Kundalini Splendor

Two Kinds of Intelligence

"There are two kinds of intelligence."
                                         Rumi

One is the sort
we acquire in school,
where we memorize,
dissect, discard
what our feelings tell us
about the real direction
our hearts wish to go.

Thus we develop skills
that command
a high price
in the market.
We marry our computers,
or learn to take the stuff
of this world apart,
ever finding new components
to add to an already existing
array of proficiencies.

We thus are certain
that we know what we know,
and never have to think
about other possibilities,
sovereigns of our chosen
kingdoms.

We often become famous,
win prizes,
acclaimed for our discoveries
that make us ever more
marketable.

The other kind of knowledge.
opens us to the secrets of
plants and paintings.
We marry certain trees
and betroth ourselves
to flowers.
Evening clouds
take us aback
with their shifting
array of colors,
purple and subtle orange.
It envelops us
in a kind of awe at concerts,
where we allow ourselves
to be ravished
by sound, frequencies arriving
in nuanced order
to echo deep within.

This kind of knowing
commands love,
a caring for those
who cross our path,
a way of connecting with
others, even those
we have never seen.

This way is not marketable.

It constantly turns the base metal
of our lives into gold.

Dorothy Walters
January 31, 2017

Comment:  This article presents interesting information, but it does not mention the capacity of frankincense and myrrh (or frankincense and amber) to awaken the bliss energies simply by inhaling this combination.   (At least this has been my experience.)  Further, frankincense has been known as a healing agent for centuries and was much prized in earlier times.  The Wise Men brought gifts including frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.  (Frankincense is the gum or resin of the frankincense tree and these trees are now being grown in America.)  Note that in the list below, frankincense and myrrh are among those essential oils that provide oxygen to your system.

As our bodies become more sensitive through awakened Kundalini, these delicate preparations have a deeper effect on our nervous systems.


Shocking Scientific Research on Essential Oils

Regardless of the fact that thousands of people report successful use of essential oils, traditional medical neighborhood tries to dismiss their claims.
In this article we will simply reference scientific studies and let you be the judge for yourself.
Essential oils are everywhere; if you follow any blogs, you will certainly find them in DIY, survival, natural health, and mom blog sites.
So do essential oils truly work, or are they simply costly great smelling quackery?
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils bring the physical real properties of flowers and plants in an extremely focused type. Through the various processes of purification, the unpredictable constituents of the plant’s oil are removed from its flowers, leaves, branches, or roots. Essential oils bring biologically active volatile compounds in a very focused type that show therapeutic benefits in extremely small amounts.
The most common groups of chemical components found in essential oils are terpenes, alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and phenols.
The majority of essential oils are anti-bacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The antioxidant value in some essential oils alone is definitely incredible, simply an ounce of Clove Oil has the antioxidant capability of 450 lbs of carrots, 120 quarts of blueberries, or 48 gallons of beet juice.
There are three types of terpenes containes in essential oils: Phenylpropanoids (also called Hemiterpenes), Monoterpenes, and Sesquiterpenes.
Phenylpropanoids: Create conditions hostile to germs, viruses, and fungis. They are discovered in Clove (90 %), Cassia (80 %), Basil (75 %), Cinnamon (73 %), Oregano (60 %), Anise (50 %), Peppermint (25 %). Most significantly, phenylpropanoids clean the receptor websites on the cells. Without clean receptor websites, cells can not interact, and the body malfunctions, leading to conditions.
Monoterpenes: They are discovered in many essential oils. While offering a variety of healing apartments, the most crucial capability of the monoterpenes is that they can reprogram miswritten information in the cellular memory. With inappropriate coding in the DNA, cells breakdown and conditions result.
Sesquiterpenes: Found in Cedarwood (98 %), Vetiver (97 %), Spikenard (93 %), Sandalwood (Aloes) 90 %, Black Pepper (74 %), Patchouli (71 %), Myrrh (62 %), and Ginger (59 %), Frankincense (8 %), these particles provide oxygen to your tissues.
Fact: Viruses and bacteria have a tough time enduring in an oxygenated environment. Sesquiterpenes may also eliminate or deprogram miswritten codes in the DNA.
Essential oils will not create “superbugs”.
Germs have actually shown that they can mutate to form different type of resistant stress of “superbugs” to adjust to the poisonous antibiotic drugs. Essential oils have never developed a superbug. There have actually been numerous researches clinically showing their efficiency versus basically all germs, including superbugs.
Essential oils have actually been revealed to have antibacterial properties against drug-resistant germs. According to research provided at the Society for General Microbiology’s spring conference in Edinburgh, the essential oils of thyme and cinnamon were found to be especially effective antibacterial representatives against a variety of drug resistant Staphylococcus types which are exceptionally hard to treat.
According to Science Daily, a Georgetown University research study discovered that the germ-killing real properties of oregano oil were discovered as efficient as the majority of prescription antibiotics.
Essential Oils address the cellular level.
Essential oils may penetrate the cellular wall and eliminate viruses, whereas prescription antibiotics can only eliminate germs beyond the cellular wall. One drop of essential oils includes enough molecules to cover every cell in our bodies. Just one molecule can open a receptor site in our bodies and communicate with the DNA to alter cellular function.
Essential oils can be absorbed many ways.
There are approximately 40 million trillion particles in one drop of essential oil (that’s around 40,000 particles for each cell in the typical body). They are so small, that they enter your body through the skin and go everywhere in your body. Essential oils have an unbelievable ability to get in the body through the lungs and disperse throughout the body in a way that other methods are not able to accomplish.
Essential oils can be diffused, applied topically, added to your food, added to your bath.
Just a few drops of essential oil put on the hands, wrists, feet, abdomen, or lower back may provide relief for a number of discomforts.
Essential oils may remove misinformation in our cells.
Essential oils may have the ability to clean receptor sites on the surface area of cells which permits the correct interaction between cells.
Essential oils may have the capability to remove inaccurate DNA and then to remedy it.
Essential Oils can alter your nervous system biochemistry.
A Japanese research discovered that inhaling essential oils can modulate your sympathetic nervous system activity. Specific oils were discovered to be stimulating, while others were discovered to be calming.
For example, according to Dr. Mercola:.
Black pepper, fennel, and grapefruit oil triggered a 1.5-to 2.5-fold boost in supportive nervous system activity (as determined by a boost in systolic blood pressure).
Rose and patchouli oil resulted in a 40 percent reduction in understanding nervous system activity.
Pepper oil induced a 1.7-fold boost in plasma adrenaline concentration, while increasinged oil caused adrenaline to stop by 30 percent.
Other oils have actually been revealed to measurably lower tension hormones– breathing in lavender and rosemary were shown to minimize cortisol levels.25.
When buying essential oils, keep in mind that they are not the like synthetic scent oils, which most of the times are not safe to make use of on the skin. Pure essential oils are natural.
Many oils likewise need to be weakened with a “carrier oil” such as coconut oil which serves as a base to include a few drops of essential oils to.
Always use a carrier oil when using essential oils on babies and kids since their skin is far more sensitive to the effects.
What Science Says About Essential Oils
I encourage you to follow the below links.  You will be shocked at the amount of science behind the efficacy of essential oils!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18698012
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/31/4/31_4_735/_article
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354298000345
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21078173
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1010518212002272
http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/17/9/10276
http://aromaticscience.com/proving-the-effectiveness-of-essential-oils-against-pathogenic-bacteria-mrsa/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19962288.

