We begin Part Two of The Winter

Part Two is titled Connecting With Essence - Intimacy with Your Authentic Uniqueness. Here’s where we begin to look deeply into the part of ourselves that is deeper, truer and eternal. I call it Essence. In preparation for the weekend, I’m asking that all of the participants read an article that I’ve re-written based on a piece I wrote last year. I hope It connects with your Essence.

Finding Presence

Essence is a beautiful and simple word I use to refer to a mysterious something that is hard to define, but we all know it when we experience it. Essence is the physical sensation of feeling a Divine Presence.

Essence comes through when we are swept away by listening to beautiful music, moved deeply through witnessing great art and or expanded through well- crafted writing. We sometimes feel it from the teachers who touch our lives the most profoundly. Yet, we are just as likely to be touched by it when witnessing a simple act of kindness, an amazing athletic feat or when receiving a child’s dandelion bouquet. It is the overwhelming emotion of love we experience when we share a hug with our beloved.

The source of this Essence is God, Spirit, or The Divine. The name that I choose to use is Presence,because in my work, I often experience a sensation of having a Divine Presence working with me and through me as I guide people to heal their deepest wounds. I call this experience Embodied Presence and it is the reason I get so much joy out of my work.

Whatever your word is, we all yearn to connect with this Presence, breathe it in deeply and fully, when those moments come. Essence is the part of us that allows this connection, craves it and seeks it out. I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes by Emerson from The Oversoul:

Embodied Presence is found when we live in the moment and not the past or the future. It’s when we allow the Divine Presence to come through us and express itself. To live as fully, and deeply as is possible, we must move beyond the limits of our Ego to find Essence.

How do we know we have moved beyond our Ego and are living in our Essence? Here are a few observations I have about Ego and Essence from my own life and experience:

• The source of Ego is fear. The source of Essence Is Love.  Or, you might say God, Oneness, Light, Wholeness, Love Spirit or Creator. A  strict scientist may may not call it love and  simply refer to it the evolutionary impulse and its opposite-fear, Newton’s second law of thermodynamics, entropy.
• Ego protects against vulnerability to cover shame and gain power through control. Essence expresses vulnerability  with strength, Love and presence.
• Ego reacts from past hurts. Essence responds freely from  present moment awareness with strength, love and presence.
• Ego seeks pleasure and avoids pain. Essence responds fully to the moment and all the experiences of life with strength, love and presence.
• Ego separates and isolates. Essence connects.
• Ego inflates or deflates. Essence remains centered in Presence with expressing and connecting behaviors.
• Ego want to be right. Essence wants to find truth.
• Ego grasps for certainty. Essence embodies faith.
• Ego is jealous. Essence  lives in the moment and loves without expectations.
• Ego seeks to suppress or impress. Essence seeks to express love and life.
• Ego tries to prove. Essence desires to share.
• Ego defends. Essence keeps an open heart by choosing to live in an undefended way.
• Ego is rooted in separateness. Essence is grounded in wholeness.

Of course, many more distinctions that could be made about Ego and Essence. I invite you to use this as a partial guide to help you clarify when you are acting out of Essence or seeking refuge in your Ego. Add to the list with your own experience. Be aware of the physical reactions of your body and simply ask yourself, “Does this feel more like Ego or Essence?”

In Wholeness,

Michael

]]> http://www.michaelcasteel.com/453/moving-from-ego-to-essence/feed/ http://www.michaelcasteel.com/434/radical-wholeness/ http://www.michaelcasteel.com/434/radical-wholeness/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:49:57 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelcasteel.com/?p=434 I’ve been working with individual clients, developing and leading workshops and writing about this idea of Radical Wholeness for some time now. I’ve simplified and updated the main principles here. Your feedback is much welcomed.

What is Radical Wholeness?

Radical Wholeness is a liberated state of emotional and spiritual well-being that goes beyond the ego. It’s an undivided life filled with peace, passion, purpose, power and presence. It’s a fully integrated way of living with mind, heart, will and soul all working in concert with Spirit for a higher purpose that serves life. It’s an inner state of being where no part of you is in conflict with any other part of you or the world. It’s an inner union of Spirit and soul, masculine and feminine, and individual uniqueness with Universal Oneness. It is a way of living where you are fully alive and present to the real world.

