Archive for the 'Enlightenment' Category

We Are Creators – Awaken Your Abilities of Creating Abundance

Who is the real you?

Is it under the mask that you wear? Is it the face that you find in the darkest hours of the night? The parts you show no one else? Or is it the spiritual self?

Who is it?

The truth is it’s all “real” – the mask, the deeper aspects, the facade – all of it. We create our world, and it is a many layered one. Even the so called real self – the spiritual self is only realized by us when we choose to pay attention to it. It is still there if we do not – we simply lose our connection to it. The same goes for anything.

Energy goes where attention flows.

Just because something is hidden doesn’t make it more real -just because something is obvious doesn’t make it less real. Sometimes we get so caught up in the mystery that we want to deny what is right up in front of our nose.

We realize power when we choose to give power to the aspects that we want to grow. The parts of us that we want and desire to illuminate.

This is the reason that people can get trapped in trying to be aware. When we are simply aware of what we have always known we get trapped in our “story”. All the reasons why we are who we are. It is awareness – but it is awareness limited to a certain space – a limited area of our mind.

Expanded awareness is literally that. It is to stretch our awareness of ourselves to see what else is there. When we look over the hills we realize there is more to us than we thought.

For people who are not used to stretching their awareness in this way it will seem like there is nothing to stretch – we may understand the concept but not the reality – how it feels to stretch. This is as it should be. In fact – this is how the stretch feels in the beginning. Like we don’t understand. Like it is unknown. A kind of void.

The greatest folly of the human ego is to think that because it doesn’t understand something that it is not worth or possible to ever grasp. And so it continues to do what it has always done.

Stretching consciousness begins with imagination. Imagination takes us into the unknown and begins to make sense of it. In the beginning we need to look and almost guess for what else is there in our minds and senses.

How many aspects of yourself are there? How many “truths?”

How many masks?

There may be one for family, one for work, one for sport, one for catching the bus, one for driving, one for shopping. Then there is angry one, the tolerant one, the obliging one, the fun one, the serious one, the perceptive one, the ignorant one, the arrogant one, the humble one, the spiritual one, the crude one. How many can we have?

The mind is infinite. We can keep on creating another aspect for another occasion just like that.

We truly are creators aren’t we?

Creativity and life are inseparable – and where would creativity lead without imagination?

A spiritual person becomes spiritual not because they have no masks or because they have no “non-spiritual” attributes (whatever the hell they are!). A person becomes spiritual because they focus their energy and attention on that part of themselves which they would define as spiritual.

A person becomes courageous not because they have no fear, but because they focus their energy and attention on that part of themselves that aligns with courage.

What we call a mask is often defined only because it is at the very least semi acceptable in our society. What we often label our “true” or deeper self is usually only the parts that we are afraid or ashamed to reveal to other people. None of this actually makes any of these selves our true self! They are still all just reflections of society. We’ve just assumed that the hidden self must be true and that the mask must be false. What if they’re all masks?

Moving on a moment.

The myth of the pure seeker is what holds so many back from being what they truly want to be. They believe that they must be purified of their “taint” before they can be “good.”

In truth we bring the “light” to the “darkness” and then we can see clearly.

In other words – focus on your solution – on your goal and destination and all else will fall into place.

Pure awareness will not take you to your goals unless that in itself is your goal. We need awareness plus conscious direction.

If we are trapped in a cycle, a pattern or “story” we can play this out until eternity if we choose to simply remain aware of this part of reality. Acknowledge where you are – but focus on where you want to go.

Be there now and you will draw it to you.

Here is an exercise to stretch your awareness into a direction of conscious and nurturing empowerment. It will help you to move out of cycles or patterns you are ready to leave.

Connect to all the reasons that you cannot achieve what you want in life. Feel all the emotions and feelings that hold you back. Be aware of all the reasons why you are “not good enough.”

Sit in it for a moment – right now.

Allow your awareness to encompass it all – all your feelings, thoughts, emotions. All the hurt, doubts and pain.

Take as long as you need to connect.

Hear what you are thinking. How does it make you feel? Feel how you’re feeling – how do you react to this?

Let yourself be in it.

Observe how you “sit” in it. How you react, think and feel “in it.”

Now imagine a feeling, a consciousness, an energy – however you would like to define it – imagine this consciousness as one that can hold all of the hurt, the doubt and pain. Imagine how this consciousness has to feel, how expansive it needs to be, how gentle and nurturing and sincerely compassionate it is to be easily capable of holding all that you are in it’s embrace.

No matter how guilty or unworthy you may feel. No matter the hurt, the doubt, the pain. This consciousness is able to hold you easily. It’s compassion is totally unconditional. It’s love is totally unconditional. Total acceptance.

Observe this feeling.

Do not be concerned with how weak or strong this feeling should or shouldn’t be. Simply imagine and know that your mind is beginning to connect with it.

Let yourself feel it.

It is there. You simply need to look.

Infinite compassion and love. The very definition of unconditional support and acceptance.

It meets all your pain, all your doubts and fears exactly how they are.

It asks no more of them than to be how they are.

Let yourself be here now.

Take how ever long you wish.

