Echoes of Why

Current lesson in my life: Equanimity!

The current theme wherever I wander is Equanimity – which literally means "balanced mind" or learning to NOT have preconceived expectations of specific circumstances. I had to learn the hard way (as usual) that whenever I do have a scene all worked out in my head, things don’t just go the exact opposite as I had planned - they go HORRIBLY, TERRIBLY WRONG!!

So I have learned to remain detached, even though it is still something that I have to consciously work on every day. I didn’t even realize this had a name but I’m running into it in many places: Equanimity. Brian Johnson of Philosopher’s Notes wrote in a blog from September that it is “remaining unattached to outcomes and finding my center when things didn’t go as planned/desired”. He calls it dynamic equanimity”—that place where you’re totally engaged and totally balanced. And he asks: “How are you showing up? Are you stressed or are you flowing? Are you totally disengaged and timid about setting exciting goals because you don’t want to become imbalanced, or are you having fun finding your center while playing at the edge?!?”

In the last 6 weeks or so, I have run into this word in numerous places but it is finally starting to sink in. And as with practicing anything, I am getting better at it – it’s becoming second nature – I rarely find myself having images of how something will turn out. This is really transformative – I feel like I am letting life flow, that I have surrendered to life, instead of fighting and forcing it to be something I think it “should” be. And this leads to an inner peace and quiet that is extremely comfortable and finally - consistent! It is a wondrous place to live life from!

The amazing thing? Things usually turn out exactly as, or even better than, I could have hoped or imagined!

I was trying to explain this to a friend who is just beginning to learn the power of positive thinking (and all that jazz). She asked “but aren’t you supposed to keep an image of the things you want in your mind at all times? Aren’t you supposed to imagine that you already have exactly what you want?”  I can see how this could be confusing.

I told her she is correct but I also did my best to explain the difference having an image in your mind for the purpose of attracting it and remaining detached from human perceptions and expectations. I’m not sure how successful I was.

As I was just about to post this (3 days after starting it!), I opened a message I received on Facebook – it fits SO perfectly with what I just wrote:

The First Truth to be Learned in Life:

Life has the potential to become a song of bliss, but there is every possibility of missing it too. It is not a certainty; there is no inevitability about it. It depends: you can make it, you can destroy it. 99.9 percent of people destroy their song of bliss. Then their life is nothing but a cry - a scream of pain and agony. But they have chosen it that way; nobody else is ever responsible.

This is the first truth to be learned in life: that you are always responsible, nobody else. With that comes great freedom, because with that all alternatives are open. If you think that somebody else is responsible then you are a slave; then nothing is open. Then you have to be what you are. If your life is a tragedy then it has to be a tragedy, because others are responsible; unless they change, nothing can be done about it. You don’t have any freedom.

And that is the reason why millions of people live in misery: they think others are creating their misery. Nobody is creating your misery, nobody can create it; and nobody can create your bliss either. It is a totally individual phenomenon. It is just your work upon yourself. And the strangest thing is: to create misery is difficult and to create bliss is easy, but people always choose the difficult thing, because the difficult thing always gives them an ego trip.

The ego is not interested in easy things; the ego is interested only in difficult things. The more impossible a thing looks, the more attractive it feels for the ego, because the ego feels a challenge, and only through challenge can it conquer, can it prove to the world “I am somebody special.”  

Misery gives you challenge: bliss is very simple. Trees are blissful, birds are blissful. It needs nospecial talent to be blissful. To be miserable needs talents, one has to be really very, very clever to be miserable. Bliss is innocent; you can be blissful without any education, but you cannot be miserable without an education, remember! It is very difficult. You need degrees, universities, mm? Then only do you become skillful.

So the first truth has to sink deep in the heart: “I am always responsible for whatsoever I am. Bliss or misery, this is my choice. If I have chosen to be miserable, then there is no need to be sad about it; this is my choice and I am doing my thing.” Feel happy that you have succeeded in being miserable! If this is not your choice, drop it immediately! Drop all those patterns that create it and start creating new patterns, new doors from where bliss starts flowing.

For example, the person who wants to be miserable has to think in terms of fighting with life; that is his gestalt. He is always fighting. The person who wants to be blissful has to be a non-fighter, surrendered to life, in a kind of let-go. The person who wants to be miserable has to create great ideals, has to make impossible demands upon himself. Then only can you be miserable; otherwise you will not be miserable. You have to be this, you have to be that, and when you cannot be, frustration settles in.
The man who wants to be blissful has no ideals at all, he is a non-idealist; he is a realist. The miserable person is always an idealist. The happy person, the blissful person, is a realist: he lives moment to moment with no ideals. You cannot frustrate him because he has no expectations.

The miserable person always condemns himself because he is not rising high enough to fulfill the demands. He is a constant condemner; he lives in self-condemnation.

The blissful person is very accepting of himself. He makes no demands. He is relaxed, at ease with himself; he loves himself as he is. So you have to watch: that which creates misery, drop; and that which brings bliss like a flood, create that space in you. And my whole effort here is to make each of my sannyasins a song of bliss: not miserable saints, not long faces, but celebrants! I am interested in celebrants, not in saints at all. So let your life become a celebration; and it is up to you!

Osho,
“Turn On, Tune In and Drop the Lot”

A new level of understanding?

"The more we resist it, the stronger it gets. Then it undermines our determination, sabotages our choices, and attracts more negative energy."

I was just now reading about the path to inner peace and I think I understand myself a lot more right now. And why now, more than ever, I finally feel that I am moving forward consistently. Instead of the usual 2 steps forward/1 step backward fashion that has been my spiritual evolution thus far. So, what's different now? I have finally embraced my human side, so to speak. I fully embrace my "Dark Night of the Soul".

"Very frequently, the deepest spiritual moments (the ones where we garner a big picture view of how we put shackles around our own progress) happen during moments where we have to confront our deepest fears and inbuilt prejudices, and overcome them in order to step into a new reality. Mystics talk of "the dark night of the soul" as being these kinds of moments."

READ: (borrowed from Life Without Limits website)

The Pollyanna spirituality that has gained a following is an attempt to get around Universal Principles, not a method to apply them.

A person who applies Universal Principles, is one that can maintain their integrity, positive attitude and courage, no matter what circumstances he may encounter and experience.

We are impotent to change what we refuse to acknowledge.
We lack the ability to make intelligent choices, if we refuse to objectively seek out information.
We will ultimately fail to Be positive, to make positive choices and to experience our potential and fulfillment, if we deny, avoid or bury our unpleasant emotions, our unwanted tendencies, our shadow self.

If we can greet our shadow self with understanding and courage, perhaps we will also understand and cease to judge others. And that would create an abundance of positive energy on this planet.

And wandering has led me here - to even more confirmation along the same lines:

"He who knows the Bliss of Brahman (divine consciousness)..does not distress himself with the thought "why did I not do what is good? why did I do what is evil?". Whoever knows this (bliss) regards both of these as Atman (self, soul), indeed he cherishes both as Atman. Such, indeed, is the Upanishad, the secret knowledge of Brahman."

Today's thought...(from a friend)

"I don't believe that people create their own visions. Rather, I believe that visions are actually God's way of communicating with us."
~ Russell Simmons

Have you ever wondered where our desires come from? What makes one person long to travel the world while another wants nothing more than to settle down and raise a family? Our higher selves are constantly trying to guide us toward true fulfillment, which means that the only thing we really "should" do is trust the wisdom of our hearts by exploring our interests and following our bliss...

Blessings to you!

My new mantra...

