Spiritual Lessons From The Plant World

March 19, 2015 By

plantBy: Rea Nolan Martin / Source: Awaken

My husband has been lugging a hardy split-leaf philodendron state to state, house to house since 1975.

We call it the monster, because no matter how much we ignore it, it refuses to die, and worse, seems to nearly double its foliage every year. Since we’ve recently downsized, there’s little room in our home for such grandiosity.

At earliest sign of spring the monster is dragged outdoors to the patio where Mother Nature nurtures it at her whim. Since it unfailingly thrives, we reluctantly drag it back in at first frost.

It had grown so much by the end of summer 2014 that my husband decided to cut it in half. Instead of tossing the offshoot into the river at my suggestion, he secretly potted it and presented it to me as a gift.

“You must be kidding,” I said. “We barely have room for the mother.”

“Let’s just put it in the bedroom and see what happens,” he said. “Maybe it won’t grow.”

He is such an enabler.

Conducting a quick tour of the bedroom, anyone could see there was no room for a plant with this much ambition. Alas, he found a dark corner behind the door of the master bath next to the tub.

“This will do until spring,” he said, plopping it down. I watched helplessly, hoping the monster clone would hate it there, wither and die.

But no such luck.

Less than a week later, leaf after giant, brand new, spring-green leaf shot three feet up and unfurled in a mocking fashion. As upset as I was, I couldn’t help but admire the core strength and bodacious vitality of this invader — just the self-confidence!

Soon I would be climbing around it to get into the tub. As the weeks wore on, I began to feel a certain weird intimacy with it that messed with my conscience.

I could feel myself mentally backtracking on my scheme to kill it with malign neglect. Guilt unfurled in the pit of my stomach with each new leaf, and three weeks in, I broke down and watered it.

The following week during a blizzard, I opened the slats of the plantation shutters behind the tub to create enough light to apply my makeup. The slats were generally left closed for privacy reasons, but I figured on such a dark, blustery day, no one was likely to stop by.

I left them open. Later on when I reentered the room, I could see that every new leaf of the monster clone had traveled intentionally toward the window, bending dramatically to reach the light between the slats.

I was in awe. This thing was alive in a way I hadn’t considered. It seemed to possess not the passive sort of awareness we tend to ascribe to the plant kingdom, but an active, opportunistic intelligence.

I realized then that on the most fundamental level my needs and the needs of this goliath were the same.

We both sought light.

This plant’s stubborn determination to stop at nothing to express itself has had a surprising effect on me. In a way, it’s helped me to expand my own horizons.

Gradually backing down from my former bias, I was able to appreciate so much about my cellmate, like its wildly verdant vitality against the backdrop of winter desolation. Its survival instinct alone staggered me.

Over the years (and especially this last year) I’ve learned that the more we evolve into our authentic selves, the greater our connection to the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms that surround us.

Attuning ourselves to higher purpose, we resonate with the elements of nature that have been placed in our care. (Everything has been put in our care.)

The more we evolve, the more we understand that all living thing are imbued with the breath of creation. This unwanted stepchild of a plant exchanged breath with me — my carbon dioxide for its oxygen. Ultimately, I was at its mercy as much as it was at mine.

What did I learn from my interloper? Four things I can think of offhand:

1) Be yourself unashamedly.

2) Be patient with your caretakers.

3) Thrive where you’re planted.

4) Always move into the light.

Sometimes you have to come face-to-face in a tight spot with a big obstacle before you figure out its lesson. It’s nearly spring now, time to drag it back out to the patio. I wonder if I will.

Filed Under: Mind Body Spirit

Use These 7 Affirmations To Balance Your Chakras

March 10, 2015 By

Untitled35-e1393064216549By: Hayley Mermelstein / Source: Awaken

I am no expert on the subject but I have been studying and starting to implement them into my meditation routine. It is a bit more advanced for a beginner but I would not let that discourage you.

I do recommend that you start with the basics and stay there until you feel very comfortable sitting for a period each day so that it has become a part of your daily routine.

A very good way to begin to tap into your chakras is by using certain affirmations while you are meditating. These affirmations are designed to correspond with each of the 7 chakras.

Remember that everything in the universe is energy in the form of vibrating wave lengths. So everything has a frequency and therefore a corresponding musical sound and a color. That is why the 7 chakras are always represented by 7 colors.

Move on to the next page to learn about the 7 affirmations to heal and balance your chakras.