Radical Wholeness is about moving beyond the ego’s need to either suppress or impress and towards the soul (or essence) simple desire to connect and express. It’s an experience and awareness, deep in your bones, that you are both deeply at peace and radically alive. You have both an expanded and intimate relationship with the Universe as well as a deep and sensual relationship with Life. You are fulfilling your unique purpose in life while knowing that their is nothing that you are required to do in order to be Whole. You have a felt sense of both depth (soul or essence) and expansion (spirit or authentic expression) You notice an ever deepening connection with your soul and expansion of your spirit - the BLISS of your own BEING.

This state of well being begins with healing the wounds from the past and learning to express our authentic gifts for a unique purpose in the present.

My personal experience of beginning to live this life of Radical Wholeness is more peace, passion, purpose, power and presence accompanied by moments of extreme bliss with along with a slightly broken heart from all the suffering and separation in the world.

Six Main Principles of Radical Wholeness

1. Feel it all as deeply and fully as you are able.

When we can feel our feelings of sadness without the sadness overwhelming us, our heart opens to a greater, deeper and more expanded joy. When we can fully experience our fear without the fear overtaking us, we connect with a greater, deeper and more expanded since of peace. When we can learn to acknowledge and consciously express our anger without the anger being destructive or overtaking us we experience a greater, deeper and more expanded since of our authentic power.

2. Question everything with a sincere heart through the lens of strength and love, particularly the beliefs that you’ve accepted about yourself, others and the world until you get to love.

Our thoughts are not a reliable source for interpreting what is true - about ourselves, others or reality. However, our ability to question everything, all the way to love, is our minds most valuable resource on your path towards Radical Wholeness.

3. Resist nothing.

“What ever we resist persists. Yet whatever we have the courage to fully face, feel and embrace becomes grace!

When we can find a way to stop resisting and fully accept even the most unacceptable parts of ourselves, our “inner critic” and mind chatter becomes dramatically quieter. We then begin to find ourselves miraculously able to not only accept ourselves and others more fully but to see, sense and feel the Divinity in ourselves, others and even what we once perceived as the most unacceptable aspects of life. This is the essence of the Radical Wholeness Process.

4. Embrace the reality of uncertainty.

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated “there is nothing permanent but change.” Whenever we argue with reality, reality always wins. Reality is our ultimate Guru. When we are able to honestly observe and accept the reality that there is nothing permanent but change, we can begin to accept the impermanence of all life and be creatively and fully alive in the present.

When we fully embrace the reality of uncertainty from the depth of our being, our attention naturally turns toward the preciousness of all of life. Our heart is set on fire to express our unique individual gifts in the world for a purpose that we feel is a mighty one and is in service to life and the conscious evolution of our planet. In living this way, there are no ordinary moments!

5. Move beyond the limits of your ego to know the limitlessness of your Essence.

Know that in our true nature-our deepest self we are more than our separate ego. In our Essence, we each are a uniquely authentic part of the whole-the whole of existence, not separate from but connected to every part and particle that has ever existed and ever will.

6. Express your gifts in an authentic way for a unique purpose that contributes to the healing and conscious evolution of our planet.

Life has entrusted each of us with a unique set of strengths and gifts. It is our soul  purpose to be good stewards of the gifts that we’ve been given. How? By combing these gifts with our life circumstances, including all  our victories and defeats, pain and challenges overcome to discover a unique life story with contribution to make and purpose to fulfill. If we don’t discover it and express it in this lifetime, the world will never have it.

The first chakra, the root, located at the base of the spine is associated with physical survival- food, shelter and comfort. One core desire is for physical satisfaction often through taste. We’ve all had those moments of ecstasy through a delicious bite of chocolate, an exquisitely ripe strawberry or half pint of Ben and Jerry’s (the first few bites anyway).  Eros loves to penetrate us here, but less is more and quality over quantity. Next time you taste something that almost sends you over the edge, notice how tight your perineum gets as you moan your mmmmm.

