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Food & Spirituality

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All About Food Choices and Spirituality

Last updated on March 4, 2014 at 12:00 am EDT by in5d Alternative News

by Michelle Walling, CHLC

There are many suggestions and directives offered in the spiritual community about the foods a person should eat in order to raise their vibration. In comparing the various suggestions to what people actually eat, it is clear that eating habits of lightworkers are as individual and varied as their personalities. It is becoming harder each day to obtain affordable healthy food as the majority of food available is tainted in one way or another. Is there really a “right” way of eating on the spiritual path and if so how can we obtain what we need in order to survive?

The answer has many viewpoints and variables. First, it is important to know that every single person’s body on this planet is different, and therefore has different food requirements. Second, it is possible that some people are simply born of a high vibration and/or metabolism and can eat whatever they want without gaining weight or affecting their vibration level. Third, once a person changes their level of vibration, the body’s food needs and tolerances will change. Finally, the fourth thing to explore is that our DNA activation will render these choices obsolete.

Different strokes for different folks

When we were choosing the body we would inhabit before incarnating, we knew of our parent’s bloodlines and DNA, tracing all the way back through our grandparents and great grandparents. The eating habits of our ancestors are ingrained in our biological pattern. It is possible that this lineage could even go beyond Earth incarnations. The food requirements for our bodies could be influenced by these lineages and can also be changed through changes that we make in our diets that could affect our children and their children.

It is also highly likely that as we go through the changes of the times, we may begin to tune into “past life” characteristics of eating. All of the sudden we may begin to have an affinity for a food that we either never liked before or that we had never even heard of.

High vibrational humans and superhuman metabolism

There are people on this planet that are able to carry more particles of light of their oversoul in their body than others. Some of these people are here simply to “be” and are raising the vibrational level All About Food Choices and Spirituality | In5D.comof the planet as well as the collective human consciousness. Because they carry more particles than the average human, their food needs would be different than the average human.

Some of these people have a very high metabolism that may be because of their vibrational level or may be inherited in their genes. These people seem to be able to eat whatever they want to in moderation without having an effect on their vibrational level and/or their weight. While metabolism may not be always linked to vibrational level, it is definitely a bonus when a high vibrational level causes superhuman metabolism.

Your current vibration can make a difference in food tolerance

Everyone is vibrating at a different frequency. Some people who are vibrating at a lower frequency may require a low vibrational diet in order to feel comfortable and satisfied. As the planet raises her vibrational level, the vibrational level of her inhabitants will rise. This may cause some people to have digestion troubles and diarrhea, gas, and bloating after eating lower vibrational foods such as beef, pork, and processed foods with no life in them.

Some people vibrating at a higher vibrational level may not be able to absorb low vibrational foods and require a very specific high vibrational raw or vegetarian diet. Some people that vibrate at a very high level have learned how to program their bodies through intention to be super waste machines that very efficiently dispose of anything that is not beneficial, allowing them to eat some things that others on a spiritual path simply cannot tolerate.

The majority consensus is that in order to raise your vibration level in the body, raw and organic foods such as fruits and vegetables can be used as a tool in starting up the super body computer. While some people need to follow this kind of diet in order to raise their vibrational level, others seem to be born ready to ascend and have no problem with food tolerances. Most people find themselves in the category of unhealthy eating habits most of their lives and changing their eating habits was the first step in defogging their brain and decalcifying their pineal gland.

Fasting

The biggest challenge set up for us today is to eat 100% organic. Although there are some successful communities providing mostly organic fruits and vegetable, there are chemtrails being sprayed in the air which settles in the gardens and are found in our soil. Watering the gardens with tap water from the cities allows for fluoride and other chemicals to settle into the gardens. Processed foods contain harmful chemicals mostly designed to keep the pineal gland blocked and to make the body carry excess weight, as the fat cells protect the body by carrying the toxins within them as a shield. Most of these chemicals and toxins are also collected in the lining of our intestines until the body can find a way to expel them.

Fasting mostly involves going without food for a certain period of time depending on the results the person wishes to obtain and the reason for the fast. For the most part fasting is a great way to clear the intestines of toxins. It also helps the mind to be able to connect with the spiritual planes easier. However fasting could be dangerous for some people that require food based on their genetic makeup, and these people may require a different type of fasting where they eat more liquid foods and drink a lot of water. Some people who are here to ground the energies into the planet need to stay grounded with food every day. So again the level and type of fasting is very individual and is not for everyone, although many people use this tool at least once on their spiritual path.

Vegetarians vs. animal consumers

It is important to withhold judgment about those who choose vegetarianism or those who choose to eat animals. It is equally important not to tell someone they should eat only vegetables or that is ok for another to eat animals. The observation among the spiritual community is that there are a large growing number of vegetarians and this number will continue to rise as the body raises in vibration.

When people ingest an animal, the animal joins with the human and gets to be a part of the human experience. All animals have consciousness and it has been said that some animals that are raised specifically for human consumption know this and are willing to serve in this way. The human also takes on the experience of the animal to a certain extent, depending on the factors mentioned previously with spiritual attainment and awareness. Animals that are raised organically and with loving intentions for human consumption are the best choice if animals are to be eaten.

Another controversial point raised about animal consumption is that if an animal has been suddenly or tragically killed and eaten by a human, then the person can take on that fear vibration. The same goes for animals that are raised in terrible environments that would constitute abuse due to neglect and overcrowding. Blessing your animal food, giving gratitude to the animal, and intending to clear this energy and raise its vibrational level can alleviate the detrimental effects of ingesting that energy.

Fifth dimensional eating

As humans ascend into a fifth dimensional consciousness, the act of consuming of animals will likely change. For one thing, it would be hard to kill an animal once people become aware that all animals have a consciousness and can communicate. Intentional killing of animals of any kind will probably not exist in the fifth dimension. Those that choose to eat in the fifth dimension will be able to grow organic live foods and/or will be able to replicate it with technology. Thankfully we will be able to recreate a cheeseburger if we are craving a cheeseburger in the fifth dimension. Obviously it will be void of hormones, toxins, and chemicals, and could actually have more nutrients than a cheeseburger ever had before. Is this the real definition of “cheeseburger in paradise”?

Fifth dimensional eating will be for pleasure and will probably consist of a mix of fruits, vegetables, nuts, smoothies, and juices. As one decides to leave earth in their bodies to visit other planets, a lighter diet will automatically be desired as some planets in our galaxy vibrate above the fifth dimension. Most beings live on the prana life force and occasionally only eat for pleasure and for social occasions such as honoring those visitors from earth.

Why body weights vary

One thing that causes a person to be “too fat”, “too skinny” or “just right” can be linked to our genetics. If our great grandparents were potato farmers, for example, we may have a tendency to not All About Food Choices and Spirituality | In5D.comonly crave potatoes, but require them physically as well as psychologically because of the imprint we carry in our DNA.

Our upbringing as a child has a lot to do with our mind’s programming when it comes to eating. If we grew up eating meat and potatoes then we have entrained our brain to expect meat and potatoes for dinner. If our parents always served three meals a day then our brains will instruct our stomachs to look for that next meal and to sometimes panic or cause our blood sugar to crash when we do not have that fuel we are used to. The same rules apply to those that grew up eating out and having the opportunity to eat enough food for two or three people.

De-programming the brain can solve overeating problems, anorexia, and can help the mind learn to hear what the body wants to eat. When we begin to eat what our bodies need we begin to feel better and have more energy to exercise if that is what our body needs in order to be “just right”. When we reach this goal, the amount of pounds we weigh becomes insignificant.

