Why “self realization” is not an “altered state”

As the movement toward clarity, awareness and consciousness gains a wave of momentum (again) I have noticed an old well worn path presenting itself anew.  

The equation with awareness to being ‘altered.’  

Now, I know it can feel like that sometimes. As we clear pathways and connect to something both bigger than us and at the same time, more intimate within us, we start to feel a kind of “high”.  The tendency is then to use that feeling of “highness” as a litmus test to seek out specific practices, events or modalities.   But I might suggest that this has the potential to lead us astray.  

The truth is our normal, everyday state of being IS a form of “high”.  It is resting in the the eternal bliss. We are divine beings having a human experience.  And within this truth lies another truth, when we honestly experience this natural expanded state (enlightenment?) we understand just how normal and accessible it is and the processes which externally seek to create a “high” suddenly feel forced, unnecessary and potentially misleading.  

We do not require any kind of hallucinogen or psychedelic experience in order to connect us to our consciousness.  In fact, it gets complicated when using pathways created somewhat artificially as we can mistake the end result for the personal journey. And make no mistake, the journey to aligned living is filled with both valleys and peaks, is challenging, requires commitment and time as well as guidance and community.  In other words:  there is no fast track without consequences.   

To be clear, in a ceremonial setting we may naturally enter an altered state with the guidance of someone who understands how to both open and close that space (this is both RARE and critical). And we may use tools to assist this process.  However, we do so in order to receive information that then gets translated into our day to day life.  It there is no translation, if we simply hop from experience to experience looking for the next cool thing, becoming dependent on external tools,  and go back to same old same old afterwards, we miss the point of integration.  

And without integration, there is no forward progress either individually or collectively.  And without progress we repeat the same patterns over and over again, perhaps moving forward nonetheless, but at a pace that creates more suffering, distraction and difficulty along the way.  

Sound familiar?

Self realization is not a psychedelic trip (not at all to dismiss psychedelics)

We’ve been down this road before.  

You know that feeling when you just know for sure what you need to do?  Perhaps you have clarity around how to resolve a situation at work?  Or maybe you suddenly have insight into a change you need to make in your schedule? And you just … KNOW.   Its as clear as day. Obvious as the nose in front of your face. Like its been there all along and you are finally seeing it.  

Thats the quality of self realization.  Its been there all along.  Its not new.  Its not even an “aha”.  Its more of an “oooooh.”  And rather than high/super/buzzed/powerful, you feel solid, comfortable, at peace, calm, ready and wonderfully happy.   

I believe we all have our own path, and our paths are as beautifully varied, colorful, non-linear  and complex as we are.  And we also need to share our paths, to look out for each other and to offer our perspective. 

Today I offer you mine.

Peace
Jeneen

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Saturday, November 10, 2018

Energy Musings.  Here. Now.

This Weekend.

Theres a chaotic energy whipping through the trees today, stirring things up, moving them around.  In some cases, movement/stirring is a good thing.  In some cases, not so good.  A favorite astrologer of mine likes to talk about loss vs gain in astrology (think retrogrades) not from an absolute perspective as “good or bad” but all relational.  For instance, if you lose a beloved pet, that can be seen as a negative. But if you lose weight to get healthier, that can be a positive.  Loss, though often considered negative, can also be what is necessary and desired.

This is true of everything that is out there, which makes the complexity of our world quite apparent and calls for the need for true discernment in all situations.

Lately, there has been a serious lack of subtle discernment.  While the main “message” of an event (for instance) may be positive, without full understanding of the energetics of language (in particular) we can find ourselves in a deep mess though that was never our initial intention.

And let me tell you, there are those of us out there who are constantly “cleaning up” energetically after such messes and see the implications that others choose not to see.

The request here is to pay attention, and then to pay attention even more deeply still.  How do we do that?

Come in to stillness.  Come in to silence. Rest here a while.  Let go of all attachments.  Let go of all beliefs.  Let go of all triggers.  Let go of all judgement.

No.  REALLY.  ALL of them.

