Grateful For Life

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Hello beautiful souls, and thank you for being here to read this right now. Today my mind and heart are full. On August 14th, I will have been in this physical body for fifty-five years. Like every human, I have had an abundance of experiences, highs, lows, trials, and tribulations.  I can say that I am doing my best. It is important to remind myself that I am always doing my best - we all are. If we could be doing it better, we would be; therefore, whatever we are doing is truly our best. It is important to remind ourselves of this as we extend our compassion to ourselves and others. In an act of softening my heart and opening to life, I am learning to be gentle with myself, and keeping this in mind is helpful.

As I review my life, it is not so much what I have accomplished, or the places I have been, or the people I have known, or the things I have owned that impresses me. What makes the biggest impression is how my choices and beliefs have molded me. When I was younger and less wise and aware, I made choices that damaged my spirit, hurt my heart, and caused me pain. I shared my body with people who did not love me; I found joy in polluting my body and altering my chemistry. Somehow I thought I was “having fun.”

The Mystic

The mystic in me was alive and well, but easily distracted. When I first got serious about meditation is when I was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism. I was studying at the time with a man named Bruce Newman. He held the title of Lama, which meant that he had been recognized by his teacher (Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche) as having the skills, ability, and wisdom to teach Buddhism and that he had also a certain amount or realization. In order to become a Lama, he also had to complete a three-year retreat in silence and solitude (common in Tibetan Buddhism).

I would regularly meditate with Bruce and a group of other practitioners. We also studied Buddhist Texts (books) together, sometimes weekly for months. I was learning a lot at the time, and many veils were being lifted. I was understanding more about the nature of reality and illusion, learning more about the mind and the possibilities of becoming more and more awake.

By that, I mean less tied to the world of illusion and beginning to see through the veils of contrived reality.

I went on a nine-week Buddhist retreat not long after meeting Bruce, and I began to go to Tashi Choling on a regular basis. Tashi Choling is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple in the Celestine Valley (just outside of Ashland, Oregon, on the California side of the border). I was delighted to have a sangha (spiritual community). We would have pujas (practice and offerings on specific days dedicated to various deities), and Lamas would come from Tibet, Nepal, and India to give teachings and empowerments. My favorite teachings were always the Pith Instructions, in which the teacher would speak about the true nature of the mind. 

They are called teachings, but in fact, they are transmissions. It was never really the words that excited me, as it was the energy that filled the room when these teachings were given. I could literally feel a transformation taking place as the words were spoken. Something in me just lit up and expanded. I felt more relaxed and very spacious and the restrictions of the mind were replaced by something much more fluid.

The Winding Path

My conundrum back in those days was that I was an avid seeker of information and not a very strong practitioner. I loved the learning part and the traveling and receiving teachings from various teachers, but when it came time to do the practice for the empowerments I was given, or when it was time to sit down and meditate, I was very inconsistent. One day after having observed me for a couple of years, Bruce gave me a great analogy. He said that all these teachings and empowerments were like patches that I had collected but that I never bothered to sit down and sew them on my jeans. 

Throughout my adulthood, my distraction waxes and wanes. Consistency has been hard to come by. I fall in and out of regular exercise, meditation, and yoga for example. In the bigger picture, however, I  never drop the ball. My spiritual path is something I walk day in and day out, practice or no practice, because life itself is the path. Right now, I am a live-in caretaker for an 83-year-old man. Being a caretaker of animals, children, family, and the elderly can all be seen as a spiritual path. It takes patience, compassion, discipline, and a willingness to grow.

As a caretaker (much like being a parent), my job never ends. It is teaching me how to manage my time.  It is teaching me how to be gentle with him and with myself. It is growing my patience. It is teaching me how to be graceful when his memory fails him, and he is telling me the same story for the twentieth time, or he asks the same questions repeatedly. It makes me want to take care of my body so that I can walk without a walker when I am his age. It makes me wonder who would be there for me were I in the same situation. It makes me want to live a full life, so I have more than just a collection of stories that I repeat over and over. It makes me want to learn to work with my DNA so I can erase the program of aging and decay and replace it with a program of longevity and sustainable health.

The Merging Of Ancient And Modern

There are some powerful parallels between ancient humans and modern humans. I believe the common denominator is the use of our mind, biology, and consciousness, coupled with the power of the heart and the determination of our will and spirit. For thousands of years, peoples of many cultures have learned how to utilize innate body technology. They learned how to harness consciousness, how to master mind over matter, and how to refine their energy. They used this as a means to tap into their highest potentials and lengthen their life span. One purpose of lengthening a life span is to be able to continue learning and evolving while in a human body. 

