“With A Single Breath . . . “

reality based view (Photo credit: rocketjim54)

Fear, in the majority of cases, is a dark cloud that we have simply imagined to be over our heads, or think is on its way to get us – impending doom and ruin, “a great fear,” based on over-reaching generalizations and assumptions – not upon a current reality. This can spell trouble, for as Bertrand Russell wrote:

“Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.”

There are lots of groups, organizations and religions in this world, representing tons of different points-of-view, and I would be comfortable in wagering that every one of them has some of these “extremists,” whose deepest roots are those of fear, in their midst. These people, driven by that fear, often go “over the edge” in their efforts to get everyone else on their side. Having lost the ability to act humanely or to think sanely, some of these people are willing to blow things up, kill people and cause all sorts of mayhem.

We, as a nation, are not immune to the irrational impact of a “great fear,” and all that you have to do is to watch the news to see it played out every day. In fact, we have mastered the art of taking isolated concerns and turning them into terrifying behemoths.

A couple of ugly drops of paint fall on our canvas that frighten us, and we grab a brush and paint the whole canvas with these “ugly drops.” Instead of just dealing with the unpleasant drops, we paint a whole picture with them, and then stand beneath this portrait of fear that WE created and start looking for who to punch – which is just the beginning of insane and inhumane actions directed toward each other. We, (me, you, or a nation), cannot be trusted to think clearly under those conditions.

We have no right to paint our fellow-man based on some twisted, backwards, algebraic equation; i.e., “well, person ‘X’ identifies with group ‘Y,’ and person ‘X’ is an extremist, murdering wack job, therefore EVERYONE even remotely associated with group ‘Y’ is a murdering, extremist, wack job.”

That might be OK in the world of math, but applying it to people is screwed up! It’s insane, and unjustified, and practically guaranteed to occur when one is operating under a “great fear.”

Please, try to be that part of humanity that doesn’t create great, imaginary fears; the real threats are enough. Be one of those blessed few that can see clearly, openly, with a loving heart. Otherwise, you cannot be trusted with wisdom or higher truth, and life will reflect back to you the insanity and intolerance that you project. That is not the place you want to be in, or the world in which you want to live, (I hope!).

With a single breath you can blow away the cloud of fear, and then see clearly from the highest perspective; where peace, charity, and love prevail. Trust me, the view is a lot nicer from there.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Only Pain Can Speak To Pain…”

You know, there is a difference between curing and healing.

Curing involves fixing a physical problem – like using antibiotics to eradicate an infection. But curing, however, doesn’t usually have a healing aspect – because healing involves attaining a level of spiritual wholeness and peace that transcends the physical. This is an important distinction. Think about it. No one can cure you of physical death . . . the best that anyone can do is to remove a currently life-threatening condition and perhaps prolong your life. But that’s it; there’s no cure for death. You CAN, however, meet that day totally healed.

It is an interesting thing. A cure does not inherently bring healing with it, but the inverse isn’t necessarily true. The beauty of healing lies in the fact that, since many of our physical maladies have stress, emotional pain and a general lack of inner peace at their root, (perhaps going back generations, to the point where genes have been negatively altered and passed on), the wholeness of healing often brings physical relief, (a cure), along with it. Now, here comes the surprise: YOU quite likely have the power to heal – a power that others need to survive – and haven’t been using it. To help me to illustrate this better, I will use a quote from Ava Tapa Miri, a Paraguayan Shaman quoted by Bradford Keeney in his excellent book, Shamans Of The World. She said:

“Those who carry the pain of others have the power to heal. It is the price of being a healer. It is an impossible role, but it must be done so that others may survive.”

YOU have probably “paid the price” to be a healer, but aren’t using what you bought. The quote reads that “Those who carry the pain of others have the power to heal.” How have you done that?

If in the past you have suffered the pain of a battle with cancer, or the unexpected loss of a child, close friend or family member, or experienced financial ruin, or domestic violence, or any of a number of other challenges and traumas, the you are “carrying the pain” of others who are currently going through the same ordeal. You are intimately familiar with their pain and, as such, are qualified to help them to heal – you have already “paid the price to be a healer. Only pain can speak to pain, and your experience empowers you with empathy, which is a compelling force that allows you to express love through compassion. Sympathy can do nothing to heal, but empathy and compassion born of shared experience can heal.

Yes, it is an “impossible role” for ONE person, but if we all find the healer hidden within us then the task of healing those in need becomes much more manageable.

