Forever Expanding Awareness In Liberation

There is a phenomena called Deeksha (also spelt Diksha—which I will use in this article) I have been aware of and observing for the last couple of years. Here in New Zealand (in Auckland to be specific) quite a few people I know and come across are giving and receiving Diksha. Various New Age magazines have large full back page advertisements for two particular people that give Diksha. My intention within this article is to address a number of points regarding Diksha, namely:

• What is Diksha, what does it involve, and how does it happen (a brief intro)
• What are the claims made about Diksha and its advocates?
• My personal experience of Diksha
• What are my views on the Oneness Movement in relation to the Path of Freedom?

What is Diksha, what does it involve, and how is it done?

Diksha giving is a phenomena started by two India Gurus, Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma (Sri B&A). You can find out more about them and their Oneness movement at http://www.onenessmovement.org, here http://www.experiencefestival.com, and also here http://www.onenessuniversity.org. There is a detailed description of the 21-Day Diksha process outlined in the article found here http://alternativesmagazine.com/35/baumann.html. You will find more information on the history of the term Diksha on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diksha

The Diksha this articles refers to is that given by people involved in the Oneness Movement started and maintained by Sri B&A, and their students, nuns, monks, and followers. Diksha, as I have come to know through the Oneness Movement, is a process of energy transference from a Diksha giver to the recipient. As far as I understand, it usually involves the giver placing their hands on various points over the receivers head, and sometimes also over the heart. During the process the hands may be placed over the third eye point (the forehead), the back of the head, and what is commonly referred to as the crown Chakra within various spiritual traditions. The intention is that a recipient of this energy transfer will experience a physiological shift in his or her brain, that will bring the person nearer to enlightenment. It is said that Diksha “opens a hole in ones rational mind and through this hole God is able to connect with the recipient and start to form a closer relationship with him”. Receiving enough of this Diksha energy is said to lead to a person being fully enlightened.

The whole process may take just a few minutes or longer, such as 10 – 45 minutes. Usually if larger amounts of Diksha energy are wanted or required it will be given in multiple rounds rather than one long transference. Some diksha givers organise weekend intensives where the participants will receive multiple successive rounds of diksha energy transference over the course of one or two days. The recipient is normally advised (directly or implied) that one Diksha session is generally not enough, and more will be required in order to clear out the person’s karma, blocks, complexes, and/or make the necessary shift in brain state permanent and thus achieving full enlightenment. I have heard people talk about getting Diksha top-ups and the like. I know some people that feel the need to get Diksha every week or every few weeks, or at least once a month.

From what two Diksha givers relayed to me, I understand it is standard practise (as recommended by the Gurus that started this phenomena) for a sum of money to be given as a donation in exchange for Diksha. I understand that Diksha givers are encouraged not to make a habit of giving Diksha away free as it is important that the exchange of energy go both ways. Based on research on the Internet I see that the request for a donation and the amount of money suggested varies a great deal from one Diksha giver to the next. To do what is called the 21-Day Enlightenment process with Sri B&A costs US$5500. This includes a US$500 non-refundable deposit.

There is also a 10-Day Deepening Process available from Sri B&A that costs US$1500.

What are the claims made about Diksha and its advocates?

I have read a wide range of claims and statements as to what this Diksha process will do for the recipients. I shall touch on some of there here, quoting from various sources as necessary.

“Sri Bhagavan talks of diksha (energy transfer) as a “rewiring of the brain” that allows for a permanent state of enlightenment. He says it is a neuro-physiological change that involves decreased activity in the parietal lobes (the area of the brain responsible for discursive thought and our sense of separation), and increased activity of the frontal lobes (the area associated with ethics and higher states of awareness). According to Sri Bhagavan, though a person may experience enlightened states from time to time, stable enlightenment requires these changes in the brain to become permanent. He goes on to say that one enlightened person can positively affect one million people through the thought field. In a rough restatement of the 100th Monkey theory, his goal is to create the conditions for some 64,000 beings to become enlightened by 2012. That is roughly one in ten thousand people on Earth. Once this number is reached, he says, enlightenment will spread like wildfire across the face of the planet.” (from http://alternativesmagazine.com/35/baumann.html”

The following quotes are from the onenessmovement.com website regarding the 21-Day Enlightenment process:

“The mission and vision of Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma is to enlighten 64,000 people on this planet to oneness, which is our true nature. These will then be the channels to transfer the seed of enlightenment to the rest of the world. We invite you to be one of them.”

“Participants will experience some or all of the following:

• Removal of blocks from the chakras and higher bodies
• Removal of negative life patterns and impressions
• Fire rituals (homas/havans) for karmic purification
• Powerful meditations, sutras and teachings
• Deekshas for fulfilment of desires
• Deekshas to receive the states of higher consciousness
• Initiation to transfer the seed of enlightenment to others”

The following are quotes from a long-term Oneness Movement following and supporter who has since recanted his support. His name is Freddy Nielsen, and he claims to be Sri B&A’s first Western disciple (since 1991). You can read his full story on his website at http://www.freewebs.com/dikshainfo/hiddenfacts.htm

