Kundalini Splendor

Poems and Reflections on the Spiritual Journey by Dorothy Walters #spiritualpoetry #poetry #kundalini #spiritualtransformation #consciousnessevolution #ecstasy #rapture #lifeforce #loveforce

Friday, September 30, 2011

Duane Elgin 

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Cyndi Dale on the Need for Energetic Boundaries 

Energetic Boundaries

by Cyndi Dale

Energetic Boundaries

Though imperceptible to the naked eye, our energetic boundaries mean the difference between experiencing an enjoyable, prosperous, and loving life or suffering through a sad, limited, and unhappy existence. They separate what we need from what we don’t, selectively letting into our lives only those energies, people, guidance, thoughts, situations, opportunities, and healing that bring our spiritual essence further into our real lives. They also go a step further and purposefully seek out and draw in everything we need to achieve our hopes and dreams.

Our energetic boundaries border our spiritual selves and promote our true nature, which is one of the reasons I often call them “spiritual borders.” We long to express this inner identity, and establishing the correct energetic boundaries will help us do just that. When created and managed correctly, they make sure that our real selves—not the ideas, thoughts, and beliefs that aren’t us—are in charge of our lives. And they share information with the world, telling everyone exactly who we are, what we want, and how they can treat us.

Maybe you didn’t even know you needed to craft invisible parameters to keep yourself safe and intact. As you read this book, you’ll discover that not only must you have these boundaries, but also that having them improves your life dramatically. You’ll come to rely on your new “force field” to the point that you won’t leave home—or come home—without turning it on.

Those of us lacking these boundaries or operating with damaged boundaries often fall prey to marauders: people who, wittingly or not, take advantage of us; situations that fell us over and over; and depressing behavior patterns that leave us feeling much less happy, loved, supported, fulfilled, respected, and provided for than we deserve. Quite simply, without boundaries, we can’t share who we are with the world. We won’t receive the bounty the world has to provide, either.

The symptoms of energetic-boundary issues range from the irritating to the traumatic. They can include:

• Feeling overwhelmed by everyone else’s feelings, moods, needs, problems, negativity, and even illnesses

• Habitual people pleasing, usually to your own detriment

• Sudden, awful attacks of negativity

• Exhaustion, anger, and frustration from carrying, and caring about, everyone else while receiving nothing in return

• Recurring monetary, relationship, and work woes

• Depressing heaviness and physical illnesses, results of absorbing external energies

• Fear and distraction caused by intrusive psychic or supernatural events or energies

• Generalized anxiety, the product of always needing to watch for unseen dangers

• Constant compulsions, which are often signs of tending others’ energies and needs instead of our own

• The embarrassment of behaving in ways that don’t reflect your real self and that allow you to put up with the ridiculous from others

• The nagging feeling that the universe or the Divine is present for anyone but you

At least two-thirds of the individuals I’ve seen in my intuitive-counseling practice have lacked energetic boundaries or had damaged boundaries. But by erecting and/or healing these borders, they have grown leaps and bounds.

(picture found on SoundsTrue website)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/29/2011 07:42:00 PM

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Poem by Javad Nurbakhsh 

Come!

By Javad Nurbakhsh

(1926 - 2008)

I have collapsed at the start of your lane -- come!

I've lost the valley of 'I and You' -- come!

A lifetime I have consigned my head to the sanctum of

Your forecourt. O you the companion of those who are liberated from self, come!

I've let go all I had on the path of Union with You.

O the true existence behind each manifestation, come!

I've thrown existence to the winds in the way of love for You.

Come, devil-may-care lover, so hard to get to know!

I have lost knowledge of self in longing for You.

O cognizant One who has caused so much trouble, come!

I have taken leave of myself in desiring Your face.

The moment has come for You to reveal Your Face; so, come!

Nurbakhsh has become lost, in order to find You.

Enough of infidelity! Come in fidelity!

This beautiful poem of longing was written by a poet who lived in the last century and who died only a few years ago. Born in Iran, Nurbakhsh fled to England when the extremists came into power in Iran. He died there in 2008. His poem contains a traditional theme though he is a contemporary poet.

(Picture found on internet)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/28/2011 04:51:00 PM

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Poem by Mark Doty 

Visitation

When I heard he had entered the harbor,

and circled the wharf for days,

I expected the worst: shallow water,

confusion, some accident to bring

the young humpback to grief.

Don't they depend on a compass

lodged in the salt-flooded folds

of the brain, some delicate

musical mechanism to navigate

their true course? How many ways,

in our century's late iron hours,

might we have led him to disaster?