If you are one of those people who has paid “the price of being a healer,” then NOW is the time to use the power that you have bought to help others. Just as you need the healing, help and support that others brought to you during your own personal trials, there are others that now need you to survive. They need to know how you made it through.

When you become a healer in this way, you not only help someone else to heal, you, also, will continue to grow in strength and wholeness, as well. We are all connected, and our highest purpose is to be here for each other.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Find Your Groove…”

yoga under sakura (Photo credit: soulfish)

Hilarity abounds.

I just finished watching a documentary from 2008, entitled, “Enlighten Up.” You may have seen it. It follows an un-employed journalist as he samples various sorts of Yoga, traveling around the world, starting in New York and ending up in India.

He isn’t religious, or even “spiritual” for the most part – he is doing it as an objective experiment, documenting what he feels, (or doesn’t feel), through the whole process. He isn’t “seeking” anything – he just wants to see what changes in his life from the practice.

The plethora of Yoga styles in the West was mind-numbing, and over half of the teachers couldn’t say when the practice they were teaching began, let alone any deeper significance. Even former pro wrestler “Diamond Dallas Page” had a Yoga program.

He was forced to quit wrestling due to a back injury, (as many in that field have), and the practice of physical Yoga returned a great deal flexibility to him. So, he began his own yoga studio. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about any spiritual growth, and is quite pleased with the large number of big-breasted beauties who he can watch bending over in front of him.

In India, most of the serious leaders of Yoga that the documentary’s star encounters place little emphasis on the importance of the physical aspect of Yoga beyond its health benefits to the body. Instead, they speak of devotion, and knowing God better through Bhakti Yoga. The wisest ones tell him, “if you do not like a practice, don’t do it.” Pursue that which suits you – whatever brings you closer to God. Everything is perspective, and we are all different though we want the same thing – to be a better person. When he came back to America, he never practiced Yoga again. Different Strokes for Different folks.

Towards the end of the program, I microwaved a can of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Mini Ravioli, which I topped with some slices of American cheese and a lot of pepper. I paired this with a very expensive red wine from Virginia’s own Chateau O’Brien winery; because that’s how I roll . . . and it was good.

There is so much magic out there . . . find YOUR groove and roll with it.

Many blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“A Great Privilege…”

Visualization of a DTI measurement of a human brain. Depicted are reconstructed fiber tracts that run through the mid-sagittal plane. Especially prominent are the U-shaped fibers that connect the two hemispheres through the corpus callosum (the fibers come out of the image plane and consequently bend towards the top) and the fiber tracts that descend toward the spine (blue, within the image plane) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is impossible to know with certainty – absolutely IMPOSSIBLE.

Coming from me, on a blog that is titled “The Fortress of Potential,” in a place where I have consistently and steadfastly held up the idea that EVERYTHING is possible . . . well, that is a pretty heavy statement. What is it that is “impossible” to know?

It is impossible to know if “God,” by any conception under which we operate, exists. The important part here is how you interpret the idea of “knowing.” In this case, when I write “know,” I am referring to objective, quantitative, logical proofs. “God” CANNOT be proven – period. This sounds bad, but I don’t see it that way at all.

God, the energy of the Divine, the essence of that which is Supreme, is an experience. And an experience will always be subjective, unique to the individual who is having it. To me, there is no more exquisite example of grace, of the Source, than the fact that we are all given the privilege of coming to know that which is greater in a personal way. This is a theme that is now carrying into a third post. If you look at the two posts that have preceded this one, you’ll see the pattern.

Science, of course, spends time and money trying to prove or disprove “God.” I’m not sure what would be gained if they could. Nevertheless, science believes that it is much closer to DISPROVING God. They have poked around in the human brain, and figured out that a mild electrical charge here, or a poke there, can cause people to have “visions,” or to feel the presence of beings  that are perceived to be from some other plane of existence. So they are moving toward a theory that all of this stuff is hard-wired in various centers of the brain [i.e., WE create God. Hmmm...that would make us the "Creator." That's food for another time] What they can’t determine is what “vision” a person will have, or why/how these centers are stimulated when they aren’t doing the stimulating, or how it is that many times these prophetic sort of touches with God turn out to be true.

Taking it one step further, not only can God not be proven on a larger scale, YOU cannot prove YOUR God, either. Sure, you can preach it, try to convince others that your personal experience is an objective truth that applies to all, and be as stubborn and unyielding as you want about it, but that doesn’t change anything. Religions have been doing this for ages, and God’s name has been changed a million times. But, still, you can’t prove it objectively.

