“There are two mistakes one can make along the journey to truth... not starting, and not going all the way.”

-Buddha




Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Magic of Movies

Examine the plot line of most films. The character, at the beginning of the film, exists in a certain state. The character is faced with a problem or a challenge, and is therefore forced to find a solution. The character finds a solution and consequently exists in a new and improved state. The reason why these films are so widely and thoroughly enjoyed is because they are universally relatable. They may be projected on a seemingly grandiose scale, however this is merely a magnification of the dilemmas that we are faced with in our everyday lives. The magic of movies, therefore, does not come from their superhuman or larger than life nature, but rather from their all too real portrayal of the common challenges in the life of your average joe.


A good movie, I believe, presents you with a relatable character. With an authentically human character, with realistic flaws and vulnerabilities. With natural imperfections and idiosyncrasies. This character is always faced with a challenge and is often forced to either transcend or transmute their character flaws in an attempt to rise to the occasion and solve the problem at hand. Because what magic would there be in a film where everything was perfect, where there were no flaws or challenges, and the main character or characters lived in a verifiable utopia where nothing could go wrong? What enjoyment could one receive from a film like that? Probably none. It is the inherently dystopian and troublesome aspects of a movie that make it captivating and worth watching. The angst and suspense derived from watching a character struggle within its imaginary circumstances ignites a delicious interest and curiosity in the viewer. A desire to observe the character’s ability to effectively deal with these difficult circumstances and find a practical and successful solution.


This is precisely what makes the human experience itself so interesting. And although it may often seem like a curse of magnanimous proportions, like a stain on the fundamental beauty of life, these challenges are actually what make life worthwhile. And the more difficult, the more taxing and seemingly insurmountable, the more inspiring and captivating it becomes. I think this is why people often become addicted to their problems, to the drama of their lives. And this is also why people become so infatuated by the magic of modern cinema. Because this is precisely what makes life, and movies, so fascinating. This is what makes you feel alive.  

Yet, in the end, this transfixion on problems is not the true magic of movies and is not the true beauty of life. It is really the remarkable quality of being able to transcend and overcome these challenges that creates the inherent magnificence in the human experience, and in its microcosm of film. The capacity to fully face these difficulties, the trials and tribulations woven into existence, and instead of giving up, instead of turning away in fear, you do anything and everything in your power to find the answer. And if you do this with an open mind and an open heart, if you do this with a sincere devotion to life and its constant wonder, then you will always find the answer, the solution, the way. Always.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Love and Pain

Pain is love unaccommodated. Love is pain unabated.



"I decided to melt into what I thought was pain, but was actually love. The love that had been trying to burst out of me for my entire life. I finally surrendered and it came pouring out, an eternal flow of infinite embrace."

I wish to offer a perspective on pain that may be different from the meaning that is most commonly attributed to this seemingly universally unpleasant human experience. When you or another is in pain, it is simply a denial of the love that wants to be liberated from every cell of your being. It is the small child that simply wants to be free to express it’s innermost joy, but was shamed for its natural self-expression and consequently denied this aspect of him/herself. To acknowledge and embrace this child unconditionally is to set yourself free.


When the natural flow of life-force energy is blocked or repressed in any being it results in what is commonly referred to as emotional pain. Emotions such as sadness, anger, grief, or despair are not inherently "painful" they are simply another expression of life-force energy. They are completely natural and inherent in the human experience. They are what make the emotional tapestry of life vibrant and colorful. If only the emotions of what we might call the "positive" spectrum existed, life would become tasteless and boring. We wouldn't even have an understanding that these emotions were "positive" because we would have nothing to compare them to. Without contrast there can be no meaning derived from any experience.



