By: Michelle Peterson
As a young girl still growing into her awkward frame, with hormones racing and a newfound desire for the attention of boys, what I needed most was to know how to be ‘cool’.  So I found the guidance of Sally Socialite, the most popular girl in school.  Sally became my social Guru. I wanted to be just like her.  I put her on a pedestal as the bringer of understanding on all matters related to boys.  But, as always, there was an eventual breakdown of this paradigm when I realized I could find this understanding on my own.

Everyone seeks a Guru at one time or another in their live.  Whether it be as a young child seeking help accommodating their awkward integration as a social being, a student seeking a mentor, a woman healing the emotional wounds of a painfully detached father in the arms of the ‘knight in shining armor’.  We all seek inner understanding, a bringer of joy, a bringer of peace, a bringer of healing.  When I was a young girl Care Bears were my Guru, the bringers of great joy to my life.  As I got older it became the company of horses and their strength and the solace they provided me during my awkward years.  OK, so horses never left their lofty pedestal, but they had to make room for my first crush who clearly was my Guru for the first 10 months of our charade.  Everything he liked became what I liked for I felt that if I did what he did, that he would love me as I felt I loved him.  It did not work however, and the pedestal shortly made room for the next recipient. 

We will call him Coach Knows All, my high school track coach.  With his ‘un-cool’ spandex pants and his dislike for TV or anything that was about ‘following the herd’, this coach provided me with a basic foundation upon which I have crafted my identity, by simply giving me permission to just be myself.  He continually encouraged me not to follow what others liked, but what felt best to me.  He would pull on my toes before a track meet to help my body’s circulation and would have me lay on the floor with my legs in the air to drain the lactic acids.  I was one of the only ones who would actually listen to his strange ways because I liked not following the herd. 

When I lost my first race I apologized to him and he looked at me with a crinkled brow exclaiming, “Michelle, everyone wins, everyone loses, it’s all the same”.  It was all he had to say for me to get it.  He very rightfully was my Guru during those years of feeling the pain of ‘fitting in’ but in truth just desiring to be my own eccentric self.  Time drew on as time always does, and I moved on to College, then on to studying with energy healers, shamanic teachers, and diving deeply into the spiritual.  Many became my Guru because I put them there, some were ‘light’ some were ‘dark’, both were teachers, and I’m grateful for all of them. 

These days I live in Sedona, AZ, one of the largest “New Age” hubs in the world, where I am constantly presented with various belief systems all claiming to be truth.  I affectionately call Sedona “The Land of Discernment,” because I have been hit with so many different and contradictory belief systems, that I must continually refine the subtle distinction between what I know to be true and what I merely wish to believe.   People come to Sedona for a spiritual experience.  To walk in what are called vortexes or spiritual energy centers, so that they may experience a depth of connection with their inner being.  There are those claiming to be shamans, energy healers, and psychics as well as New Age book stores, crystal shops, and self-proclaimed Gurus every other week coming to Sedona to bring truth.  

There are also ‘locals’ who know that some of these spiritual practitioners are charlatans, and warn those coming into town that they are ‘fake’.  However, who are they to tell others which road to take to the Divine?  Who are we to deny someone else the experience of what we call a charlatan.  In my experience some of my greatest teachers were those who turned on me, because it taught me to find the truth within myself.  It is not another’s responsibility if you cast them in the role of spiritual Guru. In the end, most people end up picking a Guru that agrees with their own personal point of view.

Anyone can unknowingly become a spiritual teacher for us the moment we gift them such a title. This is not to say that everyone is indeed a bringer of Divine Wisdom, but rather being open to the process of learning from all, opens up the pathway for finding Divine Wisdom in all. We are indeed learning from our experiences with others regardless if they are what we call light or dark, we grow.  If we open ourselves up to focusing on the teachings, and not the teacher.  There is a line that is often drawn around what a spiritual teacher or Guru really is.  Many believe that to embody truth, the Guru must be pure and infallible.  This standard of Christ-like perfection precludes the seeker from acknowledging the Divine “gift” that disillusionment with the Guru can be.

I have been challenged by the title Guru for most of my life, as I equated it to giving one’s power over to a man or woman rather than finding it on your own.  I however continually made my spiritual teacher my Guru, the shamanic lineage my Guru, the current book I was reading my Guru, but would have nothing to do with someone who actually called themselves a Guru. 

In 2005 I began reading Autobiography of a Yogi and was exposed for the first time to Babaij.  I quickly went online and researched this man to find pictures of Herakhan Babaji on babaji.net.  This being grabbed my attention immediately and claimed me as his own.  He began coming to me in dreams and teaching me about Truth, Simplicity, Love, and Service.  This aspect of Babaji, who was no longer in the physical body, at least in front of me, was the greatest teacher I had met, because I was ready for the teachings.  Perhaps the most profound of his teachings being this; do not attach to the teacher, attach to the teachings. 

It was then I realized that Babaji coming to me in dreams was far more powerful than a being coming to me in the physical, because I was not giving all the power to his being, but rather just receiving the teachings.  It was then I realized what to me a Guru truly is;  A teacher who leads you to the teachings that lead you home to yourself.   The process of receiving such teachings however is a process of letting go of the attachment to a being, and being open to the possibility that you can be taught by everything.

As I said, everyone has a Guru at some point.  But once you are fully awakened, life itself becomes the ultimate Guru, and the teacher you most need to meet most is the one standing right in front of you.  They are teaching you about your light and your shadow; your judgments; your fear.  They are teaching you about your hurt, and how it feels to be ‘mislead’ to God, when in your core you so deeply desire to be lead back home.  

The woman who broke your heart and who taught you not to lose yourself so much in a relationship is your Guru, the school teacher who never paid any attention to you and silently encouraged you to own your knowledge without accolades, the spiritual teacher who built you up to break you down.  We are all learning from someone, whether it be your collection of Carlos Castaneda novels from the 70′s, that you continually refer back to, or the music of Jerry Garcia, or the presence of an avatar; we are all being guided by the Grace that moves us into Joy and Peace.  