Interference from dark forces

There is another observation that applies to a smaller portion of the population but should be mentioned here because it is something that will not be diagnosed by a physician. Interference from darker forces on this planet can cause extreme fluctuations in a person’s health and weight. Interference is only possible with the presence of fear in the human energy field. Such interference tied to food and health may cause an inability to eat or a tendency to overeat, and in both cases the overall goal of the interference may be death. Massive swelling in the body can occur as a defense to negative energy or devices placed in the body. Basic metaphysical and spiritual practices of love, raising your vibration, prayer, and intention are the first places to start with this type of interference and in some cases it is best to seek professional help if the symptoms persist.

Disease and the alkaline body

Dis-ease in the emotional body can manifest in the physical body in many forms. Cancer, Lyme Disease, Arthritis, and heart disease are just a few examples of diseases that can manifest out of blocked energies in the casual bodies. Studies show that cancer simply cannot survive in an alkaline body. Some doctors fail to prescribe an alkaline diet before beginning radiation or chemotherapy or before performing surgery.

It is not surprising that fifth dimensional dining would probably mirror an alkaline diet in order to maintain the optimum vibrational resonance.

How to listen to your body

The only way to make sure you are providing what food is best for your body during your spiritual journey is to listen to your body. One of the easiest ways is to pay attention to your cravings. Apparently if your body is craving a gallon of ice cream, one would need to question if there is an emotional issue tied to the craving. In this case you might be surprised that you body may actually need something in a small amount of a certain ingredient of ice cream if indeed the craving is not tied to an emotional issue. Generally speaking, paying attention to cravings with discernment and without judgment will help you decide what to eat as your body is telling you what nutrients it needs at the time.

Another great way of listening to your body is to pay attention to the way it reacts to the foods you eat. Gas, bloating, brain fog, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue can all be some symptoms of eating the wrong foods for your body’s current needs. For example, if you hear your body telling you that you need strawberry ice cream, perhaps it is craving strawberries and milk or cream. Many wonderful nutrients can be derived from both, but after eating your strawberry ice cream, you get awful gas and bloating. Did that mean that you didn’t need the vitamin C from the strawberries or vitamin D from the cream? Maybe in the future you could try making homemade strawberry ice cream or a homemade strawberry smoothie made with organic ingredients and stevia. Perhaps the additives, sugar, or hormones in the ice cream would have caused the symptoms.

On the other hand, if you find that you get bursts of energy and brain clarity from certain foods then be sure to keep those foods in your kitchen. Pay attention to certain foods can satisfy you and make you happy as they release endorphins in your brain that stimulate a positive emotional response. If you get this type of response from eating something that you would normally consider bad for you then maybe your body needed a little treat! When it comes to treats, the general rule of everything in moderation helps to keep your cravings in check.

Some allergies are caused by foods as the body’s way of telling us what it does not want. Hives, nasal drainage, sneezing, and mucus are all symptoms of allergic reactions to foods that can oftentimes be mis-diagnosed as hay fever or “seasonal allergies” are treated with medication to alleviate such symptoms. By paying attention to what you are eating when these symptoms arise, a process of elimination can help narrow down what your body may be rejecting.

Speak to your cells and try to listen to what they have to say. It is highly unlikely that your body would lead you astray in eating anything harmful but you have to also pay attention to how it reacts to eliminate unnecessary ingredients that may be harmful.  It is also unlikely that your body would ever truly ask you to eat a gallon of ice cream, so discernment in hearing the consciousness of your cells is needed in order to do it a favor by eating what it needs to be optimized.

Until a person learns to gauge what their body needs, an old rule of thumb that can be followed is “you are what you eat”. High vibrational, live foods such as fruits and vegetables generally end up being the best bet and anything else that isn’t alive requires energy to break it down into the useful ingredients and the neutral and harmful ones.

Societal influences have brought guilt into play when it comes to making food choices. It is possible that we have moved to a vibration level on the planet that will allow for discernment based on the body’s reaction. In the past, our bodies had months or even years to adjust to the raise in vibration of the planet. The quickening of the vibrational levels has immensely increased which will place stress on the body if attention has not been given to it previously. The foods your body needed a year, month, or even a day ago may change very quickly as the cells in our bodies are also changing very quickly.

Many foods once deemed bad for you by so called experts are now being brought back into our awareness to have certain beneficial effects on the body. Potatoes, coffee, and sea salt are a few examples of foods that were once seen as the ultimate food sin, which means that they might be really good for you!

Hang on until the DNA activation and shift

The observation of the spiritual community reveals the quest to keep the physical body alive until the “shift” of the planet into the fifth dimension. There is something to be said about being happy eating what makes you feel good. Some people sadly follow fad diets and daily dietary suggestions from government funded organizations, a physicians, or spiritual gurus out to make a buck. There is a fine line between what other people recommend vs. what your body may need. This is an example of walking the fine line between the third and the fifth dimensional boundaries when trying to manifest the New Earth and a new body.

You are the one on control of your body. When the veil is lifted and we move into a fifth dimensional way of living, having to make food choices based on avoiding toxins or chemicals will be a thing of the past. Basic survival needs will be taken care of and food can once again be a pleasure and can be a social event of giving and receiving.

Some people are here in this incarnation to be true spiritual leaders and may need to follow a strict high vibrational diet. Some people are in the middle and need a mixture of live foods and supplemental staples along with a little guilty pleasure. Some people simply came to earth to enjoy the experience of life as a human and can be either unaffected by various foods or may have chosen a food detriment as an exit point when it is time for them to go.

Listening to someone else rather than listening to what your body is trying to tell you will give your power away by ignoring the best tool we have for discernment. The answers can always be found within and with practice we can also use the body to discern truth in our outside world. Respecting your cells and organs as living beings with consciousness and the ability to communicate can catapult you along your spiritual journey.

When you love yourself and your body you are taking care of the one thing that many beings in our Universe do not have. The fifth dimensional human body will have the capability to allow travel all over the Universe and will be able to withstand many different vibrational levels. If more people really knew about the upcoming capability of our New Earth bodies, they would immediately take care of their vehicle and would give it the love and food it needs to survive into the new vibrations.

About the author:
Michelle Walling is a Certified Holistic Life Coach.

from:     http://in5d.com/food-spirituality.html

Your Bodies Are Made of Light

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Biophoton Research Proves That the Human Body is Actually Made of Light

HJ: This is truly a case of science catching up with spirituality.  Spiritual masters throughout the ages have long been alluding to the fact that the body is made of light and the recent spate of research into Vitamin D has highlighted its role in our overall health.  Now groundbreaking Biophoton research is not just confirming the role of light in our health, but showing that in many ways, it is at the very foundation of our being and how our body operates.In the phenomenal article below, Sayer ji of  Green Med Info goes into detail about the mechanics of how Biophotons work in the body and how it relates to our experience of life.

– Truth

Biophotons: The Human Body Emits, Communicates with, and is Made from Light

By Sayer Ji | Green Med Info

Increasingly science agrees with the poetry of direct human experience:  we are more than the atoms and molecules that make up our bodies, but beings of light as well. Biophotons are emitted by the human body, can be released through mental intention, and may modulate fundamental processes within cell-to-cell communication and DNA.

Nothing is more amazing than the highly improbable fact that we exist. We often ignore this fact, oblivious to the reality that instead of something there could be nothing at all, i.e. why is there a universe (poignantly aware of itself through us) and not some void completely unconscious of itself?

Consider that from light, air, water, basic minerals within the crust of the earth, and the at least 3 billion year old information contained within the nucleus of one diploid zygote cell, the human body is formed, and within that body a soul capable of at least trying to comprehend its bodily and spiritual origins.

Given the sheer insanity of our existential condition, and bodily incarnation as a whole, and considering that our earthly existence is partially formed from sunlight and requires the continual consumption of condensed sunlight in the form of food, it may not sound so farfetched that our body emits light.

