Beautiful Words from my Beloved One – Pepe Danza

Heaven and hell… they are not external places. We carry them inside of us all the time as potential. Our thoughts are the doorway. And under our thought lies… waiting… the Silence… the vast mystery of Existence that our minds could never fathom… Home.

Since time immemorial humans have searched for the Sound of that Mystery, following an instinctual sense that finding this Sound would carry them Home, if only for a moment. From time immemorial humans have also used Sound to celebrate and call upon the Mystery, following an instinctual sense that it connects us to the Universe in a dialogue that is mutually nourishing.

In my young and angry days, I played music that was aggressive and loud. The idea was to express our frustration with the world. As my life fell apart in a daze of confusion, I came to the deep realization that sound was not something that I produced and it just left and disappeared, leaving me free of those pent up feelings… not at all. The sound that I produced created a self feeding loop that perpetuated and fed my unhappiness and frustration, and that of others!

The impressions that we expose ourselves to, including and particularly those of our own creation, are just like the food we eat. The quality of our food will determine the health of our body, and, well beyond that, the health of our entire system. Impressions will, in the same way, determine the health of our mental and spiritual bodies, and they work just as food does. We digest them, store some, get rid of some, and use some for our daily functioning. The difference is in our awareness of this fact and our conscious use of this information.

I’m not a fundamentalist and I enjoy the occasional plate of french fries, just as I enjoy the occasional slash and burn “boy” movie, or heavy rock music, but I do keep a constant awareness of the overall quality of my “food” intake, and this includes “impressions”.

That search for the Sound of the Mystery, translated by different times and cultures, has created some amazing music. Whether it comes from African Drum Rituals, Tibetan Chanting, Gospel Music, Sufi Ceremonies, Amazonian Icaros, Gregorian Chants, Bach Cantatas or Pygmy vocalizations, these are, for me, the equivalent of “health food” in terms of impressions, and I feel deeply nourished by them. Furthermore, I find that the act of deep listening to any natural sound connects me with the inner Silence, that doorway to my personal heaven, where I realize, in an experiential way, what the Oriental Teachings speak about when they say the world is a self created dream (or is it an illusion we are being fed, as in “The Matrix”?).

Whether it may be a concert by a master musician or sitting by a river, the act of fully showing up and turning my whole being into an ear (opening the Third Ear?) seems to connect me to that energy that some call God. The more I “touch base” with that internal experience of heaven the more it translates into an increasingly calm, accepting, conscious and loving way to live daily life… maybe what the First Nations people call: “Walking in Beauty”.

Maybe we could call this “The Way of Sound”. This involves not only conscious acts of deep listening, but also finding and making our own Sound. A good friend of mine from the Andes tells me that in his ancient language, Quechua, there is no word for “musician”, because everybody plays and/or sings communally… there is no such thing as a specialized person to entertain others with sound. While it is a privilege to have master musicians regale us with their virtuosic command of sound, it is fundamental that we find and trust our own. The first step is to regain our capacity to breathe fully. We can only live as deeply as we breathe!

Part of the Vision Quest in many First Nations cultures involves finding your Song. Whether it is in a workshop situation or in the shower, finding and singing our Sound is a deeply soothing and healing act. Forget all those “I’m tone deaf” or “I have no rhythm” tapes in your head and let Sound take you in its wings once in a while. Once in a while stop and Listen… to your child, to the river, to the wind, to the music playing. Breathe it all in and realize that heaven and hell are ultimately choices we make every moment… here and now. And if you think that your personal circumstances make heaven impossible, just think of the fact that ten different people faced with the same circumstances will react in ten different ways, some sinking into despair and some using them to benefit themselves and the world at large. As my father used to say… it’s like a game of poker… you can win no matter what cards you got if you play it smart.

I’ve got an ace up my sleeve… and I call it the Way of Sound.

To discuss this posting or to comment, please visit the forum topic dedicated to this article.

Often we divide people into two groups: those who have the power to manifest, and those who cannot; most people consider themselves non-Manifesters.
Well, this is a wrong observation, as we all manifest all the time.

The difference between people is that some manifest with awareness and some without. Some manifest what their minds or hearts favour, and some do not.

The way of manifestation: All possibilities are in constant potential existence. We experience only the possibilities we single out. Then, with the force of our energy, we turn them on and manifest them to be our reality.

