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This morning, I saw a news clip on TV that showed a toddler in the yard with his mother. A hawk dove from above and flew right past the child as the mom went into a protective mode. The statement by the news person was that the mom had saved the child from the attacking hawk. This might have been the conclusion of many observers but, from my perspective, the hawk was never close enough to touch the child and this incident brought to mind an experience from my own personal history.
Some years ago, I was sitting in the desert in New Mexico. My Intent was to find a Spirit name for myself. After 3 days, I had no sense of a name except that the word “wind” kept interrupting my thoughts. I repeatedly said to myself, “Wind is not a name”. Then, I heard a squawk in the air above and when I looked up, there was a raven circling. It was as if the squawking turned to clear speech and I heard: “Wind is a very fine name.” At that exact same instant, a hawk came flying straight at me and buzzed me just inches away from my left shoulder. At that moment, I realized it was time to quit resisting and I said to myself, “My name is Wind.”
There is a very important point to be shared as I recall this experience and the report on TV this morning. Every moment in every life is an experience. We might say that every moment brings a hawk flying by us. We have a choice of what we see and how we see it. The hawk can be just a bird that is miscalculating or lost or even attacking. What it is doing is what our perception says. It can also be a messenger from our Spirit Self. The message might or might not be clear but we can always perceive the events in our lives as messengers that we are tasked with hearing. This is a matter of perception. Is the “hawk” just a bird passing through or is the “Hawk” a gift from whom we can gather a bit more wisdom or healing or evolving energy? Can the Hawk guide us on this Earth Walk? We choose or, at least we have a choice how we perceive the Hawk. Sometimes the greatest challenges are the most meaningful “Hawks.” Sometimes the challenge becomes a gift because we see it as the Hawk.
Each of us can benefit from applying perspective to our daily experiences. We can treat each moment as a Hawk bringing messages or we can perceive events as life passing by. Was that little boy just lucky that his mom was there or was that little boy being touched by Spirit in some way? Was this a close call or was it Great Mystery doing what Great Mystery does? Can you see how this is a teaching that you can apply to every moment of your own experience? What can I learn from this moment? Perspective!
We are all “enablers”. We interact with other people and even with various and sundry animals. The manner in which we interact impacts their behavior. This is enabling.
Often, we enable behavior that might not be so desirable. When we encourage or participate in behavior that might be harmful to self or to another person, we are enabling that behavior. When we gossip, we are enabling our own and others’ behavior that serves only negative purpose. When we participate in use of drugs or alcohol with someone who is misusing substances, we are enabling their dysfunctional behavior. When we laugh about unkind behavior towards others, we are enabling whoever emitted such behavior. Perhaps a bit more subtle but also powerful version of enabling occurs when we engage a person in argument or angry behavior. We reinforce conflict and that is enabling. There is Warrior Wisdom in paying attention to how we might enable inappropriate behavior and then, of course, modifying our own behavior.
There is a flip side to enabling. We usually think of enabling in reference to negative behavior but we can also be enablers of positive behavior. We have the ability to reinforce acts of kindness, for example. A simple compliment can go a long way. We can also enable positive behavior by refusing to participate in something that might be harmful to self or to another. We can enable positive social behavior by electing activities that do not encourage dysfunction. We can enable positive behavior be being an example. This can be particularly effective with children but can also have powerful influence on adult friends and even on strangers. We can and do enable ourselves. Be the person you would most admire and reinforce those admirable behaviors in others. You will find your own reinforcement in the power you gather by positive enabling.
We are all responsible for ourselves, but our responsibility goes beyond that. We are the creators of our own reality and the others who appear in our reality are part of what we are creating. We can be supportive and enablers of positive or we can be creators of the negative. We choose what we enable. Be a Great Warrior and make conscious, responsible choices. Enable the life that brings peace and love. You Know. Just gotta do it.
We often reference a behavior that we refer to as “Witnessing.” The Intent of this behavior is to observe, as fully as possible and without any sort of prejudice, all that is happening in your field of conscious awareness. To do this, it is imperative that we remove our focus away from self and apply it with total objectivity. This mandates application of several of the key teaching we repeat over and over.
1. Relinquish self-importance. Be like the air or like water, just there but with no defining, differential characteristic. Just there, being receptive.
2. Take nothing personally. As soon as you make it about you, even in the slightest ways, you are now creating rather than observing.
3. Make no assumptions. Any assumptions are based on your prejudices and beliefs. You cloud the potential clarity of pure witnessing when you assume.
4. Resist the temptation to figure it out. This is a big one as we so easily convince ourselves that the reason for witnessing is so that we can come to KNOW. Ahhh, and it is–but not by mental gymnastics.
5. Trust in yourself and trust in Spirit. Trust that both are One. Trust that if you let go of controlling, manipulating, and imposing a false persona, you will be left with that which is pure. You will be hard pressed to interpret or put into words, that which you Witness but, you may actually experience SEEING and you may actually come away with Knowledge.Later on, we’ll spend some time looking at how the power of Witnessing can be reconciled with you conditioned, human aspect.
There are many ways to use words to express the same thing. This essay resonates so much with the work we do here. Take a look and see it the words serve as a connection between you and the wisdom you seek.
Death Doesn’t Exist And May Just Be An Illusion, According To Quantum Physics
Albert Einstein once said “Now Besso has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us … know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion,” speaking of his friend that passed. He was alluding to the idea that death is just an illusion.