Indeed, the human body emits biophotons, also known as ultraweak photon emissions (UPE), with a visibility 1,000 times lower than the sensitivity of our naked eye. While not visible to us, these particles of light (or waves, depending on how you are measuring them) are part of the visible electromagnetic spectrum (380-780 nm) and are detectable via sophisticated modern instrumentation.[1],[2]

The Physical and “Mental” Eye Emits Light

The eye itself, which is continually exposed to ambient powerful photons that pass through various ocular tissues, emit spontaneous and visible light-induced ultraweak photon emissions.[3] It has even been hypothesized that visible light induces delayed bioluminescence within the exposed eye tissue, providing an explanation for the origin of the negative afterimage.[4]

These light emissions have also been correlated with cerebral energy metabolism and oxidative stress within the mammalian brain.[5] [6] And yet, biophoton emissions are not necessarily epiphenomenal.  Bókkon’s hypothesis suggests that photons released from chemical processes within the brain produce biophysical pictures during visual imagery, and a recent study found that when subjects actively imagined light in a very dark environment their intention produced significant increases in ultraweak photo emissions.[7]  This is consistent with an emerging view that biophotons are not solely cellular metabolic by-products, but rather, because biophoton intensity can be considerably higher inside cells than outside, it is possible for the mind to access this energy gradient to create intrinsic biophysical pictures during visual perception and imagery.[8]

Our Cells and DNA Use Biophotons To Store and Communicate Information

Apparently biophotons are used by the cells of many living organisms to communicate, which facilitates energy/information transfer that is several orders of magnitude faster than chemical diffusion. According to a 2010 study, “Cell to cell communication by biophotons have been demonstrated in plants, bacteria, animal neutriophil granulocytes and kidney cells.”[9] Researchers were able to demonstrate that “…different spectral light stimulation (infrared, red, yellow, blue, green and white) at one end of the spinal sensory or motor nerve roots resulted in a significant increase in the biophotonic activity at the other end.” Researchers interpreted their finding to suggest that “…light stimulation can generate biophotons that conduct along the neural fibers, probably as neural communication signals.”

Even when we go down to the molecular level of our genome, DNA can be identified to be a source of biophoton emissions as well. One author proposes that DNA is so biophoton dependent that is hasexcimer laser-like properties, enabling it to exist in a stable state far from thermal equilibrium at threshold.[10]

Technically speaking a biophoton is an elementary particle or quantum of light of non-thermal origin in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum emitted from a biological system.   They are generally believed to be produced as a result of energy metabolism within our cells, or more formally as a “…by-product of biochemical reactions in which excited molecules are produced from bioenergetic processes that involves active oxygen species,”  [11]

The Body’s Circadian Biophoton Output

Because the metabolism of the body changes in a circadian fashion, biophoton emissions also variate along the axis of diurnal time. [12]  Research has mapped out distinct anatomical locations within the body where biophoton emissions are stronger and weaker, depending on the time of the day:

Generally, the fluctuation in photon counts over the body was lower in the morning than in the afternoon. The thorax-abdomen region emitted lowest and most constantly. The upper extremities and the head region emitted most and increasingly over the day. Spectral analysis of low, intermediate and high emission from the superior frontal part of the right leg, the forehead and the palms in the sensitivity range of the photomultiplier showed the major spontaneous emission at 470-570 nm. The central palm area of hand emission showed a larger contribution of the 420-470 nm range in the spectrum of spontaneous emission from the hand in autumn/winter. The spectrum of delayed luminescence from the hand showed major emission in the same range as spontaneous emission.

The researchers concluded that “The spectral data suggest that measurements might well provide quantitative data on the individual pattern of peroxidative and anti-oxidative processes in vivo.”

Meditation and Herbs Affect Biophoton Output

Research has found an oxidative stress-mediated difference in biophoton emission among mediators versus non-meditators. Those who meditate regularly tend to have lower ultra-weak photon emission (UPE, biophoton emission), which is believed to result from the lower level of free radical reactions occurring in their bodies. In one clinical study involving practitioners of transcendental meditation (TM) researchers found:

The lowest UPE intensities were observed in two subjects who regularly meditate. Spectral analysis of human UPE has suggested that ultra-weak emission is probably, at least in part, a reflection of free radical reactions in a living system. It has been documented that various physiologic and biochemical shifts follow the long-term practice of meditation and it is inferred that meditation may impact free radical activity.[13]

Interestingly, an herb well-known for its use in stress reduction (including inducing measurable declines in cortisol), and associated heightened oxidative stress, has been tested clinically in reducing the level of biophotons emitted in human subjects.  Known as rhodiola, a study published in 2009 in the journal Phytotherapeutic Research found that those who took the herb for 1 week has a significant decrease in photon emission in comparison with the placebo group.[14]

Human Skin May Capture Energy and Information from Sunlight

Perhaps most extraordinary of all is the possibility that our bodily surface contains cells capable of efficiently trapping the energy and information from ultraviolet radiation. A study published in theJournal of Photochemistry and Photobiology in 1993, titled, “Artificial sunlight irradiation induces ultraweak photon emission in human skin fibroblasts,” discovered that when light from an artificial sunlight source was applied to fibroblasts from either normal subjects or with the condition xeroderma pigmentosum, characterized by deficient DNA repair mechanisms, it induced far higher emissions of ultraweak photons (10-20 times) in the xeroderma pigmentosum group.  The researchers concluded from this experiment that “These data suggest that xeroderma pigmentosum cells tend to lose the capacity of efficient storage of ultraweak photons, indicating the existence of an efficient intracellular photon trapping system within human cells.“[15]  More recent research has also identified measurable differences in biophoton emission between normal and melanoma cells.[16]

In a previous article, Does Skin Pigment Act Like A Natural Solar-Panel, we explored the role of melanin in converting ultraviolet light into metabolic energy:

Melanin is capable of transforming ultraviolet light energy into heat in a process known as “ultrafast internal conversion”; more than 99.9% of the absorbed UV radiation is transformed from potentially genotoxic (DNA-damaging) ultraviolet light into harmless heat.

If melanin can convert light into heat, could it not also transform UV radiation into other biologically/metabolically useful forms of energy? This may not seem so farfetched when one considers that even gamma radiation, which is highly toxic to most forms of life, is a source of sustenance for certain types of fungi and bacteria.

The Body’s Biophoton Outputs Are Governed by Solar and Lunar Forces

It appears that modern science is only now coming to recognize the ability of the human body to receive and emit energy and information directly from the light given off from the Sun. [17]

There is also a growing realization that the Sun and Moon affect biophoton emissions through gravitational influences.  Recently, biophoton emissions from wheat seedlings in Germany and Brazil were found to be synchronized transcontinentally according to rhythms associated with the lunisolar tide.[18]  In fact, the lunisolar tidal force, to which the Sun contributes 30 % and the Moon 60 % of the combined gravitational acceleration, has been found to regulate a number of features of plant growth upon Earth.[19]

Intention Is a Living Force of Physiology

Even human intention itself, the so-called ghost in the machine, may have an empirical basis in biophotons.

A recent commentary published in the journal Investigacion clinica titled “Evidence about the power of intention” addressed this connection:

Intention is defined as a directed thought to perform a determined action. Thoughts targeted to an end can affect inanimate objects and practically all living things from unicellular organisms to human beings. The emission of light particles (biophotons) seems to be the mechanism through which an intention produces its effects. All living organisms emit a constant current of photons as a mean to direct instantaneous nonlocal signals from one part of the body to another and to the outside world. Biophotons are stored in the intracellular DNA. When the organism is sick changes in biophotons emissions are produced. Direct intention manifests itself as an electric and magnetic energy producing an ordered flux of photons. Our intentions seem to operate as highly coherent frequencies capable of changing the molecular structure of matter. For the intention to be effective it is necessary to choose the appropriate time. In fact, living beings are mutually synchronized and to the earth and its constant changes of magnetic energy. It has been shown that the energy of thought can also alter the environment. Hypnosis, stigmata phenomena and the placebo effect can also be considered as types of intention, as instructions to the brain during a particular state of consciousness. Cases of spontaneous cures or of remote healing of extremely ill patients represent instances of an exceedingly great intention to control diseases menacing our lives. The intention to heal as well as the beliefs of the sick person on the efficacy of the healing influences promote his healing. In conclusion, studies on thought and consciousness are emerging as fundamental aspects and not as mere epiphenomena that are rapidly leading to a profound change in the paradigms of Biology and Medicine.

