
It was a year before I went to Tikal when I was at the Mayan ruins of Tulum that I had an encounter with the Mayan mystical symbol of Kukulcan: the feathered serpent. As I mentioned in chapter two, the feathered serpent embodies the goal of our highest spiritual potential. In this image, we envision the spiritual potential for achieving the integration of the material (serpent or snake) and spiritual (eagle) sides of our nature.
My eyes were fixed on the way the sea and sky seemed to merge seamlessly and become indistinguishable at the horizon. Behind me were the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Tulum. I felt a sacred serenity as I was sitting on the edge of a cliff. The sea shimmered from the intense light of the noonday sun while small waves of turquoise water were gently caressing the rocky shore. Each of us in the group had fifteen minutes to pick a spot for participating in a prayer for world peace. It was inspiring to think that at at the very same moment in sacred sites all over the world that day, people would be praying for world peace.
Before seeking a quiet spot, I happened to look down the face of the cliff. There I saw a huge iguana that was about six feet in length. He was seated on some rocks about thirty feet below me. The big lizard was looking up at the sky. As I followed the iguana’s gaze, I saw a hawk hovering about thirty feet above me. Here I was positioned midway between these two creatures. I recalled how the shamans consider the hawk to be a messenger of God, whereas the eagle is considered to be a direct expression of God.
The hawk then flew to my right and, steadying itself in the crosscurrents of wind, hung motionless in the air. With its head down, the hawk’s beak was pointing directly toward the ground. What an unusual sight to see the hawk hanging motionless, its feet aimed at the heavens and its head aimed at the earth.
Moments before I had seen a Mayan sculpture called the descending god. It was set in the stone slab above the entrance to one of the temples in Tulum. The sculpture was the figure of a Mayan male deity with a headdress and his head was pointing to Earth while his feet aimed toward the heavens. The resemblance between the stone sculpture and the hawk hanging in the air was remarkable. Ancient symbols were coming to life before my eyes by manifesting in the natural world surrounding me.
While I observed the hawk suspended in the air, time seemed to stand still. The bird held its position for what seemed to be almost a minute. It was a minute that seemed like an eternity. I got the impression that it was scanning the ground below for its next meal. I waited for the hawk to dive down and snatch up in its beak some unsuspecting prey.
When the hawk finally did dive down, it simply flew close to the ground shooting through the brush and then out to sea. No prey in its mouth. It just disappeared from view and seemed to pass through an invisible portal. I walked over to the spot where it had hovered and I found a small stone temple in ruins hidden in the brush. As I proceeded to meditate there, I had the feeling that the hawk had led me to an extension of the portal that it had disappeared into. Silently, I said to myself, “If indeed this is a portal to the spirit world, to a higher state of consciousness, then perhaps my prayer for world peace would be empowered!”
Right here in front of my eyes, I was witnessing a manifestation of the mystical symbol of the feathered serpent. I felt that I was being given a sign by the Divine of what it means to follow the path of spiritual transformation. Through this concrete symbol of the feathered serpent—the hawk and the iguana—I could now see how the Divine may communicate to us through other living beings. Such a perspective truly does help us heal our relationship with Mother Earth and all living beings. After all, the two creatures came into view right before a prayer for world peace.
As aspiring feathered serpents, we align our lower nature with the peaceful power of love: the dynamic and enduring life-force energy that animates all living beings including plants and animals alike. The goal is to align ourselves with this deeper and truer vision of God, the Divine Beloved, communicating to us through the physical universe and guiding us to practice loving-kindness in all we think, feel, say and do. [Parts of the above were taken from A Matter of Love, featured on www.drsrj.com]
Today, take the opportunity to practice kindness. Say a kind word words, perhaps pay a compliment, to the people who you encounter: the young man or woman taking your order at the coffee shop; the bank teller as you make your deposit or withdrawal; the cashier as you check out at the grocery store, and so on.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Keeping the Flame Alive
Only one who remains unaffected by honor
and insult can keep the divine flame alive.
—Swami Rama
Keeping the flame of the candle within you burning, the light of love in your innermost heart shining, involves recognizing when you are tempted to tense up and hold your breath when anger arises after someone has insulted or offended you. The flame of the divine in you is fanned by slow, deep breathing. Literally, the incoming oxygen stokes the tiny furnaces (mitachondria) in the cells of your body. As your muscles relax around your blood vessels, your blood flows freely as does your life-force energy. And, by slaying the dragon of dependency, you focus on inner peace. You simply remind yourself that you are NOT dependent on something external to yourself to feel good and be at peace. For you can feel good instantly by taking a slow, deep breath. You remind yourself that the core of your being, your innermost heart, houses love: the ultimate power operating in the universe.
