Going Beyond the Superficial Life

 Dear friends  ~  It appears that we are in a new year that has started with many distressing natural and unnatural events occurring around the Globe. I don't need to list them, we all know what some of them are. Thank goodness for modern technology so that alerts can go out when needed in cases of life-threatening emergencies.

What I have woken with on this day is the awareness of how much this physical world 'throws' at us in dire
and challenging ways.  We certainly get tested and tried and wrung out and re-invented (perhaps, hopefully) and we start again the next day.  It is the superficial life, the physical life, that seems to take a lot of our energy, emotional as well as physical.   Maintaining our 'status-quo' seems to be the order of the day! And what has happened to all those magnificent experiences of awakening and awareness of our true-selves, or insights into why we are here in the first place playing our role in this ascension process?   I believe it is there when we take the time to find peace in our day, shut off the outside world, and go within and connect with the inner-world that is infinite and expanding.   This connection on a regular basis is I think crucial for reminding us about the reason why we incarnated at this time.

We are all a part of the creation of this new world which will take as long as it takes to come to fruition and replace the outside world we now have.  We need to keep ourselves motivated and remember that the earth-changes go on regardless of our opinions and personal assessments of these events.   Our job is Us and what we do with the opportunity we have been given to shift ourselves out of physical awareness back into the Essence of our Being.

All that we need is there, within, waiting for us patiently and without judgment.  A serene spirit that forgives us readily and waits with love for our attention and reunion with the infinite self.

Namaste and Blessings,
Tara *~~

Enlightenment for the Sake of Evolution

Dear Friends ~  

When we think of enlightenment we think of the Self. This person who incarnated into a family and given a name, a home, schooling, all under the supervision and watchful eye of a parent or parents. We grow up and find our own way in the world and decide to follow the path to enlightenment. There are many, many paths to enlightenment and each one is unique and tailor-made for the individual soul. As we become aware of the fact that we are individual souls and at the same time all joined as One under the huge energy of Source, 'our' journey to enlightenment becomes far more than just a single person's journey!

Yes, we are doing this journey as Dick or Jane Smith or Jones, but, underneath that human guise is one soul that is also connected in energy to a vast mass of energy that the human mind cannot possibly comprehend. Nevertheless, using earth terminology we can come to understand that our single journey is inevitably going to raise the collective consciousness of humankind. If everyone could just see how our intent to gain enlightenment affects this whole planet, and turns the Self-enlightenment into a journey for collective enlightenment. Enlightenment for the sake of Evolution of our planet and all upon her. This puts a whole new perspective on our motives and intention.

Enlightenment cannot be taught, nor can it be handed down from Buddha to Buddha. Each enlightened soul who reincarnates with a human birth still must go through the process of earth-life to reach enlightenment in this present incarnation. The Dalai Lama had to do it, and he never discusses the process or the experiences he had along the way, or the precise date or time when he actually became enlightened again on Earth. That type of information is private and sacred to each soul. Who is going to understand even if one wanted to share it? No, it's for each person to keep privately to themselves, to cherish and experience that sacred awakening.

A spiritual awakening is different to enlightenment. Spiritual awakening is like the veil of earth life has been lifted to see the reality of this earth play, for the first time. Awakenings continue throughout life to show, piece by piece, the true nature of our being and the depth of life itself. The shallowness of earth life is revealed and the layers peeled away to show why we are here and even perhaps the feeling of knowing we have done this all before. Our eyes widen to each and every facet of this awakening and the yearning to learn more is ever present.

 Enlightenment is a far greater spiritual awakening at the Divine level of who we are. Enlightenment puts us in touch with our Godself and expands our consciousness taking in the mysteries of creation and bringing us in alignment with Source. All fears, expectations, desires, needs, etc., all fall away as the soul merges with the One Divine Source. When one needs an answer to a spiritual question, it is there. No need to strive to search for it in one's mind as the mind has merged also with the One Source. All information is available at will. Divinity takes over the earth personality and the soul is free. One can still converse on an earth level with others, but the love and compassion and all the attributes of being divine are all there while one continues their earth life. It enhances one's view of life itself and you also find that when you converse with another person, you have a strong feeling you already know them......and you do, because on a higher level you are all One. The mind, thoughts and actions all come from a place of purity.......if another acknowledges that or not, the heart of the enlightened soul has purity of motive and intention, always.
The Me has disappeared to encompass the All.

Namaste and Blessings, Tara *~~

The Blossoming of Our Inner-World

Dear Friends ~
You do not need to study anything in order to receive the divine truth within. Every soul that has incarnated onto this earthplane has arrived in the only school they need to realize their inherent spirituality This earth school supplies everyone with enough life experiences for each journey. Every incarnation provides excellent opportunities to experience the polarities through different life circumstances.

We may not remember why we chose to come here, but that does not matter. Earthlife will take care of your spiritual lessons each and everyday. It is how we handle ourselves and treat others that reveal to us where our weaknesses and strengths lie.

Not every soul is mindful of the wealth of opportunities that confronts them when life takes a sudden, unexpected turn.  A huge test for sure, and when in the thick of such a situation, it can sometimes awaken within the strength that we all have hidden inside of us. How can we know of this enormous strength if we are never put into a situation which makes one dig as deep as they can to find the strength, and perhaps the solutions that are needed. Building spiritual muscles would be a good term to use when life becomes very challenging.