“Bhagavan often promises people enlightenment, healing and miracles. In most cases these promises are not fulfilled (Bhagavan often mentions by when it should happen). Disciples usually try to cover up theses lies. Naturally many have become extremely disappointed, depressed or angry.
• They want as many as possible to realize that A&B created this Universe, that A&B are God in flesh and blood, that they are the true saviors of mankind.
• The otherwise kind dasas (A&B’s monks and nuns) mostly speak, think and do exactly what they are told to. They can tell any lie, even straight up in someone’s face, as long as A&B benefit from that lie.
• Many devotees have become fanatics and are prepared to sacrifice all they have, incl. their lives and do absolutely anything for A&B.
• Bhagavan/dasas say that if mankind does not cooperate with A&B, it is likely to soon be the end of the world. Bhagavan once said something like this: “If mankind will not cooperate with me, let it just drown in its own soup of misery”.
• Exaggerations are common. In Dec 2003, Anandagiri promised that all on the 21 days courses would get fully enlightened. On a DVD (by M.J.Rabin), Bhagavan told that every participant except 3 got enlightened in the 21 days course (Sept. 2004). Several times, Bhagavan started to give “mass enlightenment” and even declared many enlightened (1993 etc.), until he suddenly changed his mind saying that the real thing will begin later instead”

There is plenty of information on the Diksha process and the Oneness Movement at the various site links given throughout this article. If you want more information check those links out or do a search on Google.com

My personal experience of Diksha

Late in 2005 I felt moved to contact two Diksha givers I knew about. I didn’t know much at all about Diksha at that time. Via a number of different relations and co-incidences these two people came to my attention, and on this day I felt to contact them. I did, and they invited me over to experience Diksha. I felt to go, so I did.

I received Diksha from both of these people during an intensive session that lasted for a length of time I can no longer recall. It must have been at least 20 minutes, yet may have been longer. I can not say for sure. The two givens took turns at imparted the Diksha energy into various points on my head and chest. I won’t bother describing the actual process in more detail that this as it will make this too wordy for my liking.

So, what did I feel? What did I experience?

The process put me into a state of consciousness that is quite familiar to me. One where the rational mind has ceased to have an influence, and where my sense of witness awareness takes the forefront of my mind. Time stands still in this state—there is only Now. In this state I feel light, empty, full, relieved of the mind and its banter, and prone to laughing. Normally what takes me into this state is certain forms of meditation experience, and shifts in perception that occur when I decide to lessen the fixation of my awareness on ordinary reality, and allow it to slide into non-ordinary perception. It is a state I can induce in myself most of the time, yet it was definitely a lot stronger or more intense after receiving Diksha. The full intensity of it lasted for a few hours, and slowly waned from that point onward, until I was back to normal a few days later. Although, as mentioned, normal for me does include slipping in and out of a less intense experience of this Oneness state.

I found the whole experience rather pleasant and enjoyed it. I did not feel that it somehow enlightened me. I did feel that it enhanced and intensified the state of consciousness I experience much of the time. I am aware that my exploring and practising many forms of Yoga, meditation, and other spiritual practices since my teens has created in me a state of consciousness that is somewhat calmer, more peaceful, and more intuitively alert than most people who have not applied themselves in this way. My sense was that if this process can induce this state in people who are not familiar with this condition it may be very useful for them in opening up their senses and their awareness to a state of mind and being that is beyond the normal hum-drum most people live within.

I have not been back for more Diksha, simply because I have not felt moved to do so. I feel grateful for the experience at the time.

What are my views on the Oneness Movement in relation to The Path of Freedom?

Since receiving Diksha from these two people I have had a lot more exposure to the Oneness Movement, including pro- and anti- perspectives on it and on Sri B&A. Much of what I have read about the Oneness Movement—which includes the information they put forward themselves, and information put forth by past and present advocates of this movement—gives me some cause for concern. I am going to break this down into two areas. One is the actual Diksha itself, the other is the movement or religious following that surrounds this (namely The Oneness Movement and the teachings of Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma). I’ll address these in that order.

1) The experience I had from receiving Diksha did not leave me with the sense that anything “negative” or life-taking had taken place. I enjoyed it and, as mentioned, I found that it was very much an intensification of a state of consciousness I feel quite familiar with. I have not, at any time since receiving Diksha, felt like something “negative” took place. I presume that if Diksha is able to have this same effect on other people then it would be of benefit to most people to experience this state of consciousness, particularly if it is not one they are used to.

I have read, however, the views and options of various “seers” (clairvoyants, psychics, etc) who claim that they see a negative outcome from the Diksha process. Some of this information can be found at http://www.freewebs.com/dikshainfo/possiblesideeffects.htm. I suggest having a good look around that site and other’s on the net.

I have also read the comments of a large number of people who claim that Diksha has changed their life, made them feel better, more free, helping them beyond ego-identity, and many other perceived benefits. I am in no position to comment on the authenticity of these experiences, how long lasting they are, and what effect the Diksha has ultimately had on these people. I am aware that many express an attitude in their writing that to me indicates they felt somewhat powerless to do anything about the state of the world, that they had little hope for the world coming to a place of harmony, etc., and that they now think/feel that Diksha and the work of Sri B&A is the answer to all this. So be it.