When you feel offended, the anger and subsequent tension that threaten to extinguish the divine flame in you, need not be the result of deeply buried traumas. The stress you feel can be the triggered by the need to prove you are right. This need can cause needless strife and conflict. This is one of heads of the dragon of dependency: “I need, or I am dependent, on others to see that I am right and I need their external validation and/or admiration to feel good and be at peace.” In psychoanalytic terms, such needs fall into the category of narcissistic needs. Like Narcissus in Greek mythology, we can become enamored of the idealized self image we project to the world and want to see reflected back to us. When that self image is challenged, the result can be narcissistic rage: “You make me look bad and I’ll get you back and make you look bad.” In the extreme such rage can lead to murder; in lesser forms it can lead to unnecessary arguments, hurt feelings, and so forth.
Here is an ordinary and trivial example. Last week, a friend picked me up to take me to a meeting. Bob Seger was belting out Old Time Rock and Roll on the radio. I excitedly related to her that this was the song Tom Cruise made even more famous when he danced to it in his underwear in the 1983 film Risky Business. ‘Oh that’s not it,” she said with a dismissive air of condescending certainty. “It was another song that I can’t quite recall.” For an instant, I felt a surge of anger, propelling me to retaliate against the perceived put down. I was allowing myself to be affected by insult. I was certain I was right, and I felt a strong urge to react to her condescending tone. I would show her and prove I was right by suggesting we go on the internet and verify it.
Instead, I curbed my urge and let it go. I took a slow, deep breath, thinking cool as I breathed in and calm as I breathed out. I engaged in the inner quest with a question. “Do I really need for her to see and acknowledge that I was right? No. I don’t It’s not important.” I then slew the dragon of dependency by breathing in and silently affirming, “I AM NOT dependent on you knowing I’m right to feel good and be at peace.” Breathing out, I silently reminded myself, “I feel good and at peace right now as I let go of my need to be right.”
• Today, notice when the need for others to see you as being right comes up and experiment with pairing the words cool and calm with some slow, deep breathing. Then, engage in the inner quest with a question. “Is it important for others to see me as right?” It might be, such as in a business meeting. But by doing slow, deep breathing and questioning yourself, you can center yourself. You can then coolly and calmly assert your position without the emotional charge of feeling insulted or offended when others disagree. You thereby keep the divine flame within you alive.
and insult can keep the divine flame alive.
—Swami Rama
Keeping the flame of the candle within you burning, the light of love in your innermost heart shining, involves recognizing when you are tempted to tense up and hold your breath when anger arises after someone has insulted or offended you. The flame of the divine in you is fanned by slow, deep breathing. Literally, the incoming oxygen stokes the tiny furnaces (mitachondria) in the cells of your body. As your muscles relax around your blood vessels, your blood flows freely as does your life-force energy. And, by slaying the dragon of dependency, you focus on inner peace. You simply remind yourself that you are NOT dependent on something external to yourself to feel good and be at peace. For you can feel good instantly by taking a slow, deep breath. You remind yourself that the core of your being, your innermost heart, houses love: the ultimate power operating in the universe.
When you feel offended, the anger and subsequent tension that threaten to extinguish the divine flame in you, need not be the result of deeply buried traumas. The stress you feel can be the triggered by the need to prove you are right. This need can cause needless strife and conflict. This is one of heads of the dragon of dependency: “I need, or I am dependent, on others to see that I am right and I need their external validation and/or admiration to feel good and be at peace.” In psychoanalytic terms, such needs fall into the category of narcissistic needs. Like Narcissus in Greek mythology, we can become enamored of the idealized self image we project to the world and want to see reflected back to us. When that self image is challenged, the result can be narcissistic rage: “You make me look bad and I’ll get you back and make you look bad.” In the extreme such rage can lead to murder; in lesser forms it can lead to unnecessary arguments, hurt feelings, and so forth.