One of the biggest existential questions haunting the mind of scientists and the average person alike since the beginning of time is what happens after death. Over time as technology evolves so have our answers. There is still an infinite number of possible answers but one of the latest studies says it’s because death doesn’t exist.
According to Robert Lanza, M.D, death is actually a door to an endless number of universes. That means that just as you live your life right now, another version of you lives its life and makes different decisions that alter its outcome. So whatever regret you have in this life or opportunity you long for, it’s likely happening in some universe.
Lanza asserts that anything that possibly can happen is happening in some universe. Every single possible outcome plays out in one of the endless universes. For that reason, he concludes that death can’t exist in these scenarios since they’re all happening at the same time. If your brain hurts, bare with us.As it turns out, the only reason we associate our consciousness, so the awareness that we exist, with our physical body, is because of the energy working in our brains. This energy lets us know we’re alive.
We believe in death because we’ve been taught we die. Our association with our body is so strong that when we “die’ we assume that both our body and consciousness also shut off. Yet biocentrism, a new theory of everything, is suggesting that death is not the end like we think. We have the power to change our brain circuits with new associations, like learning that fire is hot by touching it. This shows that what we see would not be perceived without our consciousness.Biocentrism believes that life and consciousness are both fundamental to the ways of the universe. Lanza also adds that it’s consciousness that creates the material universe, not the other way around. That means that it’s us who have the power to create our own realities.
Think of the power of perception. There is the truth and there is our interpretation of it depending on the way we experience it, which varies from person to person and brain to brain. Everything you see and experience right now‚ including the words you’re reading is information translated in your mind. Some concepts like time and space can’t be grasped with perception.Think of air, you know it’s all around you but if you clench your fist to grab unto it what do find when you open your hand? Nothing. This is an example of how something can exist without having a tangible body presence.
Lanza believes that when we die, we experience a break in the string that binds the mind and body together as one. The mind and body connection which is intertwined in each of the universes breaks and allows for consciousness to flow and join a collective space. Once this takes place, we also experience a break from our connection of times and places.In a conversation with Huffington Post, Lanza explained that space and time are just tools that our minds use to make sense of our experience, like a language for consciousness.
“Everything that can possibly happen occurs in some universe. Death doesn’t exist in these scenarios since all of them exist simultaneously regardless of what happens in any of them. The “me” feeling is just energy operating in the brain. But energy never dies; it cannot be destroyed.” Every single possible scenario to live is played out somewhere, at some point.If you’re still having a hard time grasping this concept, Lanza invites you to think of his idea of death as finishing a good TV series. You can experience different stories, different characters, and different endings from all around the director’s table, and just like with all the different versions in the universe, at the end of each plotline, it’s still you.
In a way, your story is always unfinished because somewhere out there another version of you is playing out a different story. After all death, just like our consciousness, is just energy, and energy can’t be created or destroyed, this is a law of physics.If you want to read more about this to make sense of it, Lanza wrote a whole book about it entitled, “Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the Nature of the Universe.“ Naturally, it has been received with some controversy.
However, Lanza’s findings raise an important conversation about life and death and could be the missing puzzle pieces to some of science’s most complicated puzzles. This theory suggests that space and time, including death and matter itself, are just a perception or an illusion that depends on the observer.If we chose to believe this theory it could actually bring us a lot of f freedom and power over ourselves and our lives. It would mean that the laws, forces, and constants of the universe are malleable. We could create the kind of life we desire most by making the decisions that serve us best in endless options.
We would also have nothing to lose since the fear of death would disappear and we would instead accept a timeless and spaceless world where we’re all connected in some way to each other, and ourselves across past, present, and future.Energy can’t be created nor destroyed which means that the only time that matters is the present since there is technically no past nor future. How this impacts death is still uncertain but it still should encourage you to remain in a state of mindful flow.
Let go of the past, live in the present, and stop always waiting for the next moment. Are you still searching for your life purpose? You won’t believe what the science of Numerology can reveal about you!
The numerology of your birth date, regardless of what month you were born, can reveal surprising information about your personality.
Written By: Nicole Minor.
This article was originally published on Higher Perspective.Self-importance, masculine energy, feminine energy and balance. Can we see how these concepts all work together to contribute towards our personal and Spiritual growth?
As we go through life and engage growth, one of our greatest challenges is to balance our masculine and feminine energies AND to keep doing so in a way that brings us closer and closer to that place where balance is in place and extreme emotional loading is not occurring. In other words, we want to learn to be receptive by being a witness rather than a victim and we want to learn to use our expressive actions to contribute positive energy to the world around us. The key to this is to be relinquishing self-importance. When someone says something unkind to us and we react, that is self-importance at work. When we react in a way that takes the energies to a calmer, more balanced place, we are letting go of, at least some of our self-importance. When we no longer have any desire or need to react, we may have found a new level of freedom from self-importance. It may be unlikely that we will completely eradicate self-importance in this lifetime, but we can all make a significant dent and when we do, we will be a very different person and we will be having a very positive effect on the One that we all are.
So, work on balance. Keep seeking that quiet place where receptive and expressive are not emotionally loaded. Be patient as you watch yourself grow and evolve. Be ruthless as you pick yourself up after each fall. Simple–not so easy–totally doable.