2) The other side of this is for me a question of whether the teaching and information behind this movement is in alignment with what I personal experience as the Path of Freedom, and have had confirmed as the Path of Freedom through the work and wisdom of my pairs on this path. In addition to this we must consider whether or not this “state” that Diksha recipients come to has anything to do with them being empowered in the truest sense of the world, and whether it sets them up to walk the path of freedom—stalking their power, awakening to the Dreamer, being impeccable, and fulfilling their destiny and fate. I am aware that without talking to these people in person, and stalking them in that way, I am not well positioned to comment on these points. I can, however, stalk what I read in their words and in the words of those behind and involved in the Oneness Movement. The accuracy of such stalking is impeded by only being able to take their words at face value, without being able to dive into the mind of the people that spoke/wrote the words.

I have observed within myself and the world around me that people are often very ready and willing to project their own spiritual gold onto a teacher or Guru. For myself, I do this when I am not ready or willing to own the reality of my own spiritual nature in some way. Essentially this is the effect of a low spiritual self-esteem. What I don’t hold in high esteem in myself I will project out onto another whom I feel I can hold in high esteem. In my experience, the Diksha / Oneness Movement is no exception to this scenario. I have met and read the writings of many people who are in my opinion giving their power away to this organisation and the people leading it-namely Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma.

To these people I would ask, what is it you don’t wish to own and embrace regarding your own Divine nature? What is it about who and what you perceive yourself to be in this moment that you do not feel at ease with and do not accept? What is it you expect Sri B&A to save you from?

The Path of Freedom is a path that returns each person entirely back to themselves. On the Path of Freedom there are no saviors, and there is no one to be saved. We are each an aspect of the Divine creating a particular experience for the purpose of evolving awareness.

This is about all I feel to say on this matter for now. I leave you with a copy of an article Freddy Nielsen wrote regarding his experience of The Oneness Movement. I understand he was their first non-Asian student and supporter.

With love and blessings,

FEAL

Some additional links:

• Some interesting email discussion Deeksha movement – Janneke.htm
• http://www.globalserve.net/~sarlo/Ykalki.htm
• Guruphiliac.blogspot.com

The information at the Janneke.htm page is also available here on this FEAL site, in case the other source ceases to be available.

Some hidden facts about the founders of Dikshas

by Freddy Nielsen

“I knew that Amma and Bhagavan (A&B) had a gift to share and I gave my life for that.
Fearing broken dreams, I closed my eyes for the shadows. One day the house of cards crumbled down – I saw all the lies, empty promises, exaggerations, fanaticism and greed hidden behind A&B’s well kept façade. I felt I’d been trapped in a religion, maybe even a sect. My trust in A&B and their great plans went away.

For 15 years all over the world I’d been promising people that A&B were the truest and most divine one could imagine. Many believed me and followed my example. I feel it is my responsibility now to inform all these people that I have changed my mind. Not to inspire them to blindly swallow my truth or discovery – it is only beautiful when we discover the truth for ourselves.

Below I will share some of the shadows that I had closed my eyes for – I became “hypnotized” as years went by (in this as well as other religions there are, apart from the shadow sides, also positive sides). I don’t expect people to believe what has become my own personal insight and I do not claim it to be objective either. But would it be fair to hide it? Probably not – at least not from the people whom I inspired to believe in A&B.

A&B created the “Oneness Movement”. Many efforts have been made to make it popular and appealing to modern man; they do much to appear scientific and not as a religion or a sect.
I have seen a lot behind the scenes and what Bhagavan speaks informally to his disciples over the years – I happened to be his first Western disciple, from 1991. I do not share my truth to harm A&B or their followers. If anyone gets helped by what Life or God offer through A&B (dikshas etc.), that is wonderful. One thing is to get benefited from what A&B offer (such as dikshas); but it is another story to become a member of their Movement/religion.

Here are some “shadows” and/or sectarian elements in A&B’s Movement (in my personal opinion) and things Bhagavan has told in my presence:
• Bhagavan often promises people enlightenment, healing and miracles. In most cases these promises are not fulfilled (Bhagavan often mentions by when it should happen). Disciples usually try to cover up theses lies. Naturally many have become extremely disappointed, depressed or angry.
• They want as many as possible to realize that A&B created this Universe, that A&B are God in flesh and blood, that they are the true saviors of mankind.
• The otherwise kind dasas (A&B’s monks and nuns) mostly speak, think and do exactly what they are told to. They can tell any lie, even straight up in someone’s face, as long as A&B benefit from that lie.
• Many devotees have become fanatics and are prepared to sacrifice all they have, incl. their lives and do absolutely anything for A&B.
• Bhagavan/dasas say that if mankind does not cooperate with A&B, it is likely to soon be the end of the world. Bhagavan once said something like this: “If mankind will not cooperate with me, let it just drown in its own soup of misery”.
• Exaggerations are common. In Dec 2003, Anandagiri promised that all on the 21 days courses would get fully enlightened. On a DVD (by M.J.Rabin), Bhagavan told that every participant except 3 got enlightened in the 21 days course (Sept. 2004). Several times, Bhagavan started to give “mass enlightenment” and even declared many enlightened (1993 etc.), until he suddenly changed his mind saying that the real thing will begin later instead.
• Dasas (and many devotees) easily become uneasy when the word “God” is used. Their only focus is on A&B. A Swedish TV star once asked Anandagiri (in July 2002): “What is God for you?”, and Anandagiri said: “Bhagavan”.
• Not so rarely, especially to disciples or coordinators, Bhagavan has criticized, ridiculed or spoken bad of other spiritual teachers or paths (Osho, TM:s Mahesh Yogi, Poonjaji-Papaji, Gurumayi/Muktananda, Islam etc.) or commented that someone like Ramana Maharshi or Buddha would have needed A&B’s samskarashuddhi treatments to become free from some childhood traumas.
• Bhagavan has often said (in the Dubai Q/A video, etc.) that most dasas are in a divine state hundreds of times higher than enlightened masters like Buddha; some dasas are even (faaaaar?) above the divine Incarnations in history (Krishna, Rama, Christ etc).
• Bhagavan has repeatedly said (often with irritation) that Americans are useless people and that they have zero sacredness etc. Their first coordinator for USA (Rani) has said this often too. I went to USA in 2005 with this information, and was therefore surprised to see how wonderful the Americans are – they are also wonderful seekers. As many Americans are rich and influential, disciples will probably try to deny this fact.