This world is a school.  There are different subjects, different teachers, and different levels of teachings.  Every level has its requirements and tests for passing.  If you look in the dictionary and look up Guru, it says “A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters”.   Everyone is our Guru, if we recognize it’s about the teachings and not the teacher. Let life be your Guru.  Let both your attachments and your aversions instruct you. 

A true Guru leads you to God like one leads a thirsty horse to drink.  The rest is up to you.  You can find techniques and methods to achieve greater awareness, but it is up to you to follow them.  In the end you will find that no method or religion can provide you with enlightenment until you are ready receive it.  This is why the true Guru does not offer to tap you on the forehead and give you instant enlightenment.  A true Guru taps you on the forehead lovingly bringing to the surface all that is not you for you to release with a trusting sigh.

I have had many Gurus and teachers.  Some never asked for such a title, while others  begged for it, then let me down only to lift me up again.  The greatest Guru is the one who lead me home to myself.  Let Grace be your Guru, the Grace of the Divine working through All.

Michelle Peterson has been aware of the subtle realms of Spirit since she was a young girl and has incorporated their presence into both her life and her work. Michelle has been studying with energetic healers and Shamanic guides since her late teens and transitioned from her job in Massachusetts as a school teacher in 2005 to fully walk the path of her heart in beautiful Sedona, Arizona. It is her joy to help facilitate other in aligning with their core Truth. She believes that no one can give you the answers, but they can however guide you into the Truth that it is already inside of you. She also believes that the work we do together is never about the teacher, but the teachings. Clients can experience Michelle’s healing work with SpiritQuest Sedona Retreats.

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By: Keith Varnum
Experiencing a live volcano was on top of our agenda when my friend Rob and I visited the exotic land of Costa Rica. The plane touched down in the capital city of San Jose, and, after clearing customs, we headed for the car rental to pick up a 4×4 and a map to Mt. Arenal, the nearest active volcano.

After an arduous drive through torrential rain, we finally arrived in a quiet village supposedly at the foot of a fire-belching monster. I say supposedly because it was so foggy, we weren’t even sure a volcano existed. We couldn’t see a tree a block away, let alone a volcanic mountain looming 5,000 feet above us.

Locals claim if you really listen closely, you can hear the beast rumble. We never heard a whimper. By the second misty day and night of no sighting, I suspected the local population had fabricated the story of an erupting volcano in order to attract tourist dollars. A volcano of convenience. No muss, no fuss. Just some imaginary rumbling every so often that only the locals hear from a volcano no one ever sees because of the rain and fog!

Near the end of our second day of waiting out the rain, we were eating a tasty native dinner of red beans and rice at a colorful local dive when the owner of the café strolled over to our table. Without hesitation or invitation, he plopped himself down. Miguel appeared to me exactly as I’ve always imagined don Juan of Carlos Castaneda fame to look. His face was dark and swarthy with a kind but inscrutable expression. Staring straight into our eyes, he declared in halting English, “You want to know volcano, not just look at it.”

Being a veteran traveler, I have learned to be agreeable in a foreign country and, in general, say “yes” to practically everything spoken to me by the locals. Not realizing the full import of the distinction between the words Miguel had used, I responded amicably, “Yeah, yeah, of course, we’d like to know the volcano.”

Without another word, Miguel turned over one of our paper place mats and, pulling a broken stub of a pencil from his shirt pocket, began to draw a crooked line. We watched in silence for the next twenty minutes as he guided the pencil over the grease-stained paper in absorbed concentration. What emerged was a detailed map of twists and turns with landmarks indicated by little, kid-like pictures of trees, stone walls and tiny shacks to represent a village.

Finished, Miguel put the pencil back in his pocket, sighed and spoke directly into our souls with piercing, green eyes. “This,” he said, tapping the crude map with its meandering trail, “take you to volcano. To be with volcano.” With his finger, Miguel softly tapped his chest over his heart, “to feel and know spirit of volcano.” Then he laughed softly and cautioned us we would be scared because the volcano would definitely erupt when we were there. “But volcano not harm you,” he added hastily. With a wistful look in his face, Miguel shared how he and his friends have picnicked at the edge of the volcano his whole life and the towering inferno had never harmed him. His words only mildly consoled me.

The sound of the cold, drenching rain woke us at dawn. We still couldn’t see or hear the volcano. Since the downpour discouraged us from any other tourist activity, we decided we may as well get soaking wet following Miguel’s map to wherever it led. Maybe the rain would stop once we were out of the village. Fat chance!

We drove up the steep mountainside of what the villagers below insisted was the volcano until the rugged jeep road ended abruptly at a craggy cliff. I was very surprised Miguel’s rough, hand-drawn map actually corresponded to what we found on our journey. His drawing indicated the sheer cliff and the small, hidden opening we found nestled between the rock wall and a weather-beaten wooden fence. We followed our friend’s makeshift chart through the hole, up a circuitous rocky path, over many collapsed lava rock walls and past long-deserted fruit orchards. The trail ended abruptly at an imposing 300-foot wall of solid volcanic lava flow so jagged and sharp we couldn’t climb it.

Fortunately for us, Miguel had anticipated this challenge. At the left edge of the lava flow, his map showed a naturally camouflaged trail through the dense rainforest. Our confidence in both our friend and his diagram strengthened over the past several hours, we plunged into the dark primeval forest. The jungle growth was so thick with vines and roots, the path so muddy and slippery, I felt we’d dropped into a comic scene right out of the Harrison Ford movie “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.” During one hilarious moment, Rob and I both lost our footing and, clutching each other, slid back down fifty feet of the mudslide trail. Grabbing overhanging vines, Tarzan-style, saved the day—and our necks! Our guardian angels must get a lot of overtime pay!

Undaunted and filled with the rush of adventure, Rob and I helped each other stand up, pull ourselves together and restart the climb. Clawing and scratching our way through the rainforest, we finally reached the top of the lava flow. My first impression was how very windy and cold it was up there for a tropical climate. The pouring rain and dense fog had persisted, obliterating the view of anything more than a foot in front of us. As we inched our way along the top of the volcanic rock, I remembered how Miguel had told us of his many idyllic picnics here with his friends. Not very conducive weather for a picnic on this morning!