Our culture has some very warped concepts about death, and many prefer not to discuss the topic at all. Awakened beings try to teach us that, in reality, there is no death. There are even people who have refined their energy so well that when they die, they leave no trace, no body, they merely leave in a flash of rainbow light. This is because they have (by dedication, practice, and commitment) removed the obstacles of the 3d density body and cultivated their subtle body energies. It is said this can be attained in one lifetime, but often it takes many, many lifetimes. It is no coincidence that the colors of the seven main chakras are the same as the colors in the rainbow. Almost anyone can attain a rainbow body. First, you need to know that it’s even a possibility, then, you need to understand body mechanics and how to cultivate your energy and use your body’s innate technology. And naturally, you have to have strong desire and dedication.

Many Tibetan Yogis, when cremated, leave something behind called a rinsel. They look like pearls. They are, in fact, the crystallized consciousness of that being. Rinsels are capable of healing maladies of mind, body, and spirit and are said to carry many blessings. I have seen them in person on several occasions, and there is something very special about them.

In many circles (especially Tibetan), you hear about the attainment of a rainbow body. It’s called enLIGHTenment for a reason. Knowledge of the things I am speaking about is thousands  (maybe more) of years old.  In the past, you did not hear about these things in mainstream society, so the general collective was not aware of what is possible. Mystics are mystics for a reason, right? They are often the ones who leave society in search of something deeper. They are often outcasts, like Jesus, for example. Today, all that has changed. 

The beauty of modern society is that knowledge of things like chakras and energy bodies and yoga and tai chi, etc., are becoming more commonplace.  Yet as they become more commonplace, they also become more misconstrued and often watered down or misinterpreted. Granted, you have to be careful where you get your information. These are the times of false prophets, unfit teachers, and wounded, big ego gurus leading cults. Not all information is to be trusted. One of the most important tools to use in this age is discernment.

No Boxes

Whether you have a name for your spiritual path or not is not important. As my friend puts it, “spirituality has no uniform.” Life IS the path. We are part of a lifewave, moving from spirit to matter and from matter back to spirit in a series of cycles. Inhabiting a human body means that we have the chance to alchemize or merge spirit and matter and break the cycle of death and rebirth. This is what all the great masters have tried to teach us. I am not speaking about living in your current body forever, but about radically changing your perception in regards to what life is and what death is. 

We hear about infinity all the time, and the masters say that the universe is inside us. We hear that the past, present, and future exist simultaneously. What awakened beings have managed to do, is to directly embody infinity and the universe and move beyond concepts of past, present, and future. They live in the eternal now. It sounds fantastic, and yet, for many dedicated to such an undertaking, we feel the truth of this. It is what propels us forward on our spiritual journey.

Not everyone wishes to attain a rainbow body or transmute the illusions that bind them. Every life is different. Some are here to master family, some to master money, some to master painting. Some don’t think about spirituality at all, and that’s fine too. What is exciting, however, is our current position on the wheel of evolution. What I see when I look around the world today is a great spiritual renaissance, a collective awakening. We are rediscovering and finding renewed interest in ancient wisdom; we are moving out of limiting beliefs regarding the potential of the mind, body, and spirit. Our capacities are expanding, and confidence in our own power is blooming.

Humanity is starting to say, I want to run my own life, thank you very much, and I do not need institutions and corporations to do it for me. People are tired of worn-out ideologies and belief systems. We are tired of sitting back and allowing big industries to destroy the planet. We are tired of being screwed over by the government and lied to by the media. We are tired of the education system teaching lies to our children and not teaching them valuable skills and knowledge.

 We are tired of being pitted against one another in endless wars.  We have had it, and GOOD FOR US - it’s about time! You know who else has had it? Mother Earth - she is waking up too. She’s done; she’s not going to take any more abuse. She’s going to shake us off like a bunch of fleas and get back to living how SHE wants to live. She knows who loves her. She recognizes the ones who realize they are not separate from her. 

Developing The Heart

Many years ago, after my first retreat, I went to see the Dalai Lama. He sat with a large audience for three days and gave us teachings. He noticed that many of us were taking notes. He said that he liked that we were taking notes and engaging our intellect to better understand the teachings. He said that Americans are more intellect oriented while Tibetans are more heart oriented and that both could take a page from each other’s book. He said Americans need to engage their hearts more.

There is a lot of talk about the heart today. I see it everywhere on the internet, from websites to videos and images. Humanity’s heart is stepping into the forefront in profound ways. It is helping us to find our courage, to speak our truth, to take risks, to love more deeply, to find our passion, to follow a path that answers to our highest expression. We have discovered that electrically the heart is fifty times stronger than the brain, and magnetically it is six thousand times stronger than the brain. 

Heartmath Institute has produced some profound studies about the heart; that is opening our consciousness to understand just how powerful,magnificent and important the heart is. I highly recommend checking them out. Part of the world’s complex problems are rooted in too much mind and not enough heart. It is now said that we have three brains: the brain, the heart and the gut. Did you know that the heart can think, feel, and know, completely independent of the brain?