God has been limitlessly generous to me, I have no words to express my gratitude.
Due to God’s Grace, I now see God everywhere – there is only eternity and peace. God has united me with Life and the Source.
I wish you all to unite with the divine – the Source of all life, the Source of all love and joy.
If God wishes for me to share His Grace with other people like I did before, I will of course do that.”
Freddy Nielsen (allinjoy@hotmail.com)
May 4, 2006

* * *

Additional information after response from people (May 21):

• Some people have asked me if I am discouraging people to take dikshas. No, not at all! I have no intention to recommend something or to influence people. What has been written above, is only to let people have a chance to see both sides of the medal regarding the organization and the founders, not the dikshas in themselves, which can be both healing and otherwise useful (at least for some people).
• A man wrote that he took for granted Anandagiri could only speak the truth. I replied to him that Anandagiri has a great talent of looking totally innocent and convincing, even while lying. I know for sure that he is told by Bhagavan to drag me in the mud – they actively spread many lies about me. It is done very subtly, so that it will appear convincing. I cannot understand that they need to use lies to manipulate people.
• An insider of the Indian Oneness Movement describes how he was cheated: Click Here

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For those people interested in writings on shamanism and the psychedelic experience here is a book I came across whilst perusing around the internet. It’s called “Breaking Open the Head” (by Daniel Pinchbeck). I’ve not read this book, but it does look interesting.

The homepage for Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck is at — Breaking Open the Head

It can be obtained from Amazon.com using the following link:

There are sample chapters located at: http://www.breakingopenthehead.com/read_the_book.htm
Here’s the info from that page:

The purpose of taking [yagé] is to return to the uterus … where the individual “sees” the tribal divinities, the creation of the universe and humanity, the first human couple, the creation of the animals, and the establishment of the social order.
- Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, Flesh of the Gods

We have drunk the Soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to the light; we have found the gods. What can hatred and the malice of a mortal do to us now, O immortal one?
- Rig Veda (c.1000 BC)

Included here are sections from my book. The first four sections are about visiting the Amazon to take ayahuasca, the sacred Amazonian jungle brew. I consider ayahuasca (also known as yagé) to be an extraordinarily profound and healing “medicine.”

The fifth section, “Phantasticum, $2000,” is a long evocation of an ayahuasca trip and some further speculations, that did not make it into the finished book.

Here’s some interesting reading about the author’s perspective on some of the less known (forgotten by many) history of humanity. Enjoy…

Lemuria and Atlantis  by Tara Mata

Ubuntu (ideology) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ubuntu

Here is Ubuntu as defined in the Wikipedia:

Ubuntu (ideology)
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Ubuntu (IPA: /ùbúntú/) is a sub-Saharan African ethic or ideology focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other. The word has its origin in the Bantu languages of Southern Africa. Ubuntu is seen as a traditional African concept.

A rough translation in English could be “humanity towards others,” or “I am because we are,” or “A person ‘becomes human’ through other persons”, or also, “A person is a person because of other persons”. Another translation could be: “The belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.” [1].

An attempt at a longer definition has been made by Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.

Ubuntu is seen as one of the founding principles of the new republic of South Africa, and is connected to the idea of an African Renaissance. In the political sphere, the concept of ubuntu is used to emphasise the need for unity or consensus in decision-making, as well as the need for a suitably humanitarian ethic to inform those decisions.

Louw (1998) suggests that the concept of ubuntu defines the individual in terms of their several relationships with others, and stresses the importance of ubuntu as a religious concept, stating that while the Zulu maxim umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu (“a person is a person through other persons”) may have no apparent religious connotations in the context of Western society, in an African context it suggests that the person one is to become by behaving with humanity is an ancestor worthy of respect or veneration. Those who uphold the principle of ubuntu throughout their lives will, in death, achieve a unity with those still living.