That, in those days, was how

I'd come to see the world:

dark upon dark, any sense

of spirit an embattled flame

sparked against wind-driven rain

till pain snuffed it out. I thought,

This is what experience gives us ,

and I moved carefully through my life

while I waited. . . Enough,

it wasn't that way at all. The whale

—exuberant, proud maybe, playful,

like the early music of Beethoven—

cruised the footings for smelts

clustered near the pylons

in mercury flocks. He

(do I have the gender right?)

would negotiate the rusty hulls

of the Portuguese fishing boats

— Holy Infant, Little Marie —

with what could only be read

as pleasure, coming close

then diving, trailing on the surface

big spreading circles

until he'd breach, thrilling us

with the release of pressured breath,

and the bulk of his sleek young head

— a wet black leather sofa

already barnacled with ghostly lice —

and his elegant and unlikely mouth,

and the marvelous afterthought of the flukes,

and the way his broad flippers

resembled a pair of clownish gloves

or puppet hands, looming greenish white

beneath the bay's clouded sheen.

When he had consumed his pleasure

of the shimmering swarm, his pleasure, perhaps,

in his own admired performance,

he swam out the harbor mouth,

into the Atlantic. And though grief

has seemed to me itself a dim,

salt suspension in which I've moved,

blind thing, day by day,

through the wreckage, barely aware

of what I stumbled toward, even I

couldn't help but look

at the way this immense figure

graces the dark medium,

and shines so: heaviness

which is no burden to itself.

What did you think, that joy

was some slight thing?

~ Mark Doty ~

Mark Doty is one one of the most brilliant poets of our time. Once he experienced a deep mystical experience during an acupuncture treatment, but he opted for the life of the artist--which embraces both the light and shadow, and includes the ordinary as well as transcendent experience (though some mystics do both as well). Mainly, I think that Doty did not want to explore the celestial realms or acknowledge the divine as a legitimate reality. But what he has done in his poetry to reveal the luminous truth of encountered experience through his language is stunning. The frolicking whale is an impressive interpretation of the capacity of nature itself to remind us that darkness is not the whole story, and that the creatures of earth and ocean can play in ecstasy even when things seem bleak to us.

(photo from Google)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/27/2011 02:50:00 PM

Monday, September 26, 2011

September Song 

If you recall, the famous piece called "September Song" says, "The days grow short, as you reach September...These precious days I'll spend with you." The song is, of course, a love song, spoken by someone who knows he/she will be parted from his/her beloved before too long. But as I walked along Boulder Creek today, those words kept playing in my head, for, as we know, the last lingering days of summer hanging on the cusp of fall are precious and rare indeed. Each one must be savored fully, for soon the snows will begin, and then it will be many months before we can make the lovely creek walk again.

Does this have anything to do with Kundalini? I would say, everything, for nature is certainly one of the most soothing and healing environments we possess. Most of us do not exactly live "in nature" but rather "close by" nature, and hence such experiences are sometimes far too few.

In any event, it was a near perfect day, with memories suggested by the photos above. From bottom to top they are:

A flower that caught my eye as I walked through the neighborhood toward the creek.

Wildflowers along the creek path

One of the "early turners" in front of the public library

Some feathered friends on the creek path, hurrying to get their noontime snack from a well wisher who comes by each day to distribute duck happiness.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/26/2011 04:06:00 PM

Friday, September 23, 2011

Almost Time (poem by Dorothy) 

Almost Time

No matter how hard you try,

your shadow

is always with you.

Like a suitcase attached

to your wrist,

that you drag along

wherever you go,

receptable filled with all the griefs,

sorrows, regrets, fears,

angers, anguish of

your life.

Sometimes it even

speaks to you, saying,

“Listen, remember

I’m still here--”

even if you thought

you got it all straigtened out,

paid up your debts,

reconciled with your folks,

started a new career.

Even if you moved to

a strange city,

made new friends,

began everything over.

Sometimes the shadow

lightens a bit,

as if a shadow had a shadow

and so forth,

each a bit less dark

than the one before.

But it is still the same

old shadow,

ready to take over

when you least expect it,

some little slight,

some curt word

cutting you impossibly,

taking you back

a hundred years of your life

in this existence or another.

Even when you are dying

the shadow will be there,

standing

at the bottom of the bed,

saying, “Are you ready?

It’s almost time.”