Allow

There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. Dam a
stream and it will create a new
channel. Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. The only
safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild and the weak; fear,
fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors of
the heart, or sadness veils your
vision with despair, practice
becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes

~ Danna Faulds

Once when young . . .

Once when young I lay and listened
To the rain falling on the roof
Of a brothel. The candle light
Gleamed on silk and silky flesh.
Then I heard it on the
Cabin roof of a small boat
On the Great River, under
Low clouds, where wild geese cried out
On the Autumn storm. Now I
Hear it again on the monastery
Roof. My hair has turned white.
Joy — sorrow — parting — meeting —
Are all as though they had
Never been. Only the rain
Is the same, falling in streams
On the tiles all through the night.


- Chiang Chieh, 1300 C. E.
  (translated by Kenneth Rexroth)

Dear Friends,

Here is a link that should open the youtube video of the recent reading/ book launch that Andrew Harvey and I did of "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New."  Enjoy!

(Please let me know if this link does not work for you.)

                             https://youtu.be/41cCHmc6-Bk

Who You Are

How the body is put together,
with its tender fastenings,
its mysterious openings,
its muscles working in
smooth coordination
to convey it
where it wishes to go,
how it changes
from year to year,
from day to day,
its cells working in collusion
to carry it always
into a new formulation,
how the face communicates
its signals
wherever it goes,
whether it is
happy or sad
or puzzled
or plotting,
how the inner and outer,
organs and coverings
are part
of the same being,
the same oneness
that is bound together
to make the unique creation,
the one combination
that is you,
present here,
now,
spirit’s abode,
soul’s habitation,
never to be encountered
again
in time’s endless
cycles.

Dorothy Walters
From: Some Kiss We Want
Poems Selected and New

(click on the picture to enlarge and you will see the skeleton in the corner, as a reminder.)

When a Country Obtains Great Power

When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts.

If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world..

- Lao Tzu, Tao te Ching
(Stephen Mitchell translation)

Nostalgia

"Bodily decrepitude is wisdom.
Young, we loved and were innocent."
                           W. B . Yeats

Have you ever thought about
how it was
when you were young
and full of so much energy
and ready for what came
next?

Have you looked at yourself,
sitting there,
listening to "Death and the
Maiden"
or up in the mountains
with your friends,
picnicking and
drinking too much wine?
Or holding hands with the
one you loved, the one
you met last week at
the party?