This is where we get our intuition, which is often much more simple and direct than thoughts of the mind. The gut is pretty amazing, too; it’s where we get our instinct, our “gut feelings.” It has been discovered that the gut has more neurotransmitters than the brain. I think an important part of growing ourselves is to distinguish the difference between consciousness, mind, brain, gut, and heart and when to use which one. The body is ultimately intelligent, yet often people are too disconnected to hear it. Often, even if people hear their body, they don’t listen, and chronic issues ensue. The heart is highly intuitive, and the gut has a keen instinct. If I am in a situation where I need to make a decision involving my safety, I am not going to choose incessant mind chatter, confusion, and second-guessing of the mind to navigate.

I am writing this with my mind, but the passion to write it comes from my heart. My brain is signaling my fingers to tap the appropriate keys on the keyboard to make these words. Meanwhile, it is also regulating innumerable functions in my body;  connected to all of my organs and my endocrine system etc. Though the chemical state of my brain may inform my thoughts, my thoughts are not coming from my brain - they are coming from my mind. And my mind is not my consciousness. My consciousness is what is observing me as I write this. These are very important distinctions.

Awakening Awareness

I recommend becoming familiar with who is behind the driver’s seat as you go about your days.

It is important to know which facet of you is responding to something. Knowing when to put the mind in the back seat or when to engage it is an indispensable skill. Cultivating and listening to your intuition is also invaluable. Distinguishing between gut instinct and intuition is also of importance. We really are multifaceted beings, and we up our game when we know how and when to engage each of our facets.

Ego is a part of ourselves that is terribly misunderstood, but I will save that for another article. For now, let it be said that if you think you need to “get rid of your ego’, there is a grave misunderstanding. First of all you need your ego, just not in the way it wants you to need it - ha ha! Secondly, you can’t get rid of it any more than you can get rid of your personality. You can refine it and integrate it. You can take it out of the driver’s seat, but you can’t and do not need to destroy or get rid of your ego.

Heart Mind

Tibetans have a word heart-mind. This is really where we want to come from. There is a lot of talk these days about masculine and feminine and the merging of the two within ourselves. The mind (as I see it) is very masculine, and the heart is very feminine (intuitive). The mind is thought-based, the heart is feeling-based. Throughout the ages, spiritual adepts focused on a marriage of the mind and heart, a merging. As humans, we are predisposed to dichotomies, dualities, and polarities. It causes all sorts of separation within ourselves and with each other.

The remedy to this is something called heart-brain coherence. I believe this is one of the most important facets of merging the feminine and masculine within us. If you do not know what it is, I highly recommend this thirty-four-minute video Gregg Braden - These Powerful Methods Will Build the Bridge between the Heart & the Brain If you can’t watch it now, you can bookmark it or save it in your videos on YouTube. I promise you will be glad you did. I encourage you to engage in this coherence (described in the video) as often as you can.

So, my beautiful readers and human family. As I approach my fifty-fifth birthday, I can say that I am doing the best I can. I can honestly say that I love myself and that I have a ways to go before it’s unconditional. I am proud of who I am. I am excited about continuing to open my heart. I look forward to expanding my mind. I will continue accessing the full potential of my body, my biology, and my DNA. I am thrilled that I am alive and that I can continue to explore consciousness. I have deep gratitude for my life and my body. I pray you do, too, and I love to believe that these weekly posts are infusing you with inspiration.

Creative Activations

Hello, lovely human. This is the part of the blog where you can engage to harvest even more treasure from this post. At the end of every blog post, I invite you, the reader, to take a look inside and see what you find. If you like, you can keep a journal, either physical or digital, that houses all your weekly answers and contemplations related to what you read here. Engaging in the weekly questions and contemplations is like a free online course. It fosters a deeper understanding of yourself and a stronger connection to your inner workings. It encourages commitment to be fully engaged with your life and the world around you. If you have been participating in this portion of the blog, I would love to hear from you, either in the comments or through a direct email.

1. Watch the video and practice the heart-brain coherence exercise. (It is at the 17:10 mark)

Gregg Braden - These Powerful Methods Will Build the Bridge between the Heart & the Brain

 What do you notice? Is this something you see yourself engaging in on a regular basis? Why or why not?

2. Are you able to distinguish: consciousness from mind, mind from brain, and intuition from instinct? Explain what the differences are and how you are able to discern which is which - give examples.

3. Do you feel you can trust your intuition? Why or why not? What might you do to develop your intuition?

4. Are you aware that you can work directly with your DNA? Is that of interest to you? How might you engage in that? 

      A. Richard Rudd’s Gene Keys are very useful     

1) He has a YouTube Channel. In this video, he gives an introduction

            The Gene Keys - Introductory Webinar

2) He also has a website:

https://genekeys.com/

3) His book can be found here: https://amzn.to/3zTmk6t

       B. Here is another way to work with your DNA

            https://www.zeropointing.com/downloads (this is a mere $12.12 investment)

5. Are you grateful for your: Life, body, mind, consciousness, ego, intuition, or instinct?

Write a short note to each one, expressing your gratitude.