So no emotion in and of itself is painful. No emotion in and of itself is even truly negative or bad. It is only when the full expression and release of this emotion is blocked or restricted for some reason that it results in pain, suffering, and often times even disease. What we failed to be taught as children is that ALL emotions deserve to be recognized and fully experienced. We were shamed when we felt these so called "negative" emotions for various reasons. One being that often times we would make a scene in public when expressing these intense emotions and our parents would become upset and punish us because they did not want to look "bad" and draw attention. This is due to a fear of social ostracism. Another reason for this behavior is because our release of these emotions would call our parents' attention to the repressed emotions within themselves and force them to face these unconscious aspects within themselves. They would deny us their unconditional presence because they were terrified to confront these emotions trapped within their own unconscious. They conditioned us in this way simply because it is how their parents treated them, how their grandparents treated their parents, and so on and so forth.



It is now necessary for us to break the cycle if we do not want future generations of human beings to experience such acute and intense emotional pain. We have to confront these blocked and repressed energies within ourselves and provide them with our full awareness and unconditional presence. In doing so we allow them to be released and we liberate ourselves from the emotional torture that many of us endure on a daily basis. So next time these uncomfortable emotions arise, no matter how unpleasant they may seem, provide them with your total and undivided attention. Sink into them completely. Do not give in to the urge to distract yourself. Acknowledge them the way you would acknowledge a hurt child. Give them your love, support, and recognition. In doing so, you will give these repressed energies permission to fully express themselves and to leave your field. These "negative" emotions will be alchemically transmuted into their highest aspect and you will naturally become a more healthy, integrated, and vibrant expression of your true self.



Deep sadness that is fully integrated becomes deep compassion. Sadness that is rejected or denied becomes hatred and resentment.

Intense anger that is fully integrated becomes intense passion for life. Anger that is rejected or denied becomes overt abuse or passive aggressiveness.

Feelings of depression that are fully integrated become authentic creativity and self-expression. Depression that is rejected or denied becomes hopelessness and apathy.

Sensations of fear that are fully integrated become an all encompassing embrace of all that arises. Fear that is rejected or denied becomes chronic anxiety and paranoia.

Strong guilt that is fully integrated becomes loving forgiveness. Guilt that is rejected or denied becomes gnawing regret and self-contempt.

So next time these so called "negative" emotions arise, recognize them for what they are. Expressions of love that wish to be liberated from your being. Don't hold them captive any longer. Treat them with your divine presence, experience them fully, and relinquish them into the stillness of your eternal self. Then watch the transformation take place. Much love : )

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Love

Why do we love love?
Everyone loves a great love story. When two people, despite some sort of adversity, come together amidst love's embrace. We love a sense of deep connection, of belonging, of feeling at one with another being. But why? What is it about this sensation that we love so much? And why is it so agonizingly painful when it’s ripped away from us? Is it that it reflects back to us the essence of who we really are? Is it that in this world of apparent separation and independence this taste of unity and togetherness give us a glimpse of a bigger picture that is often hard to grasp from our individual perspective? Or is it simply our biology urging us to unite sexually with another for the purpose of procreation? Perhaps it is all the above? I really can’t say. I just know that for whatever reason, we love love.





What is love? Some may say it’s a sense of pure appreciation, of pure positive focus toward someone or something. But I say it’s deeper than that. It’s an intangible essence that, once grasped at, moves quickly out of reach. It defies definition and abhors captivity. It slips through one’s fingers like water in a stream. Yet it’s still there. It is simply undeniable. So what is it? I’m not so sure that there is an answer to that question that cannot be questioned itself. For love, like life, is a paradox. It is the most profound pleasure as well as the deepest pain. It is being so close yet simultaneously so far away. It is unity in the midst of total separation. It is the most beautiful curse that one could ever know. It pours through you like raindrops on a glass windowpane. It waxes and wanes like the crescent moon. It fills you up to the brim and empties you out until there is nothing left. It consumes you completely and then in an instant spits you back out again. It’s like air, all around you but impossible to see, taste, touch, or smell. It will caress you with it’s breeze at times, even annoy you with it’s power, yet it will never cater to your whims or selfish demands. It is indifferent. It cares not what you think of it, but it flows in ceaseless motion, to the beat of a divine drum. It is it’s own ally and never seeks anyone’s approval. It gives itself freely and effortlessly, asking for nothing in return. It is life itself. It is....love.

