30 November, 2015 by Choki team

3 Steps to Changing the Future

Seers, oracles, mystics… these are just some of the names given to those who were able to look through a window from the present into the future present. Operating using the vehicle of consciousness computing complex patterns, processes, and possibilities based on the unfolding of present circumstances, these able-ones have a perspective that potentially holds a greater power for changing the reality we experience on this planet than anything else.

If you knew with absolute certainly what will happen in the future, be it on a personal level or on a global scale, what would you do with that knowledge? Would you stand idly on the sidelines allowing “destiny” to play out? Or would you take an active role in shifting the present timeline in a way that alters events so that a different future plays out? Nothing is set in stone, for the one constant in existence is that of change.

3 Steps to Changing the Future

The future becomes the future if what happens in the present continues on its trajectory without being modified. The first step towards changing a future that didn’t happen yet is to have conviction that you can change the course of what one day will be called History. The next step is to have the courage and determination needed to become a change maker. The third step is to use the power of the heart-mind symbiosis to expand your awareness to see into the future present based on the present’s actions and reactions.

The first step is accomplished by raising your self-esteem and belief in yourself. Get motivated. Seek out the various practices and techniques that help you accomplish this. If you don’t feel that you can alter reality, you will never do so. Those who do believe they have the power to do so, will, and are doing so right now. Some of those that are doing this are not altering the dynamics of the present in a way that will lead us into a bright future. They actually have much to lose if such a prospective future were to materialize. Do you want others to direct the course of the future that may lead to oblivion of all that we hold dear and all that we aspire to see become a reality? Take a stand. Take a look at the people in positions of power and influence in society… those who are actively shaping what the future holds for us. If they seem impotent in guiding us all towards a peaceful world that is thriving with abundance, while reducing suffering, then why don’t you take the reins instead? If there was anything you should ever doubt, it’s the limits of what you are capable of.

The next step is accomplished by elevating your energy level. Provide your body with the sustenance and nourishment it needs for your vitality to rise in both body and mind. This means eating foods with as much life-force as possible (i.e. the fresher/more recently harvested the better), practicing body-mind modalities like yoga (vinyasa, kundalini, integral), qi gong, tai chi, breath work (pranayama, vase breath, Tsa Lung) and others. There is much to be explored in this domain, so look at what lies in the repository of human knowledge and practice what feels most in alignment with you.

The final step relies on expanding your perceptive abilities. There are advanced yogas, such as the Six Yogas of Naropa, as well as awareness-expanding and insight meditations such as the jhanas and kundalini, that are some of the ways in which you can activate the dormant abilities contained within you. When you pick up a crystal, do you feel the sensation of streams of movement through your hands or does it feel like you’re just holding some rock? When you sit with your eyes closed and breathe, do you gain insights and realizations into the nature of your Self and of Reality or does it feel like you’re just sitting there? Jumping ahead to this step without first laying the groundwork of the previous steps will not give you the results that you will anticipate. A pyramid needs a solid base before the capstone is put atop it. So to, must you prepare your body and mind so that all the ingredients act together to activate your ability to see and alter the future becoming of the present.

Gazing Into the Window of Opportunity

We are in a particularly unique and opportunistic time in human history. Never before has humanity been so connected, thanks to tech like the internet and wireless communication. Never before have we had access to nearly the entire repository of human knowledge in an instant. We are inside a window of opportunity right now. This window may quite possibly close very soon. We can already see attempts to shut it down, with the movements by certain powerful and influential forces. If this happens, we may never get another opportunity like this again. Humans are a very smart species, but their ability at foresight, or seeing into the future, is usually lacking. This inability to see what is becoming imprinted onto the fabric of reality has the potential to be humanity’s demise. If we’re fortunate there will at least be legends of our existence and what we accomplished.

If in the distant past humans had achieved as advanced, or even greater advancement than present day humans have, those achievements have been lost in the sands of time, leaving only subtle clues and hints of what was possible. Will our rubble one day be looked at with the great mystery as megalithic stone blocks are today? Will this civilization that we have created become so unbelievable that it will join the likes of Atlantis as just a legend?

We have the ability to alter our collective path. This massive organic star craft we call Earth, Terra, Home…this is the only vessel that is sustaining and supporting our continued existence. If this ship breaks down, so do we. The lack of looking at the cosmic perspective and outside the box hinders our ability to make the critical changes that must be made if we are to thrive in a bright future. Seeing the big picture is an ability of an evolved human being… an evolution that is intentionally and consciously guided. No need to wait millions of years for this, as this is organic tech already within us, yet dormant and latent in most. It doesn’t have to be. All it needs is a trigger to activate it…the trigger of your conviction, courage, and determination.

Dwell in Possibility

The adults of the world today still, by and large, suppress rather empower their children’s latent abilities that are contained within. This suppression model makes children grow into adults that become numb and oblivious of the incredible abilities they are capable of. The grooves of conditioning get dug deep, and while these abilities in adulthood (if cultivated and developed) may not be as strong as if their development was started encouraged from birth, they can still emerge and be powerful tools.

Will you see a cinematic playing out of the future in your mind? What is more likely is that you will have the activated ability to see the elaborate and complex nature of the interconnected Whole of all that is happening on this planet, in the collective consciousness. Seeing the all the elements of the Whole, and understanding how each element is playing its role in shaping the present into what becomes the future, you see what the most likely outcomes will be. With that knowledge, you will then possess the power of alter the direction we are headed.

The single biggest barrier to a bright future is the feeling and the feeding of fear. The more fear that humans generate personally and collectively, the more we fuel a dark future. Don’t allow yourself to succumb to unconsciously being food for the manifestation of dystopia. Have belief in yourself and have compassion for others. We’re all on this ride together after all, whether we like it or not. We can make it as enjoyable or as miserable as possible. The choice is always up to us. As Edward Everette Hale once said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” Now that you know how to change the future, redefine what our timeline is leading to. Let’s steer this ship towards a thriving and peaceful future where we can step into the next phase of our evolution towards supramental transformation.

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Author: Paul Lenda

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25 November, 2015 by Choki team

Becoming Multidimensional – Entering the “Dreamspace”

There’s two ways of living your life: one, as if nothing is a miracle; two, as if everything is.

We’re living in two world’s not one: the old is one of systems, logic and control, which strangles the juice out of life. It’s a reality long past it’s self-by-date, essentially because it’s divorced from the flow. Then there’s another world — it’s one of mystery, miracles and magic, where everything has a deeper meaning, a deeper significance and purpose. It’s this that I call the ‘dreamspace’. In fact it’s far more real, far more fulfilling than ‘reality’.

What is this space like? How can you access it? How can you become multidimensional?

Can You Hear the Dreamspace Calling You?