Have you looked at yourself,
who you were then?
Truly innocent,
though you did not
feel that way
at the time?

When you thought your knew something,
had it all figured out?

Unaware of
what was going
to come your way,
the journey ahead,
and all its twists
and unexpected turns?

All the exaltation
and loneliness,
the soaring sprits
and the times
of dark depressions?

The surprises
that came from oh, such
unexpected sources,
as you played out
a script
that was written elsewhere
in a secret code
that you alone understood?

Dorothy Walters
January 24, 2017

(image from internet)

Jean Shinoda Bolen free presentation (received from Mirabai Starr)

Are you over 50? Discover new goddess energies within!

Dear friends and family,

Jean Shinoda-Bolen is a living legend.  Her work on the goddess archetypes has shaped the consciousness of an entire generation of women, myself included.  I am excited to see that Jean is offering this free virtual event on finding the inner goddess for those of us over the age of 50.  It should be a fascinating hour.  I hope you’ll spend it with her.  I’ll be listening in the wings.

On Wednesday, January 25, feminine psychology pioneer Jean Shinoda Bolen will show you how to tap into the powerful Goddess energies stirring within you as you enter the “third act” of life during a complimentary virtual workshop: Goddesses in Every Woman (After 50): Discover Your New Archetypes at This Stage of Life & Liberate Your Authentic Self.

Get all the details and RSVP here: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/gw17MS/Mirabaistarr/

About the presentation:
Jean’s groundbreaking bestseller, Goddesses in Everywoman, as well as its companion, Goddesses in Older Women, provide deep and valuable explorations into the feminine psyche. Goddesses in Everywoman, an instant classic when published 30 years ago, is still a foundational work for feminist psychology.

Crossing the threshold to 50 and beyond can be an exciting, fulfilling and joyous time –– contrary to how popular culture portrays aging –– and Jean will show you how you can arouse the innate Goddess archetypes within to step into and embrace these empowering years.

During this insightful mini-workshop, you’ll:

Open to the intuitive wisdom of the Greek Goddess, Hecate, empowering you to trust your inner wisdom

Connect with the healing humor of the Greek Goddess Bawdy Baubo and Uzume, Japanese Goddess of Mirth and Dance, empowering you to keep your heart intact when facing limitation and loss

Arouse the Goddesses of Compassion, Kuan Yin, the Virgin Mary and Lady Liberty, to support you in acting with greater compassion for yourself and others


There has never been a better time for you to discover the powerful Goddess archetypes within that can help you let go of limitations, embrace new ways of being and cross the threshold to the other side of 50 liberated… and simmering with new and exciting possibilities for life!

I hope to "see" you at this compelling virtual event! It’s FREE to attend and you’ll receive a recording if you can’t listen live: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/gw17MS/Mirabaistarr/

Mirabai

P.S. During Goddesses in Every Woman (After 50): Discover Your New Archetypes at This Stage of Life & Liberate Your Authentic Self, Jean Shinoda Bolen will show you how to recognize and embrace your innate feminine archetypes so you can make your wisdom years the most invigorating and meaningful time of your life.

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Author, translator of the mystics, and leading voice in the emerging Inter-Spiritual Movement, Mirabai Starr uses fresh, lyrical language to help make timeless wisdom accessible to a contemporary circle of seekers. She has received critical acclaim for her revolutionary new translations of Dark Night of the Soul by sixteenth century Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross, The Interior Castle and The Book of My Life, by St. Teresa of Avila, and The Showings of Julian of Norwich. She is author of the 6-volume Sounds True series, Contemplations, Prayers, and Living Wisdom. Her poetry collection, Mother of God Similar to Fire, is a collaboration with iconographer, William Hart McNichols. GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam – winner of the Nautilus Gold Award and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Award for Religion and named one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2012 by Spirituality & Practice – positions Mirabai at the forefront of the emerging Inter-Spiritual Movement.

Mirabai taught Philosophy and Religious Studies for twenty years at the University of New Mexico-Taos, and now speaks and teaches nationally and internationally on the teachings of the mystics, contemplative practice, and grief as a spiritual path. Her talks and retreats incorporate silent meditation, interspiritual chanting, sacred poetry, and deep dialog. She blogs for the Huffington Post.

Connect with me:
Website/blog:  MirabaiStarr.com
Facebook:  facebook.com/Mirabai.Starr.author
Twitter:  twitter.com/MirabaiStarr
Huffington Post:  huffingtonpost.com/mirabai-starr

How I Did It

First, it was the books.
So many, I lost count
years back.

When I was eight (in Oklahoma)
my mother (who aspired to become
a writer, for her, a sacred occupation)
took me to the library
to get my card.

I checked out Black Beauty
and the rest was history.

First it was Heidi,
Jo in the bay window
munching on an apple,
Robin Hood
and his Merry Men.

I even managed a getup
of my own, with a cow's horn
slung over my shoulder,
a hat with a feather,
and a fake bow and arrow
from the dime store.

