Tuesday, November 30, 2010
EFT to Relieve Your Issues
As I stated recently, I believe that unresolved emotional/psychological issues are the main impediment not only to "Enlightenment" (however you may define it) but progress on your own spiritual path. Certainly, such blocks will result in major problems once the Kundalini is activated. For this reason, we need to do as much as we can to move beyond our own "hangups." As I said before, we must surrender even our neuroses if we wish to become One with the Ultimate.
One of the techniques now often used to relieve or resolve such issues is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). I have not used this technique myself and, frankly, when I first heard of it, I was skeptical. It seemed a bit too far out to be something I could believe. EFT utilizes "tapping" of various spots on the body (akin to acupuncture points) along with repeating certain phrases similar to affirmations, the latter phrased in a specific formula. Despite my reservations, it seems that following this procedure does in fact have some very positive results, presumably because neural pathways are actually changed.
Here is a site where you can learn more about this technique and receive instructions as to how to do it on yourself. I can't guarantee results, but surely it is worth a try.
# posted by Dorothy : 11/30/2010 04:58:00 PM
Monday, November 29, 2010
What Is Kundalini?
What Is Kundalini?
Of all human phenomena, Kundalini is one of the most mysterious and least understood. According to ancient yogic texts, Kundalini is a serpent resting at the base of the spine. When aroused, it ascends in spiral fashion through the various chakras (wheels) of the body until it reaches the crown, where its energies unite with those of the immensity which sustains all. At that moment, the small self loses itself in forgetfulness, and regains its primal condition as part of the ever-flowing consciousness which is the final reality. This—a state of unimaginable bliss—is known as enlightenment in many Eastern philosophies.
Kundalini means “coiled,” for in the Hindu symbology the snake is coiled three and a half times in its resting place. According to traditional thought, each chakra is an energy center, a “wheel” which presumably begins to spin as the energy passes through. On each side of the spinal column is a major channel for ascent, one known as Ida and the other Pingala. These form a helix around the central channel, the Sushumna, a tiny thread rising from the base to the very top of the spinal column.
Some envision Kundalini as a goddess ("the goddess of all goddesses") and consider that "union" occurs when Shakti (the life energies at the base of the spine) rises to merge with Shiva, the potential dynamic of all creation. Only when these two become one in the larger universe does the cosmos as we know it come into being. Only when they merge at the crown does true enlightenment occur, for it is then that one realizes (embodies as feeling) one's role in the massive phenomenon we call "reality." One then knows that this immeasurable creative force is all that truly is, and one's own individual "self" is a myth, a fiction, a non-reality. This news is difficult for some to swallow.
Many devout students of yoga devote their lives to perfecting the technique of awakening and then lifting the Kundalini energies. To this end, they adhere to a strict yogic discipline, including the practice of asanas (yogic positions), a closely restricted diet, and performance of austere purification measures. Only the very pure in body and spirit are deemed fit to follow this path with impunity. Those less prepared expose themselves to dangers of every sort, from physical illness to emotional imbalance. Because of the difficulties inherent in the practice, the student is cautioned to proceed only under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Once the technique is mastered, the student is said to be gifted with many “supernatural” powers---such as the ability to see or hear at a distance, to travel out of body, and to charm without effort. (And some teachers warn against getting caught up in these "siddhas", seeing them as a distraction on the true path.
Kundalini has also played a prominent role in many other cultures, where it has been a key element in spiritual practice. Kundalini (under various names) has been identified as central to such spiritual traditions as the esoteric practices of early Egypt, Taoism in Asia, and shamanism throughout the world. Some feel that even the ecstatic states reported in mystic Christianity reflect the workings of Kundalini. Kundalini, by whatever name, is universally treasured as a sacred experience, and venerated as a means of passage to other worldly realms.
In contemporary thought, Kundalini is widely viewed as the essential spiritual/psycho/electromagnetic system which undergirds and sustains all of the operations of the self—from physical to mental to emotional. This guiding force generally operates below the level of consciousness, keeping the body in balance and performing in a “normal” fashion. However, spontaneous Kundalini experiences—even full awakening-- can occur and unexpected arousal is being reported more and more frequently across the globe. Often times, the arousal occurs as a direct consequence of some emotional or psychic shock to the system—it is as if a vacuum is created in the normal field of consciousness, and Kundalini rushes forth to fill the gap. Other possible triggers are the experiences of childbirth and death itself.
Further, the path of ascent may vary from the traditional descriptions. The energies may simply rush upward in a general swift ascent, a possibility recognized even in certain ancient accounts. And, as the process continues over time, the energies may be felt as a diffuse bliss rather than as a progression through the classic channels.
In the majority of cases, this “awakening” is imbued with a deeply spiritual cast. It generally begets in the subject a response of humility and awe. She is now able to experiences states far transcending anything known before. It is as if she now thinks and feels at the “cellular” level, with a capacity for knowing deeper and swifter than any perception achieved through the familiar “rational” mind. She may now be vulnerable to states of both ecstasy and pain beyond any previously imagined. Some may develop rare healing powers or acute mental abilities. In its perfect manifestation, Kundalini purges the self of all its latent illness and psychological perturbation, leaving a being empowered to express her fullest potential.