So there you have it. Science increasingly agrees with direct human experience: we are more than the atoms and molecules of which we are composed, but beings that emit, communicate with, and are formed from light.

– See more at: http://www.thehealersjournal.com/2013/06/27/biophoton-research-proves-that-the-human-body-is-actually-made-of-light/#sthash.EcVekNCO.dpuf

On Australian Aboriginal Spirituality

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Australian Aboriginal Spirituality – Interview With A Senior Aboriginal

By Lynda Flower – Spiritual Space Magazine

Michael Williams gives an insight into the depth and richness of Aboriginal spirituality, estimated by some researchers to span 125,000 years. Aboriginal spirituality is based on an ancient cultural belief that life is a vast web of inter-connected relationships. Everything has meaning and purpose and everything is connected – the land, the people, the ancestors and the animals. The past is viewed as being inextricably linked to the present and throughout time the over riding spiritual value has been respect for Aboriginal cultural law.

What do you consider to be the most important aspects of Aboriginal spirituality?
Following your Law.  Don’t break Law.  Respecting all things, animate and inanimate in the entire natural world.

How do Aboriginal perceptions of spirituality differ from western interpretations?
A profound connectedness to land.  Living on your land is essential to maintaining the strongest possible links with land and ensuring proper practice of Aboriginal spiritual life.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about Aboriginal spirituality?

People try to make sense of it from their own perspective [spiritual] and do not often open themselves up to knowing it from the inside.  This is not unusual or surprising.  This is an ancient spirituality embedded in a culture that is acknowledged as being the longest continuously surviving culture in the entire world.  By the time the British and others arrived on Australian shores they had long-established behaviours relating to Indigenous cultures. With this entrenched behaviour, coupled with Christianity and Missionary zealousness, there was little chance of Aboriginal spirituality being assessed from a standpoint of respect and a desire to understand it on its own terms.

Is Aboriginal spirituality today different from what it was in the past, how has it changed (or not)?
The spirit has not changed. The Law lies in the land and the spirits of our ancestors have continued to inhabit the landscape during ancient times, during periods of colonisation and after our peoples have been removed from their lands.  Human engagement with Aboriginal spirituality is now challenged by the intervention of other spiritual and religious beliefs and doctrines, as well as the demands of a world filled with technology that infiltrates every corner of human existence.  It is now increasingly hard, except for the committed individual, to stay true to the old ways.  Moving in and out of vastly different domains requires discipline of a high order, but many do so by staying on Land.

What lessons can us ‘white folk’ learn from Aboriginal spirituality?

Simply be. Respectful attention to a commitment to a spiritual path will bring what is meant to be.  Don’t have expectations.  If it is meant to come your way – it will.  Stay on task.  The spiritual domain and practices of the longest continuously surviving culture in the world must have something to offer humanity.  Limit the overlay of other spiritual traditions and try to let Aboriginal ways stand for themselves.


What have been the most important spiritual lessons you have learnt as an Aboriginal man?

Never doubt the presence of spirit and the ability of old ones who have passed to be there for you.  Ask and they will come and ‘show’ themselves in some way.  The land is alive with the spirits and presence of our ancestors and creation heroes.

What works best for you/what do you do when you need some spiritual upliftment?

Go to my Homeland – visit my traditional lands. I engage with my old ones every day and ask for their guidance.

In your 30 years of university teaching, were there any spiritual (or other) changes you noticed in students undertaking Aboriginal studies?

Students have always been interested in Aboriginal spirituality. There are two issues to consider here.  Most students who choose to take a course in Aboriginal studies are already interested in all matters regarding Aboriginal culture and are thirsting for knowledge.  Then there are students who are required to take courses in Aboriginal culture as part of their degree and sometimes these students are resistant to the content raised in these courses. In my experience, the vast majority of students who showed some resistance at first end up thoroughly enjoying the course and go on to take other Aboriginal studies  courses as electives.

From all your years of experience, what spiritual advice would you pass on to others?
Never doubt the existence of spirit and of a Creator – however you may wish to term it.  Spend time regularly [daily] pondering the importance of a spiritual approach to life and take time to care for others and all things.  Respect Planet Earth and the Universe.

Where do you see (or hope to see) Aboriginal spirituality heading in the future?
It is here, always has been here and remains.  The spirit never leaves the land.  People leave the land.  In my experience the spirit presence in my traditional homeland has become more overt since my mother died and there has not been anyone living there permanently.  I notice them when I visit.  It demands that I establish a more active presence there.

from:    http://wakeup-world.com/2011/07/15/australian-aboriginal-spirituality-interview-with-a-senior-aboriginal/

On Going with the Flow

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How to Flow When the Torrents are Raging

27th June 2012

By Trinity Bourne

Walking an Authentic Path in Life

Walking an authentic path in life can often be confusing.

We might at times find ourselves torn whilst swirling in the torrent of life’s choices.

How do we navigate the path and unleash our true beingness?

The following story, originally by Chuang Tzu, offers a profound metaphor for life and the true nature of what it means to ‘go with the flow’.

Essential reading for all awakened souls…

Chuang Tzu’s story of the swimmer
 Confucius and his students went on a hike out in the countryside. He was thinking of using the opportunity to engage the students in a discussion about the Tao when one of them approached and asked: “Master, have you ever been to Liu Liang? It is not far from here.”

Confucius said: “I have heard about it but never actually seen it with my own eyes. It is said to be a place of much natural beauty.”

“It is indeed,” the student said. “Liu Liang is known for its majestic waterfalls. It is only about two hours’ trek from here, and the day is still young. Master, if you would like to go there, I would be honored to serve as your guide.”

Confucius thought this was a splendid idea, so the group set off toward Liu Liang. As they were walking and chatting, another student said: “I grew up near a waterfall myself. In summertime, I would always go swimming with the other children from the village.”

The first student explained: “These waterfalls we will see aren’t quite like that. The water comes down from such a great height that it carries tremendous force when it hits the bottom. You definitely would not want to go swimming there.”

Confucius said: “When the water is sufficiently powerful, not even fish and turtles can get near it. This is interesting to ponder, because we are used to thinking of water as their native element.”

After a while, they could see the waterfall coming into view in the hazy distance. Although it was still far away, they could see that it was indeed as majestic as the first student described.

Another hour of walking brought them even closer, and now they could clearly hear the deep, vibrating sound it made.

They topped a rise and were able to see the entire waterfall. Then they gasped collectively, because at the bottom of it, they saw a man in the ferociously churning water, being spun around and whipped this way and that by the terrifying currents.

“Quickly, to the waterfall!” Confucius commanded. “He must have fallen in by accident, or perhaps he is a suicide. Either way, we must save him if we can.”

They ran as fast as they could. “It’s useless, Master,” one the students said. “By the time we get down there, he’ll be too far gone for us to do him any good.”

“You may well be right,” Confucius replied. “Nevertheless, when a man’s life is at stake, we owe it to him to make every effort possible.”

They lost sight of the man as they descended the hillside. Moments later, they broke through the forest to arrive at the river, a short distance downstream from the waterfall. They expected to see the man’s lifeless body in the river. Instead, they saw him swimming casually away from the waterfall, spreading his long hair out and singing loudly, evidently having a great time. They were dumbfounded.

When he got out of the river, Confucius went to speak with him: “Sir, I thought you must be some sort of supernatural being, but on closer inspection I see you are an ordinary person, no different from us. We sought to save you, but now I see it is not necessary.”