One of the challenges, as we work on our personal healing, is to over-come that very natural tendency to deny issues that we see as faults. For example, most recently, we have been focusing on the issue of self-importance. As we look at various challenges, you have been getting constant reminders that a major, contributive issues is self-importance. Since this is something we all want to relinquish, we naturally try to convince ourselves that our own self-importance is not all that bad. We have even had alleged Warriors who have declared that they no longer have any self-importance. In short, this is not ever true for any of us who are doing this Earth Walk as human beings. We define ourselves in whatever way, we then attach to that definition and that is self-importance. Further, as humans, we are imperfect. As Warriors, this is an extremely important fact to bring into awareness and to keep in sharp focus.
The point of this brief post is quite simple. As you move along a path of personal and Spiritual growth, you will become more and more aware of issues, like self-importance, that are holding you back and that need efforts towards resolution. If you rationalize or excuse these issues, you will miss the opportunities for healing and growth. If you accept issues as worthy of awareness and of work, you will make progress in your journey to grow. Use the issues that come into awareness. Do your best to see how the issues impact various aspects of your life. Rather than seeing issues as faults, look at them as clues in your own, personal, treasure hunt.
We have been having some discussions about how we feel in varying environments. There is some agreement that when we are in a natural setting, away from people, we are most at ease. The word “natural” is descriptive of how we feel. No “charges.” We are just there, feeling comfortable in our own skin. Sitting in the woods or working in the garden….
At the other end of a sort of continuum, when we are with other people who we perceive as potentially judging us, we tend to be uncomfortable. We are out of balance and can have difficulty functioning effectively or without emotional reactions.
Somewhere between these two extremes, most of us have people with whom we are totally at ease. Generally, we find this true when interacting with children and many of us are comfortable when dealing with infirm or handicapped. Often, we are comfortable with the elderly, perhaps in part because they have found their own “calm” and are sharing that energy with us. Note, this is about energy.
The challenge is to evolve our emotions so that we are always in a comfort zone, regardless of our environment. A simple suggestion might be very helpful. When you are in a situation where you are feeling discomfort, try finding some aspect of that environment that offers a connection with an energy that you associate with emotional peace and comfort. There will always be some reminder of the natural environment, for example. This might be a plant in the room, a picture on the wall, the light coming in a window. Find that energy, which is always present, and connect with it. Use it to tune yourself like a musician uses a pitch pipe to tune an instrument. Find the calm that you feel when alone in the woods or in your garden. Focus on feeling that calm. Be patient. Practice this and you will get a sense that you are changing and becoming more and more comfortable, regardless of your environment.
Practice.
WHO, WHO, WHO ARE YOU?
As we grow and evolve, this question becomes of considerable interest. How do we come to KNOW self? We can see how our self-image is very controlled by how we think others view us but, at the same time, we know that is not WHO we are. We can look at the way we are managing our lives and some seems to fit and some does not. That’s also, not quite WHO we are. However, deep inside our hearts, we do KNOW WHO we are or at least, we KNOW that we do have a WHO. But, in our ever-chattering mental body, that WHO remains a mystery. So, wouldn’t it be nice if we had a way to create clarity and come to SEE our own, personal, Authentic identity.
For those of you who have been writing a daily Intent on forum, you have actually been creating a map that will show you WHO you are. You now have created a tool for yourself to explore and solve this mystery. A simple exercise is all you need.
exercise:
1. Begin by choosing a time frame. Let’s suggest 6 months. You can make this shorter or longer.2. On your forum page where you post daily, find the page number indicator and thumb back through those pages until you find the post that you made 6 months ago.
3. List the “key words” in your statement of Intent in that post. For example, if your Intent was: “My Intent is to be patient and kind while not taking things personally.” Start your list with the key words:
patient-1
kind-1
not taking personally-1
4. Then go to your next post and identify the key words. ex: “My Intent is to be kind and to not judge others.” Add to your list:
patient-1+1
kind-1
not taking personally-1
no judging-1
5. Go to the next post and on through all posts for the 6 month period. Add key words as they appear and keep the tally of each. As you do this. your Authentic Self will emerge before your very eyes and, by the end, it should be very clear WHO you are in your heart. You will find yourself saying to self, “Yes, this is really WHO I am in my heart and WHO I want to be in my life.” This may not align 100% with your conditioned persona but, as you absorb what you are learning, you will sense a warm, comfortable place in your heart. You will know that this WHO is the person you are here, in this life, to cultivate, grow and evolve. This person is where your path will take you when you stay on track. Those key words are your map and they represent your Authentic Self. Now you have met WHO you are. The journey continues.“Relationships” are central to a human life and often present some of the greatest challenges. This is particularly true in marriages or marriage-like arrangements where two people are sharing so much of their lives. As we do this work, it is very obvious that relationship challenges are one of the most important aspects of growing and evolving, both spiritually and in daily living. These challenges often tend to manifest as huge, complex, apparently unresolvable problems. However, in fact, this is another case where “simple” may be the best solution.
In short, we are all here to serve. Our relationships are our laboratories for practicing serving and to perfect it as best we can. Serving without expectation of return is the very definition of unconditional love. We may begin a relationship with our hungry neediness but most find that the reinforcement value that ensues, has a tendency to wear-off somewhere along the line. Then it is time to get to work–or to just hang it up. If you have any interest in evolving the relationship and yourself, the challenge is to learn service without expectation of reward. The specific ways in which this is done will vary in any relationship but the principle is the same. Serve without “me, me, me!!”