Gopi Krishna maintained that Kundalini would be the engine for the evolutionary transformation of humanity. Those who experience its high bliss and overwhelming sense of connectedness to divine purpose and direction can only concur. Whatever else it does, Kundalini permanently changes the nervous system, making it capable of states of awareness well beyond the familiar spectrum. These changes lead to a shift not merely in what we see but how we see. The threshold is lowered for both pleasure and pain, the defenses are stripped away. One experiences the interconnectedness of all beings and levels in the most personal and intimate sense—one resonates at the deepest centers with this new found knowledge.
Kundalini opens the system to infusions of the divine; one is held by unmitigated, unimaginable, pure love. And one realizes that this love is the sustaining force of the cosmos itself.
This transition to a new state is not easy—it is as if in today's world those refined energies are apt to descend on certain more receptive spirits--as if they are the “forerunners,” in effect, the “volunteers”-- those who have (it would seem) in some mysterious and undefined way “agreed” to undergo this process as part of the saving transformation of the race. Each one becomes a way station, a base of energetic force helping to sustain the ongoing process, which no one comprehends in its fullness but each feels honored to serve. Each participant gives in the manner best suited to personal talent or capacity—perhaps the assignment is, as one friend put it, simply to “carry this vibration” until it can be established throughout the globe, and global initiation through planetary awakening can occur. This process is without familiar precedent or guidance. Together, the collective (whose members are often not known to one another) prepare a field of consciousness, which makes each subsequent transfiguration less difficult for those who follow. (Rupert Sheldrake uses the term “morphogenetic field” to describe such phenomena.) In the Kundalini process the divine becomes dramatically aware of itself embodied in the human. Humanity is the device whereby the sacred reality establishes itself more firmly on earth in fullest manifestation.
Kundalini as such is not a stranger to earth. But our own age is the first in which Kundalini consciousness is coupled with the heightened “self-awareness” available to contemporary mind. Our current addiction to left brain (scientific/technological) perspectives has often clouded our connection to the intuitive and the unconscious realms of feeling. Ancient societies had access to these unconscious realms through shamanic and other traditional practices. The intuitive and the rational (right- left brain functions) now may be paired in a new way. The body is known in a fresh perspective. The self becomes a ground for experiment; the mind experiences novelty and then reflects on its own internal operations.
Jung and others have pointed out that the subconscious realms are vast reservoirs of latent creative energies, where the libido (life force) waits to be called into service. When these reservoirs are sealed, we lose much of our creative and feeling capacity. Kundalini releases these inherent energies, and we can feel and act with much greater effectiveness.
The rapture awakened in many Kundalini experiences is not to be confused with mere sexual arousal (though they are kin), nor are the reports of bliss to be dismissed as merely accounts of interesting internal somatic events. For the serious student, each such experience carries the sense of the infusion of the holy energies, a uniting with a force so beyond conceptualization that feeling itself is the only avenue of communication. Although we cannot know the divine reality in full, we can—in part—experience it in our bodies. Hence the paradox—we remain convinced of the reality of that which we can neither see nor hear, which lacks substance and material presence, but which nonetheless is our daily companion.
Because we in modern society typically do not experience Kundalini under ideal conditions, we often must spend many years in the long balancing process. Some become so sensitive that they may no longer be able to function in the familiar world, and must go into a period of retreat. Others may become highly creative and discover talents they did not know they possessed. Virtually all, however, agree that this is an experience to be prized above all others, for it endows the aspirant with an irrefutable sense of deep connection to that which is most meaningful in human experience. One feels that there is indeed a divine presence, and knows that one is in fact very much a part of that reality, however minute or humble one’s role. This is unconditional love in its most compelling expression. It is the final proof, the assurance which goes beyond all doubts and questionings, the ultimate self-validating experience. It is the path to “ planetary initiation,” entry into a new mode of being.
(from "Unmasking the Rose, A Record of a Kundalini Initiation" by Dorothy Walters)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/29/2010 11:12:00 AM
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Reprogramming your brain
Recently, I have heard from several friends that they are experiencing a personal "dark night" that is truly weighing them down. I think that in part this sense of depression or "what's the use?" is related to the world situation. Surely, we are in one of the most challenging periods of history. Yes, other societies have had great threats and calamities, but, with our modern media technology we have a kind of ring side seat to what is happening in our world, good or bad. Understandably, many are having trouble maintaining a positive outlook, and are succumbing to feelings of despair and worse.
Since so many are in a kind of crisis mode, I feel we should look around for possible solutions to our personal problems, however strange or far fetched these might seem. Today, there are (it is claimed) ways to "reprogram the brain" to establish new neural pathways and free us from the long standing habits of negative messaging that continue to plague a lot of us. Certainly, those of us who have successfully managed Kundalini transformation know that it is possible to change old patterns of response through--literally--restructuring the nervous system. Kundalini can in fact lift us from despair into bliss, when it operates properly But sometimes we need another boost--and modern brain science purports to offer some answers.