Dorothy Walters

September 23, 2011

All of us have a shadow. The shadow is not essentially our faults that we try to hide from others, but rather a place where we hold our own fears and anxieties, often not even admitting them to ourselves. How can we deal with the shadow? One way is to look it squarely in the face, to speak or--as in this case--write about it. I find the latter approach very helpful. When I wrote the above, I was not, in fact, especially depressed, but rather inspired by another poem I had just read dealing with the shadow. Often it is easier to confront the shadow from a "safe distance," when we have a bit of objectivity on the issue.

Light and shadow go together. We cannot wear a smiley face all the time, but must deal honestly with our "dark places," and find ways to ameliorate them as much as possible.

(photograph by N. M. Rai)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/23/2011 05:05:00 PM

Thursday, September 22, 2011

"What the Wizard Said' (poem by Dorothy) 

What the Wizard Said

A wizard will tell you,

"Follow me and I will give

you miraculous gifts.

You will perform miracles,

travel through

walls with ease,

fly over long distances

in the blink of an eye,

turn base metal into gold,

change water into wine.

Every wish

will be fulfilled

in an instant."

The guru says,

"Forget all these distractions

on the path.

I can open the gates of

paradise,

show you gardens

of precious rubies and gold,

conduct you into secret realms

where only the saved abide.

Just listen to me,

follow what I say."

Your heart says,

"What I can offer is

only silence.

What you will receive there

is boundless love,

constant oneness with all

that is.

What you will learn

is what you already know,

how love flows through

and binds everything together,

is sum and substance,

core and manifestation."

Dorothy Walters

August 27, 2011

# posted by Dorothy : 9/22/2011 03:54:00 PM

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Poem by Mary Ruefle 

Magnificat

by Mary Ruefle

O Lord, I did walk upon the earth

and my footprints did keep pace with the rain

and I did note, I did note where orange birds

flew up from the puddles thou hast made

and where the toads leapt from your trenches,

but nowhere was there that I could go

for I could not rise from the firmament

upon which I was placed, and nowhere could I

so I kept until I could no more straight

then bent said I am down to make room for the more

and you half hearing did send me down

into the soul of another by mistakes

and I would like to thank you for it

from where I lie, risen in the eye of the other.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/21/2011 05:54:00 PM

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

poem by Rumi 

Become Part Of The Truth - Jellaludin Rumi

When school or mosque, tower or minaret get torn down,

Then Dervishes may begin their community.

For only when faithfulness turns to betrayal

And betrayal into trust

Can any human being become part of the truth.

- Jellaludin Rumi

# posted by Dorothy : 9/20/2011 01:06:00 PM

Monday, September 19, 2011

On chi 

www.soundstrue.com/weeklywisdom

If you can access the above site (you can also google it as soundstrue weekly wisdom), you can listen to an impressive excerpt from a new interview they have issued on the energies of chi. Interestingly enough, the speaker attributes to chi energy virtually all that is also attributed to kundalini--the power that begets and sustains the universe and all that it contains.

Apparently there is actually little difference between what is called chi and what is called kundalini--at least, I have not been able to discover the distinction. Either way, they are beneficent force running through all sentient (and some would say insentient life as well). They are what keeps us "alive and running."

# posted by Dorothy : 9/19/2011 03:31:00 PM

Friday, September 16, 2011

from Anam Cara 

The following is from the newsletter of Anam Cara Foundation, founded and directed by Lawrence Edwards, Ph. D.

Dear Friend

We are in a period of time when great challenges face all of us no matter what region of the globe we live in. Structures of all kinds are being pressured to respond in new and creative ways, or fail and crumble.

This pressure may be felt impacting the structures of our personal relationships, even the structures of our mind - our belief structures, thought structures, ego structures.

The pressures are also obvious on our political, economic, environmental, and spiritual structures.

Meeting these demands requires that we reach deep into our wisdom source through our various means of accessing that - prayer, contemplation, meditation, study, exercise, community - and energetically, selflessly work to support the most conscious, expansive and inclusive ways forward. Our leaders need your wisdom and insights.

There are no margins for standing on the side-lines. We all need to pull together. If I'm not pulling, then I'm dead weight for someone else to drag along.

Together we will transform our world. This is a time for collective transformation and that is very challenging. Living meditation, fully integrated meditation, allows us to free ourselves and others from the suffering imposed by the afflicted mind-states of others as well as our own.

Emaho!

Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching

Stephen Mitchell translator

The great Way is easy,

yet people prefer the side paths.

Be aware when things are out of balance.

Stay centered in the Tao.

