Kundalini Splendor

Relax

Bad things are going to happen.
Your tomatoes will grow a fungus
and your cat will get run over.
Someone will leave the bag with the ice cream
melting in the car and throw
your blue cashmere sweater in the drier.
Your husband will sleep
with a girl your daughter’s age, her breasts spilling
out of her blouse. Or your wife
will remember she’s a lesbian
and leave you for the woman next door. The other cat–
the one you never really liked–will contract a disease
that requires you to pry open its feverish mouth
every four hours. Your parents will die.
No matter how many vitamins you take,
how much Pilates, you’ll lose your keys,
your hair and your memory. If your daughter
doesn’t plug her heart
into every live socket she passes,
you’ll come home to find your son has emptied
the refrigerator, dragged it to the curb,
and called the used appliance store for a pick up–drug money.
There’s a Buddhist story of a woman chased by a tiger.
When she comes to a cliff, she sees a sturdy vine
and climbs half way down. But there’s also a tiger below.
And two mice–one white, one black–scurry out
and begin to gnaw at the vine. At this point
she notices a wild strawberry growing from a crevice.
She looks up, down, at the mice.
Then she eats the strawberry.
So here’s the view, the breeze, the pulse
in your throat. Your wallet will be stolen, you’ll get fat,
slip on the bathroom tiles of a foreign hotel
and crack your hip. You’ll be lonely.
Oh taste how sweet and tart
the red juice is, how the tiny seeds
crunch between your teeth.

- Ellen Bass

from Larry Robinson:
My new collection of poems, Roll Away The Stone, is now available for only $15 on Amazon through the link below. These are 40 of the best (in my opinion) of the poems I have written over the past 20 years. I hope you will buy a copy and/or write a review.
Larry

http://www.amazon.com/Roll-Away-Stone-Larry-Robinson/dp/151723686X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1443476117&sr=8-6&keywords=roll+away+the+stone

from Dorothy:
Larry Robinson has served the cause of poetry for many years.  His offerings of a daily poem have introduced many of us to fine poets we might otherwise not have known.  He is also a major presence in the poetry scene of Sonoma County, California.

In addition to his years of service to poetry, he is himself a very fine poet.  This book is well worth your attention and your support.

Roll Away The Stone

This fecund earth has lain covered long enough.
It wants to throw off its asphalt blankets,
Stretch and yawn and send forth
Ten thousand blades of grass.


Behind their dams, rivers dream of the sea.
They yearn to burst their bonds and run wild,
To feel the caress of the banks and beyond,
To sing their ancient songs of joy and abandon.


Something has been calling to you
For longer than you can remember.
Calling you to step out into the light, into your life.
It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re ready or not.
The time has come.
Roll away the stone!
Roll away the stone!

Larry Robinson
_______________________________________________

A Prayer for Our Time

Oh, body of beauty,
body of light,
body of pain,
send joy which is mercy
into out lives
at this time.

Send radiance of knowing
into the selves
of those
who do not see,
charity into the hearts
of those who are hardened
against the suffering around us.

Let us feel always at a deeper level,
and know their pain
as our own,
their joy as well,
as we move into
the darkness
that surrounds.

Dorothy Walters
September 26, 2015

September.  At the Lake


In early June the lake is new.
Glaciers on the granite rim melt,
rivulets of ice-clouded water gush
down lime-streaked vertical walls.
It is alpine here
with an awareness of snow in every cloud,
even on brilliant blue warm days.
At dawn, wood smoke rises from chimneys.
Campers awake chilled, don sweaters,
brew coffee, greet the morning, wait
for voices rising up along the trail.
Youngsters arrive to scramble over boulders,
climb the cliffs as a test of themselves,
hesitate, then dare the perilous leap.
They fling themselves airward
and the dark lake swallows them in a bellowing splash
until they emerge, gasping.