Here is a description I found online of such a process. I do not endorse its usefulness, for I have not experienced it nor do I know anyone who has. But I do feel it is something worth looking into, if for no other reason than to know what is going on today in brain research and how such tools can be useful in alleviating states of depression.--Dorothy
Here is the article:
How would you feel if I told you that you could reprogram your brain to get whatever you want in life? How would you react if I shared with you a secret formula that can help you overcome stress, anxiety, negative feelings, low self esteem, depression, and all other things that hold you back from doing what you want in life? You'd be pretty elated, right?
Your brain is an amazing organ. It controls your thoughts, words, and action. You cannot achieve anything in your life if you have a voice inside your head all the time telling you that you just do not have what it takes to succeed. If you want to follow your passion and achieve great things in life, you should first get rid of all the negative factors that stop you from realizing your full potential. The good news is that you can do it easily with the help of a brainwave synchronizer.
NeuroVector, a Sydney based research facility, has developed a groundbreaking technology that can simply change your life by changing the way you think. This technology is called brainwave synchronization. It uses binaural sound waves to influence your brainwave activity.
Brainwave synchronization or brainwave entrainment is a highly innovative audio technology that retrains your brain, gets rid of all the negative thoughts, relaxes your nervous system, and changes your state of mind completely. For the first time in your life, you will truly believe that you have complete control over your life. You will find that you are able to do what you want to do without doubting your abilities. So, how exactly does the synchronizer reprogram your brain? Let us take a look.
Brainwave entrainment technology uses pulsating binaural beats that improve the functioning of neural networks and stimulate neural growth. It creates a synchronized brain state called hemispheric synchronization, which is a complete coherent state where the left and right hemispheres of your brain work together. By listening to the beats of the brainwave synchronizer, you can go to a deep trace state wherein you can eliminate all the unwanted thoughts and fill your mind with positive, motivating thoughts that help you achieve whatever you want in life.
The USP of this technology is its simplicity. You do not need any high profile gadgets to listen to these sound beats. All you need is an MP3 player and stereo headphones. You can listen to the brainwave synchronizer audio files as often as you want. In fact, the more you listen to them, the better will be the results. So, you can put your headphones on and listen to these beats when you exercise, read, or go for a long walk. The only time you should not listen to these beats is when you are driving.
Listening to NeuroVector beats can be extremely beneficial for you both in the short term and the long term. Within a few weeks, you will notice a rapid increase in your ability to focus and concentrate. When you listen to these beats regularly, the left and right hemispheres of your brain will work together in a coherent manner and help you attain a highly focused state any time you want. You can reprogram your brain and put a full stop to all the self defeating thoughts that arise from your mind.
People who listen to binaural beats regularly say that they are able to concentrate better and finish any type of work really quickly. They claim that their energy levels have increased considerably and that they no longer feel the need to sleep for eight or ten hours a day.They say that their blood circulation has improved and they feel a lot healthier now. The most amazing thing about the brainwave synchronizer is that it can be used by anyone. So, you can benefit immensely from this technology no matter who you are, where you are, and what you do.
Just think about it. This technology can help you become a much better individual mentally as well as physically. Without spending tons of money on prescription drugs, therapy, or motivational videos, you can easily eliminate all that you do not need and reprogram your brain completely. So, do not hesitate. Buy NeuroVector tapes, start listening to them, and start a new chapter in your life.
# posted by Dorothy : 11/28/2010 02:51:00 PM
Saturday, November 27, 2010
When Kundalini Arrives (suggestions)
What to do when Kundalini arrives
Many of us long for an awakening experience and then find, when it finally happens, that we are having many difficulties dealing with it. Kundalini is fickle. It can bring bliss one day, pain the next. Or it can bring one or the other consistently. It can arouse an array of strange symptoms, both good and bad. It does little good to read about the bliss of the saints or a few other lucky souls, if your body is jerking uncontrollably, your face is twitching, if you are having sudden unpleasant rushes of energy, both hot and cold or other strange "symptoms."
Here are some suggestions for what to do when Kundalini manifests in your body. It is a repetition of material I have put up before, but new people often come to this blog seeking help, and this post is primarily for their benefit.
l. First and foremost, try to locate a qualified teacher or therapist to help you through. Kundalini awakening is a deeply transformative process, and it is very difficult to make the journey alone. However, finding the right helper may be quite difficult. Try to locate a Transpersonal Therapist who knows what Kundalini is and understands spiritual transformation. You are not just undergoing extreme adjustment of your nervous system and physiology, you are (whether you know it or not) experiencing a profound spiritual awakening, for you are getting in touch with Source at its deepest level--you are discovering that in a very literal sense you and It are one. It is especially important to clear up as much of your psychological baggage as possible. In other words, it is time to clean up your house and get rid of what no longer serves you. Issues long repressed may come to the surface now, and by facing them you can make greater progress in your journey to greater mental health and stability.