When rich speculators prosper

while farmers lose their land;

when government officials spend money

on weapons instead of cures;

when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible

while the poor have nowhere to turn -

all this is robbery and chaos.

It is not in keeping with the Tao.

54

Whoever is planted in the Tao

will not be rooted up.

Whoever embraces the Tao

will not slip away.

Her name will be held in honor

from generation to generation.

Let the Tao be present in your life

and you will become genuine.

Let it be present in your family

and your family will flourish.

Let it be present in your country

and your country will be an example

to all the countries of the world.

Let it be present in the Universe

and the Universe will sing.

How do I know this is true?

By looking inside myself.

Harper Perennial Classics, 2006

# posted by Dorothy : 9/16/2011 03:18:00 PM

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Poem by Darshan Singh 

At dusk, at dawn I gaze upon your beauty

By Darshan Singh

(1921 - 1989)

English version by Barry Lerner and Harbans Singh Bedi

At dusk, at dawn I gaze upon your beauty --

A dazzling spectacle of rising moon and sun.

So far, the wayfarers have not discovered your footprints:

They stand staring at the stepstone of your door

Your glance of abundant grace did not satisfy;

We with the seeing eye know a glance from a glance.

Saqi, they've just arrived and taken their seats;

How is it that they've already gained intimacy?

Some you inspire with the madness of prostration:

They cannot tell their heads from your door.

Saqi, whoever comes by even a tinge of awakening

We see sitting in your assembly, oblivious to this world.

Men who are maddened by the thought of the goal

See not fellow travelers -- they are intent on the road.

Master, in what strange state your Darshan lives:

We always see his eyes moist with tears.

(picture from internet source)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/15/2011 11:39:00 AM

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sky Beauty 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14792580

The above site contains beautiful images of what is in outer space. It tells us, once more, that we are all related, for we all observe the same sky.

(The above picture is from the Hubble site, not the one mentioned above.)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/14/2011 10:24:00 AM

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

poem by Mary Oliver 

The Kingfisher

The kingfisher rises out of the black wave

like a blue flower, in his beak

he carries a silver leaf. I think this is

the prettiest world -- so long as you don't mind

a little dying, how could there be a day in your whole life

that doesn't have its splash of happiness?

There are more fish than there are leaves

on a thousand trees, and anyway the kingfisher

wasn't born to think about it, or anything else.

When the wave snaps shut over his blue head, the water

remains water--hunger is the only story

he has ever heard in his life that he could believe.

I don't say he's right. Neither

do I say he's wrong. Religiously he swallows the silver leaf

with its broken red river, and with a rough and easy cry

I couldn't rouse out of my thoughtful body

if my life depended on it, he swings back

over the bright sea to do the same thing, to do it

(as I long to do something, anything) perfectly.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(House of Light)

(image found on google)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/13/2011 11:10:00 AM

Monday, September 12, 2011

Yoga Vasistha 

The Yoga Vasistha is one of the oldest and most venerated texts of ancient India, dating from somewhere around the 12th to the 14 centuries. It is closely related to Vedanta philosophy. I have never studied it, but somehow have long been fascinated by the name itself. When I looked it up on Wikipedia, here is what I found:

Yoga Vasistha is divided into six parts: dis-passion, qualifications of the seeker, creation, existence, dissolution and liberation. It sums up the spiritual process in the seven Bhoomikas:

Śubhecchā (longing for the Truth): The yogi (or sādhaka) rightly distinguishes between permanent and impermanent; cultivates dislike for worldly pleasures; acquires mastery over his physical and mental organism; and feels a deep yearning to be free from Saṃsāra.

Vicāraṇa (right inquiry): The yogi has pondered over what he or she has read and heard, and has realized it in his or her life.

Tanumānasa (attenuation – or thinning out – of mental activities): The mind abandons the many, and remains fixed on the One.

Sattvāpatti (attainment of sattva, "reality"): The Yogi, at this stage, is called Brahmavid ("knower of Brahman"). In the previous four stages, the yogi is subject to sañcita, Prābrabdha and Āgamī forms of karma. He or she has been practicing Samprajñāta Samādhi (contemplation), in which the consciousness of duality still exists.

Asaṃsakti (unaffected by anything): The yogi (now called Brahmavidvara) performs his or her necessary duties, without a sense of involvement.

Parārthabhāvanī (sees Brahman everywhere): External things do not appear to exist to the yogi (now called Brahmavidvarīyas), and tasks are performed only at the prompting of others. Sañcita and Āgamī karma are now destroyed; only a small amount of Prārabdha karma remains.