In my life I work to live as spontaneously as possible. Quite frequently yes, there are agreements I’ve made with people that have to be honoured, appointments to be fulfilled. But as much as possible, I leave the moment open, to flow as one with the deeper underlying purpose.

This evening, on my way home, there was a clear pull to take a detour. I didn’t know where to, but as usual, when the dreamspace is calling more strongly, it’ll speak through signs and synchronicity. In this case, my attention was spiked to the movement of cars, number configurations on number shields, and the sudden darting movement of birds.

It led me out into the country, until there by the side of the road, on a hill overlooking an open Somerset valley, was a Kestrel hanging in the air; majestic, wings outstretched, hovering, and very much calling to me. So I honoured the invitation, pulled up just as soon as I could, and followed the guidance.

It took me to a quiet space, high on the valley side, surveying the panorama, which looked very primordial in the dimming evening light as the sun began to descend behind a distant hill. The busy road in the background faded deep into the background, as if in some distant galaxy. My soul was transcending space and time. The trees, bushes and rocks were speaking to me. Not in words of course, not even in thoughts, but with feelings, that brought me so as-one with it all.Now the dreamspace was speaking deeply.

What’s the Purpose of the Dreamspace?

The dreamspace is the space between the spaces. Each and every moment has a deeper purpose, a deeper message, which seldom people hear within society because their minds are too full, they have too many necessary objectives (supposedly), their consciousness is too distracted by the endless gadgetry. It divorces people from the real juice of life.

You have to empty the mind, still the distraction, drop into the heart space, and feel through the senses to truly transcend the moment into the dreamspace.

It wants you to know yourself, as an intimate part of the miracle of existence. It wants to invite you deeper into yourself, and into the co-creation with nature. It wants to dance you back home again, to the open arms of the divine.

But you have to be listening, feeling, and open to how it’s guiding you. You have to be patient, relaxed, without intention or deadline. Nature has eons to catch you. Eons to reel you back in. But only if you are listening and feeling.

Accessing the Dreamspace

Here are some important keys to accessing the dreamspace…

Spend plenty of time each day in stillness, softening the internal contractions, the resistances to quiet emptiness.
Reduce your reliance on electrical gadgetry. No one’s saying don’t use the internet (or else you wouldn’t be reading this!), just use it only when necessary.
Spend as much time as possible letting go of intention-created life. At least take quality time off without a plan.
Go free-wheeling often, responding only to the landing of higher knowing or a pull through the heart.
Allow the guidance to carry you until you feel to stop. Soften into that place and time, breathe, observe, notice all five senses keenly, and then feel through them, so as to transcend the physical density.
Feel the lightness of the moment – how it connects with life around you, especially nature.
Notice how this deeper connection makes you feel. What sense does it resonate inside?
Imagine the dreamspace is now speaking to you. What would it be saying? It’ll be telling you how to change your life, how to reveal more of your true self, what Right Action to take.
Celebrate in the joy of synchronicity, the language welcoming you back home as a cosmic child of the universe. Congratulations, you’ve arrived!

More Real Than ‘Reality’

The dreamspace is that where the movement of divine energy is beginning to breakdown old constructs and reshape new ones for the purpose of education, exploration and further evolutionary growth. It’s searching out and manifesting the possibility of a higher harmony – one that serves ALL life in the co-creation.

That’s why the dreamspace landscape is more real than ‘reality’. Because it directs to what reality is already newly becoming.

It feels like the whole of life is celebrating with you, singing and serenading you. In a way that cherishes your very nature. Why on earth would you want to live any other way!

www.choki.org

Author: Openhand – Wake Up World

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17 November, 2015 by Choki team

Understanding Ascension: The Geometry of Energy

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” ~ Lao Tzu

After climbing through the jungle, making my way through the grueling forest, dense and bewildering with trails, I came to a clearing on a ridge, on what I sensed must be the very top of the great mountain in the clouds. And as I made my way to the ridgetop and clearing, I saw that this was not the top. I saw it was beautiful and magnificent, but it was after all only a plateau. And from the plateau above the bewildering and winding complex of trails I now stood, I could see in the distance what could only be assumed at this point to be the peak. Perhaps there was a mountain more massive behind it too.

And on the story goes…

There are so many narrative accounts as well as fictional and metaphorical stories that ring out the same truth in the same way as the above narrative. Many of us often have this experience on one level or another at one point or another, where we come to this point in our lives, in ourselves. The reason this story is so often true, metaphorically and specifically, is because that’s how it is, both aesthetically and energetically. No matter how things go, no matter the plateau or peak you reach, there are always more heights to scale, another plateau or peak above you. As soon as you think you’re on top, you’ve stopped evolving, you’ve stopped ascending. And while you may end up at quite an enjoyable and beautiful place there could be a whole series of heights just beyond you that you won’t realize — until you realize ascension is a process, not a destination.

Once you begin on this infinite and exponential journey of discovery, you might stop, but there is no turning back.

The Nature of Ascension

The Geometry of Energy is a meditation teaching of focus, clarity, connection, circulation, unity and expansion. It is also a formula for energy comprehension — through meditative understanding of points, lines, shapes and solids — and a way toward simplification of the ascension process. Through examining the four dimensions of geometry, we are able to engage individuation, understand energy, visualize the big picture, and understand its importance.

In ascension, first you find out what is your current point of view; your plateau. Understand the process of growth, and celebrate the view.

Then you ask: What am I afraid of? Why do I always do X? What do I want to change, or experience? When you know where it is you want to go, and you can visualize the next point ahead of you, then you can visualize your line to it. If the point is something simple like quitting smoking, you can then enhance your line – your approach – to your goal accordingly. If the point is something more esoteric or intangible, like becoming more intuitive, you retain and maintain that point of focus, and the lines rise up to meet you as you ascend. Then you find your higher point, your more true self.

The key is to consciously make connections with lines and directions that most resemble your true nature and the nature you wish to become. Choose the next plateau you want to rise to. Become, embody, meditate and even chant if you will, boldly and simply: “I am X…” and watch your ascension unfold before you. We have a point in focus, lines arise before us. Of course, try to make sure the direction of your lines of ascension are as unselfish as possible; you do not have to destroy the mountain on your way up to its peaks. Consider your approaches in modest and achievable terms, and great heights can be attained as you travel, step by step.

Next, emancipate your energy to be unrestricted and flow with it in a way that opens the linear (direction) and circular (pattern) formations of energy in your life. These openings allow the ‘cocooned you’ to expand and break out, and fly! Be present… get grounded… meditate on the breath… acknowledge and embrace your unique place in the cosmic order. It doesn’t matter what self-realization or self-actualization practice you engage in, but in ascension, energetic circulation and expansion must occur.