Here is an ordinary and trivial example. Last week, a friend picked me up to take me to a meeting. Bob Seger was belting out Old Time Rock and Roll on the radio. I excitedly related to her that this was the song Tom Cruise made even more famous when he danced to it in his underwear in the 1983 film Risky Business. ‘Oh that’s not it,” she said with a dismissive air of condescending certainty. “It was another song that I can’t quite recall.” For an instant, I felt a surge of anger, propelling me to retaliate against the perceived put down. I was allowing myself to be affected by insult. I was certain I was right, and I felt a strong urge to react to her condescending tone. I would show her and prove I was right by suggesting we go on the internet and verify it.
Instead, I curbed my urge and let it go. I took a slow, deep breath, thinking cool as I breathed in and calm as I breathed out. I engaged in the inner quest with a question. “Do I really need for her to see and acknowledge that I was right? No. I don’t It’s not important.” I then slew the dragon of dependency by breathing in and silently affirming, “I AM NOT dependent on you knowing I’m right to feel good and be at peace.” Breathing out, I silently reminded myself, “I feel good and at peace right now as I let go of my need to be right.”
• Today, notice when the need for others to see you as being right comes up and experiment with pairing the words cool and calm with some slow, deep breathing. Then, engage in the inner quest with a question. “Is it important for others to see me as right?” It might be, such as in a business meeting. But by doing slow, deep breathing and questioning yourself, you can center yourself. You can then coolly and calmly assert your position without the emotional charge of feeling insulted or offended when others disagree. You thereby keep the divine flame within you alive.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Sacred Fire
Everything in the world has come out of one Divine Being, the sacred fire. The sages are the direct manifestation of that fire. Sages do not belong to any culture, religion, caste, or creed. They belong to God . . . Their religion is the religion of love.
—Swami Rama
The bluish-violet flame of the sacred fire was spectacular against the black velvet of the night sky that seemed to blanket our ceremony. The shamans were chanting as they slowly circled the fire. As the shamans made their offerings to the fire, the rest of us followed the shamans’ lead and made our offerings. Here we were on the side of a mountain just before the summer solstice intending peace for our planet and for our individual lives.
We were offering up our lives to be healed in the heat and splendor of the dancing flames. The ancient spiritual tradition of Eckankar tells us that God, the Divine, is li(Today's posting comes from A Matter of Love)ght and sound. The light and sound of the fire and of the shamans’ chanting exercised a hypnotic effect on us all. We were joined in a group trance.
The concept of the sacred fire is found in other spiritual traditions as evidenced in the quote above. For those of us educated in the intellectual tradition of American universities, we have a tendency to look at the fire as symbolic. Although there is some truth to the fire as a symbol pointing beyond itself, the shamans were sure to help us realize the living reality of the sacred fire. In the book At The Eleventh Hour, the Himalayan sage, Sombari Baba, addresses a young Swami Rama. Sombari Baba addresses this tendency to see the fire as only a symbol and not as a living reality.
"You modern children have become slave to your intellect. Instead of experiencing the truth directly, you look for a symbolic meaning in it. Fire is a living truth. It is a link between Earth and heaven. It is divine and resides in everything and everyone. You burn your psychological trash in the fire of knowledge, but you can burn your tangible, physical trash only in a living, blazing fire, that is not a symbol of something else but rather is a self-evident reality. Similarly, you provide nourishment to your soul by offering your love to God, who is beyond names and form. But you provide nourishment to your body, mind, and senses by expressing your love through oblations offered into fire, the manifest form of God on Earth."
The healing energy swirled around us while the flames of the fire danced before us. Warm waves of love surged through us all as the heat of the fire seemed to penetrate our hearts on this cool night. Caught up in the rhythm of the ceremony, our individual hearts merged into one heart. At the same time that we sought healing for the microcosm of each of our individual selves, we sought healing for the macrocosm of our Mother Earth.
Earlier that day, the shamans told us that the sacred fire ceremony seeks to establish an equilibrium and harmony with God, nature, and with each other. Ordinary things that come from nature are used to attain the equilibrium being sought: chocolate, cinnamon, rosemary, sugar, liquor, and candles. Raising his hands above his head as if to touch the stars above, Gerardo began our sacred fire ceremony with the following prayer:
"We thank our God with these things from nature.
We thank Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon,
the wind, Mother Earth, divine water, and fire."