Turīya (perpetual samādhi): The yogi is known as Brahmavidvariṣṭha and does not perform activities, either by his will or the promptings of others. The body drops off approximately three days after entering this stage.

Note: Although not many of us will reach the later stages of this journey, we can all pursue the initial steps: we can long for truth, and seek to know it in our own psyches. The stage of "thinning out of mental activities" reminds me of the pronouncement of Baghwan Shree Rashneesh (the rascal guru of years past): "The mind must drop before enlightenment can occur." Many of us are so caught up in the world of thinking that we fail to enter the stage of "wordless knowing." I think this adherence to a strictly mental path is an obstacle to many academics and intellectuals who are, in effect, "domed against heaven" and thus miss the most important aspect of the journey. (However, I am not at all anti-intellectual--I just feel the mental should be balanced with the intuitive or feeling state, which is a different way of "knowing.")

(image found on Wikipedia)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/12/2011 02:51:00 PM

Friday, September 09, 2011

Karmic Energetic Connections by Teala Spitzbarth 

As we move ahead on our individual spiritual paths, we discover more and more connections with like minded souls. It is often as if they are part of our own "soul groups," and seems as though we are "from the same place." The internet has, of course, made such meetings easier and easier. We can communicate easily with one another, and such connection is especially valued when we exist (as we all do) in a society which is devoted to other aims and interests.

Here is a recent reflection from Teala Spitzbarth, who articulates this idea very well:

This is what I love seeing since my Kundalini awakening – this network of karmic energetic connections – like a network of light between us. How when one of us opens up you see the ripples, even where there may be no direct physical communication. This was very confusing for me with my healer Charlie at first, there was such a strong energetic connection, obvious potentiations between us, that I kept thinking we were supposed to be interacting on the physical level too. He kept telling me there was a “dialogue” between us, but it was a universal dialogue, not one he was “doing”. But for me it slowly becomes a little more conscious, like being aware of a soul dimension where etheric bodies are “talking”, across distance and time. The stuff of Yoga Vasistha ...

She said to me

"It never ceases to amaze me

how life seems to connect those

who are meant to be in touch -

like a giant jigsaw puzzle!"

And I replied

"It is like the instruments

of God's orchestra

finding one another

and tuning up!"

(from God's Orchestra Tuning Up

by Teala Spitzbarth)

( Note: Yoga Vasistha is an ancient Hindu text outlining the wisdom of the Sage Vasistha, who explains to the student the truth behind all existence--that the notion of separate identity is an illusion, for Brahma is all that exists. It is said that enlightenment occurs when one fully grasps this truth.)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/09/2011 12:12:00 PM

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Theta Healing 

Today I received a notice from Amazon about a healing technique I was not familiar with, called "Theta Healing." It is described in a new book by Vianna Stibal, who discovered the technique more or less accidentally and has had some remarkable experiences using it on herself and others.

As most of us now know, brain waves can exist in four states: alpha, gamma, delta and theta.

Theta is considered the highest of these and is the state that long term serious meditators strive to enter in their practice.

Vianna had been highly intuitive since childhood, and had done literally thousands of "readings" for those seeking her help. When she "read" for people she "left her body through the top of her head," and in this state the information came through. Ultimately she discovered that while in this same state, she could heal people, miraculously and instantaneously.

I have long been fascinated with various forms of similar non-traditional healing techniques, and find this one of special interest. I have never done healing work, but would still like to, even if only on myself. I am also convinced that Kundalini--expressed as "love/bliss"--involves some similar shift of consciousness into a "higher' level, when subtle feelings and responses can more easily be experienced.

Vianna has a website which describes not only the practice but listings of practitioners across the world. And--the book is listed on Amazon, where you can also read a substantial portion of the text (through "look inside") and get a better idea of what this approach involves.

She has gone on to perform countless healings worldwide, and gives workshops all over the globe, including classes for others who then also become "Theta Healers."

Indeed, the veils are thinning in this time of world crisis. It is exciting to be alive at this time and witness the vast global transformation occurring across the planet. Things that were once highly esoteric and difficult to locate are more and more becoming part of the norm.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/08/2011 04:25:00 PM

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Rumi Salon in Boulder 

Ruminating Rumi

An Evening of Discourse on the Mystic Poets

Limited Seating: Order Tickets in Advance

Cafe de la Culture

The Venue for Visionaries

"Join in a new social renaissance!"