Throughout the summer, we make the pilgrimage,
yearning to recapture a dream -
these cabins, cold lemonade at the store,
black and white photographs of a time before the road,
a pristine world that once was, everywhere.
The long, endless days stretch toward autumn.
September.  The quiet time.
Nothing left to prove, no need to hurry.
The lake is its own slow clock.
It mirrors leaves glowing gold and red.
Trout rise in spreading circles,
aspens shiver dry and sound like
a memory of rain,
jays and squirrels grow plump,
and one last trickle winds its way
from the peak to the lake
playing brook music on the water.

- Elaine Watkins

(picture from internet)
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When the mind is at peace

By P'ang Yun (Layman P'ang)
(740? - 808)

English version by Stephen Mitchell

When the mind is at peace,
the world too is at peace.
Nothing real, nothing absent.
Not holding on to reality,
not getting stuck in the void,
you are neither holy nor wise, just
an ordinary fellow who has completed his work.

-- from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry

Layman P'ang chose to be a householder sage rather than a monk in a monastery.  Although he had accumulated considerable wealth, he did not keep it.  It felt his goods would contaminate whoever he gave it to, so he sent all he owned out on a boat and sank it in the middle of a lake.  He and his wife lived frugally thereafter, supporting themselves by making bamboo baskets. 

I just found out that Stephanie Marohn had to evacuate herself and her animals on September 11 because of the fires raging in the near vicinity.  Fortunately, they all got out alive and were taken to another animal shelter some hour and a half away where they are staying for now.  I have written about Stephanie at various times on this blog.

She is not yet allowed to go back to see if her house is o.k. or burned up.  As we know, these fires are unpredictable,  and sometimes leave one house burned to the ground while the residence next door is untouched.

Stephanie is one who truly loves animals and would do all in her power to see that they are loved and well cared for.

My heart goes out to her and to all who are the victims of this holocaust in the gold country of California.

The basic problem is the drought, and the drought is caused by climate change, but some people are still in denial.

Please send prayers for Stephanie.

Evidence

I.

Where do I live? If I had no address, as many people
do not, I could nevertheless say that I lived in the
same town as the lilies of the field, and the still
waters.

Spring, and all through the neighborhood now there are
strong men tending flowers.

Beauty without purpose is beauty without virtue. But
all beautiful things, inherently, have this function -
to excite the viewers toward sublime thought. Glory
to the world, that good teacher.

Among the swans there is none called the least, or
the greatest.

I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in
singing, especially when singing is not necessarily
prescribed.

As for the body, it is solid and strong and curious
and full of detail; it wants to polish itself; it
wants to love another body; it is the only vessel in
the world that can hold, in a a mix of power and
sweetness: words, song, gesture, passion, ideas,
ingenuity, devotion, merriment, vanity, and virtue.

Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.

~ Mary Oliver ~















__,_._,___

Evidence



Just as I manage to lasso the full moon

and begin to reel it  into this poem,

it disappears behind a bank of clouds.



It wants to be loved directly,

not nailed to a page with ink.



We don’t thank the moon for its appearance,

yet it blesses us in some way regardless.

Tonight I take its shadowy light as hearsay evidence

of the whereabouts of holiness.

Penny Hackett Evans

(This poem was written about ten years ago and expresses my responses after buying a thangka (wall hanging) of Buddha.  At that time, I was still in the state of extreme Kundalini arousal.  I still have the thangka, but no longer practice in front of it.)


LIVING WITH BUDDHA

(Recently I purchased a Buddhist thangka
which seems to possess special powers of 
 awakening the inner vibrations.  This
poem is about this experience.)

1.

I never expected this.
As always, it was just the music and me,
the vibrations coming on like waves
ruffling the shore.
And then the Unseen came,
taking my breath,
sly cat circling the cradle
where the naked baby lies,
and suddenly—
You appeared,
radiant being
lit from within
like an icon set in a temple
incandescence lighting
your face, your breast,
now there was the outer image,
and this inner brightness as well--
what was I to do?

2.

True, there had been a time of preparation, a leading up—
for days, Tibetan music
with its raucous gongs and drums
beating the blood
to a kind of inner frenzy,
slow movement whipping the vibrations
to a pitch,
like a lash
over the waves,
everything pulsating,
bliss, they call it,
who can give it a name?