 Knowledge does not provide you with the experiences you need for your particular life's journey.   It does not matter if you are rich or poor, a university graduate or illiterate, for it is the love and courage we have within that will provide the necessary tools to face this life and all it has to offer. What it has to offer each soul is of course as vast as the stars in the sky. That is why this third dimensional world was created, to make one feel through their physicality what the basis of life is all about. If everything you have in the world is taken from you, what is left? Your divine self within. Perhaps by paying less attention to the distractions of this world,  one can begin to focus more on the inner-journey.

Sanyasis are people who are aware of how valuable life is without all those outer-world  distractions.  With conscious choice they give away their possessions and keep only the basic necessities of life. No unnecessary distractions is what is chosen by many on this earth, and not only in India. Even in western society one may renounce the physical world in their own private way and live a very quiet and focused life, communing with nature and the divine.  Nature is pure and untainted by material thoughts and ego.  The plant kingdom exists for the purpose of being of service to other life forms, as in the role of trees and plant foods.   It is for this very reason that humans seek out peace and tranquility in the forests and parks.   Also, planting as many trees and plants in your own environs is creating a refreshing space to relax and it also assists in purifying the atmosphere.

 Our inner-world needs nurturing as much as our physical self does.   It is our inner-world that provides us with the peace and comfort on those very difficult days.  When we take the time to connect within at the end of our busy day, by having this inner-retreat as a sacred space of our very own, we do not need outside comforts that could never provide the same energy as our Inner-Self can.

Our spiritual self evolves from within.   We can participate with like-minded others in feeding our inner-world with higher vibration activities such as sacred singing of Bhajans.   Bhajans are songs that praise the many aspects of the Godhead, and also recalls their times on Earth when great battles were fought between the dark and the light.   Recitation of the names of God creates a very blissful feeling and can even awaken the kundalini.

Treat your inner-world with the respect it deserves.  It is like a teasure-trove of precious sacred jewels just waiting to be discovered. Approach the inner journey with joy and reverence for the beautiful spark of God within, and with the love you have for your Godself , feel it expand into the fullness of flame.

What beautiful Beings we each are  ~  have you realized that yet?    The Spiritual Teachers I have come into contact with have always said that it's ithe actions of a person that we may not like or agree with, and to remember that the person is still a spark of the Divine Source.    Wrong actions come from wrong view which come from wrong perception.   It is their own journey to 'figure out' if they so choose.  We all have choices.........

Namaste and Blessings, Tara *~~

Growing Together ~ Thick Nhat Hanh

In his introduction to the book, Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships, THICH NHAT HANH
shows us how we can use loving relationships to cultivate the seeds of buddhahood inside us.

To commit to another person is to embark on a very adventurous journey. You must be very wise and very patient to keep your love alive so it will last for a long time. The first year of a committed relationship can already reveal how difficult it is. When you first commit to someone, you have a beautiful image of them, and you marry that image rather than the person. When you live with each other twenty-four hours a day, you begin to discover the reality of the other person, which doesn’t quite correspond with the image you have of him or of her. Sometimes we’re disappointed.

In the beginning you’re very passionate. But that passion for the other person may last only a short time—maybe six months, a year, or two years. Then, if you’re not skillful, if you don’t practice, if you’re not wise, suffering will be born in you and in the other person. When you see someone else, you might think you’d be happier with them. In Vietnamese we have a saying: “Standing on top of one mountain and gazing at the top of another, you think you’d rather be standing on the other mountain.”

When we commit to a partner, either in a marriage ceremony or in a private way, usually it is because we believe we can be and want to be faithful to our partner for the whole of our life. In the Five Mindfulness Trainings, the third training is to be faithful to the partner you commit to. That is a challenging practice that requires consistent strong practice. Many of us don’t have a lot of models of loyalty and faithfulness around us. The U.S. divorce rate is around fifty percent, and for nonmarried but committed partners the rates are similar or higher.

We tend to compare ourselves with others and to wonder if we have enough to offer in a relationship. Many of us feel unworthy. We’re thirsty for truth, goodness, compassion, spiritual beauty, and we’re sure these things don’t exist within us, so we go looking outside. Sometimes we think we’ve found the ideal partner who embodies all that is good, beautiful, and true. That person may be a romantic partner, a friend, or a spiritual teacher. We see all the good in that person and we fall in love. After a time, we usually discover that we’ve had a wrong perception of that person and we become disappointed.

Beauty and goodness are always there in each of us. This is the basic teaching of the Buddha. A true teacher, a true spiritual partner, is one who encourages you to look deeply in yourself for the beauty and love you are seeking. The true teacher is someone who helps you discover the teacher in yourself.

According to the Buddha, the birth of a human being is not a beginning but a continuation, and when we’re born, all the different kinds of seeds—seeds of goodness, of cruelty, of awakening—are already inside us. Whether the goodness or cruelty in us is revealed depends on what seeds we cultivate, our actions, and our way of life.

At the moment of his awakening at the foot of the bodhi tree, the Buddha declared, “How strange—all beings possess the capacity to be awakened, to understand, to love, to be free—yet they allow themselves to be carried away on the ocean of suffering.” He saw that, day and night, we’re seeking what is already there within us. We can call it buddhanature, awakened nature, the true freedom that is the foundation for all peace and happiness. The capacity to be enlightened isn’t something that someone else can offer to you. A teacher can only help you to remove the non-enlightened elements in you so that enlightenment can be revealed. If you have confidence that beauty, goodness, and the true teacher are in you, and if you take refuge in them, you will practice in a way that reveals these qualities more clearly each day.