I got this article over at Mind Body Green which is one of my favorite websites. The beginning of the article talks about the practice of Tong Ren, which may seem a little strange to you, but don’t be put off.

Keep reading and you will learn how to use the affirmations without practicing Tong Ren. This is a great way to begin balancing your chakras even if you are a beginner.

The picture I included will also give you a little info about the chakras. Balancing and aligning your chakras can balance and align all aspects of your life. It is very powerful.

Over 15 years ago, my teacher Tom Tam, an acupuncturist and energy healer, picked up an acupuncture doll and began tapping on specific acupuncture points with a magnetic hammer.

Lo and behold, as he tapped the doll, the person who he was working on at the time actually felt a miraculous, energetic shift in their body. This tapping technique began spreading all over the country and widely became known as Tong Ren.

As a healer myself, I was of course intrigued and decided I needed to learn this mysterious, yet remarkably simple energy healing technique.

When I first learned how to do Tong Ren, my initial thoughts were: this is too crazy and out there, even for me! And truth be told, I am known for being pretty “out there.”

Quite frankly, tapping on a doll to heal a human seemed far too weird — kind of like Voodoo.

Slowly however, the technique began to grow on me and I started practicing Tong Ren. And to my utmost surprise, people actually felt it! They felt the energy I was channeling, and they experienced shifts in their body and mind as well.

I was so inspired, that I developed an entire healing system based on Tong Ren and called it: Tong Ren Chakra Balancing.

This energy healing technique involves tapping onto the seven chakras of a Tong Ren doll with a magnetic hammer, for the purpose of balancing the chakra system.

When the chakras comes into greater alignment, all aspects of life can come into greater alignment as well.

The 7 Chakras are the energy centers in our body in which energy flows through.

Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness so it’s important to understand what each Chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely. Here’s our quick summary:

1. Root Chakra – Represents our foundation and feeling of being grounded.

  • Location: Base of spine in tailbone area.
  • Emotional issues: Survival issues such as financial independence, money, and food.
  • More on Root Chakra healing

2. Sacral Chakra – Our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences.

  • Location: Lower abdomen, about 2 inches below the navel and 2 inches in.
  • Emotional issues: Sense of abundance, well-being, pleasure, sexuality.
  • More on Sacral Chakra healing

3. Solar Plexus Chakra – Our ability to be confident and in-control of our lives.

  • Location: Upper abdomen in the stomach area.
  • Emotional issues: Self-worth, self-confidence, self-esteem.
  • More on Solar Plexus Chakra healing

4. Heart Chakra – Our ability to love.

  • Location: Center of chest just above heart.
  • Emotional issues: Love, joy, inner peace.
  • More on Heart Chakra healing

5. Throat Chakra – Our ability to communicate.

  • Location: Throat.
  • Emotional issues: Communication, self-expression of feelings, the truth.
  • More on Throat Chakra healing

6. Third Eye Chakra – Our ability to focus on and see the big picture.

  • Location: Forehead between the eyes. (Also called the Brow Chakra)
  • Emotional issues: Intuition, imagination, wisdom, ability to think and make decisions.
  • More on Third Eye Chakra healing

7. Crown Chakra – The highest Chakra represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually.

  • Location: The very top of the head.
  • Emotional issues: Inner and outer beauty, our connection to spirituality, pure bliss.
  • More on Crown Chakra healing

You can use this technique to balance your own chakras, or even the chakras of another person. The Tong Ren doll is simply an energetic representation of whomever it is you are treating.

When you tap onto the chakras of the Tong Ren doll with the Tong Ren hammer, you say an affirmation for each chakra. As you tap on each of the seven chakras, you would say an affirmation for each chakra.

Here are seven affirmations you can use on each of the chakras as you tap on your Tong Ren doll with a hammer. If you don’t have access to a doll, you can just use these affirmations on yourself by visualizing the corresponding color of each chakra.

1. Root Chakra (Muladhara): “I am disciplined. I attend to my mind, body and spirit everyday.”

2. Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) “I am filled with creativity.”

3. Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): “I accept myself completely.”

4. Heart Chakra (Anahata): “I am a radiant being of light and love.”

5. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): “I am fully expressive. I express myself fully and appropriately.”

6. Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): “I am wise.”

7. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): “I let go and I trust the process of life.”

Although this may seem like a simple technique, it has amazing power to balance and align your chakra system and improve the overall quality of your life.