Soon thereafter it became
Tolstoy,
Goethe,
Plato's cave.
A little Dante,
a bit of Shakespeare
and Whitman.
And of course
Emily and her buzzing fly.

And also
Emerson and his nose,
Thoreau by his pond.

It was they
who convinced me
never to be a materialist.

I have succeeded
beyond my wildest dreams.

But I did keep writing,
writing,
poems, essays,
no fiction, no
novels.

My life became a story
that I could never have invented.
It is a secret tale,
only for the initiated.

If you are reading this,
you probably wouldn't
understand.

Dorothy Walters
January 22, 2017

(New book: "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New")

Note:  Actually, if you are reading this on FB or the blog, you are likely someone who would understand, for you are having your own spiritual transformative journey and are a
kindred soul.  I was thinking of those who are so intellectually sophisticated that they are "domed against heaven" (as if they wore a hard hat to guard against god/goddess) and thus dare not risk encounters with more transcendent forms of experience, especially Kundalini awakening.)

Lawrence Edwards is one of the most knowledgable and experienced teachers/meditation leaders in our time.  He is an invaluable resource for all seeking deeper awareness of the nature of Kundalini, both through his writings and recordings and meditation classes.  He also offers counsel in person or by phone for those seeking personal assistance in treading the difficult path of awakened Kundalini.  He is a psychotherapist with a Jungian perspective.

SOME RECENT INTERVIEWS WITH LAWRENCE EDWARDS

https://batgap.com/lawrence-edwards/

And this link:  http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/lawrence-edwards-on-the-divine-power-of-kundalini-awakening/

To see these, go to the dates:
December 2016
Rick Archer from Buddha at the Gas Pump interviewed Lawrence for 2 hours on the extraordinary power of grace and revelation known in the yogic tradition as Kundalini.

October 7, 2016
New Zealand’s most popular yoga teacher, author and blogger, Kara-Leah Grant, offered a video interview of Lawrence speaking about a wide range of topics related to Kundalini awakening and unfolding.
SOME RECENT CORRESPONDENCE WITH LAWRENCE:

from Lawrence:

Many ancient teachings are encoded in symbols and metaphor and are considered "self-protected", meaning that without the necessary level of teaching and understanding they won't be unlocked by lower minds.  To me this corresponds with Piaget's work on cognitive development.  After concrete operational thinking comes formal operational thinking and for the small percentage of the population who progress through that stage there are post-formal operational thinking levels of development.  These progress to symbolic, metaphoric levels of knowing.  Shakti can and does propel people out of their concrete thinking, but when they return they think about and speak about the experiences in concrete terms.  This happens with people when they have near death experiences as well, or out of body experiences, and then come back and talk in concrete terms once again.  I really think this is how religions and dogma are created and sustained.

The old Zen adage, "don't confuse the finger for the moon," exactly warns against taking the symbol which points beyond itself for the thing in itself.  The finger points to the moon but isn't the moon.  The symbol points beyond itself.  Shakti, the word, the symbol, points to the living, throbbing, pulsing, boundlessly creative, loving, rapturous, Consciousness, here, now, everywhere.  The point is to enter that state, here, now, everywhere, which transcends and subsumes, overwhelms and supports our ordinary reality.

Jai Ma!  Jai Ma!  Jai Ma!

kalidas

from Dorothy:
One small comment:  of course, once we pass beyond the realm of the ineffable (back to familiar consciousness) we must indeed use concrete terms to try to communicate our experience, since that is the only vocabulary we have.  However, at times when we are ourselves in the state of divine rapture, we can feel similar energies and frequencies of others and then we “communicate” without language.  And the more we progress in our own evolution, the more sensitive we become to such wordless forms of communion.  It is bliss, bliss, bliss––always more, coming at unexpected times and in unanticipated flavors.

Jai Mai indeed!

from Dorothy:

Here is a question I am thinking about:  Is Kundalini the same as the Holy Spirit in the Bible?

Dear Dorothy,

Yes, that's it, that's pointing to the ineffable beyond words, beyond maps and symbols.  I wrote in my first book, The Soul's Journey, that Kundalini is known as Holy Spirit to Christians, though She is obscured by so many layers of dogma, She still reveals Herself through mystic lovers of the Divine.

Om Kali Ma!

Love,
Lawrence


from Lawrence:

Dear Dorothy,

. . .it isn't necessary for a person to experience chakras, nadis, etc. to know the Divine.  Kundalini is the power of revelation and transformation and if She doesn't need the symbolic, archetypal map of chakras and nadis to bring us into sublime realms of ecstasy, love, rapturous I awareness in unity with all.  People are getting so caught up in the chakra system and wanting experiences of that instead of wanting what She really has to give!  Of course, you already know this, and people need to understand She isn't bound by any particular map or system.  She created them and She will destroy them, transcend them, play with them, but never be bound by them.  Jai Kali Ma!