To some this is god. To others their higher self, or spirit. The name is unimportant. It is the meaning that has power. The strength of our connection to this essence is through how much we can learn to open our minds to it. Open our minds and pay attention. Attention expands and nurtures the connection between you and spirit. The more we nurture the connection, the clearer we perceive spirit or god.

Most people who have been in a cycle or pattern have been feeding and putting energy into the conduit between themselves and their patterns of pain, hurt, doubt and fear. By connecting to the essence that is able to embrace us no matter who we are and what we are feeling – we learn to heal that pain and to find a better way to live.

Life does not have to be about more and more suffering and I challenge anyone to truly question themselves if they believe it is. If you practiced the technique above then you already have insight into a connection that can truly empower you. Responsibility and choice are all that are needed to continue to strengthen that connection. Practice is all that it takes to make the connection permanent.

We are all creators. The choice is given to us in every moment. If we are conscious we have the opportunity to move out of a cycle. If we a unconscious we will continue to move in the patterns that we are in.

What do you want? Pain or joy? Self-hate? or Love? For me the answer has always been clear. The application of that answer simply requires knowledge and practice. You now have the means to both.

Hieu Doan

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Way of the Shape Shifter – The Secrets of the Shamans

The power in practicing shape shifting is in training our minds to become more than what they believe they can be. The object of shifting is not so important as much as the experiences learned from the shifting.

For example, to imagine and feel that we are a dog we need to let go of certain attachments. We need to expand and focus our imagination. We need to stretch our mind to areas it is unfamiliar with. We contend with feelings of ridiculousness, feelings of doubt. In the face of these resistances we have the opportunity to train and strengthen our visualization and focus and ability to flow.

Beginners on the spiritual path often say that they want to connect to spirit but don’t know where to start – the way seems to elude them. Why not then start with what eludes us? Shape shifting directs our mind to become what it has trouble fathoming. It is the same with spirit.

There is always something more. The conscious mind believes it has seen it all – it becomes complacent then asks why meaning is lacking or why the answers don’t add up. Stretching the mind is the way to keep the mind growing.

Emotions and feelings are what make us who we are. Our decisions come from the desire to fulfill these emotions and feelings.

All these attachments are like various shapes – they come through us and in order to move through we must make ourselves into the appropriate shape or form – then they can move through.
Remember what mind mastery is. It is the ability to move the mind, stop the mind, focus the mind and imagine. What does shape-shifting teach us? It teaches us these very things.

A mind that has stopped does not believe that it can move beyond what it believes “reality” to be. Shape shifting shows the mind that concentrated imagination can surpass what we believe reality is.

Most people have never tried shape shifting before. The very idea seems ludicrous. A perfect training ground for developing mastery. If we do not learn to move beyond the voices of doubt and ridicule within, then we will never master ourselves. Learn to move past the inner doubt and external world critics will have no power over you either.

The power of shape-shifting comes from learning the principles behind how to become many forms. When we understand the principle, we realize that the form itself is not important and we become formless. Each shape we shift into teaches us to let go of who we currently believe ourselves to be and become something that we have always believed we are not. We train to make the impossible possible.

The exact same principles are used in mastering emotions. We become fixed in emotions because we believe that this is all that is possible. When we understand how to stretch what is possible our belief is changed. It is the same with anything that we believe we can’t do – but once we’ve done it again and again then we know without a doubt that we can.

It is all mind.

Work with this exercise:

Pick an object – any object at all.

Focus on it and imagine yourself becoming it.

Feel how you imagine it feels.

“See” how you imagine it would “see”.

“Hear” how you imagine it would “hear.”

If this is the first time you have done it and this exercise eludes you then this is a good sign! It shows that your mind is striving to comprehend something that it presently cannot – it means you are stretching it. Simply keep going with the exercise. Let your doubts be as they are and just focus on the object. Allow the main bulk of your mind as much as possible to be on the object. What ever your level is with this exercise – it is working. Your imagination is being activated, your focus is being exercised – your mind is learning to move.

Observe the object with all your senses.

What is it’s texture?

How does it’s structure feel?

Move your mind into it. Feel the depth and density of it.

Feel and observe the detail of it.

Observe any images, any impressions that you feel or see. Acknowledge them and continue to observe the object.

Become one with it.

Allow yourself to surrender to the merging.

The more regularly you practice this the easier it will become. Remember that what is important is not your doubts about the exercise but whether you continue to focus and imagine anyway.

We can practice shape shifting anywhere. On the train, bus, sitting at home. I’d suggest not doing it while driving a car – states of consciousness can shift rapidly and dramatically with this technique.

Be creative. Practice with people, inanimate objects, tangible and intangible. It’s about training our mind to realize that it is more than it currently believes. This realization increases our ability to act, to create and manifest in spite of doubts and insecurities.

If you have wondered why certain avenues, opportunities or mind states seemed unavailable to you, the practice of shape shifting will open your eyes and mind to understanding why and furthermore allow you to achieve these things.

Hieu Doan

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The Preciousness of Despair – Transforming into Empowerment

Unconditional love is deeply understood in the light of our darkest hours.