Filed Under: Astrology

10 Rules To Live By From The First Zen Master In America

March 10, 2015 By

zenSource: Awaken

In 1893 Shaku was invited to the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Organized by John Henry Barrows and Paul Carus, the 1893 World Parliament of Religions was the first official gathering of representatives from both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions.

This gathering started inter-religious dialogue worldwide and shines as a beacon of the possibilities when the world’s religious and spiritual traditions work together in their common humanity.

Shaku’s associates and followers believed at the time that it was beneath a Zen priest to go to a country such as the U.S., which Japan saw at the time as barbaric.

Despite opposition from associates and followers, Shaku accepted the invitation. Without this invitation having been accepted, we probably wouldn’t have received the wisdom of Zen in the United States until much later.

After arriving back in Japan, D. T. Suzuki, Shaku’s senior student and the person who helped write his speech in English for the World Parliament of Religion, was sent to the United States.

D.T. Suzuki would eventually become the most significant figure in bringing Zen to the West.

Below is a list of rules to live by that Zen master Shaku set for himself, and lived by each day, until his passing on October 29th, 1919

1. In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate

Daily meditation, particularly first thing in the morning, is something I talk about often. I believe this is #1 on the list for a reason, as it’s arguably the most important of the points.

I do want to say a word about incense though. This might just seem like a traditional ritual, but incense has two valuable uses.

First, incense can be very symbolic. Zen Buddhists use incense as a symbol of the unity of all beings, of the potential of unawakened beings (when unlit), and when lit as a visual reminder of the impermanence of life.

Incense is considered an offering, it’s an act done with absolute selflessness and respect for life and therefore can be a very nourishing practice.

Such a ritual, especially if done first thing in the morning, can help keep what’s really important at the forefront of your mind.

Secondly, incense can actually help you reduce stress. Scientific studies on the use of incense have shown both good and bad results, the bad being long-term daily use can increase your risk of getting cancer.

But if used sparingly, in the morning of an important day or at the end of a rough one, research has shown that it can help calm you and reduce stress.

This makes for a nice pairing with meditation. You may not want to use them regularly, but you can put it into your bag of tricks to use sparingly.

2. Retire at a regular hour

I can’t say for sure why he put this on the list, but I know why I believe it’s important.

Your sleep schedule can set you up for success or it can wreak havoc on your mind and body. I have a consistent bed time every day, and I stick to it whether it’s Monday or Friday.

This is important to me because I’ve experienced before what a crazy sleep schedule can do to you.

By going to sleep at a regular hour each day, which for me is around 10-11 P.M., you breed consistency in your life, tend to your mind and bodies need for rest consistently and therefore are at your best each morning.

And are all the more likely to wake up early in the morning- and the quality of your morning is a huge factor in determining the quality of your life.

3. Partake of food at regular intervals. Eat with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction

Most of us don’t notice the effect that food can have on our lives. Particularly the way that we eat now in the modern age.

Over-satisfaction is just around the corner for most of us, and abusing food has more than just physical consequences, it has very real mental as well as global ones too (it can serve as a sort of addiction, among other things).

No one is more aware of this than a Buddhist.

4. Receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone. When alone, maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests

This one might sound odd, but looked at from the context of Zen, this refers to existing fully in the present moment.

Receive a guest with your full presence, as if you were alone in your home working, caring for your children, reading an interesting book, or meditating.

When alone, maintain the same attitude of absolute presence and attentiveness you have when receiving guests into your home.

5. Watch what you say, and whatever you say, practice it

Another thing that a Buddhist is very aware of is the power of ones words. Our words carry weight, no matter who we are. They can send someone in a downward spiral or they can raise them up and inject confidence in them.

They can bring peace and they can spur on war. It’s for this reason that we should be very careful with what we say.

The second part to this point is just as important. You’ve probably heard the saying, “practice what you preach”, at some point in your life. The importance of this saying goes beyond the boundaries of culture and religion.

What you say should be what you practice.

If you meet someone who doesn’t practice what they say, don’t listen to a word. If you don’t practice what you say, better start now. The importance of this can’t be understated.

6. When an opportunity comes do not let it pass you by, yet always think twice before acting

It’s nearly impossible to know at this point completely what Shaku was referring to, but when he says to think twice before acting.

I believe he means two things: consider if the opportunity is the right thing to do- if it’s moral, just- and make sure it’s the right thing for you specifically.