2. Since this process is happening in your body, do everything you can to make your physical system stronger. This includes diet, exercise, supplements--anything that will give you a higher level of physical well being. Walking can be very, very helpful--it lets out the built up tension in your system and helps you to relax. But do whatever exercise seems best for you.
3. Find a "spiritual buddy" to talk to, preferably someone also experiencing Kundalini awakening. You need a friend to share this sometimes weird and tumultuous journey with. Talking helps. If you can't find such a friend, at least keep a journal. It will record your progress and you will be able to look back later and recall what the experience of awakening was like in its various stages.
4. Rid your life of as much stress as you can. The more stress, the greater the blockages and possible pain. Find ways to relax--whether from warm baths, or breathing exercises (I like slow inbreath with mouth closed, outbreath with mouth open--it is simple but it does wonders), or chi gong and t'ai chi., or dancing or just listening to music or saying a mantra or whatever works for you. Slow down. You've got the rest of your life to deal with this major turning point. Allow the inner guide to lead you through.
5. Meditation is good, but I am not convinced that merely sitting on a cushion and trying to clear the mind is the best choice for Kundalini folks. We need to move--and such things as chi gong, or yoga, or dancing, or other physical forms of meditation (and these are meditations themselves) may be more appropriate. Do mantras (sacred phrases) or mudras (sacred hand or bodily gestures) if they help, but don't force yourself to do these if they make you uncomfortable.
6. Whatever you do, don't try to stop the flow of the energies. This can bring about major difficulties. Kundalini has come to you as a gift from the elsewhere--don't refuse the gift, and don't try to dam the flowing stream of energies.
7, Read whatever you like, but don't believe everything you read in books, particularly those texts that rely primarily on ancient writings and techniques. The yogis of earlier times were intently focused on bringing up the energies through the major channels in the body (called Sushumna--the central axis along the spine--plus Ida, and Pingala on each side) These latter wind around the sushumna like the snakes in the medical depiction of the Caduceus. The rising Kundalini often moves through through these channels, but it can also manifest through other ways of expression. Sometimes it is a diffuse energy playing through various parts of the body--and can include surprising areas, such as your ears or cheeks or flanks or toes or just about any place it chooses to go. It can be felt in these places as bliss currents or the opposite, depending on where you are in your process.
Still, there is much good information in books, and it can be reassuring to discover that many others have undergone a process similar to your own. Use your own judgement as to what information is useful to you, what not.
8.If you wish to follow a prescribed technique or method, monitor it to see if it really works for you. I personally feel that we each have an "inner guru" and that it is best to allow it to lead us rather than trying to control it. If a technique is not working (if it makes you feel worse rather than better), drop it, even if some "authority" insists that this is the best approach to Kundalini. Especially in the early stages, it is sometimes better to avoid those practices that arouse more Kundalini energies (such as yoga), though these techniques may be quite useful later when your own energies have settled down more.
9. Don't get too carried away by what is going on with you. Some people think that that when their Kundalini opens they are "enlightened" or have been transformed into some kind of spiritual savior. Yes, you are indeed undergoing a very deep transformation, and you will never return to your previous state of "unknowing." But keep a cool head, go about your daily business, and know that "god is on your side." What you are experiencing is a form of divine love available to all humans willing to open to it. Your job is to allow it to fulfill its own purpose, to witness what is happening, and do all you can to integrate and ground the experience.
10. And do pursue grounding techniques to help you through the difficulties that may come up. Grounding might be simple hip rotation, reading a favorite spiritual poem or chapter, being with another person who is herself well "balanced," talking with a spiritual guide or mentor--again, it is a matter of "whatever works for you." Some people change their diets during this phase, becoming vegetarians; others feel that they become more "grounded" by eating hamburger or other heavier dishes. (But stay away from fast foods, too many sweets, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and such--these will keep you ungrounded for sure.)
11. You may recall past lives, have "weird experiences" such as smelling wondrous odors, hearing beautiful inner music, feel rapture beyond what you have ever imagined. You may see auras, feel in your own body the energies of others or even inanimate objects. The world may take on an indescribable beauty, and you may sense a compelling "oneness" with everyone and every thing you encounter. You may also have some less pleasant "symptoms" such as those mentioned above--all are part of the process of awakening and adjustment that you are undergoing at this time. You are literally being "made new." These phenomena are all part of the "expansion of consciousness" that comes with the awakening process. They do not mean that you have gone crazy. Many have experienced such transitions to a more open awareness from ancient times to the present.
12. Find your spiritual center and connect with it daily. Know that you have been given a precious gift, one that will lead you to the deepest possible connection with the Divine. You are receiving divine love in its most vivid expression. You are part of a process now occurring world wide, all part of the evolutionary shift now occurring for humanity at large as we enter our next stage of consciousness. Now is the time to "invite the divine into your house." Whatever you call it, however you connect with it, "It" has now arrived and is giving you unmistakable signs of its presence and your enduring connection with boundless love.
