The Rose List

I first became aware of Rose Rosetree through her interview on Buddha at the Gas Pump (Batgap). She’s all about subtle perception and healing and developing skills for same. Her tag-line is “Reading People Deeper and Healing with Energy Spirituality“

As I’m exploring models of awakening, I was fascinated by the idea that her “energetic literacy” allows a person to read if someone is enlightened or not. I know a small number of people who can see this and can help people past their last barriers. As this is a potent way to support others and opens the door to objective ways to study transpersonal development, the ability to learn it was intriguing. But evaluating such a unique vision is not a simple matter.

She sees the stages very similarly to how I do. But she determines the shift quite differently, through auras. By auras though, she don’t necessarily mean coloured light around the body but rather energetic signatures. Light is only one aspect of that.

She describes an enlightened person as having a “stabilized, habitual state of consciousness with certain characteristics that would be easy to identify for someone with Stage Three Energy Literacy.” She refers to “databanks” in each chakra and said they’d all be working well, are relatively balanced, and are free of “stuff” – her term for astral or emotional debris. The aura will also be permeated with the divine in some way and there will be a value of joy from that connection.

In other words, the personal crud is cleared and they are feeling the divine. A dry Self Realization would not make the cut.

She’s rather fearless about calling a spade a spade and tells it like she sees it. A few teachers she mentions as being enlightened but having messed up (including ones she’s studied with).  A few others she mentions as awake but not enlightened, even if they say otherwise. I’d agree there are some who have recognized the Self but not become it yet. I was such for many years. And there’s a difference between Self Realization and its mature state, sat chit ananda (absolute bliss consciousness).

At first, I wondered if she was reading sattva development rather than atman. But her comments suggest more. “Permeated with the divine in some way” suggests a deep perception. Earlier, I had the impression that there was a standard underlying energetic process in enlightenment. The chakras are awakened and we connect with source in the crown. Advanced stages unfold during a decent. Some teachers and kundalini traditions follow this model. However, others experience the stages during the rise and there are kundalini traditions that support that as well. And so on. She has apparently recognized this variety in the results.

The List
The result of her reads is her Enlightenment Life List, people she’s rated as Enlightened by the above criteria. Unexpectedly, it includes some famous people like Obama, the Clintons, and George Clooney. Shades of Men in Black! (laughs) From comments, it would seem that being in the larger public eye can raise someones consciousness. (a group consciousness effect?) But I’ve never explored that. In most cases I’ve seen, people who are enlightened know they are. I have met a few who were unsure. But once verified, their progress accelerated.

Rose indicates that when she started expanding the edge of energetic literacy into enlightenment, she didn’t meet the standard herself. Also, as she’s more heart driven, there is less conceptual precision. Plus it’s kind of an organic unfolding like this blog, rather than a presentation of a fully formed teaching. But as Rick Archer (Batgap) said to me, “she’s a sweetheart, making her much-needed contribution.“

Of course, making pronouncements about others is tricky territory. David Hawkins, of Power vs Force fame, is notorious for having rated many famous teachers, all of whom he rated as lower than himself, save Jesus. His ratings are considered infallible by himself & adherents. (he’s a no on Rose’s list) There are also some guru rating sites that are essentially trash-em lists.

Rose’s approach doesn’t fall into these traps but is instead a simple is or isn’t (yet). She says it’s about clarity rather than judgment. And offering examples for students to read. But a few issues still come to mind. For example, it’s not the person who is enlightened. It is the Self that wakes up to itself, through an apparent person. Making a list of names points to the person. But addressing that requires only a caveat. She talks about some of this here.

It’s useful to note here that she differentiates Householder and Renunciate enlightenment. A renunciate is Neti Neti (not this, not this) oriented whereas a householder still very much engages their person as an aspect of their expression. If this difference isn’t clear and a householder tries to play a middle ground, they succeed at neither. I’ll write more on this later.

Secondly, her process is by perception which can be fallible. The perception is also reading the effects of awakening not the awakening itself. She does however mention a few exceptions who appear to meet criteria but have issues that overshadow that development. She also notes it’s her read and opinion. No absolutes stated. That’s a good sign.