The man bowed to Confucius: “I am sorry if I have caused you any grave concerns on my behalf. This is merely a trivial recreational activity I enjoy once in a while.”

Confucius bowed back: “You say it is trivial, but to me it is incredible. How can it be that you were not harmed by the waterfall? Are there some special skills that you possess?”

“No, I have no special skills whatsoever,” the man replied. “I simply follow the nature of the water. That’s how I started with it, developed a habit out of it, and derived lifelong enjoyment from it.”

“This ‘follow the nature of the water’ – can you describe it in greater detail? How exactly does one follow the nature of water?”

“Well… I don’t really think about it very much. If I had to describe it, I would say that when the powerful torrents twist around me, I turn with them. If a strong current drives me down, I dive alongside it. As I do so, I am fully aware that when we get to the riverbed, the current will reverse course and provide a strong lift upward. When this occurs, I am already anticipating it, so I rise together with it.”

“So you are working with the water and not just letting it have its way with you?”

“That’s right. Although the water is extremely forceful, it is also a friend that I have gotten to know over the years, so I can sense what it wants to do, and I leverage its flow without trying to manipulate it or impose my will on it.”

“How long did it take for you to make all this an integrated part of your life?”

“I really can’t say. I was born in this area, so the waterfalls have always been a familiar sight to me. I grew up playing with these powerful currents, so I have always felt comfortable with them. Whatever success I have with water is simply a natural result of my lifelong habit. To be quite frank, I have no idea why this approach works so well. To me, it’s just the way life is.”

Confucius thanked him and turned back to his students. He smiled, because he suddenly knew exactly what they could talk about on their trip home.

The metaphors of life

In this story, the mighty waterfall and the river symbolise the divine flow of the universe echoed in our daily lives. We are powerless to stop the flow. It may often seem unforgiving and harsh, yet these times are our greatest teachers in offering the opportunity to evolve beyond our self imposed limitations.

We are inseparable from the flow. Confusion happens when we mistakenly believe that we are somehow separate from it. Chaos follows when we try to control or manipulate either the flow or our response to it. Attempting to fight the river of life or when we shout out our perceived injustices, we simply become exhausted from the struggle, getting nowhere.

The swimmer in the story offers us a profound message. Contrary to many spiritual misconceptions today, he is NOT blindly allowing the flow to take him. ‘Trusting the universe’ is not about letting the flow ‘take’ you without regard for what is going on. This would simply rip us to sheds.

The swimmer is purely present. He is aware of every instant, the nature of the water and the nature of the universe. Because of this awareness, he realises that once he approaches the bottom of the riverbed, the energy will propel him back to the surface. He is able to use the energy of the universe to simply flow through the river of life. Without such presence, he would either be in a state of fear or blind acceptance – either way would ensure that he would miss the opportunity to flow. Rather than blindly accepting ‘whatever goes’ (which in this case would tear him apart) he accepts that he is powerless to change the flow and uses it like a divine dance to carry him onwards and upwards unscathed.

It takes time to master the flow of the universe. The man in this story represents someone who has achieved an advanced state of evolution. However he reflects the opportunity within each of us to become who we truly are. The story offers an important tenet to unleashing our true beingness, achieved through absolute commitment. At times we are going to make ‘mistakes’, but we all know that there are no such things as mistakes as long as we learn by them; becoming increasingly aware and eternal students of the divine flow.

Here’s our invitation to become at one with the divine flow, just like the swimmer in Chang Tzu’s story.

In Love and Light,

Trinity

Openhand Foundation

from:       http://wakeup-world.com/2012/06/27/how-to-flow-when-the-torrents-are-raging/

Jean Houston on Spirituality & Mysticism

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Spirituality and the Meaning of Mysticism for Our Time

by JEAN HOUSTON on JUNE 15, 2010

What is real spirituality but the art of union with Reality? Mysticism is a particularly focused part of spirituality; the mystic is a person who aims at and believes in the attainment of such union. In its classical spiritual form it is a heroic journey, and valiant efforts are required to follow the path.

Many of the spiritual teachers of the world have likened our lives to “a sleep and a forgetting.” The mystic path is predicated on awakening, on going off robot and abandoning lackluster passivity to engage co-creation with vigor, attention, focus, and radiance, characteristics we might note we often find in our animal friends.

Thus the mystical variant of the spiritual experience is perhaps the greatest accelerator of evolutionary enhancement. Through this experience, as Ervin Laszlo noted in his series ofposts on Quantum Consciousness, we tap into wider physical, mental, and emotional systems, thereby gaining entrance into the next stage of our unfolding, both individually and collectively. Once the province of the few, the spiritual experience, and within it the mystic path, may now be the requirement of the many—a unique developmental path for self and world.
In a lifetime of studying the art and science of human development, I have found no more powerful, practical, and evolutionary practice than the mystic path. When I have studied or talked with seekers who have had this variety of the spiritual experience, they have told me of a joy that passes understanding, an immense surge of creativity, an instant uprush of kindness and tolerance that makes them impassioned champions for the betterment of all, bridge builders, magnets for solutions, peacemakers, pathfinders. Best of all, other people feel enriched and nourished around them. Everyone they touch becomes more because they themselves are more. Perhaps we have needed the changes and accelerations of our time to put the flame under the crucible of becoming so that such inward alchemy could take place.

Mysticism, and spirituality in general, seems to rise during times of intense change and stress. Add the sufficiency of current shadows and the breakdown of all certainties, and we have the ingredients for the current universal pursuit of spiritual realities. We live in a time in which more and more history is happening faster and faster than we can make sense of.  The habits of millennia seem to vanish in a few months and the convictions of centuries are crashing down like the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. And yet, the deconstruction of traditional ways of being may invite the underlying Spirit, of which we are a part, to break through.

So how can we birth this miracle within ourselves? How can we foster our natural birthright of spiritual presence?

Many have written of the mystic path and tracked its myriad adventures and planes of development. I have found Evelyn Underhill, writing early in the twentieth century, to be one of the finest guides to the experience. In her great work Mysticism, she presents the mystic path as a series of eight organic stages: awakening, purification, illumination, voices and visions, contemplation and introversion, ecstasy and rapture, the dark night of the soul, and union with the One Reality.

In the first stage, “awakening,” one wakes up, to put it quite simply. Suddenly, the world is filled with splendor and glory, and one understands that one is a citizen in a much larger universe. One is filled with the awareness that one is a part of an enormous Life, in which everything is connected to everything else.

The second stage of mystical development is called “purification.” Here one rids oneself of those veils and obstruction of the ordinary unexamined life that keep one from the knowledge that one has gained from awakening. One is released from old ways of being and recovers one’s higher innocence. In traditional mysticism it can take the form of a very intense pursuit of asceticism. It can also take other forms of trying to create purity and beauty in the world, as, for example, the path of Saint Francis of Assisi, who rebuilt a church as part of his purification, or Hildegard of Bingen, who planted a garden so that God’s nose might be engaged.

The traditional third stage is called the path of “illumination”: one is illumined in the light. The light of bliss—often experienced as actual light—literally pervades everything. One sees beauty and meaning and pattern everywhere, and yet one remains who one is and able to go about one’s daily work. The stage of illumination is also one that many artists, actors, writers, visionaries, scientists, and creative people are blessed to access from time to time.

The fourth stage is called “voices and visions.” One sees, hears, senses with more than five senses—an amplitude of reality including things one has never seen before, such as beings of different dimensions, angels, archetypes, numinous borderline persons, or figures from other times and realms. It is a state of revealing and interacting with a much larger reality—including those spiritual allies that lie within us.

The fifth stage is what Underhill and others call “introversion,” which includes entering the silence in prayer and contemplation. It is a turning to the inner life, wherein one employs some of the vast resources of spiritual technology to journey inward to meet and receive Reality in its fullness. It results in daily life as a spiritual exercise, bringing the inner and the outer life together in a new way.