Edgar Cayce observed there are four aspects to wellness; relaxation, circulation, assimilation and elimination. These four aspects to physical wellness are also applicable to our energetic bodies. Consider the blood being of our physical bodies being illustrative of our energetic bodies. If we are physically unfit our bodies go to shit. If we don’t move, we eat a lot of crap, or we consume alcohol frequently, our blood literally coagulates and slows down. The same is true for our energetic bodies. If we don’t practice some form of meditation or meditative movement, or get involved with nature and our natural state of being, the flow of our energetic bodies coagulates too, impeding our wellbeing and journey to the next spiritual peak.

Arriving at the Next Peak

Lastly is the process of expansion; the arrival at the peak where the next new peak can be seen. The expansion process is the “breakthrough” that people speak of. It often involves the crumbling of so many outer-shells that it may seem like a breakdown, but it’s actually a breakthrough. Expand your thoughts and focus on the linear and circular openings, psychologically and spiritually, so that the openings can lead to a flooding – but cleansing – unity expansion.

Initially, being mentally and emotionally present can be confronting. The human mind is nearly always clouded by life’s desires and traumas, so when we remove ourselves from distraction and engage in the realization of our deepest consciousness, we may experience an influx of unresolved (circular) thoughts and feelings; the traumas (past) and fears (future) of life may come into our consciousness, seeking to be cleared. Don’t just sit there in a half broke cocoon, half way to being a butterfly, hampered instead of freed, like so many figuratively do. Face the darkness. We may feel that this takes us farther away from an immediate sense of peace and progress, yet we can only achieve peace in the long-term if we acknowledge and resolve the thoughts and feelings that continue to arise in our consciousness. Know that these feelings, now acknowledged, will clear over time. Allow them to pass through your consciousness as you return to the serenity of the present moment.

Each energy dimension opens you up more and more to increased ascension because of their enhanced vibrations and complexities. Each time you engage this process the more the superfluous aspects of your character fall away. The more we move energy the more our unnecessary mental and emotional ‘add-ons’ all crumble from the cocoon; all of our induced masquerades, the less-real pieces of our psychological makeup, the constructs and shells that otherwise restrict our true butterfly nature.

Breakthroughs are often painful at one stage or another, and certainly during the unity expansion process things tend to break. The more you take an active part in your own ascension process, the more likely things will break on your way to becoming. The shell of your ego must be broken too, and then slightly modified, returned to working order with a new greater perspective on life and your unique place in it.

And remember, no matter how far you go, there is certainly always further to go. No matter how your level of being changes as you ascend, there is always another higher summit to climb.

www.choki.org

Author: Ethan Indigo Smith l Wake Up World

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12 November, 2015 by Choki team

Recognizing Real vs. Artificial Synchronicities

Real synchronicities and artificial synchronicities both have meaning to the perceiver. Both manifest via highly improbable “coincidences.”

Real synchronicities come from your subconscious/HigherSelf/Universe and let you know that a quantum shift in perception is imminent – this can be an emotionally charged situation or a smoother leap in learning.

Artificial synchronicity is engineered by hyperdimensional negative beings in an attempt to suppress, sabotage, drain, distract, or mislead targets on the verge of awakening. This can happen in a variety of ways.

One way artificial synchronicity occurs is by backing disinformation with synchronistic “confirmation” – for example, you can get multiple people at the same time who apparently don’t know each other to tell you about some idea, which in truth is bait to lead you down the wrong path. You may see this odd timing as confirmation that it’s the right path, even though it isn’t.

A common one happens to people who attend UFO or New Age conventions and “synchronistically” meet someone who happens to share odd things in common with their personal history. They believe it was “meant to be” and so often start relationships with these people only to find out too late that they were conned or hooked up with a matrix agent. One red flag is if the person shows no independent thinking and is just mirroring you in a shallow way and carries a glib salesman-like too-smooth-yet-hasty ‘gotta make the sale’ undertone.

Another is experiencing electronic anomalies after doing something that’s on the wayward path. Say you are researching a questionable topic and the computer freezes or shuts down. Some people take that to mean they are on the right path and are being interfered with by “the dark side”, when in truth they are being reinforced in their error. The goal is to get you to ignore your intuition and reason in favor of this “sign.”

Now, all of the above can happen with real synchronicities as well. How to tell apart artificial from real synchronicities? Well, the artificial ones seem contrived, very forceful and rushed, and just a bit too weird. They try to press you into making a particular decision or sparkle up something that you know deep down is false, whereas real synchronicities merely reflect confirmation of decisions you have already made or else forecast an upcoming leap in progress.

Take into account the nature of the Higher Self and the Universe’s interface with your own subconscious mind, reflecting in experience the nature of your thoughts, feelings, and tendencies — there is much weirdness that can happen via this process. Likewise, consider that negative hyper dimensional forces have advanced technology bordering on time travel, can influence people around you into saying or doing pre-scripted things, have at their disposal cyber genetic humanoids posing as regular people who are completely remote-controllable, and can zap electronic equipment or cause paranormal effects. So basically you have to differentiate between “real magic” and “stage illusions” when it comes to synchronicity.

Only experience and intuition can tell you know which is which.

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Author: Montalk – Wake Up World

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4 November, 2015 by Choki team

Karma: Can You Live With It?

Over the years I’ve seen people refer to karma in various ways, and it’s clear that the general public isn’t really aware of exactly what karma is, what its function is, and how it’s created. I would like to dedicate this article to dispelling some myths, clarifying the concepts of karma, and also discussing how karma is a very powerful tool which must be viewed with honesty during one’s own journey of awakening.

Let’s start by understanding what karma is, and by contrast, what it is not.

Karma is a an ancient sanskrit word, originating from the word “kamma” which means “action” “word” or “deed”. The concept of Karma originated in ancient India, with Hindu’s, Buddhists and other Eastern Philosophies. The idea of karma is that one’s own actions, words, or deeds are creative on an energetic level as well as physically, and that what you do, think, or say is put out into the Universe as an energetic creative force, and it will then draw back to you, energy of a similar state of vibration.

To better understand this, let’s look at Karma as a Universal law, such as Gravity, the law of attraction, or relativity; for this is exactly what Karma is. Karma is the natural law of “as above, so below”, in that what you do, think, or say on an Earthly level (below) also enacts itself on a higher level (above).

What Karma Isn’t

Now we must dispel a few myths attached to the concept of Karma, before going further. I often hear people talk about karma as though it is a person, or an entity, referring to it as some righteous law keeper who rewards the good and punishes the wicked. Karma is not a person, or an entity of any sort. Karma has no conscience or consciousness; Karma is a principle put in place in this free will universe which is tied very closely to duality. We live in a reality which is built upon the principles of duality; you understand that every action has its reaction; and that all things have their mirror. Up is always mirrored by down, happy has it’s counterpart in sad, even life is mirrored by death.