Monday, March 30, 2015

The Heart Knows the Way

As a whole, we as humanity are very shut down from our hearts and from the messages that our hearts are constantly sending us- our feelings. We do what sounds right in our heads, but we rarely do what feels right in our hearts. This leads to an unsatisfactory life of feeling lost, discontent, and unfulfilled. The mind is good at analyzing, at picking stuff apart and gathering an intellectual understanding of different things, concepts, and ideas, yet it has no awareness of your feelings, which are your inherent guidance in life. It simply disregards them and goes on thinking. Your feelings always come from the heart.

The feelings that you have as a human being are your deepest intuitive faculty and they literally connect you to your soul, or what is sometimes referred to as your higher self. They are like a compass that can be used to effectively guide you through life. Your heart is literally the apparatus that translates feeling into a sensation that you can consciously recognize, one you regard as either good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. The heart, unlike the mind, will never mislead you. It always renders an accurate interpretation of whatever you are focused on, and whether this focus and behavior is actually healthy and beneficial, or not.

Think of a time when you felt your best, a moment of intense love and joy. You likely felt an opening and expansion in your chest, a warming of the heart. It was likely at a time when something positive and wonderful happened in your experience. Now think of a time when you were totally devastated, in a state of “heartbreak” and despair. You likely felt a closing and sinking feeling in your chest, a cold and calloused sensation in the heart, and this probably occurred at a time when something terrible happened in your life. This is the nature of feelings, of emotional sensation, and it is always based in the heart.

The more we listen to our minds and only our minds, the more lost we become in an endless maze of chaos and confusion, the more we disconnect from our feelings, from our true passion and purpose in life, and the more we simply do what our conditioned mind tells us we “should” do, which mostly comes from our inherited dysfunctional belief patterns given to us by our parents and the society we were brought up in.

But the more we can learn to listen to our hearts, the more we are able to connect with our truest and most authentic selves. We focus our attention on the heart space and we listen to the way we feel, paying more attention to that than to the thoughts that we are thinking with our minds. We discover our path and purpose in life and feel a deep sense of inner fulfillment, contentedness, love and joy. We listen to our intuition, our emotions, which if followed will always lead to our highest good.

Whenever you can follow a feeling of love, warmth, openness, and expansion, you will inevitably be moving towards everything you have ever genuinely desired in this life. You will uncover the deepest secrets of this Universe, not in a way that can be mentally conceptualized and interpreted. No, in a much deeper and more profoundly experiential manner. You won’t think, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free : )

Monday, March 16, 2015

Surrender

To create
to breathe life
to watch a spark of potential
arise and fade away
for creation is ever-present
with it’s partner of time
the one using the other
the other consuming the one
until the potentials collapse
into the realm from which they were resurrected
and the one can begin anew
always breathing
in and out
creation and destruction
the birth and the dissolution
the divine union
of creation and time
in the very nature
of the silence and noise
the light and the darkness
the love and fear
we love the creation
the forms as they come
and fear their loss
their disappearance into the void
but this is the beauty
the union is one
in essence both must be
for their union is divine perfection
and all that arises
will come to pass
in the ever-presence of who you are


You are taken away
in the wave of perfection
of absolute bliss
in which death seems like nothing
and you are the totality of everything
even that is an understatement
for everything cannot come close
to explaining who you are
these words are meaningless
petty abstractions
distractions for the mind
you are so much more
infinitely more
and beyond the things
and the no-things
there you are
eternal
ever-present
bursting with life
a sea of divine potential
just waiting to arise