All love my dear friend,
Lawrence

Lawrence Edwards, PhD, BCN Senior Fellow, LMHC
Author of The Soul's Journey: Guidance From The Divine Within, Awakening Kundalini: The Path to Radical Freedom, Kali's Bazaar penned by Kalidas, and OM NAMAH SHIVAYA meditation and chanting CD
thesoulsjourney.com

We call upon the spirit of evolution, the miraculous force that inspires rocks and dust to weave themselves into biology. You have stood by us for millions and billions of years—do not forsake us now.

Empower us and awaken in us pure and dazzling creativity. You that can turn scales into feathers, seawater to blood, caterpillars to butterflies, metamorphose our species, awaken in us the powers that we need to survive the present crisis and evolve into more aeons of our solar journey. Awaken in us a sense of who we truly are: tiny ephemeral blossoms on the Tree of Life.

Make the purposes and destiny of that tree our own purpose and destiny. Fill each of us with love for our true Self, which includes all of the creatures and plants and landscapes of the world. Fill us with a powerful urge for the wellbeing and continual unfolding of this Self.

May we speak in all human councils on behalf of the animals and plants and landscapes of the Earth. May we shine with a pure inner passion that will spread rapidly through these leaden times. May we all awaken to our true and only nature—none other than the nature of Gaia, this living planet Earth. We call upon the power which sustains the planets in their orbits, that wheels our Milky Way in its 200-million-year spiral, to imbue our personalities and our relationships with harmony, endurance and joy.

Fill us with a sense of immense time so that our brief, flickering lives may truly reflect the work of vast ages past and also the millions of years of evolution whose potential lies in our trembling hands.

O stars, lend us your burning passion.
O silence, give weight to our voice.
We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia.

JOHN SEED

Even if You Have Trudged

It is never too late.

Even if you have trudged
through snow and ice
for a thousand miles
and still have not arrived.

Even if the map is lost
and the compass broken.

When the eagle who is
supposed to guide you
goes off on a tangent
of its own
and you know you are,
once again, deserted,
do not fall into
the pit of despair.
It will return,
brighter than ever.

There will be feather tokens
falling down.

Nothing is irredeemable.
Nothing is lost forever.

Be guided by the stars.
Let the moonlight
direct your steps.

There will be a path
that will open
in the forest.

The treasure which is yours
is waiting.

Dorothy Walters
"Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New"

How the American Dream Became a Nightmare

We thought it was ours
to hold and love.

Land of the free,
home of the brave.
The founding fathers
and their wisdom
we fed to our children:
all men, etc.

Perhaps we forgot about those who
got left out,
had their lands taken away,
were put in chains or
made to labor in the fields,
long hours,
no pay,
lash on the back.

But for so many of us
it was tea time all
the time.
Fancy houses,
sleek cars,
fur coats and
diamond rings.
Even the rest wanted
what they did not have.

But something
got left out.
Something we
forgot we needed,
vital as air.

We lost the connection,
the one that keeps us
alive,
that reminds us that who
we are is not measured
by the number of cars
in the driveway,
how many bathrooms
our house contains.

Only now are we
beginning to wonder
what it is we lack,
what our shadow
is telling us,
the one we have installed
to lead us forward
next.

Beyond that shadow,
the light is waiting.

Let us enter together.

Dorothy Walters
January 18, 2017

This poem by Lisel Mueller suggests the way:

Hope
   
It hovers in dark corners
before the lights are turned on,
it shakes sleep from its eyes
and drops from mushroom gills,
it explodes in the starry heads
of dandelions turned sages,
it sticks to the wings of green angels
that sail from the tops of maples.

It sprouts in each occluded eye
of the many-eyed potato,
it lives in each earthworm segment
surviving cruelty,
it is the motion that runs the tail of a dog,
it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

It is the serum which makes us swear
not to betray one another;
it is in this poem, trying to speak.
   

~ Lisel Mueller ~

Apology

Sometimes I forget that you
are already whole. I imagine
that I might fix you. I apologize
for this. It rises not from what
you’ve done, but from my lack

of grace. In the riverbed, look,
not a single rock is out of place.
In the field, every blade of grass
is exactly where it’s supposed to be.
I can tell myself this—but

I have not learned the art
of leaning into the world
exactly as it is. I make up exceptions.
I make up my rules. I think
I know something. And then

I trip on my certainty,
my pretty shoulds lose all their feathers.
Oh this practice,
it disarms us so perfectly,
this practice of loving each other.

~ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Some Unusual Phenomena

I can't help it. I am interested in the many unusual, fringe, unbelievable phenomena that seem to be occurring all around us.  I am currently reading a book by Don Daniels called "Becoming a Cosmic Citizen."  In this book, he begins with a sighting of a UFO which he signaled with two blinks of light and then was answered by two responding blinks.  I don't know what the rest of the book will hold, but this one incident is itself something to ponder.