Duality is the way this universe is set in to motion, so that our every experience can be fully appreciated by knowing it’s similarity and its opposite. This is a learning tool which is invaluable to every soul alive; we could never truly appreciate the lush and wondrous sensations of Love and Peace unless we had something opposite by which to compare them to. So to better understand Love and Peace we get to experience loneliness, abandonment, and anxiety or chaos. This is duality. And for such a system of duality to work fundamentally it must be governed by a law which acts as a system of checks and balances; and this law is Karma.

You understand now that Karma is not a person, or a being with a consciousness; indeed it is simply a law of physics, much like gravity. It exists to measure our every action, word, and thought and then deliver us a result, or consequence so that we can fully learn about what we have put forward into the world.

If you say something hurtful to someone, that will have a consequence; the tenets of Karma dictate that what you put out will return to you equally. Neo-Pagans and Wiccan’s talk about the threefold rules of Karma, and suggest that what you put forth will return to you three-fold. I tend to disregard this type of thinking, as the law does not seem to favor taxing you times 3 on any of what you put out into the world. So let’s look at Karma as a system by which what you put out you will receive back an equal amount of reaction, response, or consequence.

As Karma is a law of the Universe it is not biased, it has no favorites, in fact it is not invested in your words, deeds or actions. Human beings like to personify things like Karma in order to feel validated, but the truth is Karma isn’t personal on any level, it is a natural law of energetic give and take.

How Does Karma Work?

Now that we understand what Karma is not, and truly see that it is a simple Universal law of balance, we can explore how Karma works. And it’s really very simple to be honest, and won’t require much explanation on my part; Karma gives back to you what you give away. If you do something kind, that goes into the Universe as positive energy, which will shine back to you in some way in your life. If you do something unkind, that goes into the Universe as negative energy, which will also shine back to you in some way in your life.

It’s important at this point to note, this is not a system of reward and punishment!! Karma is not about rewarding the good and punishing the wicked; it is a tool by which we can grow, by reaping the rewards or results of our previous words, actions and thoughts. What better way to learn about how what we do affects the Universe energetically, than to have it affect us energetically as well?

Karma is active always; it is a constant law, and is at work in your life every second of every day. Now, being that it is a Universal Law, much like the Law of Attraction, it is wired up to your inner world, and your inner dialogue.

As with the Law of Attraction, you can say nice kind flowery things about someone, yet think negatively about them, and both Laws will disregard what you’ve said, and go to what you have thought – this is because this is where the truth of your energy is present. It is your deepest truth within that activates any Universal Law.

How to Keep Karma Positive?

Honestly you can’t keep your Karma positive, the point is not to manipulate Karma, or change it. Karma isn’t set in place to make you try to behave; it exists to help you change from the inside out. And that change can only come through experience, self-awareness, honesty, and ardently trying to become the highest and brightest version of yourself that you can.

So rather than trying to keep your Karma positive, focus on being a kinder and gentler person. The ways you can affect your Karma are so simple; follow your intuition. Intuition is a direct link to your Higher Self, or your Soul. And your Soul always knows what is best; Love. When in doubt, ask yourself “what would love do?” If you respond from that place of Love within you then you can be sure your Karma will be balanced.

Making Conscious Choices and Living With Them

So now that we have a better understanding of Karma, as a Universal Law of balance and equanimity, we can talk about living with the results of your actions, thoughts, and words. There will always be opportunities in this world to react out of anger, or sadness, or jealousy etc, and while most of the time I would say “turn the other cheek” and just let it go, there are times when you just have to express your negative feelings in order to stand up for something or some one, or to make a point, or defend yourself or a loved one. We can’t always turn the other cheek and sometimes you have to do something which will undoubtedly turn your Karma into the negative. If you are aware of this, and have weighed your options, consulted your intuition, prayed about it, and still feel you must stick by your convictions, then you must ask yourself “can I live with the Karmic results of this?”

And you must understand, Karma works in mysterious ways, and the cost could be anything from a “bad day” to an illness, or some great loss in your life. Depending on what you put out there, what you receive back could be life changing. So always be certain you are prepared to receive your Karma, before you do anything which will draw any negative Karma back to you.

Karma seems to work at it’s own pace too; sometimes Karma plays out quickly, other times it seems to take ages. In fact lots of Karmic debts play out over several lifetimes. Depending on the amount of harm you’ve caused, you may carry Karma over into the next life, in order to truly learn from the negativity you have caused and expressed to the Universe.

So instead of worrying about what your Karma may be in the future, work towards clearing your Karma in the now.

How do you do this?

Get Honest, Humble, and Aware.

Sometimes you can clear your Karma with a simple heart felt apology. But giving that apology must come from a place of humility within you, where you realize you’ve caused harm. It is best to always follow your heart; if you’ve treated someone with less care than you’d like to be treated, perhaps you should take the time to right that wrong. It’s best to always act from Love, as opposed to letting your ego feel “right”. Most acts of negative Karma come from the ego itself, and it’s need to be the center of attention, it’s need to be right and validated and revered. But we know that the ego is an illusion; it is a false self which we build up around us in this very mundane world of petty insecurity. The ego wants more, whereas Love wants to express itself. So express yourself honestly, with the highest intentions of giving love, and creating positivity all around you, and if you’ve done or said something in your life which you regret; make amends. And don’t do this to make your Karma different; do it because it is simply what Love would do.

The next time you wish someone’s Karma upon them, remember that Karma is always at work, in their lives, and in yours. Karma reacts to our deepest thoughts, and our every action, so instead of focusing on how so-and-so needs a good dose of Karma, focus on yourself, and what you’re putting out there. If you can live with yourself, chances are your Karma will be good. If guilt eats at you in some way, it’s a good time to start making a humble attempt to make things right between yourself, and anyone you’ve hurt, in any way.

With that said, I wish you the deepest Love that is within you — may it blossom through your every deed, word, and thought. With abiding Love, Dee.

www.choki.org

Author: Dee Bernstein – Wake Up World

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28 October, 2015 by Choki team

What It Means To Control The Mind

The human mind is a wonderful masterpiece that has immense potential. Most of the potential, however, remains unused with most people, since it is not us who is in charge of things — it is our mind that is in control. Our Mind is rushing through life with us like a car running without a driver, causing us constant suffering and sorrow.

But if we were able to control our Mind, our life would change completely. This mad speeding would change into a beautiful, creative dance, giving us happiness, instead of pain.

The question is, therefore, how are we able to take control over our Mind?

The Nature of the Mind

In order to control something, we first need to know the nature of that thing, therefore we must know our Mind so as to be in charge of it. The most important thing we need to know about our Mind, is that it is not something that exists separately, individually, like some inanimate object. The Mind is not an object – it is a process – the process of constantly streaming thoughts. This stream of thoughts is what we perceive as the Mind. When these thoughts disappear, the Mind disappears with them, as the two are only able to exist together. The very basic nature of thoughts, is that they are in constant movement, and this motion, almost automatically, creates the Mind.