I've had many mantras over the last few years, but this one is powerful and all-encompassing. It comes via Brian Johnson's Philosopher's Notes on The Power of Intention:

"I am creativity, kindness, love, beauty, expansion, unlimited abundance and receptivity."

Some of my friends and coworkers think I'm a little kooky when I adopt a new mantra. I print it on business cards and carry one with me at all times. I have one in my car, taped to the dashboard, I tape it to the back of my hospital ID badge. I carry one in my pocket and every time I touch it, I repeat it. I tape one to the refrigerator. I tape one to the back of my cell phone.

OCD? Perhaps. But it works. The more you see it, the more you say it and it actually gets hardwired into your brain and your way of thinking. IT WORKS!

What's your mantra? Check out the "Wisdom Quotes" category. Check out Philosopher's Notes (I've been following this guy since his two previous businesses!). When a little piece of wisdom resonates with you, adopt it. Go OCD with it! And sit back and watch how your life will change!

Namaste

My New Year motivation

"It is a new year, and with it, new opportunities. But for most people, it will not be a new year at all, but rather a time much like the past. Because, if you want a new year, you must develop a new you, a spiritual you.

Jesus called this being ‘"born anew"’ which means giving birth to the spiritual self of you. This requires placing yourself in alignment with the Christ of your being – so that you can take direction from a “Higher Source.” As you do, so, you discover that you can rely on inner-dependence, and your life begins a process of transformation.
~Ron Scott

 

I get a daily message from Renaissance Unity = of course all New Year messages are going to be about the same - new beginnings and all that. But this one spoke to me and acts as a reminder to stay in the place I've achieved = peace of mind and grace. I need all the reminders I can get sometimes!

The little things..

So in my last post, I spoke of the ability to create our own happiness...

When I began that post, I had just had a huge thought and immediately after posting it, I surfed MySpace - I don't even remember me getting the idea :-)

But - it led me to see that the friends' list features had changed drastically and after clicking here and there trying to find out how to see my friends (looking for one, but found another) list worked now, I ran across a profile from someone who had changed their MySpace name and I didn't recognize. But once, I read the profile, I knew who this person "used" to be. And it's very synchronistic - a psychic and a spiritual healer. And I believe that I just cast a net.  The Universe knows what I need and whatever comes of it, comes of it. Que sera sera :-)

Stay tuned....

Daily Wisdom

I found a great website today.  http://www.thinkarete.com/

You can sign up to get daily wisdom via e-mail (each quote is given with audio as well).  We can all use a little daily inspiration - especially if you live with Winter snow like I do!!

I was just checking out the site and reading about the guy who started it - THIS is TOO funny!! I think I've used these same words when describing myself!

"In an effort to integrate his philosophical and entrepreneurial selves (yes, he’s a Gemini :) "

Being a Gemini is so cool - even though it took me a long time to integrate the two sides and learn how to stay happy and satisfied :-)

Expect to see a lot of stuff from this site on here!!

Finding purpose in life...

Many spiritual traditions revolve around one central question: "Who am I ?" Even the business world ponders this crucial matter. According to business gurus, the first step on the road to success is asking yourself this very question:"What's my mission? What on Earth am I doing? Am I in the right place?"

If you can't answer these questions, then you are wasting 90% of your time and energy doing things that are neither your mission nor your business! You will feel an inner anxiety, urging you to search for the deeper meaning of your life.

If you consider living to be painful, if you feel dissatisfied, if you feel "there must be more than this", if you feel out of place in this world, then you have not yet found the purpose of your life.

If you are questioning the meaning of life, if you can't find inner peace, if you are not satisfied with choices you've made in life, if you don't know which way to turn, if you feel your life is stuffed with things that aren't of your choosing and that don't satisfy you, if you often feel burdened and bad-tempered, if you "have everything to feel happy" but don't, then it is time for you to discover your true self!

Human beings want to feel useful. We long to give our lives some deeper meaning. As long as you have not discovered this deeper meaning, you feel frustrated and on the wrong track.

We want our lives to be worthwhile. This does not mean we need to achieve 'great feats' or become world famous. We just need to feel in place and do the right thing surrounded by the right people. It's about finding out our mission. It's about finding 'inner peace'.

Our mission on Earth is twofold. The general aspect is that we are here to learn to bring more love into the world. The personal aspect is that everyone has its own peculiar, unique way of doing this.

Your mission represents the central piece of your life. The surrounding pieces represent your family, your relationship, your kids, your job, your home, your health, your friend, and so on. The centerpiece holds all of this together. That centerpiece, that's you. You are the most important person in your life, and you came to this world to do something important. Otherwise you simply would not be here!

As long as you haven't identified the centerpiece, you'll be wrestling with dissatisfaction, powerlessness, frustrations and fatigue. Some people solve jigsaw puzzles by first fitting all the pieces on the borders, and then squeeze in the piece in the middle. That's putting the cart before the horse.

These people reason: "When I find the right partner, find the right job, get paid a good salary, have some kids, have my own house, meet some friends, stay healthy, then I will be happy!" But that's not the way things work.

As long as the centerpiece is missing from the puzzle, you too will feel empty inside. It is your responsibility to discover your mission and get things under way.

Even the cells of your body react to this lack of purpose, this feeling of emptiness. They suffer from spiritual malnutrition, feel useless and bored, resulting in a physical state of sluggishness and lethargy. This physical state will eventually cause several physical discomforts and complaints.

Occupying yourself with "your disease" and "feeding" yourself with medication or other such products is just another attempt at filling the void inside. This is because the status of "being ill" allows you to identify: "I am allergic to this or that, I am a cancer patient, I am an Alzheimer, I am…" Once you have started identifying yourself by your disease, it will certainly be on your mind day and night.

If you are not in touch with your own desires, you will easily fall prey to expectations projected upon you by your environment. If you are not following your own path, then you must be following someone else's! If you are not clear on your own life mission, you will find it hard to say "no" to what other people want you to do. This undecidedness makes you available for all who cross your path and want a piece of you, draining your energy.

As long as you are not clear on the shape of that centerpiece, you are submitted to others who may not care about what's best for you. Just like disease, these kinds of negative relationships are a manifestation of low-level energy, showing that you have lost focus and have strayed from your own golden brick road.

Your self-esteem is probably pretty low and you suffer from serious doubts and fears. The longer you put of the search, the more the feeling that something is missing will devour you. Your self-esteem will only decrease.

The best way to rebuild your fragile self and re-establish an inner sense of security is to make the search for your life mission your number one priority, and subsequently fully dedicate yourself to it.

Why is this so important? Because you can only find real joy in life by discovering and living according to the unique way of your personal evolution.

But, maybe you think, can't I just continue living life the way I have been all along? My life may not be all that exciting and rosy, but it's still doable. Can't I just try to hang in there and keep the status quo?

The answer is "yes". You can keep living your life in a monotonic, sad, senseless way. But don't expect any real satisfaction. The need to feel useful is so fundamental that you cannot feel happy as long as you have no clue what you are here for.

That's exactly the difference between humans and animals. For an animal it may suffice to just sleep, hunt and eat, but humans look for the deeper meaning of life. Humans "know" that we are here on Earth for something more important than just eating, sleeping and working.

Your mission gives meaning to your life.  Your mission IS your very reason for existence.

You are not alone in this search.  This mission is also looking for you.  It wants to be fulfilled by you and by nobody else.  It is your personal mission.  Nobody else is equipped to do it for you.  Your mission will keep haunting you until you take it seriously and start implementing it.

Going against your mission is going against yourself.  This is the same as ignoring the call of your soul, as ignoring your strongest desires, as signing a contract for eternal discontent...