Each one of us is sovereign over the territory of our own being and the five elements we are made of. These elements are form (body), feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Our practice is to look deeply into these five elements and discover the true nature of our being—the true nature of our suffering, our happiness, our peace, our fearlessness.

But when we’ve abandoned our territory, we’re not responsible rulers. We haven’t practiced and, every day, instead of taking care of our territory, we’ve run away from it and allowed conflicts and disorder to arise. We’re afraid to go back to our territory and face the difficulties and suffering there. Whenever we have fifteen “free” minutes, or an hour or two, we have the habit of using television, newspapers, music, conversation, or the telephone to forget and to run away from the reality of the elements that make up our being. We think, “I’m suffering too much, I have too many problems. I don’t want to go back to them anymore.”

We have to come back to our physical selves and put things in order. The Buddha gave us very concrete practices that show us how to do this. He was very clear that to clean up and transform the elements of our selves, we need to cultivate the energy of mindfulness. This is what will give us the strength to come back to ourselves.

The energy of mindfulness is something concrete that can be cultivated. When we practice walking mindfully, our solid, peaceful steps cultivate the energy of mindfulness and bring us back to the present moment. When we sit and follow our breathing, aware of our in- and out-breath, we are cultivating the energy of mindfulness. When we have a meal in mindfulness, we invest all our being in the present moment and are aware of our food and of those who are eating with us. We can cultivate the energy of mindfulness while we walk, while we breathe, while we work, while we wash the dishes or wash our clothes. A few days practicing like this can increase the energy of mindfulness in you, and that energy will help you, protect you, and give you courage to go back to yourself, to see and embrace what is there in your territory.

There are real, painful feelings, strong emotions, troubling perceptions that agitate or make us afraid. With the energy of mindfulness, we can spend time with these difficult feelings without running away. We can embrace them the way a parent embraces a child and say to them, “Darling, I am here for you; I have come back; I’m going to take care of you.” This is what we do with all our emotions, feelings, and perceptions.

When you begin to practice Buddhism, you begin as a part-time buddha and slowly you become a full-time buddha. Sometimes you fall back and become a part-time buddha again, but with steady practice you become a full-time buddha again. Buddhahood is within reach because, like the Buddha, you’re a human being. You can become a buddha whenever you like; the Buddha is available in the here and now, anytime, anywhere. When you are a part-time buddha, your romantic relationships may go well some of the time. When you are a full-time buddha, you can find a way to be present and happy in your relationship full-time, no matter what difficulties arise.

Becoming a buddha is not so difficult. A buddha is someone who is enlightened, capable of loving and forgiving. You know that at times you’re like that. So enjoy being a buddha. When you sit, allow the buddha in you to sit. When you walk, allow the buddha in you to walk. Enjoy your practice. If you don’t become a buddha, who will?

Every single person contains the seeds of goodness, kindness, and enlightenment. We all have the seed of buddhanature. To give the buddha in you a chance to manifest both in yourself and your loved ones, you have to water those seeds. When we act as if people have these seeds inside them, it gives us and them the strength and energy to help these seeds grow and flower. If we act as if we don’t believe in our inherent goodness, we blame others for our suffering and we lose our happiness.

You can use the goodness in yourself to transform your suffering and the tendency to be angry, cruel, and afraid. But you don’t want to throw your suffering away because you can use it. Your suffering is compost that gives you the understanding to nourish your happiness and the happiness of your loved one.

TWO GARDENS

You have two gardens: your own garden and that of your beloved. First, you have to take care of your own garden and master the art of gardening. In each one of us there are flowers and there is also garbage. The garbage is the anger, fear, discrimination, and jealousy within us. If you water the garbage, you will strengthen the negative seeds. If you water the flowers of compassion, understanding, and love, you will strengthen the positive seeds. What you grow is up to you.

If you don’t know how to practice selective watering in your own garden, then you won’t have enough wisdom to help water the flowers in the garden of your beloved. In cultivating your own garden well, you also help to cultivate her or his garden. Even a week of practice can make a big difference. You are more than intelligent enough to do the work. You need to take your situation in hand and not allow it to get out of control. You can do it. Every time you practice walking mindfully, investing your mind and body in every step, you are taking your situation in hand. Every time you breathe in and know you are breathing in, every time you breathe out and smile to your out-breath, you are yourself, you are your own master, and you are the gardener in your own garden. We are relying on you to take good care of your garden, so that you can help your beloved to take care of hers.

When you have succeeded with yourself and with your beloved, you become a sangha—a community of two people—and now you can be a refuge for a third person, and then for a fourth, and so on. In this way, the sangha will grow. There is mutual understanding between you and your beloved. When mutual understanding is there and communication is good, then happiness is possible, and the two of you can become a refuge for others.

If you have a difficult relationship, and you want to make peace with the other person, you have to go home to yourself. You have to go home to your garden and cultivate the flowers of peace, compassion, understanding, and joy. Only after that can you come to your partner and be patient and compassionate.
When we marry or commit to another person, we make a promise to grow together, sharing the fruit and progress of practice. It is our responsibility to take care of each other. Every time the other person does something in the direction of change and growth, we should show our appreciation.

If you have been together with your partner for some years, you may have the impression that you know everything about this person, but it’s not so. Scientists can study a speck of dust for years, and they still don’t claim to understand everything about it. If a speck of dust is that complex, how can you know everything about another person? Your partner needs your attention and your watering of his or her positive seeds. Without that attention, your relationship will wither.