Clearly, it depends on the skill and experience of the reader. As I don’t have these skills, I’m keeping an open mind to get a better sense of what this is. I’ve bought her book Aura Reading Through All Your Senses but have just started it. She’s since recommended more recent books to me, like Read People Deeper. Thus, this article is more a work in progress than a review.

Here’s a good article on how her outlook evolved. She also talks about what she sees as the 10 most significant things about enlightenment there.

Meanwhile
Meanwhile, I commented on her blog a few times. One she quite liked and moved forward to a more recent post, then offered to read me for her list.

I found the exercise interesting as it looks to the question from a different angle than usual and confirms a couple of subjective impressions.

As prior posts mention, I’ve stayed pretty low key about who I am here, for various reasons. And awakening really isn’t about a person anyway. So it was a consideration if this was even appropriate. But now I sit at #180 on her list. (laughs)

I’ll do some more reading & exploring before I have better handle on the techniques she teaches. She certainly has a unique vision and some excellent insights. If her processes are as effective as she suggests, they could be quite useful in a number of ways.

Meanwhile, we’ve exchanged blogroll links. 
Davidya

The Dominant Sense

One of the factors that influences how we experience our unfolding growth is our dominant sense. The distinctiveness of this will depend also on the degree of that dominance. We’re all something of a mix.

And this doesn’t guarantee how you’ll experience awakening. But there will be that tendency to process it that way. And the kind of teachers and approach you’ll favour.

I can recall someone describing one of the NLP models on this subject. If we’re visual, we look up when thinking. If it’s audio to the side, if touch we look down. You’ll also note word choice and metaphors will be sense related, like saying “can you see my point?” or “I don’t feel you’re understanding me.” or “Am I being heard?”

As a visual person, I’ve noticed that visual people are often more conceptual and more inclined to want models and maps. They get things more by being shown or seeing them and are probably the most likely to be in the head. They’re also more likely to develop clairvoyance first.

Audio people are more sound attuned and may talk of getting things by hearing, music, or “vibes.” (more heard than felt) Clairaudience tends to develop early, centered a little above and behind the ear.

Kinesthetic or touch people are more bodily aware and touch-centric. They’re more inclined to be health-conscious. They get “gut feelings” and clairsentience.

And of course, there are all the various blends of these themes. And there are probably a few people for whom taste or smell are dominant.

The most important thing to understand about this is not to expect spiritual experiences to come a certain way. And not to be disappointed if you’re not getting the visual flash of someone you know. In some ways, the kinesthetic path is superior. Easier embodiment, fewer distractions, and a deeply lived light. (oops – that’s visual)
Enjoy!
Davidya

Bruce Lipton and Tom Campbell

This summer, MBT Events toured physicist Tom Campbell around the west coast to speak with other cutting edge thinkers and recorded the conversations. In this chat, Dr. Campbell met with epigenetic biologist Bruce Lipton. It was the first time they’d met.

Tom talks a little about set theory and observes that many of the problems of modern science are due to thinking inside a subset. If we recognize consciousness as the superset, then we can derive all subjective experience as well as all physics as subsets of consciousness. As well as addressing many issues, it also makes things like paranormal normal.

“Part of our evolution now is beyond biology, in the evolution of community and networks and information. Does it grow love or does it grow fear? Does it increase separation or bring us together?”
Not typical observations you expect to hear from a scientist.

part 1

part 2

Nancy Shipley Rubin

Nancy Shipley Rubin is a psychic intuitive and counselor. Twice a year, she and her husband Errol come out of paradise in Hawaii to do a tour of the west coast, offering workshops and personal sessions. She also has an annual retreat.

She’s been coming here for over 25 years and some good friends have been going to their workshops for much of that time. I’ve been to several. Her primary focus is on teaching us to work more consciously with our energy system. How to open, clear and protect ourselves. She indicates most spiritual aspirants these days are clearing their heart and throat chakras on the rise to awakening.

This year however she returned to the lower 2 chakras. She calls the first and second the Vitality centre. Our culture tends to encourage closing the 2nd chakra, home to our emotions, creativity and manifesting ability. This imbalances the energy, causing illness and various other side-effects. Many spiritual people are more open upstairs but closed below. Thus the running joke about how spiritual people are always sick and broke. She used to call Vitality the Wounded centre. The emotional body is certainly where many of us carry our heaviest loads.