Just now I looked at Patty Greer's website at www.PattyGreer. net.  Patty has for years visited and filmed the crop circles in England.  Her films are themselves beautiful, and reveal the intricate and aesthetic patterns woven into the fields of wheat, corn, and other crops by these unknown entities.  She even includes a film of two orbs in the process of creating these formations, and captures the tracks of their digital communications with one another as they buzz over the land.  She also presents the strange digital code embedded in one of the circles, this being the same code sent into space some years back by the U. S. as an effort to communicate with space beings.

Of special interest to me was her revelation that as she lay in the center of the crop circles, she felt intense energies entering her body.  I am fascinated by energy events since I am convinced (like many others) that we live in a vast field of energy and that when we experience Kundalini awakening, we are tapping into and connecting with the life force itself, the energy that underlies and sustains all of creation.  Some call this God, some Brahma, some of us the Beloved.  Whatever the name, it denotes immeasurable and indescribable energy and we are all part of it, whether we are conscious of this or not.

Another area that has captured my own recent interest is that of "beings" who appear in consciousness or perhaps manifest externally for certain witnesses.  I have just listened to a friend's account of an incident some years past when she saw the figure of Jesus as she was meditating with a group with her eyes closed.  This being was brilliantly lighted and surrounded in colors not seen on earth.  He radiated immeasurable love.  When she opened her eyes, she saw that her hands had automatically lifted above her head and were pointing to the woman next to her, who was seriously ill.

Now all of the above might be explained away as delusion or imagination, except for the fact that when she asked her friend what his experience had been during the meditation, he described the same image of Jesus, the same message, and found his hands had unconsciously lifted and were also pointed to the same ill woman.

As a result of this life changing experience, my friend has dedicated herself to healing others through spiritual/mental/energetic means and, with the assistance of helpers from other planes, she and her fellow healers have helped many heal and improve.

Another friend recently described to me an incident in which two very tall beings not of human origin appeared before her.  She was not alone in this visitation.  A friend was with her, and he also saw these visitors.

What am I or any of us to make of such events?  Obviously, to quote Shakespeare, "There is more on heaven and earth than you or I can dream of."  Indeed, we live at the heart of mystery, and although science makes some progress in unraveling the apparent material makeup of the world about, what we have learned in this way is minuscule compared with the vast enigma that is the cosmos and we human occupants of our one small planet.

I feel the best approach is to investigate all that comes our way that captures our imagination, but to tread slowly, not necessarily drawing a final conclusion about the validity or truth of any, but always keeping an open mind.  In the meantime, I feel that each unique individual experience provides a tiny piece of the giant puzzle that surrounds us.

Snow

Snow on the high peaks.

Mist in the valley.

Birdsong swallowed in
darkness.

I alone by the fire
with my invisible.

Dorothy Walters
January 15, 2017

The Holy Temptress

Her primary attribute
is that she is unpredictable.

Fickle suitor,
sometimes She  enters
by cheek or brow,
sometimes by hands,
and again in the chakras,
high or low.

She is like a lover
who slips up behind
and gives you a kiss
on your neck
before you know who is
there.

Sometimes
She is waiting
when you wake up
ready to enfold you
in Her arms.

Always when She beckons
you come.

Dorothy Walters
January 15, 2017

Here is more from Neeta Sharma on the awakening of her third eye.  This time I am not going to edit her description but let her tell it in her own words. (I assume that since she is from India, English is not her first language.  Overall she is quite fluent.)


My 5th Dimensional Expansion Experience––Continued
by Neeta Sharma Kumar

I was feeling bit restless entire night and had divine experience early in the morning.. There appeared golden fishing net like layer in front of me, which was suddenly pulled away bring in light loads of it. It appeared to me like I had finally gone through the process of moulting like snakes.

My root chakra cleared, healed and activated and this process of cleansing , healing, regenerating and activating of all my 7 chakras continued. Thus completely clearing and activating the meridians first Ida(mental force of consciousness-feminine energy), Pingala( vital and active life force- masculine energy) and the Sushmana ( Kundalini) . This once again caused to awakening of Kundalini experience at microcosm,macrocosm and megacosm. A fountain of energy [emerged] ; light started to flow from a height beyond my human comprehension.

My Ida( female) meridian got completely cleared, clearing my feminine aspects of my past lives as well as female ancestors. This activated my Pingala meridian, clearing my masculine aspects of my past lives and male ancestors too. It appeared to have completely cleared my physical body and started to work at meridian aspect and cleansing, clearing my meridians and subtle body layers/koshas-- Annamaya Kosha ( physical body), Pranamaya Kosha( meridians), Manomaya Kosha( emotional mind and senses) Vijanamaya Kosha( intuitive) and Anandamaya Kosha( bliss) . Thus, this  led to activation of  my cosmic and spiritual consciousness.

This lead to activation of my Naval consciousness - seat of 72 meridians and divine union of male and female consciousness at each chakras, in my body and beyond making me active SRI YANTRA., activating first vibration of manifestation and creation.