We have to learn the art of creating happiness. If during your childhood, you saw your parents do things that created happiness in the family, you already know what to do. But many of us didn’t have these role models and don’t know what to do. The problem is not one of being wrong or right, but one of being more or less skillful. Living together is an art. Even with a lot of goodwill, you can still make the other person very unhappy. The substance of the art of making others happy is mindfulness. When you are mindful, you are more artful.

You and your partner each have a garden to water, but the two gardens are connected. We have two hands and we have names for them: right hand and left hand. Have you ever seen the two hands fighting each other? I have never seen this. Every time my finger gets hurt, I notice that my right hand comes naturally to help my left hand. So there must be something like love in the body. Sometimes they help each other, sometimes they each act separately, but they have never fought.

My right hand invites the bell, writes books, does calligraphy, and pours tea. But my right hand doesn’t seem to be proud of it. It doesn’t look down on the left hand to say, “Oh left hand, you are good for nothing. All the poems, I wrote them. All the calligraphy in German, French, and English—I’ve done it all. You are useless. You are good for nothing.” The right hand has never suffered from the complex of pride. The left hand has never suffered from the complex of unworthiness. It’s wonderful.

When the right hand has a problem, the left hand comes right away. The right hand never says, “You have to pay me back. I always come to help you. You owe me.”

When you can see your partner as not separate from you, not better or worse or even equal to you, then you have the wisdom of nondiscrimination. We see the happiness of others as our happiness. Their suffering is our suffering.

Look into your hand. The fingers are like five brothers and sisters from the same family. Suppose we are a family of five. If you remember that if one person suffers, you all suffer, you have the wisdom of nondiscrimination. If the other person is happy, you are also happy. Happiness is not an individual matter. Our goal in practicing mindfulness and the deepest gift it can bring us is the wisdom of nondiscrimination. We are not noble by birth. We are noble only by virtue of the way we think, speak, and act. The person who practices true love has the wisdom of nondiscrimination and it informs all his actions. He doesn’t discriminate between himself and his partner or between his partner and all people. This person’s heart has grown large and his love knows no obstacles.

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpted from Thich Nhat Hanh’s Introduction to Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships, by Peggy Rowe Ward and Larry Ward. © 2008 by Peggy Rowe Ward and Larry Ward. Introduction © 2008 by Unified Buddhist Church. With permission from Parallax Press, www.parallax.org.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a renowned Zen master and poet, and founder of the Engaged Buddhist movement. The author of more than forty books, he resides at practice centers in France and the U.S. Thich Nhat Hanh’s newest book is The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology.

The Faith Mind Sutra / The Great Way

The Faith Mind Sutra
The Great Way

Hsin Hsin Ming
by Sengstan
Third Zen Ancestor

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood
the mind's essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,
nor in inner feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things
and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one extreme or the other
you will never know Oneness.

Those who do not live in the single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial.
To deny the reality of things
is to miss their reality;
to assert the emptiness of things
is to miss their reality.
The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find the meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call real only because of our ignorance.
Do not search for the truth;
only cease to cherish opinions.
Do not remain in the dualistic state
avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace
of this and that, right and wrong,
the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities come from the One,
 do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
nothing in the world can offend,
and when a thing can no longer offend,
it ceases to exist in the old way.

When no discriminating thoughts arise,
the old mind ceases to exist.
When thought objects vanish,
the thinking-subject vanishes,
as when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.
Things are objects because of the mind;
the mind is such because of things.
Understand the relativity of these two
and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness.
In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.

To live in the Great Way
is neither easy nor difficult,
but those with limited views
are fearful and irresolute:
the faster they hurry, the slower they go,
and clinging cannot be limited;
even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment
is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way
and there will be neither coming nor going.

Obey the nature of things, your own nature,
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden,
for everything is murky and unclear,
and the burdensome practice of judging
brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived
from distinctions and separations ?

If you wish to move in the One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.
There is one Dharma, not many;
distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the discriminating mind
is the greatest of all mistakes.


Rest and unrest derive from illusion;
with enlightenment there is no liking and disliking.
All dualities come from ignorant inference.
They are like dreams of flowers in air:
foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong:
such thoughts must finally be abolished at once.

If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the ten thousand things
are as they are, of single essence.
To understand the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen equally
the timeless Self-essence is reached.
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless state.
Consider movement stationery
and the stationery in motion,
both movement and rest disappear.
When such dualities cease to exist
Oneness itself cannot exist.
To this ultimate finality
no law or description applies.

For the unified mind in accord with the Way
all self-centered striving ceases.
Doubts and irresolutions vanish
and life in true faith is possible.
With a single stroke we are freed from bondage;
nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no exertion of the mind's power.
Here thought, feeling, knowledge and imagination
are of no value.
In this world of Suchness
there is neither self nor other-than-self.

To come directly into harmony with this reality
just simply say when doubt arises, 'Not two.'
In this 'not two' nothing is separate,
nothing is excluded.
No matter when or where,
enlightenment means entering this truth.
And this truth is beyond extension or
diminution in time or space;
in it a single thought is ten thousand years.


Emptiness here, Emptiness there,
but the infinite universe stands
always before your eyes.
Infinitely large and infinitely small;
no difference, for definitions have vanished
and no boundaries are seen.
So too with Being and non-Being.
Don't waste time in doubts and arguments
that have nothing to do with this.