Their web site talks about the Vitality program and the principles around it. However, the exercises were the most profound part. For example, after learning to notice the state (open or closed) of our second chakra by feel (surprisingly distinct), we practiced interacting with closed 2nd’s. Conflict and negative feelings seemed to automatically escalate. But as soon as just one of us opened the 2nd, the energy diffused and the upset party was soothed and unable to escalate. For me, it felt almost like flushing; in the open 2nd and down and out the 1st.

Another profound exercise for me was calling a Vitality principle while being open. A great exercise in embodying one’s spiritual development.

It was fascinating to see how, when we close off to avoid feeling our unresolved emotions, we’re closing only to ourselves but not the world. Others still feel it (mostly subconsciously) leaving us open to manipulation or  relationship based on pain. Not to mention that we’re holding this in our manifesting centre. How to Call in the Yuck. And we’re blocking the richness of life itself.

Most of us have a deeply ingrained habit of keeping the 2nd closed in our culture. So it can take some practice to open and make a habit of it. This simple difference creates a very different way of seeing the world. From fear or from open safety. The mechanics of how people create their own hell become clear, as well as how great sages darshan works. Spirit embodied in the lower chakras brings the presence people so resonate with. And the simple presence of an open 2nd can be a profound healing for those nearby. All of it is automatic.

Nancy has one more workshop on this tour, in CA. Then a retreat in early May. They don’t do much publicity, just going by word of mouth so they can work with small numbers of earnest people. But they offer the kind of practical wisdom that can make a profound difference in your experience of day-to-day life, if you’re ready to make that step. Our world will be a marvelous place when such knowledge becomes commonplace.

Heaven is always open,
Davidya

108 Reasons to Seek Enlightenment

For fun, I thought I’d see if I could find 108 good reasons to want to be enlightened. It turned out to be easy. These are essentially side effects of purification and development so are best not pursued directly. But if we follow the Vedic advice to go Highest First, we will gain all the benefits along the way.