The purpose of the ceremony, Gerardo stressed, is to not only help the people participating find the “right equilibrium” for their lives but also to help them evolve and “ascend spiritually.” This ascension involves attaining a respect for God, nature, and humanity. Gerardo proclaimed to us that, “solidarity among all the peoples of the world” is one of the primary goals of the ceremony. He indicated further that the ceremony seeks the “common good.” He then said: “We ask for life, food, education, and other necessities.” Regarding each of the people participating in the ceremony, Gerardo explained, “For us, the ceremony is for the nurturing of our soul.”
Speaking for the shamans, Gerardo stated that: “We were taught that we must heal the planet. There is a crisis on our planet and we feel we must heal each other through the ceremonies.” Furthermore, he emphasized, “We know God is everywhere and we come together to celebrate God.” Then he reminded us of the Mayan view that “we are all brothers and sisters on the spiritual path.” [Today's posting is taken from A Matter of Love listed on www.drsrj.com.]
—Swami Rama
The bluish-violet flame of the sacred fire was spectacular against the black velvet of the night sky that seemed to blanket our ceremony. The shamans were chanting as they slowly circled the fire. As the shamans made their offerings to the fire, the rest of us followed the shamans’ lead and made our offerings. Here we were on the side of a mountain just before the summer solstice intending peace for our planet and for our individual lives.
We were offering up our lives to be healed in the heat and splendor of the dancing flames. The ancient spiritual tradition of Eckankar tells us that God, the Divine, is li(Today's posting comes from A Matter of Love)ght and sound. The light and sound of the fire and of the shamans’ chanting exercised a hypnotic effect on us all. We were joined in a group trance.
The concept of the sacred fire is found in other spiritual traditions as evidenced in the quote above. For those of us educated in the intellectual tradition of American universities, we have a tendency to look at the fire as symbolic. Although there is some truth to the fire as a symbol pointing beyond itself, the shamans were sure to help us realize the living reality of the sacred fire. In the book At The Eleventh Hour, the Himalayan sage, Sombari Baba, addresses a young Swami Rama. Sombari Baba addresses this tendency to see the fire as only a symbol and not as a living reality.
"You modern children have become slave to your intellect. Instead of experiencing the truth directly, you look for a symbolic meaning in it. Fire is a living truth. It is a link between Earth and heaven. It is divine and resides in everything and everyone. You burn your psychological trash in the fire of knowledge, but you can burn your tangible, physical trash only in a living, blazing fire, that is not a symbol of something else but rather is a self-evident reality. Similarly, you provide nourishment to your soul by offering your love to God, who is beyond names and form. But you provide nourishment to your body, mind, and senses by expressing your love through oblations offered into fire, the manifest form of God on Earth."
The healing energy swirled around us while the flames of the fire danced before us. Warm waves of love surged through us all as the heat of the fire seemed to penetrate our hearts on this cool night. Caught up in the rhythm of the ceremony, our individual hearts merged into one heart. At the same time that we sought healing for the microcosm of each of our individual selves, we sought healing for the macrocosm of our Mother Earth.
Earlier that day, the shamans told us that the sacred fire ceremony seeks to establish an equilibrium and harmony with God, nature, and with each other. Ordinary things that come from nature are used to attain the equilibrium being sought: chocolate, cinnamon, rosemary, sugar, liquor, and candles. Raising his hands above his head as if to touch the stars above, Gerardo began our sacred fire ceremony with the following prayer:
"We thank our God with these things from nature.
We thank Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon,
the wind, Mother Earth, divine water, and fire."
The purpose of the ceremony, Gerardo stressed, is to not only help the people participating find the “right equilibrium” for their lives but also to help them evolve and “ascend spiritually.” This ascension involves attaining a respect for God, nature, and humanity. Gerardo proclaimed to us that, “solidarity among all the peoples of the world” is one of the primary goals of the ceremony. He indicated further that the ceremony seeks the “common good.” He then said: “We ask for life, food, education, and other necessities.” Regarding each of the people participating in the ceremony, Gerardo explained, “For us, the ceremony is for the nurturing of our soul.”
Speaking for the shamans, Gerardo stated that: “We were taught that we must heal the planet. There is a crisis on our planet and we feel we must heal each other through the ceremonies.” Furthermore, he emphasized, “We know God is everywhere and we come together to celebrate God.” Then he reminded us of the Mayan view that “we are all brothers and sisters on the spiritual path.” [Today's posting is taken from A Matter of Love listed on www.drsrj.com.]
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
One Flame . . . Many Candles
“There is one flame but many candles.”
