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God, Spiritual Oneness & Separation
July 8, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
If it is that God and our true nature is One-ness, then why is it that it is not our living experience?
Indian spiritual philosophy addresses the God concept in a way that supports what I am saying. It sees God in two aspects – the manifest and the un-manifest. The un-manifest is the purest state of conscious, beyond description or comprehension Within it is all potential existence. The manifest aspect is this consciousness in expression as the entirety of manifestation. There are many similarities in the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang with yin as the un-manifest and yang as the manifest.
My perception of why Oneness or Unity isn’t our lived experience is this. In the process of entering into manifest existence as an individuated point of life within that existence, we experience separation in the transition from un-manifest to manifest. This ‘moment’ we could call the ‘birth’ of our soul. Why is this experience of separation necessary if in truth there is only One? The one word answer I see is ‘creation’. The purpose and design of the One in manifest existence, is the evolution and expansion of consciousness, or put another way, the endless creative manifesting of the One, in appearance and form.
A huge hindrance we have in embracing and understanding this is our conception of the One as God, is
Time Of Great Spiritual Change
April 29, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
There is at this time a massive effort going on to raise the collective vibration of human consciousness and more help available than we imagine.
It is important that we ask for help, in many cases it is only when we do that it can be forthcoming in all the ways possible. It is also advantageous if we are really clear on exactly what we want help with. For example if we have an area in our psyche where we experience contraction, fear or any kind of limitation, that is a good thing to ask for help with. As I have written about all over this site we evolve by unwinding and transmuting these energies of limiting past.
There are very real and disastrous potentials if we don’t. So all spiritual endeavor at this time is for the good of all. The ‘reward’ for reaching a certain degree of spiritual evolution is that we then actively begin transmuting collective karma as well as our own. Pain is pain and fear is fear whether it’s experienced in your body or mine and at a certain level there is no difference if it is experienced here or there.
The potential to Awaken to Truth is also greater than it has ever been, right now. Many many souls evolutionary process has been focused on being at the point of Awakening in THIS life for this reason. There is an unimaginably vast intelligence at play behind all of this. And we have been given this enormous gift of free will, we get to choose, and we collectively have brought ourselves to the brink of destruction.
Let’s be very honest about this and not go all positive thinking head in the sand. We collectively have been systematically destroying the planetary ecosystems that sustain life on earth. If that isn’t the definition of insanity I don’t know what is. I am sure that many of you reading this are not actively participating in this destruction and are probably making choices from a position of sustainability.
This is a collective issue and not an individual one. We can’t believe in Oneness and Unity as some spiritual concept that we then separate from life and aspire to like the idea of heaven.
As I see it there is a single energy at the root of all negative tendencies. It is fear. Fear limits us, and the presence of fear in us allows our emotional manipulation on every level from the personal to the collective. It is also the root cause of our own efforts to manipulate life to our own ends. So probably the greatest good we could do is to identify where and how it vibrates in us and to use all the tools that we have, and ask for all the help available, to heal and release it.
We don’t need to do this to the exclusion of anything else, it is of course equally important to give attention to and express what in us aligns with our true nature, expansive, joyful and creative. Invariably when we open into these places in ourselves through our spiritual practices, or the expression of our spirituality in whatever form, new layers of fear will sooner or later present themselves. It is a process, it’s all process. The process is Consciousness evolving, through us, as us.
We are only just beginning to understand life in vibrational terms. The long dominance of fear in the human psyche has also been borne by mother Earth and there is stress in the entire system as a consequence. The increasing number of natural disaster is a direct consequence of this stress. On the other side of the equation more ‘light’ is being held in the planet than ever before and we are engaged in a precarious act of maintaining equilibrium in the midst of transformation.
It is my belief that there is nothing more important or responsible than our engagement in our spiritual evolution, a process of healing and awakening. It is also my belief that to fully embody this we have to live it and express it in how we live, what we say, what we think. Every single choice that we make increases or decreases our vibration, and never before in the Earths history have the consequences of that ever been greater.
Opening To The Divine Truth
April 13, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 5 Comments
Our spiritual evolution is a process of opening to the Divine, as the truth both within and without. The egoic personality is a fractured consciousness caught in the illusion of separation. All places of separation are places where we experience limitation – whether it is physical, emotional, mental or at any other dimension of our being. The spiritual process of unifying and healing them will take us out of limitation. There is no limit to how far that can expand. There is no end to the journey of consciousness evolving.