1 – Peace – you are peace itself and radiate it to others
2 – Bliss – you live profound happiness for no reason, even in sleep
3 – Totally – liberation is total, of the present, past, and future
4 – Discrimination – arises from knowledge of time and sequence
5 – Healing – we release the baggage of the ages
6 – Grace – the body becomes graceful
7 – Support – all of nature supports your desires
8 – Be – one can just be, and be good with that
9 – Steadiness – refined perception steadies the mind
10 – Body Aware – vision of the bodies inner systems
11 – Love – your life is lived in the flow of love
12 – Unbound – we become unbound from action and unlimited
13 – Safety – danger is averted before it arises
14 – Perfect – the perfection of all expression becomes obvious
15 – Self – you know who you are, really
16 – Simplicity – profound knowledge is revealed to be simple
17 – Friendliness – founded in happiness, we are enemies to none
18 – Distinct – ability to differentiate 2 very similar objects
19 – Space – seeing the arrangements and motion of the stars
20 – Freedom – while living in boundaries you are liberated from them
21 – Non-injury – none are hurt by our words or actions
22 – Speed – the ability to move as swiftly as the mind
23 – Sleep – we live awake, even in sleep
24 – Charity – when nothing can be lost, we have everything to give
25 – Light – we become lit up within, then see the light in the world
26 – Nectar – we taste the nectar of soma
27 – Firmness – founded in the absolute, we are unmoved, body included
28 – Heart – the heart brings us knowledge of the mind
29 – Clarity – unobstructed, the mind, heart and intellect are clear
30 – Feeling – with an open heart, we enjoy all feeling that flows
31 – Refined Senses – subtler values and the nature of all things are revealed
32 – Intuition – inner knowing is awakened, without limit
33 – Warm – the body can be warmed with attention
34 – Time – knowledge of the cycles of time is revealed
35 – Faith – knowing the unchanging truth, we have true faith
36 – Primordial – the sound of creation is heard
37 – Eternal – we step off the cycle of rebirth and remain
38 – Zone – we’re in the zone all the time
39 – God – you have a personal relationship with God
40 – Mind – the mind becomes an object rather than subject
41 – Empty – we empty our history of obligations
42 – Intention – what we intend becomes
43 – Non-Attachment – we live and desire, without expectation
44 – Power – we become the power that drives the universe
45 – Truthfulness – from truth, the results of action are quick
46 – Compassion – with a full heart, compassion flows naturally
47 – Dreams – unleashed from drama, they become the play
48 – Devotion – knowing the truth, we become devoted to it
49 – Friends – friendships develop in high and far places
50 – Knowledge – whatever you put your attention on teaches you its nature
51 – Music – hearing the song of angels, the music of the sphere, etc.
52 – Release – what arises, we release
53 – Attention – what we attend flourishes
54 – Certainty – based in the absolute, our knowledge is certain
55 – Past Lives – knowledge of prior births unfolds, we know our story
56 – Contentment – undriven, we are content with what is; Happiness arises
57 – Gifts – treasures are given for us to fulfill our role
58 – Creation – the nature and mechanism of creation is revealed
59 – Fearlessness – life is lived without fear
60 – Non-theft – without craving, wealth arises
61 – Beauty – the body becomes beautiful, in and out
62 – Equanimity – unattached and unfazed, we are smoothness
63 – Others – knowledge of the nature of another’s mind (not contents)
64 – Relaxation – with the relaxation of effort, we enjoy steady joy
65 – Guides – you have the support of the greatest sages and angels
66 – Outside – we can see everything from the outside, including the universe
67 – Language – the voice of all beings is understood
68 – Delight – unburdened, we delight in our remarkable life
69 – Size – the ability to be as small as an atom or larger than a galaxy
70 – Future – a vision of the future is gained
71 – Purpose – we live our purpose with ease
72 – One Mind – our individual mind becomes cosmic
73 – Colour – even a dreary alley is found painted with glowing light
74 – Function – hunger and thirst can be subdued
75 – Passion – unburdened, our passion flows freely
76 – Neutral – thoughts and actions are neither good nor bad
77 – Guru – the inner guru, the knower, is awakened
78 – Essential – the essential nature of all things is known
79 – Invisibility – with knowledge of form, we can withdraw it’s appearance
80 – Crystal – our mind becomes clear, reflecting whatever falls on it
81 – Travel – the ability to travel wherever we put our attention
82 – Strength – we gain the strength of whatever we attend to (elephant, etc)
83 – Wealth – inner wealth begets outer wealth
84 – Oneness – you join with all of creation in one wholeness
85 – Perfume – the scent of heaven wafts into your nose
86 – Safe Feet – the ability to walk on water, through fire, etc.
87 – Death – knowledge of death
88 – Mastery – mastery over the elements (objects), senses, and nature
89 – Teacher – God is our teacher, as with the ancients
90 – Shine – with mastery of digestion, we literally glow
91 – Gratitude – astonishing gratitude flows out of all our gifts
92 – Revealed – the inner light reveals all that is hidden
93 – Indestructibility – the body is “hardened”
94 – Creator – you are that which creates
95 – Sex – liberated, it goes far beyond the physical
96 – Hearing – hearing the voice of God, angels, etc.
97 – Intellect – the intellect knows only truth
98 – Transport – the ability to instantly move the body
99 – Touch – touching the world, touch and are touched
100 – Universe – the knowledge of the universe is revealed
101 – Memory – we remember what God remembers, all origins
102 – Bi-location – the ability to be in 2 places at once
103 – Flying – the ability to fly through space
104 – Existence – the ability to continue without a body
105 – All Knowingness – ditto
106 – Body Change – can enter the body of another being (tree, dog, etc)
107 – Inside – everything is inside of us, literally, including the universe
108 – Destiny – it is the fulfillment of your purpose and destiny
109 – Supremacy – need I say more?

Funnily enough the list doesn’t do it justice. Some of these may seem far-fetched but the mechanics are documented. This has been understood for thousands of years. We may have developed amazing technology, but our subjective technology is still primitive.

The list is intended to be pretty random. Some of these may sound similar but they are experienced as unique as we progress. Many are also interconnected and flow one from the other. For example, when non-attachment dawns, knowledge of existence unfolds. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali lists abilities that arise with enlightenment. We can test our progress with them.