3.

And then the day when many Buddhas
came within
in geometric procession,
appearing one behind the other,
like figures in a text
on perspective,
showing how objects maintain power
even as they diminish,
I couldn’t even move.

4.

I found it there days earlier,
on the wall of the import store,
holding me in its gaze,
Buddha in a wall painting,
a kind of scroll
with the Teacher
captured in the design,
they name it a thangka,
majestic presence
calling me.

But I didn’t yield.
I left empty handed.

5.

But later
I returned,
telling myself,
If it’s still there,
I’ll take it,
if not, I’ll simply say
it wasn’t meant to be,
and muse on nonattachment.

It was waiting.
I ran my hand over the face
and felt sweetness
ripple like musk-scented breezes
over my wrist.
I’ll take it, I said.

6.

Next morning,
when I bowed
to this image
on my wall,
the energies
pulsed so sweet and strong
I almost could not stand.

First, my head
was blessed
as if his aura
touched my own,
then body, legs,
arms and hands
all began quietly to move,
to slowly dance,
and I became a turning
Buddha field
of light,
my limbs like blossomings of
love,
some kind of nectar,
I could not even ask
what was happening,
I could only
become
whatever it was.

7.

And so each morning,
there was boundless bliss
and inner teachers came,
each day someone new,
I gave them nicknames
to keep them straight,
“Sturdy Boy” or “Master Chi”
or “Ting Mao” with his flowing
sleeves and fan,
Tara with my mother’s face,
so many, all to lead me
in my morning rite,
new movements, new postures,
I was easily led, bliss currents streaming.




8.

When I moved in close
to get a better look,
the Buddha field
surrounded me.
I turned my face gently
right and left,
I felt its soft stroke
along my cheeks,
I bowed
and began my movements
once again.

How many minutes
could I stay
in this electric clasp?
How long survive
in this dense
torrent of love?

9.

High, high.

Were these the vibrations
of the outer realms,
the place of gods and
deities of every kind,
the supramundane,
suprahuman,
other worldly
spirits from the
secret spheres?


When Zeus came down to Semele,
she vanished in a flash.

Who can withstand
such all devouring love,
who is willing
to be pierced again and again by light,
light purified at source?


First, you arrived
like a flower
lit from within,
holding its own sun.

I let your
multiple form
inhabit my mind.

Now you are an image
poised
against my wall.

Each morning
I stand before you, bow,
move about a bit,
while you watch quietly
in your steady pose,
you the unchanging,
compassionate wisdom,
easy love.

This message from Tom Kenyon describes a state common to many of us--reaching a point of high vibrational frequencies during meditation or workshops or even peak experiences, then suddenly descending into the opposite on the following days.  The meditation he speaks of is the recent world meditation to increase global awareness.

A Hathor Message

The Hathor Planetary Meditation: An Update

There were over 500 people gathered in the Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre at Symphony Space in New York to be the nexus point for the global meditation on Sept. 5th.

The meditation was recorded and you can listen and/or download it using the link at the bottom of this page. You are receiving this sound meditation because you received the Hathor postings. It is only being made available to people who receive the Hathor postings or joined us in New York. It will also be part of a workshop set when that is produced. This is copyrighted material. We ask that you not post it anywhere or use it in any way other than for your personal use.

The Hathors have said that the meditation, which was joined by tens of thousands of people around the world, was successful, and we should see an increase of global awareness and action regarding our ecosystem within the next 9 – 12 months. Upon questioning them further, they said that this shift would come from grassroots organizations, the voices of children and international cooperation unimaginable at this point in time.

I thought some of you might like to know my personal experience around the meditation. For days before the event I was resistant because I intuitively sensed how intense the planetary energetic was going to be and how it was going to affect me.

During the meditation I was clairvoyantly catapulted into space and saw Earth being bathed in celestial light and healing energies by a cornucopia of benevolent beings from multiple dimensions. It was a mind-boggling experience to sense the depth and magnitude of celestial help that was being extended to our planet.