Suddenly, a booming roar filled the air, followed by a very powerful rumble that reverberated throughout our bodies. We felt the Earth roll in one undulating wave after another! Although Rob and I had never experienced an eruption before, we instinctively knew this was the volcano showing its might. The ground continued to heave in unnerving spasms. People-size boulders sped past us down the slope. Flying rocks were propelled into nearby trees, the sheer force imbedding the projectiles cleanly into their trunks. We heard and felt nearby avalanches crashing their way down the mountain. We could only see a fraction of the devastation because of the blinding downpour, but our bodies definitely registered the massive rearrangement all around us.

A sharp electric terror shot through every cell of my body. Its message was explicit and commanding, “Leave! Now! You must go now to save your life.”

I shouted to Rob, “We’re out of here! It’s not safe!” To my astonishment, he shook his head from side to side indicating he didn’t want to go.

“I’m staying. This is too cool!” he yelled over the roar of the wind and falling rock. He was nineteen years old. His sense of novelty and exploration was still stronger than his sense of danger and good judgment. I started to argue. I made zero impression on the brash, young daredevil.

Then another explosion rocked our world. I watched in horror as the heat, ash and force of the blast denuded a huge 200-foot tree in one second, stripping off all its leaves and limbs. If this volcano could do that to a tree, it could do the same to us! I knew with certainty I was supposed to leave posthaste.

Jumping off the top of the lava mound right into the rainforest, I bolted without another thought. I threw myself into the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” express mudslide, riding the flowing water and sludge through the dense jungle growth down the side of the still-quaking mountainside. In what seemed like only a few seconds, I arrived at the bottom of the lava flow. The path was certainly faster and easier going down than climbing up! For a brief moment, I lay soaked to the bone, resting in a mud puddle, my ripped clothes covered with brown muck.

Recovering some of my composure, I became aware for the first time of heat radiating from the lava flow smoldering several feet to my left. I crawled in the direction of the flow until I was within a few inches of the mass. To my surprise, the air felt like I had just opened a 400-degree oven. The surface was so hot, I instinctively jumped back a few feet. When we first arrived earlier in the morning, the extremely cold wind and pelting rain had so neutralized the radiant heat from the lava, we didn’t even notice the temperature.

But the heat was not the only aspect of the lava that the elements had concealed from us. I picked up a small twig and approached the foot of the black mound that had gushed from the top of the mountain. Getting as close as I could to the sulphurous heat, I stuck the branch into the rain-drenched ground about two inches in front of the lava. Within a minute, the lava hill reached the stick and buried it!

Suddenly my whole body reeled with the involuntary shudder of recognition. For the last hour Rob and I had been walking on a live, moving lava flow! And Rob was still up there running around on the molten granite.

Another eruption, three times louder than the first one, filled the air. My ears throbbed from the deafening boom. My feet and body registered avalanche after avalanche of crashing rock careening down the side of the volcano. Descending the rough trail, I ran head over heels in a panic, determined to outrun any rockslides coming my way. After a half-hour of the fastest, long distance race I’ve ever run, I arrived at our jeep safely sheltered under a broad-armed tree. Collapsing into the front seat, I fought to catch my breath.

As my pulse and mind quieted, I was overcome with fear for the safety of my friend still walking around on the moving bed of liquid rock in the midst of periodic violent explosions. I began feeling intensely responsible. I’d left a young kid in my charge on top of an erupting volcano! A nightmarish vision bombarded me. I saw his parents, who had entrusted their son with me, watching local authorities dig through the rubble of the volcano searching for the body of the lost American youth. Feeling so guilty and worried I could neither relax nor rest, I decided I must leave the jeep and hike back up the volcano. I had to find Rob.

No sooner had I opened the door of the jeep than an insistent inner impulse told me to stay put and listen inside for further instructions. When I receive such forceful commands from my inner coach, I usually obey. Quieting myself as much as possible under the circumstances, I endeavored to get in touch with my next best intuitive move. I challenged myself, Was it wrong what I did? Was it selfish and self-absorbed to look after my own safety and leave a young kid behind?

After I felt all the intense emotions stirred up from asking these soul-searching questions, I received a very strong message directly from Spirit. My inner knowing spoke to me emphatically, saying:

“You did the right thing. You followed your intuition. If you recall specifically, your inner coach told you that it was dangerous for you to stay, and that you needed to leave immediately. It said nothing about your friend Rob. Nothing at all. You were right to follow your guidance and leave. In fact, had you stayed, you may very well have endangered your friend’s safety! Had you stayed, you would have been out of alignment with your intuition and, therefore, out of harmony and integrity with yourself. This discordant state has a strong tendency to interfere with another person’s ability to tap into and follow his or her own knowing. Had you stayed, you may have hindered Rob’s ability to hear and heed his inner direction. You took the most helpful, loving and appropriate action by following the letter and spirit of your intuition. You following you own internal urging allowed your friend the space to realize he must rely on his own internal wisdom.”

Spirit’s message was a fascinating new lesson in intuitive guidance for me. In general, and for its reassurance in my present predicament, I was grateful for this fresh perspective. I never before realized the precision of intuition. I never before understood the independence of one person’s guidance from the inner counsel of another person in a shared situation.

At the exact moment I realized the import of what I was being told by my inner coach, Rob came streaking down the trail toward the jeep. In the fury of the last violent eruption, Rob received his own internal signal to vamoose. Guided by his own inner compass, he immediately took the Mudslide Express through the jungle to safety. I was extremely relieved—and appreciative to Spirit—that my nightmare vision of Rob’s demise was averted. I gave silent thanks for the eternal lessons I learned from our escapade.