Hi recently came across the word “Ubuntu” whilst exploring options for running my computers on free opensource linux based operating systems. There is a linux distribution called Ubuntu which I will be trying out. Anyway… I liked the sound of what this Zulu word “Ubuntu” refers to. Below is a small snippet from one site on this topic (I will post another next):

20th WCP: Ubuntu: An African Assessment of the Religious Other
(1) Ubuntu and religion

Ubuntu (a Zulu word) serves as the spiritual foundation of African societies. It is a unifying vision or world view enshrined in the Zulu maxim umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, i.e. “a person is a person through other persons” (Shutte, 1993:46). At bottom, this traditional African aphorism articulates a basic respect and compassion for others. It can be interpreted as both a factual description and a rule of conduct or social ethic. It both describes human being as “being-with-others” and prescribes what “being-with-others” should be all about. As such, Ubuntu adds a distinctly African flavour and momentum to a decolonized assessment of the religious other. In fact, the various overlaps between such an assessment and the African way of life as described/prescribed by Ubuntu, make this assessment nothing but an enactment of the African Ubuntu.

The first important overlap between Ubuntu and a decolonized assessment of the religious other, has to do with a fundamental presupposition of this assessment, viz. a respect for the other as a religious other. While Western Humanism tends to underestimate or even deny the importance of religious beliefs, Ubuntu or African Humanism is resiliently religious (Prinsloo, 1995:4). For the Westerner, the maxim “A person is a person through other persons” has no obvious religious connotations. He/she will probably interpret it as nothing but a general appeal to treat others with respect and decency. However, in African tradition this maxim has a deeply religious meaning. The person one is to become “through other persons” is, ultimately, an ancestor. And, by the same token, these “other persons” include ancestors. Ancestors are extended family. Dying is an ultimate homecoming. Not only the living must therefore share with and care for each other, but the living and the dead depend on each other (Van Niekerk, 1994:2; Ndaba, 1994:13-14).

Money, money makes the world go round…

Money is an extremely important topic for any person wishing to even remotely get along in this world. Money impacts on most of us in one way or another. Yet it is perhaps one of the most misunderstood “things” in this world. Money, sex, love, and power… are perhaps all as misunderstood as each other. Oddly enough, all of these things are intricately connected within the human story.

In this article we will first briefly explore the nature of money, and then move on to healthy and unhealthy relationship to money. Let’s start with the most obvious question…

In this article we shall explore a few aspects of establishing a healthy relationship with Spiritual Teachers, Gurus, Masters and Healers. Many of the people I meet carry distorted perceptions of what it means to be in relationship with people who are apparently there to help them with their spirituality. For some it is an innate fear of being taken advantage of, for others it’s co-dependency, whilst for some there is an unhealthy sense (or lack of sense) as to what a fair and reasonable exchange of energy might look like—issues pertaining to money, time, service, and even sex.

Every moment is filled with mystery,
Here and Now no-thing is known,
No-thing is understood,
It simply is as it is,
Experienced,
Timelessly,
Now.

To be present and aware to this moment is to be present to the mystery of life.
What is this mysteryI am referring to?

The mind—specifically the ego-mind—will always strive toward the known. It will always hold onto the known… or at least that which it believes is known. The ego-mind always turns away from the unknown and particularly the unknowable. The true nature of who and what I Am is always unknowable, in that it is something that I can only Be in the moment. Whilst Being That there is no way to know that.

The other day a friend asked me if I considered myself to be enlightened. The only honest answer I could find is that in my experience there is no way to know that. I also realised in that moment that many of the self-proclaimed enlightened people I see on posters here and there have some how missed the point entirely. In my experience the more I dissolve into the true nature of Self and reality the less there is any worldly “I” there to even consider whether ” is enlightened” or not. The more “I” dissolve into my own non-existence the less attachment to (and infatuation with) “being enlightened” I experience. My point here is this: Be wary of any person that claims to be a “self-realised enlightened master/being” etc. The very nature of True Mind does not afford he who is awake to such nature the capacity to say whether he is Arthur or Martha. A person awake to the true nature of Self simply is. Anything else is just an ego-trip (or should I say “ego-trap”?).

So… the mystery.
There is profound mystery in all things.
There is profound mystery in every moment… in the Now.
The trick is not to try and solve That mystery, but rather to rediscover how to live within the tension of such mystery.
It is in that tension that one moves into a place of in-tension / in-tention. Here each moment is filled with intent… the Will of God, so to speak.
To solve the mystery is to again diverge into the ramblings of the ego-mind and to therefore miss reality entirely.

Breath is a key to living the mystery. To remain aware of breathing in each moment is a great way to stay present with Now. I feel blessed that an injury to my chest when I was a teenager has resulted in my having to remain constantly aware of my breathing. If I don’t then discomfort builds up in the chest (it was impacted inward) and it is only clear and precise breathing following a correct pattern than will keep things moving along. My experience of this is that remaining aware of the flow of breath is a powerful way to stay present with Now.

It is the nature of the Masculine to try and define the unknown. This is the act of creation. Delving into the unknown and defining what is there—thus making it known. Yet the unknown is a very feminine place, so Man (the embodiment of Masculinity) must embrace his femininity (and the women in his life) in order to fulfil this function. He must also be mindful not to fixate his attention on anything in particular that he has drawn forth from the unknown. To get attached to the known is to again fall asleep and disengage from the mystery.

To live the mystery means to live from a place that is non-attached. The ego is most attached to “what I think I know”. Yet there is little or no power in the known. All power resides in the unknown, in the formless essence of what is. The known is not now. It is old and its power has been expended in the process of drawing it forth from the unknown.