This energetic was so strong I was profoundly altered for many hours. In point of fact, I experienced a rapid activation of my Biophotonic network, meaning that the cells of my body were emitting light at an accelerated rate. This was a psychic impression, mind you, and not something I was able to verify through any type of scientific measurement. But the impression of increased light persisted, and I experienced my energy body as a field of pure diamond lights for over twenty-four hours. Note: If you are new to the science of Biophotonics you can find a list of resources on the topic by going to the Articles section of the website (www.tomkenyon.com) and click on Biophotonics- Class Handout: http://tomkenyon.com/biophotonics-class-handout

While I was still receiving sensory input from my environment and body, it was periodically eclipsed by strong sensations of intense white light, and this phenomenon continued well into the night and into dreamtime.

While my experience of this light-filled body was blissful and ecstatic, my personal reaction afterwards was not. What I mean by this is that when I enter high vibratory fields of energy during Intensives and workshops, there is often a temporary reaction from my egoic self, meaning my contracted level of self. And it often takes some time for me to come back to a state of personal balance, meaning my “normal” (and I do mean quote, unquote) state of being.

Other psychonauts (explorers of consciousness) have also mentioned to me that they have experienced similar phenomena in their own explorations.

In the case of the Sept 5th Hathor Global Meditation, it took me about 72 hours to come back to my usual sense of self, although I must say that there is now a higher energetic in my being as a result of joining all of you in this global meditation and for this I am truly appreciative.

I am sharing this personal anecdote simply to indicate the potency and power of the energetic we all created together. And I am sharing this in case some of you had a similar post meditation reaction similar to mine.

I wish to thank you from the deepest place in my heart for taking the time and energy to participate.

Blessings to you and your loved ones,

Tom

I've Met a Monk

I've met a monk
who's taken vows
in religious rituals.
You know the ones,
poverty, chastity, obedience,
and others as well,
perseverance, stability,
nine in all,
wholeheartedly intending
to keep each of them
until his death.

Catching me off-guard,
his face suffused with simple honesty,
he says those vows, in point of fact, are negotiable.

We are human,
we find loopholes,
technicalities, escape clauses,
we take a leave of absence.

The only vow he will not break
is one he made watching the sun set
on the day of his mother's burial:
"I vow to live before I die."

And that is the definition of a monk,
that inner archetypal monk that lives in each of us:
someone who commits all-out, all-in,
to the inner journey of becoming who she is,
of living as her essential self.

Jan Elvee
September 10, 2015

The Future as Rapture

Recently, as I was casting about for a title for my next book, the possibility of "Kundalini Splendor: The Future as Rapture" came to me.  It is a good title and I may in fact use it at some future date.  It has possibilities.

But then I had to ask myself how such a wondrous outcome for the future could manifest when the world is obviously falling into profound disarray on almost all levels.  I will not catalogue these here, since they are well known to almost all of us.  Books on the real potential for species (human) extinction and/or planet death already are in print.  From many perspectives, the outlook for the future of humanity as well as the planet we inhabit are grim.

Yet, I keep returning to my original vision, offered to me at the time of my own awakening experience now some 34 years ago.  What came through (as if by a download of channeled knowing) was that Kundalini offered access to total renewal of both individual recipients as well as entire populations––indeed to the total inhabitants of earth.  My experience indicated that anything could happen to anyone at any time or place.

Perhaps this sudden and spontaneous shift will come through a "wild card."  Some remedy or turn out of the blue, an impulse we are at present ignorant of, and would not recognize even if it suddenly emerged in the world.

The future is not completely in our hands.  We do not direct nor control such dramatic and transformative events, though we can certainly participate in efforts to slow the process of destruction now devastating our planet.  I am not advocating that we now simply sit on our hands and wait for a savior of some sort to arrive on a cloud from heaven.  But my experience tells me even this is possible––indeed events seemingly as strange as this have occurred in the past.  Who can say what the future holds, other than endless mystery?