(image from Crystalinks.com)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/27/2010 11:16:00 AM
Friday, November 26, 2010
"I Will" (poem by Dorothy)
I Will
If you want me
to fling myself in,
yes, I will do that,
this fire does not burn.
If you want me to linger
along the edges,
in a stance of contemplation,
probing the Mystery--
oh, what does it mean?
If you want me to
speak to multitudes,
to utter
your hidden syllables
to masses of hearers,
I will clear my throat
and begin.
If you want me to be still,
say nothing,
eyes shut to all
but where the radiant
darkness dwells,
I will open my heart
to silence,
let my spirit
swell with compassion,
become love.
Dorothy Walters
(fr0m "A Cloth of Fine Gold")
# posted by Dorothy : 11/26/2010 08:01:00 PM
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Poem by Jane Kenyon
Otherwise
I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.
At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.
- Jane Kenyon
# posted by Dorothy : 11/25/2010 02:33:00 PM
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Like Perfume
Like Perfume
And at times
when you wake
the heart is singing.
And everything,
from the sweet drop
of honey
that falls into your tea
to your slightest gesture
is a pleasure reclaimed,
a joy you had forgotten.
Like that afternoon,
not long ago,
when I sat there
by the rushing stream,
the trees welcoming me
with opened arms
into this safe haven,
the grasses glowing
with a proud luster
as if they were preparing
for an autumn festival,
and I overcome with delight
that this little parcel
could be paradise.
Or even yesterday,
as I was walking out
to breakfast,
suddenly,
an odor like perfume
or precious powder
enfolding me,
nothing I had ever
experienced before,
I thought it
was from the wake
of the young man passing,
like the spreading wings
of water after
a boat passes,
but it continued
even when he strode
far ahead,
like a beckoning,
signal from that other world,
aroma of what it is
we long for,
the place we yearn to be.
Dorothy Walters
November 22, 2010
# posted by Dorothy : 11/24/2010 02:52:00 PM
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
poem by William Stafford
Starting with Little Things
Love the earth like a mole,
fur-near. Nearsighted,
hold close the clods,
their fine-print headlines.
Pat them with soft hands --
Like spades, but pink and loving; they
break rock, nudge giants aside,
affable plow.
Fields are to touch;
each day nuzzle your way.
Tomorrow the world.
~ William Stafford ~
(The Way It Is)
(Picture from Wikipedia)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/23/2010 04:05:00 PM
Monday, November 22, 2010
Poem by Anne Sexton
Welcome Morning
There is joy
in all:
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning,
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that heats my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry "hello there, Anne"
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.
All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window
peck into their marriage of seeds.
So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.
The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard,
dies young.
~ Anne Sexton ~
(The Awful Rowing Toward God)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/22/2010 12:09:00 PM
Friday, November 19, 2010
Poem by Janeshwar
Amritanubhava
I offer homage to the god and the goddess
The infinite parents of the world
The lover out of boundless love Has become the beloved
Both are made of the same silks and share the same food
Out of love for each other they merge and part for the joy of being two
They sit together on the same ground in the same garment of light
From endless time they have lived this way in union and in bliss
Without the goddess he is not and because of him she exists
It is God alone in every form the male and the female Shiva and Shakti
From the union of these two the universe has come to be
Two lutes, one note
Two lamps, one light
Two eyes, one sight
Two lips, one word
Two hearts, one love
In this way these two create one universe
The lover out of boundless love has become the beloved
Embarrassed by his formlessness and her own graceful form
She adorned him with a universe of myriad names and forms
In unity there is little to behold
But the playful Shakti has presented all the riches of the world
While Shiva sleeps she is giving birth to all things
Living and non-living
And when she rests her husband disappears
When he hides himself he can't be found without her grace
They are mirrors to each other
When he embraces her it is own bliss that he enjoys
Shiva the enjoyer of all, can find no joy without her
She is his form and her beauty comes from her lover
And in their merging they enjoy this feast feast together
Shiva and Shakti are the same
Like musk and its fragrance
Or gold and its luster
Embracing each other they merge into one
As darkness and light at the breaking of the dawn
The lover out of boundless love has become the beloved
And when the time of dissolution comes
The ocean and the river merge into the primal water
And the air and its motion merge in the universal air
And the sun and its brilliance merge in the elemental fire
And while trying to see Shiva and Shakti
Both I and my vision disappeared
Like the wood that gives itself onto the fire
And the river that gives itself onto the sea
When my ego is out I become Shiva and Shakti
Janeshawar (also known as Jnandev or Jnanadeva) was a devoted Indian saint who lived in India from about 1275 to 1296. Though he only lived 22 years, he was a major contributor to early Indian sacred literature.