The second chakra, the sacral, located in the pelvic region. A core desire for the sacral chakra is for emotional connection through sexual satisfaction. Reserve a blocks of time for you and your beloved to spend time alone and re-connect physically and you will be an easy target for Eros sharp arrow.

The third chakra, the solar, located at the solar plexus is associated with a core desire for power and glory. This is both the positive and negative times in our lives when we won, saved the day, had the right answer or received the sincere acknowledgment of someone that we deeply respected. One special gift you can give someone is to acknowledge what a powerful role s/he is your life and the impact s/he has made on you. Do this and Eros will find your solar plexus.

While the first three chakras are driven by the need to satisfy basic survival impulses, the fourth chakra, the heart chakra is associated with receiving and expressing love. Many scholars say this is where meaning originates. The core desire for the heart chakra is to love and be loved. It’s the feeling of finally finding our soul mate, a feeling of familiarity — like we’ve known this person before. Spiritually, it’s the mystical experience that many Christian saints and Sufi poets refer to as the relationship with the Beloved Spirit.  It can also be the awe and wonder of our heart being broken open by witnessing the birth of a new born baby or a spontaneous act of kindness. Practicing moments of authentic vulnerability and  random acts of kindness will open your heart to be a target to be penetrated by the arrow of Eros.

The fifth,  throat chakra is associated with a core desire to creatively express Essence. Eros is experienced through the creation of song, word, dance, a painting, sculpture, a beautifully decorated room, a dinner presentation or just looking your best for your beloved. Find uniquely creative ways to be and  express yourself from your essence and regularly attend performances where others are doing so and Eros will send an arrow through your throat that will leave you breathless at the awe and wonder of such beauty and grace.

The sixth chakra, the third eye, is located at the center of the forehead is associated with the core desire of having true insight. Eros is experienced by a moment of spiritual insight or an experience of awe. Regular time in spiritual study, writing or gazing at the stars while contemplating  the vastness of our universe and Eros will pierce  your third eye, in the center of your forehead during a moment of penetrating insight.

The seventh chakra, the crown, located at the top of the head, is most open to the connection with Spirit, The Tao, Christ Consciousness, Presence and many other names all  pointing to the same higher level of consciousness. The core desire is reunion with Source.  In rare and special moments of meditation, breathwork,  spiritual contemplation or in Nature, Eros occasionally sends an arrow that cuts through the illusion of our separate ego self to split our consciousness  wide open to  the mystical truth of our Unity-Oneness-Wholeness.

Quick summary of Eros through each chakras creating moments of rapture when we allow Cupid to penetrate us with his arrow of erotic pleasure:

1st-The ecstatic taste of that bite of  amazing food or drink.

2nd-The sexual pleasure of the BIG O

3rd-The Glory of the great shot, the big win, the acknowledgement of a job well done.

4th-The awe and wonder of our broken open while witnessing the birth of a new born baby or a spontaneous act of kindness.

5th-A  moment of creative expression from essence.

6th-The ah ha moment of brilliant insight or intuitive illumination.

7th- The mystical moments of revelation that we and our Creator are One.

Do we actually  hide from the very thing that we most seek, intimacy?     In-To-Me-See.

During early childhood, you learned to bond with your caregivers in ways that felt good to you. This is where you learned many of the bonding patterns that continue in your adult life as the foundation for all of your relationships. No matter how satisfying those early relationships may have been, you also had certain perceived unmet needs. These are the same needs that you seek to get met today particularly in your romantic relationship. Cosmic Joke is, we try to get these needs met from the same energetic match of the people that couldn’t meet them in the first place.  And, unless the relationship becomes conscious of this, they wont be met in your present romantic relationship.  When you can give your partner what s/he most emotionally needs,  s/he heals and becomes more whole and you grow to become more flexible and whole yourself in the process. Not a bad deal!  We all get to choose; conscious essence based love or unconscious ego based false love.

Whatever is not healed in your relationship now will repeat, in your current relationship and/ or a future one. The time for healing is now.