This of course relates to full enlightenment and its full maturation. But even some progress is good.
Davidya

We’re Entangled

I’ve finally had a chance to begin reading Dr. Dean Radin’s book Entangled Minds. He’s a long-term scientific researcher of psi (psychic ability) now with the Institute of Noetic Sciences. His history includes Bell Labs, SRI, Princeton and a classified program with the US government. You may remember him from the What the Bleep film. The book is an interesting exploration of the research, history and controversy of the field along with a proposal that psi can begin to be explained with quantum mechanics. He also has a good sense of humor.

Because psychic abilities tend to show up during spiritual development, I thought it worth exploring some of his points.

“Entanglement” is a term from quantum physics that refers to “connections between distinct particles that persist regardless of distance.” For example, if the spin of one particle is changed, the other changes also, instantly, even if miles away. Einstein called this “spooky action at a distance.” This quality is turning out to be more pervasive and robust than first thought. Some scientists even suggest everything is entangled as it was all together in the big bang. That’s certainly a common idea in spiritual circles.

“Bio-entanglement” (entanglement in biology) is being explored as way to explain some aspects of living systems. There are models of quantum mechanics in brain function, for example, to explain how nerve signals travel so fast. As Radin observes, this could also help explain psychic ability.

The controversy part is related to the dogma I mentioned on the Foundation of Belief. Most science is founded in a materialist paradigm that can become dogmatic. Even quantum physicists are forever seeking particles (at massive cost) when they’re studying energy (waves). Anything non-physical that cannot be addressed by materialism may be put down to belief or superstition.

Now – I’ll certainly agree that there is no end of nonsense and charlatans about in the psi  arena. But to suggest such experiences don’t exist is to ignore much of our history. Even the history of science is full of intuitive leaps, unusual experiences, and curious beliefs.

To show how strong the negative bias is, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) considers that a belief in psi is evidence of either ignorance or mental deficiency. As Radin observes “In other words, if you’re an eccentric introvert and believe in clairvoyance and telepathy, you might have an official psychiatric disorder.“  This kind of dogma is not only non-scientific, it can be quite destructive. While this may sound harsh, pronouncements like the above are bigotry; if they don’t think like me, there’s something wrong with them.

Amusingly, Radin uses the NSF’s own data to demonstrate that the better educated are more likely to believe in psi phenomena. (a majority) He notes that higher education does tend to reduce belief in “religious paranormal” concepts (such as heaven and hell) but increase belief in psi. Many scientists have seen evidence of psi but avoid research due to career and funding issues arising from the bias. It’s right up there with cold fusion.

But we’re still debating belief. Many people believe in psi because they’ve had direct experiences of it. Funnily enough everyone, even scientists, has metaphysical experiences. The mind is metaphysical and unexplained by science (let alone self-awareness). If science doesn’t understand mind, how can it know it’s limitations?

In some of Radin’s research, he’s identified a generalized profile of people more likely to have psychic experiences. “a left-handed female who is thirty-something or younger, physically highly sensitive, suffers from chronic anxiety, is somewhat introverted, makes decisions based more on feelings than logic, practices one or more of the creative arts, engages in some form of mental discipline like meditation, is open to unconventional claims, and is interested more in possibilities than facts.” (Adam the Dreamhealer is an interesting contrast to some of this)

You may recognize someone you know. (laughs) You also may note the right brain qualities. This is related to fluid vs crystalline g (intelligence). Crystalline g is what traditional IQ tests report and relates to the left brain mode that science fosters. Culture-neutral IQ tests are more pattern-recognition based and they’ve discovered test fluid g. People who are more prone to lateral and creative thinking have stronger fluid g. Such people are not less intelligent, they just use intelligence in a different way. An artist may be poor at math but a genius at capturing the essence of someone.

“Latent Inhibition” is a term that refers to “an unconscious brain process that degrades our ability to pay attention to stimuli that have had no consequences in the past.” In other words, if it’s not deemed important or relevant, the sensory information never reaches our conscious mind. This is what allows us to stay stable and focused, to drive a car on the highway while we carry on a conversation, and so forth. We screen out the vast majority of the sea of sensory information we’re barraged with. If we haven’t learned to recognize psychic impressions, we’ll just screen all that out too.