Here he is writing about the sense of Oneness or Union with the Beloved. Does his writing suggest Kundalini in its most intense and sacred form, when Lover and Beloved indeed become one.
(Image from mysticrebels.com/poet.htm)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/19/2010 07:36:00 PM
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Major Kundalini site
http://www.7dotsmedia.com/
At last, Kundalini is coming out of the closet. The above link is to a site that has developed a documentary on Kundalini, with experts from various fields participating as the "cast" of the DVD. So far, only the trailer and a list of those included in the "cast" are posted (at least that I could discover.) Tami Simon, publisher of "Sounds True", acts as the narrator. And, each bio of the participating speakers includes a reference to their own websites and publications. Check them out.
This is the moment we have been waiting for for so long. Although Kundalini has many, many websites dedicated to it as a subject, this is a rare film, perhaps the first (don't know for sure) to be dedicated to it in documentary form. I await with eagerness for the full DVD to be available. I will keep you posted on the release date.
But--I will have to confess--I have mixed feelings about this release. Part of me longs for the "old days" when Kundalini was an esoteric practice confined to a few solitary souls scattered here and there, engaging in exquisite bliss and deep connection to Source. It is essential that this knowledge now be shared with the "multitudes," but, as with all such endeavors, there is danger of "spiritual dilution" as people at various stages of development learn of this once secret realm.
However, one of the speakers says that all you can take with you when you leave the planet is a developed Kundalini. Let us hope that this production will benefit many who are following a Kundalini path and yearn for connection and support along what too often seems an unbearably solitary way.
Viva la Kundalini! May it bring joy and affirmation to all who approach with love and reverance
# posted by Dorothy : 11/18/2010 03:29:00 PM
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Poem by Rumi
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wonderer, worshipper, lover of learning.
It doesn't matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times
Come, yet again, come.
Rumi
# posted by Dorothy : 11/17/2010 01:15:00 PM
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Birds Flying (poem)
No matter how advanced we are in our spirtual progress, we may from time to time experience sadness or a bit of depression. To deny this is to deny the human condition, which fluctuates from joy to grief, ecstasy to despair. The aim of such practices as meditation is to stabilize these states of consciousness, and maintain as much as possible a condition of balance.
Yet, even then, there may be temporary lapses into the "shadow" side of being. I think the trick is to find a way to release these feelings (rather than bottling them up), so that one may return quickly to balance.
For me, one of the most effective means of moving quickly through these "down periods" is to release them through writing. Here is a poem I wrote recently when I was feeling a bit "down," and it definitely provided the release I was seeking. One does not have to write poetry, of course. But you may wish to write in a journal, or even speak to a sympathetic listener or therapist, to rid your psyche of the depressed feelings and move on into a more positive attitude.
Birds Flying
It is not that I believe
or do not believe,
or comprehend
or do not comprehend,
but it is that
all my words
have flown away,
the ones I used
to explain things
within,
in a private language
that only I understood.
I was told that for this
no language
was needed,
that the rush and thrill
of the coursing in the blood
was sufficient,
what remained
after this final awakening.
But then I was left here,
stranded on this shore,
the people casting and
pulling in their nets,
the birds flying and screaming
overhead,
and I now invisible,
lacking words
to speak,
without a voice
to say the thing
that needed
to be said,
unseeable as air.
Dorothy Walters
November 13, 2010
# posted by Dorothy : 11/16/2010 07:21:00 PM
Monday, November 15, 2010
Ellen Bass (poem)
Ellen Bass
She has poured her life into words,
the way a carpenter would hammer
bright studs
into a set for a movie backdrop,
precisely,
the way a woman
might carefully arrange
decorations on a cake.
Not that any of this is bad--
no, what she does
is capture
the essence of the particular,
the person with the straggly
beard
in the next aisle,
the teenage mother with the complaining baby
in her arms
at the check out counter
in the grocery.
Or the woman on the plane,
slightly overweight,
wearing her new blouse
for her trip to Hawaii,
the old man
who can’t quite find
his seat assignment
as he struggles to lift
his carryon
overhead.
She sees all of these,
and, like god,
carefully gathers them together,
puts them in her pocket,
ready to make
her next collage,
her panoramic sweep
of the human scene,
all of it melded together,
ready to become her next poem.
Dorothy Walters
November 13, 2010
# posted by Dorothy : 11/15/2010 02:39:00 PM
Sunday, November 14, 2010
"Pray for Peace"--poem by Ellen Bass
Pray for Peace
Pray to whomever you kneel down to:
Jesus nailed to his wooden or marble or plastic cross,
his suffering face bent to kiss you,
Buddha still under the Bo tree in scorching heat,
Adonai, Allah, raise your arms to Mary
that she may lay her palm on our brows,
to Shekhina, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
to Inanna in her stripped descent.
Hawk or Wolf, or the Great Whale, Record Keeper
of time before, time now, time ahead, pray. Bow down
to terriers and shepherds and siamese cats.
Fields of artichokes and elegant strawberries.