It is here that we are finally given the opportunity to extend – to stretch our capacity for unconditional love and acceptance of ourselves.

Loving ourselves when everything is peachy is a cakewalk. It’s when everything is going to the toilet that we really see the depth of our love. It is when we are suffering and are in darkness that we have the greatest opportunity to provide light and nurturing.

The first step as with all things is to simply see. To acknowledge despair for what it is. To feel it for what it is. To fully grasp the moment for what it is. That we are deep in despair.

In the truth of our experience we can then move with honesty – and from honest beginnings we produce honest results.

Know that it takes more than mere cursory acknowledgement – more than simply saying or thinking “yes I am in despair.” The root of despair is feeling – and it is feeling where we must meet it.

It takes full faith to surrender to your inner self. Full faith to know that you are going in. Only by going in – entering that place can you fully understand it. It speaks in feeling and so we must listen in feeling.

Faith is needed to know that when you let your self go. When you surrender – that you will find yourself again. In truth you cannot be lost – but in the moments of despair our perception of this truth is lost. We dispel the illusion by going in.

Nothing will be lost – because nothing can be lost. Faith is a perception that we create because we believe that we do not know. We cannot lose ourselves as long as we remember that there is nothing to lose. Loss too only exists in the realization of it.

All revolution must start where the resistance is.

Working with resistance we find movement – then transformation.

Start where you are. In the depth of despair.� Know it well. Feel it.

From here there are many paths to move. Many methods to transform. But during the transition take careful note. What are the patterns in place that would stop or hinder you from transcending? What are the thoughts, the feelings, the voices that would ridicule, fill you with hopelessness or doubt? These too are children of despair. Hear them, understand them – but know that they are not the only voices that have power.

We can move from despair even with one voice, one weakened thought or breath.

Who is the person that chooses to focus on and thus feed what we choose to feed?

It is your choice when to focus – when to move.

The choice to love is the difference between continual suffering and meeting our despair with understanding. The power of choice gives us freedom – but only when despair is understood.

Hieu Doan

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How to Expand Consciousness – Creating the Tools for Higher Consciousness

Expanded consciousness is flexible consciousness. It is consciousness that can quite literally stretch and move effortlessly and easily. Flexibility of the mind is about choices. A person who trains their muscles to stretch will be able to move efficiently in ways and perform actions with a greater range of movement than when the muscles were untrained. Similarly in learning to stretch our minds we will be able to do things that we were unable to do when we keep it in a rigid state. This is not to say that rigid states are not of value, it is simply to say that with flexibility we have the option to be rigid, gentle, mentally resilient, creative, intuitive, responsive, sensitive, genuine, playful, loving, caring and free. Furthermore, just like the muscle that is flexible will be less prone to injury, the mind that is used to stretching and expanding will also gain this benefit. Granted the injury of the mind arises from the perception that it is wounded. What is actually happening is that it is losing it’s familiar form. It believes that the new forms are negative and so it perceives injury. In any case, a flexible mind gains the ability to realize that it cannot truly be wounded and the freedom from this most basic fear also allows it to experience more than it could ever imagine.

Expanded consciousness is a consciousness that allows itself to perceive more. It is exploring and stretching the fringes of itself. It is exploring, moving and delving into the heart of itself.

In this society many of us have permitted ourselves to become carbon copies. We have a perception about what an “in control,” “successful”, “happy” or “spiritual” person should be and we try to fit ourselves into this mold. The problem is, because we get into the game of wanting to fit the mold, we deny the reality (or illusion) as it actually is. To get anywhere we need to start where we are.

Who we are and the image of who we are are two very different things.

So what constitutes a flexible mind? Look at what we have told ourselves we should and should not be. How many of us never let ourselves cry because we believe that it is weak? How many of us repress anger because we have been told it is wrong? How many of us keep a “brave” or “good” face simply to preserve an image or perception? These are simple everyday examples of where we control our consciousness and command it to not step out of line. Not only do these repressed emotions cause physical problems in the body, they affirm that we need to fear these aspects of ourselves. We must face this fear in order to transcend it. We must transcend it in order to experience freedom.

Let yourself feel your emotions. Acknowledge what they are. Do not get trapped in the game of pride saying you should feel this and not that. Simply feel.

Expanding our usual routine to encompass more feeling frees up a lot of energy. At the same time it stretches our perception of ourselves. The more we expand the more energy that we get.

Work with this exercise:

Observe your body. Feel your posture, notice your breathing, watch your thoughts and emotions.

Observe.

Seek neither peace, order or chaos. Simple observe what is with a neutral, objective mind.

Begin to feel, see and imagine yourself expanding out.

Feel as if you have an energetic skin that is expanding out and becoming giant.

See yourself as big as your town, then your city, then your state, then your country.

See yourself holding the planet in the palm of your hand.

Keep expanding. How expansive can you become?

Remember that the secret of visualization is to simply do it. If it seems unclear or if you seem to have doubts, just let them be. We are pushing our minds to stretch and expand. If it feels elusive at first then you’re doing it right. If you have doubts, then you’re doing it right. The main thing is to maintain a connection to the visualization no matter how small it may seem at first. Know that your mind exists at this frequency of expansion right now. You are simply tuning into it.