From the position of separation there are only so many possibilities, and they will all be limited. Our level of consciousness dictates the possibilities we can perceive and understand. Erronously when we are bound in identification with the egoic personality we believe our
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreSpirituality, Responsibility & Transformation
March 23, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
Sooner or later it becomes clear to us that we are responsible for everything in our experience, and it is through denial that we negate responsibility. In the full realization of this there is no wriggle room and no get out clauses. Making anything other than ‘us’, and something or someone else’s responsibility, is denial pure and simple.
When we deny in this way we not only create separation in ourselves, but also from what it is in the external world, reflecting our separation to us. We cannot choose a view where we are ‘separate’ when we don’t like something, and holistic and into unity in a purely idealized way the rest of the time. We have to be living the truth to embody it.
When we remain in the consciousness of separation, there is very little responsibility outside the little pocket of reality that we occupy. This is partly why we have resistance to our evolution, because it requires us taking more and more responsibility and gets bigger, and keeps getting bigger.
Most of us, if we are really honest about it, are looking through spirituality, for
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreWhat Is Spirituality?
March 10, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
Spirituality, like so many things we refer to and speak of on a regular basis, is not so easy to define when we sit down and think about just what we mean when we use it. I imagine that a survey of this question would bring back as many different answers as the people who took it.
In this time, when so many are turning away from organized religion to find meaning in their lives, and with the vast proliferation of teachers and teachings, many people’s idea of spirituality may be a postmodern mixture of all kinds of different elements.
So here’s what I think. Spirituality is our conscious engagement with the process of our spiritual evolution. It is my experience that life in its very nature is a spiritual process of Consciousness evolving. We, in our individuated forms, are the living means through which
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreManifesting, The Law Of Attraction & Spirituality
February 4, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 5 Comments
I see the prevalence of information on manifesting and the law of attraction as evidence of some upward movement in the collective consciousness of humanity.
The belief in, and practicing of manifesting can free us in our understanding of, and interaction with life. It can empower us to realize choice over victimhood and open the potential of our creative interaction with life.
However it is just one step up and if only used to gratify our egoic desires it will not evolve us very much further. Indeed it is possible it will entrench us deeper in maya albeit with better skills to play there.
Understood more deeply the law of attraction becomes
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreKarma & The Evolution Of Consciousness
January 20, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Karma, held within us as unresolved, unhealed or incomplete past, manifests as external reflections through the law of sympathetic attraction. The degree of intensity of the internal energy of the karma and it’s layers of emotional and mental energy will exactly be reflected by the intensity of energy that manifests as our life circumstances. When we are ‘present’ to our triggered response to the reflections of our karma, we allow the held energy to move and therefor transform. When we aren’t present to it and run our defense and denial scripts/stratergies we perpetuate denial and deepen separation
Each time we don’t allow any movement of the triggered feelings, we not only increase denial of what is held, but we also increase the intensity of the external reflection necessary to vibrate what we are holding. We bury things still deeper, so we need a stronger force to reach them. And if we continue in the pattern of denial, then an external circumstance will eventually come that will be so
Karma & The Law Of Attraction
January 16, 2009 by Ray Baskerville · 2 Comments
Inherent within life, and its great mystery, there is a mechanism to facilitate the expansion of consciousness. This we will call the Law of Sympathetic Attraction or as it is more popularly know now the ‘Law of Attraction’. We commonly know the law of sympathetic attraction as ‘like attracts like’. However, less obviously but equally important, the term also covers the principle that ‘opposites attract’ – opposites being the polarized extremes of the same principle.
In the creation of karma – that which we are holding in denial, in separation, in sub-consciousness, is held at the particular vibrational frequency at which movement was stopped, for example pain, fear or rage. Even held still, that which is denied is held in the magnetic energy field of the emotional body, albeit disconnected from conscious awareness.
Through the law of sympathetic attraction, the separation in us, attracts to us a reflection of a corresponding vibrational frequency to that at which it is held. The purpose being, that the external reflection of what ever it is that we are holding in sub-consciousness (that we are in denial of within us), is attracted to us to create a vibrational resonance. When the external manifestation comes, the resonance begins to vibrate what it reflects within us (that we are attempting to hold still). In vibrating, what is held within us is caused to move. When it moves we begin to feel it: and when we feel it we can become conscious of it; when we are conscious of it, we can then be present to it. We can then allow it to move, and allow it the expression it needs to resume its movement and transformation into expansion and life.