The sixth stage is referred to as “ecstasy and rapture.” Here the Divine Presence meets the prepared body, mind, emotions, and psyche of the mystic, which, cleared of the things that keep Reality at bay, now can ecstatically receive the One. It involves the art and science of happiness.

But, alas, after all this joy and rapture, the next stage, the seventh, is what is termed the “dark night of the soul,” obeying the dictum that what goes up must come down. Suddenly the joy is gone, the Divine Lover is absent, God is hidden, and one is literally bereft of everything. Here one faces the remaining shadows of old forms and habits of the lesser self, preparing one to become more available to the final stage.

The eighth and last stage is called the “unitive life.” Here one exists in the state of union with the One Reality—experiencing the Oneness Laszlo claims is the hallmark of deep spiritual experience. One is both oneself and God. For those who enter this state, it seems as if nothing is impossible; indeed, everything becomes possible. They become world changers and world servers. They become powers for life, centers for energy, partners and guides for spiritual vitality in other human beings. They glow, and they set others glowing. They are force fields, and to be in their fields is to be set glowing. They are no longer human beings as we have known them. They are fields of being, for they have moved from Godseed to Godself.

from:    http://ervinlaszlo.com/forum/2010/06/15/spirituality-and-the-meaning-of-mysticism-for-our-time/

On Being An Old Soul

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Are You an Old Soul?

Are You an Old Soul? | in5d.com | Esoteric, Spiritual and Metaphysical Databaseby Gregg Prescott, M.S.
www.in5d.com
www.maya12-21-2012.com 
www.HolisticCancerResearch.com

How can you tell if you are an old soul?  Are there differences in traits or behaviors? What signs can I look for that can help me differentiate the difference?

Generally speaking, we are all old souls, but some of us have been here longer than others.

The word “old” is only relative to time.  Because time is linear and our souls are eternal, 10,000 years would be the blink of an eye.

Dolores Cannon believes that we need to incarnate many, many times as inanimate objects, plants and animals before we can become human.  Then, as humans, we still need to incarnate many, many times to learn all of the lessons we came here for.  For example, according to Cannon, we all had to be an air molecule and a drop of water to learn what it’s like to work together as ONE.

So, how can you tell if you have an old soul?

You understand many of life’s deeper lessons.

For some people, it is hard to fathom that the soul of a child may be much older than the soul of his or her parents. For these particular people, this is a sign that their soul might be younger than yours.  When you begin to understand why you keep incarnating to this 3rd dimensional reality, it becomes similar to the movie, Groundhog Day, where Phil wakes up each day to find out that it’s still February 2nd until he learns how to remove his ego and starts doing kind deeds for others.

Once you realize that time, space, energy and matter are 3rd dimensional products, the theory of time becomes irrelevant, thus the theory of how old your soul is also becomes irrelevant.

But for the sake of understanding how old your soul may be, we’ll continue!

You are in touch with your natural abilities or have an extreme interest in these abilities.

Some people are born with innate gifts, such as special healing abilities or psychic abilities.  The truth is that we all possess these abilities, but an older soul is more in tune with how to access and implement these abilities in the name of humanity. If you don’t have any particular ability, but have a strong interest in them, this is simply your soul trying to recall these abilities that you may have had in a previous lifetime.

You become spiritually aware.

Everyone is pure consciousness, but many people have a difficult time understand what this means.  Your soul is pure consciousness and love.  It has a unique understanding of how the matrix is being played on this planet and understands that everything we do as a collective will help to facilitate the awakening of others.

You understand the importance forgiveness.

Some people are old souls who still have much to learn because they are trapped inside the box with their ideologies, are stubborn or have not learned the importance of forgiveness. By forgiving yourself and others, we can release any karma between these people.

You’re able to transcend ego.

It’s nearly impossible for anyone to completely transcend ego 100% of the time but simply being aware of our ego and how it plays against unity consciousness is a definite sign on an old soul. On the other side, there is no ego.  During your life review, you will re-live your ego and will see how it affected others, as well as yourself.  At this point in “time”, you will probably make a soul contract with the hopes of overcoming ego and atoning for whatever ego issues you had in your previous incarnation.

You’re able to transcend materialism.

Money and materialism are products of this 3rd dimensional reality and it’s easy to succumb to materialism, especially when it’s in your face through advertising, programming and peer pressure. An older soul realizes that money is non-existent on the other side and it generally takes away from who we truly are as spiritual beings.  Those who are older souls will generally use money as a tool to either help facilitate their spiritual progression through spiritual retreats or by possibly creating a lavish feng shui home decorated with spiritual meaning versus the most luxurious furnishings.  They may also use their money to help others who are less fortunate.

You are able to understand the concept that your body is a shell for your soul.

Before you were born, you not only chose your parents, you also chose your life situations and challenges that would help to facilitate your spiritual growth while atoning for any previous karma. The body that you are currently in is simply a vessel for your soul.  Your name is what your soul currently refers itself as, but in previous lifetimes, you had many different names and you have lived many previous lives as either a male or a female.  Your name and title are both associated with ego because ultimately, you are infinite consciousness and we are all on the same team.

You seem to have a special connection to eras long before you were born.

Did you ever watch an old movie or see some artwork from a specific era in time and have a connection to that era?  Chances are, you lived a previous life during that time period and this is your cellular memory letting you know!

You have an understanding of what you need to do to complete your spiritual progression.

Just by making it this far, you are more awakened than most people on this planet.  You have an understanding of Universal laws and what is left to do on your soul contract.  Even if you are not specifically sure of either, your higher self and spirit guides will continue lead you in the right direction.

You have a strong feeling that home isn’t Earth.

Did you ever look at a random area of the sky and star at an unknown star for no particular reason?  Do you have a special connection with specific star systems such as the Pleiades or Orion’s Belt?   Do wars and corruption make you feel uneasy, as if they didn’t exist where you originally came from?  Are you one of the souls who volunteered to come here at this specific point in time to help with the Earth’s ascension?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, then chances are, Earth is not your home planet.

You tend to be a loner.

The stigma on the word loner is often condescending, but those who are old souls are merely looking for other fragments of themselves and will often distance themselves from younger souls who need more incarnations into a 3rd dimensional planet. Older souls will seek out other like-mided people because there’s a comfort and familiarity with these types of people who will help to facilitate each others spiritual progression.

You have a rebellious nature.

Whether you rebel from religion, laws or anything else, this is a sign that your soul knows the only true laws… the Laws of the Universe.  While you respect the reasoning and intention behind laws and religion, you might not be compelled to use these as absolute laws when you know there are a set of higher laws that are intended to facilitate our spiritual progressions.

You have a burning desire to attain truth and inner wisdom.

Many older souls can easily see through the lies we’ve been taught through religion, politics and through our educational facilities.  While they realize they are all one with the universe, they also want the truth exposed to help other people’s awakening process.  They also continue to seek knowledge in the spiritual, metaphysical and esoteric fields and will absorb this information much easier than anything they were taught in school.

You are not controlling of others.

Older souls are more accepting, not just of other people, but of circumstances as well.  For example, while you don’t approve of the corruption within politics, you understand how the corruption will help to awaken other people to the truth.  You respect the free will of others and are more likely to use tact than verbal demands of others.  You tend to be more of a team player than anything else.

You sense a separation between yourself and the “real world”.

As you transcend ego and materialism, you find yourself living a different lifestyle.  While this lifestyle is unique to your current incarnation, there also seems to be a familiarity of the direction you’re heading.

You are curious whether you’re an old soul or not.

Many young souls wouldn’t ask this question or much less be concerned about it.  While many older souls aren’t concerned either, for different reasons, they simply “know” they’re old souls, but it’s nice to have affirmations that coincide with your spiritual progression.