The energy force that “turns on” possibility into reality can be in the form of intense feelings, deep thoughts, strong emotions, forceful actions, intentions, high concentration and more. This forceful energy can be formed while we are aware of it or not aware of it.

As a metaphor, imagine being in an infinite space where endless sparkling dots are vibrating all over the place. Each of the vibrating dots is a possibility in a potential form (not yet in existence). Some of the dots hold the potential of health, some hold the potential of creativity, some dots hold the potential of different levels of consciousness, and some the potential of a relationship. You cannot see all the dots, as some of them vibrate in dimensions that your eyes cannot grasp on or perceive…yet. Some of the vibrating dots attract you more than the others; some require more force than others to be unfolded into reality. You move towards the ones that attract you and with your touch you unfold the chosen ones to become the moments of your reality.

Turning a possibility into reality consists of two steps:

A. You have to “see” the possibility, to “know” it exists, to be able to perceive it.
B. You need to project powerful force, which will release the content within the dot, the potential substance.

This is why prayer is such a common and popular ritual for manifesting one’s wishes. When you pray, first you single out the possibility (in the form of a wish) and then you direct a powerful energy force towards it in the form of high concentration, hope and belief. Prayer that manifests a wish is a formula, not a miracle.

Other examples of turning a specific possibility into reality:

Example 1.
When you are fearful, on a daily basis, about not having enough money for your needs:
A. you see and recognize the possibility of reality with no money.
B. the force of your fear, if strong enough, will turn on the possibility of constant lack of money.

Example 2.
When you’re positively passionate about becoming a successful artist:
A. you recognize the potential of being an artist in supportive and pleasant circumstances.
B. your excitement and passion, free of doubts and hesitations, may be the force that will unfold this possibility, and there you are – a successful creative artist. (Good for you ;-)

Example 3:
When you sit in meditation, concentrating on love, compassion, or spiritual expansion:
A. you recognize each of the above as a possibility.
B. The calmness and inner peace you experience while meditating may be the force to transform these possibilities into your desirable reality.

We need to be able to perceive a possibility before we manifest it.

If you have no concept whatsoever that you can be a dancer, you will not manifest this possibility. On the other hand, if your circumstances are not in favour of you becoming a dancer or even “against” you, but you vibrate the concept “I am a dancer” with great passion and a strong belief, free of doubts, fears or hesitation, you may become a dancer against all odds.

If you have no concept of getting cancer you won’t get cancer; if you get cancer but you turn on the possibility of self-healing, you will recover from your cancer.

The above is about the individual’s manifestation of reality.

The same is applied to the collective-consciousness’s manifestation.

Everything you see around you – what we call “the universe” – is the manifestation of the collective manifester.

We all, as one collective consciousness, create a force that keeps shaping the universe.

When a large group of people gathers together for meditation, and they create a vibrating force through an intent concentration, they have the power to transform circumstances by evoking a desirable potential outcome such as stopping violence and bringing peace in or changing someone’s health condition to be better.

In the same manner, if society in large collectively fears something, it may manifest a reality that will support the fear.

And last but not least, this can be another way to interpret our death. Our energy force that fuels the possibility of us being alive, getting weaker and weaker, until it has no more power to keep this possibility on…so the possibility of being alive turns off…

To discuss this posting or to comment, please visit the forum topic dedicated to this article.

The term falling in love consists of two energetically opposite words, one that takes you down and one that takes you up.

Falling is a word that describes an unpleasant action that can endanger our physical survival. It is an undesirable state. It has a negative connotation and represents a situation over which we have no control and that could potentially end in physical pain.

Love is a word that describes the highest expression of feelings beyond mind and reasoning. In its essence it is a state of bliss that embraces everything and anything.

So how did such an expression come together, describing a state of bliss in a negative way? Is it because subconsciously we know more than we are aware of?

When we say that we fall in love, it is not love that we fall into but rather into our emotions that blind us from seeing how needy and addicted we are when it comes to love.

When we fall in love we actually fall into a pool of brain chemicals that deposit ecstasy into the nucleus of our cells. As a result, our emotions swirl high in the sky and bring us a sense of simulated bliss.

This is all wonderful until we realize we cannot keep this state of happiness any longer. This is where we fall down from bliss to an abyss.

Like with any other drug, the reason for the “bliss-withdrawal” is that the body and the mind become accustomed to the chemical reaction and don’t respond with the same “high” as before.