A conscious relationship can take many forms, ranging from  monogamy inside a life long relationship with another to a creating  conscious community with others.  Yet a relationship with our most intimate partner can be one of the most profound spiritual paths available to us. Romantic relationships are dramatic teachers of wholeness, showing us where we need to heal. Problems with our intimate partner can be an opportunity to grow in to greater wholeness, both personally and as a couple.

Our soul seeks real love. Our ego often creates false love. False love is ego based and concerned with protecting our vulnerability and getting what we think we want.

Real love…, Essence based Love desires to fully see the soul of their beloved and takes the risk of being fully seen by this beloved, in all its vulnerable glory.

Wishing You and Your Beloved Real Love.

Happy Valentines Day!

Imagine this conversation: “Hi I’m Joe, Joe Molecule” He says to the cell where he resides, “Hey, you cell guys are so clueless. What’s really going on is here at the atomic level. Without me and my sub buds, you are nothing!”

Cell, responds, “What?! You gotta be kidding me. You molecules are lowly simpletons. Not at all like us highly evolved cell types.”

Then, all of the organs that make up the body jump into the debate, “ You Cells are irrelevant! One tiny cell provides no real benefit. Can you tell me one real function you play in keeping this body alive? Being an organ is where it’s at.”

“Yes”, declares the brain. “I agree, but some organs, the brain in particular, are far superior to any of the other, lesser organs. Brains control everything.”

“Wow, I guess you are right. I am just a lowly molecule,” sighs Joe.

It is ridiculous to imagine this conversation and we can clearly see that every molecule, cell and organ are vital to the function of the body. We can identify with the human body and its massive collection of cells and organs that occupy it. We think we are the separate person that lives in this body. Yet, as individuals, we are part of the whole of life. We are vital to its function. We have an important role to play and can never be truly fulfilled until we begin to express our unique self as part of the greater force, the whole of life.

Our ego attempts to convince us we are separate from the whole of life. We convince ourselves that we are “just an individual” or that we are better than others not as special as some. This kind of thinking cuts us off from the connection and the aliveness of the whole.

Bottom line is this: Everything is both whole AND a part of something greater. With every evolutionary leap, there is an increase in complexity and potential, an increase of consciousness. It is just like the molecule that becomes a cell that divides until it becomes a person. The evolutionary leap we human beings have been gifted is the capacity for self-awareness and the ability to choose our behavior according to values. Every time we choose to use this self-awareness and respond from our essence, we transcend our ego. We expand and become more complex and more self-aware. With this increase in consciousness comes the realization that we are already whole AND part of the whole of life.

As surely as Joe is whole yet also a part of the cell in your body where he resides, YOU are a cell in the body of God!

AUM. You’ve heard it, chanted it or meditated to it. Yet, do you know what the sound really means?

The oldest known spiritual text, the Upanishads from ancient India, says that AUM is the sound of God. That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it? The ancient text goes on to explain that it also represents the three types of consciousness that we experience each day: waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. These states correlate with the birth, life and death cycle as well as our body, emotions  and soul. In Christianity, this corresponds with the Trinity.

To make this sound properly, start with the “A” in the back of the throat. If done properly, you will notice the vibration is strongest in the soler plexus, representing the strength of the physical body.  The “U” is made in the front of the throat. You might notice that the vibration of this sound is strongest in the chest or heart region, representing love, passion and energetic aliveness. With a long, slow, exhaling breath, bring the two vowel sounds together and end with the hum of the “M”. You may notice the energy shifting to the forehead or third eye region. This represents presence, mind, essence or soul. That’s how you voice it. Now let’s talk about the symbolism.

AUM is said to have four parts:

“A” is  the realm of awake consciousness and things, including the physical body.

“U”  is the realm of dream consciousness and symbols, including emotions and the energy body.

“M” is the realm of dreamless sleep and  unmanifest consciousness, including the mind and soul.

The silence surrounding and including the sound of AUM is Spirit itself, the non-dual source and container of the miracle and mystery of all creation.

The “A” represents waking consciousness and physical matter. This realm makes up our perceived reality of physical objects governed by the laws of cause and effect. Something happens and there is a result.