There are many lessons we have learned throughout our lifetimes, all of which has culminated into this particular incarnation.  All of your previous life incarnations are embedded into your cellular memory and can be recalled through past life regressions.  Most of the people on this planet are old souls, yet many remain unawakened and still have a lot more to learn and will need several more incarnations to a 3rd dimensional planet.

Many of those who are awakened will probably move on to their next level of spiritual progression.  It’s important to remember that this is not a race because in the end, we all win.  Enjoy every millisecond in this incarnation because this may be the last time you’ll ever experience a 3rd dimensional reality!

Copyright Information: Copyright in5d and Gregg Prescott, M.S.. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form.  Feel free to do whatever you want with it, including using parts of it, rewording anything within the article or claiming ownership to it.  I don’t care, just share the word! 🙂

http://in5d.com/are-you-an-old-soul.html

Michael Beckwith on Super Wisdom

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Extended Awareness

by MICHAEL BECKWITH

There is an inner impulsion within the human being which is commonly interpreted as the engine that drives personal success, that earns credentials and accolades which result in magnificent acquisitions—the external more, more, more of which there is never enough to satisfy.  For even when we have succeeded in meeting many or most of our outer goals there remains an awareness of an illusive “something,” an emptiness that is yet unfilled.

Is there any validity to this awareness?  Is there something woven into the fundamental fabric of our being that urges us to seek fulfillment beyond the offerings of the external world?  Affirmative evidence is offered by Andrew Newberg, M.D., in his book on brain science and the biology of belief, Why God Won’t Go Away:

“As Gene and I sifted through mountains of data on religious experience, ritual, and brain science, important pieces of the puzzle came together and meaningful patterns emerged.  Gradually, we shaped a hypothesis that suggests that spiritual experience, at its very root, is intimately interwoven with human biology.  That biology, in some way, compels the spiritual urge.”

According to both ancient and contemporary spiritual traditions, there is a passageway into an extended awareness of our true nature, that aspect of ourselves that can be accessed when the preoccupations of the conscious mind are quieted. As we enter through this passageway, we lift the veil that hides the inner paradise in which we truly live, move, and have our being.  India’s great philosopher, Sri Aurobindo, aptly describes it this way:

“The full delight of being is intrinsic, self-existent, automatic; it cannot be dependent on things outside itself. In the spiritual knowledge of self, the first step is the discovery of the soul, the secret entity, the divine element within us.”

From this wisdom we can conclude that there is no permanent or ultimate fulfillment from anything outside of our essential Self, our soul-self. This leaves little wiggle room for us to postpone seeking out spiritual practices by which we may evolve an extended awareness of our at-onement with First Cause, which some call God, Brahma, Spirit, or no name at all.

Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-trained neuroanatomist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the rational, time-oriented left side of her brain. Within a four-hour time span she lost the ability to walk, talk, read, or write. Her knowledge of how the brain works allowed her to recognize that she was having a stroke and seek immediate help.  At the very outset of her eight-year recovery period, her consciousness shifted into the right brain where she experienced a state of nirvana, what she described as an extended awareness of herself being “at one with the Universe.” Andrew Newberg explains this extended awareness:

“… various key brain structures and the way information is channeled along neural pathways leads us to hypothesize that the brain possesses a neurological mechanism for self-transcendence.”

The degree to which we activate this innate capacity to self-transcend, so do we cultivate an extended awareness of the Self.

As we progress in self-transcendence, the sense of separation or involvement with the personal mind expands into an awareness of the unique emanation that each of us is as an individualized expression of the One Mind that is everywhere in its fullness.  That which is happening cosmically begins to happen through us locally.  In such a state of awareness the plenitude, beauty, peace, joy, bliss, compassion—these transcendent yet eminent qualities of being are activated within us.  It is a process of awakening to our true nature which places us in harmony with the fundamental order of Existence. Modern Zen master Huang Po describes the ultimate state of being he calls One Mind in this way:

“All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but One Mind, beside which nothing exists. Only awake to the One Mind.”

This One Mind is the very life force that animates and sustains existence, the evolutionary impulse within the universe and each individual.

The personal mind—predominantly the left side of the brain—wants to figure out how all of this happens. The demand to know “how” is actually a delay tactic of the ego, a defense mechanism so that our sense of being a separate self doesn’t dissolve right on the spot!  Self-transcendence is our birthright.  Everything that we need is already within us, announcing itself through the inner impulsion to grow, develop and unfold.  How do we cultivate an extended awareness of Self?  First by an identity shift which acknowledges our at-onement with the One Mind. We then grow confidence in our capacity to become a fully enlightened being.  As an enlightened being, we live from a state of cosmic consciousness, a conscious awareness of our oneness with all life.

When we consider current scientific studies of the brain relative to the field of quantum consciousness, the evolutionary possibilities for the individual and our global family are limitless.  A genuine state of cosmic awareness expressing through an individual or a whole nation is distinguishable as scientific knowledge of life, life lived in attunement with cosmic laws.  Living from such a state of consciousness holds the potential for governing our world by a kind of super-wisdom which results in cooperation rather than competition, in unity rather than division, in oneness rather than separation.

from:    http://ervinlaszlo.com/forum/2010/06/13/extended-awareness/

Kingsley Dennis on Quantum Consciousness

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Quantum Consciousness, the Way to Reconcile Science & Spirituality

by KINGSLEY DENNIS on JULY 12, 2010

Human thought in the 21st century needs to work towards a new model that immerses the human being within a vibrant energetic universe. However, this need not demand that we throw away what we already have; rather, we can expand upon the tools that have brought us to our present position. There is an eastern proverb that roughly translates as: ‘You may ride your donkey up to your front door, but would you ride it into your house?’ In other words, when we have arrived at a particular destination we are often required to make a transition in order to continue the journey. In this sense we can be grateful to a vast knowledge base of scientific and religious thought for helping us to arrive at where we presently stand. Yet it is now imperative that we move forward. As Deepak Chopra suggested in his opening contribution to this Forum, how we move forward is likely to be centered in our understanding of consciousness.

Our physical apparatus is spectacular; consider that each of us carries around a 100 billion-cell bioelectric quantum computer that creates our realities, with almost all of its neurons established the day we were born. Still, this phenomenal ‘reality shaper’ has undergone monumental perceptual change over our evolutionary history. What is required, at this significant juncture, is again another catalyst of consciousness change. This may come about through discoveries in the field of quantum biology, and the idea, emphasized by Ervin Laszlo in his previous blogs, that the form of consciousness we possess is likely to be the result ofquantum coherence.

The human body is a constant flux of thousands of inter-reactions and processes connecting molecules, cells, organs, fluids, throughout the brain, body and nervous system. Up until recently it was thought that all these countless interactions operated in a linear sequence, passing on information much like a runner passing the baton to the next runner. However, the latest findings in quantum biology and biophysics have discovered that there is in fact a tremendous degree of coherence within all living systems. It has been found through extensive scientific investigation that a form of quantum coherence operates within living biological systems through what is known as biological excitations and biophoton emission. What this means is that metabolic energy is stored as a form of electromechanical and electromagnetic excitations. It is these coherent excitations that are considered responsible for generating and maintaining long-range order via the transformation of energy and very weak electromagnetic signals.

After nearly twenty years of experimental research, Fritz-Albert Popp put forward the hypothesis that biophotons are emitted from a coherent electrodynamic field within the living system. What this effectively means is that each living cell is giving off, and resonating with, a biophoton field of coherent energy. If each cell is emitting this field then the whole living system is, in effect, a resonating field—a ubiquitous non-local field. And since it is by the means of biophotons that the living system communicates, then there is near instantaneous intercommunication throughout. And this, claims Popp, is the basis for coherent biological organization—referred to as quantum coherence.

Biophysicist Mae Wan Ho has described how the living organism, including the human body, is “coherent beyond our wildest dreams” in that our bodies are constituted by a form of liquid crystal, which is an ideal transmitter of communication, resonance, and coherence. All living biological organisms continuously emit radiations of light that form a field of coherence and communication.