One thing, all things:
move among and intermingle,
without distinction.
To live in this realization
is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
To live in this faith is the road to non-duality.
Because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind.

words !
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today.

Message to the Beloved Ones by Julie Redstone

Message to the Beloved Ones from the Realms of Light

Feb. 5, 2013
Julie Redstone

Beloved Ones,

It is the right of every person to be in charge of his or her energy. This right is given as a fundamental right of incarnation and a property of being a soul on Earth. Yet this right is being compromised now by the intrusion into the Earth's atmosphere of a vast amount of negative energy not generated by human beings, but by forces that would oppose not only the expansion of light as it has been taking place thus far, but the great leap forward that is about to take place in the very near future.

 The presence of these negative forces lays like a cloud upon the Earth itself, not a cloud that may be seen in an open sky, but a cloud that hangs close to the body of the Earth, making it impossible to breathe freely, making it impossible to breathe in the pure light that is part of the ascension process and part of what changes the nature of life on Earth itself. This cloud of negative energy cannot succeed in its purpose. It cannot prevent the leap forward that the inhabitants of the Earth and the Earth itself is about to take. But it can create, even while that happens, a disturbance in the bodies, emotions, and energy bodies of those living on the Earth so they are distracted from what is happening that is of light, and begin to pursue other directions and purposes. The intent of this cloud of energy is to obscure and cover the holy purpose with which each human being who is present on the Earth today has come here, and to substitute both a false sense of security with things as they are, and also a greater tolerance for things that are not of the light but of darkness than would be the case if the cloud of oppositional energy was not there.

 In order to divert people from their true and holy purpose, new energies that have not been felt before can be introduced onto the world stage and onto the stages of each individual life, energies that create the illusion that what is wrong is right, and that it makes no difference if these energies are acted out. The creation of moral indifference to the actions which are not of the light but of darkness has already begun in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, and its effect can spread like wildfire, creating a conflagration that bursts into flame all of a sudden, unexpectedly, and without warning. This conflagration, produced by forces of opposition to the expansion of light, cannot succeed in its purpose, but it can create havoc, and upset, and great distress for a while, and it can, especially when it operates on the world stage, create an opening for forces of darkness to enter the Earth's consciousness still further, to create even more havoc.

 The time for this to happen is very short, and the preparation for that time has already begun by forces that would oppose the expansion of light on Earth. You are being called, each and every one who is here in a body, to respond to this energetic 'pull' away from truth with re-doubled efforts to anchor in the truth of light and of holiness, and to realize that what is going on, no matter what havoc and disorganization it causes for a time, can only be temporary. For God's plan for the Earth is ultimately unassailable. It cannot be changed. And thus no matter what forces of opposition may strive to create within human hearts, it cannot achieve its ultimate goal. Be certain, then, beloved ones, even as you hear this and cling to truth, that light is ever stronger than darkness and that a way through all difficulty shall be provided for those who seek the peace and safety of the light. This way will exist in full sight, open to all, yet it must be chosen as well. It must be chosen by the desire of the heart to follow God's light and to pursue the truth of one's own deepest heart.

 We, who are with the Earth during this time of transition are guiding the way and helping to open the way for all to follow as the time of trouble falls more clearly upon the Earth.

 All blessings to you, beloved ones, for you have chosen to be here during this time of difficulty, and it is because of your steadfastness in relation to God and light that you will succeed. All blessings, love, and gratitude to you from those everywhere who serve the light.

     

Which Grain of Sand is Enlightened?

Looking at all of the grains of sand on a beach, would you be able to tell which grain of sand is
more enlightened than the other? Everything is a part of the One Creation all coming from that
Divine energy called Source, so every grain of sand is part of it. But, how would it know?
Being part of Source, it must have some type of consciousness within that would know if only.......
it had been higher up the evolutionary ladder like a human. We have been given the brain and the mind
to use to recognize through many incarnations as a human, that this God/Source consciousness
is also within us. The brain and the mind to use to get us through our earthly travels, experiencing
many facets of life throughout the ages. Sometimes it takes millions of incarnations to realize why
we keep coming back!

As humans, we have now reached a time on Earth when God/Source has said, " Right! Enough is enough,
time for all of those serious about recognizing their Divinity within to go to the next stage of evolution, away
from the physical constraints of life and raise those vibrations of energy that are holding you in physicality."
To put things in our earth-language!!

Energy vibrates at a certain speed, and physicality is a very low speed, hence the density of all that you see.
For those of you who already experience lightness when raising vibrations through meditation, or just being
aware of your divinie self through many incarnations, it all makes perfect sense. We have then experienced
what it is all about........this change in frequency which makes our physical body less dense. Also our
consciousness also gets raised with higher frequency, and this consciousness of ours contains the truth of
our divinity and our connection with God/Source. Many people are already one with God within their
consciousness, and they are the ones who are assisting with this ascension process.

Some enlightned souls on earth have chosen to assist, and some have chosen to be in public view so that
people can access them for interviews and for spiritual inspiration. Guidance is everywhere if you are at all
confused about this process, but unfortunately, many have jumped on the band wagon and turned into spiritual entrepreneurs BEFORE they have done the work on themselves first! In order to help lead others who ask, to self-awareness and liberation from samsara ( birth and death ) one must become enlightened themselves.