Back on solid ground, Rob and I were anxious to leave the mountain rains and clouds. We hopped into the jeep and sped toward the sunny western coast of Costa Rica. Driving down the mountainside, we both lapsed in and out of thankful silence for being alive. Perhaps the next day, the morning’s events would seem a great adventure, but, right then, the very real danger we’d just survived remained very palpable and raw. Our minds, emotions and physical bodies were still remembering and replaying our narrow escape.

Suddenly, Rob and I experienced simultaneous intuitive hits to pull over and get out of the jeep. Leaning against the vehicle, we turned as one toward the top of the mountain we’d just descended. As if waiting for us to stop our downward trek away from the mountain and turn our gaze upward, the clouds parted to reveal the awesome Mt. Arenal volcano for the very first time since our arrival in Costa Rica so many days earlier. The dense mist lifted. We saw exactly where we had been hiking on the lava flow. We pinpointed where the tree line ended and the lava flow began. We’d been standing only a hundred yards from the open mouth of the volcano when it erupted!

The restaurant owner Miguel had promised we would be with, we would feel and we would know the spirit of the volcano. He said the mountain would definitely erupt when we were there. And he’d promised the volcano would not harm us. The rain and his crude map tricked us into going so close to the volcano that we did, indeed, get to know the volcano, not just view it.

Was it the spirit of the volcano that sent Miguel to us? —and turned the skies into a torrential downpour in order to obscure the treacherous nature of our journey so we wouldn’t be scared off? Rob and I agreed, stranger things have happened. One thing was certain. If we’d been able to see where we were going, we would never have walked as close as we did to the mouth of the cauldron.

Now, viewing the majesty of Mt. Arenal, we were humbled and ever so grateful for the experience of having been able to safely feel the mountain’s power and personality. As we were sending out our thankfulness to and admiration of the volcano, the mountain erupted again with an explosion twice as high as the volcano itself. Two miles of elegant ash plume shot up into the dark blue sky. The event was quite dramatic and very humbling.

We knew the volcano was responding to our love and appreciation for its gift to us that day. Then the clouds closed back in and our mighty friend said good-bye, leaving us forever changed and enriched by its friendship.

Drawing from the wisdom of native and ancient spiritual traditions, Keith Varnum shares his 30 years of practical success as an author, personal coach, acupuncturist, filmmaker, radio host, restaurateur, vision quest guide and international seminar leader with “The Dream Workshops”. Keith helps people get the love, money, and health they want with his F-r-e-e Prosperity Ezine, F-r-e-e Abundance Tape and F-r-e-e Coaching at www.TheDream.com

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By: Al Link and Pala Copeland
Carlos Castaneda has written a series of remarkable books in which he describes his shamanic apprenticeship with the Yaqui sorcerer Don Juan. Don Juan advises Castaneda that a man of knowledge (an impeccable warrior) chooses a path and follows it with heart, acting as if what he does matters, even though he knows that it does not, and understanding that nothing is more important than anything else.

Passion acts with great enthusiasm, extraordinary intensity, and deep feelings. Detachment lets go of all concern for the results of the action. Upon first consideration, it might seem as if passion and detachment don’t belong together. You might conclude that if you were detached you would not feel strongly about a situation, but would be indifferent, feeling little or nothing. Detachment without passion, a boring dullness of caring about nothing, is a dreadful state of consciousness. No wonder so few have chosen detachment as a serious spiritual practice.

When Don Juan advises “act as if what you do matters,” he is suggesting action with passion. When you act with passion, you feel truly, completely alive. This is because passion exists only in the now moment—you feel passion now or not at all. On the other hand, detachment is about the future. Detachment means you completely surrender and let go of your concern for the future outcome of your action. You are not detached about the action itself. On the contrary, you are filled with passion in the now moment.

Detachment flows naturally from the wisdom of acknowledging Don Juan’s advice that “nothing matters more than anything else.” What you do does not really matter in the sense that ultimately you have no control over anything. Outcomes or results might not be anything like what you intend them to be. All you have is choice about what you will do and how you will be in the now moment. You are able to let go of concern for the results of your actions because you understand that each individual is a tiny part of something infinitely vast and wonderful which you influence but cannot control.

When you understand that you have control over nothing, your response can be despair or detachment. Despair is powerless while detachment is a quality of Soul Freedom. Soul knows you don’t need control. All is as it should be. Your life is unfolding as part of a grand cosmic natural order. You fit into that larger natural order whether you want to or not and whether you are aware of it or not. Your challenge and opportunity is to say yes to what is—all of it, exactly as it is, for better or worse right here, right now.

It is a paradox that making choices can both bring freedom to you and also rob you of it. That you can make choices is the chief characteristic of all freedom, but if you are attached to the outcomes of your action, you lose freedom as soon as you obtain it. You become a slave to your choices, stuck in a self-constructed rut. If you worry about the results of your actions, you are robbed of the natural joy of being fully present in the now moment. However, by making choices, by acting with passion, and by being detached from the results of your actions, you remain completely free. You act boldly without taking yourself too seriously.

In your relationship, passionate detachment means putting the best of yourself into your life together. Allow your creativity to shine forth in your actions, to reveal your love, respect, and desire, but without expectation of your mate’s response. You might plan to be together forever, and do your best to make that happen, but you know that you have no real control over the future—accident, illness, or adversity can separate you. Nevertheless, don’t let that stop you from committing to a lifetime of loving.

Excerpted from our new book Sensual Love Secrets for Couples: The Four Freedoms of Body, Mind, Heart and Soul, by Al Link and Pala Copeland, Llewellyn, 2007

Al Link and Pala Copeland own and operate 4 Freedoms Relationship Tantra. They regularly host lover’s romantic weekends near Ottawa Canada, and weeklong retreats in exotic locations. For more info Visit www.tantra-sex.com, www.sexyspiritualrelationships.com and their blog www.askaboutloveandsex.com or send email: 4freedoms@tantraloving.com

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From Chapter III of The Power of Yin:

Barbara: I would like to ask you, Jean, whether you have specific images of the future. Don’t use the word future if it is too linear.