I’ll still be writing about what I have experienced, and I will still be encouraging readers to test what I have said for themselves – because that is what matters; discovering if an experience that someone else had can be duplicated and applied in your life. If you can’t, no harm, no foul. Keep walking and testing – your experience is waiting, and it will come.

There is only one thing that I believe applies to all: God cannot be proven, only experienced. And your experience can be completely different from someone else’s, and your experience can change – because the Source has every conceivable device in the universe to get your attention, and what is necessary for your evolution today may not be the same tomorrow. The supreme Guide KNOWS, so all that is left is for you is to come to know the guide.

When you touch that power – really connect – then your experience is your proof. At that point, religious debate ceases, doctrine falls away, and what science says about God doesn’t matter a whit. In the end, God is a lifeless, dead subject without the experience – the whole idea is just words on a page, like a dry textbook, if you haven’t experienced the subject first-hand.

Something to consider and to meditate on.

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

“Just Accept What I Did, And Move On…”

prison (Photo credit: ar.)

That’s what the man said.

He committed murder – gang related – and he made this statement from prison, where he is serving life without parole.

Prison, when faced with such a sentence, is just a warehouse where they keep you out-of-the-way until you die. No real efforts at rehabilitation, or getting to the root of why one acted in such a way as to end up in that position. Even the beds are like shelves – and you get put on one of those shelves like a can of beans until you hit your “expiration date.” So, when this man said he was going to “move on,” where exactly was he going to go? Well, it turns out that the prison in which he was incarcerated tried a program of Vipissana meditation, and he enrolled.

What is Vipissana meditation? It is actually a part of Buddhism, but no one has to talk about the Buddha to practice it. There are several things involved, but the overview is that you spend a LOT of time in complete silence paying attention to your breathing. Vipissana means, “to see things as they really are.” It sounds a lot easier than it is. So, using this practice, this man, who was a prisoner for life, ended up taking many long trips – INWARD.

There are tons of things to find when you go inward, in silence. In fact, the whole universe is in there, and you can, over time, experience it all without ever getting out of your seat. It set this man free.

Yes, he was still surrounded by prison walls, but the real prison . . . the real incarceration, his mind, was having its walls blown down.

Freedom isn’t about where your body resides, but the state in which you habitually find your thoughts. Every one of us who has no peace-of-mind is serving life without parole, even if we have the freedom and means to travel the world and purchase anything that we desire.

This, loosely, travels on the coattails of my previous post: http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/starting-post/

Practice some purposeful silence. Sit still . . . see what is in there, down on the inside. LIFE is in there. ALL of it. Aren’t you even curious what that “all” might be?

Many Blessings To All…

Rising Hawk

 

My Continuing Mantra Adventure…”

Mantra Jan 18 (Photo credit: That Girl Crystal)

In the interest of doing exactly what the wise words to the left are encouraging, I offer up the latest update about how the mantra for which I was the “seer” is developing. It is the mantra that I last wrote about here:

http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/like-a-prayer/

As of today, when I have reached a cumulative total of 25,000 repetitions, I still can’t say that I am fully aware of its total purpose and power. There are three things that have become clear to me, though.

1.  The mantra brings me to a state of peace, even beating panic attacks. I no longer take medication for anxiety during the day – I just apply the mantra. [As an aside, it is very important to note that I have to apply the mantra with just as much commitment as I did to taking the medicine, and I have to recite the mantra for about the same amount of time that it took for the medicine to have any effect. In other words, it is more work than taking a pill, but it has many other benefits. Also, I AM NOT advising ANYONE to cease ANY medication and to replace it with a mantra. I'm not saying that it wouldn't work, nor am I saying that it would. I am only citing my experience]

2.  A portion of this mantra, (the middle stanza), is addressing/acknowledging a Deity, by name. Of course, there is no “new” God involved here, (because there is only one Source), but whatever aspect of Creation this mantra is speaking to has come through me with a name and sound that I have never heard previously, in any religion or spiritual practice.

3.  The overall “feel” of the sounds of the mantra is reminiscent of a Polynesian tongue – not Sanskrit.

Now, to a bunch more generalities, (though the method of the mantra is certainly more clear to me in many respects than it was when I first received it).

The first stanza, which is one word, is a “door opener.” It is a sort of preamble to the mantra that frees my Spirit to travel, and feels preparatory in nature. It is as though this part places me on the same “plane,” for lack of any other suitable term, as the energy that is the essence of the mantra so that I may commune with It. Through it, I become like the wind and air – everywhere, invisible, and sacred.