I am speaking of the obvious ones like the Dalai Lama, Sai Baba who has tirelessly worked with people for many, many years before leaving earth, and there are countless others with not such well-known titles or names. One does not need to become enlightened to assist others with personal issues and finding out the root cause of ongoing problems. Astrology is also a subject where One does not need to be spiritually enlightened to practice.

When you need eye surgery to restore your eyesight, would you consult a carpenter or a plumber? No, because they are trained to do other important jobs like build houses and install very important pipes! Many tasks on earth are important, but you need to consult the one who knows what they are doing
THROUGH SELF-EXPERIENCE.
They know because they have done it..............many times!

When you look at other fields of allied health, one can see that the art of massage and relaxation can go a long way in relieving the stresses of life in clients, and this in itself can lead to awakenings within. Anyone who practices relaxation techniques such as - yoga, meditation, tai-chi, etc. are all helping others to drive down their stress levels and this in turn aids people to sometimes be able to see things in their life more clearly that may have been holding them back.   BUT, it doesn't explain what Ascension is really all about.

When Feeling Overwhelmed

The ups and downs of this Ascension Process, is still affecting many.   One day we can be feeling quite stable within, "Yeah! got it all together.....at last, " type of feeling, then the next day we can be highly emotional and shedding some tears.   There are some things we can adopt into our daily routine, no matter how emotional we may feel, that can perhaps lessen the impact of "those" days.

One way is not to take on anymore than you can handle.  I will share some excerpts from The Tibetan Art of Serenity from the chapter - Feeling Overwhelmed -

" We can spend ten minutes at the start of our day by determining what our priorities are and then focusing on them throughout our day.  Don't let yourself be pulled towards anything  -  from business meetings to casual conversations  -  that feels time wasting.  Instead, make space in your day for the things that are important to you: from projects, to exercise, to family time.  Hold these times as sacred."

Absolutely !   It's so easy to be pulled into another project thinking we have plenty of energy, only to find out after getting halfway through it that we don't have the strength to take care of the most important assets in our life, like our kids and their needs re school, etc.  And also don't forget the needs of pets -  dogs tend to get bored and destructive if not given their exercise!    I have found out.........

" Revolutionize the way in which you communicate  -  Learn to speak from your heart.  By this I mean don't talk about what is wrong but concentrate instead on what is right.  Don't complain, belittle others or predict disaster.  Instead, use your speech to praise, appreciate and be optimistic.  Let your speech be a starting point of harmony and a tool to disentangle the confusion that creates the state of being overwhelmed.

" Change the way you work  -  Does your work contain the passion of your self?  If not, reclaim your life.  If your work is making you sick, bitter or no longer reflects the way you are, release it, for it is a contagious disease, which will be affecting the whole of your life.  Choose instead to find work that supports who you are and your dreams, hopes and abilities.  Too often we are hostage to work, believing that we must do jobs we hate in order to earn money.  Have the courage to leave behind this way of thinking and the support you need will come to you. "

I have to agree with this, but not only in work issues.  In everyday life, in general, we need to adopt a transformative way of assessing HOW we think as life on earth contains much higher spiritual energy than ever before.   I have found that the old way of doing, thinking and being on earth is changing rapidly to suit our higher personal frequencies.   We are gradually aligning with the Universal Flow which puts us in situations that are compatible with our personal frequency.   What this does is we ALLOW ourselves to be living in the consciousness of the Now which means our whole focus in any moment is on what we are doing in that moment.  We are aware of our physical movements and the task at hand.  When our minds are not overtaking our lives and stealing energy from us, we have crystal clear focus and a much higher energy to do the task at hand.

The Universal Flow is the way of living in the future when we all are living in that higher dimension on Earth.  I do not believe in predictions of time and dates of when this will occur as the breaking down of the old 3D way of life is in process and the awakening of humanity IS happening, but I feel we have a long way to go.  When we do, life takes on a very different, lighter feel.  For one thing, we are less dense.  Gone are the cumbersome days of heaviness.   Life flows beautifully in this higher dimension and we live as One with the Universal Flow.   We know instinctively where to go and what to do as though it is a part of us, which it is!   And this will be the way of following our individual energy flow to have the things that we need in life;  flowing along with the energies of Source which contains everything anyone, including the animals, will need for survival.

Back to sharing from the book:  " Create calm  -  To find a sense of inner calm, take five minutes a day to practise paying attention to just one thing.  This may be anything - your breathing, a flower, an object, anything you wish.  It doesn't matter what it is, what matters is that you observe the divine within it. Like the muscles in our bodies, the brain becomes stronger as we train it.  And this focusing exercise trains the brain to recognize and accept calm.  The calmer you are, the less overwhelmed you become, for from calmness comes the path to serenity.  Focusing on just one thing starts to awaken your inner consciousness and allows you to recognize that the ability to meditate is naturally within you and not something you have to acquire or do.   Single-pointed focus stabs fear to the core, while drawing out serenity within you to the point where it spills like a flood out into your everyday mind, imbuing all things with wellbeing. "

That is the end of the chapter from  -  The Tibetan Art of Serenity  -  by Christopher Hansard.

Finding our way Through a Myriad of 'Spiritual' Terms

Dear Friends  ~  Lots of spiritual terminology can be defined in a different way to how it is normally used. Sharing with you part of the chapter  ~  TURNING POINT  ~  taken from my book called Everyday Zen.


