Sufi quote

A powerful quote from Patricia Albere's forthcoming book:

“The realization that every act, every word, every thought of ours not only influences our environment but for some mysterious reason forms an integral and important part of the Universe, fits into it as if by necessity so to say, in the very moment we do, or say, or think it - is an overwhelming and even shattering experience. The tremendous responsibility of it is terrifying. If all of us only knew that the smallest act of ours, or a tiny thought, has such far-reaching effects as to set in motion forces which perhaps could shatter a galaxy…

If we know it deeply and absolutely, if this realization becomes engraved permanently on our hearts, on our minds, how careful we would act and speak and think. How precious life would become in its integral oneness.” 

~Irina Tweedie, Sufi Teacher and Mystic

open to your deepest experience of being

Lately I have been working with surrender and letting go, witnessing, Truth, and Love. There is a way of being in life that allows one to express Love...Absolute Love, unbounded Love...regardless of conditions.  The practice is to feel through whatever one is experiencing in a surrendered and open way.  It is to allow oneself to be witness to thoughts, feelings and experiences as they arise without attaching to them.  And simultaneously seeking or allowing oneself to connect with the Source of Love, to emanate from this place of Love even in the midst of pain, anger, fear, conflict, disappointment...  Sometimes I rest as the neutral witness and observe my inner and outer world.  Other times I feel through an experience, whether it be one of love or some negative state, and open to a deeper awareness of Self as Love.

I have been reading a delicious and profound book called "Finding God through Sex" by David Deida which describes this process.  David talks about using relationships as spiritual practice...engaging in intimate relationships in a way that allows you to move through blockages (emotional, sexual and spiritual) and surrender into Love...unbounded, Divine Love experienced as the Truth of your Being.  

"With practice, we relax as an openness that is not dependent on conditions.  As beginners, it is easier to relax as openness under certain conditions- such as during meditation, in beautiful natural surroundings, feeling the unconditional love of our children, or during fantastic sex with an adoring lover-but these are only portals into a depth that is always here, that is our true nature regardless of conditions.  We might realize this depth and enjoy its bliss in moments of grace or when conditions are just right, but then we can practice realizing this depth over and over, when things are good or bad.  The story of Jesus says that his heart was wide open in love even while being crucified. Tibetan monks in prison and Jews in concentration camps have reported deep compassion and spiritual openness while enduring the most excruciating tortures.  One measure of your depth of spiritual practice is this: Throughout what range of conditions do you remain aware of and relaxed as the openness of your deepest being?" (Finding God Through Sex, p. 119-120)

Relax into each moment knowing that the experience of the egoic self is not Absolute Truth.  Lean into the experience anyway.  Relax and open to your deepest being.  Allow yourself to open so far that you fall into the Abyss of Divine Love that is waiting for you.  With practice you will lose your (limited) self, but you will find your deepest Self in all of its divinity and glory.

the secret of the ascent

The quote in my last post talked about the spiritual path as one of letting go of the blockages to our True Essence or the Presence of God within us.  I was having difficulty letting go of a situation this week and I decided to re-read chapter 8 of The Untethered Soul "Let go now or fall."  This chapter talks about how our blockages are all linked to fear.

We cling to how we want life to be or think life should be because of fear. "You try to create a world that doesn't stimulate your fears." (The Untethered Soul, p. 71)

"Life creates situations that push you to your edges, all with the effect of removing what is blocked inside of you." (TUS, p. 73)

"The purpose of spiritual evolution is to remove the blockages that cause you fear."  (TUS, p. 73)

"Life is surrounding you with people and situations that stimulate growth...You only have to be willing to open your heart in the face of anything and everything, and permit the purification process to take place." (TUS, p. 74)

It is possible to live without fear.  All problems would disappear if we had no fear.

To let go "First you must be aware that there is something within you that needs to be released. You must then be aware that you, the one who notices the stuff coming up, are distinct from what you're experiencing."  (TUS, p. 75)  Let go from the seat of the witness.

I have been practicing this...feeling into discomfort, setting the intention to let go of what needs to be released, putting my awareness on the observer/witness self, relaxing my body and allowing the blockage or stored energy to be released.  In one of the situations as I was feeling the fear and relaxing, the fear informed me that I need to make a change in a situation that I was involved with.  I had taken on something at work that was not mine to do and the fear informed me that I needed to say "no."  

In other situations the feelings moved through me as I moved my awareness to the observer self and set the intention to let them go.  And in some other situations it was much harder to let go.

I am doing a year-long intensive with the Evolutionary Collective (Patricia Albere) and this work focuses on letting go completely into the unknown...trusting Divinity to guide, support, and catch us when we let go.  I have set the intention to let go and fall into the abyss of Divine Love so that Spirit can use me for God's will, not my own.  This can be a challenge as my blockages arise and cause me discomfort.   It requires moment by moment dedication to letting go of the personal will and accepting divine will...it is a process that is well worth the effort.    

"If you let go, and permit the purification process to take place inside, that blocked energy will be released.  When it's released and allowed to flow up, it becomes purified and merges back into your center of consciousness.  This energy then strengthens instead of weakening you.  You begin to go up and up, higher and higher, and you learn the secret of the ascent.  The secret of the ascent is to never look down-always look up...No matter what goes on below, open your heart and let it go." (TUS, p. 78)

The Presence within is to be welcomed and loved

"Realization of the Self is neither a gain nor an acquisition. It is the Realization that unfolds of its own when the obstructions are surrendered or removed...As the clouds in the sky fade away, the sun shines forth on its own.  The Presence within is to be welcomed, loved, and not feared for it is ultimately benign and reveals the transformative power of Love."  (Trsanscending Levels of Consciousness, p. 367)

I love this passage because it reminds me that there is nothing to fear in surrendering to God.  I can trust that I will be taken care of and supported.  When I find myself clinging to certain desires, expectations, and outcomes I remind myself that I have nothing to gain nor lose...that my Self is already blessed with all that I need.  I remind myself that there is a benign Presence that knows my needs even better than I know my needs.  

As I put my awareness on this Truth, I feel uplifted and the pull to attach to egoic thoughts and perceptions slips away.   There is a Light calling to us...wanting to be known intimately by each of us.  Will you welcome this Light or will you shut it out by clinging to what the self thinks it needs?