You might ask how you can be expected to do this if your partner does not reciprocate. That is, BTW, a common result of conditioned, human behavior. Humans are self-important and generally have been taught to take rather than to give or to give when a reward can be realized. If you are going to be a Warrior and facilitate your own growth, you need to defy this up-bringing. You need to reverse neediness syndrome and move into a mode of service. Many times, we have repeated that a Warrior must be “ruthless, cunning’ patient and sweet.” There is service in a nutshell. If you are in a less than perfect relationship, consider this teaching. Work on being of service to your “mate” and if you want to gain something for yourself, consider the possibility that what you are doing is learning to actually engage in Unconditional Love.
As you contemplate an increased focus on service in whatever relationship/s you have, you will want to plan concrete actions or modes of behavior for yourself. This can be a bit daunting at first as it tends to go against habitual patterns. We can discuss this in places where you post on forum. Describe your ideas and plans. Ask questions and compare notes with others who are engaging similar challenges. SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This came across my desk this morning and bears sharing. We have talked constantly about the importance of accepting responsibility for our own thoughts, feelings and actions. Perhaps this will add some clarity.
“This is a letter to all those who are having relationship challenges. Those can be, in a job, with friends, with a partner, or with your parents. Having been married to my wonderful husband for 46 years I have discovered a few things. My husband and I are completely different. If he likes a TV program I usually don’t. We cannot pack a car together. We cook our own meals because we don’t like the same foods. I enjoy gardening, reading, spirituality, and learning new things. He enjoys; trains, model airplanes, fixing things, and organizing. When we were first married, I cleaned the kitchen. He came in and re-cleaned it. Instead of getting mad, I just gave him the job for 46 years. Although we both speak our needs we do not argue. Most the time it is a compromise. This very morning I said to him,” This plant can’t take sunlight. Please don’t open the curtains. It will die.” His response was, “I like to look out the windows. Can you please move the plant.” I did.
The next statements are so important that I am going to put them in cabs. DO NOT EXPECT THE OTHER PERSON TO CHANGE – IT IS NOT THEIR JOB TO MAKE YOU FEEL LOVED – THEY ARE NOT CAUSING YOUR EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS – DON’T ASSUME THEY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE FEELING.”
Your triggers and highly charged emotions are coming from your childhood, your young adult years, or are generational beliefs and patterns. When I talk to most people in a relationship crisis, they start out with blaming the other person. It is not about them; it IS about YOU.
When I was younger, if I felt hurt, I would go in the bedroom, leave the door open, and sob very loudly. I was thinking if they hear me crying, they will do what I want. My three-year-old did this. I had never broken the pattern. Other manipulations I would use; I just want to die, I am going to leave, you don’t love me. and you make me feel. As I began to grow, I remembered that what I focus on becomes my reality. If I have old patterns of not being listened to then those around me will not listen to me. etc. My thoughts, words, and beliefs are my reality.
I also realized that the only person that could change my life was me. Last but not least, if you hold anger/blame towards any other person, you will not heal. If you believe the problems are outside of yourself, they will keep repeating over and over.
When I began to love myself and understand that I was not perfect and forgive myself for being human, the people around me began to treat me differently.
HEAL YOURSELF FIRST !!!!!!!!!
Every morning, I look at the 3 year old me and say,” I love you, I will protect you today, you are amazing and special. If you want anything today please let me know gently.”
Grandmother Barbara VitaleThis came across my desk this AM and seems like a nice, clear statement that we all need to keep in awareness:
Nikola Tesla ·
Nelson Martins ·
March 10, 2020
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7 things that affect your vibration frequency from the point of view of quantum physics.
Vibration in quantum physics means everything is energy. We are vibrant beings on certain frequencies. Every vibration is equivalent to a feeling and in the world “Vibrational”, there are only two species of vibrations, positive and negative. Any feeling makes you broadcast a vibration that can be positive or negative.
1ST – * thoughts *
Every thought emits a frequency to the universe and this frequency goes back to origin, so in the case, if you have negative thoughts, discouragement, sadness, anger, fear, all this comes back to you. This is why it is so important that you take care of the quality of your thoughts and learn how to cultivate more positive thoughts.
2TH – * the companies *
The people around you directly influence your vibration frequency. If you surround yourself with happy, positive and determined people, you will also enter this vibration. Now, if you surround yourself with people complaining, gossiping and pessimist, be careful! Indeed, they can reduce your frequency and therefore prevent you from using the law of attraction in your favor.
3TH – * the music *
Music is very powerful. If you only listen to music that talks about death, betrayal, sadness, abandonment, all this will interfere with what you are feeling. Pay attention to the lyrics of the music you listen to, it could reduce your vibration frequency. And Remember: you attract exactly what you feel in your life.
4TH – * the things you look at *
When you look at programs that deal with misfortunes, dead, betrayals, etc. Your brain accepts this as a reality and releases a whole chemistry into your body, which affects your vibration frequency. Look at things that do you feel good and helps you vibrate at a higher frequency.
5TH – * the atmosphere *
Whether it’s at home or at work, if you spend a lot of time in a messy and dirty environment, it will also affect your vibration frequency. Improve what surrounds you, organize and clean your environment. Show the universe that you are fit to receive much more. Take care of what you already have!