We are not seeking to diminish who we are – we are simply experiencing that there is more.

From the vantage point of holding the planet in your hand take a look at all the things that you have perceived to be your problems. How do they feel now? Take a look at how different situations and experiences both internal and external are affecting your energy. From this expanded perspective, observe and ask yourself how you could best get from where you are now to where you want to go. Know that this expanded consciousness can give you the answer as easily as you can know that turning a door handle will open the door.

Hieu Doan

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The Quickening – The Acceleration of Spiritual Evolution and Consciousness on Planet Earth

The Quickening is a phenomena being used particularly in spiritual circles to describe a building of energy toward a particular destination. This build up of energy could be compared to the build up of an audience before a rock concert or the gathering of energy as an athlete or groups of athletes prepare for an event. In this case the Quickening refers to the direction of the planet’s group consciousness as a whole. This is not to say that it is everyone’s destiny. It is more to say that this is where the biggest “waves” are happening at this part of the galaxy.

The Quickening or for that matter any acceleration of energy is about pressure. It is simply a build of momentum and direction. Spirit refers to a subtler energy and because it is subtler it is able to penetrate into more substances. For example if we were to look at a stone: it’s energy is quite dense it’s structure is unable to mix with dirt very well. Spiritual energy refers to an energy that is finer than air – it is able to mix with and infuse with dirt, stones, humans, this planet and the kitchen sink. For this reason spiritual energy is said to be everywhere and in everything. This is also congruent with the practice of raising our vibration. What we are actually doing is making our density finer. The finer or subtler we are capable of becoming the more options we have to move our consciousness around the place. We also gain the opportunity to shift into a different dimension which is essentially what the Quickening is about.

Alchemy describes everything as being on the path to the original Source – give or take a couple of scenic routes and rest stops. Being true to ourselves seems to minimize the rests stops, decrease time spent in areas that aren’t congruent with the our truth and generally accelerate our journey toward the Source. This is expressed on this planet as more people wanting to realize life purpose, have meaningful relationships and generally waste less time experiencing things that have little meaning to us. This would also be the reason why interest in personal development, spiritual growth and so on is becoming more popular. When people are unsatisfied they either put up with it or look for answers. The growing trend in interest towards personal and spiritual development means that there are more people looking for answers. The really interesting thing is that people are finding them. There was a time where the personal and spiritual development field was looking a little flaky. There was a lot that seemed like pure fantasy and other stuff that people just found too difficult to integrate into their daily lives. The desire for methods which were effective and applicable for everyone, began to manifest the resources that we have available today. In truth the door to the higher self, spiritual realization, emotional mastery and effortless manifestation has always been there for everyone. It is just that understanding how to open that door is becoming easier and simpler. This too is something that is becoming more obvious as we seek to be true to ourselves.

There is a period of adapting where the body and mind in general is “stretching” and getting used to accommodating the expansion of consciousness. The body is learning to be open to the finer and faster frequencies of energy. This energy has always been available to us – the ears and eyes of our body and mind are just learning to see and hear it. It’s part of our truth and so as we seek our truth it is revealed. Energy is a communication – a cause and effect. Whether dense or subtle all energy interacts. Our body and mind is simply learning to interact at another level. We are adding another dimension to our consciousness. We are not necessarily detracting or diminishing the denser realities – we are simply adding more. Hence the term expanded consciousness.

Having issues within relationships, workplaces and so on is not always directly the issue with being true to ourselves – more to the point it is the perception that we are unable to experience certain truths while in those relationships or workplaces. Sometimes we may need to close those doors in order to open up others. Sometimes we may need to work with what and where we are in order to gain the wisdom which is inherent in all experiences. This enables us to experience a part of ourselves that perhaps had been hidden. The external world of experience leads us to the internal world of cause and effect.

Work with this exercise for adaptation to the Quickening:

Observe yourself. Notice your posture, breathing, thoughts and emotions.

Let the thoughts, feelings and emotions come at you as fast as they need.

Grasp nothing. Allow all that comes to ebb flow.

Invite it to come faster. Seek to comprehend nothing. Let comprehension come and go.

Let thought and feeling, sight and sound to move through you at the speed of light.

Intellectualize nothing. Let ideas, thoughts and inspiration come and go.

Let go of letting go.

Allow yourself to be open to the full acceleration of consciousness.

This method is seemingly the opposite of the detailed investigation which occurs in deep observation. In actual practice they are the same. Acceleration and deceleration of energy is happening simultaneously in our consciousness. By specifically following the path of acceleration we are simply directing the mind to one specific stream of what exists in the consciousness. When we come back to our “normal” consciousness we find that our range of motion has lengthened and expanded. It’s all about stretching the mind. With each stretch we explore new knowledge and ground, moving closer and closer to inner freedom. This is what the Quickening is truly about.

Hieu Doan

*Those of us who are experiencing tumultuous times may notice that this exercise helps to create a feeling and aura of inner peace – in spite of the chaos. In essence this is because the practice tunes us into the frequency of the Quickening. We are connecting and moving with the flow instead of resisting it.