A characteristic feature of our Mind is that it keeps roaming, wandering; it operates in something like an automatic mode. Thoughts come and go- the time. If we attempt to suppress them, it is only possible with considerable efforts, and even then for only a short time. During most of our waking time, our Mind wanders either in the past or in the future – in our thoughts we deal with our experience of the past, offences we suffered in the past, or with our future plans, goals, and fears.

Another characteristic of our Mind is that it constantly evaluates things. This means that we do not simply live through our experiences, but we also categorize them as good or bad. We judge everything that happens to us and everybody we meet in our lives. This permanent categorization may easily lead to a distorted perception of the world, as we evaluate our new experiences in these categories. If we find an experience negative, we will tend to keep – and reinforce – that category for similar experiences in the future. Our perception will, therefore, be selective, and we will only accept the stimuli that reinforces our categorization, and we tend to ignore those that fall outside our usual categories.

The third important characteristic of the Mind is that it permanently produces stories. These stories often have a disastrous end. For instance, I suddenly try to remember whether I locked the door of my home or not. The Mind immediately fabricates a whole story around the idea: I did leave it open, a burglar came, my valuables have been stolen, and the police, instead of chasing the thief, will harass me with their questions. We often experience the ends and emotional consequences of these stories. Another type of story deals with us, who are we, what are we like, what we should do, or should have done. The entirety of these stories comprises our personal histories.

A Foolish Game

Most people tend to identify with their thoughts and personal histories, that is, with their Minds. A lot of us are not satisfied with what we are, and we would like to have a better and more beautiful personal history. That is why we create a mental image of our desired personal development and the ways of making the work of our Minds more effective.

In order to achieve the mental image we ourselves have created, we embark on a foolish game, as we attempt to bring our Minds under our own control and be the masters of our own development. Since we do not know the nature of the Mind, this venture is destined to fail right from the beginning.

This game is foolish, since in fact one half of the Mind attempts to bring the other half under control. Our Mind itself deems our own mental image of our personal development as good. At the same time, this half of the Mind deems the other half, the one we wish to change, bad. Mental images fight against each other, trying to overcome each other, using the weapons of selective perception and story fabrication. The struggle goes on, with changing luck, all through our lives. Sometimes we believe that we are making some progress, we are improving, and a few weeks, months or years later we drop into the abyss of despair.

A lot of us play this foolish game all through our lives, because we are unable to recognize the simple fact that a Mind is unable to overcome itself. We may, perhaps, with the utmost effort, suppress what we believe is bad in us. That is, however, just a virtual victory, leading us to virtual calm and personal development because when our power declines, the suppressed forces break out again, destroying all the temporary results that we achieved previously, washing away the results of our personal development.

The Freedom of Tolerance

Now we can see that the way leading to controlling our Minds does not succeed through suppressing them. It is not possible to control the Mind in the ordinary sense of the word. Partly because it only exists in its functions and operation, and partly because there is nobody to control it. One half of the Mind, as we have seen, does not control, only suppresses the other half.

In order to be able to control our Minds, we must step outside of them. This statement may sound surprising to a lot of us, since we tend to fully identify with our Minds and their operations. As long as this identification is strong, we shall not be able to step outside the crazy dance of our Minds; we will have to merely suffer its consequences.

Nowadays, however, more and more of us have begun to realize and experience that we are more than our Minds, more than our thoughts and emotions, and more than the personal history these thoughts and emotions build up. Our attention is no longer completely engaged by telling our personal history and identifying with that personal history, and we become more and more sensitive to the deeper dimensions of our life. We also begin to notice the breaks between thoughts, and we begin to turn towards these gates leading beyond the Mind.

In these breaks between thoughts, Mind does not work, it is not there – it simply vanishes. What is left there is the alert and watching Consciousness. If we are able to take roots in that alert Consciousness, we recognize that this watching alertness is tolerant with the Mind and its operations. We shall see that there is nothing wrong with thoughts, nothing wrong with the operations of the Mind. It is not necessary to struggle against the Mind, as it is not an enemy, only an instrument that without control, tends to function chaotically.

We only have a chance to know the true nature of thoughts and the functions of the Mind, if we detach ourselves from them, keep a distance and do not consider them as enemies. They will reveal their secrets to the alert Consciousness, watching with affection, and we will see the subtle shades of the Mind, the games it plays and the dreams it evokes.

The Disappearing Mind

This tolerant, alert, watching attitude to the functions of the Mind will give us the ability of stopping our thinking effortlessly. Once thinking has been suspended, the continuous stream of thoughts stops, the Mind itself disappears and stops working.

Now we shall not seek our own identity in an identification with the Mind, since we have found our real center, our real self, our alertly watching Consciousness. We will be aware that thoughts and the Mind have not really disappeared, they are still there, only in a dormant state. Our attitude to thoughts and the Mind will entirely change at that moment. We think when necessary and when we do not need the Mind, we put it aside. The Mind no longer dominates our life, it is no more than an obedient tool that we use or not use as we please.

That is when we realize how wonderful an instrument the Mind is, and now we are able to use it for its original purpose. And the purpose of the Mind is to serve as a means of connection, connecting us to the world, to each other. Through the Mind, used with alert Consciousness, creative energies are released to the world to create a wonderful harmony there.

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Author: Frank M. Wanderer; Ph.D l Wake Up World

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23 October, 2015 by Choki team

Grassroots Revolution Towards a Holistic and Creative Educational System

“Reform is not enough anymore. Because that’s simply improving a broken model. What we need, and the word’s been used many times in the course of the past few days, is not evolution, but a revolution in education. This has to be transformed into something else.” – Sir Ken Robinson

Mr. Robinson spoke these words in his popular 20-minute TedTalk entitled, “Bring On The Learning Revolution”, which is embedded below. This is one of the best lectures on a topic that so desperately needs addressed in our world and I recommend it to anyone.

The current educational system, which stresses compartmentalization and standardized testing, is limiting the inherent abilities we all possess. It’s as if the educational system is simply set up in a way that directs us only to memorize and regurgitate rather than question, express, connect, and create. We are taught to fall in line and adhere to “The Matrix” rather than being our unique, authentic selves.

Though we could go deep down the rabbit hole showing the financial corruption involved at all levels of the world’s educational system, we’ll instead focus on solutions.

The learner-centered education, or mastery model, which is the way Maria Montessori’s schools have been designed, has been at the center of this revolution in education for quite some time. The base of this model is the belief that the children must be in control of their own learning and that the happiness level of the student is reflective on how effective the education is for him or her.