The known always feels very comfortable. Well, the ego makes it seem that way—when in fact we all endlessly suffer as a result of trying to unnaturally and habitually fixate our attention on the known. The ego has a incredible way of convincing us that the known is comfortable when in fact the opposite is true. There is no peace in the known. Peace is a quality of the unknown. To be in human embodiment whilst remaining present to the mystery—to the unknown—can be incredibly intense, and the ego will say that this intensity is uncomfortable. Actually this intensity is the experience of Life and being truly Alive. Again… to be in this tension (the dynamic forces of relationship that arise within the Dream of life) is to be in-tention.

Living the mystery is about embracing the unknown. It is about constantly releasing attachment to fixed ideas, fixed perceptions, fixed behaviour patterns, in order to make room from the mystery to unfold in your life and world. Only then is it possible to be truly alive, awake, and aware.

With love and blessings to you in this moment…

I have stated previously that my only “need” as a Divine Being is a mirror.

At times that mirror comes in the form of feedback, projection, and remarks from the people I am in relationship with–the people in the world around me with whom I have contact and interaction. For the purpose of this article I will put all of these under the umbrella of “feedback”.

Feedback may come from someone without being asked for; it might also be given to me upon my request, or after I agree to someone’s offer of feedback. It may also come passively through my observation of the stories the people in my world tell about me. When I have actively sort out feedback or agreed to someone else’s offer of feedback then I refer to this as proactive feedback or proactive mirroring. When it comes more passively simply through people stating/projecting what they think of me, or my being aware of the stories people maintain about me, then I would refer to this as passive feedback. What I have found is that it is vital I know how to discern what feedback is of value and which is not. Put another way, what feedback is actually mirroring to me something I need to see about myself and what feedback is not. In my experience most of it is of some value and should not be too readily discounted. Yet, contrary to this, I have also found that the value can be missed or distorted if I don’t discern the appropriate way to receive and relate to each piece of feedback.

Feedback is essentially just information. Most of the time there will be an element of projection taking place when a person gives feedback—in that the person giving feedback is actually projecting toward me the story their ego-mind comes up with in reaction to my presence. I have learnt that it is essentially none of my business what other people think of me, and therefore it is a waste of energy to take personally that perceptions other people have of me.

What I have also found is that when I do take certain feedback personally then at some level this feedback represents an externalisation of something I already hold on to internally as part of my persona. Another way of putting this—and this is a way to spot feedback that has immediate relevance to my ego-perception of myself—is to take note of when the data I am hearing arouses energy within me. As mentioned, it is just data… just words that symbolise a perception someone has of their experience of me. Yet if hearing that external data brings about the movement of internal energy (e-motion) then there has to be an element of what I have just heard that I am already carrying within me. This e-motional energy might be felt as feelings. It might also be experienced as mental activity that was not there previously. The essentially point is that a change of state has resulted from my hearing that feedback. This change of state—however that is experienced—is the red flag to look out for.

So, let’s say this red flag goes up, what is the most life-giving way to relate to this feedback?

In my experience it is still vital not to take it personally. It is my taking it personally—i-dentifying with it—up until now that has prevented me from clearly seeing this perception in the past, and why it is now being presented to me for evaluation (determining its value). I am first and foremost a Divine Being—perfect, whole, and loving in every way. As a Divine Being I am choosing to experience and express through an ego-mind that interprets/creates reality through beliefs, thought-forms, and perceptions. Someone has shared with me their perception of who or how I am to them. This has triggered a change of state within me. That change of state comes about because the perception they have shared has just mirrored to me a perception I also carry—a perception my ego-mind holds about who and what I am, which is then projected out into my world through my actions. It is these actions that this other person has experienced and then felt to give me feedback on.
I can in this moment make the choice to determine:

• how this self-perception plays out in my life
• the choices I make under the influence of this self-perception
• the ways in which I have denied or ignore this self-perception
• the actions I do or don’t take under the influence of this self-perception
• whether these choices and actions are life-giving or life-taking to me and the people/world around me

If I determine that the consequence of this perception is life-taking I am then faced with the choice of whether or not to maintain this perception or to let it go. Letting it go may involve a process that includes any of the following:

• Forgiveness—what is it I need to forgive (release my story around)?
• Looking at what role this perception has played for me—what purpose was it serving in my life?
• Looking at why I took on such a belief or perception about myself—was there a root experience that anchored that perception into my self-image?
• Exploring whatever else comes up when I ask Spirit to show me the gift this perception (and its release) holds for me

Another situation I might face is one where the feedback I receive (passively or pro-actively) does not arouse any energy in me at all—so my state does not change. In my observation this may mean that what this person is expressing is purely their own unresolved stuff and I am simply here to transmute it through an act or state of love and forgiveness. It might also be showing me a way in which my actions give an impression of who and what I am to the world that is not accurate. Put another way, it might be showing me how I am not being authentic in my relationship with this person (or people in general). For example, let’s say I am truly a very caring and deeply feeling person, yet people consistently mirror to me that they believe I am unfeeling or cut off from my feelings. In receiving that feedback it is unlikely it will arouse a much energetic reaction in me, because I am deeply aware that it is not true and I don’t hold that perception of myself. I should not, however, be too hasty in completely disregarding this piece of information that has come to me. What it might be showing me is that although I am a deeply feeling person I choose to act in such a way that my true feelings remain hidden from the world. Hence my actions and way of being is the world (perhaps all the time or just under certain circumstances) is not congruent with my character. I am not being authentic with my feelings in my relationships with the people that give me this sort of feedback that I am “unfeeling”.