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Manifesting God – Awakening the Consciousness of the Universal Creator

Most of my life has been one of independent spirituality. I have believed in divine entities, I have believed in dimensions other than this one, but I have always had a deep belief that God was within me – that true power was within me. Through years of practicing realization and manifestation I began to experience a different, seemingly contradictory yet perfect perspective on this.

My consciousness determines the type of God if any that I experience.

I’ve always been a “prove it” kind of guy which has amused many of my teachers, especially in my younger years who knew that time, practice and experience and nothing else would bear me the answers that I demanded. I’m still that same person, I’m still as stubborn as an ox, yet experiences have humbled and changed me in ways that I could never have imagined.

Although I still count myself as an apprentice on the path of self-discovery, when I look back I realize that in many ways I have worked through a lot. I remember once remarking to a teacher that no matter how far I proceeded that I still felt like I was at the bottom of the “mountain”. His answer to me? “At least you’ve found your mountain!” The realization of this was profound for me. Not only did I feel a natural sense of gratitude for the journey that I’d had the opportunity to walk up until then. I also felt a deep sense of accomplishment that all the years of confusion, trial and error and questions had led to – well, more confusion, trial and error and questions! But the gist of what I’m saying is that I realized the context – a bigger picture into which all of this fits in. From this point on, I skipped along for many more years, confident in the fact that even when things seemed chaotic I had the principles and fundamentals to surf those waves and generally minimize my “wipe-outs.” Well the universe certainly has ways of showing us. Just when we think we’ve seen it all it goes: ” Yeah? You think that’s something? Take a look at this!” But I’m getting ahead of myself. A little bit more on how I came to this juncture.

I’ve gained a lot from a wide variety of spiritual, esoteric and personal development methods and I’ve always felt intuitively that all the esoteric schools and teachings shared core principles. I could just feel it in my bones. There is a particular energy through which is congruent. I’ve never had a problem with belief in connecting to spiritual guides, entities through shamanic healing, meditation and the like. It’s just that I’d always done so on my own terms. I would take what I needed and direct the energy and knowledge myself rather than trust the consciousness of any particular spiritual entity.

During my practice in manifestation and in particular realization concepts I was getting very strong messages from my intuition to connect to a particular energy. I put it off for about a year. The message I was sending back to my intuition was basically: “Life’s good, you’ve given me what I need, I don’t need to go no further!” My intuition’s retort to this was: “If you’re so right then why are you asking so many questions?”

One day I decided to just go up and explore.

In my quest for meditation, manifestation and empowerment I had reached a point where I was seeing profound results yet I wanted to make the process effortless. I knew that it could be easy. My intuition chose to throw me the curve ball at this moment: “What if there is a power that can do all this for you? Effortlessly and easily? This consciousness and power will exist if you realize it. If you let yourself see it. If not then continue doing what you’ve been doing, but stop bothering me with your questions already!”

It was that gap in my belief system that allowed me to experience something that I’d never let myself experience before.

I call it God, because it feels more directed and conscious then the universe at large which is chaotic in it’s order. There is a definite consciousness of unconditional love and deep empowerment that exists within this God Force. The trick is: God exists in the realization of God. Without realization our end of the “phone-line” is turned off. We need to engage our senses and imagine them connecting to God.

This is where our perception and beliefs of God begin to come in. I for one choose not to connect to a God that punishes and chastises me. I’ve chosen to realize a God that fills my body with healing light, clarity, empowerment and knowledge – and so that’s what I get. In a sense there is a similarity in the concept of connecting to God and in realizing the God within ourselves. The difference and this is a pretty big advantage, is that most of us have so many doubts in our own worthiness of love that we do not give ourselves love. On the other hand it seems easier in this world to give our power out to other people, gurus, teachers, masters and Gods. Yes it is interesting that we are less likely to forgive and love ourselves unconditionally as we are to believe that there is a God that will love us regardless of our “flaws.” Just as interesting is that in my work I’ve found that it is often easier to clear beliefs about God than it is to clear deep emotional blocks within ourselves. This little quirk gives us a great opportunity to create an autonomous healing, loving, empowerment “machine.” For those of us who have come from a less religious path, myself included it will be an interesting journey – there is no doubt about that. It took me several weeks to raise and clear several perceptions that I had about God – namely that God was an old man with a beard, realizing that I hated God, ridiculing God and established religion in general and of course that God did not exist. Pretty amazing stuff considering I’d been aware for some time about the effect these types of emotions and beliefs had on the psyche and consciousness in general. Interestingly I had not been consciously aware of my perceptions towards this subject at all until I actively interacted with it.

When I look at the progression of this journey I am beginning to see the trick that I am playing on myself. Namely that I am God – we all are, and yet in the consciousness and personas that we usually play we also are not God. The infinite nature of consciousness encompasses the reality of all dimensions. Being God and not being God. Realizing God and not realizing God. God existing and God not existing. If we believe in God or a God force then we will have access to the power we perceive this force to have. If not, we don’t.

Hieu Doan

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The Power of the Physical Path – Part 1 (Also good for back pain!)