You can't escape your mission.  One day you will have to start dedicating yourself to it.  Has this day come for you now?  After all, you are reading these lines which shows your honest desire to start looking for the deeper meaning of your being.

Copyright 2006 Ineke Van Lint

Reshape Society

Watching Larry King with Denise Brown today - she mentioned a new networking site called www.reshapesociety.com :

"ReshapeSociety is a social networking service that allows members to create profiles regarding their societal outlook & perspective. The site also allows members to connect and communicate with others that carry a similar and / or contradictory viewpoint. The goal is to create collaboration between people to find solutions toward reshaping society in a positive manner and bring sanity back to humanity."

Sounds like a wonderful plan!!!

He said it so eloquently!

I was just watching my DVR'd episodes of AC 360 on CNN and they have a story about a teenage boy who is blogging about his battle with cancer.  I have to go find this blog! They gave us one line he wrote:

"Dying is not what scares me. It's dying without having had an impact.  I know a lot of eyes are watching me suffer, and win or lose, this is my time for impact."

How absolutely wonderful and he is an angel serving his purpose!

Off to Google.......

What's WRONG with YOU?!

“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how
anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”
~Stephen Covey

What makes you YOU? 

I've been thinking about childhood "fear-of-rejection" issues and how it affects our adult lives.

I've been fortunate in that I was able to become enlightened as to just how much this was affecting my behavior, my thoughts, my subconscious - my whole life.  And as a result, I was able to change the way I think and react and thus, change my life and find real peace.

Pondering the affects of rejection, I wonder if one major side effect is GUILT.  It may seem like a stretch to say they go hand-in-hand, but let me try to explain.

If I'm doing something or acting in a particular fashion that I think (whether it's a subconscious thought or not) would cause other people to REJECT me, then I feel GUILT about doing it.

It's hard to put into words, and there might be no actual rejection happening at all - but the GUILT still creeps in. 

It's common fact that childhood rejection (even imagined rejection) causes self-esteem issues. Well, if you grow up and incorporate into your psyche the feeling that you don't deserve happiness, you begin to experience GUILT when you feel even the least little bit happy. 

We also don't feel that any of our characteristics could ever lead to acceptance so we never truly get to know the real "us" - we're too busy trying to be what someone else wants us to be so that we'll be accepted.

And the cycle of self-torture and self-sabotage begins:

We don't deserve happiness so our actions manifest in such a way that it keeps happiness always in the distance. 

Another behavioral result of childhood rejection and/or abuse is the inability to handle "endings" and make definitive decisions as an adult.  Our very existence as children was so out of our control that we want to over-control every part of our adult lives. 

When one part ends or something that we like is taken from us, we can spiral into despair because we didn't have the ability to stop it from happening.  We feel, once again, as a child with no control over our lives.

We cannot make decisions because we are constantly wondering "what if”.  And even if we think one decision might be the correct one, if it leads to something good but yet we don't feel we deserve it, we may unknowingly sabotage that outcome.

The vicious cycle keeps enduring and we never find true contentment in life. I find this sad and wish I could tell others who have this kind of half-existence. 

I'd tell them that it doesn't have to be like this.  That you can BE happy and feel happy about being happy!

Changing subconscious "programming" is NEVER easy - but it is SO very worth it. 

And by NOT CHANGING, we are still handing CONTROL over our lives to the very people who made us this way to begin with - and WHY would we want to do that when we strive so hard to control every aspect of our adult lives?

Edgar Cayce on "Ideals"

(I really identify with the 2nd paragraph!)

Cayce repeatedly stresses the choice of an ideal as the foundation of the spiritual path. "And O that all would realize &ldots; that what we are &ldots; is the result of what we have done about the ideals we have set" (1549-1). We may choose any ideal we feel drawn to. As we attempt to apply it in our lives, God will guide us further, perhaps inspiring us to revise our choice of ideal. The highest ideal, says Cayce, is Christ; however, the readings recognize "the Christ spirit" in some form as the basis for religions other than Christianity.

All of us, at different periods in our lives, struggle with what we should be doing, where we should be going, or how we might possibly fill that special niche which God has in mind for us. We often find ourselves searching for something, although we often remain unsure as to what it is. Perhaps one of the most frequently mentioned principles in the Edgar Cayce readings is the concept of "ideals," and it's that very same principle that can provide us with an approach to answering this inner call.The readings recommend writing down our physical, mental, and spiritual ideals.

Too often, we may believe this approach is one in which we complete a one-time assignment, filling in columns or jotting down notes that are never again wrestled with once set on paper. Yet, Cayce made it clear that the importance of working with ideals should become a frequent activity in our lives-one in which we're challenged, encouraged, even prodded to begin a personal masterpiece at a soul level. From this approach, the readings' insights on ideals can provide much assistance in helping us to manifest in our lives the very best we have to offer our world, our God, and ourselves.

In simplest terms, the intention of an ideal is the motivating influence that undergirds why we do what we do. It is like a North Star that guides us in the dark of night-allowing us to focus upon the direction toward which we wish to be headed. Whereas a "goal" is something attainable, in Cayce's terminology, an "ideal" is really a motivating pattern that guides our lives. It's not something we're going to pick up and fondle like a prized object; rather, it's more like the rays of the sun that can warm our face as we're pointed toward it-you can't help but know when you're looking at it head on!

Since ideals shape our very lives, our experiences, even who we're becoming, then, by definition, they must be extremely important. But Cayce went even one step further. Oftentimes, people were told: "Then the more important, the most important experience of this or any individual entity is to first know what is the ideal-spiritually." (357-13) Not only is it very important, it is the most important thing we can do.

The challenge of working with ideals seems to be one where we're encouraged to move beyond simply a personal intellectual exercise to one where we're able to strategically map out how our ideal will affect our interaction with others, ourselves, even our surroundings.

Many individuals have found that the key to making a spiritual ideal practical in their material lives is to work with a frequently mentioned concept in the Cayce readings: Spirit is the life, mind is the builder, and the physical is the result.

The first step is to take a sheet of paper and draw three columns. Label the first, "My Spiritual Ideal"; label the second, "My Mental Attitudes"; and label the third, "My Physical Activities." Although we're encouraged to choose a challenging spiritual ideal, it's recommended that the spiritual ideal we choose be something we can understand, work with, and see progressively manifesting in our lives.

Ultimately, a spiritual ideal is the highest "spiritual" quality or attainment that we could hope to have motivating us in our lives right now. For some, this might be the pattern set by Jesus, for others it might be a quality such as "love." In order to really begin working with ideals, however, we should choose that quality or attribute that is currently missing or lacking in our own life in our relationships with others. For example, perhaps we may find that we need to be more "patient" or more "forgiving" or more "understanding" in our interaction with other people. Ideals grow and change as we do, so it's important to pick something with which we can really begin to work.

For this exercise, let's say that our spiritual ideal is currently going to be "forgiveness," so forgiveness would be written under the first column labeled, "My Spiritual Ideal."

Under the second column, we need to begin listing "My Mental Attitudes," those attitudes which will help build that spirit of forgiveness into our relationships with others and with ourselves. Perhaps we'll decide "compassion" is an attitude we want to work toward in relation to a frustrating parent; maybe "openness" is the mental attitude we want to begin holding in mind in regard to a child with whom we've been having difficulty; and possibly "patience" best describes that attitude we need to use with ourselves. Our ideals chart should list all the people in our lives with whom we need to exercise this spiritual ideal of forgiveness plus the positive mental attitudes suggesting how we'll begin working with each one.