Pray to the bus driver who takes you to work,
pray on the bus, pray for everyone riding that bus
and for everyone riding buses all over the world.
If you haven't been on a bus in a long time,
climb the few steps, drop some silver, and pray.
Waiting in line for the movies, for the ATM,
for your latte and croissant, offer your plea.
Make your eating and drinking a supplication.
Make your slicing of carrots a holy act,
each translucent layer of the onion, a deeper prayer.
Make the brushing of your hair
a prayer, every strand its own voice,
singing in the choir on your head.
As you wash your face, the water slipping
through your fingers, a prayer: Water,
softest thing on earth, gentleness
that wears away rock.
Making love, of course, is already a prayer.
Skin and open mouths worshipping that skin,
the fragile case we are poured into,
each caress a season of peace.
If you're hungry, pray. If you're tired.
Pray to Gandhi and Dorothy Day.
Shakespeare. Sappho. Sojourner Truth.
Pray to the angels and the ghost of your grandfather.
When you walk to your car, to the mailbox,
to the video store, let each step
be a prayer that we all keep our legs,
that we do not blow off anyone else's legs.
Or crush their skulls.
And if you are riding on a bicycle
or a skateboard, in a wheel chair, each revolution
of the wheels a prayer that as the earth revolves
we will do less harm, less harm, less harm.
And as you work, typing with a new manicure,
a tiny palm tree painted on one pearlescent nail
or delivering soda or drawing good blood
into rubber-capped vials, writing on a blackboard
with yellow chalk, twirling pizzas, pray for peace.
With each breath in, take in the faith of those
who have believed when belief seemed foolish,
who persevered. With each breath out, cherish.
Pull weeds for peace, turn over in your sleep for peace,
feed the birds for peace, each shiny seed
that spills onto the earth, another second of peace.
Wash your dishes, call your mother, drink wine.
Shovel leaves or snow or trash from your sidewalk.
Make a path. Fold a photo of a dead child
around your VISA card. Gnaw your crust
of prayer, scoop your prayer water from the gutter.
Mumble along like a crazy person, stumbling
your prayer through the streets.
Ellen Bass
# posted by Dorothy : 11/14/2010 05:44:00 PM
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Poem by Kalidas
Possessed
My Devi took possession
of my heart.
She knew she wanted me
body and soul.
She played the wounded doe,
opening the heart’s door of compassion,
She slipped inside.
Now who is Lover and who is Beloved?
**************
from "Jai Kali Ma"
This yoga is only for the insane
drunk on the nectar of Divine Love.
If you drink from the Holy Grail
you will drown in the end.
Kalidas (Lawrence Edwards, Ph. D.)
Kali is one of the most revered and confusing of all Indian goddesses. Depictions of her often show a wild image with threatening weapons and a fierce demeanor. She is standing on the corpse of her own husband. She depicts the opposite of compassionate love.
To understand Kali, one must probe the meaning of the various symbols attached to her appearance. Here is one interpretation:
Kali is represented as a Black woman with four arms; in one hand she has a sword, in another the head of the demon she has slain, with the other two she is encouraging her worshippers. For earrings she has two dead bodies and wears a necklace of skulls ; her only clothing is a girdle made of dead men's hands, and her tongue protrudes from her mouth. Her eyes are red, and her face and breasts are besmeared with blood. She stands with one foot on the thigh, and another on the breast of her husband.
Kali's fierce appearances have been the subject of extensive descriptions in several earlier and modern works. Though her fierce form is filled with awe- inspiring symbols, their real meaning is not what it first appears- they have equivocal significance:
Kali's blackness symbolizes her all-embracing, comprehensive nature, because black is the color in which all other colors merge; black absorbs and dissolves them. 'Just as all colors disappear in black, so all names and forms disappear in her' (Mahanirvana Tantra). Or black is said to represent the total absence of color, again signifying the nature of Kali as ultimate reality. This in Sanskrit is named as nirguna (beyond all quality and form). Either way, Kali's black color symbolizes her transcendence of all form....
In many instances she is described as garbed in space or sky clad. In her absolute, primordial nakedness she is free from all covering of illusion. She is Nature (Prakriti in Sanskrit), stripped of 'clothes'. It symbolizes that she is completely beyond name and form, completely beyond the illusory effects of maya (false consciousness). Her nudity is said to represent totally illumined consciousness, unaffected by maya. Kali is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes of ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.
She is full-breasted; her motherhood is a ceaseless creation. Her disheveled hair forms a curtain of illusion, the fabric of space - time which organizes matter out of the chaotic sea of quantum-foam. Her garland of fifty human heads, each representing one of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, symbolizes the repository of knowledge and wisdom. She wears a girdle of severed human hands- hands that are the principal instruments of work and so signify the action of karma. Thus the binding effects of this karma have been overcome, severed, as it were, by devotion to Kali. She has blessed the devotee by cutting him free from the cycle of karma. Her white teeth are symbolic of purity (Sans. Sattva), and her lolling tongue which is red dramatically depicts the fact that she consumes all things and denotes the act of tasting or enjoying what society regards as forbidden, i.e. her indiscriminate enjoyment of all the world's "flavors".