7pm

Saturday

September 17

Limited Seating

Order Tickets Now

$20 per person

Bring your own beverage and

your favorite

mystic poems

CLICK HERE to see more of our Featured Guests

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Featured Speaker:

Habiba Ashki Kabir

Habiba Ashki Kabir has been on the Sufi path for over 35 years. Her spiritual work has taken her deeply into the heart of mystical Sufism. She has been a guest speaker and led practices at Naropa University, CU Boulder, DU, CSU and Colorado University at Colorado Springs. She has visited tombs of great Sufis, including Mohammed, upon him be peace, Rumi and Shems. She currently is the guide for the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi community in Boulder. She is the author of a soon to be published book called Embracing a New Planetary Consciousness. She lives in Boulder with her husband, Kabir, who is a teacher of Indian music, both privately and at

Naropa University.

Featured Speaker:

Dorothy Walters, Ph.D.

Dorothy Walters, Ph. D., spent many years as a university professor of English and Women's Studies. During that time she helped to set up one of the first women's studies movements in the country and was active in the early feminist movement. In l981 she experienced a dramatic spiritual transformation through spontaneous Kundalini awakening, an event that put her in close contact with the feminine divine. Since then, she has focused on writing prose and poetry about the spiritual journey, much of it inspired by Rumi. She has published several books relating to mystical experience and publishes a blog at www.kundalinisplendor.blogspot.com

More Featured Guests for Sept. 17...

Jesse Manno (acoustic musician) is a composer, producer, improviser, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist based in Boulder, CO, where he is Music Director of the University of Colorado Dance Department. His work with numerous Theatre and Dance companies has been presented all over the U.S. and in several European and Asian countries, with support from Meet the Composer Inc., PBS, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among others. As a specialist in Balkan and Middle Eastern Music, he performs frequently with the regional ensemble SHEREFE, which just released a new album called SALA SALA. www.jessemanno.com , www.sherefe.org

Brett Bowen (acoustic musician) has been playing world percussion, and specializing in Arabic and Turkish drumming, for 20 years. With many performing and recording credits on his resume, Brett has played throughout the western U.S. with numerous bands such as Kairo by Night, Desert Wind, Slickrock Gypsies, the Saltanah Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, Kara Nomadica, Zuruna, Tito Malaga, Beth Quist, and has recently been recording and touring with the amazing Kailin Yong Peace Project.

Kristina Sophia (acoustic musician) is a world-traveler, pioneering co-creator of Musical Missions of Peace, and co-star of Singing in Baghdad. She has sung in the Cairo stadium for an audience of 60,000 Egyptians and performed in the war-zones of Iraq with partner Cameron Powers. She has taught singing, healing sound and voice therapy for 15 years and has 2 critically acclaimed CDs. www.musicalmissionsofpeace.org

Cameron Powers's (acoustic musician) musical and linguistic careers recently led him to stand in solidarity with the people of Iraq by sharing Iraqi love songs on the streets of Baghdad in 2003. In 1973 Cameron lived in Greece and studied Greek language and Greek music. Returning to Boulder, Cameron began the study of Arabic music with various local bands: "The Silk Route," "The Boulder Bouzouki Band," "Solspice," and "Sherefe." In his travels, he has also studied with Nasser Musa, George Lammam, Haig Manoukian, Faruk Tekbilek, Nabil Azzam and Simon Shaheen, as well as with numerous musicians whom he has met in Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco. Now back from multiple trips to Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine, he and his partner, Kristina, have been traveling throughout the US, helping people better understand the Middle Eastern, Arabic, psyche. Funding to help support refugee Iraqi musicians preserve Iraqi musical culture by passing it on to Iraqi children has passed through the non-profit organization, Musical Missions of Peace, which was designed and built around Cameron and Kristina's work. www.musicalmissionsofpeace.org

Berivan Sart (belly dancer) is a native of Paris, France and speaks Turkish, Spanish, French and English. She has a strong interest in music and dance of many types. She was the pianist for the Paris based contemporary tango quintet "Los Lobos del Tango" for two years and likes to play percussion, as well. Berivan's family has a mix of Turkish and Kurdish ancestry and she learned belly dancing in the many Turkish weddings she attended in both France and Turkey. Currently she teaches Spanish at CU Boulder and is in the process of completing her Master's in Hispanic Linguistics.

Tammie Beam (belly Dancer) has been captivating audiences with her graceful expression and love of the art of belly dance for many years. Growing up in Colorado, she began her study when she was 15 years old. After raising a family of her own and returning to college, Tammie recently resumed her study of the dance to find her passion still alive and well and her audiences still enchanted and appreciative.