Jean: I don’t even have to talk about my own images; I can talk about what is emerging. We don’t allow prophesy in our culture, so it goes underground and comes up as science fiction. In the 1880s and ’90s, the mode of science fiction was hardware science fiction: the ship to the moon, the ship under the sea, the laser. In the 1920s and ’30s, this becomes manifest. In the ’30s and ’40s, the cutting edge of science fiction is sociological science fiction: Brave New World, 1984.

And we’re well on our way to that. In the 1960s and ’70s, two dominant forms have been emerging: psychological science fiction and ecological science fiction. Consider Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, or the books of Carlos Castaneda, or 2001. Wonderful science fiction! And they’re all about mutations or new ways of being.

Look at the characters of Castaneda – Don Juan – and Heinlein – Michael Valentine Smith from Stranger in a Strange Land. You find that they make use of different sense perceptions – synesthesias. They hear color; they see sound; they touch taste; they taste God; they smell time. They can look in the aroma of a desert flower and perceive galaxies billions of light years away. They have enormous freedom in time and space. They can experience five minutes as ten hours and thu

When Don Juan or Michael Valentine Smith are around, machines go haywire, break up, disappear. It’s as if they’re making use of a different symbiotic ecology to get things done.

I know, from the point of view of what I know about the instrumentation and the fraction that we’re using, that a lot of these so-called third-world modes of doing things – be it medicine, be it transportation, be it modes of communication – are resonant in us. But we are so tuned to ourselves as prosthetic extensions that we have lost this enormous amount of knowledge. Anything that you read in Castaneda or in Heinlein we can demonstrate for you in the laboratory. Including having Ford cars appearing and disappearing in the living room, as occurs in Castaneda. That’s a very simple thing to do.

Time: we could give you five minutes of clock time to experience hours and hours in which to rehearse your piano, or golf. Because of the very minute synaptical connections that would have been made in a trance state, with intensive imagery of rehearsal, and subjective time distortion, you would come out at the end of five minutes as if you had had ten hours of practice, and you would be that much better. This is something that musicians have always known. We can do this in the laboratory. The brain can process millions of images in microseconds: images have a different time. It’s like falling from a cliff, expecting to die, and in that very brief time reexperiencing your entire life – in its own time.

And another thing is that the remembering of the future may already be coded into the potential of ourselves.

(Reprinted from The Power of Yin with permission).

The Power of Yin by evolutionary economist Hazel Henderson; Human Potential Movement founder Jean Houston; and social innovator Barbara Marx Hubbard, is an empowering invitation to help evolve the human community. Visit The Power of Yin

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In Carlos Castaneda’s book “The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge” and his subsequent works he imparts much knowledge about the states of Ordinary and Non-Ordinary Reality. In the following I am supplying my interpretation of these states of knowing.

Ordinary Reality

Some people claim that Ordinary Reality is a low level of existence. I don’t necessarily agree with that assessment, although it is a much lower level than Non-Ordinary Reality. After all this level of existence is necessary if you are going to experience life on Earth. If you couldn’t experience Ordinary Reality you would be dead (not existing in the physical world).

Ordinary Reality is what is obvious to the senses. It is almost a perceptual way of living. A person who resides mainly in Ordinary Reality is capable of integrating simple concepts-those that require only a few steps in a chain of reasoning. This person is basically unaware of the more complex concepts-and is definitely unaware of the higher stages of awareness.

Highly intelligent individuals are quite capable of integrating a complex chain of reasoning. Unfortunately this type of person may disdain the spiritual or what is called the sixth sense. Some even fail to use the intellectual capacity they’ve been blessed with.

Others rely on intuitive powers only and shun anything that is intellectual. Although they often come up with some profound insights, they have difficulty applying them to everyday life. People often look upon them as “space cad

Consequences

An individual who recognizes only Ordinary Reality is a person who is missing the rich variations of existence. They sometimes feel as if their world is drab and uninspiring. And indeed it is. They are seeing only the tip of the iceberg. Generally this person suffers from much pain, misery and frustration-an unnecessary tragedy, but a tragedy just the same.

Individuals who are highly intelligent and adept at integrating concepts, but shun the spiritual, are still experiencing one phase of Non-Ordinary Reality. Since so few indulge in a complex chain of reasoning-concept integration must be considered as part of Non-Ordinary Reality. However it is not the total landscape. They are missing half the puzzle. Their intellectuality blinds them.

The individual, who lives only in the spiritual, may believe that he is an enlightened being-but he is suffering under great illusion. Yes, he may see what others are incapable of seeing. He may reach nirvana during his meditations. He may walk around in a state of euphoria. However he is oblivious to the rest of the landscape-the integration of complex thoughts and ideas-the integration of concepts.

Non-Ordinary Reality

I believe in mastering ordinary reality first. You can’t be promoted to the second grade when first grade material still baffles you. It is critical to have your feet grounded in reality. Without that, you have no foundation to grow your roots. How can you expect your mind to grow and expand without nourishment? You do want to expand to the highest levels of awareness-don’t you?

When you reside in Non-Ordinary Reality you see, hear, smell, feel and touch what others are unaware of. You not only integrate complex concepts, but your sixth sense is on high. You are an integrated being. Others may not understand you or where you’re coming from-but you know and understand.

Seemingly little things take on a new meaning. The aroma of the honeysuckle on a mild spring day, the depths of your meditations, the sublime feelings from the music you experience, the touch of your lover’s hand, the thrill of integrating complex concepts, the inspiration you receive from a new idea, etc.

Even your body feels different. Some mystics call sexual activities low-level experiences. I believe practicing celibacy is a low-level way to exist. An enlightened person is sensuous and sexual. He or she experiences the pleasures of the flesh to the utmost-and experiences their partners flesh to the max. In fact an individual of high awareness transforms the sexual experience into an ecstasy of the body, mind and spirit. What could be more spiritual than that?

Tapping Into Non-Ordinary Reality

There are numerous ways to tap into Non-Ordinary Reality. Some have used certain substances to cross the line from Ordinary Reality to Non-Ordinary Reality. “The Teachings of Don Juan” explains the different psychotropic drugs that cause an altered state of consciousness and opens gateways to Non-Ordinary Reality. Without a teacher such as don Juan this could be dangerous-so I can’t recommend this method. Meditation is a much safer method of opening doorways to higher consciousness.