Latent Inhibition can be illustrated with the related “Selective Attention”, where we screen out what is not related to our focus. Magicians use this all the time. A video example.

If latent inhibition is low, this can lead to mental illness as we struggle to process the flood. This is why some tend to pathologize psi. However, low latent inhibition is also associated with “openness to experience” which in turn is associated with divergent thinking and creativity. Radin observes that if the mind is strong enough, we can take in and process much more. Higher intelligence thus correlates with an ability to be more open. (potentially)

This illustrates the closeness of genius and madness plus profound spiritual shifts.

Because psi is energetic, it’s heavily influenced by emotions. If you reject it, it will tend to suppress the experience long term due to Latent Inhibition. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. For some, it can be self-preservation. Many kids learn to filter it out. Plus there’s a set of skills we need to develop. Psychics I’ve talked to typically have to learn how to turn it off, how to protect themselves from others junk, and how to keep the connection high so they don’t fall into the mud. This is where a spiritual connection can be a profound value for the open. But with a little understanding and the right approach, they sky is not the limit.

Feel the force, Luke!
Davidya

Passing Contact

A week ago, a long distance friend of mine named Dan died. While still a young man, he had a profound spiritual connection and was one of only a few I know who was as “In2Deep” discussion as I. I’ve posted a few things he wrote in Conversations with Dan.

For most people, after death they spend a few days winding down, then move onto a new “assignment”, either as a guide or worker of some sort or in a new incarnation. Their connections with the old disengage and fade. After awakening, this pathway shifts. In Dan’s case, he’s sticking around. His role remains to support the people he’s been with but it’s also begun to expand.

To understand what I’m talking about, it’s useful to know that there’s 2 primary ways of seeing the world: as laws of nature operating in a physical world. And as light beings building and running an energetic world. This is what some call the impersonal and personal or the head and heart perspectives. While the first keeps the world simple, it can still be useful sometimes to have a chat with the person managing the lilac in your back yard. Of course, the rules are just like anywhere else – not everyone is your friend, don’t believe everything you hear, not everyone wants to talk, and so on. Because this is energetic, feeling or intuition is the means and the yardstick for you.

From the personal perspective, we have what people tend to call guides or guardians or life helpers. Some are assigned. Some we can choose. What gives us the choice? Accessibility.

Assuming you are open to the experience, two things make someone accessible. The first is resonance – that we have a kind of affinity or past connection. Like when you meet someone and feel like you’ve always known them. Or you find a teacher you really “get”. The second is spiritual development. The deeper their embodiment, the stronger their presence and thus the easier to connect. This is why people suggest we pray to Christ or an avatar or similar. They are both more potent and more accessible.

If you have a desire to connect with someone, firstly you have to let go of some of the resistance to the experience. This is working on the feeling level, so if you don’t really believe it’s possible, that’s what you get. But neutral is fine. And don’t force or crap on the process – that just creates stinky energy no one wants to be around. Finally, know that not everyone is available. Would you be if someone from your past knocked?

All you have to do is be open and bring them to mind effortlessly. If you bring your attention to the heart, this may enhance your feeling value.

You may find contact through a feeling or a sense of presence. If you knew them well, perhaps a scent or favorite song or similar. Some people may get sensory input like pictures or sounds, depending on your dominant or most sensitive sense. All you have to do is think about them and stay open. Even if you can’t connect, you may get impressions of what they’re up to now.

This can seem very subtle or vague at first, until you get the hang of it. We’re used to relating to physical stuff we can hold and touch. We may feel impressions we get are like dreams but notice if they come with a knowingness or explain things. Or resolve stuff for you. When it gets very clear, it can be pretty much like they’re right here with you, engaging your senses.

Don’t worry if this doesn’t work for you or appeal to you. They help and will continue to help without you directly engaging them. Connect or not, they’re there for you. It’s their job.

By all means ask for help or support if you need it. They’ll help if they can. And they can help better if your intentions are clear and consistent and you are not seeking avoidance. Some things are your job, so don’t expect instant fixes. They have a supporting role just as we have with friends. But life can be easier if we have someone to walk with us for a time.
Davidya

PS: I should note that my early experiences with this were not that positive because I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t use feeling to differentiate who I was talking to. Some are happy just to get attention without being helpful. Some will even make silly promises. And so on. Same thing as any group of people. Get to know the good guys. It becomes obvious pretty quickly.