Prayer

Do you really think
that God cares
who wins the Super Bowl
or the lottery or the war
or who gets the parking place
or the promotion?

Don't waste your prayers
asking for special favors
of the One who has given
us our days and our nights,
our time on earth,
sequoias and poppies,
blue whales and blue herons
and - even more - each other.

Here is the only prayer I know
worth the breath.
Say it with me:
Wow!
Thank you!
Amen!

- Larry Robinson
_______________________________________________

September 8, 2015

 Anam Cara Meditation Foundation
 Perennial Wisdom For The Soul's Journey

Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism

Dear Friend

The finite mind, bound by layers of identification with self, body, gender, roles, beliefs, groups, memories of the past and fantasies of the future, yearns for liberation, yearns to cast off its chains and live a life of true freedom. Yet all the mind imagines becomes another prison.

How is true freedom known? How do we escape the confines of the mind when it is the mind itself that confines our consciousness?

Our spiritual and religious traditions give us practices and disciplines to reign in the mind and begin the work of transformation. But in the end we can only directly and fully know our boundless, infinite nature through the power of knowing whose source is beyond the mind, whose source is the Infinite, the One, the Divine, Para-Atman, Buddha, Christ-consciousness...

Through the power, the grace, of our inherent Buddha mind - bodhicitta, Holy Spirit, the Great Mother Prajnaparamita, or Kundalini - the yogic term for our innate universal power of revelation and transformation - consciousness regains awareness of its eternal fullness once again, knowing its all-encompassing, all-embracing, all loving nature, enveloping us as gracefully as space envelops our body, dissolving all boundaries.

The poet saint Kabir says, "all know the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop."

 Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism
 Judith Simmer-Brown

The Great Mother Prajnaparamita

"Knowing the nature of emptiness nondualistically is liberation. Whether you call it emptiness, the absolute, or the dakini makes no difference. All are liberating."
-Ven. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche

Pranjaparamita refers to wisdom or "penetrating insight" (prajna) that is perfected or has "gone beyond" (paramita), which means that it has transcended concept, expectation, or conventionality of any kind. The earliest of these sutras, the Ashtasahasrika, proclaimed Prajnaparamita to be the "mother of all the buddas"...

pp.84-85

 Awakening To The Infinite: The Path To Radical Freedom
 Meditation and Kundalini empowerment retreat led by Lawrence Edwards

Friday evening Nov. 6 - Sunday afternoon, Nov. 8, 2015
The Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY

Click on the picture for retreat information and registration.

 Meditation Programs
 Anam Cara Meditation Foundation

Everyone is welcome to our non-denominational meditation programs. No experience is necessary.

2nd & 4th Thursday Evening Meditation - 7:15pmThe next program is Sept. 10.

2 Byram Brook Place, Armonk, NY 10504.
914-219-8600
All are welcome! No registration needed.

For more information please visit our Events page (click here)

Thank you all for your notes of appreciation for our newsletter. It's great to hear from you!

Everyone has the heart to be a true friend of the soul, an "Anam Cara." By embodying that ideal we may serve to help others to find love and compassion within themselves and the world.

Our highest nature is always manifest in relationship - to all other beings, to the environment, in relation to our own body and mind. Becoming mindful of the quality of our relationships allows us to learn where the light shines and where it needs to shine more. The ideal of Anam Cara is to continuously endeavor to expand the depth and the inclusiveness of the loving kindness we bring into every relationship, every moment, every breath.

If you have any suggestions, comments or sharings, for our newsletter please don't hesitate to e-mail me and I'll do my best to respond.

The Anam Cara Meditation Foundation is a 501 (C) 3, non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching meditative practices. Our non- denominational programs are open to all. There are free meditation instructions and downloadable audio files of guided meditations on the meditation page of our website.

Thank you for the many ways you have shown support for Anam Cara . Because of your gifts we can offer free programs and instruction to thousands of people. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation please send it to the address listed below or go to our website where you can make a secure online donation.

A special thank you to our generous supporters who give donations and make regular pledged donations.