The third column is the most detailed. It's the place we can write out all those physical activities we'll begin doing in relationship to specific individuals. "My Physical Activities" should simply reflect the mental attitudes we're holding in relationship to our spiritual ideal. For example, in the case of ourselves and the mental attitude of "patience," perhaps each of the following would be appropriate activities to help "build" that same attitude: "stop saying (or even thinking) 'I can't'", "make a list of every instance where I have been forgiven for something," "begin praying that I will have the determined endurance to go forward," etc. Each attitude and person should have next to it a list of multiple activities with which we'll be working. Our activities can map out ways to bring this spiritual ideal into the material world.

We'll know that progress has been made with our spiritual ideal when the mental attitude on the ideals sheet becomes our usual state of mind and the physical activity listed becomes our automatic and natural response. As we really begin to work with ideals, making them a part of who we are, we can then choose a more challenging direction, a brighter North Star toward which we can point our lives. The important thing is to work with our ideals, for by working with them we'll discover what it is we need to be doing, and we'll no longer have to concern ourselves with the timing.

Ideals Change and Grow as We Do
As we work with ideals, we'll discover that they need to be fine-tuned, becoming even more challenging with the passage of time. For example, if one of our ideals is "gentleness of speech", we would continue to work with it-even across the breakfast table-until it became a part of us. Once our conversation began to match up with "gentleness of speech", we might reword our ideal to "friendliness." Then, friendliness would be the spiritual ideal we'd attempt to manifest in our experiences with others through our mental attitudes and our physical activities. Eventually, we might find that we've successfully grappled with "gentleness of speech," "friendliness," and a dozen others, all dealing with some aspect of "service" or "improving relationships" or "unconditional love." Each one of our smaller ideals is a portion of something greater that we wish to become, but perhaps is out of our immediate reach in the very beginning.

Ultimately, There is One Ideal
Although the readings encourage us to choose a personal ideal, they also assert that there is only one Ideal. One individual was told, "There is one way, but there are many paths." (3083-1) In essence, what this suggests is that each of us is moving toward an "ultimate ideal." Whether we want to label that ideal "perfection" or "Christ Consciousness" or "God Consciousness" or whatever term we're personally most comfortable with, the ultimate ideal is the highest spiritual attainment possible. However, each of our smaller ideals (such as "love" or "service" or "kindness") can really serve as steps or building blocks toward that highest ideal.

Ideas vs. Ideals
Although each of us might have different ideas, plans, or goals about how things should be done, the readings advise that-in spite of all our differences-we can share a common why. Even during the turmoil and international chaos of the 1930s, the readings gave a "prescription" that could serve to bring all of humanity together-in spite of the fact that each nation had different ideas, Cayce suggested that the world could share a common ideal. That ideal was his answer to the world. The world, as a world...has lost its ideal. Man may not have the same idea. Man-all men-may have the same ideal!...that can only come with all having the one ideal; not the one idea, but "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, thy neighbor as thyself!" This [is] the whole law, this [is] the whole answer to the world, to each and every soul. That is the answer to the world conditions as they exist today. Reading 3976-8

Repeatedly, the readings encourage us to become aware of what we are building within ourselves because ultimately we'll have the chance to meet it. As we work with a conscious ideal, not only is our direction made more clear, but the ideal becomes a living, breathing portion of who we are at a soul level. An ideal is like a personal tapestry that we create one stitch at a time. It can be worked with and ironed out and toiled over until the end result is something we can proudly share in our interactions with others. Each of us has the opportunity to consciously decide who we wish to become as well as how long it's going to take us to get there.

Edgar Cayce on "Soul Mates"

Almost every person feels a longing for companionship. At times we may understand this desire as a directive toward union with God, and at other times, as a desire for union with another person.

Two ideas come together in the material from the Edgar Cayce readings concerning the choice of a companion-particularly a life partner. First is the principle that we are here in the earth for the purpose of growth and development in consciousness. What is more, associations with some individuals are more conducive to growth than associations with others; therefore, it is prudent to choose carefully our companions. This principle is probably easy for us to accept if we merely reflect on the types of influence various friends and acquaintances have had on us in the past. The impact is most powerful in a marriage relationship, and a good union should be founded upon a shared purpose in life and the capacity to help each other to grow.

The second principle relates to reincarnation: We as spiritual beings (or souls) experience our growth in consciousness through a series of lifetimes in physical human form. In other words, we have been in the earth many times before, and more specifically have had close personal relationships with particular souls. Attraction to another person and thoughts of marriage could very likely be related to memory patterns (even subconscious memories!) of having been with that soul in the distant past. In the readings, Cayce suggested that, often, we are attracted to a particular person for marriage in this lifetime because of such a relationship at least once before.

But if reincarnation is a fact, we might expect that we have been married to many souls in the course of other incarnations. Which one of these partnerships is the best one to build upon now, in this life? Does each person have exactly one other special soul that it is meant to be with whenever possible?

Many sources of psychic information and other metaphysical teachings have proposed concepts such as "soul mate" and "twin soul." The Cayce readings, although simultaneously raising some provocative questions, do shed some light on this topic.

In the beginning, as was outlined, there was presented that that became as the Sons of God, in that male and female were as one... Reading 364-7

A fundamental issue is the very nature of the soul. Is it male or female? Both or neither? The readings propose that the soul itself does not have gender.

However, in order to learn and grow, a soul enters into the physical domain (which is characterized by such polarities as light/dark, positive/negative, thinking/feeling, etc.) and chooses to incarnate in a male or female expression. Likely, in the long-range growth of the soul over many incarnations, male and female experiences are needed. In selecting one gender over the other in a particular lifetime, a condition is usually created in which a balance or complement is needed, such as can be found in a marriage companion. This is not to say that important spiritual growth is impossible during a life without marriage; rather, the marriage relationship is one great avenue for development.

Perhaps this pattern of growth has not always been the usual way. Some readings suggest that in ancient prehistory, such as the times of Atlantis more than 12,000 years ago, a soul could incarnate in such a way that male and female qualities were manifested simultaneously. It is not clear what form the physical body took in these cases. One person was told in a reading about an Atlantean incarnation: "for then both male and female might be-desired so-in one." (288-27)

What, then, is a soul mate? Is it the soul that one has married in the most incarnations? Frequency of marriage may be one factor because, according to Cayce, status as soul mates is built by shared physical experiences over a long period. However, a more precise understanding is this: A soul mate is a complement to oneself. One reading poetically describes it as "the tongue to the groove, the tenon to the mortise..." (1556-2) It is more than merely a physical attraction; it is a capacity to help each other at the physical, mental, and spiritual levels.

Another interpretation of the term "soul mates" was offered by Hugh Lynn Cayce, who was present for a number of the readings his father gave on this subject. He wrote:

"The idea of soul mates and affinities is closely related to the theory of reincarnation as explained through the Edgar Cayce readings. Two souls may, in a number of incarnations, grow very close together in their pattern of spiritual evolution. These souls will need the help and assistance of each other as they evolve and hence, in any one incarnation, will be drawn closely together because of their many past associations and the intricate entwining of their respective personalities."

Status as soul mates is also a matter of ideals. One important passage stated: "Such as have in an experience found an ideal may be said to be soul mates, and no marriages [are] made in heaven nor by the Father save as each do His biddings." (275-38)

These criteria suggest that one could have more than a solitary soul mate, although such a fact is not explicitly spelled out in any Cayce reading. However, we should, no doubt, be cautious about leaving a current marriage partner merely because of an attraction to someone else. In all likelihood, the very same problems and "opportunities" we are currently facing would be the same regardless of which partner we have in our lives-in relationships we most often come to terms with those things we need to work on in ourselves, even though we might sometimes think of our partner as being the source of our frustration. Those who come across the idea of soul mates after having already married can still rest assured that their partner is, in fact, a "soul mate."