The adult teacher shapes the environment in a way that encourages questioning, curiosity, mastery of skills, expression and creativity. Sounds about the opposite of what most traditional schooling systems create, doesn’t it?

In fact, looking back across hundreds and probably thousands of years, we see that the way we are hard-wired to learn is very different from a traditional school setting. Think about it. Prior to these systems of today, we learned through observation, hands on application, apprenticing, cooperative learning based in groups and pairs. The atmosphere of the learning environment was also completely different. In today’s model, fear is often at the base of learning. The fear of failing on a standardized test so one can receive a “good grade” is prevalent everywhere. One doesn’t have to be a social psychologist to understand that true learning and mastery is very difficult when a person is in a state of fear and stress.

However, when the environment is not competitive but rather cooperative, an environment where there isn’t the fear of failure, the person can thrive and gain the mastery of multiple skills.

In fact, Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences , which is based on solid and unbiased psychological research, says that each person has at least eight different domains of potential intelligences, each of which can be mastered over time using multiple skill sets.

Howard Gardner said of this holistic learning model, “The idea of multiple intelligences comes out of psychology. It’s a theory that was developed to document the fact that human beings have very different kinds of intellectual strengths and that these strengths are very, very important in how kids learn and how people represent things in their minds, and then how people use them in order to show what it is they’ve understood.”

The Creative Grassroots Revolution, which like all truth-based revolutions, cannot be stopped. Keep questioning, keep proposing holistic solutions, keep in the state of curiosity and wonder.

As Albert Einstein said, ” The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.”

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Author: Lance Schuttler – Wake Up World

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21 October, 2015 by Choki team

Active Dreaming: Exploring the Vivid Dreamscape

It is possible to enter a lucid dream directly from waking. Usually this entails lying down, relaxing, and allowing the body to fall asleep while the mind stays awake. Difficulties include falling asleep along with the body, or the body staying awake with the mind. Decoupling body and mind so that the latter can stay awake while the body falls asleep is difficult but possible.

The Process of Sleep

To enter normal sleep we begin by letting our thoughts wander until they turn into daydreams that either dissolve into oblivion along with our self-awareness and volition or else spontaneously evolve into hypnagogic imagery (short vivid hallucinations) that eventually cohere into a full-blown three dimensional dreamscape.

Whether drifting off takes us into oblivion or into a vivid dreamscape can depend on how far we are into our nightly sleep cycle. Early in the cycle, sleep tends to consist of delta brainwave activity and no REM (rapid eye movement), which indicates consciousness is off elsewhere. Most likely the soul is running its astral errands while the body does its repairs. Later in the cycle after these tasks are out of the way, or when taking a nap, the delta stage is replaced by immediate onset of hypnagogic andREM activity after mental relaxation. But these are passive dreams since lack of lucidity in them implies impaired volition.

Why are dreams so much more vivid than imagination? Because the images are being projected by the subconscious, not the conscious mind. Why do we lose self-awareness when we go to sleep? Because as we let our thoughts wander, the subconscious starts to influence our consciously projected internal images (imagination, visualization, daydreaming, mind chatter) while the conscious mind takes on a more passive and self-obliterating role. Not long after that, the subconscious takes over the role of projector and that is when mere mental images become virtual realities. The trade-off is that we have already abandoned ourselves by the time the dream projection kicks in.

We can understand the various states of internal imagery as being the result of either the conscious subconscious either directing or projecting these images:

Active dreaming: conscious directs while subconscious projects.

Passive dreaming: subconscious directs and projects.

Daydreaming: subconscious directs while conscious projects.

Visualizing: conscious directs and projects.

Inducing lucid dreams from a waking state therefore requires that the conscious mind retain its awareness and volition while the subconscious is given free reign to begin projecting the dreamscape. The prerequisite is total relaxation of the body, usually done in a step-wise fashion from head to toe, either by focusing on relaxing a particular body region, or tensing and releasing that region. A good exhausting workout that leaves you wiped out can also accomplish this.

Watching Phosphenes

One method of keeping your mind awake while falling asleep involves watching the phosphene images behind closed eyelids. These are the glowing blobs of static noise patterns that always fill our vision but are more easily noticed in the dark. Unlike passive dreaming, this keeps one’s visual faculties active and focused on real sense impressions instead of turning within and getting lost in consciously projected daydreams or visualizations.

Why is this important? Because notice that in dreams your “eyes” are focused on an environment existing “outside” you, seemingly as real as anything you might see with your physical eyes while awake. Also notice that in a dream, despite both your thoughts and the dreamscape being all “in your head”, you can still imagine things internally that are separate from the surrounding dreamscape. This means that the full blown 3D dreamscape is always perceived as an external phenomenon to your five senses, than mere imagination which is internal and runs in parallel to your surroundings. So staring out into the field of phosphenes involves a similarly externalized point of focus, even though eyes are closed. In this way, one aspect of the dream experience (the external visual focus) is already established. It therefore does not take long for hypnagogic images to start up this way, although these can startle one back into full consciousness. With repeated exposure they become less startling, especially if you cultivate a calm, detached, nonplussed attitude and ease into these images without becoming self-conscious and excited, which can snap you awake.

The next issue is becoming so quickly absorbed in the phosphenes and hypnagogic images that one loses self-awareness before the subconscious is ready to begin fully projecting a dreamscape. To counter this, a second technique may be employed: quickly opening and shutting your eyes every two or three breaths. This allows enough real sense data to come in, and is so intentionally controlled, that the mind has better chances of staying alert. And yet since this involves mere movement of the eyelids, the rest of the body is not prevented from doing its thing to fall asleep. One can keep this up until the hypnagogic state kicks in, then continue watching those and the phosphenes.

Sleep Paralysis

Very soon the body falls asleep by entering sleep paralysis, which feels like a sudden sinking, melting, tingling feeling. This is not your body going numb with boredom from having lain still for an hour. Sleep paralysis comes with a release of the soul from the physical body, and that induces the sinking or melting feeling. You may also notice your breathing suddenly becoming deeper, effortless, and automatic as the parasympathetic nervous system takes over. If your mind is still highly active, your breathing restricted, and your body simply numb from lack of stimulation then you’re not in sleep paralysis. You literally have to fall asleep, but with your awareness intact.

The subconscious is then at the verge of fully projecting the dreamscape, and one has only to retain enough self-awareness throughout the onset of sleep paralysis to allow the final consciously directed nudge to kick off a dream. (After catching your body falling asleep, before a dream begins you can visualize and intend to roll out of bed and that will induce an astral projection instead of a dream). Or you can visualize something and “get into it” and that will initiate a dream.

It is the intent combined with visualization that puts the subconscious fully online, and a dream begins. Then you can do reality checks (flipping a light switch, looking for inconsistencies) or astral checks (seeing your body still in bed with correct clothes on) and lucidly go from there.