Linda Lile, Ph.D. (essential oils and aromatherapy)

Luxuriate in the nurturing, deep relaxation and healing energy of essential oils and gentle body work with Linda Lile, (PhD,GTP,ABD). Linda is a highly intuitive multi-talented holistic practitioner and instructor. She has a depth of experience in a number of healing modalities including aroma therapy, gemstone therapy and several forms of gentle body energy work. She holds a PhD in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Craniosacral Therapy. Linda has been an international instructor of Gemstone Therapy since 1992. She has more than 25 years of experience as a healing arts practitioner.

www.gatewaystotheheart.com

Heather Neher (certified massage therapist) is a graduate of Healing Spirits Massage Therapy Training Program, where she now assists in the classroom for current students. She offers Integrative Massage Therapy and Therapuetic Yoga Sessions and has been studying the body and healing for two decades. Her passion for meditation flavors and contributes to the healing and insights that come from massage and yoga. Inspired by her own meditation practice and experience, she listens deeply and is respectful of each body's unique needs and challenges. She specializes in Specific Pain and Injury Treatment and Deep Tissue work. She is also a Parenting Coach. Heather has worked in many settings including senior homes and has trained in Comfort Touch for the Elderly and Ill. She is often seen about town offering chair massage at various sites in Boulder County. www.downdog.massagetherapy.com

Cara Cruickshank (your host and chef) is an educational designer, theater director and choreographer, organic personal chef, event coordinator, dancer, singer and former Broadway actress who's work emphasizes diversity and community building. For twelve years, Cara has been creating public events, performances and programs in the artistic and cultural spheres of communities throughout the U.S. and more recently, Brazil and Turkey. Cara's events have been frequently media and celebrity acclaimed, hailed as, "Enchanting...as much fun to perform in as to watch!" (Woodstock Times Journalist, 2008), and "Delightful, inspiring, energizing, entertaining and creative...a vibe of vintage...merged with 21st century world consciousness." (Michael Lang, producer of the Woodstock Concert Festivals, 2009). www.organicpersonalchef.blogspot.com

About Cafe de la Culture

Café de la Culture is Boulder's new monthly, nonprofit venue celebrating the unique and diverse population of thinkers and visionaries in Boulder and Denver. We are here to create an inclusive meeting ground for the artistic, cultural, scientific, philosophical, literary and spiritual communities of the Boulder and Denver area. We facilitate the exchange of timely ideas and vision within a dynamic, multi-sensory experience featuring art, music, dance, cuisine and traditions from around the world. Each month, our event will feature a new topic of discourse and a variety of respected artists and speakers from around the world, as well as a new cultural ambiance and gastronomy to enjoy. As a participant at Café de la Culture, you will join in a new social renaissance, engaging in dialogue with contemporaries from a variety of fields and building constructive collaborations which promote understanding, new ideas and positive change.

Support Us Volunteer

Located at:

The Caritas Spiritist Center

5723 Arapahoe Ave., Suite 1A

Boulder, CO 80303

(720) 935-2540

organicpersonalchef@yahoo.com

Limited Seating: Order Tickets Online from e-mail address above.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/07/2011 04:19:00 PM

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Kundalini and the Internet 

Can Kundalini energies be transmitted through the internet? I think so.

Recently I received an announcement of a spiritual retreat/workshop in a tradition which especially interests me. Almost immediately I noticed sweet energies moving in my hands and forearms, so I practiced a little of the Tandava dance (gentle free arm movements), first seated and then standing. And --voila--after some time of no feelings of this sort, I had a session of soft and delightful flowing energy, mainly in the hands and arms and neck.

This experience caused me to reflect on other times when similar reactions occurred. I thought of other instances when I had received e-mails from highly developed persons, and felt my body thrill in delight. And I remembered that once I opened a site which offered reiki via the internet--and indeed, I felt the blissful vibrations then.

Again, one wonders, how can such things happen? I don't think it is the electronic process per se, but perhaps rather the message itself which awakens the resting energies into activity. The cells respond to the cues that are being given, and may go into states of "love bliss" as a result.

(The same could be said of, say, printed poems--they too can arouse the shakti, but it is not the paper nor the print which does so--yet, I have to admit that sometimes when one enters a bookstore, one can feel the sweet vibrations emanating from the volumes on the shelves.)