So, even though this feedback didn’t result in a change of state, it is still telling me something important and valuable. Through receiving this feedback I am now able to become aware of how the self-image I project into the world is not congruent with my true nature or my character. I can then ask myself why that is so and process it accordingly.

The other situation that may arise, which I have just touched on above, is the one where this feedback really has nothing to do with me. It is purely another person’s story which they are not owning and are projecting to me. Actually nearly all feedback people have is in some way a projection of something that hold within themselves, yet in this last situation it goes not further than that. What I wish to say to this is that this is when I am being gifted with an oppertunity to help heal the world—through holding this person in a place of love and forgiveness within my heart and my perception. Their projection toward me is a call for love, and I can therefore choose to respond with love. The beauty of this is that even if this issue they have brought to me is in fact something I contain yet I am deeply in denile of it and hence had no reaction to it (no change of state) then by responding with love to this other person I will also be loving that part of myself. Eventually it will feel safe enough for that part of my ego-mind to come to the surface and dissolve.

To be accurate I must add that all of these situations are a call for love. Love of of self and love of another. Whatever the case may be I am being presented with a call for love and forgiveness.

In summary we have looked at three scenarios:

1. Feedback that is mirroring something I hold within my own self-image
2. Feedback that is showing me how my external image is not congruent with my internal state of being (namely, I am not being authentic)
3. Feedback that is actually not feedback but is rather just a call for love which I am being asked to silently assist a person to heal

In conclusion I will say that in my experience I am able to make a choice which is life-giving in response to all forms of feedback, projection, and mirroring from the people and world around me.

With love and blessings,

FEAL

Having taken a look at the , where I did also touch on the nature of failure, I’d like to now take a quick look at the illusion of failure in more detail.

Failure is defined in the dictionary as:

• Omission of occurrence or performance
• A lack of success or adequacy
• A decline in strength or effectiveness
• The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends
• The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short

Obviously a failure is something that fails. The word fail is derived from the Latin word fallere , which means “deceive, be lacking or defective.”

I see from these word origins that failure was never a descriptive word (i.e. “I am a failure”), rather is is a verb or an action / state. When I am deceived by the ego-mind as to my true identity then I am in a state of failure. Yet my true nature will always remain the same, so failure is an illusion.

Failure is an omission; a condition of being insufficient; a lack of success.
As we know, every choice is succeeded by an outcome. So a lack of success is truly not possible. So we are left with being in a state of omission, and a condition of insufficiency. The Truth is, however, that the Universe / God is entirely self-sufficient. In every moment the perfect conditions exist in order to maintain the perfection and integrity of what is. So it is really not possible to experience true insufficiency. I can only do that whilst under some spell of belief cast forth by the ego.

That leaves omission. Yes, it is possible that in this moment I will omit to see the true nature of That which I Am. Omit comes from the Latin word omittere, which means “to lay aside” or “disregard”. If I lay aside the Truth of what I am, and disregard the reality that is before me (extending through me into what I experience as the world/life) then I will experience the illusion of failure. I will in that moment fail myself—yet only in illusion.

I would say that the key to avoid failure for the rest of eternity is to simply remain aware, alert, and attentive to the now. With total awareness focused on this moment then it is not possible to be in a state of omission. If I am not in a state of omission then I surely can not fail. If I can’t fail then I can only succeed. One other definition given above for success is “The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends”. In my experience the Soul (if I may call it that for a moment) has only one desired end—namely the absolute experience of Love. If your ego has you desiring all sorts of things that are contrary to this end then it is quite possible you will experience failure and disappointment. Again, the answer is to remain alert and aware. With awareness here now you will know what you are to seek in this moment—and rest assured you will be moved to seek higher and higher expressions of Love.

Be well…

With love…

FEAL

Greetings.
It is some months since I lasted posted a blog entry here. Enjoy…

We are going to take a look at what illusions the ego maintains with regards to the concepts we call success and failure.

I know there are many people in the society in which I live who are quite literally striving for success. There are also many people caught up with investing their energy into the belief that they are somehow failures. Then there are those that think they have a fear of success, and that this is what causes them to fail (in their opinion).

I know I that for some years I subscribed to this idea of fearing success. More than just thinking I had a “fear of success”, I am aware that there was also a more elaborate story the ego would tell around this madness: I actually felt like this “fear of success” was something I was somehow a victim to as a result of some unfair thing that had happened to me at some point in my existence; that there was somehow something more noble or “Okay” about having a “fear of success” as opposed to simply “being a failure”; and that the fact I had a “fear of success” made it okay to continue “failing”, whilst I figured out, worked on, and healed the cause of my fear of success. All of this seemed very real and valid at the time. Now it makes me laugh.

This morning I spent some time exploring the nature of success and failure. What I realized during that exercise is what I am going to share with you now.

• Success is not something I make happen. Rather it is something I re-cognise, allow to be, open to, and express / experience in that state of allowance.
• Success is simply when my perceived reality is in alignment or accordance with Intention—the Intentionality that is driving my life into being
• Success is to allow Intent to flow and express unhindered.