Light Help

Recently, I met a woman named Karen Forrest. She was a military psych nurse for 17 years, so quite grounded. But these days, she offers counseling by “talking to angels and dead people.” She still laughs about the unexpected change in her life. She has 2 regional best selling books offering stories about angels, leading to her talk at a writers group I attend – using angels to get your book published. The basics are applicable to just about anything though.

I’ve spoken here before about the benefits of gratitude in your life. Aside from culturing a more positive approach that allows more accepting, it also supports those that are working on our behalf. As the “crust” many of us hold on the heart falls away and our perception refines, other forms of life and doership become increasingly obvious. But even well before that, the experience of being the detached witness and noticing everything continues to be done without us illustrates how pervasive this activity is on our life. Even if doership remains unknown.

We’re not talking about what you believe or don’t believe in here. Nor about superstitions and folk tales nor classical paintings of a “winged host”. We’re talking about ways of working with and directly experiencing what you may not yet perceive. You don’t see electricity either but you’ve learned to use it every day. All this needs is an open mind.

Karen studied extensively with Doreen Virtue and others to develop her skills. She stopped drinking alcohol and became vegetarian to be clearer. She observes that many people pray or “call on” higher powers only in crisis. She suggests asking for support throughout your daily life.

While her process is about working with angels, you can use it simply to develop intuition. Leave the woo-woo for later. (laughs)

Calling
1) ask for help – what is the next step?
2) what are my blockages?
3) follow the guidance – this is up to you.

1) She said that because of free choice, what is unfolding will always be unknown. But the next step to take now can always be seen. So ask – What is the next step?

She said it was best to use questions with a yes/no answer and see how we feel immediately after. Yes/no responses will be instant.

The need for Why? questions comes from the lower self. Mind questions. Instead – what can I do about it? Can I learn from this? What’s next? At first, we may not be comfortable with the answer if it seems somehow illogical. Nature has a way of taking the fastest route though, so it may suggest an unexpected turn. Or we may be asked to wait on something for a time. The why will often become apparent later.

She suggested we watch for “repeating messages”, things that keep showing up. She observed that intuition will be encouraging and repeating whereas fear will be negative.

2) She also suggested we ask what our blockages are? Where am I resisting? Acknowledge it and let it go. Blockages can also cause blended feelings, adding fear to anticipation for example.

A big resistance can often be all the baggage we have around a process like this. Keep it simple and let the results speak for themselves.

3) This last step may bring up further things to unblock. (laughs) If we have feeling issues with trust, blame or self-worth, this can certainly bring them to light.

As usual, don’t worry about the means, just what is to be done. If you are following your purpose or passion, the money and means will come. There is an old eastern saying – “the means gather around Sattva“. Put another way, the angels gather around purity of intent.

At first, the response may show up as a “gut feeling”. But we have to be clear on the difference between fear – a blockage or resistance, and discomfort, a no. For example, we may be afraid of a yes and thus it can feel like a no. If we want a yes but get a no, we may instead feel a hesitation or uncertainty. Thus, it is good to separate how we feel from the response. Where is this feeling coming from?

If what comes up is a big surprise, consider that good. It can indicate you didn’t dream it up.

As the skill is developed and we get clearer and more trusting, the impressions will be more “intuitive” with more information or understanding. This will continue until things come with a sense of deeper “knowingness” and a broader context. There may be a complete picture of what is to be done.

Another aspect will also develop if we want it, what we might call sensory or “psychic” skills. Clairvoyance, clairaudience, and so forth. We’ll see/ hear/ feel the response. Indeed, there can be conversations, like with a good friend. How this develops will depend on where we’re clear, our inclinations, and the senses we naturally favour. Some people may just want to develop clear intuition and avoid this.

Just remember, the process gets easier with practice. You’ve lived a lifetime without developing these skills. This process of asking, clearing, and doing will bring increasing clarity not just to the task at hand but to your life as a whole.

This is not an ego test. It’s not about getting it right. It’s about greater ease, happiness, and clarity.