Take note that because this technique requires immediate access to REM sleep, it must be done after already having slept five or six hours, or during the day when napping. If you’ve had a long day and are beat, and crawl into a cozy bed for lights out, you’ll have a tough time retaining awareness and your brain won’t initiate heavy REM activity right away. Rudolf Steiner talked about remaining aware regardless as being a qualification for occult initiation, and that in doing so you get to witness what happens during the delta non-dream sleep. He says one visits the spirit realm and experiences things there are harmonies and colors (which is probably all that the conscious mind can decode of that experience at first, whereas the subconscious or higher mind during this experience is probably having a very involved time “up there”). But for active dreaming purposes, later in the sleep cycle or during a nap is better.

Some induction techniques start off with visualization, whereby the conscious mind directs and projects mental imagery until the subconscious takes over the role of projector. The above technique of staring into the phosphene void and looking at hypnagogic imagery that arises does not use intentional visualization until the final nudge, thereby allowing the subconscious to start projecting more easily because it does not have to wrestle that role away from the conscious. To repeat, visualization is not necessary until the final stage when the body is asleep, otherwise it might interfere with the subconscious stepping into its role as projector. You can indeed use visualization, and Steiner’s method as well as Theun Mares’ method employ that, whereby an imagined visual suddenly blooms to life when the subconscious takes over and turns it into a dream experience (Steiner himself got that technique from Goethe, who wrote of experiencing exactly such a imagination -> dream phenomenon).

Applications

Why is active dreaming important? Because it allows access to the dreaming faculty at will and is therefore more repeatable at will compared to other methods of lucid dream induction involving autosuggestion, dream signs, periodic reality checks, and so on. However it is also more difficult to implement due to having to be conscious the moment the body falls asleep. But like any activity that requires finesse, whether hitting a golf ball or parallel parking, it can be trained with practice.

When you have achieved this state, which Robert Monroe termed “mind awake, body asleep” then you are effectively on a launch platform for dreaming, astral projecting, scrying, remote viewing, healing, entity evocations, past life exploration, spirit releasement therapy, subconscious reprogramming, communicating with the higher self, etc. This state of mind, which some claim consists of theta brain waves overlapped with high frequency gamma waves, is the state from which most occult maneuvers are performed.

Mnemonic Anchoring

When the body has entered its melted tingly state, it is possible to anchor this mnemonically using some tongue position, breathing pattern, eye movement, visualized sequence of symbols, hand mudra, or command phrase. When the anchor is repeatedly associated with this state, later the anchor can be invoked to cause the body to reflexively enter the state, dramatically shortening the induction procedure. But creating the association takes much repetition. Theun Mares’ technique and the Silva Method employ such mnemonic triggers.

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Author: Montalk – Wake up World

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18 October, 2015 by Choki team

18 Signs That You’re Here to Transform Human Consciousness

For many years now, a lot of people have been talking about “The Shift,” this mysterious transformation of human consciousness that is supposedly underway. Ever since the end of the Mayan calendar in December of 2012, New Age types tend to twitter away about the evolution of the species, the revolution of love, and other hopeful but fuzzy seeming changes in what it means to be human. I want to take a minute to help us all ground this floaty notion a bit.

See if any of this sounds familiar:

Do you have a vision of some aspect of a more beautiful world, and you know it’s your sacred purpose to help bring it into being?

Do you sense that something is out of alignment in the world, and you want to be a part of the solution?

Have you experienced a life-altering event that changed everything for you, and now you want to use that experience to help others?

Do you have an innovative idea that might make the world a better place?

Do you feel called to help others heal, transform, connect, love, create, succeed, and thrive?

Yeah, I thought so. I had a feeling you were one of us! Welcome to what my friend Martha Beck calls “The Team.” In her book Finding Your Way In A Wild New World,Martha Beck defines Team members by the following characteristics. You may not recognize every single attribute, but if you’re a Team member, you’re likely to be nodding your head a lot as you read through these characteristics of those whose souls incarnated here on this planet right now to facilitate this mystical shift in human consciousness. See if any of these Team traits resonate with who you are and how you feel.

A sense of having a specific mission or purpose involving a major transformation in human experience, but being unable to articulate what this change might be.
A strong sense that the mission, whatever it is, is getting closer in time.
A compulsion to master certain fields, skills, or professions, not only for career advancement but in preparation for this half-understood personal mission.
High levels of empathy; a sense of feeling what others feel.
An urgent desire to lessen or prevent suffering for humans, animals, or even plants.
Loneliness stemming from a sense of difference, despite generally high levels of social activity. One woman summed up this feeling perfectly when she said, “Everybody likes me, but nobody’s like me.
High levels of creativity; passion for music, poetry, performance, or visual arts.
An intense love of animals, sometimes a desire to communicate with them.
Difficult early life, often with a history of abuse or childhood trauma.
Intense connection to certain types of natural environment, such as the ocean, mountains, or forest.
Resistance to orthodox religiosity, paradoxically accompanied by a strong sense of either spiritual purpose or spiritual yearning.
Love of plants and gardening, to the point of feeling empty or depressed without the chance to be among green things and/or help them grow.
Very high emotional sensitivity, often leading to predilections for anxiety, addictions, or eating disorders.
Sense of intense connection with certain cultures, languages, or geographic regions.
Disability, often brain-centered (dyslexia, retardation, autism) in oneself or a loved one. Fascination with people who have intellectual disabilities or mental illness.
Apparently gregarious personality contrasting with a deep need for periods of solitude; a sense of being drained by social contact and withdrawing to “power up” again.
Persistent or recurring physical illness, often severe, with symptoms that fluctuate inexplicably.
Daydreams (or night dreams) about healing damaged people, creatures, or places.

You!

If you read that list (like I did) thinking “Check, check, check,” you’re definitely one of us visionary healer mender way-finders on The Team. And the world needs you to fulfill your sacred purpose — pronto!

As Martha wrote, “If enough people start mending their true nature in the incredibly interconnected world we’re creating, the cumulative effect really could begin healing the true nature of, well, everything.”

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Author: Lissa Rankin

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9 October, 2015 by Choki team

Sacred Space – What Is It and Why Do We Need It?

In a recent conversation, a dear friend for many years asked me, “I wonder why it is that people need to hold this special view of what is sacred… why some things are sacred and others aren’t.” This is fascinating inquiry, one that invokes a number of subjects, such as the nature of healing, activism, our working definition of spirituality, and our emotional lives — all of which I hope to touch on here.

Sacred Space is time and space we set aside, or which spontaneously arises, to experience a depth, richness, and sense of meaning that usually escapes us in fast-paced everyday life when we are not as connected as we could be with our body, intuition, good thinking, compassion and empathy, and other emotions.