This is where we fall short.  We let go of the things that we want to let go of, but hold on (sometimes even more intensely) to the places we think or believe in.  And we somehow fall in to the very dangerous and false assumption that “if only all those other people would let go of x,y,z…. then the world would truly change”.  If you notice ANY part of you beginning to externalize or blame in this way, take a GIANT step back.  And repeat the steps above.  Clear your internal slate.

So much is happening in the energetic field right now.  Change wants to come.  But those who are initiating that change for the betterment of all beings everywhere are still BLIND to the places where they are actually holding back that very same change they wish to see fully realized.  They think its others that are holding back the change, and fail to realize it is actually them.

All I can say is this: be honest about your blind spots.  Look for them.  Ask others to help you.  You’ll know what they are when you are triggered.  First, you have to recognize when in fact you are triggered (or listen if someone else tells you you are!!).  Then look there.  Whats behind the trigger? Thats the place for you to work.  When there are no more triggers, you come in to the true ‘neutral zone’ and then… only then… will you see the path forward that has been waiting for you, for us, for all this time.

From the depths of my heart and the trueness of my being, I offer you this today, this weekend, and moving forward.

Song of the Day: High Hopes by Panic at the Disco

Monday, Apr 11, 2016

Energy Musings.  Here.  Now.

This Week!

When we gather in groups for ceremony and ritual, we begin with an intention and the acknowledgement of our work together and individually.  This creates an opening: the space for gifts to be received, for life force to enter, for expansion, for release, for healing, for awakening, for integration.  Within this held and defined space, we can manifest our dreams.   As the ceremony ends, we make sure we close the door behind us.  This closing is vital and is conscious.  Without a proper closing, what was an appropriate opening within a particular space, becomes a leak, hole, a drain, in our ‘regular’ life.  This can manifest in many ways; illness, bad luck, forgetfulness, low energy… To name a few.  

What we often fail to remember, is that our whole life is one huge ceremony which contains all the other ceremonies we are a part of.  To take this metaphor further, we can see that each breath is a ceremony contained with the ceremony of each hour, of each day, of each week, of each month….of each lifetime.  And that every time we gather with others, we are in fact “in ceremony”.  

More to the point: we are living breathing walking ceremonies.  Each one of us. 

As this realization dawns, we see our job is a ceremony, our chores are all ceremonies, our time at the gym, our yoga class, our meals…. All ceremony.     And then we begin to understand just how Sacred and precious our life is.   What a gift it is to be here, now. We don’t necessarily need to seek out rituals to make life feel sacred, because it already is.   The rituals we participate in though, can be helpful reminders of this.  It is akin to “living your yoga”, rather than only doing it on your yoga mat.  The connection between “on and off the mat”  is an important one for our species at this time.   

When we make that connection and begin to live our lives as a sacred unfolding of the divine in every moment, we must remember openings and closings in everything we do, every place we go.   We must remember to clear, fill and ground…. Constantly.   It may seem like a lot to remember, a lot of work.  

But it’s really only one simple truth:  Your life here and now is sacred and divine.   Live each moment with this knowledge. 

Have a blessed week.

Thursday, Jan 28, 2016

Energy Musings.  Here.  Now.

TODAY> This ground you walk on is sacred.  Each step a personal, intimate meeting with the Divine.  Walking this earth is a constant flux ….a movement towards and away from what is sacred.  In that push and pull, that in and out, that meeting and departing of foot to ground repeated…..we weave peace.  Can you see the pattern?  Of footsteps created by all regardless of size, length, quality?  This tapestry we weave together. Contained within each rise and fall of each leg is the living of a sacred life, the planting of sacred seeds.

As you walk today, bring new awareness into your mindful step.  Awareness of the sacred.  Lift one foot up and feel the pull that moves your foot back down into the earth again. As you plant that foot, feel the meeting, the juncture, where the above and below come together.  As you lift again, feel the space between your foot and the earth. Become aware of it. Each step then is a pumping of this sacred energy. Some call it chi, some prana, some life force, some gravity, some energy….. whatever name you have for this force (THE force!!! ;-)) Connect to its sacredness today.  From this awareness, fill yourself.  Fill yourself with the Sacred that exists everywhere if only we pay attention.

Word of the Day:  Euphemism

Song of the Day:  I Feel The Earth Move by Carole King