Kali's four arms represent the complete circle of creation and destruction, which is contained within her. She represents the inherent creative and destructive rhythms of the cosmos. Her right hands, making the mudras of "fear not" and conferring boons, represent the creative aspect of Kali, while the left hands, holding a bloodied sword and a severed head represent her destructive aspect. The bloodied sword and severed head symbolize the destruction of ignorance and the dawning of knowledge. The sword is the sword of knowledge, that cuts the knots of ignorance and destroys false consciousness (the severed head). Kali opens the gates of freedom with this sword, having cut the eight bonds that bind human beings. Finally her three eyes represent the sun, moon, and fire, with which she is able to observe the three modes of time: past, present and future. This attribute is also the origin of the name Kali, which is the feminine form of 'Kala', the Sanskrit term for Time.
(excerpt and image from internet site: http://www.exoticindiaart.com/kali.htm)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/13/2010 11:05:00 AM
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Bodhisattva Returns (poem)
Recently, I was looking at a journal that features a calendar of spiritual events, and was struck by the number of advertisements for myriad spiritual items and services. This widespread commercialization (and hence trivialization) of sacred matters is unfortunate, for it dilutes and betrays these most holy realities. I think that spiritual progress is not an item to be purchased in a store, or received from a superficial "for profit" teacher. True, bringing once hidden topics into wider awareness does serve an important purpose for it gives us access to much knowledge of extreme value. But one must exercise great caution in exploring the spiritual marketplace, for it is replete with false goods and inauthentic teachers.
The Bodhisattva returns to earth,
to view what is happening
Bodhisattva: One who through compassion foregoes personal nirvana (release from the round of birth and death) until all beings are so liberated.
Some have openings
in the head
and think they are
enlightened.
Others feel something stir
here or there within
and proclaim themselves
among the awakened.
Many focus on
personal concerns,
probing their issues,
believing they are
following the
deep path.
And still others
want to sell things,
naming them
holy objects,
and offer services
for a heavy price.
How is it
so many
are confused?
Wander in darkness,
mistaking it
for light?
Where is the true bodhisattva,
the one who gives all
and asks
nothing in return?
Dorothy Walters
November 12, 2010
(Image from Wikipedia)
# posted by Dorothy : 11/12/2010 10:43:00 AM
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Being Who You Are
Being Who You Are
You might as well be who you are, half the world isn't going to like you anyway ~Dr. E~(Clarissa Pinkola Estes)
As always, 'Dr. E." hides a nugget of great wisdom in the wrapping of a few words. This task, of being oneself, in a world that seems to be drawn to the same kind of conformity that a colony of ants or bees displays, is a great challenge. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements adjuring us to buy this or that, to look this way or that way, to do what the others are rushing to do. We seem to be required to think a certain way, to act a prescribed way--and in doing all of this, to forget who we really, truly are, the naked being who came onto this planet bearing a great treasure--our own true selves, kissed by angels as we arrived, ready to claim out own spiritual reality on this strange place that is going to be "home."
And Dr. E. is right. If we somehow deviate from what the others prescribe as the "norm," we may be shunned, rejected, even vilified and scorned.
The result is a deep sense of isolation and sometimes even self-rejection. As I hear the stories of those who have survived and discovered true spiritual awakening, a common thread seems to be an unhappy childhood. The child is somehow "different"--because of race or ethnicity, physical appearance, bodily handicaps, sexual orientation, personal choices (such as wanting to read books or play an instrument rather than trying out for the team), economic status--and this is just the beginning.
The child gets labeled as "the other" and is mocked and excluded. It is a tough ride.
But the fact is that these seeming "handicaps" can play an important role in the child's maturation. She/he becomes introspective, begins to think about things, does not blindly accept the status quo. And, as a result, this young "scapegoat" may grow into an extremely valuable member of society, one not afraid to pursue unpopular but significant goals, to be a leader rather than a sheep following along paths set by others.
Kundalini itself can put one in the category of "the other." One now enters a world that often cannot be explained or shared with those closest. They often are distressed to discover that the "initiate' is no longer the familiar companion, one who shares with them common assumptions and behaviors. The result may be a sense of alienation and rejection for those who are caught up in this new way of being. One is awakened to a new reality, and the world is now a different place.
Oddly, though there are many thousands undergoing such openings across the world, many many are traveling the path alone, without companionship or ready support. But as time passes, more and more are able to find one another, to take comfort and joy from knowing they are not totally alone on the path. They are the forefront of the great spiritual awakening now occurring planet wide. Though there is no ready support group, no welcoming hand at the door, yet each awakened soul has an important role to play in the overall process of bringing this planet into humanity's next level of consciousness.
And, yes, you "might as well be who you are, half the world isn't going to like you anyway."
# posted by Dorothy : 11/11/2010 11:43:00 AM