I imagine that many reading this article consider everything to be sacred. Some of you might even consider evil and suffering to be sacred, since the world is full of dark and light. For me, the word sacred has a definite earthiness to it, a sense of being here engaged in some ritual or activity connected with everyday life. Whereas, what is “divine” to me has more connotations with things ethereal, with a non-material influence or presence in our lives. We could say, in a sense, that what we consider sacred is a certain holiness of earthy things and what is divine is the holiness and immutability of invisible forces.

These are the loose definitions I’ll hold for this discussion, and if your meanings are different, no worries, just use your own words to substitute for what I have defined as “divine” and “sacred.” After all, I don’t mention these definitions to impose my perspectives, but for the opposite reason — so that you know what I mean, so that you can find your own meaning for what is discussed here. The point, after all, is not to get hung up on the words, but on what the words mean and the things and experience to which they point.

So, in a nutshell, we’ll consider sacred to be the presence of something “divine” in an embodied or earthy way. Yet, many of us still, unconsciously or not, hold some aspects of life to be sacred and others non-sacred. Some of us also maintain huge distinctions between what is sacred, what is spiritual, and what is not. No doubt, some of this separation has arisen from religious traditions that maintain God and Spirit to be separate from material existence, and certainly our everyday, mundane activities.

While I’m not here to tell you what is sacred and what is not, I am here to help you clarify what the word “sacred” points to in your own experience, or whatever word you might use to describe what I have called sacred, and then to consider how your perceptions, and divisions, of what is sacred might be holding you back from more richness, fulfillment, and joy in your experience.

Finding Meaning

So, let’s begin with positive sacred experiences. Popular sacred experiences might include spending time in nature, yoga and meditation practice, morning prayer, in church or a synagogue, tender love-making with your partner, a sharing circle, any kind of ritual or ceremony, or a healing session. Other sacred space moments might include feeding birds on a park bench, playing or reading with your child, watching a meaningful movie, making art, petting and cuddling with a pet, sharing deep feelings with a loved one, helping someone in need, giving someone your full attention, or saving a piece of nature.

All these experiences have something in common: we find meaning in them, and/or they make us feel good. If something isn’t meaningful to us or makes us feel not so good, we tend to push it away as non-sacred. So, either unconsciously or consciously, we tend to make a separation in our perception of reality. We separate “positive” experiences from “negative” ones, and we consider some things more meaningful than others.

Now, sometimes we consider ordinary reality less sacred not because it is inherently meaningless, but because we haven’t yet found the meaning in it. So, part of sanctifying what we consider less sacred aspects of life is finding meaning in them. This requires a change in perception and/or a change in heart. For me, this is a spiritual pursuit: finding meaning in what I have previously found meaningless by opening, or spontaneously being opened, to its wisdom. This does not mean making up stories about reality, not infusing meaning into things through denial, but finding real intellectual and emotionally honest meaning in my experience and the nature of reality. And this usually means letting both my heart and mind break open.

In particular, difficult emotions — such as anger, grief, remorse, guilt, and despair — is a domain I have found great meaning in over the years. I have found that when I stay with and welcome these difficult emotional states, they change, and change me for the better. In fact, my very welcoming them and feeling and expressing them allows them to change, allows them to truly transform me into more breadth and depth, so that I can keep my heart clear and open to the rest of life. So, all these emotions have become sacred to me, and they also allow me to experience more meaning and richness in the rest of what I consider sacred.

If we consider certain aspects of life not to be sacred, then we might hold them out of our hearts. When we hold parts of life out of our hearts we hold them away from our love and healing. Things I tend to want to hold outside of sacred are pollution, GMOs and toxic agriculture, dishonesty, and needless violence. And I confess, these are all still largely non-sacred to me because they desecrate the very fabric of life. But, if they spur more compassion, more revolution, more love, and more care for our environment, then they acquire some sacred value. And I do see that they inspire these qualities, however seemingly unnecessarily.

With this said, these industries don’t show enough transformational value, as with difficult emotional states, that I consider them worth keeping, at all. In other words, while they might elicit sacred internal moments, and sacred activism, they don’t create enough goodness in the world, and in fact, do great damage. And the good they do is only in the context of our trying to get rid of them! So, right or wrong, I do have a limit to what I consider good and “sacred.” What destroys the planet and our lives, with little redeeming value, is not sacred to me. With this said, destruction and death are natural, and sacred to me, but not when they are avoidable (largely by natural means) and go against the inherent wisdom of nature.

Love and the Sacred

So indeed, part of what is sacred relies on what we find meaningful and valuable. I find the Earth and its biosphere valuable. I find the proliferation of other species valuable. I consider clean water, soil, air, oceans, and forests valuable. So, I hold judgment over what injures these. And the sacred meaning I find in these negative influences is fighting against them and more deeply regarding as precious what they injure. I consider this gritty form of revolution part of the love revolution, as we protect what we have defined to be sacred. And since part of what fosters care for our planet involves feeling our anger and protection, our sadness and despair, these emotions increase our participation for what we love, for what is sacred. Love, then, is more than just a feel-good experience. And so is what I consider sacred.

When we can join what we consider non-sacred to what we do consider sacred, we join Yin and Yang, and we bolster the cycle of fertility and sustainability through ordinary activism, which is love in action.

For this reason, it’s important for me to keep my mind open to what I might be in denial of or blind to. For, if I misread part of reality and deem it evil when it is not — as certain religious and “spiritual” doctrines and edicts have done for too long, and I think many times in gross error — then I myself become a negative force. Discerning reality, therefore, is important to our sense of the sacred and our love. If I suddenly become aware of the great value of toxic agriculture, pollution, and mercenary greed, then I might be able to embrace these more and consider them sacred. So far, I have not found much grace, much sacredness, in these enterprises.

We can create an external space with similar qualities we want to cultivate inside us. And, we can bring qualities inside us that we want to see in the external world.

So, if you are torn up inside, find sacred space outwardly to help heal yourself inwardly. And if you are in chaos outwardly, summon your sustainable and enduring inner resources to the aid of the external moment.

Spiritualizing the Ordinary

A popular domain of the sacred is what many include in their definition of spirituality. Rituals, ceremonies, and gatherings of all sorts that we consider sacred are often held in a special space with special preparations. This has been the case for millennia in all cultures. Part of my struggle, however, has always been how to integrate the meaning and quality of attention common to these special functions and experiences into everyday experience. How to spiritualize “ordinary” life.

Indeed, many don’t even try to integrate “sacred space” in to “everyday space.” Their spiritual life is separate from everyday life. This creates a schism between what we consider sacred and what is not. I have never been satisfied with a spiritual life that does not directly and practically influence my everyday life, thereby spiritualizing the mundane.

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Author: Jack Adam Weber – Wake Up World

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