Physical methods of engineering the body for spiritual and personal development purposes work with the principles of manipulating energy flow. While meditation works primarily with the mind to lead energy and could be described as working from the inside out, physical methods such as Hatha yoga, Tai Chi, Shiatsu, Kinesiology, certain types of massage and Tantra to name a few work from the outside in. At specific stages of development depending on the school, method and teacher the two paths will meet. At more advanced stages all paths are realized as being paths of the mind.

It is valuable to understand the effect that the body has on the mind because by observing the cause and effect we learn how to master the mind. We gain the opportunity to move the mind in different ways, investigate various effects and explore an expanded and “deeper” aspect to ourselves. Even for those of us who are deeply committed to the internal, mental path cross research and experience on the “external” or physical path, can often reveal knowledge that could have taken years to understand by purely following the internal. There are many, many places where the two paths will seem like one and the same.

One of the most basic methods for understanding the mind/body connection is through guided relaxation.

Clench your fist for a moment.

Unclench and allow it to totally relax.

Observe this feeling of relaxation.

Feel it release.

Now apply this sensation of relaxation to your lower back but without physically tensing or relaxing. Do it with your mind and directed imagination.

Whether you were able to elicit the same degree of relaxation is not important. What is important is to feel a level of relaxation being created in your lower back area. Relaxing the hand was more of an “external” practice and relaxing the back more of an “internal” practice. Of course the two are both inextricably linked, it is simply that one uses an obvious level of muscular movement and the other a subtler one. The subtler, more internal practice is what will take us beyond the body simply because it does not rely on the body for movement. This type of mind understands how to move in and out of the body. Spiritual energy is essentially a subtle energy, so it is able to move into the dense areas of the body as well as of course the higher levels of emotion, mind and consciousness. For this reason neither methods is “more spiritual” than the other. All methods and ways have the opportunity to connect to spirit. All that is required is the willingness to look.

Using this external method of practice allows us to loosen the density of our muscles and body enough that we begin to feel subtle flows of energy. Through practice we can take these method and develop it to the level where we can relax any area of the body completely which can lead to a looseness that we had as a child. From here it is easier to make the stretch to connect to yet subtler energies. This is where people have developed skills in astral projection, higher self connections as well as psychic skills. Interestingly “naturals” tend to not necessarily need to learn relaxation in order to connect to subtle energy. This is congruent with practitioners who at higher levels find that they can connect to meditative states anywhere at anytime. In truth these states are there all the time, it is simply that we are no longer distracted by “noise”, tension or emotions. We simply reach out and tune in. This by the way is what directed imagination can help us achieve even at a beginning level. By matching the imaginative “template” of what we are seeking or listening for we open up a gate into that mind state.

The method of physical relaxation is best practiced lying down comfortably. Practice tuning into your body by physically tensing then relaxing each part of your body. Explore how much you can release each part. When you believe you can relax no further see if you can gently breath into these parts to release even more.

Explore this exercise:

Lying down comfortably on you back observe your breathing.

Clench both hands into fists for a moment.

Release and relax.

Move your mind into the feeling of relaxation and letting go.

Clench you forearms for a moment.

Release and relax.

Gently guide your conscious and body to release even further.

Easily and without too much strain open your mouth as wide as you can. Feel your face muscles stretching
.
Release and relax.

Gently and easily tense your neck muscles.

Release and relax.

Continue this way with your chest area, upper back, lower back, hips, groin area, thighs, shins and feet.

Take your time.

If you should feel impatient at any time simply allow this emotion to be and keep your mind on the feeling of relaxation.

Allow your body to feel heavy.

Allow it to sink into the surface upon which you are resting.

Observe the way the energy in your body is now flowing.

Observe how your mind is feeling.

Don’t be concerned if you fall asleep or start getting tired. This is very normal for this exercise and in fact is a good method to use if you have problems getting to sleep. For the purposes of maintaining consciousness during the exercise, see if you can practice it in the morning after waking and washing your face or perhaps at some other time during the day. The aim is to become familiar with different frequencies of energy within the body as well as to form a connection between the physical and the mental. At times see if you can achieve the same state of relaxation without tensing the muscles first but through pure mind. Eventually this practice will allow you to move through the usual prerequisites of relaxation, silence and concentration and connect to whatever state of mind that you wish regardless. This is a fundamental step of experiencing a movement through illusion and so is an important principle of realizing empowerment.

Hieu Doan

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The Power of the Physical Path Pt2 – Evolving the Body

Mind and body harmony plays an integral part to sustaining growth and understanding on spiritual and personal development paths. Too much growth too soon is perceived by the body as stress. If the body and mind is not able to adapt quickly enough to this stress then it reacts with dis-ease.

I’m often asked that if all it takes to be healed or be enlightened is to believe then why aren’t people there already. The answer to that is because even though people think they believe the belief is not even skin deep. Belief that exists only at the intellectual level has not been integrated at the subconscious or physical level. This is illustrated by the way we react to sensations of various emotions at the physical level. Our body releases a certain biochemical and we say we feel this way, another chemical and we react that way. Anyone who has ever done regular exercise can attest to the change in perception that arises after a certain period of time. It is possible to raise our level of lactic acid tolerance not only at the intellectual level but at the physical level. The same adapting occurs when we work in stressful environments. Given enough time we will survive and keep on moving.