The clinging
the grasping
the seeking
yet never finding
the seemingly endless cycle
of samsara
trying to get there
and escape here
to taste the bliss
and alleviate the pain
this is suffering
this is illusion
this is mara
but what is nirvana?
the end of seeking
the ceasing of all clinging
the attachment to this
the rejection of that
is no more
all is taken in
with absolute surrender
a complete embrace
of perfect love
heaven and hell
are allowed to be
in the midst of the perfect self
who loves them just the same
so let it be
come to know the truth
of who you are
stop the doing

just be

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Om

You are broken
shattered into a million pieces
torn apart by the hands of time
until nothing of the self remains
and then there is listlessness
a hopeless despair
a feeling of apathetic emptiness
yet the emergence of nuance
a spark
a glimmer of hope
a faint echo of love
illuminating shadows in the dark
a gentle whisper of fatal optimism
that being broken is a holy state
that shattering into a million pieces
is the nature of the most high
and the deepest pain
is the doorway to the greatest bliss
You are free

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

The Path To Enlightment

Awareness is the key that unlocks the entire Universe.


Seek nothing. Be everything.


There is a collective ego rooted in human consciousness that seeks to maintain it’s separate sense of self in order to survive. This collective ego could almost be seen as a giant machine that forms the current collective human society and economic structure. Like any living entity, first and foremost, it seeks survival. The only way any entity can survive is through the focus of Consciousness, the One who breathes life into the form. So this collective ego tricks Consciousness into identifying with it in order to maintain itself in this dream-realm that is the third dimension. It could be equated to a collective mind-virus or parasite that feeds on the essential life essence of each human being.


Yet ultimately, this parasitic entity is a projection of your own imagination, a conglomeration of collected thought-forms that together accumulate into a delusional entity that inhabits the fourth dimensional reality, which is the realm of thought. This has gone by many names throughout history, in Buddhism it is known as Mara, in Christianity it is known as Satan, and in Jungian philosophy it could be equated to the human shadow.


Essentially, this ego was a collective frequency that human Consciousness unconsciously bought in to for a long period of time, ever since thought arose as a collective phenomenon. For our distant ancestors, this was actually a higher frequency, and so was a beneficial aspect in their evolution. Consciousness went from no sense of self, to a collectively inherited ideological and conceptual sense of self. Man became self-aware, yet only in an intellectual, thought-based manner. Eventually, however, as we continued to evolve, this state of being became increasingly dysfunctional. What once allowed for incredible expansion and forward progress was now leading to immense destruction and suffering on a mass scale.

We are now at a time where Consciousness is rising above the egoic frequency. Our identification and attachment to what are now dense and constricting thought-forms is beginning to be relinquished. We are like a seed pushing through the soil to emerge into the light. The soil is this dense ego-based thought identity, and creates a pressure that we feel building until we finally emerge into the light of the essential Self. Consciousness is becoming self-aware once more, but in a non-conceptual way, beyond the comprehension of the mind.

If we were first a simple seed, thought was the water that enabled us to grow. The soil is the ego born of this thought that we push through until eventually we rise above and find the transcendental realm of pure Awareness, a place beyond duality and time-bound modes of being. We find this light not by fighting the ego, but instead by working with it, by recognizing it for what it is, and ultimately seeing beyond it. The seed does not fight the soil, per se, but instead uses it for its own growth and evolution. This is the path to enlightenment.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

The Three Stages of Consciousness

Stage one: Ignorance
Stage two: Knowledge
Stage three: Integration


The three stages of Consciousness are reflected in all aspects of life.


It can be seen in the union of seemingly opposite yet complementary aspects of nature (male and female) which come together and give birth to new life.

It can also be seen in the development of any skill set. At first, you are completely unaware of the skill, you do not even know that it exists as a possibility. Later, you gain awareness of this skill and seek knowledge pertaining to it so as to gain further understanding. Finally, you take this knowledge and fully integrate it so that you can practice this skill in a masterful and effective way.


It is reflected in Christian teachings as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Hinduism there is the One (one) who breathed the breath of life (two) and gave birth to all creation (three).


It is also reflected in the nature of conscious experience, as there is the universal dichotomy, which is reality, and there is the formless witness or perceiving Awareness of this dichotomy that observes this interplay of complementary aspects.