Then, once again had  Kundalini awakening experience like  pulsation in my root chakra leading to rush of energy upward through my spine out of my crown chakra and shower of energy and light like fountain .....still in the bliss... It seems I have escaped the 3D dense energy finally.....Some huge chakaras activated ( beyond my body size)... gratitude..

(image from internet)

Democracy

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feels
that it ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming through a crack in the wall,
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow on the street
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of G-d in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
o mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
past the Reefs of Greed
through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on
It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
that the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming to the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
o mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
past the Reefs of Greed
through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on
I'm sentimental if you know what I mean:
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

- Leonard Cohen

(I have always loved Leonard Cohen.  True, he is ironic, sometimes caustic, but he speaks some necessary truths about the shadow side of our country.  Beneath it all, he loves America and is distressed to view the many shams and corruptions that can beset us.  His recordings are classics.)
____

Always

(for the Beloved Within)

Always, this is the thing
we hope for,
the desire we hold dear:

"Only a glimpse,"
we say,
"a taste,
a brief swallow. . ."
And thus we will be sated,
brought to the fountain
where the water ever flows,
the fire sweeps us
into a new configuration,
and we are satisfied at last. . .

even as the light
fades around us,
even as the music plays
sweeter
within.

Dorothy Walters
January 9, 2017

Ever Our Beginning

This, then, is ever our beginning.

It is never easy,
this moving ahead,
this coming to the place
where you and the Other
are one.

You have come here
in the way
that your are.

You will leave
much the same,
not wearing wigs
and false robes,
nor assuming the guise
of all your past authorities
but rather in the innocence
of what has always been you,
the hallmark
of your special
being,
even as now
the wind speaks its secrets,
howling down the mountain
passes,
the rain making its way
into our hearts,
as we strain
to grasp
what is being said,
to hear the message
hidden in the
tight bud unfolding,
the cloud passing overhead
into the violet sun,
all fading in silence
and somewhere a whisper:

This is your beloved
arriving to embrace you
in a final recognition.
Be silent and attend.

Dorothy Walters
January 9, 2017
(inspired by Eliot, "East Coker")

Launching "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New"

It took place last Friday and again on Saturday.  It was the reading and book launch of my latest volume, "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New."

For me, this event was the culmination of a long lifetime of writing and entering close communion with what I call "the Beloved Within," and what many feel is in fact the Holy Spirit of the Bible (Kundalini).

Andrew Harvey had come from many miles away to help me read and then sign these volumes that were available.  Before the  first evening was over, we had in effect sold out. Andrew himself is a noted world teacher and writer and spiritual leader, beloved by thousands over the world.  He has long been my supporter and mentor.  He himself had insisted that I publish spiritual poetry many years ago, and he has continued to encourage my efforts ever since.  He was the motivating force for this book.

Andrew is well known and his name alone was enough to fill the hall (about 100 people).  They consisted of what Flannery O'Connor called "the right (audience)." These are the Rumi lovers, the devotees of the Mother, the friends of the light.  Many were touched at a very deep level by these poems, and many wept as they listened, for such poems may enter the soul at a very deep level.  A love field was created, and this energy spread over the entire group.

As various ones came forward to get their books signed, one woman told me that she had never liked poetry before until she heard these verses.

Some even chose to come back a second night.

For me, this evening was perhaps the highlight of my life.  It represented a culmination and a verification of that path I have followed for virtually all of my life.  I felt surrounded by loving friends and sweet energies of love.

A documentary was made of the evening and I hope it will be available soon for those who could not attend in person.  In the meantime, this book (along with those separate volumes on which it is based) is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble .

I am still trying to "come down" from such excitement.  Indeed, I feel blessed in all ways.

And may each of you be kissed by the Spirit many times over.

KUNDALINI RAPTURE
by Stephen Tracy

Oh wonders of wonders when the serpent of Shakti / Kundalini is released!
Grace upon grace surges through all my chakras, filling every finite aspect of my being with infinite radiance of divine Love and Light!
The higher Self takes over every cell and molecule of my body. Bliss and dynamic cosmic energy shoot in and out of all that I am. My body becomes a divine channel / a vessel of radiant, powerful life force. Each breath draws in and releases this radiant energy of infinite Light. The vibrations flow like waves of surging power - like a wave in the ocean, building, building, then peaking at the crest and releasing all its energy as it falls down back into its self - into infinite stillness of perfect peace.
Oh blissful, sweet grace of heaven.
Oh blissful, never ending love.
Oh blissful Light and Joy.
Oh blissful surge of God.
Oh blissful I AM - one with the universe, with infinite Grace.
Oh blissful Shakti / Grace of heaven.
How I worship and love thee within my entire being.
Oh great divine Lover, Shakti / Kali / Kundalini.
Oh sacred feminine sweetness of bliss, compassion, love, joy, sublime beauty.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you - for accepting me and filling me with your beauty bliss of eternal divine Love. I am humbled by Your great love dwelling within me.
Om. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti...