Bringing in high levels of subtle energy can sometimes result in disease, rashes, headaches and so on. This is because the organic body has not yet adapted to the influx of energy. This is the reason why many esoteric schools from yoga and qigong develop the body in conjunction with the subtler energy flows. The thing is that even if we are not deliberately practicing any energy building meditation, we are still engaging in experiences that are eliciting growth, expansion and adaptation. It may be personal development of any kind, work, family, social or otherwise.

We’ve already discussed basic physical relaxation in the first part of this article. Another gentle yet highly effective method to release knots of tension, energy and blockages in the body is through a technique known as “bouncing.”

Begin by standing with feet and legs about shoulder width. Keep your knees slightly bent throughout the entire exercises.

Allow your arms to hang by your sides.

Keep a balance of relaxation and tension while allowing your weight to just sink into the ground.

Keeping your feet flat on the ground and using only your knees begin to “bounce” the rest of your body gently.

Flow into a gentle rhythm of bouncing.

As you reach the bottom of the bounce allow the natural rhythm to bring you back up.

Observe your body. This exercise is designed to feel good. Allow your body to show you how it would like to bounce. Allow it to show you how fast and the rhythm.

Allow your consciousness to move with your body.

This exercise is able to gently “move out” and dissolve blocks and tension in muscles in a way that is nurturing and supportive of your body. By learning to observe how our body would like to “bounce” we open up a medium of communication. There is no “right” textbook way to perform this exercise. The right way is in fact the way that makes our body feel good. Often the exercise can shift from a vertical type of bouncing to a more horizontal plane kind of gentle shaking( still standing upright but shaking the shoulders/torso back and forth with the spine as the central column). The key here is that blockages are removed gently and within parameters that our body and mind perceive as positive and nurturing. As excess tension is released from areas our meridians and other energetic pathways are opened up. The result is a more effective communication throughout our body, an increased ability to adapt to growth, a heightened understanding of this growth and knowledge that is coming in and more energy in general.

Hieu Doan

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The Power of Mindfulness Pt1 – Creating the Meditation Mind State

Mindfulness means being present right here, right now. To enact positive changes and direction in our life we need to start where we are. We need to be present. A mind that is “playing” the part of being undisciplined will think of the past, fantasize about the future and perpetuate emotional patterns. This is a kind of game that if we allow it to continue, will continue indefinitely. By realizing a mind that is disciplined and directing that mind to being mindful we give ourselves the opportunity to re-program our entire blueprint.

The simplest way to become mindful of the here and now is to begin to observe the sensations and feelings of the body. This is also an effective method to integrating a basic level of mindfulness meditation in everyday life. We can observe our posture, the weight of our body, the feeling of our muscles and facial expression, lungs breathing, the sensation of the air and so on. As we develop this skill we will notice how different experiences trigger different sensations in our body. We notice the cause and effect of external reality and our inner reality. The thing is because we are observing there is a part of our consciousness already that has ceased with the knee jerk reaction that it is accustomed to. Instead of reacting instantaneously there is a part that is simply observing and listening. A certain degree of peace is created simply from this action of this objective observation alone and there is also the opportunity to bring this essence to a deeper level and realize a deep sense of healing and release.

There are two basic methods for mindfulness practice. The seated meditation approach is used in Vipassana develops this principle to a very deep level and in most schools focuses on very little else. Mindfulness is also used in many esoteric schools from Hermetic, Gnosticism and Taoism to modern day methods such as NLP and Transpersonal Counseling. The difference between a deep level of mindfulness and a more gross or obvious level of mindfulness is the degree to which our mind actually experiences the dissolution of our perceptions and illusions. Deep mindfulness allows the practitioner to penetrate their mind into itself and their bodies and observe the very matter that makes us who we think we are. We experience the gap between pain and suffering and pleasure and craving. We observe all the seemingly solidness of our bodies dissolve into a free flow of atoms. The more solid or gross level of mindfulness allows us to observe what we are doing, how we are feeling and thinking, but it has not developed the degree of penetration to show us why and how on an atomic and energetic level we are creating our inner experiences.

To practice deep mindfulness generally requires that we sit in a position that we will be able to stay in for anything from 5 minutes or more. People on Vipassana retreats usually practice for at least 13 hours a day. The practice itself is simple, doing it can be quite a challenge.

This is the structure of basic mindfulness meditation:

Minimize all distractions.

Closed or half closed eyes.

Try not to move during the duration of the meditation.

Beginning at the top of the head or the tips of the toes systematically observe any sensations whatever they may be and slowly make your way through the body. Repeat and repeat again – and again.

If there are any areas where we feel and perceive nothing or seemingly “blank” areas, we simply keep our mind there for a minute or so then continue. There is feeling there it is just that our minds have not realized the necessary degree of sensitivity yet. With practice we give the mind the opportunity to see through this illusion too.