For those who are single and who would like to find their soul mate, what do the Cayce readings have to offer?

First, they suggest choosing someone who will help you to a "more helpful, more sustaining, more the well-rounded life..." (364-7) In modern language, we might say that we are looking for someone who has the "right vibrations" for us. In fact, this is a phrase used in the readings in describing the kind of experience that might be felt between soul mates: "with the union of two that vibrate or respond to those vibrations in self..." (364-7) Together, the two would assist one another in finding a balanced life.  (I do not "look" but believe if it is meant to be - soul mates will gravitate toward one another.)

But even if we find someone who fits these criteria-someone who is perhaps a soul mate-this does not guarantee a good marriage. The two will still have to work together in order for the great potential of the relationship to flower. This is what the readings seemed to suggest in the following question-and-answer exchange. We might assume that the question, in effect, asked whether or not these two people were soul mates.

Q. Is this girl the type and quality of womanhood best suited to this man for a successful life?
EC: May be made so in each. No one is suited exactly in the beginning, unless it has been fore-ordained through the ages of the mating of each. (Reading 257-15)

The final statement is not clearly explained. We might understand "fore-ordained" to include a choice made by the two souls before being born this time, or it may relate to very strong bonds built over many lifetimes of being married (i.e., "the mating of each").

A concept similar to that of soul mates is "twin souls." When Cayce used this term in the readings, he did not mean to imply that two souls were identical. Instead, it is two souls sharing a common purpose or ideal. They would not necessarily have had previous marriage incarnations. In other words, the soul-mate condition is largely built in the material plane of experience (although, as previously mentioned, it has mental and spiritual components beyond just sexual attraction). However, the twin-soul condition evolves more from a commonality in the nonmaterial realm-at the idea or ideal level.

One example of twin souls, according to the Cayce readings, is Jesus and His mother, Mary. One reading states: "In the beginning Mary was the twin-soul of the Master in the entrance into the earth!" (5749-8)

Finally, we might ask ourselves, "Where does this subject of soul mates and twin souls lead us? Is our destiny to find and be reunited with some other special soul?" Such is not the point of view in the Cayce material. They refer to Jesus' teaching that, in the heavenly kingdom, we are neither married nor given in marriage. As helpful as marriage relationships may be in the earth, beyond this material domain, it is our destiny to find wholeness within our own souls. If one must think in terms of being destined to ultimate union with some other soul, then think of that other soul as the Christ Soul. One reading made the point this way: "But know, the soul is rather the soul-mate of the universal consciousness than of an individual entity." (2988-2)

The principle of soul mates and twin souls are, therefore, potentially both helpful and misleading. These concepts can help us understand some of the key factors in making a wise choice of a marriage partner and can remind us that some relationships are tremendous storehouses of love and helpfulness which can be reawakened. However, these concepts can be misleading if we forget that our ultimate companion is the Christ, or if we are tempted to leave the responsibilities of relationships to which we have already committed ourselves in this lifetime.

Edgar Cayce "teachings"...

(Although I haven't studied Cayce in depth, I was surprised to find so much commonality with my own belief system..)

Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 ­ January 3, 1945), (the surname pronounced "Casey") is generally remembered as an American psychic who gave trance discourses on subjects like astrology, reincarnation, and Atlantis.  Although Cayce lived before the emergence of the New Age movement, he remains a major influence on its teachings.

This popular image overlooks what, to him, were the more important strains within his work such as healing (the vast majority of his "readings" were given for people who were sick) or Christian theology (Cayce being a lifelong, devout member of the Disciples of Christ).

Major Themes of Readings:

Origin and destiny of humanity - "All souls were created in the beginning, and are finding their way back to whence they came." Cayce believes that human souls were created with a consciousness of their oneness with God. Some "fell" from this state; others - led by the Jesus soul - volunteered to save them. The Earth, with all its limitations, was created as a suitable arena for spiritual growth.

Duality - According to Cayce, Atlantean society was divided into two long-lived political factions - a "good" faction called the "Sons of the Law of One," and an "evil" faction called the "Sons of Belial." According to the readings, a major source of turmoil was the Sons of Belial's desire to exploit the Things, sub-humans with animal appendages and low intelligence, and the movements to protect and evolve them by the Sons of the Law of One.

Universal laws - Souls incarnated on the earth are subject to certain spiritual laws such as, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap" (karma) or "As ye judge (others), so shall ye be judged." Properly regarded, such laws represent an aspect of God's mercy whereby no matter what our circumstances, he has promised to guide us in our spiritual path.

Jesus and Christ Consciousness -

From Cayce's perspective, we are not simply physical bodies, instead we are spiritual beings who are having a physical experience entailing personal growth and development. Many individuals have incorrectly assumed that the goal of being in the earth is to simply reach heaven, find enlightenment, or somehow "get out of the earth." And yet, this is a perspective quite different from that contained in the Cayce material. Instead, Cayce believed that as children of God, our mission was to somehow bring spirit into the earth.

The dynamics of our deep and literal connection to God can be found throughout scripture, beginning with Genesis when we are told that God made humankind in the Creator's image. But our relationship with God as our Parent is perhaps no more clearly illustrated than in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24). This parable describes the journey of the soul: we were with God in the beginning, through the power of our free will we were able to make choices that were not necessarily in perfect accord with the Creator. And, at some point, we will "arise" and decide to return to God, regaining our inheritance and experiencing our true relationship with Him.

One of the readings beautifully describes the spiritual nature of humankind in this way:

"For ye are a corpuscle in the body of God; thus a co-creator with Him, in what ye think, in what ye do." - Edgar Cayce reading #2794-3

The readings state that God desires to be expressed in the world through us. The example set by Jesus is apparently a "pattern" of wholeness for each and every soul.Regardless of an individual's religious or personal beliefs, this Christ pattern exists in potential upon the very fiber of their being. It is that part of each of us that is in perfect accord with the Creator and is simply waiting to find expression in our lives.

This Christ pattern was further described as "the awareness within each soul, imprinted in pattern on the mind and waiting to be awakened by the will, of the soul's oneness with God" (5749-14), and its manifestation is the eventual destiny of each and every soul. With this in mind, the readings present Jesus as our "Elder brother," a soul who came to show each one of us the way back to our spiritual Source by perfectly manifesting the laws of the Creator in the earth.

Just as an older sibling can sometimes provide insight and counsel into some of life's difficulties (because he or she went through them first) Jesus as Elder brother can assist us in facing life's challenges. What may surprise individuals is that this fact has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with spirituality and discovering our true relationship with God - a relationship we share with Jesus. The readings not only affirm that Jesus was the Son of God, but they also state the same thing about each and everyone of us. In other words: Jesus was like each one of us and, ultimately, each one of us is destined to be like Him.

Q. What is the main purpose of Jesus' incarnation?

EC: To glorify the Christ Consciousness in the Earth . in the lives of those with whom ye come in contact, and to live the same thyself. - Reading 2441-4

Q. What is the meaning and significance of the words Jesus and Christ...?

EC: Just as indicated. Jesus is the man, the activity, the mind, the relationships that He bore to others. Yea, He was mindful of friends, He was sociable. He was loving. He was kind. He was gentle. He grew faint, He grew weak and yet gained that strength that He has promised, in becoming the Christ, by fulfilling and overcoming the world! Ye are made strong in body, in mind, in soul and purpose by that power in Christ. The power, then, is in the Christ. The pattern is in Jesus. - Reading 2533-7

This transformative power of the Christ Consciousness is awakened as individuals act in accord with the pattern set by the example of Jesus' life. In fact, this awakening is the essential purpose for which each soul enters into life.