Moreover, biophysicists have discovered that living organisms are permeated by quantum wave forms. Ho informs us that,

…the visible body just happens to be where the wave function of the organism is most dense. Invisible quantum waves are spreading out from each of us and permeating into all other organisms. At the same time, each of us has the waves of every other organism entangled within our own make-up… (Ho, Mae-Wan, (1998) The Rainbow and the Worm: The Physics of Organisms. Singapore: World Scientific)

This incredible new discovery actually positions each living being within a non-local quantum field consisting of wave interferences (where bodies meet). Each person is thus not only in an emphatic relationship with each other but is also entangled with one another.

Neuroscience, quantum biology, and quantum physics are now beginning to converge to reveal that our bodies are not only biochemical systems but also sophisticated resonating quantum systems. These new discoveries show that a form of nonlocal connected consciousness has a physical-scientific basis. Further, it demonstrates that certain spiritual or transcendental states of collective Oneness have a valid basis within the new scientific paradigm.

If we are willing to step down from the donkey we will find that our new path ahead has a place for reconciling science and spirituality. We should focus on the best of both worlds: engage in cooperation, not in conflict and competition.

from:    http://ervinlaszlo.com/forum/2010/07/12/quantum-consciousness-the-way-to-reconcile-science-spirituality/

Stanislav Grof on Science & Spirituality

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Science and Spirituality: Observations from Modern Consciousness Research

by STANISLAV GROF on JULY 30, 2010

The leading philosophy of Western science has been monistic materialism. Various scientific disciplines have described the history of the universe as the history of developing matter and accept as real only what can be measured and weighed. Life, consciousness, and intelligence are seen as more or less accidental side-products of material processes. Physicists, biologists, and chemists recognize the existence of dimensions of reality that are not accessible to our senses, but only those that are physical in nature and can be revealed and explored with the use of various extensions of our senses, such as microscopes or telescopes, specially designed recording devices, and laboratory experiments.

In a universe understood this way, there is no place for spirituality of any kind. The existence of God, the idea that there are invisible dimensions of reality inhabited by nonmaterial beings, the possibility of survival of consciousness after death, and the concept of reincarnation and karma have been relegated to fairy tales and handbooks of psychiatry. From a psychiatric perspective to take such things seriously means to be ignorant, unfamiliar with the discoveries of science, superstitious, and subject to primitive magical thinking. If the belief in God or Goddess occurs in intelligent persons, it is seen as an indication that they have not come to terms with infantile images of their parents as omnipotent beings they had created in their infancy and childhood. And direct experiences of spiritual realities are considered manifestations of serious mental diseases—psychoses.

The study of holotropic states has thrown new light on the problem of spirituality and religion. The key to this new understanding is the discovery that in these states it is possible to encounter a rich array of experiences which are very similar to those that inspired the great religions of the world—visions of God and various divine and demonic beings, encounters with discarnate entities, episodes of psychospiritual death and rebirth, visits to Heaven and Hell, past life experiences, and many others. Modern research has shown beyond any doubt that these experiences are not products of pathological processes afflicting the brain, but manifestations of archetypal material from the collective unconscious, and thus normal and essential constituents of the human psyche. Although these mythic elements are accessed intrapsychically in a process of experiential self-exploration and introspection, they are ontologically real and have objective existence.

In view of these observations, the fierce battle that religion and science had fought over the last few centuries appears ludicrous and completely unnecessary. Genuine science and authentic religion do not compete for the same territory; they represent two approaches to existence, which are complementary, not competitive. Science studies phenomena in the material world, the realm of the measurable and weighable, spirituality and true religion draw their inspiration from experiential knowledge of the aspect of the world that Jungians refer to as “imaginal,” to distinguish it from imaginary products of individual fantasy or psychopathology. This imaginal world manifests in what I call “holotropic states of consciousness”—the altered states in which experiences surface that are very similar to those that inspired the great religions of the world—visions of God and various divine and demonic beings, encounters with discarnate entities, episodes of psychospiritual death and rebirth, visits to Heaven and Hell, past life experiences, and many others. Modern research has shown that these are not products of pathological processes afflicting the brain, but manifestations of archetypal material from the collective unconscious, and thus normal and essential constituents of the human psyche. The matrices for them exist in deep recesses of the unconscious psyche of every human being.

Spirituality is a very important and natural dimension of the human psyche, and the spiritual quest is a legitimate and fully justified human endeavor. However, it is necessary to emphasize that this applies to genuine spirituality based on personal experience and does not provide support for ideologies and dogmas of organized religions. To prevent misunderstanding and confusion that in the past compromised many similar discussions, it is critical to make a clear distinction between spirituality and religion.

Spirituality is based on direct experiences of ordinarily invisible numinous dimensions of reality, which become available in holotropic states of consciousness. It does not require a special place or officially appointed persons mediating contact with the divine. The mystics do not need churches or temples. The context in which they experience the sacred dimensions of reality, including their own divinity, is provided by their bodies and nature. And instead of officiating priests, they need a supportive group of fellow seekers or the guidance of a teacher who is more advanced on the inner journey than they are themselves.

Organized religions tend to create hierarchical systems focusing on the pursuit of power, control, politics, money, possessions, and other worldly concerns. Under these circumstances, religious hierarchy as a rule dislikes and discourages direct spiritual experiences in its members, because they foster independence and cannot be effectively controlled. When this is the case, genuine spiritual life continues only in the mystical branches, monastic orders, and ecstatic sects of the religions involved. A deep mystical experience tends to dissolve the boundaries between religions and reveals deep connections between them, while dogmatism of organized religions tends to emphasize differences between various creeds and engenders antagonism and hostility.

There is no doubt that the dogmas of organized religions are generally in fundamental conflict with science, whether this science uses the mechanistic-materialistic model or is anchored in the emerging paradigm. However, the situation is very different in regard to authentic mysticism based on spiritual experiences. The great mystical traditions have amassed extensive knowledge about human consciousness and about the spiritual realms in a way that is similar to the method that scientists use in acquiring knowledge about the material world. It involves a methodology for inducing transpersonal experiences, systematic collection of data, and intersubjective validation. Spiritual experiences, like any other aspect of reality, can be subjected to careful open-minded research and studied scientifically.

Scientifically conducted consciousness research has brought convincing evidence for the objective existence of the imaginal realm and has thus validated the main metaphysical assumptions of the mystical world view, of the Eastern spiritual philosophies, and even certain beliefs of native cultures.

The conflict between religion and science reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of both. As Ken Wilber has pointed out, there cannot be a conflict between science and religion if both these fields are properly understood and practiced. If there seems to be a conflict, we are likely dealing with “bogus science” and “bogus religion.” The apparent incompatibility is due to the fact that either side seriously misunderstands the other’s position and very likely represents also a false version of its own discipline.

from:    http://ervinlaszlo.com/forum/2010/07/30/observations-from-modern-consciousness-research/

Marshall Vian Summers on the Allies of Humanity

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Somewhat thought provoking interview on Project Camelot (okay, and yes, Kerry drives me crazy with her comments and timing).  Who knows.  Another look at the ET thing:

Check it out here:

http://projectcamelotproductions.com/interviews/marshall_v_summers/marshall_summers.html

from the website:

..Over twenty years ago, a group of individuals from several different worlds gathered at a discreet location in our solar system near earth for the purpose of observing the alien intervention that is occurring in our world. From their hidden vantage point, they were able to determine the identity, organization and intentions of those visiting our world and monitor the visitors’ activities. This group of observers call themselves the “Allies of Humanity.”

for more, go to the website:      http://www.alliesofhumanity.org/Allies/The_Allies_of_Humanity__Revealing_the_Extraterrestrial_Intervention_and_Teaching_Humanity_about_Life_in_the_Universe.html