Let's consider the idea of 'renunciation.' 
We often feel that for our life to have a new start, the old one must be renounced. What might we consider renouncing? We might renounce the material world, as we conceive it;  or we might renounce our mental and emotional world. Many traditions do encourage giving up all material possessions.  Monks traditionally have kept just a small box containing a few necessities.  Is that renunciation?  I'd say no;  though, it's useful practice.  It is as if we have felt that our evening meal was not complete without dessert;  so we go without dessert for a time as a means of learning about ourselves;  and that is good practice.

Then we may feel that whatever is going on in our thoughts and emotions is not OK:  'I should be able to renounce all that;  I should be able to get rid of it.  I'm bad for thinking or feeling this. '  But that's not renunciation either;  it's playing with notions of good or bad.

Some of us make one final effort.  Because we are confused and discouraged about our daily lives, we finally decide, 'I have to go for Realization  -  I must live a completely spiritual life and renounce everything else.'   And that's great if we understand what it means.   But of all the misinterpretations of renunciation, the most insidious come in this realm of so-called spiritual practice in which we have notions such as 'I should be pure, holy, different from others...... perhaps live in a remote, quiet environment.'   And that has nothing to do with renunciation, either.

So what is renunciation?   Is there such a thing?   Perhaps we can best clarify it by considering another word
'nonattachment.'   We often think that if we fiddle with the surface events of our lives, trying to alter them, worrying about them or ourselves, we are dealing with the matter of 'renunciation'  -  whereas in fact we do not need to 'renounce' anything, we need only to realize that true renunciation is equivalent to nonattachment.

The process of practice is to see through, not to eliminate, anything to which we are attached.  We could have great financial wealth and be unattached to it, or we might have nothing and be very attached to having nothing.  Usually, if we have seen through the nature of attachment, we will tend to have fewer possessions, but not necessarily. Most practice gets caught in this area of fiddling with our environment or our minds.  'My mind should be quiet.'

Our mind doesn't matter;  what matters is non-attachment to the activities of the mind.   And our emotions are harmless unless they dominate us (that is, if we are attached to them)  -  then they create disharmony for everyone.   The first problem in practice is to see that we are attached.  As we do consistent, patient zazen we begin to know that we are nothing but attachments: they rule our lives.

But we never lose an attachment by saying it has to go.  Only as we gain awareness of its true nature does it quietly and imperceptibly wither away;  like a sandcastle with waves rolling over, it just smoothes out and finally  -  where is it?  What was it?

The question is not how to get rid of our attachments or to renounce them;  it's the intelligence of seeing their
true nature, impermanent and passing, empty.   We don't have to get rid of anything.   The most difficult, the most insidious, are the attachments to what we think are 'spiritual' truths.   Attachment to what we call 'spiritual' is the very activity that hampers a spiritual life.   If we are attached to anything we cannot be free or truly loving.

So long as we have any picture of how we're supposed to be or how other people are supposed to be, we are attached;  and a truly spiritual life is simply the absence of that.  'To study the self is to forget the self.' in the words of Dogen Zenji.

As we continue our zazen today let us be aware of the central issue: the practice of nonattachemnt.  Let us
diligently continue, knowing it can be difficult and knowing that difficulty is not the point.  Each of us has a choice. What will it be?   A life of freedom and compassion  -  or what......?
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyday Zen is written by Charlotte Joko Beck who is a Zen teacher at the Zen Center of San Diego.

Protecting our own Personal Spiritual World

      Dear Friends  ~

Through the escalating turmoil around the world, it has become crystal clear that every soul on Earth who is aware of their own spiritual world they have worked so hard to build,  now need to protect that sacred world against incoming thoughts of lesser vibration.


Hold that world with strong fortitude   ~   the increase in mass killings, group killings as are happening in my country as well, Australia, and other heinous crime is a result of the sudden rise in spiritual vibrations that have tipped some individuals, who were teetering on the edge, over that edge!
    
There is another reason for protecting your personal world, and that is the negative entities that are on Earth who have always been waiting for 'subjects' who are easy to manipulate through invading their minds with the type of thoughts to induce such violent behaviour.   These, of course, are the citizens in every community who are weak of mind and tend to dwell in negative thoughts and actions. People with mental illness are an easy target for these evil entities to inhabit.

An an Ascension/energy worker who began the work of raising the vibrations around various communities we were briefed on the possibility of this mayhem over 23 years ago!    All around the world there were workers linked by that particular energy, going out each day to assist the uplifting of humanity. The higher vibrations have always been extremely painful to the negative armies.   The ones who are incarnated on Earth are the ones who cannot stand love.   It is easy to tell as they cannot stand to be near a positive person or anyone who is joyous and full of love.

 The word is going out now, in a strong and positive voice from the Ascended Masters that self-protection is
 paramount.  That, of course, does not mean that we don't pray and feel compassion/empathy for the suffering. Quite the contrary, as holding our space of Light and Love is what is needed on Earth.

 I have noticed for the past month or so when out among the public that there is a rising of these jagged and
 'madness' vibrations that will invade many folks' own auras if they are not strong enough to throw them off.
 It is up to every person who is aware of the importance of shielding themselves against these potent negative vibrations to do so now!  The most important part of you to watch is your thoughts as your mind is the target
 for these entities.   If they can get into your mind and control it, then they have succeeded. The thought comes before the action.    We create our world by our thoughts.

Our Thoughts Create Our Day

                                      *~*       BLESSINGS  of  PEACE  and  LOVE        *~*
                         Our aura that surrounds our body contains the energy of our thoughts, actions,
                              sickness, and also our attitudes, to name a few aspects of our life.
                    