The Beloved Moves Through the World

The beloved moves through the world.
Is the world.
Becomes the hundred things we love
Or the one and only thing or person
We love.
Shifting, restless,
Refusing to incarnate in a final form,
As if to teach us to keep our eyes
Moving if we want to see the bird
Flitting from bush to tree:

There it is! No, there. No,
It's hidden now, you can't see it,
But you can hear its song.

~ Gregory Orr ~

(Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved)

(image from internet)

I know what you want.

Something that speaks to you
just where you are.

As if this plateau you are on
was the only place
you were going to be,
the proper station
for one of your attainments.

Listen, my darling,
there are peaks and mountain heights
up ahead.

We are all climbing to
the next level,
using the equipment
we have brought with us.

Don't stop.
Don't imagine you can now rest,
take a nap,
or check your messages.
Or hang around on the cliff face,
dangling in space,
hoping somebody will find you
and pull you up
while your ropes hold.

This is not a dress rehearsal.
It is your own play,
the one you wrote and are writing
even now, even this very day.

Dorothy Walters
January 3, 2017

(image from internet)

The Inner Music

If you have only learned the signs and colors,
you have missed it.

If you memorize the petals
and the aspects of the body,
even the animals,
that is not where it is.

The charts and classifications,
they lead you astray,
no wedding day arrives.

Only the inner kiss
of the beloved
will
take you there.

Shiva/shakti,
embracing in the blood,
constant happening,
love play within,
music of desire,
only this,
only this.

Dorothy Walters
January 3, 2017
(image from internet)

The Angel

There is a certain kind of woman
I can't resist.

She is about 60 and calls you hon.

She works behind a counter
somewhere
or maybe loads the groceries.

She talks in a kind
of whiskey baritone.

You can tell from her face
that she has been through rehab,
twice,
and still longs
for a shot
now and then,
but needs to keep clean
to hang onto this job.

She will ask
if you are o.k.
and give you a ride
home.

She is the kind of person
that angels are made of.

She is someone
you
are glad to know.

You are grateful
she is in your world.

Dorothy Walters
January 2, 2017

Swamiji's Prayer for Christmas and the New Year



Let us realize our inner strength and potential and learn to rejoice in the glory of our Self.
Let us learn to dream and fulfill that dream without fear of criticism or misunderstanding.
Let us not expect someone else to make our life richer or fuller or more satisfying.
Let us not wait for the tomorrow. Let us cherish each present moment and forget the morrow.
Let us accept people as they are and not judge them in accordance with our personal ideas and experiences.
Let us accept and respect viewpoints contrary to our own.
Let us follow the dictates of our conscience even if they clash with the views of all those around us.
Let us take the courage to walk alone if necessary in our chosen path.
Let us strive to satisfy the longings of our heart even if doing so is ridiculed by our family or elders or peers.
Let us learn to convert our pain and weaknesses into instruments of change and growth.
Let us strive to develop more tolerance, acceptance, calmness and forgiveness with each passing day.

Love and blessings,
Yogacharya Dharmananda (Swamiji)

Dear Viriditas Community,

On a recent Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Denver, I discovered a new album called Dom by Blank and Jones. As I listened, I felt this powerful wave of Joy flow through my being. This German DJ and Producer duo combined the music of Saint Hildegard and powerful electronic sounds to launch a spectacular multimedia concert in the Cologne Cathedral last summer. What is the Joy about that these two men accessed in their phenomenal creation?




from Jeannine Goode-Allen

Saint Hildegard speaks to this Joy in her song O Viridissima Virga which will be at the heart of the second group event in the series Healing With Saint Hildegard on January 7th.  In this song she writes:

     “So the skies rained dew on the grass
     and the whole Earth exulted,
     for Her womb brought forth wheat,
     and the birds of Heaven
     made their nests in it.
     Then food was prepared for humans
     And great Joy for the banqueters.
     So, in You, sweet Virgin,
     No Joy ever fails.”

I believe we are all called to be the sweet Virgin in whom no Joy ever fails. Blank and Jones certainly succeeded in this last year. The Joy I accessed while listening to their music is created when we “bring forth wheat”, when we access our own divine nature and out of that nature CREATE.

Please join me on January 7th between 3:30pm and 5:00pm in the Viriditas Studio and let the music of St. Hildegard help you access your divine nature. We will be exploring what our “wombs” are meant to bring forth in 2017 so that we can know that in US no joy ever fails. Join me on the 7th so I can help you have a JOYOUS NEW YEAR!

Click here to purchase your ticket today.

In Viriditas,
Jeannine

Blessed be the Longing

Blessed be the longing that brought you here
And quickens your soul with wonder.
May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.
May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
To discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.
May the forms of your belonging–in love, creativity, and friendship–
Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.
May the one you long for long for you.
May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.
May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.
May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness with which
your body inhabits the world.
May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage.
May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.
May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.
~ John O’Donohue