—Alice Howell
A friend of mine, a retired Episcopal priest, shared with me these words from author Alice Howell (The Dove in the Stone and Web of the Sea). The various sacred traditions can help us see the light of love, the good, in others. In Christian terms, we remember that, as Jesus taught, “That which you do to the least among us, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:24). Therefore, we need to see Christ in others and treat them accordingly.
In Buddhist terms, it means recognizing the Buddha nature in others no matter how unappealing their surface behavior. This is best illustrated in what is called the practice of the Never disparaging and Never Despising Buddha. No matter how the people of a village treated him, he kept telling each person that he sees his or her Buddha nature.
In Hindu tradition, the gretting "Namaste" involves recognizing the divine in others. When one says, "Namaste" with hands held in front of one's chest as if praying and bends forward slightly, one is saying, "The divine in me acknowledges the divine in you."
• Today, as you go through your day, look past the surface of others and think of them as having a candle shining within them. This candle as the light of love. And, since God is love, think of each candle as the Spirit of God shining the light of love. Contemplate the words of Alice Howell, “There is one flame but many candles.”
—Alice Howell
A friend of mine, a retired Episcopal priest, shared with me these words from author Alice Howell (The Dove in the Stone and Web of the Sea). The various sacred traditions can help us see the light of love, the good, in others. In Christian terms, we remember that, as Jesus taught, “That which you do to the least among us, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:24). Therefore, we need to see Christ in others and treat them accordingly.
In Buddhist terms, it means recognizing the Buddha nature in others no matter how unappealing their surface behavior. This is best illustrated in what is called the practice of the Never disparaging and Never Despising Buddha. No matter how the people of a village treated him, he kept telling each person that he sees his or her Buddha nature.
In Hindu tradition, the gretting "Namaste" involves recognizing the divine in others. When one says, "Namaste" with hands held in front of one's chest as if praying and bends forward slightly, one is saying, "The divine in me acknowledges the divine in you."
• Today, as you go through your day, look past the surface of others and think of them as having a candle shining within them. This candle as the light of love. And, since God is love, think of each candle as the Spirit of God shining the light of love. Contemplate the words of Alice Howell, “There is one flame but many candles.”
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Oscars Bring to Light
Hollywood honors performances that reflect what the Mayan shamans said would be happening in this time period leading to 2012. What has been hidden in the darkness will be brought into the light. Individually and collectively, core issues are coming into consciousness to be cleared. The issues brought to light included family dysfunction and sexual abuse, alcohol and fading fame, the turn around of the plight of a homeless black teenage boy, the addiction to the emotional rush of war, and the excessive slaughter and suffering of mammals used for food.
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to the comedienne Monique for her dramatic portrayal of a horribly abusive mother in the film Precious, a story about sexual abuse. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his portrayal of a washed up, boozing Country Music star. Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her performance of a mother of two who takes in a homeless black teenager and helps him become a star football player.
The Hurt Locker, the winner for Best Picture, made us aware of the dark, addictive quality of war. It also showed the human side of war: the participants in war are someone’s son or daughter, wife or husband, father or mother. And, for the first time in 82 years of Oscar history, a woman won for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker. This is one of many ripples on the surface of a larger and deeper process predicted by Carl Jung many years ago. Jung foresaw that after 2000 years of a patriarchal period in human history, the long repressed feminine principle would emerge into the light of collective consciousness.
The Cove won Best Documentary Feature in its depiction of the trapping and slaughter of porpoise for specialty food in Japan. One of its contenders, Food, Inc., revealed the suffering inflicted on female animals (cows and chickens) by the forced production of offspring and excessive quantities of food (milk, eggs, beef, and poultry).
• Today, reflect on what stresseful issues are coming up for you to recognize and release
The Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to the comedienne Monique for her dramatic portrayal of a horribly abusive mother in the film Precious, a story about sexual abuse. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his portrayal of a washed up, boozing Country Music star. Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her performance of a mother of two who takes in a homeless black teenager and helps him become a star football player.
The Hurt Locker, the winner for Best Picture, made us aware of the dark, addictive quality of war. It also showed the human side of war: the participants in war are someone’s son or daughter, wife or husband, father or mother. And, for the first time in 82 years of Oscar history, a woman won for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker. This is one of many ripples on the surface of a larger and deeper process predicted by Carl Jung many years ago. Jung foresaw that after 2000 years of a patriarchal period in human history, the long repressed feminine principle would emerge into the light of collective consciousness.