Thus, it seems possible that "transmissions" in the traditional sense may be possible over the internet. Perhaps the entire world could be awakened in this manner, as we all become one in the vast world net of relatedness. (There are likely sites doing something like this now, but I am not familiar with them.)

The old slogan "Make love, not war" comes to mind here. The Beloved" within can offer experiences of bliss (lovemaking with the Invisible Divine) which can counteract the need for violent action, so prevalent in our world today. A world of love, in which people--like dolphins--can constantly exchange blissful energies, would be a blessing indeed.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/06/2011 12:33:00 PM

Monday, September 05, 2011

Poem by MIchael Black 

As Above, So Below

I 'm puzzled, frankly, that

The Lotus Blossom's beauty and

Perfection is often taken at

Mother Earth's expense.

I'm perplexed why so

Few see the murky

Tangle of water, earth, and roots

Below as any less a miracle?

Peer inside the amethyst geode

And you encounter a brilliant realm of

Geometric precision and beauty, its ordinary-

Appearing agate casing providing

An extraordinary Home.

It's easy to overlook the Great Oak's

Acorns for the seed germ which lies buried within.

Is the top of an Hourglass really any different

Than its unassuming base?

How may awakening Humans recognize the murky tangle of

Water, earth and roots, well before anticipating their fabled

Culmination?

How may we invite the once invisible to become

Consciously manifest?

What will it take to marvel at a

Thunderegg's capsule well before

We pry open the book within?

I'm frankly puzzled that, where

Oneness gathers, only

Separation and polarity

Is perceptible?

Perhaps its the mind that's so skilled

At taxonomy--at sorting--that usurps

The Heart's domain, for without

Navigating from HEARTspace; No Unity

IS Possible.

So the next time you peer into a Lotus Blossom,

At a flowering amethyst, or hold a seed to your pulsating

Heart, give each whole their appointed hour, for

EARTHearts begin by connecting with all that IS,

Thereby turning the Hourglass on its Head, and

Mindfully watching as sand spills forth with perfect

Equanimity; Reminding One what every

Lotus Blossom knows:

As Below, So Above

by Michael Black

(image found on Google)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/05/2011 02:30:00 PM

Friday, September 02, 2011

poem by Rumi 

I've Broken Through To Longing

I've broken through to longing

Now, filled with a grief I have

Felt before, but never like this.

The center leads to love.

Soul opens the creation core.

Hold on to your particular pain.

That too can take you to God.

- Jellaludin Rumi

(translated by Coleman Barks)

(picture from internet)

# posted by Dorothy : 9/02/2011 11:30:00 AM

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Poem by Hafiz 

Cast All Your Votes For Dancing

I know the voice of depression

Still calls to you.

I know those habits that can ruin your life

Still send their invitations.

But you are with the Friend now

And look so much stronger.

You can stay that way

And even bloom!

Keep squeezing drops of the Sun

From your prayers and work and music

And from your companions' beautiful laughter.

Keep squeezing drops of the Sun

From the sacred hands and glance of your Beloved

And, my dear,

From the most insignificant movements

Of your own holy body.

Learn to recognize the counterfeit coins

That may buy you just a moment of pleasure,

But then drag you for days

Like a broken man

Behind a farting camel.

You are with the Friend now.

Learn what actions of yours delight Him,

What actions of yours bring freedom

And Love.

Whenever you say God's name, dear pilgrim,

My ears wish my head was missing

So they could finally kiss each other

And applaud all your nourishing wisdom!

O keep squeezing drops of the Sun

From your prayers and work and music

And from your companions' beautiful laughter

And from the most insignificant movements

Of your own holy body.

Now, sweet one,

Be wise.

Cast all your votes for Dancing!

- Hafiz

I had just read about a new movie called "Happiness" (with Richard Gere, the Dalai Lama and other notables) when I came across this poem. It seemed the perfect answer. According to the information on the movie site, the world is now suffering an epidemic of depression (emotional, not financial). Certainly, the world today is filled with massive problems, personal and global. The movie focuses on four teenagers from Santa Cruz, California, who are trying to deal with the challenge of relating to the world they have inherited and discovering the path to happiness.

Personally, I do not believe that happiness is achieved by making it a goal in itself, but rather it is a by product of devotion to what is divine in the universe (and thus in ourselves) and dedication to service of whatever kind. Kundalini is of great help in this effort, because it can put us in touch with what is most sacred and joyous within ourselves, and thus help us to love both self and others.

# posted by Dorothy : 9/01/2011 09:45:00 AM