The sound “U” represents a dream state. This realm is the birthplace of myth, archetypes, religious and spiritual symbolism and non-ordinary states of consciousness. The non-ordinary states are realized through deep spiritual practices or drug-induced spiritual experiences. In the dream state, things appear to be separate from us, but we know that isn’t real. In our dreams, the things we see are all being created by our sub-conscious mind. The most common way to interpret dreams is that everything in the dream represents an aspect of you. In the dream state, there are no rational laws of cause and effect. Everything is a symbol of something in your mind.

“M” is dreamless sleep. Consciousness is present but with no awareness of any separateness. The experience of this state is called unmanifest consciousness. It is the goal of true spiritual yoga to achieve this completely stilled mind with no thoughts while being awake. This experience of a completely quiet mind is merged with Source and is the closest we can come to being with God.

The fourth and most important part of the AUM recognizes the silence that transcends and includes all of the former states. Pure consciousness is the ground of all being from which everything arises and into which everything falls back. With the recognition of the silence that surrounds and includes the sound of AUM, we move beyond the three realms and realize all is one and all is God.

To sum up:

“A” starts in in the back of the throat to the count of four and vibrates near the soler plexus stimulating the third chakra and stomach, liver and spleen.

represents:

• The physical body
• Birth
• Waking consciousness and present moment awareness
• The beta brainwave frequencies (12hz-38hz)
• Within the Christian trinity, Jesus living as a man on earth as the Son of God

“U” is made in the front of the throat to the count of eight and vibrates near the chest stimulating the fourth chakra and heart.

Represents:

The emotional, energetic, subtle body

• Dreaming, intuitive and symbolic consciousness
• life
• Alpha-theta brainwave frequencies (3hz-12hz)
• The Holly Spirit within the Christian trinity

“M” is made with the mouth and lips to the count of twelve and vibrates near the forehead stimulating the Sixth chakra and pineal gland.

Represents:

• The  mental realm, soul and causal body
• Deep dreamless sleep, psychic phenomenon and intuition
• Physical death
• Delta brainwave frequencies (0.2hz-3hz)
• The Father within the Christian trinity

“The sound of silence” to the count of 16 with a subtle awareness on the seventh chakra.

Represents

• The non-physical
• Non-dual and ever present awareness
• Eternity
• The element of Spirit
• The mystery  and intigration of the Trinity itself

With this new awareness, I invite you start your day with three AUM’s in the morning upon awakening, during your morning shower, or during your meditations. Then take three before going to bed. You can do them silently or say them out loud. Be aware of the realms or states of consciousness as you voice the sounds and let your mind flow from one state to another until you meet the perfect silence that surrounds the AUM. That’s where you will find the experience of God.

As always, your comments are welcome and you are welcome to pass it along to anyone

Here goes!  (BTW-The pics are are from a Begin From Within New Years Celebration…. Karaoke was to follow )

We human beings occupy a unique place in the world. We’re said to have both an animal nature and divine nature. Think about it, like animals, we certainly have survival needs, desire to experience pleasure and want to be powerful. Don’t you? This corresponds with the lower three chakras that we share with the animal kingdom. Yet, we can and often do feel compassion for others who have no direct connection to us, are at least occasionally creative and have the capacity for self refection. This corresponds with the upper chakras, or our higher nature. As far as we know, there is no evidence that animals have developed this kind of higher nature, yet (our own pets excluded, of course).

This is the year to fully embrace your full nature. Embrace your wholeness! As a unique human being you are designed to experience meaning, aliveness, pleasure and to put to use your unique strengths to work in the in world in ways that add life to your years and years to your life. If you don’t regularly experience all three domains of meaning, passionate aliveness and pleasure, you’re not living your fullest life. And, research in the field of positive psychology reveals that the number one way to live a happy and fulfilling life is to find ways to utilize your strengths in ways that are meaningful.

You can begin from within in 2010 by taking these simple and practical steps:

• Discover your unique gifts and strengths. Then investigate unique ways to develop and express them. You can take a brief signature strengths inventory for free by registering at AuthenticHappiness.com.
• Consider the activities that provide you with the most meaning in your life. Take a moment now to determine specifically what these activities are? Write a few of them down. Then, inquire into the essence of what makes these activities so meaningful.  Once you’ve discovered this, you can let yourself wonder about what other meaningful activities to engage in this year.
• You can do the same process with the activities that cause you to feel passionate alive and those that you find most pleasurable. Get the idea?