So Consciousness evolves in three stages. First, there is the stage of ignorance, which is a blissful contentment and pure awareness of the experience without there being any knowledge as to what the experience actually is. Secondly, there is the generation of knowledge, of mind, logic and intellect. This is represented in the biblical teachings, as Adam and Eve eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The third and final stage is the integration of this knowledge into a full awareness of the unity and Oneness which is the holistic experience that we call life.


The first stage would be represented by primordial man, cavemen who simply lived unconsciously and were controlled by their basic survival instincts. The second stage is the first human renaissance, if you will, where new knowledge, concepts and ideas proliferated. However, with this knowledge came the identification with thought and the attachment to polarity. Things were interpreted through a mental filter based on fragmentation and separation; experiences were perceived dualistically as good/bad, right/wrong, light/dark, positive/negative, past/future, me/other, etc... With this identification and attachment came resistance to opposing aspects, and conflict arose. I am me, you are not me, therefore I fear and resist you. Some identified with the “light” and attached to religious or spiritual ideologies and moral codes which gave them comfort in a seemingly disparate world. Others identified with the “dark” and sought power over others in an attempt to fill the void or the split they felt within. The third stage is the integration of these two seemingly opposite aspects. It is the realization that these are simply complementary aspects of the same whole. One cannot exist in an experiential reality without the other. They both have equal value and equal importance and together create the Universe. In this way, Consciousness transcends the identification with polarity and rises to a new level in which all is embraced equally and fully. Resistance is relinquished and one reaches the place which, in spiritual teachings, has commonly been referred to as enlightenment.

We as a race are currently still at the second stage for the most part yet are rapidly progressing to this third and final stage. The key to transcending stage two and moving into full conscious enlightenment is the surrender and embrace of all aspects of oneself and of this Universe, especially the unconscious aspects which you are afraid to look at. The only reason you fear these unconscious, un-integrated aspects of yourself is because you have identified with one aspect of the polarity, in this case the conscious mind and the conscious aspects of yourself, and you resent and resist the reverse side of the polarity, which is the unconscious. To fully integrate, however, you MUST shine a light on this darkness and integrate these fears into your conscious mind. In so doing, you become a whole and integrated being and then can transcend the current trappings of this apparent time-space reality. This is a gradual process so be gentle with yourself. You can go at whatever speed you like, whatever feels most self-loving. Just be sure to continuously seek the next level of expansion, to remain as conscious as possible, and to be willing to do whatever it takes to face those fears so as to transcend them and rise to ever greater heights in your Awareness.


This third stage can be most easily understood as a state of unconditional love. Unconditional love is a state of openness toward ALL things, not just those that are deemed right, good, or acceptable. This allows you to channel the divinity that emanates from beyond polarity, which is ultimately just a perception of the mind. Without thought and conceptualization, there is no polarity, there is just this. This moment, exactly the way it is. Ultimately, we are waking up to ourselves from within our own dream for the purpose of gaining a greater awareness of our true nature. A common misunderstanding is that our true nature is pure light, pure goodness, and pure positivity. This is not the case, because these ideas still exist within the dimension of polarity. The mind cannot comprehend our true nature because it originates from beyond the mind. When you fully integrate the unconscious aspects of yourself, when you shine a light into the shadow, you will feel the emanation of your true nature from within and without. This can best be described as a sacred peace, yet ultimately it is beyond words. So take the leap, shine the light of your awareness into the deepest and darkest parts of your psyche, and simply observe the transformation that follows. Peace : )

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Best Solution


A different way of looking causes a total shift in all that is perceived. The observer and the observed are inseparable, they are one and the same, as are the journey and it’s destination.

A problem is no different than it’s solution. In fact, a problem equals its solution. This is represented in mathematics. The problem or the equation equals the solution of that equation, which is clearly demonstrated with the “equals” (=) symbol. Therefore, a particular way of looking at or interpreting the problem brings one to the particular solution to that problem.