I recommend meditating at least 30 minutes per day. I personally prefer to meditate an hour every morning and take several 10-minute meditation breaks during the day. Other disciplines may open the doorway to higher awareness such as Yoga, certain types of dancing and whirling, experiencing oneness with nature on a continuous basic, etc. Anything that raises your energy level could do the trick.

If you decide meditation is the way I have two recommendations for you.

1. Jonathan Parkers “Pathways to Mastership” available at Quantum Quests

2. Bill Harris’ “Holosync” available at Centerpointe Research Institute. This is a powerful technology.

You can Google these if you are interested.

And remember life is supposed to be pleasure and ecstasy-not pain and suffering. You are meant to live a life of personal liberty and freedom. Yes, happiness and fulfillment can be daily experiences.

Robert A. Meyer has been investigating and studying economics, philosophy, psychology and metaphysics for 30 years. He realizes there are basic principles of Human Action that will help you become successful. His knowledge that life is to be lived on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level allowed him to discover “The Libertarian Way.” He experiences its many pleasures and ecstasies on a daily basis. http://libertarianway.com/

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“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change…”

Learn How to Change Your Life Using the 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace Course and Let Dr. Wayne Dyer and Conscious One show you how…

When you have come to know the peace of Spirit in your life, and because of this knowing, all of your problems, concerns, accomplishments, and accumulations diminish in importance. In this course, Dr. Wayne Dyer will elaborate on ten principles to success and inner peace, which, if mastered and practiced on a daily basis, will guide you to this same sense of tranquility.

Anyone who has decided to consciously be on their life path these ten secrets in this course are extremely valuable. Depending on our individual time clock, each of us makes that choice . For some, it is early in young adulthood; and for others, it happens in the middle or mature years. These secrets apply whether you are just beginning your life path, are nearing the end of it, or are on the path in any way.

“In the universe, there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which shamans call intent, and absolutely everything that exists in the entire cosmos is attached to intent by a connecting link.” – Carlos Castaneda

Wayne Dyer had no idea how long a journey it would be, when he read those words many years ago. His remarkable work is featured on Public Television throughout the year and has gained widespread acclaim from people all over the world. The Ten Secrets Online Course by Wayne Dyer will be vitally import

The course is 10 Secrets to Success and Inner Peace. Dr. Dyer has distilled the essence of his life-transforming work.

These ten secrets allow your spirit to guide you. Read these secrets with an open heart. Apply the ones that resonate with you, and discard those that do not.

1) How to avoid feelings of inadequacies!

2) Help you feel the peace of God that truly defines success!

3) Living free from the good opinion of other people!

4) Being in command of your conduct rather than letting your past dictate your way of being!

5) Teaches you that you are capable of manifesting miracles in your life!

6) Grounding your day with morning and evening meditations!

7) Find the peace that you crave in your daily life!

Brings you to the knowing that any problem can be solved with a spiritual solution!

9) Because you can read, see, and hear Wayne Dyer talk about the actions you are about to take, you get more than just a book or the Ten Secrets online course, you get guidance from the “Father of Motivation”.

10) Most importantly, at the end of the Ten Secrets course you will have completed a specially designed and personal journal, each step of the way, giving you a chance to put Wayne Dyer’s 10 Secrets into Action for Yourself

Discover the 10 Secrets @ http://www.atclickbank.com/10secrets.html

James Murray is a successful writer and online gambling expert providing valuable tips and advice for those interested in gambling and online gambling strategies. His numerous articles found on the Internet ,provide useful and factual gambling information and insight. Some of his websites are http://www.casinospokerrooms.com , http://www.bingosbingos.com , http://www.top-sportsbook.ca.

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By: Priscilla Parham
If one understands the basics of how the human body works, then most assuredly they paid attention during health or biology class. As we quickly take a deeper look inside the body both science and spirituality agree we are energy beings or energy centers as well as flesh, blood and bones. This is why defibrillators (devices which give an electrical charge) can either stop or start the heart.

Energy travels in the human body along meridians or energy highways. These intricate meridians support and interconnect with the 7 Chakra Centers. When any one of these energy centers within the body becomes blocked, discomfort and dis-ease begin to set in. There are a whole host of reasons why blocks occur from stress, addictions, improper eating habits, inadequate exercise to constant negative thinking. I’m sure there are other reasons as well.

Publications and research by both scientific and spiritual communities have stated that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. The body is a self-healing organism which can repair itself when coupled with the right treatment and mental attitude. It is designed to naturally gravitate towards wellness. One does not need to know all of the mechanics of the human body. An individual can learn to unlock his energy by feeling it and then moving it throughout the body.

Here are 4 methods of healing with the bodies’ energy vibrations for you to consider adding to your current lifestyle. Testamonials given have noted seemingly miraculous results in each of these four methods.

1. The Reconnection – is an umbrella process of reconnecting to the universe, which allows Reconnective Healing to take place. These healings and evolutionary frequencies are of a new bandwidth brought via a spectrum of light and information. Dr. Eric Pearl the discoverer, claims that through The Reconnection one is able to interact with these new levels of light and information, and able to induce healing. A wide range of information is available at their website TheReconnection.com

2. Qigong – offers a wide variety of practices or methods that accumulate, circulate and work with the energy within the body. I personally like to use Spring Forest Qigong a method founded by Chunyi Lin. Mr. Lin has blended simple movements, mental focus, breathing and meditation into a system that is very powerful and found by many to be life-changing. His vision is “a healer in every family and world without pain.” Find more information at SpringForestQigong.com

3. The Lifeline Technique – is an integrative healing system used to evaluate your body, mind and spirit. It uses muscle testing to identify the emotional, biochemical, structural and spiritual source of a symptom. Once the root cause is identified, it can be released, freeing the individual to heal. Dr. Darren Weissman, the developer of The Lifeline Technique discusses his healing technique in depth at InfiniteLoveAndGratitude.com

4. Tensegrity – also known as Magical Passes, use meditative stretches, stances, movements and breath. The goal is to obtain equal interaction amongst all the parts of the body and the being with the focused intent to reach higher levels of consciousness. Originally these series of body movements and positions were taught to Carlos Castaneda by Ancient Mexican Shamans. Castaneda.com offers books, DVD’s, and workshop information.