No matter what your outer circumstances, you can find meaning, aliveness, pleasure and  learn to utilize your strengths in creative ways that will provide you with the peace, passion, purpose, power and presence of radical wholeness.

If exploring these ideas further in a group appeals to you,  join us at the Essence Circle this Tuesday the 5th at the Body Awareness Studio on Roswell Road. For a fuller experience, including your own personal MAP for utilizing your strengths to bring more Meaning, Aliveness and Pleasure into your life in 2010, check the MAPSS to Radical Wholeness One Day Workshop on the 16th at The Self Discovery Center.

I love way that the ceremony brings people with backgrounds of various religious faiths and spiritual beliefs together in a way that authentically honors each of these unique individual’s backgrounds and current spiritual beliefs.

I hope that Leslie and I accomplished this tonight. I believe that we did.

Here’s what our ceremony looked like: We  requested that each participant silently go inward and make contact as best as they can with the still place inside and since in to the question: “What intention, inspiration or creation most wants to be born in this upcoming year through me?  What  ”Virgin Birth”  am I willing  to give birth to. (A virgin birth is any inspiration or creation that is of a pure heart and lead by spirit and not fear based ego.)

Read my article: Virgin Birth-Don’t through the Baby Out with the Bathwater by clicking HERE.

What do I most need to let go of …or die to, to make the most room for this intention  to birthed from  the purest heart?

Then, the participants each wrote what they were willing to let go off on a piece of  flash paper.

One at a time, they each walked up and placed this paper into the Source Flame. This is the  candle that represented the Source of ALL Creation and light of the world. This ceremony did not concern itself with  any belief about this Source, only a heartfelt recognition of It and the miracle and mystery that it is , of which each of us is a part.

Then, a seed was taken that represented their own unique  intention for the new year. They blessed it and placed in a little vase containing a small portion of Mother Earth. Water was added to indicate the attention and nurturing that all dreams require to bring in to manifestation.

Finely, a small candle, representing their unique Divine Spark/Essence/Soul was  lit  from the Sources flame.

As you can see, each of the elements in  nature were observed, as is required for any big goal to be realized. The air element is represented by stilling  the mind and focusing on an intention to manifest and something to let go of. Earth represents grounding and structure; The Water that was added to the seed reminds us to charge this intention with our emotional energy and to nurture it by giving it regular attention; The Fire is represented by the individual flame from each of our candles and reminds us of the fiery action needed and Spirit is represented by the Source candle from which each of our individual flames were lit.

The name  that we used to remind us of the  formula for creation is I AM. Intention + Attention = Manifestation.

Feel free to add your comments or ask any questions.

Happy Wholidays,

Michael

For me,  at the young age of four I memorized  John3′16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Tonight, during a group meditation at the Art Of Living Course that I attended with Leslie and a few other friends, I experienced for the first time, what I felt to be a deep Truth within this verse.  It was profoundly beautiful and humbling.

I offer you this translation of Jesus’s words through the lens of my own personal experience tonight only, for your pondering.

For God -The Primordial Source of all existence that all religions agree upon at the most basic level, is LOVE) John 4′8  says “Whoever does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE.”

so loved the world -Our Universe, the laws of existence and our amazing planet, Earth)

That he gave his only begotten son- God/Love felt so much of itself that s/he exploded and gave birth to a finite expression/image of himself so that Love could be experienced, because without an other this love can not be experienced. (Science might call this the big bang})   The Son is US, all of humanity. And, we are made in the image of God)

Who soever  believeth in him -Was Jesus speaking of believing in him THE man with the ONLY ticket to salvation ( The original Greek word for salvation was Sozo, which means wholeness) or was he pointing to him as God, which is  Love as the only way to wholeness?   I wonder…if Jesus Christ were among us today in the flesh, can you imagine him  telling the devout Buddhist, Hindus,  Muslims and others who are living beautiful lives filled with love, joy and compassion, that you gotta go through me for your soul to survive, sorry. Would he say that the Dali Lama was not the real deal? Would he be jealous?  Would he have a need to “convert” him? Or can  you more easily imagine Jesus, as a/the source of love  speaking of  LOVE being the only way and teaching that we, like he, are in our essence love also)

shall not parish but have everlasting life. (Realizing the deep mystical truth that God is Love ,we are made in this image and WE AND THE FATHER [LOVE] ARE ONE)