The second line is the beseeching/acknowledgement/bonding with the energy of the Divine that is the power of the mantra. It has a very sweet and gentle energy, even though I can feel the great potency that underlies it. It’s a bit of a mystery to me that I feel that I am “beseeching,” since I am not actively asking for something like one might do in prayer. I only know that there is a tremendous spiritual intimacy, reverence, Divine love and gratitude pouring through the name. A very warm and indescribably strong vibration.

Then, there is a closing, a “sending forth,” or receiving, of whatever it is that the specific energy referenced in the previous line does. So far, what it does is bring peace, and there have been two physical “healings.” One was the aforementioned panic attacks, and the other was a relief of a headache that my wife was experiencing. She doesn’t know the mantra, and didn’t know that I was reciting it in my head, and I didn’t feel anything happen, but she felt relief, in pulses that closely coincided with the mantra repetitions, (It’s a longer story than that, but that is the gist of it).

So, that it where it is at so far. I believe that it has many, many uses – possibly suitable for any problem, but I do not know that for sure; It may be specifically for peace. Every day my understanding of it fleshes out a bit more, and I am certain that the time will come when the fulness of it is revealed to me. It’s an adventure!

Thanks for reading! Many Blessings To All…

LOTD

 

 

“If You Really Want To See…”

Himalayas (Photo credit: little byte of luck)

They termed him a “Confrontational Evangelist” in the documentary in which I saw him.

Men and women who bear this title will stand on a street corner, or a college campus, and loudly preach hell-fire and brimstone, waving the only true book, and taking on all challengers who question his or her’s assertions, like a prize-fighter in the ring. This person is passionate, and driven and, in their own heart and mind absolutely, infallibly right.

When their day is over, they go home to their husband or wife, have a bite to eat, then kick off their shoes . . . weary. Doing the work of their Lord is not easy, but they say their prayers with a peaceful heart, secure that the efforts will be pleasing to God, and may save some from eternal damnation.

Far away, in a remote cave in the Himalayas, a dirty and unkempt seeker will spend his or her life alone, in total silence, or perhaps in the practice of mantras from an ancient and sacred language. Eating and drinking barely enough to sustain the body, this person, too, is doing the work of God.

And in another part of the world, men and women will stop whatever they are doing several times a day, roll out a prayer mat, face east toward Mecca, and with their hands and knees upon the earth, will touch their foreheads to the ground in devotion to the one, true God.

Maybe at the same time, somewhere in a remote area of the American West, a man or woman that is what we call a Native American will look up at the starry, night sky in wonder, and sing his heart to the Great Mystery.

Yet another shall channel beings from other planets, or those who have passed on from our material plane, with messages of hope or warning. It is truth to the one who is speaking.

Shall I go on?

Some of these people will be labeled as fanatics, or crazy, or terrorists, or ignorant fools, and most of the labeling will come from those who risk little in the pursuit of God, and know very little that is factual about those beliefs that do not mirror their own.

If you really want to see, you have to stand very close to the edge of the precipice.

Each of the people I have written about will experience the touch of the Infinite power that underlies all that is, and holds the fabric of our existence together.

You tell me? If each one has love in their heart, and attempts to live with compassion, and endeavors to hurt no one – well, which one is “right?”

You do not know the answer to that question any more than I do, (assuming that it can be answered at all).

So, believe fervently in your own path if it is working for you, and walk in it with gratitude and grace – and allow others to walk in peace, too. To do more than this is to proclaim yourself to be the ultimate judge, and that is a dangerous tight-rope to walk.

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD

“Why…”

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Photo credit: Ben C.K. (Benck’s))

Why?

If you are bothering to take the time to read this, the least that you could do, for YOURSELF, is answer that question.

Why?

Why do you think the way that you think? Is it your thoughts, or the thoughts of others that you have heard since your youth? That answer could change your life.

Why?

Why do you imagine that you know the “truth,” knowing full well that “truth” is, and always has been, subjective; purely defined by an individual’s perspective. And yet you judge.

Why?

Speak not until you can honestly answer the “why?” And when honest evaluation comes, you will realize that we are ALL offending specks in the eyes of Creation. What you and I know would not fill a piss cup at the doctor’s office.

Open your heart, and the eyes of the greater awareness of which you are a part. Then you will see; and so much of what you deem as offensive, wrong, immoral, and destructive to humanity will no longer have substance. You will live in freedom and peace.

Just think about it.