The Cove won Best Documentary Feature in its depiction of the trapping and slaughter of porpoise for specialty food in Japan. One of its contenders, Food, Inc., revealed the suffering inflicted on female animals (cows and chickens) by the forced production of offspring and excessive quantities of food (milk, eggs, beef, and poultry).
• Today, reflect on what stresseful issues are coming up for you to recognize and release
Friday, March 5, 2010
Let Not One Be Left
“Let not one be left behind.”
—Mayan shamans don Serillo and Gerardo Barrios
I first heard these words when I was staying at the hacienda of don Serillo, which was set in the beautiful countryside of Guatemala. He was then considered the head of the Mayan shamans of all the Americas: South, Central and North. On this, my second trip to study with the Maya, I would hear Gerardo say these words to a group of us in Tikal. We came from all over the world: Australia, Europe, the British Isles, as well as from different areas of the USA. The key message: humanity and planet Earth are ascending to a higher level of consciousness. The process, we were told, began on 11/11/1992 and would end on 12/21/2012. In this last month of the year 2012, the ascension will be complete and we will be entering an era of light. Now, on this second trip I just given a mythic image of this process: Earth was a dragon that had curled up and fallen asleep. Now the dragon was waking up and resuming its flight. What did the Maya mean by such terms as ascending and ascension?
With the plane now at its cruising altitude, I found myself recalling the work of Teilhard de Chardin, the French philosopher and Catholic priest. Over two decades ago, he had claimed that humanity was evolving toward love. I began to see where the divine destiny of humanity seemed to be heading.
As I now reflected on this, I noted that the first four letters of the word evolve is love spelled backwards. If we add another o after the l we get evol-o-ve. The letter o is like a circle which symbolizes wholeness. Therefore, when we think of evolving spiritually we are evolving toward love, toward where we can love forwards and backwards, that is, where the energy of love moves forward toward others and back toward us.
This higher, loving consciousness was translated into English as the consciousness of ascension. Joshua Stone, author of The Complete Ascension Manual, defines the consciousness of ascension as “total joy” and “total unconditional love.” It is the “feeling of being at one with God at all times.” And, since God is said to be love, being at one with God is being guided by love in what we think, feel, say, and do.
• Today, as you go through your day, try out the following affirmation. Breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax, and silently say to God, “I AM never separated from the expansive energy and peaceful power of Your pure, everlasting love.” Then, breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax and silently say, “For, in the core of my being, my innermost heart, I AM the expansive energy and peaceful power of Your pure, everlasting love.”
—Mayan shamans don Serillo and Gerardo Barrios
I first heard these words when I was staying at the hacienda of don Serillo, which was set in the beautiful countryside of Guatemala. He was then considered the head of the Mayan shamans of all the Americas: South, Central and North. On this, my second trip to study with the Maya, I would hear Gerardo say these words to a group of us in Tikal. We came from all over the world: Australia, Europe, the British Isles, as well as from different areas of the USA. The key message: humanity and planet Earth are ascending to a higher level of consciousness. The process, we were told, began on 11/11/1992 and would end on 12/21/2012. In this last month of the year 2012, the ascension will be complete and we will be entering an era of light. Now, on this second trip I just given a mythic image of this process: Earth was a dragon that had curled up and fallen asleep. Now the dragon was waking up and resuming its flight. What did the Maya mean by such terms as ascending and ascension?
With the plane now at its cruising altitude, I found myself recalling the work of Teilhard de Chardin, the French philosopher and Catholic priest. Over two decades ago, he had claimed that humanity was evolving toward love. I began to see where the divine destiny of humanity seemed to be heading.
As I now reflected on this, I noted that the first four letters of the word evolve is love spelled backwards. If we add another o after the l we get evol-o-ve. The letter o is like a circle which symbolizes wholeness. Therefore, when we think of evolving spiritually we are evolving toward love, toward where we can love forwards and backwards, that is, where the energy of love moves forward toward others and back toward us.
This higher, loving consciousness was translated into English as the consciousness of ascension. Joshua Stone, author of The Complete Ascension Manual, defines the consciousness of ascension as “total joy” and “total unconditional love.” It is the “feeling of being at one with God at all times.” And, since God is said to be love, being at one with God is being guided by love in what we think, feel, say, and do.