For instance, look at the simple math problem 5+2=7. Now why is this true? This is true because the principles of mathematics indicate that 2 parts in addition to 5 parts creates a total of 7 parts. In truth, this is pretty abstract yet appears quite specific when one understands basic mathematical principles. An onlooker could rightfully ask, at least from a philosophical standpoint, why 5+2 could not equal 8, or in fact equal 6? This is because the symbols 6 and 8 possess different qualities than the symbol 7, and the equation 5+2 does not add up to or reflect these particular qualities. 

So given this example, any problem in life adds up to a solution that possesses particular qualities, and the nature of the problem is directly related to the nature of it’s solution. Analyzing or interpreting the problem rationally using the foundation of certain universal principles will bring one to a specific solution which reflects the inherent nature of the problem itself.

A solution can be the solution to multiple problems, yet a problem only has one best solution. For example, 7 can be the solution to the problems of 5+2 and 4+3. Yet the best solution to both of these problems is 7. You could rightfully state that 5+2=6+1, but that is not the best solution. It is correct, yet not the most concise. So as any problem in life can have multiple solutions, yet it only has one best solution.

Let’s look at a real life example. Let’s say that you want to get to the store as quickly as possible. This is your challenge, or “problem”. Now, there are multiple routes to the store, but only one of these routes is the fastest route possible.




Now all three routes, green, blue and red, are viable solutions; meaning all three solutions work. But only one solution is the best. This is clearly the red path because it is the most direct and therefore the fastest route to the store.

This reflects the fact that all problems have multiple working solutions, but only one best, most specific, most precise solution.

So all solutions are simple reconfigurations of the original problem in a way that is more concise, more specific, more easily and inherently functional. Simply put, problems are more complex and chaotic whereas their solutions are more simple and orderly. A problem is completely open whereas a solution is fixed and concrete. The problem “What should I eat for breakfast” is totally open. There are infinite possibilities, infinite possible answers to that question. But only one answer is best. So you meditate on it. You feel intuitively what your body desires. Suddenly, an apple comes to mind. Okay. Apple is the clear and concise solution to this problem. All possibilities have been narrowed down into one. The problem is solved in the best way possible.


Everything in life can be addressed in this way. Most people have the issue of fiddling around with half-assed, mediocre solutions. They don’t bother finding the best solution possible. What is 5+2, you ask? Oh, that’s easy... 1+2+1+1+2. Great job. You just made the solution even more complicated than the original problem. This is what most people do, and they wonder why they are drowning in a sea of complexity and lost in a maze of confusion.


What should I eat? What is the best diet? Oh well I need my iron and my folate, my phosphorous, magnesium and zinc. I also need my b vitamins, vitamin a, c, k, d, x, y, and z. Blah, blah, blah. On and on it goes. Should I eat plants or animals? Lettuce or spinach? Dirt or asphalt? An infinite maze of complexities have arisen from the simple question “What should I eat?” Your logical mind has run away with the problem and is now spitting up various solutions the way a sprinkler spits out droplets of water.

Here’s a tip: instead of addressing the mind for solutions, address the body first, specifically the heart. This comes back to the idea of specificity, of a clear and concise solution that is best. The head, or the mind, is infinitely abstract, vague, and ambiguous. This is clear when you ask “What is the mind?” There is no clear-cut and specific answer. It’s like the cloud, the ether, or God. Too abstract to be defined in a definitive way. But what about the body? Well, that’s clear. It's right here, right in front of you. It’s the first thing you see when you look in the mirror. It’s the first thing you feel when you wake up in the morning (that and morning wood, if you’re a dude ; ). So if you want a clear-cut, specific, and definitive answer, it is best to first address the body. Feel on an intuitive level before going to the logical and rational mind. “What should I eat?” Feel it intuitively. “What should I do today?” What does your heart tell you?


It seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it? The intuition, the heart...they seem so abstract, so ethereal. Yet in reality, they will always bring you to the clearest answer, to the very best solution. Because the body is clear, it is defined, it is solid. It is not some etheric abstraction. It is present here and now. And it will always give you the best answer. Guaranteed : )