From Cayce's perspective, Jesus is the Elder brother for all of humankind, deeply committed to assisting all souls in reawakening to the awareness of their oneness with God. This Jesus is not interested in religious conversion, denominationalism, or even mighty personal accomplishments. Instead, He is simply interested in how we treat one another. With this in mind, even in the midst of our diversity as a human family, we share a common spiritual heritage. We are all Children of the same God. We are all part of the one spiritual Source. And, we are all destined to return to our Creator, our Mother/Father, our God.

Reincarnation Past Lives -

Edgar Cayce found that the concept of reincarnation was not incompatible with any religion, and actually merged perfectly with his own beliefs of what it meant to be a Christian. Eventually the subject of reincarnation was examined in extensive detail in over 1,900 Life Readings.

Reincarnation is the belief that each of us goes through a series of lifetimes for the purpose of spiritual growth and soul development. Cayce's approach does not include the concept of transmigration, which states that it is possible for human beings to be born again as animals. From the standpoint of the Cayce material, souls only occupy human bodies through their spiritual growth and developmental process.

In essence, the Cayce approach to reincarnation provides a philosophical setting to the past focusing on practical ways of dealing with this life: living, growing, and being of service to one another in the present.

For him it wasn¹t nearly as important to who individuals had once been, or even what they had been doing, as it was paramount that they focus on the present and the opportunities and challenges that faced them in this time, in this place, right now.

From Cayce's perspective, the reason for believing in reincarnation is not so that we can dwell upon the past or brag about the possibility of once having been someone famous, instead it is to enable a soul to understand the consequences of previous choices and to know that each individual is ultimately responsible for shaping and creating his or her life in the present. From the Cayce readings¹ perspective, the past merely provided a framework of potentials and probabilities. An individual¹s choices, actions, and free will in the present would determine the actual experience lived this time around. Rather than being a fatalistic approach to life, it is much more one of nearly limitless opportunities.

Cayce teaches the reality of reincarnation and karma, but as instruments of a loving God rather than blind natural laws. Its purpose is to teach us certain spiritual lessons. Cayce's view arguably incorporates Theosophical teachings on spiritual evolution. Each person, in his view, existed in a self-conscious form before birth and would exist again after death.

From Cayce's perspective, we are not simply physical bodies or even physical bodies with souls, but are instead spiritual beings who are currently having a material experience. As souls, we have manifested in the earth in order to learn lessons that will enable us to return to our former state of spiritual awareness. At the same time, one purpose we all have in common is to bring the spirituality of the Creator into the earth.

A soul can choose to be born into either a male or a female body in any given lifetime or, as Cayce called it, an incarnation. A soul selects that environment (parents and family, location, personal obstacles, etc.) which will best allow for the learning of lessons it needs for completeness.  (Knowing this enabled me to forgive everyone in my past because it was my Soul's choice!) The goal is to fully express love in all the challenges which physical life offers.

One's experiences are subject to the choices made with free will. As one grows, he or she learns-or rather remembers-his or her true relationship with God and one's heritage as a spiritual being. With free will, we can turn the challenges life presents to us into stepping-stones toward growth, or we can see them as obstacles and stumbling blocks. Either way, we reap what we have sown. We constantly meet the consequences of previous deeds and attitudes.

One frequently misunderstood concept regarding reincarnation has to do with karma. From the standpoint of the Cayce material, karma is not destiny; it is only memory. These memories are generally unconscious and influence our abilities, our faults, even our relationships with others, but with free will we can meet this memory as a positive or a negative experience. Karma provides us with the potential to learn a lesson we need in order to grow at a soul level, and free will determines whether or not we choose to learn it at this time. The choices we make determine the next set of potential experiences we encounter.

Much more than simply a concept that applies to a limited segment of the world, reincarnation is a philosophy that has-at one time or another-been embraced by all the major religions of the world. It's a concept that can allow us to have compassion for one another because ultimately we are all equal-there is only one God, and we are all His children.

From Cayce's viewpoint, it doesn't really matter if an individual believes in reincarnation or not. For some it can be a helpful concept, for others confusing. The main purpose is to allow individuals to become aware of their true spiritual nature and their ultimate relationship with one another. In fact, if we can think for a moment about the one person in our life whom we love most of all. then we will get an inkling of the goal of reincarnation: to be able to love every single soul, even ourselves, with the very same love.

Where to look...

We have online communities, we have online dating sites to find romantic relationships, we have internet sites to find sex - all varieties and lots of it....

But does anyone out there know where to look for a "Personal Ass-kicker"????? Let me try to explain:

I don't really need a life-coach or a therapist - I've spent many years getting to know my Soul and my psyche - I know what gifts I was given in this lifetime and I know that I am supposed to use them to help others.

BUT I'M LAZY AND HAVE NO PATIENCE!!!!! (I'm sure this particular Karma I'm going to be working out for several incarnations.)

When I'm motivated, WATCH OUT WORLD! But when I'm bored and uninspired - WATCH OUT COUCH!

One of my huge life philosophies and a personal code of honor has always been that I "walk the walk" as well as "talk the talk". 
But lately, I just have no "staying power"and am just that - all talk.

I lose interest when things don't pan out or when things become "ordinary".

I have told my close friends, who also know I should be accomplishing big things, that I need them to "kick my ass" to keep me on task and on top of my goals. But I don't think they get it and besides, they have their own dramas to live.

I DO NOT WANT TO DIE WITH MY MUSIC STILL IN ME!

So - where do I look for an ass-kicker?

Dreams & Illusions

At some point during the early years of your walk, you will have tried to obtain information from many sources. It is highly likely that you read many books on the various aspects of pathwalking, though all were connected in that they seemed to have some information that you thought may help you to struggle out of the shell of your sleep. Not many of us have had the opportunity to talk with someone who is a true pathwalker, and practically all of us began to get some idea of how someone who was on the spiritual path would behave and think - how they would appear to us - from these books.

It is an interesting exercise to imagine yourself as an evolved and integrated human being, further along the path than you are now and embodying to a larger extent your true nature. I know you have wondered about this, it is absolutely normal and human to do so. Bring that image to the fore now, and look at it with honest eyes. How are you acting, what are you doing in your life, where are you living, what are you thinking?

Now look at that image again, and imagine that the appearance of your external self is none other than the external image that you have now. Maybe your job, your relationships and your actions are little changed, and the only difference is internal - invisible to those who do not have eyes to see.

What I am trying to point out is that we each have erroneous ideas about how the 'spiritual' appear. It is so important to rid oneself of these false images, because it is quite possible that you are chasing after an impression of yourself that will never exist and actually has nothing to do with you as an evolved and integrated human being. We have to rid ourselves of the idea of holiness, religiousness and saintliness. Allow them to exist for others, but you must find your own way to manifest your sense of integrity and integrate it into the real world we all live in.

Are you trying to be another Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Lao Tsu or perhaps a powerful wizard or witch? Are you trying to be someone that others can't help but be impressed by? Or have you another image in mind? Whoever it is, you can of course allow their teachings and life to inspire you, if that is what you wish. It would be arrogant not to acknowledge their impact on the world we live in today, and they all had something to say about the human condition.

I, however, think you should simply try to be yourself. Maybe you will be ignored by the rest of the world, maybe no one will ever acknowledge how much hard work and endurance it has taken for you to integrate yourself. Imagine that it will never be known, other than by the immortals. How would this evolved you appear now?