• Today, as you go through your day, try out the following affirmation. Breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax, and silently say to God, “I AM never separated from the expansive energy and peaceful power of Your pure, everlasting love.” Then, breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax and silently say, “For, in the core of my being, my innermost heart, I AM the expansive energy and peaceful power of Your pure, everlasting love.”
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Plane to Guatemala
The plane to Guatemala stopped for a quick layover in Dallas and a man sat down one seat over from me, and he holds up a book. I think that he is handing me my book that I had left on the empty seat between us. It is The Celestine Prophecy and he points to the book I have with me The Celestine Vision. His name is Ken and I discover that he is going to Tikal to study with the shamans as well. And here we were seated in the same row reading books by the same author. The meaningful coincidences just kept coming.
Ken saw that I had been writing some notes and asked me about what I was writing. I told him it was about the symbolism of the dragon for my book, Slay the Dragon—Not Each Other. Ken tells me of a legend that involves a dragon. It is a legend he heard from a shaman of the Onondaga Indians, one of the seven tribes of the Iroquois Nation.
A dragon was flying through the heavens. After growing tired, it rolls itself into a ball, goes to sleep and becomes the earth. One day the dragon will awaken and resume its journey through the heavens.
Instantly, I am struck by the synchronicity. In addition, it is a beautiful symbol of the idea of the transformation of the Earth at the heart of the Mayan teachings. Suddenly, we hit turbulence and the plane is really shaking for what the pilot cautions us may be for quite a while.
After fifteen minutes of turbulence, I began thinking about my physical separation from the woman I loved. As the thought came to me that although I would love to be with her, I realize that I can handle the physical separation for love continues to exist even when we are not in the physical presence of our beloved.
The turbulence stops immediately as I feel at peace with being apart from my love. Obviously, I can’t say my thought caused the plane to stop shaking but what a message. As I focus on love and not loss, the turbulence within me and around me stops instantly. Then it hits me—there is no separation from love.
As I reflect on how we are never separated from love, I realize that love is the dynamic and enduring energy animating all of life. I then consider that when we are feeling love by being with or even thinking of someone we love, we feel alive all over; and when we are doing something we love, our actions flow effortlessly. (excerpted from the first chapter of A Matter of Love)
• Today, as you go through your day try out the following affirmation. Breathe in, pause, and, as you as you exhale, relax and silently say, “I AM never separated from the expansive energy and peaceful power of love.” Then, breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax and silently say, “For, in the core of my being, my innermost heart, I AM the expansive energy and peaceful power of love.”
Ken saw that I had been writing some notes and asked me about what I was writing. I told him it was about the symbolism of the dragon for my book, Slay the Dragon—Not Each Other. Ken tells me of a legend that involves a dragon. It is a legend he heard from a shaman of the Onondaga Indians, one of the seven tribes of the Iroquois Nation.
A dragon was flying through the heavens. After growing tired, it rolls itself into a ball, goes to sleep and becomes the earth. One day the dragon will awaken and resume its journey through the heavens.
Instantly, I am struck by the synchronicity. In addition, it is a beautiful symbol of the idea of the transformation of the Earth at the heart of the Mayan teachings. Suddenly, we hit turbulence and the plane is really shaking for what the pilot cautions us may be for quite a while.
After fifteen minutes of turbulence, I began thinking about my physical separation from the woman I loved. As the thought came to me that although I would love to be with her, I realize that I can handle the physical separation for love continues to exist even when we are not in the physical presence of our beloved.
The turbulence stops immediately as I feel at peace with being apart from my love. Obviously, I can’t say my thought caused the plane to stop shaking but what a message. As I focus on love and not loss, the turbulence within me and around me stops instantly. Then it hits me—there is no separation from love.
As I reflect on how we are never separated from love, I realize that love is the dynamic and enduring energy animating all of life. I then consider that when we are feeling love by being with or even thinking of someone we love, we feel alive all over; and when we are doing something we love, our actions flow effortlessly. (excerpted from the first chapter of A Matter of Love)
• Today, as you go through your day try out the following affirmation. Breathe in, pause, and, as you as you exhale, relax and silently say, “I AM never separated from the expansive energy and peaceful power of love.” Then, breathe in, pause, and, as you exhale, relax and silently say, “For, in the core of my being, my innermost heart, I AM the expansive energy and peaceful power of love.”
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