In due time the body or should I say the mind will begin to complain and manifest a perception of suffering in the form of pain, frustration and so on. Thoughts such as “this is ridiculous” and “what am I doing?” are quite common. Keep in mind though that the deeper and louder complaints usually come up the longer you sit. The manifestation of these complaints or aversions gives the practitioner the opportunity to make peace with them. By continually observing these sensations neutrally we begin to stop perpetuating our reaction to them. In time we stop reacting totally. At this stage we experience the sensation for what it is – free from reaction. Many people report that this is the first time that they have ever experienced pain as a separate entity from suffering. It is a powerful experience to realize that we can experience a sensation that we usually associate with aversion and suffering and yet at no level of mind or body do we experience suffering. This is a totally different experience from simply tolerating pain. There is no pretence here.

The separation of reaction from our sensations is not being separate from our experience. We are actually far closer to our experience. We are right next to it because we are without the filter of our perception. The effect on our emotional patterns is also profound. Where we once tolerated or controlled certain emotions we begin to find that we no longer have an aversion or craving for those emotional sensations. We may feel them, yet we do not react to them. Again this is experienced at a level where we do not simply tolerate or control unwanted emotions. There is no pretence. Continuing to observe we begin to experience a subtler level of our sensations. We realize that even the most solid and sustaining pain has a flow within it. We realize that even the most seemingly eternal of emotions is being created, dying and recreated. Going deeper we observe that the matter that we are is all a mass of atoms. We actually observe these atoms buzzing. In the process we have realized a mind that is capable of penetrating to this depth. The truth is that this mind has always existed but we had simply believed that it did not so we never used it or experienced it.

At this most basic level of energy we have the opportunity and the ability to literally let go of patterns at the root level. Working with issues at the intellectual level works to an extent but because the cells of our body still holds the belief or blueprint the issue simply grows anew. Penetrating to the deepest level we let go of the issue and transform at the root level. It is full resolution.

*Part 2 will discuss the second method of mindfulness.

Hieu Doan

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The Power of Mindfulness Pt2

The power of mindfulness is the opportunity it provides us to experience inner peace, but peace can only come from meeting with each aspect and part of ourselves. Often during seated mindfulness meditation we only face certain aspects. Daily life where we are busy, have stimuli that we react to with stress, interaction with people and so on brings up a different type of experience to be mindful to. Often practitioners may experience deep levels of transcendence and as a result peace during seated meditation and then totally lose it in every day life. This experience has been noted from some very experienced meditators, monks and ascetics as well as lay practitioners. What has occurred is that the mind has not yet been given the opportunity to move through the energetic frequencies of everyday life.

When it comes to meditation it is a huge trap to believe that there is nothing to gain from everyday, “mundane” and stressful experience. Our children may be crying and yelling, our boss may be antagonizing us, we may be concerned with finances, traffic and the general state of the world. Even more worrying we look at ourselves and we observe that we have these petty concerns, we are jealous about the neighbor’s new lawnmower, we are still fuming at that red Volkswagon that cut us off and we’re beating ourselves up for not getting all our “stuff” together. This sure doesn’t seem like the spiritual growth that we’ve heard about! The pain seems even larger because our silent, daily meditation seems to be going well. Our practice then feels futile. On the one hand we find peace when we find sanctuary and make time to meditate on the other hand this does not seem to carry out into our every day life.

In our deepest meditations when we experience a sensation we learn to observe it and so we gain the opportunity to move deeper into it. Without the sensation or “object” to observe we lose the opportunity to release our attachment and so the sensation still has power over us. We need to look ourselves square in the eye without flinching. The integration of this into daily life is exactly the same. When we feel petty, jealous, angry, sad or whatever physical sensation, we observe objectively. We feel the feeling of being repulsed with ourselves, we feel the feeling of being angry, or jealous, or sad. We observe the feeling of wanting these feelings to go away, we observe the feeling of being a “bad person.” Meeting ourselves in this way provides the same experience as any meditation experience does. The opportunity to make peace.

Peace allows the “other”, the aspects of ourselves to be as they are.

The basic method of integrating mindfulness into everyday life is to observe your obvious physical movement as you go about your day. Notice how your muscles tense and relax as you drive your car, walk, do the dishes, talk, shower, go to the toilet, watch television and so on. Watch how you feel when you meet friends, when you walk past a stranger on the street and when you are daydreaming. Be sure to include as much as possible all of your different states. There is no state that is not appropriate to apply mindfulness to. They are all after all expressions of you.

Being mindful does not need to be a rigid practice. Play around with it. It’s a tool for empowerment not to make life a chore. Practice being fully involved in a discussion and then just take a moment to observe yourself. Practice eating your food with mindfulness and observe the texture of the food, the taste and how your body is feeling. Allow yourself to be deeply involved in watching a movie and then afterwards observe how your body posture and internal sensations are feeling.

Surrounding your mindfulness practice, it is valuable to remember to come back to the frequency of nurturing, love and generally feeling good. The practice of mindfulness is essentially a method of guiding the mind to realize that our physical and mental states are more than what they appear to be – but let’s remember that in our quest for truth, enlightenment and empowerment we are essentially seeking happiness. So during the journey make sure to refresh the spirit, revive the body and nurture the mind. This will ensure that the journey is one that sustains.

Hieu Doan

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