                      Through the action of our thoughts each day, we can either expand the light we
                      hold within our aura, or contract it with feelings of hopelessness and failure.
                      A good exercise to feel how your aura expands with positive thoughts of love,
                      kindness and peace, is to close your eyes and focus on those feelings.

                      What do you feel?     Can you feel your body getting lighter?    Are you feeling
                      happy and content?    You may even feel your spiritual light expanding around
                      you.     This is positive energy that surrounds you and creates a healing and
                      loving personal environment for your inner and outer world.

                      The opposite occurs when you close your eyes and focus on images of fear
                      and hopelessness.    You will be able to feel your aura contracting, like a
                      shrinking feeling.  Your spiritual light is less now and you have become more
                      'physical' and earthbound than the feeling of having more spiritual light which
                      is an uplifting and lighter feeling.

                      When we first wake up in the morning we never know exactly how we are going
                      to feel.   We can make a choice to introduce a positive thought to direct the way
                      in which we would like our day to be.    Here are some examples:
                       A day of peace.
                       A day for spiritual insight and problem solving.
                       A day when you gain independence from any negative influence.
                       A day of healing.
                       A day of reconciling differences with a family member.
                       A day to find a job, or to find a new place to live.

                      In order to change any aspect of our life, we need to bring into our aura the energy
                      that is needed to assist these changes we are seeking.

                      If it doesn't happen in this day, make it a daily practice of building that positive thought
                      energy so that it becomes part of You.    Strong thought-form creates changes in our
                      outer life.    That is the basis of all creation.

Living in the NOW is Ultra-Important!

A spiritual transformation, whether for individuals, planetary, or cosmic  requires spiritual energy !
 Dimensions all resonate to a certain frequency, and all entail bringing in more spiritual Light.
 It takes a tremendous amount of spiritual work, effort on everyone's part, and living in the NOW
  to assist a shift in dimension.    As I have blogged for years here about the importance of the Now
  moment and how expansive it is to have this space that it creates to fill it with Light, many still laughed
  and poked fun and thought that spiritual teachings from the Masters were rather 'old hat and old-fashioned.'

The Ascension workers on earth  now have come from evolved planets and evolved dimensions. We have come well-equipped with the necessary ascension codes in our lightbodies that get activated when we, ourselves, have brought in the necessary Light and expanded it sufficiently. We descended in order to help bring humanity up out of the dire-ness of earth life as it is now, with a distinct lack in awareness of the fundamentals of the true self, away from the life of an 'average human.'

We don't beat our chests and expand our egos, we go quietly among our communities and integrate and share our energies which they may not have experienced before.   The love is pure that emanates from our bodies and people are drawn to this.   The world has been starved of the kind of divine love that earth-life has shut off from their awareness.    We have come to restore that connection to divintiy.

It is a personal journey for each soul as they slowly awaken from a deep slumber.   The shock of what is going on around the world, the injustices and atrocities have brought many to war and crime. For others, it has brought them to pray and to go within and find solitude in peace and love.  It is a person's attitude that blocks any awakening within.  The anger of not seeing with the eyes any physical changes is another way to block the energies that are flooding and permeating the planet at this and every moment.    When the mind is on judgment, hatred and anger it cannot possibly be open to these energies. It takes work on every souls' part to transition from the awareness of a third dimensional human to bringing in the attributes of divinity - humility, gratitude, love, compassion and seeing all as spiritual beings experiencing a physical life (to name but a few).

Change your attitude, change your life.

We are in the thick of a massive transformation right now, and it can prove to be too strong for some. With raising one's vibrations through aligning with the energies of Mantra, meditation on the Divine, any spiritual practice that raises you above the physical existence to realize the divine within. One can also mentally ask any of the spiritual teachers in the higher dimensions or even the Avatars, Buddhas, who will assist any soul who asks.   By choosing an aspect of the Divine to assist you, it helps your own vibrations to lift up and merge with theirs'.
      
I am writing this with the assistance of the Masters who are more than willing to listen to your questions and assist you wherever they can with your journey of awakening.   The best way to contact them is in meditation.  The way in which you receive their messages can vary  -  they can come through as strong feelings that they impress on you, they can put a picture in your mind, or they can guide you later to a place where you will find what you are looking for.   These are just a few examples.

The Many Benefits of Mindfulness

Namaste dear friends ~


You have probably heard by now about 'mindfulness' and how it concentrates your energy by focusing solely on what you choose to place your attention on. Mindfulness is used for meditation, healing, staying in peace, a treatment for anxiety, and also for expanding your spiritual light. Whatever you focus on is where your energy goes. People whose minds are always busy, working frantically and talking constantly, will always be exhausted and drained and wondering what happened to 'all that energy' they had before..........

Being mindful is taking control of your life. Your everyday life can be more meaningful and full of energy if you focus on what you are doing in the Now moment. Yes, it takes practice. Everything worth achieving takes effort, and what is more important than your own precious energy and achieving what you have set out to do each day with calmness and clarity.

There is so much going on in the world it is very easy to feel hopeless and overwhelmed. That is where mindfulness is a valuable tool which keeps the focus in the Now and not conjuring up all kinds of 'possible scenarios' of what will happen in the future. The future is a result of what we do Now with our thoughts and actions, which includes speech and our attitude towards others. What are you going to fill your moment with? Each moment is a limitless expansion of energy and it is up to each one of us who inhabits this beautiful planet to feed the collective energies with the ingredients for soul expansion, prosperity, peace and love.