Another contradictory symbol that represents falling in love is the cupid: a cute and innocent angel who holds a dangerous weapon in his tiny hands for the purpose of shooting people and injecting love into their hearts. To me, the cupids look more like undercover assassins. Can you imagine how painful it is to be shot by an arrow into your heart?

How come, once again, that falling in love connects with such a violent and painful act? The answer is, because subconsciously we know we are going to bleed. ;-)
And most of the time when it comes to love, we do!

We bleed because WE ARE AFRAID to lose our lovers and be alone.
We bleed because WE ARE ADDICTED to whatever our lovers supply to us.

After falling in love comes the phase of being in love. Being in love suggests that there is being out-of-love and that the two states are co-existing. This is why even in the peak of our love we cannot experience inner peace; we know that potentially we can always find ourselves out of love.

Spiritual love has a different flow to it. Instead of falling in love you ascend with love and instead of being in love the love is being-in-you.

There is no better time than now to approach love from a spiritual state of consciousness as opposed to a state based on animalistic instincts that have arisen from our evolutionary need to mate. This does not mean that making love or sex cannot be enjoyable expressions of spiritual love. It is one thing to base our spiritual love relationship on our animalistic instincts, and quite another to include it as a part of the dance, if this is your desire.

Spirituality means mindfulness, mindfulness means being aware of everything and anything. Loving another person from the essence of spirituality is a great ground for self growth. The way you relate to your lover becomes a true reflection of your state of consciousness.

So be it!

shakti

To discuss this posting or to comment, please visit the forum topic dedicated to this article.

Saturday March 12th 3pm – 5pm

A discourse and discussion about

Spiritual intimacy between lovers

shakti mhi will talk about the conflict many seekers deal with when walking the spiritual path while being involved in a physical relationship.

The discourse will be open for questions relating to the topic.

Please let your friends know about this unique event.

Location: Prana Centre for Blissful Living (293 East 2nd Ave)

When is it that one becomes old? What is the definition of “old age”? One may assume that it is natural for a woman at my age to start pondering over such matters ;-)

I am 48 years old….almost 50……almost 60! So here we are – what else is there to deal with but the question of “have I already arrived into the kingdom of being old”?

Well, actually, the question formed itself only after the answer appeared unexpectedly - dancing in front of my eyes on a beautiful sunny cold day, a one-hour train ride away from Amsterdam.

I was sitting in a little café in a small town called Arnem, watching people moving soundlessly in the beautiful classic European court. Once, I even asked Pepe (who was sitting next to me) to turn up the volume as I couldn’t hear anything! Pepe was laughing, saying the volume is on its maximum! Dutch cities and towns are very quiet, or maybe I am getting old and am unable to hear anymore. ;-)

In that moment, while sitting in the café, I was dipping into contentment and bliss for being in an utter state of “being”. I was thinking about the unknown possibilities that my day, my week, and my life are holding for me. I was wondering with excitement about all the moments I hadn’t met yet – moments that may unfold into mastery, growth, exploring and joy.

I was thinking about all the experiences that were waiting to be added to my life collection, all the people I was going to meet, watch, interact with and wonder at.

I was thinking about all the great thoughts that were going to accompany me and take me to places, depth, and discovery that no other vehicle or even wings would ever take me to.

I was excited to move into my next adventure no matter how big, small, dramatic, or subtle it would be. There are no dull moments. Having a good cup of coffee in an unknown place, teaching, writing, laughing, manifesting unique realities, or having a great salad, it is all to unfold and be experienced.

This is when I realized that we become old when we lose the ability to see all the possibilities that can turn into new moments. We become old when growth and discovery are not part of our being anymore, when creativity dies, when the excitement of being is fading out, when we lose the enthusiasm or the ability to change ourselves for better if desired.

In other words, when falling rain becomes just another rain, this is the moment we become old.

The reason why we call young people ‘young’ is because their possibilities are still in full potential. As people are going through life, they feel that more and more doors are closing around them, stopping them from accessing what used to be available as potential possibilities. As the doors shut (in our perception), they block us from wandering around into the mystery and the unknown until one day we find ourselves walking on a narrow, one-way path, moving in one predictable direction. This is where internal aging starts.

shakti

Amsterdam

To discuss this posting or to comment, please visit the forum topic dedicated to this article.