Click HERE. That link will also bring you to our links with Sounds True and purchasing gifts and products from them will help support Anam Cara..

I look forward to welcoming you in person to our programs.

With all my appreciation and love,
I thank you all.

May all beings know complete freedom from suffering and may all our actions reflect only wisdom, compassion, patience and love.


Lawrence Edwards, Ph.D.
Founder and Director
Anam Cara Meditation Foundation

Lawrence at Anam Cara
All newsletter contents copyrighted 2015

email: le@anamcara-ny.org
phone: 914-219-8600
web: http://www.anamcarafoundation.org

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Anam Cara Meditation Foundation | Lawrence Edwards, PhD, Director | 2 Byram Brook Place | Armonk | NY | 10504

Here is a retreat to be offered by Lawrence Edwards (PHD) in early November:

Retreats:
November 2015

Awakening To The Infinite: The Path To Radical Freedom
November 6-8, 2015
Friday evening 7pm- Sunday 1pm
Offered by Lawrence Edwards, PhD

Location:

Garrison Institute – Garrison, NY

Awaken to the Infinite and unfold your unique path to radical freedom. Awakening to the Infinite is awakening to your own boundless true nature, an inexhaustible source of power, creativity, wisdom, and love that is beyond anything the ordinary mind can even imagine. The power of Infinite Consciousness that unfolds the fullness of our highest nature is known as Kundalini in the yogic tradition. It is the power of pure Consciousness to transcend and transform mind/body, giving you direct knowledge of your own divine nature. This meditation retreat includes Kundalini empowerment through classic forms of Kundalini awakening, empowered mantra and other practices.

This power of Consciousness is innate, you already possess it. It is often depicted as a great Goddess. We will explore the Divine Feminine as the Great Goddess, a way of knowing our own Self as both creator of the many forms that bind us and as liberator releasing us from bondage and suffering. It is by Her grace, the grace of your own sublime Self, that ultimate lasting freedom is won. The ancient Upanishads say, “The Self reveals the Self.”

This power of revelation, transformation and grace is known in every spiritual tradition though by different names – Holy Spirit, Kundalini Shakti, Chi, bodhicitta (great mind of enlightenment) and by many other names as well. In this retreat you will be guided through practices that can awaken and unfold your inner power of Consciousness. With that light of Consciousness we will explore the archetypal realms of wisdom, grace and transcendence. Through empowered mantra, chanting, breath work, and the profound tales of the Eastern and Western mystical traditions we will further access the inner source of true knowledge, wisdom and freedom.  We’ll explore the re-emergence of the Divine Feminine who takes seekers to the Source, opening the heart to unbounded Love.  That inner source is your own highest Self, the Divine within, beyond all forms. Awakening to that and living in radical freedom is your birthright.  Kundalini, the power of the Infinite to know its Self in all its boundless glory, opens the most profound levels of meditation. There is nothing more potent, nothing more liberating, and nothing more empowering.  Through this inner power of illumination we can truly know the deep meaning and purpose of our lives. Awaken to the Infinite illuminating your soul’s journey to ecstasy, to radical freedom.

Friday: 7:15-9:15pm
Saturday: 6:30am-4:30pm and 7:15-9:30pm;
Sunday: 9am-1pm
(schedule subject to change during the retreat)
$225 Program Registration Fee

Accommodations are not included in the program fee.

To register and reserve accommodations call 845-424-4800 or visit: Garrison Institute
Accommodations include vegetarian meals Friday evening through lunch on Sunday.
Payment of registration fees and accommodation fees or commuter fees must be paid in full to register.  The Garrison Institute charges a fee for people who are attending the program but staying off-site.
For more information please contact the Garrison Institute.