It may be hard for some to believe , but we possess the worlds most perfect healing machine.

It is YOU. Your body!

By consistently applying any one of these energy healing methods one can discover how to help the body to heal itself.

Become part of something that is sweeping the world with inspiration. You will find a wealth of spectacular material including free affirmations, beneficial worksheets and other useful tools for your enjoyment at => http://motivatingmessages.ning.com

Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships, motivating and inspiring others to rebuild from the inside-out.

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When I started my first business almost ten years ago, I was afflicted with what I now jokingly call “Business Vagueness Syndrome” (BVS). At that time, I had only a vague sense of the purpose of my business and, subsequently, I had no clear intentions and no written business plan. Energetically, my business was giving out weak and cloudy signals, and the results I attracted back reflected this.

As someone who has recovered from BVS and its associated discomforts, I can attest to the value of creating key intentions for your business — the second step of the inspired business planning process. Clarity about your intentions for your business comes from focussing on your higher purpose. By setting your intentions for your business from this state of consciousness, you’ll activate the support of the most powerful force in the universe.

The Power of Intention

“Intent is a force that exists in the universe. When sorcerers (those who live of the Source) beckon intent, it comes to them and sets up the path for attainment, which means that sorcerers always accomplish what they set out to do.”

– Carlos Castaneda, The Active Side of Infinity

Source, the Creator, Pure Awareness, Higher Consciousness — these are all words used to identify the field of intention that exists behind all creation. Numerous spiritual traditions, teachers and scientists have pointed to the existence of this higher energy dimension that we can all tap into and use. In fact, as Wayne Dyer says in his book, The Power of I

And when you consciously set intentions that come from your higher purpose, you’re in complete alignment with this universal force that allows the act of creation to take place. Talk about setting yourself up for success the metaphysical way, with ease and grace! Your role in this co-creative process is to quieten your mind and get as clear as possible about what you’re intending to create.

Mind Mapping Your Intentions

Mind mapping is a tool that may help you clarify and verbalize your business intentions. People have used mind maps for centuries, but the concept has more recently evolved through the work of psychology author, Tony Buzan. A mind map engages both your left and right brain simultaneously, allowing you to tap into your full mental capacity and intuition.

Consider using an adapted version of this tool that integrates the Abraham-Hicks tool “What I Want and Why I Want It”. To do this, draw a circle in the center of a blank piece of paper. In this circle, write what you’ve articulated is the higher purpose of your business (this also serves as your primary intention). For example, my business’s statement of higher purpose is to model and facilitate awakening with healers/wellness professionals through money and all forms of prosperity as expressed through business. This is what I have in the center circle of my mind map.

Next, create a series of smaller circles around the main circle and attach them to the main circle with lines. In these circles, write all the intentions that will help you to fulfil your higher purpose. To inspire your creativity with this exercise, here’s a list of intentions from my mind map:

- I intend to build my business management and administrative capabilities.

- I intend to broaden my business support network.

- I intend to build heart-centered relationships with my target market.

- I intend to create and offer transformational programs, services and products for my target market.

- I intend to offer my services and products to my target market with integrity and in ways that feel authentic to me.

- I intend to allow financial flow in my business and increase its profitability.

When you’ve completed this part of the exercise, at the right side of each intention circle, write all the reasons you want to fulfil that particular intention. Attach each reason to its respective intention circle with a line. Then at the left side of each intention circle, list all the reasons you know you will fulfil that intention and attach each reason to the circle with a line.

Through this exercise, you’ll activate your inner sorcerer. By clarifying and enhancing your intentions and increasing your trust in their fulfilment, you’ll summon the amazing power of the universal mind of intention as your #1 business partner.

Copyright 2008 Mary C. Davis

Entrepreneur, Coach and Prosperity Guide Mary C. Davis helps spiritually-oriented wellness professionals build prosperous, fulfilling businesses. Get tips on how to build your wellness business, with ease and joy, by subscribing to her FREE e-zine The Prosperous Healer at http://www.anamturas.com

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We are Al Link and Pala Copeland. We have been practicing Tantric sacred sexuality since 1987 and teaching since 1997. Al had the enlightenment experience in January 2008 and within minutes made a direct transmission to Pala. This came after almost 40 years of spiritual seeking (Al) and over 20 years of following the Tantric spiritual path (Al and Pala together). Our mission is to help couples learn how to create love for a lifetime together, by instructing them in the arts of Tantra sacred sexuality, using their relationship as a spiritual practice. We refer to our unique spiritual path as Enlightenment for Two™.

We have demonstrated that sacred sexuality can be a path to enlightenment, but not in the usual sense of cause and effect. Tantra sacred sexuality does not cause enlightenment, but it can lead directly to the illumination experience returning you to the enlightened state. Without any question Enlightenment for Two™ is attainable by ordinary people (Pala and I are ordinary people), and the practices leading to it include Tantric sacred sexuality.

Enlightenment means “to light within.” You could not possibly find enlightenment any other place but within yourself—enlightenment is simply remembering who you really are, the realization of your high Self. Trying to remember who you really are is your spiritual practice (whatever form that takes), and actually remembering who you really are is enlightenment. The moment of enlightenment is illumination—the absolute brightness of being. The light does not come in from outside

Remembering who you really are is a radical shift from “aware of” with senses, emotion and thought (a state of separation between the small self and the other—everything outside of your bag of skin), to “I AM.” I AM is “Knowledge Through Identity” as described by Franklin Merrill Wolfe. “I AM” is “THAT” which you are without beginning or end. In this illuminated awareness, all that you perceive, feel and think is not other than yourself, not something your separate self becomes aware of, but rather all that you perceive, feel and think is your high Self revealing itself to you. Meditating on this underlined sentence, and “getting it” is all that is needed to initiate the illumination opening to full enlightenment.