6TH – * THE WORD *
If you claim or speak wrong about things and people, it affects your vibration frequency. To keep your frequency high, it is essential to eliminate the habit of complaining and bad talking about others. So avoid drama and bullying. Assume your responsibility for the choices of your life!
7TH – * GRATITUDE *
Gratitude positively affects your vibration frequency. This is a habit you should integrate now into your life. Start to thank for everything, for the good things and what you consider to be bad, thank you for all the experiences you’ve experienced. Gratitude opens the door for good things to happen positively in your life.Let’s do a brief revisit to the topic of change. You may want to read a post towards the beginning of this thread. Go to page 1 and thumb down 3 or 4 posts.
Change is one of a Warrior’s more powerful tools. The prison we inhabit, as ordinary humans, is a small space with tight limits and rules. As we journey through life, the space generally becomes more and more confining and, bizarre as it may sound, most humans are inclined to settle in, lock the doors and windows, pull the curtains and make that space more and more, exactly the way it has been. This space is our way of becoming separate from the ONE. It is the very definition of EGO.
This space is our rationale for resistance to change. Resistance–change!!!!!!!!!! A Warrior must resist the resistance and find ways to change. A Warrior is in a constant state of flux, even as the world around them may be struggling to remain the same. A Warrior is sure to find that the exterior world, including friends and family, not only resist change but even go so far as to manipulate the Warrior into NOT changing. So, as we embark this journey of change, there is advantage in being aware of how the forces around us are very determined to keep us from changing.We have talked about change many times so it may seem redundant to dwell on this topic. However, the talk is not the same as action and action grows out of Awareness and Intent. A reminder or two may serve to regenerate awareness and that might just kick Intent into gear. Pay attention and use the tools. Remember not-doings and start where you are. Practice. Then move to bigger and more significant changes. Pay close attention to the forms taken by resistance. Note from where it comes and meet its’ challenges. If you do not see resistance, your blindness IS resistance. Open your eyes and work on Awareness. Take a step at a time but keep moving forward. Be unpredictable, even to self. Note how it feels to change. At first, it may be a bit uncomfortable but in time, you will realize the power it brings.
As you change and change and change, you will, sample the Universe and begin to sense the true, magic of being a human while being ONE. You will sense that you are energy that flows, perhaps more like the ocean than like a river. You begin to realize who, who, who and “I AM” will begin to replace separateness and ego.
There are strong hints in teachings that say we are just part of the natural world. But, what does that mean when you go beyond the words. Am I “part” or am I just “I am?” How can “I” exist if I am simply “I AM?” Ahh. The Nagual!!!!!!!!!!! The unknown and then the “unknowable.” Can we go so deep into the unknowable that knowing, no longer matters or even exists. ONE just is and I AM. That’s all.
Explore these concepts and see where that takes you. Allow the doors to open and the breeze of clarity to blow through the room in which YOU (who, who, who) reside.
We may be working at cross-purposes when we dedicate our energy to growing and evolving in accord with conditioned beliefs. From early on in life, we are taught that we are responsible to seek success. This may be defined by educational achievements, job or profession, possessions, monetary wealth, or any number of potential accomplishments. The bottom line is that we are taught to “become something.” We are taught to be successful and to display, cherish and protect that success-whatever it may be. In short, we are taught to develop a “persona” and to dedicate our lives to being as that persona defines us to be.
There’s a glitch in this, assuming we have an interest in growing and evolving in a Spiritual or Authentic sense. The primary emphasis of a persona is to define one’s self as separate from others. We strive to be different or even special compared to others. We strive for recognition and visibility. Can you SEE the glitch?
OK, here’s a hint. We are all ONE.
Now, can you reconcile this?
Be a “witness” of the relationship between stress and use of voice. Notice how, when voice is loud and high-pitched and words are spoken rapidly, the tendency of “listeners” is to react more to the stress inducing energy than to the content/meaning of the spoken words. You can see this easily in political speech (shouting) or in the go to Hell declarations many evangelists. The audience adopts an excited, intense energy, regardless of the words being shouted. The communication is in the frantic, stressful energy rather than in the meanings of words. Notice when an argument ensues between two people. one of whom might be you, how communication goes down the toilet when voices get louder, and words are spoken faster. There is irony in the way so many think they will be “heard” if they get louder while, in fact, the exact opposite is true. Pay attention and witness this in so many situations. Stress induces loud, rapid, high-pitched speech and the opposite feelings are conducive to calm, quiet, slow, lower-pitched vocal patterns. Stress can be either cause or effect. As a witness, you will see this.
Use what you learn as a witness. Use it to improve your own communication and interpersonal skills. Practice speaking methodically, slowly, quietly, clearly and with a soft, gentle voice. Note how people seem much more inclined to listen and to respond with an interest in communicating. Notice how much more centered you feel. Power-in.
When someone speaks to you, they give you many clues as to their level of stress. Often, their speech is loud, even close to shouting, when they are stressed. It comes at you at a faster pace than when they are relaxed. You may notice the pitch of their voice is higher. In short, the vocal characteristics can be very telling of level of stress.