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD

 

The Forest Will Move You . . . The Trees Only Distract…”

WordPress (Photo credit: Adriano Gasparri)

I’ve never made it to the “wall,” the home page of WordPress, the Web site that hosts my blog, as a featured blog, despite having written over 300 entries.

Probably because I write about “esoteric” subjects, and haven’t posted any neat travel pictures, or great recipes for chili, or eco-friendly solutions to world problems: (though I DO make an exceptional, home-made chili, using ground turkey).

Recently, (like yesterday), I researched the trending topics for blogs, and “spirituality” was in the bottom half of areas of interest. People aren’t thinking about the “big picture,” the forest; they are focused, instead, on the little trees of daily life.

I’m not sure that I would call that “living in the moment.” I would be more inclined to call it “majoring in the minors.”

When what is for dinner is more important than being an embodiment of compassion . . . Oh, forget it; this is falling apart. Whatever it was that I was attempting to convey is vaporizing.

The Kali Yuga . . . Google it. There is great opportunity before you, but there is an obscuring cloud that is hanging around you. If you push it aside, you will advance in your spiritual life in leaps and bounds. NOW is the time for “easier” spiritual advancement, but few there are that will make leap. If you choose to be one of those few, you will easily open doors to realms that people in other times will find practically impossible to breach.

Perspective, perspective, perspective. This is a somewhat haphazard post, yet there is something in it that someone needs to know. This isn’t what I expected to write – it fell apart. BUT, there is a kernel, a nugget, somewhere in what I have conveyed that will hit its mark. SOMEONE will stop being captivated by the trees, and see the forest as a whole that can lift them higher than they ever imagined.

Strive – NOW is the time. Give it some thought.

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD

“Return To Us…”

Off the coast of Pusan, South Korea: An F/A-18 Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron One Five One (VFA-151) breaks the sound barrier in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. VFA-151 is deployed aboard USS Constellation (CVN 64). This is an edited version (reduced grain). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have written numerous times that “God is Sound.” Here:

http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/god-is-sound/

http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/god-is-sound-part-ii/

http://risinghawk.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/god-is-sound-part-iii/

Now I am going to, sort of, refute what I have written.

The power we know as “God” is, in effect, SILENCE. “God” is only sound when that power is manifested in such a way that we can experience It with the five senses – touching, hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing – which also includes thoughts and feelings, (which are sound, in the class of inaudible vibrations).

Therefore, the vibrations of a mantra are solely for the manifestation of a particular “form,” or to create a specific set of circumstances or conditions. In this respect, “God as sound” is, for lack of a better term, a secondary realization of the Infinite.

You could say, esoterically speaking, that sound is a more “base” experience of Creation, (though still incredibly powerful).

You see, “God” is EVERYTHING, suspended in SILENCE.

SOUND is the tool given to us by Creation to use as a means to bring that which already exists as formless potential into a useable form. So, you could say that sound is the creative power of God, but that which we call “God” is Supreme silence.

As with many of the things that I write, this is a difficult concept.

Imagine a sound engineer, sitting at his mixing board. All of the parts of the song are complete, each on its own, individual track. One-by-one, the engineer turns off the volume of the song’s component parts: first the drums, then the bass, then the guitars, then the vocals, until all that is left is silence. The song is still playing, but you can’t hear it.

When all sound ceases, what remains? Silence . . . GOD.

REMOVE ALL THE NOISE, AND WHAT REMAINS IS THE INFINITE . . . GOD.

At this point, everything is still going on, but you are living in the space in-between – the silence – which is within us and holds EVERYTHING . . . every potential. When you need or desire something, all you do is turn up the volume of the appropriate vibration/sound, and stay with it until it comes to pass in your life.

The aspect of God that creates, the active power is, indeed, sound.  But the Supreme, the Infinite that holds all and experiences no lack, is SILENCE.

One could, I presume, reach a point where one existed solely in the sublime silence, the empty void that holds all, desiring nothing and fully one with the Infinite. But, essentially, such a person will have, in effect, “checked out,” and would no longer be a compassionate force to aid the beings on THIS plane, in these bodies within which we find ourselves constrained.

I encourage everyone to avail themselves of the sweet nectar of the silence that is God; to refresh and rejuvenate the body and mind. I encourage everyone to sit in silence until they can touch that place that is within them. Go there when you need to . . . but don’t stay there.

Take your refreshment, your “re-empowerment,” and then return to us with what you have learned, and with all of the love and compassion that you can muster. We need you.

Many Blessings To All…

LOTD