Of course, it could be very different from this. I am simply saying that any precondition you have about your evolved self may well be stifling your very real development. After all, we are not the only humans evolving. Out there, a few independent people are trying their very best to integrate themselves and to manifest their potential. From my point of view, they haven't the luck to have encountered Huna Mua, and to have a very real explanation for the various stages of their development. That, however, doesn't erase the fact that they are evolving human beings on the spiritual path.

You could encounter them anytime in your daily life: walking, sitting on the bus or train, when shopping, at an office or in your place of work. They wouldn't appear to be any different from every other human being out there. Perhaps subtle differences would be evident for those of you who are developing the eyes to see, but for others, they may be invisible, or even attract derision and negative comments.

That could be you: invisible, never seen for the human being you are, someone who is trying to manifest their divine potential. So where is the difference? Nowhere but inside us. Inside us is where our reaction to the outside world originates and is formed. Inside us our thoughts and feelings are born. Inside us is the perception of our consciousness, that most precious attribute: the equipment without which we could not even begin our walk.

And more important than all this is that small, quiet room in which you have ignited the flame. Whatever its size, whatever its luminosity, whatever its heat, it is in existence. What your birthing integrity must first do is protect and nurture the flame's existence, its life. Feeding it as often as you are capable will enable it to grow and take up permanent residence in your consciousness and your life.

I want you to imagine that the light from the flame you are feeding and protecting now will at some time begin to shine through your eyes, permeate your actions, and illuminate your words. Its heat will begin to incinerate those aspects of your self that are not true. Once this process begins, the flame will never go out, though life will occasionally drive it back into that small, protected room until it is encouraged once again to engulf your being. Do not be afraid if this happens: it will retreat until your life becomes a fertile place for its growth again.

What I am talking about is the real spiritual path. Now, how that manifests in your life will be a mystery that you cannot foresee. Most likely it will be invisible to all but those who themselves are awakening. I cannot possibly predict its effects on your life. However, I can promise you that you will know you are changed, that you are no longer asleep and have awakened to an aspect of human consciousness that is available to all who wish to evolve.

Rid yourself of your preconceived ideas about yourself as an evolved human being, and allow the real human being to manifest. It is the surprise of this new and unsuspected self that will be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your journey. It will be unique, and will never have been seen before.

Surely, that is the point?

Copyright Kala Ka La, 2001. Reprinted from Masterworks International with the author's permission.

I needed this right about now...

Peace, in the minds of many people, means the mere avoidance of conflict. The peace they long for is a gentle retirement in old age; a simple cottage in the mountains or by the sea; a secured income; and the certainty that any crisis that may come their way will be met with a minimum of effort and worry. Yet as often happens when men retire from a life of intense activity, only (for lack of continued challenges) to sink quickly into the pathetic senility of old age, similarly with all types of withdrawal from conflict. What begins as peace soon disintegrates in decay. The cottage in the mountains or by the sea, idyllic perhaps for a weekend, becomes a dreary prison of boredom.

Peace is one of the goals of Yoga. It is, indeed, one of the silent aspirations of every heart. The longing for peace is instinctive in all men. But the peace of the soul, dynamic, expanding to the consciousness, the very opposite of stagnation, is too easily mistaken by the worldly mind for sleep and other negative states of being that attend a surrender of one's manhood and of all desire to progress.

The Bhagavad Gita describes the entire spiritual path as a battle between the forces of light and of darkness in the consciousness of man. (The battlefield on which the discourse between Krishna and Arjuna takes place is the "field" of man's inner consciousness.) True spiritual peace is not a state into which one sinks passively-a reward for long years of suffering and tears. It is the peace, rather, of victory, of a fight well fought and of the certainty that one has overcome. It is not a wall placed protectively around one to shut out the horrors of life; it is rather a blinding light, banishing those horrors into non-existence, even as darkness is banished from a room when one turns on the electric light.
The path of progress must be seen as an overcoming. No man ever slid downhill into heaven. The path has been described, rather, as an ascent up a mountain, one which may be conquered only after many hardships. The image of Mt. Meru, or of Mt. Carmel (so often used in Christian terminology), is most descriptive of the actual ascent of consciousness that takes place in the inner man. It is no mark of spirituality never to be tempted, never to be disappointed, never to fail. These are the marks, usually, of people who have chosen ant hills, not mountains, to climb.

But the mark of spiritual growth is that for every setback there is an increased determination to succeed, and that for every obstacle there is an increasing surge of energy, until at last the energy generated suffices to demolish the opposition and allows one to sail forward on the upward journey. "A saint," Paramhansa Yogananda used to say, "is a sinner who never gave up."

One of the difficulties of the spiritual path is the fact that, the nature of duality being what it is, even painful experiences have something of joy in them. Though we may not consciously enjoy them when they happen, it cannot be gainsaid that we enjoy talking about them in retrospect, that we even revel in them, once they are over. And although the opposite is true also, that a certain amount of pain lurks in all worldly happiness-the pain of knowing, for example, that a happy day today must surrender to the drabness of a normal, routine, existence tomorrow-nonetheless there is enough enjoyment in the pleasures of the moment to make one reluctant to abandon them. Man is not easily weaned from his attachment to the ebb and flow of this relative, and endlessly contradictory, world. Although spiritual joy is incomparably greater than material happiness, even the devotee is typically reluctant to give up the lower for the higher. He finds it difficult to imagine, what is in fact the case, that the very energy with which he enjoys lesser pleasures is the same that he applies to the enjoyment of undiluted, vibrant bliss in the Spirit. There is no opposite to the state of spiritual joy. There is no boredom there. Yoganandaji described the joy of God as "ever new."

Spiritual awakening is accompanied by a rising energy and consciousness in the spine. In this spiritual state, one may indeed dance, laugh, and sing with unending gladness, wrapped ever in breezes of inner joy. All joy lies in giving, in the raising of one's energy, in expansion, in the dynamic application of one's will. All peace, to be true and lasting, lies in this sort of upliftment, not in the passive "flow-with-it" consciousness that is so popular with many people nowadays.

Why cling to anything? All that man seeks awaits him in his inner Self, not as a result of merely avoiding conflicts, but as a result, rather, of overcoming them. Peace is a mind soaring in the free skies of inner consciousness.

Excerpted from The Art and Science of Raja Yoga, by Swami Kriyananda

The Ultimate ANSWER

Click and watch - YOU can change your life!

The Secret

Increasing your "Frequency"

(This is something I'm always trying to achieve.  Most times, I'm not affected by the "world" - but every so often, I run into a person that can literally just suck the life right out of me. I really try to stay away from this - but as usual, I'm always learning.)

High frequency means more fun and joy in your life! Research has proven that healthy bodies vibe at 60 MHz or higher. At lower frequencies, dis-eases can manifest, and a person can experience struggle, illness, accidents, victimhood, anger, shame, guilt, feeling separated from Creator - the list goes on. At high frequency, a person can experience joy, happiness, balance, unconditional love, and feeling a part of all things (Creator). Synchronicity and the ability to manifest what you desire greatly increase at a higher frequency.

In our pursuit of "enlightenment" (becoming lighter), what we are trying to achieve is an incredibly high frequency, one that we are able to maintain. There are numerous methods for increasing a person's frequency. Unfortunately, if one's lifestyle, beliefs, fears, and judgments don't change, the higher frequency can't be maintained.

The point of high frequency isn't just for personal transformation. Holding a high frequency and radiating love (unconditional, non-judgmental love) raises the consciousness of everyone you touch with your energy field.