Psychological stress will commonly manifest in physiological changes and these changes are generally felt as tension. The pitch of any individual’s voice is determined, in large part, by the tension of the vocal folds. Voice is produced by air flowing through the gap between the folds and the tighter the folds, the more force it takes to vibrate them and thus, the higher the pitch. At the same time, since it takes more force to cause vibration, the voice is generally louder. Further, as the effort to create voice is increasing, there is generally a natural tendency to speak at a more rapid rate. So, with stress, we see vocal production that might be assessed as higher pitched, louder and more rapid than that of a person in a relaxed state.
This is very valuable information for a Warrior. The Intent of a Warrior is to be the artist of their own life, and this certainly includes being in charge of stress. We know that we can go a long way towards managing stress by managing the physiological and behavioral symptoms that are generally associated with stress. The voice is one of those aspects that is reasonably easy for us to manage and, when we do, we can reduce stress. You can experiment with this right now, as you are reading this short post. Pick a sentence and read it out loud. Then do it again but read it as quickly as you can utter the words. Notice how this feels. Notice the pitch of your voice and notice your volume-the loudness. Finally, read it slowly, focusing on each word and enunciating clearly. Allow your voice to be lower in pitch. Note how this feels. Can you tell the difference in stress levels? The important thing is to feel how you can manipulate your own sense of stress, even while just sitting alone. You are a magician but may need to practice a bit more.
Practice managing your voice in daily, conversational situations. Speak slowly with focus on communicating. Relax and lower the pitch of your voice, particularly when you feel tightness in throat. Relax. Speak quietly and if no one listens, just let it go. Maybe it just wasn’t important or maybe it will be their loss. In any case, maintain your own, relaxed voice. Note how stress melts away. Practice and practice until this is your “go-to.” You will find that you have made a major step in decreasing stress. Soft, gentle, calm, measured pace, lower pitch, feel it.
A Warrior is ruthless, cunning, patient and sweet. How many times have we repeated this wisdom-packed mantra. However, it needs repeating and repeating. Let’s take a quick look at “PATIENCE.”
Patience is at the heart of a Warrior’s power. We do live in a fast-paced world where results are expected immediately. The internet gives us access to so many things that used to take time and effort-information, shopping, etc. Our medical needs are most often met with immediacy by telemedicine and magic pills. Our needs are met now in so many ways that it is no wonder our patience is thin or non-existent. However, when it comes to personal and Spiritual growth, there is no instant fix. We may desire and expect immediacy but it is not going to happen. This work is a lifetime journey. That means, it takes us to many places and, if we stay on track, we do grow and evolve but, as we do so, we come to realize that there are infinite miles to travel and, the further we go, the more we discover and the more we realize how much discovery remains. We find tools to help us on our journey and it is imperative that we apply these tools with ruthlessness. We work and we work. We face and meet challenges that seem to keep getting greater and greater. This is the Way of a Warrior. Many people start down this path. Some give up almost immediately, generally for reasons related to personal resistance as discussed in the post above. Others make some progress and decide they have learned what they came to learn and they go back to their old, habit-driven life where effort takes them in more of an Earth Walk direction. A rare few start to SEE the path unfolding and these people become Warriors. A Warrior is the person who practices and cultivates being ruthless, cunning, patient and sweet. These are all lifetime characteristics and are permanent fixtures for a Warrior. We know we will reach the end of our journey with miles to go but with many miles traveled while doing our best. “PATIENCE!”
Recently came across this bit of wisdom that may be of help to those who get apprehensive @ being able to participate in conversations.
“We Indians know about silence. We are not afraid of it. In fact, for us, silence is more powerful than words. Our elders were trained in the ways of silence, and they handed over this knowledge to us. Observe, listen, and then act, they would tell us. That was the manner of living.
With you, it is just the opposite. You learn by talking. You reward the children that talk the most at school. In your parties, you all try to talk at the same time. In your work, you are always having meetings in which everybody interrupts everybody and all talk five, ten or a hundred times. And you call that ‘solving a problem’. When you are in a room and there is silence, you get nervous. You must fill the space with sounds. So you talk compulsorily, even before you know what you are going to say.
White people love to discuss. They don’t even allow the other person to finish a sentence. They always interrupt. For us Indians, this looks like bad manners or even stupidity. If you start talking, I’m not going to interrupt you. I will listen. Maybe I’ll stop listening if I don’t like what you are saying, but I won’t interrupt you.
When you finish speaking, I’ll make up my mind about what you said, but I will not tell you I don’t agree unless it is important. Otherwise, I’ll just keep quiet and I’ll go away. You have told me all I need to know. There is no more to be said. But this is not enough for the majority of white people.
People should regard their words as seeds. They should sow them, and then allow them to grow in silence. Our elders taught us that the earth is always talking to us, but we should keep silent in order to hear her.
There are many voices besides ours. Many voices…”The time when the sun peaks over the horizon in the morning and the time when it drops back over the horizon in evening, is referred to as the “CRACK BETWEEN THE WORLDS.” These are considered particularly auspicious times to be calling in the directions.