We release what we are holding by allowing the feelings to move – by feeling and expressing them. Allowing them to move, allows what is held in denial of life to resume the movement in the expansion and evolution of consciousness; and to be transformed from the fixed frequency and form in which it was held. As we experience such release, understanding often arises from the feelings of what was held and the scripts and behaviors that have been wrapped around it, and thus the subconscious becomes conscious.
KARMA (Subconscious) > REFLECTION < Resonating / Vibrating > MOVEMENT > RELEASE > HEALING > UNIFICATION > LIBERATION (Conscious)
In this way we can reclaim those places from sub-consciousness and separation, and re-unify them into the entirety of our being. Not only do we liberate the energetic life-force that is held still as denied feeling, but we also liberate the energy that is required to keep holding that place still. So, we reclaim our life-force, our ‘power’ and become that much more present in and to ourselves.
REFLECTIONS OF SEPARATION
The experiences we have in life, that come to us where we experience pain, separation or suffering of any kind, are reflections of places in us where those energies and patterns are held. We couldn’t feel what we feel, unless it was already within us to be felt. Our feelings do not come from outside, they are not created by the external circumstance. The external is not the cause of the feelings; it is simply a reflection of what is already held within us; it serves as the ‘trigger’. It is in fact the mechanism of our healing, the means of our liberation. The external, however painful is putting us in the place where our liberation can occur, right here, right now in the present moment.
Equally, all the unified experiences that life brings us – be they joy, harmony or love – are reflections of what is within us. Scripts arising from separation like “I’m not good enough” or “I’m unlovable” often do not allow us to fully receive, accept or believe the unified reflections, as us.
Very often what is held within us, is painful, traumatic, uncomfortable, distressing, terrifying, all the things that we didn’t ant to feel and probably still don’t. So when an external reflection begins to resonate with those places within us, and we begin to feel them, habitually we put even more energy into holding them still and we put even more energy into denying those feelings. In doing this, we add more energy to what it is we are already holding. So the intensity, the quantity of energy that is held increases, and the energy needed to hold it still, and prevent us from feeling it, increases. We tie up more life force, more of our power, and give it over to denial, give it over to sub-consciousness and lose even more presence. This is how Karma perpetuates and holds our awareness in unconsciousness.
How’s Your Spiritual Growth?
December 8, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
The idea of quantifying one’s own spiritual growth, it seems to me is one which lays itself open to a labyrinth of ego centred pitfalls. We are so well versed in justifying our own egoic nature and exaggerating our own self-importance that anything we believe is evidence of our spiritual progress must be Carefully examined. If the issue were one of psychological development then it may seem more reasonable. The criteria there are more clear cut, healthy ego function, good boundaries, self esteem aligned with actual achievements and so on.
But for our spiritual development what criteria of measurement exist? And other than our own intuition what do we have by which to measure? Looking at development in the psychological realm is in no way indicative of development in the spiritual. As Adyshanti said once "I have met people with healthy ego function who are by no means ready to wake up, and I have met people with the most dis-functional egos who are ready to wake up" (paraphrased quote)
For spiritual development there is no agreed framework or quantified criteria that we can measure ourselves against. When such constructs exist they tend to lean towards the formation of systems of moral code, and we probably all carry images and beliefs of what is ‘spiritual’ person is like. It seems to me the need to measure one’s spiritual growth could be a sign of a lack of it, as it is a notion so entrenched in logical, linear ‘human’ thought. Probably the construction, indeed the need of such measuring, can only lead to a strengthening of the ego’s belief in the prevalence of it’s own view of reality. For it is only the ego that can serve as the means of measuring. Beyond the ego the status of any such measurement is meaningless.
And yet our journey is through the domain of the relative self, and when you have been doing spiritual practices for some time it is inevitable to wonder if any progress is being made. When first beginning meditation for example progress can seem quite clear and distinct at first. Then after some time it all seems to be the same with little noticeable change in the experience. It is in these periods when the doubt and questioning of progress tend to occur. These are the times when our deep commitment and intention come into focus.
In a period of my own life which was completely and solely dedicated to spiritual practice, I found great relief from doubt of spiritual progress, from something I read that Sri Aurobindo had said. It was in essence this - enlightenment is inevitable, nobody is heading anywhere else. Some time later I realized this truth as a direct knowing rather than received knowledge. My experience of this kind of direct knowing, is that it brings peace and deepens faith. It has probably been eight years now since that experience. In that time doubt has continue to arise from time to time, but has no lasting strength in the face of the faith from that direct experience.