She describes her own experience as intuition, body sensations and clairaudience, hearing them. She demonstrated with personal questions from most of the group, obviously getting immediate clear visual and feeling impressions, often before the question was fully asked. The feedback was diverse, relevant, precise, and practical. In one case, several in the room felt the feeling response, it was such a strong Yes.

She also touched on healing, saying most physical ailments have an emotional root. If we can engage divine healing, it is much faster, deeper, and more effective.

She mentioned the tiers of light beings – fairies, angels, archangels, and God. Other spiritual traditions have similar tiers of devata, devas, gods, and so forth.

Most people in our culture have some pretty odd beliefs around angels. Because there is no open discourse, the field is littered with junk. The majority of people surveyed in the US indicate they believe in angels but few take this past some idealistic concepts or admit it openly. Others are hostile. As the old Abba song put it “I believe in angels, something good in every thing I see… I have a dream, a fantasy, to help me through, reality.” The power of the celestial, the light of life is rendered a coping fantasy. Few people who have such experiences are willing to speak of it as there is little context available for understanding. They may take years coming to terms with it. Indeed, you can be medicated for “seeing things” or “hearing voices”. Even some “spiritual” teachers write such things off as “mythical” stories of a bygone era.

All I can say is – that’s another curtain I’m looking forward to seeing fall. It was refreshing to hear someone talk about it in an open, practical, grounded way.
Davidya

Being Empathic

I’ve mentioned Judith Orloff before – she’s very intuitive and understands it well. This longer interview covers a wide range of subjects, from her own history to practical application of empathic skills. Notably she mentions Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue as issues often related to not knowing how to manage and protect ones energy. She speaks of avoiding conflicts that feed controllers and energy drains. Better coping mechanisms than fat, not shouldering it. Breathe, stay centred, water, meditate. She describes a few energy personality types or archetypes: Intellect, Empath, Rock, Gusher and Floater (out of body) and how to balance each.

An Intro – to see if you like it: (4 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePESrsCJQoE

The full interview: (46 min)
http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/jorloff.htm
(a PDF transcript is linked)

Are You An Emotional Empath? With a brief quiz.

I spoke about this in relationships prior.

Why Tell a Story?

Recently ran into a great article on Why Tell a Story, by Gina Lake.

“Every experience we have ever had is in the past. It’s gone, and will never be here again. All we have left is a memory, and a memory is but a shadow of the actual experience—a weak, faded remembrance with lots of gaps. A memory, in fact, is not an experience at all but a thought, which is why memories are not fulfilling, like experiences. As soon as we put that memory into words and tell a story about it, we are no longer in the memory but in the story of the past, which are two very different things. A memory is information stored as an image, while a story is a point of view. The story is much narrower than the actual memory, since it includes much less information than the memory. Certain pieces of information are selected from the memory to include in the story and the rest is left out, including the various perspectives of those present. A story about the past can only be one point of view.

When you tell a story about the past, that story is your point of view, which then seems to be the true story (because we like to believe that our perspective is true). Telling a story about the past solidifies the past and makes the story seem true. And the more you tell that story, the truer it seems. The actual memory it was based on fades or is forgotten, and all you are left with is your story, which you remember because you’ve repeated it so often. [I've talked of how revisionist or history is] You become convinced of your story (you have convinced yourself of it) and attached to it because it’s yours, so then you feel compelled to repeat it, defend it, convince others of it, and make sure it remains true, even if it causes you pain. It becomes your “truth,” which really just means your ego’s truth.

The trouble with stories is that they aren’t neutral, at least not for long, because stories are told by the ego, and the ego always has a personal agenda. It wants you to come out on top, and it likes to create drama and problems to solve…”

“So, here’s the problem: When you tell stories about the past, you are bound to be creating feelings, and since it is the ego doing the spinning of these stories, the feelings aren’t going to be good ones. People struggle so much with the past, not because the past was necessarily so awful, but because the ego’s story about the past makes them feel bad about themselves, others, and life, and that feels like a real problem.”

I’ll let her close with how happiness dawns when we give up our stories.

BTW, if you’re wondering how a channeler can be non-dual, you may enjoy her commentary on the question. She certainly aired my own concepts when I first ran into her through Nirmala. There are some unique paths home.

Nonduality, No Self, and Channeling