A few of the things that lower your frequency and keep you stuck where you are include: heavy, processed, and junk foods; negative words, thoughts, actions, and feelings; negative people and situations; artificial synthesized materials such as fluorescent lights, synthetic fabrics, synthetic foods, vitamins and medicines; working at a job you hate; mainstream radio, television, and newspapers - particularly the news.

Try to avoid the above as much as possible. Once you've raised your vibration, you can later go back to these things, and they will not affect you to the same degree. However, the time you spend away from negativity in order to gather your energy and raise your frequency isn't just a weekend in silence, after which you return to your same old lifestyle on Monday. It requires commitment, dedication and effort over an extended period of time.

Being around negativity lowers the frequency. People who have worked on themselves and raised their frequency go out into the workplace, the mall, etc. and people of lower frequency suck their energy. The negativity of the thoughts and conversations those people are having and the electromagnetic radiation (EMF's) from TV and computer screens, fluorescent and halogen lights, is energetically draining. A person's energy can become so refined and sensitive that they literally can't handle being around "normal" people or crowds. It's exhausting, and it affects their health and energy level.

Anyone can go off to the mountains, the desert or an island and hang out only with people who have similar beliefs and frequencies, and thus live a life full of joy, love and grand spiritual/meditational experiences. The trick is to learn how to maintain your higher frequency and continue to live and function in the real world.

So how do we make the transition? How can we go back into the world, shine our light brightly, and not be drained? That's a big leap. There are tools such as the BioElectric Shield that aid us in the endeavor. It involves crystals laid out in a particular matrix (based on physics) in a medallion worn as a necklace. The Shield is scientifically proven to strengthen the energy field and deflect negativity.

It's hard for many people to move past the draining effects of negativity. The great ones, however, learn to stay centered, pour forth love, and not become so drained they can't continue. For example, Christ spent time with his disciples who had a lower frequency than his, but not as low as the general public. However, he also healed the sick, spent time with the poor, dealt with the politicians, and taught to crowds. The scriptures say he went into the desert alone. Like all of us, his frequency was raised and overall balance was maintained through fasting, silence, time alone in nature and meditation/prayer.

Many physicians and healers such as Deepak Chopra, M.D., Caroline Myss, Bernie Siegel, M.D., Louise Hay, and Christine Northrup, M.D. agree that almost all dis-ease is based on negative emotions and beliefs (unhealed past trauma). The only way to keep the body vibrating high is to heal the past trauma, eliminate limiting beliefs and lead a healthy physical, mental, emotional and spiritual lifestyle. When really high frequency (harmonic, not chaotic like electricity) is introduced, the negative (low frequency) stuff must surface. And then it can be healed.

A few methods commonly used to increase frequency include flower essences, therapeutic grade essential oils, meditation/prayer, time in nature, proper nutrition, hands-on healing techniques like Reiki and other energy therapies. As we increase our frequency we are changed: synchronicity speeds up, our thoughts create our reality more quickly, we become healthy, happy, and at peace with the world.

Copyright (c) Spirit of Nature. Takara is an internationally known author and speaker. She is the creator of Dancing Dolphin Essences and several other dolphin healing technologies. Several thousand people read her free monthly ezine - Spirit of Nature Speaks. Visit her on line at www.spiritofnature.org, or email her at takara@spiritofnature.org.

reprinted with permission

Living in Wholeness

A warm breeze blows across an open field. The tall blades of green grass and brightly colored wildflowers that fill this open space bow their heads gingerly, allowing the heated air to rush by. Then, as if orchestrated, these precious gems one by one return to their original position, standing proudly, basking in the afternoon sun. They have returned to their center and are maintaining the delicate balance between their internal needs and the environment. They are living in their wholeness. We as humans also must bend and flow to the demands placed upon us by our environment. On a physical level, this is referred to as homeostasis. Homeostasis is defined as the body's ability to maintain an inner balance in the face of changing conditions of our environment. This is a very important concept to understand if we are to understand the true nature of our being. We are constantly responding to external stimuli. The temperature of our bodies, for example, must be held within a narrow temperature band. If our environment is significantly heated, the body automatically responds, and we begin to perspire. When we don't treat our bodies as we should, when we ignore the telltale signs of aches and pains, our bodies try to compensate. Internally, we are like teeter-totters; the many systems of our bodies are players in a perpetual dance, moving tte--tte with a mutual goal - to maintain balance. When we continually ignore the warnings our bodies give us and push our delicate systems to their outer limits, our bodies break down, and we experience disease. Our bodies have now become compromised, and it will require much work to assist them in getting back into balance. That is, if it is not too late. To carry the metaphor forward, when balance is lost, the tall green grass and wildflowers that once moved and swayed in that warm breeze lay down on their sides, then struggle to raise their heads to the sun. But we are more than just a body. We are Spirit that has chosen to exist within the physical, filled with thoughts, feelings and emotions. How are we as unique individuals affected by our environment on these levels? When we are in balance, we are able to have, feel and experience emotions. To want, to need, to laugh, to cry, to hope, to desire, to despair, to pity - the ability to know love or joy from the depths of our hearts and souls. These feelings are a direct response to external stimuli. When we see an awe-inspiring vista, hear a good joke, or receive a tender kiss from someone we love, how do we respond? For many of us, we own these feelings. We feel breathless as we look at the stunning view, we laugh deeply and whole-heartedly at the joke, or we feel the warmth, love and caring of our partner. But what about the other emotions that we experience, emotions such as fear, anger, loneliness, jealousy or pain? What do we do with these feelings? As a society, we have been taught that some feelings are good or appropriate to express. We have been trained from an early age to repress, suppress and deny feelings of anger, sadness or pain, as if they were bad. While it is okay to express emotions of happiness, joy and love, we may not take permission to express emotions that are perceived as being negative. But aren't these "negative" feelings valid feelings also? Instead, what do we choose to do with these feelings? We stuff them. We invalidate them. We get busy. We try to take our mind off our problems. We fight ourselves so that we don't have to experience these feelings. We shove them deep into our being, pushing them deeper and deeper into ourselves, until after a while, we can no longer see them. We think "Well, I'm over that one." But are we really? Did we actually release the emotions or did we just hide them from ourselves? When we suppress instead of experience and release our emotions, we go into resistance. Resistance puts unnecessary stress and strain on the body. It takes enormous amounts of physical energy to maintain the dam that we have created in order to hold back our emotions. Then we don't have to look at them, feel them or experience them. We add bricks to an energetic wall that surrounds us until we have no feelings, good or bad, negative or positive at all. It is not that we have stopped the flow of our "negative" emotions - we have stopped the flow of our emotional energy altogether. When we give ourselves permission to express all our feelings (both positive and negative), when we allow them to run their course, we always feel lighter, fresher and more centered. When our emotions are balanced, we can experience all of them to their fullest. It is easier for us to own them and then process them quickly and effortlessly. They are allowed to flow through us. We breathe them in, we experience them, and we let them go. It is the beauty of our existence. In the words of Oscar Wilde, "Find expression for a sorrow, and it will become dear to you. Find expression for joy, and you will intensify its ecstasy." My friends, this is emotional homeostasis. Copyright Body, Mind & SoulHealer, 2006. All rights reserved. Naturopathic Physician Dr. Rita Louise, Ph.D., is the author of the books Avoiding the Cosmic 2x4 and The Power Within. It is her unique gift as a medical intuitive and clairvoyant that illuminates and enlivens her work. Let Dr. Louise help you bring health, healing and wholeness back into your life. Medical Intuition & Energy Medicine Certification training classes are now forming. Visit soulhealer.com or call (972) 475-3393 for more information.