Sharings from people who have attended past Kundalini retreats led by Lawrence:

Very powerful energy came through the empowerment ritual, the chants, meditations and when you touched my head it felt like a liquid golden energy flowed in. I love your interpretations and guidance on myths, the Vedic texts, etc. It was all beautiful, profound and full of love.
Artist/entrepreneur

I came without expectations and am leaving with a wealth of potential, feeling lighter, having shed some armor that no longer served.
Herbalist/healer

The empowerment ritual had very powerful energy come through. I felt the Kundalini-Holy Spirit-heart connection. I was also impressed with the beautiful people who attended this weekend.
Therapist

The Kundalini weekend spoke to my love of ceremony and experience beyond the mind. First was the preparation, the offering, the invitation to let go of “who you think you are”. It felt solemn and blessed. Then the movement to the descent, the unknown, the darkness. For me this was a time of struggle and resistance while simultaneously being held by the larger loving presence of the group. I can only relate it to the experience of giving birth, laboring in the service of new life. The final stage opened me to energy, light and peace. I was so aware of the thread that existed between all of us who had gone on this journey together. It is such a relief to remember that we are all one.
Clinical Social Worker

Words are difficult to convey what I feel, sense, experience – still, although the intense impact of the weekend has faded, the memory is still alive and I feel the Kundalini alive and active within me. I had no expectation of the intense experience of Kundalini moving through me again when I came to the retreat. But, in the safety you provided, your warmth,caring and presence, as well as your skill in preparing and leading us toward the Kundalini you created fertile ground for the Kundalini to emerge. I was open to the experience of the weekend, whatever it would be, with no fear or desire for anything to happen or not happen. It’s been 30 years since the last intense devastating cataclysmic experience with Kundalini, and I think I’ve been going through a lot of internal preparation for many years for this to open again. This experience was very different with the Light streaming down from above into the crown chakra moving through all the chakras, along with the intense vibrations, shaking, tears that flowed voluminously. It seems to me to be a full circle from the last experience, this time integrating rather than fracturing.
I feel different inside now – more solid and lighter – more connected internally and externally, many opposite qualities seeming to coexist side by side, marrying, joining, yet existing on their own within me as I feel more centered, open, connected on many levels – particularly to a vast pervasive quietness within that I am constantly aware of simply by turning my attention to the inner. Warmth and energy flows through my body as I continue to feel many signs of Kundalini within me. There’s a qualitative difference I feel inside since the retreat.
Psychotherapist

I can’t thank you enough, Lawrence, for your wonderful nurturing support for each of us as well as your openness and skill in facilitating the Kundalini emerging.
Business Woman

"We Must Die Because We Have Known Them"

(Title of poem by Rilke, taken from the sayings of Plath-hotep, ms. from 2,000 B.C.E.)

And not once,
but many times over,
again and again,
how we disappeared
into that deep well
of darkness, shuddering beneath that load of silence,
clinging to our narrow ledge.


Yet the darkness, sometimes,
unfolded as light.
Our atoms dissolved in it,
each separate molecule opening
into a radiant disk of feeling.

How still we became,
witness and thing seen,
spectacle and observer,
each point admitting an untrammeled flood.


Il momento

E non una volta,
ma molte volte in più,
ancora e ancora,
siamo scomparsi
in quel pozzo profondo
di tenebre, rabbrividendo sotto quel carico di silenzio,
aggrappati al nostro stretto cornicione.

Eppure, l'oscurità, a volte,
si è schiusa come luce.
I nostri atomi si son disciolti in essa,
ogni singola molecola si è aperta
in un disco radioso di sentimento.

Come ancora siam diventati,
Testimone e oggetto,
Spettacolo e osservatore,
ogni punto a consentire un libero flusso.

tr. Daniela D'uva, Rome

(picture by Daniela taken in the Abruzzo (region of Italy)

Oliver Sachs

When he told his mother he was gay, she said, "I wish you had never been born."

His mother said,
"I wish you had never
been born,"
and he did his best
to please her.

He covered his sex,
smothered it,
never had sex with anyone
for over thirty years.

He became famous,
was renowned as a
compassionate and humane neurologist,
brought people back
from wherever
they had gone,
gave the world
a window on understanding,
on hope.

The people loved him
for he told their stories,
his colleagues questioned
his "unscientific" approach.

He was described in the press
as unmarried,
celibate.