Chanda just remined me of something we do when calling directions but that I neglected to include in the instruction above. Simply put, in Sacred Space, we are very respectful when another person is speaking. This means that only one person speaks at a time and as they finish speaking, they say they are done and everyone else recognizes and expresses appreciation for the words spoken. We use the expression “AHO” for these functions. When a speaker is finished, they declare as much by saying “AHO.” In essence, they are saying, “I am finished. That is all I have to say about that.” Then, those who have been listening respond by echoing, “AHO.” They are essentially saying, “Thanks for your words.”👌 They may also be saying, “Thanks for ending your words.”🤣
“Aho” is used in different ways in different cultures and the use we have chosen is neither in contradiction of nor in competition of any of those. It is simply noise produced by mouth-hole and perceived by ear-hole and with assigned meaning/s. You may hear it used in any number of ways in other contexts. None is any more right than any other nor is any the property of any particular pair of “holes.” We are ONE! AHO!
The concept of “Oneness” has been pervasive in recent contemplations and meditations. The Hollow Bone sheds light on this in a way that is well worth your own effort to catch a glimpse. These glimpses contribute to clarity and show that there are depths to this that are very illusive to the human being. As we work to escape the bonds of self and evolve comprehension of Oneness, the tendency is to look at that which we have been perceiving as “self” as no longer separate but rather, as “part of the One.” As we go deeper, we begin to SEE that the concept of “self” as a part, is actually blocking the perception of ONE. Ironically, we carry into this perceptual set, the very issue we have been seeking to escape–self!! Self is not dissolved in that perception but remains, by virtue of our ego based needs, as part of the One. We must take a deeper dive into ONE to resolve this and, when we do, that perceived “self” is no longer part of the One. It is simply and inexplicably, ONE. When we SEE this, self-importance is eliminated. Desire is eliminated. That which we have seen as suffering is just sharing time and space with all that is–ONE. Duality becomes singularity and, as ONE, we are all and none. Therein, we are, period.
These words may or may not resonate. A briefer set of words by Rumi might clarify or add to your Knowledge:
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” ~ Rumi
Another author attempts to untangle Rumi’s words from the “Great Mystery.”
“In other words, you are crafted with the intelligence of the entire Universe. Quantum physicists have said that if you take one photon of light and send it through a black hole, that single photon of light would carry with it all the information of the Universe. We are all holographic beings.”
We suggest that you bring this topic into your moment-by-moment life and spend time sitting quietly and contemplating the very nature of “self.” Without forcing anything, allow your consciousness in meditation, to track Oneness without Self. Who, who, who are you? What, what, what are you?
As we seek “path with heart,” there is a potential trap that we want to keep in awareness. People often tend to equate “path” with the way a person makes a living. From that, a person’s value or “importance” is often extrapolated. Those who are seeking path with heart will often strive for a vocational identity that they and/or others view as having high value. Many who achieve high paying jobs or positions of great authority, are generally view as more important than the person who makes little or no wage or has authority over no other person or thing. Therein lies the trap.
Importance–importance–SELF-IMPORTANCE. One of our greatest challenges as a Warrior, is to escape the delusion of self-importance. When we equate self-importance and vocation and grade ourselves(or others) on that or any basis, we are not escaping self-importance. We are clearly making it stronger. We are adding strength to the walls of the prison that keep us from becoming FREE. It should be obvious that the association of vocation and importance needs to be erased.
This, of course, takes us back to the search for Path with Heart. If it can be a trap for a Warrior to seek a high value vocation as their path with heart, what is a Warrior to do? This takes us back to some basic teachings. First, we are all here to SERVE. The definition of “service” can also be a bit tricky as it can also take us down that path to self-importance. So, perhaps there is solution in practicing “kindness.” We can do that in any of our waking moments and certainly in any possible vocation. But, the trap can still slip its’ sneaky energy into our perception of self. We can go around being kind and sweet and all sorts of nice things but if we see ourselves as being kind and sweet etc, it is very easy to turn this into self-importance. There we are, lost again. What to do?
This may not be the proverbial, Gordian Knot. In fact, the secret to freeing oneself from self-importance may be quite simple. If we can shift our view from focus on “self” to focus on the entire energy of the Universe, or even on the entire energy of humanity, we may begin to see the spec of energy that we have been calling “self,” is just a tiny fraction of the whole. Even more interesting, that spec is integral to the whole. It does not exist in any separate fashion. It contributes by simply existing. We can choose, as sentient beings, to align with energies that appeal to us but those energies are already in existence in the Oneness in which we participate. All energies exist in that Oneness. That includes me, you, everyone and everything.
Once we come to accept Who and What we are, self-importance no longer has any role beyond imposing limitations. Once we relinquish self-importance, we are free to engage the smorgasbord on the table of ONENESS. Path with Heart is an adventure rather than a mark of success or failure or of importance or lack thereof. Coming to KNOW the folly of self-importance is no easy task but it is the journey a Warrior must take. This journey is the ultimate rejection of personal conditioning and, as conditioned beliefs, like that in self-importance, begin to lose their power, the Warrior gains freedom.
RECAPITULATION
The Intent of recapitulation is to free one’s self from dark, negative energies. These are usually either haunting memories of recent events that have resulted in a charge. We want to clean these energies out of our own energetic body and replace them with energies that are light and free. So, we call the work “cleaning and clearing.” This process comes from ancient Toltec teachings and, even if you sometimes feel it is silly or ineffective or should or could be modified, it is suggested that, at lest until you have mastered it, you should do it precisely as you have been taught.
Let’s break the process into simple steps.
1. begin by identifying an energy you want to release. This energy is usually associated with a charge and you identify it by the way it feels. Start by feeling that energy.