The problem with constructing a measurable criteria for spiritual development is that every person is unique in their own spiritual process. Another aspect of my own realization was that life itself is a spiritual process, and as such everybody is on a spiritual path. All that differentiates us is whether we are consciously engaged with the spiritual process, or not. Either way, it is going on, and progress towards enlightenment is inevitable.
Sri Aurobindo however had a sucker punch for all of us, especially those of us who might have grand ideas about our level of spiritual development. He said - enlightenment is just the beginning!
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreEgo Desire Or Self Realization?
November 18, 2008 by Alison Miller · Leave a Comment
“Begin with the end in mind.” “Create the life you desire.” “If you believe it you will see it.” These popular new age aphorisms are, indeed, powerful. Popularized by new age films “What the Bleep Do We Know” and “The Secret” it seems many have tried applying these principles or, at the very least, have heard about them. These “new age” concepts applied to create modern day conveniences, situations and material gain are best utilized in partnership with yoga yamas and niyamas (ethical and personal observances).
For instance if you are focused on manifesting a specific job, relationship or lifestyle, check the origin of your desire, see if it is aligned with the ethical foundations of yoga. Or notice if it is simply the ego striving for attention or accomplishment. The great Indian saint, AMMA, tells a story where two men are sitting at a bus stop. The first man is holding his head in his hands crying, while the second man is banging his hands against his head. The passerby asks the first man why he is crying. He says, “Lily, my dear sweet Lily, I have lost her. She has left me for another man.” How horrible the passerby thinks. Next, the passerby asks the second man why he is distraught. He says “Lily, Lily, Lily, I have married a woman who drives me crazy.” At first the passerby is confused. And then, as he has walked away, begins to laugh. The two men are crying over the same woman. The irony shows us that often times the things we think we want are the same things, which will also cause us to go “mad”. When the ego is leading our lives we may find ourselves in this situation often. This story is the inspiration to focus us to go beyond the desires of the material plane and go deeper into focus of realizing the Self. The Self who needs nothing yet has everything. It is not seeking its happiness through something outside itself.
How do we begin to make this shift in our modern day lives? How do we shift from ego driven manifestation to authentic Self-Realization? How do we become aware of the ego, too often in charge, and relegate it to its proper place? How do we invite the Self into a place of leadership and have the courage to trust the Self to guide us? Going back to the place we once began – begin with the end in mind. However, now when you begin with the end in mind, rather than seeing a specific person, place or situation you desire to manifest feel yourself manifesting the ability to surrender to the wisdom of the Higher Self. Typical yoga asana classes close practice with the posture called Savasanna, translated to mean corpse. The translation is not referring to the actual aftermath of the human body once the spirit has left. But, rather referencing the active process of dying to that, which does not serve our highest good. It is the ability to step through the doorway of limitation towards liberation by literally dying to that which does not serve us. Alan Jones, noted for his work with death and dying, eloquently shares “In my tradition we try to practice dying ever day so we may be fully alive. What I understand of my prayer life is to place myself on the threshold of death to participate in my dying so that I may live each day and each moment as a gift – what I cultivate is a grateful heart, each moment then becomes a new thing my gratitude comes from the sheer gift of life itself. Who you are cannot be limited to what’s happening to you just now. You are part of a love story, you are desired, and longed for, there are thousands of witness’s before you that claim you are held in the arms of love.” Apply these words to your daily practice of manifestation. You are loved. You already belong. You are infinite. If you already knew this to be true would you still want the things you want?
Begin with self-reflection. Start simple. The things, which you would most like to manifest, ask yourself – are they aligned with yoga principles? Notice times in the past when you have received things you have wished for have you maintained your original level of enthusiasm once you have obtained them, or have you simply begun to desire the next thing? Once you have obtained your desire did you feel happier or more content? Begin to practice being grateful for what you have, even if it feels like your pretending in the beginning. Imagine just what you have is what you want. This is the practice that cultivates the grateful heart. Dying to the need that some thing in the future will bring happiness. Feeling the present moment is exactly as it is meant to be. Often times death may look like a recommitment to your life–to living and choosing what is essential for ever-increasing experiences of appreciation and joy. Start here.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