Spiritual practice does not cause enlightenment, although most typically enlightenment does follow after sustained spiritual practice, but this is not in any way the usual cause and effect. It is more like, the rooster crows and then the sun comes up. In fact nothing can cause enlightenment; there is no way to enlightenment. Enlightenment is the way, all ways, always. Enlightenment is everything. Enlightenment IS.

Any spiritual practice undertaken with love, humility, gratitude, intense desire and faith can cause the illumination. The illumination is the act of remembering who you really are, returning you to your enlightened state. The enlightened state is not brought into existence for the first time by this illumination, rather it is as if a veil is lifted and you are home, where you always were and always will be. You know yourself to be what you always were, but had forgotten.

Spiritual practice is most effective when it is a celebration with humility and gratitude to the possibility (held in consciousness as an act of faith) of God-consciousness. The lower cannot command the higher. Nevertheless, it is important, and for most a necessity, to select a spiritual practice, any spiritual practice, and follow that path with heart (don Juan’s instruction in Carlos Castaneda’s books). A spiritual practice is only a method by which the lower self is assisted to remember the higher Self. A spiritual practice is anything that helps you remember who you really are.

You don’t realize enlightenment by escaping your life, but by living it fully. Your entire life becomes your spiritual path, and every action in your life becomes a prayer, a meditation, and a spiritual practice. In essence this is the Tantric spiritual path. You use your body as a vehicle for spiritual awakening. You do not try to deny your body or escape from it as if it were a prison.

Enlightenment for Two™, our Tantra spiritual path, is not difficult. In fact it may well be the simplest, most direct route leading to the moment of illumination available to human beings on the planet today.

Al Link and Pala Copeland have been practicing Tantric sacred sexuality since 1987 and teaching since 1997. They are the Selfgrowth.com Official Guides to Tantra. They are authors of 4 published books. Teaching, writing and speaking about spiritual relationships and sacred sexuality is what they do full time. For more information on their products and services, visit http://www.tantra-sex.com/ or http://www.askaboutloveandsex.com/.

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You Have A

Lot More

Than You Think

What you have is Consciousness and AWARENESS. Your AWARENESS or the real You is what you need to use when making any decision. It is that little piece of GOD within each of us. It always knows the right answer and when you slow down and think before speaking or acting, it is the one who will surface.

Your Consciousness is your EGO and is the identity you should use if you are trying to sell something or need to for whatever reason get people to see things from your prospective. You must realize that this is a position that you want to avoid in nearly every case. There are sales situations where it is necessary to convince someone of something but even then keeping a short leash on the EGO is important.

I haven’t talked much about causing the EGO to be who you want it to be. You as awareness created the EGO and can cause it to function as you wish. It is only when you turn the reins over to EGO that you run into trouble.

When Jesus was on the earth operating as a body, he had to function through an EGO as well. His connection to source or AWARENESS was not inherently any greater than yours or mine. This is why he told us that we could do any of the things he could do if we only believed.

The difference was his ATTENTION was more on his connection to AWARENESS. And that kept him much more connected. An analogy I’ve often used in sales training over the years is this. I traveled for a Company giving a sales training class after having sold as one of the sales reps. myself for

I would remain in an office for a week and on Friday would give a one-day seminar. In that seminar I would tell them that the only reason that I was able to do so well while they were struggling so hard was that I knew I could get certain results. I was absolutely sure and they, simply thought, (Or Hoped), it might be possible to get great results.

The Analogy here is the knowing. I had been doing the same thing all over the United States for 20 years. I was sure that it worked and without doubt would be able to produce the same results anywhere anytime.

Jesus had that same belief in a much different area but it worked just the same. I was as frustrated as he must have been when the people that I was talking to just couldn’t make it happen. Not certainly because they weren’t able but because they didn’t believe they were able.

Really try to relax and understand what I’m saying here. Take a deep breath. No matter what area of your life you are trying to improve. If you are able to keep your ATTENTION on the connection to AWARENESS, or your Source, you will be operating from the same place that Jesus Christ was operating from. It just means you really believe. Then, there will be no question if you are doing the right thing.

We are now talking about every area of your life. No matter what you are trying to get to work better. Everything from diet to relationships to raising your children any area of your life will be affected.

With that connection to source nothing else is necessary. The effort to make things work on a physical universe (Objective) basis would always be done because AWARNESS always does the right thing. Getting Your ATTENTION to stay on that connection to Source is the only thing Necessary. 

Keep your ATTENTION on the connection So that your Intention can be on your source. What will happen is this.

“ATTENTION Energizes and Intention Transforms” -Deepak Chopra-

“Introduce any Intention to the fertile ground of Pure Potentiality”

(GOD, AWARENESS, THE UNIVERSE, YOUR SOURCE, The TAO),

“ you pick what you want to call it, and you put the infinite organizing power of the universe to work for you.” (The first line of The Tao says The Tao that can be named is not The Tao). With the energizing power of ATTENTION and the Transforming power of Intention you are operating with the same connection to source that Jesus did, just like he said you could.

(Did you imagine he was lying to us?)

Any objective issues will tend to just naturally get handled because of keeping my ATTENTION on the connection to Source. Just as importantly focus your ATTENTION on keeping the connection with Source as open as you can. We are always connected, that’s what beats our heart and makes our fingernails grow. Carlos Castaneda says our job is to keep that connection corrosion free.

Make it your job to keep your ATTENTION on The Connection with GOD .

The rest will take care of it’s self.

NAMASTE

Jack Egener invites you to get a FREE “Point of View Adjustment”

GO TO  Enlightened Point of View.com visit our complete section devoted to INFORMATION: Saints and Gurus / Magazines / Ezines / Books

Jack Egener is a Viet Nam Veteran Marine Corps Helicopter Crew Chief. I have studied Spirituality and New Age material for over 30 years and spoken to many organizations around the US on the subject. I am currently disabled living in Indiana.

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