Universal Intent (God’s Will, as some put it), or the Intent of Infinity (as others might put it) = success. “God’s will be done”, so to speak. Success is in fact unavoidable. It already IS. The necessary conditions for success are already here and now. In reality success is not only inevitable, but it is right now, and is therefore quite unavoidable.

So let us take a quick look at failure:

• Failure is an impossibility
• Failure is to block the alignment of perceived reality and God’s Will (or Universal Intent).
• This is, of course, impossible and is therefore nothing more than an ego-trip.
• This means that there is no such thing as failure
• Therefore failure requires the ego’s cunning illusion of Time. Only in time can I dream up the illusion that I have failed or that I am a failure.

What I see is that so-called failure actually requires energy. I have to invest my power into this state or condition I call failure. Success, on the other hand, already is and on that basis it requires no energy at all. All I have to invest into success is my attention. I simply have to give me attention to what is, here and now, and success is unavoidable.

To have a “fear of success” is really just another cunning way the ego tricks me into continuing to remain caught up in—and investing my energy/power into—the illusion of failure. Fear is perhaps the only form of failure. Fear is also an illusion although it feels real enough in the time in which I experience it. It is only here within time (past, present, and future) that I can experience fear. I once saw it put that F.E.A.R. is an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real” or “False Expectations Appearing Real”. What this implies is that fear requires an expectation or evidence. Of course both of these are derived from the past. An expectation is something I pre-establish in the past and bring to what I consider to be now. Evidence is something I gather up in the past and bring to this moment in order to prove or disprove something. If the past was dropped then evidence and expectation would verily vanish forever.

FEAR is also an acronym for Forever Expanding Awareness in Restriction. It is time—the apparent illusion of time—that brings about all forms of apparent restriction. If I drop time and reside in the Eternal Now then what was previously experienced as restriction is instantaneously replaced with Liberation. Thus we end up with Forever Expanding Awareness in Liberation—this website’s namesake.

Again we come back to the reality to in order to engage ones attention with NOW I simply have to be willing to Feal.

To feal, is to heal, which is to be real.

The key points to remember in regards to success and failure are this:

• Failure is energy inefficient — it is an illusion that requires life-force to maintain. It requires fighting against what is.
• Failure is, therefore, a fight against your own true nature or Self.
• Success already is. It is an innate quality or factor built into all that you are.
• All the conditions necessary for success are here right now.

We shall also take a look at this topic from an etymological perspective—which simply means we will look at the word itself and see what its roots are in order to get to the real meaning behind it.

The word success is derived from the Latin word successus, which is the past participle of succedere, which is the Latin word from which we derive success. This Latin word means “to come after”, or “to follow after”. Originally success simply meant “A result or an outcome”. This was later replaced by the notion that success is when the desired or intended outcome is what results. In the 1400′s we started using the phrase “to succeed well”—”May you succeed well”, for instance. This was the equivalent of wishing someone success in today’s use of English language.

We still use the word succeed to indicate the succession of one thing after another. For example, “The Prince succeeded his father to the throne”, or “The reaction succeeds the addition of the reagent”.

If I make a choice—which is an act of intent—then it is a given that a consequence will succeed that choice. Put simply, my choice will be followed (succeeded) by an outcome or a consequence. If the outcome or consequence accurately reflects my Divinity (the Truth of That which I Am; my true nature) then it could be said that my choice has succeeded well, or that I have succeeded in accordance with What Is (Love / The Will of God / Universal Intent).

If the result of my choice does not accurately reflect my true nature then it could be said that I succeeded badly. The indicator of this is pain of any kind (pain being anything other than deep Inner Peace). Either way I am, in this moment, a success—what I am right now here in this world is what followed-on from the choices I have made. A consequence has followed on from my choice (my act of intent). As an ego-mind (a human identity), I am the success of all my past choices. If I am not happy with the outcome (what I am now) then I must simply look at the choices I have been making and start making different ones.

For those that didn’t find this word exploration too complicated to follow it will have become apparent that the original meaning (or intention) behinds the word success also indicates that success is inevitable. It is unavoidable, and it will therefore require an investment of personal power to maintain any illusion to the contrary—such as the illusion of failure.

It should also be apparent that if you don’t enjoy what you are succeeding at (the consequences which succeed your choices) then the power to change that is in your hands, and always has been. For you are always a success—to fail is simply to make a succession of choices that result in you experiencing something less that what is True about you here and now.

On that note, I wish you the greatest of success in re-cognising the magnificence of all that you are.

Blessings,

FEAL

Vipassana Meditation Website

I have just completed my forth 10-day Vipassana course. I did the first one about 9 years ago and—like millions before me and after me—I found it to be truly wonderful experience.

I’ve seen many teachers and teachings in this world, and there are few that I recommend to people. Mainly because I find that most things are not universal in nature and hence can never be of value to all people. Vipassana I find to be universal in nature and of immediate and very real benefit to any person that seriously tries it.

There are many people now teaching Vipassana. Most charge money. Vipassana—as taught by this non-profit organisation—charge no fee for doing the course. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone that feels any degree of attraction to it. I’ve only received this meditation through this source and I am grealful for the purity they have maintained.

Check it out…