The realization that I had tonight is an experience that is beyond words. Yet, I love words, so these words that I’ve shared is my own  humble attempt to convey  what I believe to be a mystical Truth. If you and I are able to get past the mind and the identity that it has created us to be, we can clearly see that Christ realized the Truth of who he was and his purpose was to illuminate his realization to us: “I and the Father are One” You and me and the Father/God/Source/Love/I AM…are one. With this authentic realization, we become aware that the essence/soul/ Love within us will not parish with our body, but be a part of the mystery, miracle  and Love pouring through Life everlasting.

This is the same Truth that the mystics from every spiritual tradition came to understand and shared, in the only possible means, within the limitations of language, through  stories, symbols and metaphors.

Within very religion, their is an esoteric/spiritual knowing and an exoteric/ego interpretation. If you look closely you will see that the esoteric came first and pointed to something of wonder, beauty and  awe. The exoteric  explanation is designed to provide the ego with what it craves most-certainty and the promise of the ego self  remaining forever.

What I’ve written about may or may not resonate with you. You may feel that I’ve taken to much liberty with Gods words. Yet please consider that these word, as best as I can assimilate them, are Gods words to me tonight.  If God spoke through the flawed yet earnest men of the bible, why would he not speak through my sincere heart tonight, and yours?

You and I and The Father are One. If/when you experience this authentic realization, you will laugh and say like me: “Of course, I’ve always known this but just now realized it for the first time.” Then, you will know who you really are and how really true it is that WE ARE ALL ONE.

You can learn more about The Art Of Living  Foundation and courses by clicking HERE.

Hello fellow Radical Wholeness Enthusiasts!

Want an almost effortless way of meditating and engaging  in spiritual practice with your computer?

The folks at Wild Divine, a unique software program featuring  Depeek Chopra and healing and health experts,  recently polled their Wild Divine Meditation and Bio-Feedback Game purchasers, asking them the all-important question- “why did you buy our product?” The number one answer by far was, “because my therapist/doctor recommended it to me.” People are seeking solutions to their dilemmas in life in various ways. But one of the rising trends comes from recognizing stress, and our body’s need to find ways to relax, even if the pace in people’s lives is not slowing down. The Guided Mediations and breathing techniques taught in our Healing Rhythms programs can help give people simple ways to relax, even if for just a few quick minutes in the middle of a busy day.

The easiest way to start off when practicing guided relaxation is to count your breaths as you inhale and exhale. Deep breathing relaxation methods, which involve inhaling through your nose as deeply as you can, will help your body start to relax. Hold this breath and then let it out slowly through your nose. Your heart rate will start to slow down and your muscles will start to relax. When learning relaxation meditation, remember to have a focus for the meditation. It requires work to focus your mind on one point and you must be engaged in all aspects of meditating. During relaxation meditation, all kinds of thoughts will come to mind. You have to learn how to recognize these thoughts and then dismiss them so that you are still actively involved in the guided relaxation. This is one of the main reasons why you need to choose a quiet place for meditation where you will not be interrupted by the normal sounds of your life when you are teaching yourself how to relax in this manner. Meditation for beginners will be frustrating when you can’t seem to get it right the first time.

The key is to stay focused on meditating and to focus on your breathing techniques. The thoughts of frustration are ones that can take over and ruin relaxation methods for you. One great practice in meditation for beginners learning how to relax is to concentrate on the parts of the body. Start with your toes and focus on them as you feel them relax. Then move upward concentrating for a few minutes on each body part and how it relaxes. As you get to your head, your body will be completely relaxed and then you can concentrate on having a blank mind.

I’ve  used the Journey to the Wild Divine as a fun way to train my brain for a couple of years now and recommended to several clients.

You can learn more about it at the Tools for Wholeness section on the SOULutions site.

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