2. There is an opposite energy to the one that brings on the charge. This is generally a light sense of clarity and freedom. Immerse yourself in that energy, long enough to experience how it feels.
3. Now start the breathing exercise that is at the core of recapitulation. Sitting or lying down, close your eyes and turn your head as far as you can, to the right. Exhale and focus on the light energy in #2 above.
4. Slowly swing your head from right to left, breathing in, as if inhaling that light energy. Fill your lungs and hold that breath and energy for a short time.
5. Still with head facing left, eyes closed and holding breath, shift attention to the dark energy or charge that you want to release. Hold it for a few seconds.
6. Slowly move head so you are pointed forward and forcefully blow out the breath and with it the dark energy. Release it to the universe.
7. Turn back to facing over right shoulder, recall the light energy and breathe it in slowly as you fan your head to over left shoulder. Repeat steps 5 and 6 and bring yourself back to starting position facing over right shoulder. Repeat and repeat and repeat.
8. Begin by mastering the movements and the engagement of the feelings. Then start lengthening your sessions-5–10–15–20–30 minutes.
9. You may want to create an altar where you keep objects representing the energies with which you are working. We will talk more about this and about many other, subtle things you will discover as you engage this process. It is highly recommended that you do work on releasing energies that you recall from your past but you will find an amazing, immediate, healing effect by recapping charges in the here and now, as soon as possible after they occur.
Recently, a friend expressed an issue that has prompted me to go to the “Hollow Bone” for a deeper look. This friend said that he feels he has out-lived any real purpose in life and now sees little or no personal or community value coming from what he is doing.. This is not unlike the “Why am I here?” and “What is the purpose of life? ” questions we have all pondered but this is definitely a call to go beyond our usual discussions and teachings regarding personal task and life mission. There seems to be a whole new layer that we need to explore.
There are some familiar concepts that are clearly relevant:
One of those is self-importance. We seem to have a tendency to use what we are doing in life as an indicator of personal importance. For example, we see leaders as more important than followers. We see administrative personnel as more important than the “workers” in a business. We have all been conditioned to strive to be important.
A second concept is “oneness.” The implication of this is that each human is just part of the totality of the universe and we are all ONE. Given this, we might suggest that no one person is any more important than any other. In fact, oneness might be seen as negation of the very concept of differential importance.
Finally, if we can find a clear view of importance, oneness and the meaning or purpose of life, we might conclude that we are all here with the ultimate mission of eradicating differential importance. We are here to evolve to a clear knowledge that we are all ONE. As we accomplish that, we each may have things to do or things to not do. We are not important nor is anyone else. We are here to do our best at whatever comes our way and to do so without judging self or any other person.
If this is clear, you may be able to see how conquering self-importance can ultimately lead to universal peace and unconditional love. So simple and yet so challenging. Each of us must do our own part and there is no longer any doubt about why we are here.
Our emotions are tricky little demons. They bring us the greatest, most joyful moments and they take us into the darkest places we ever visit. For a Warrior, the dance of one’s emotions is one of our most important sources of information to guide us on our personal, healing journey. Any expression by Emotional Body is a message and well worth our attention.
Let’s take a quick but important look at one of those emotions.
ANGER is a common emotion that can either own us and lead to a myriad of dysfunctional behaviors or, can be a real, wake-up call with some important life lessons. Most generally, anger is an emotion that we keep on the surface. We may express it or hold it inside like our own, little secret, but we are not generally inclined to dig into the depths and to take responsibility for our feelings. It is easier to view it as a response to something outside ourselves that is “making me angry.” This is most often a person but it can be any sort of environmental event. We are very skilled at placing blame. Unfortunately, when we do that, we may allow our attention to move past the anger but we miss the opportunity to go into our personal, treasure trove of woundings and discover some clues for healing.
It should be obvious that when we feel anger, we need to take responsibility. We can move this process along by recognizing that, even if we do not know exactly how we have learned anger, the anger emotions are feelings that we do create-even if there is some external trigger or stimulus. When I am angry, the emotions I feel are me, emitting a response. Anger is a behavior and when a person feels anger, they are creating that behavior. Like all behaviors, anger is a response to some stimulus(trigger) and, we can be assured that it has a history of having been reinforced-probably on many occasions. So, we can start with the basic premise that anger is a behavior that we emit and is thus, our responsibility. We are responsible for the anger but even more than that, we are responsible to either “heal” it or consciously decide to carry it through life as a free choice we make. A Warrior does have that choice but must begin by taking responsibility–total responsibility.
If you choose to move the dark energy of anger out of your life, it can be helpful to reflect/contemplate on your personal history, particularly with what you can remember about childhood. You may be able to recall events in which your anger was reinforced. Others who were with you when you were a child, might also have memories that you can tap through stories they tell. It can be freeing to discover/SEE how you learned the emotion of anger. Stimulus>anger>reinforcement!!!
That, however, is not the end of where you really need to go with anger. ANGER in itself, is a product of another, much deeper and more illusive emotion. Anger will invariably have a root in FEAR. If you have the personal power to engage FEAR as it relates to your ANGER, you will be on track to go all the way with this aspect of your healing. Seek the fear behind the anger and once you find it, you can do some major clearing of the energies you carry that weigh so much and are so dark.
FEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where no man but a crazy Warrior will dare to go.