7. Do not regret the past. Look to the future

This point couldn’t be more straightforward.

It might seem a little odd that a Zen monk would talk about looking to the future, but keep in mind that part of this list was probably worded in the context of advice for Americans at the time, who had no concept like mindfulness or living in the present moment.

So I believe the important point is to not regret the past, let it go, and look forward.

8. Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child

This is one of the points that struck me the most when I first read it. Zen can, at times, seem esoteric or disconnected. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Zen practice itself always exists right here in the present moment, and therefore is inextricably connected to the way we act in our life as well as how we treat others.

When approaching our life- our intentions, our goals, our life’s work, obstacles and adversity- we should do so in the same way that we’d imagine our favorite superhero growing up would (except for the part where they punch a car- not smart).

When dealing with others, whether in or out of confrontation, we should approach the situation with the loving heart of a child.

A child naturally has great compassion, understanding, is naturally caring, and sees a homeless person on the street in the same way that they see a business person.

The real gem is to realize how to live with both at the same time…to live fearlessly, confident, and yet still altogether compassionate and loving of all those around you. Many succeed in one of the two, few succeed at both.

9. Upon retiring, sleep as if you had entered your last sleep

10. Upon awakening, leave your bed behind you instantly as if you had cast away a pair of old shoes

Number 9 and 10 both have a similar lesson: when you do something, do it will all your being. Don’t treat anything as routine and mundane.

When you enter your room to go to bed for the night, treat it with the utmost importance. Don’t check your email, don’t turn on, or leave on, the T.V. Go to sleep completely at peace with the day, coming to terms with anything that has happened.

Don’t lay down to sleep with something racking your brain, let it go and be fully present for the act of laying down to sleep. Make sure there’s a period (“.”) at the end of your day.

And when you wake up in the morning, do so with all of your being. Wake up immediately and never look back. You’re fully awake right now in this moment and should act accordingly. It’s a new day, a whole new 24 hours, so make the most of it.

Filed Under: Numerology

The 12 Biggest Life Secrets Forgotten By Mankind

March 10, 2015 By

beach-peopleBy: Gilbert Ross / Source: Spirit Science and Metaphysics

The more I ponder about life, the more I continue to come to one solid realization: The biggest curse and predicament of modern Man is forgetfulness.

Like a creeping malaise, forgetfulness has seeped through all of Man’s being and doing. Individually, collectively, historically or culturally, we are spellbound to forget.

We haven’t only forgot our past but also our place in the present and our responsibility of the future.

On a personal level, our ego-based state of consciousness is on a mission to keep us in this state of forgetfulness – to break the link to our being as a whole and to the interconnected web of life and universal consciousness.

On a collective level, this forgetfulness is perpetuated and reinforced by social and cultural means – mainly by being tranced into a reality of unconscious consumerism, inauthentic lifestyles and a materialistic mindset.

The brighter side of it is that we all have the chance to re-member and re-connect to ourselves and the universe at large. The power of remembering is at the center of the spiritual path to self-discovery and realization.

Here is a list of what I believe we have forgotten, or more importantly, a list of things to remember:

1) We forgot our place in the natural world

In the last couple of hundred years we have detached ourselves from nature. We have exploited, ravaged, consumed and attempted to control nature to appease our greed driven by self-absorbed madness.

We tried to distance ourselves from the natural circle of life. We forgot how to listen to and understand the natural rhythms and cycles of the earth – its signs and languages. We forgot to follow nature’s path and live in balance with it.

2) We forgot our connection to life and the cosmos

By detaching ourselves from nature, we forgot that we are deeply connected to it and to the cycles of the universe. Some tribes on the outskirts of ‘civilisation’, and who still follow ancestral ways, have preserved this connection with respect and reverence.

We, on the other hand have instilled a sense of separateness which drove us out of balance and in dis-ease. We forgot how all consciousness is interconnected and weaved into a delicate and beautiful dance.

3) We forgot our ancient wisdom

We forgot our ancestral wisdom. In the quest to gain scientific knowledge through the rationalization of our mind, we forgot the wisdom through the opening of our heart.

We forgot the ancient stories and folk wisdom that was handed down from from seers and wise men of antiquity who lived in harmony with the universe.

4) We forgot our path and our dreams

By stirring away from our inner path we forgot to dream the dream of life. More importantly we forgot how to awake in that dream and see our true nature as co-creators of life – as the dreamers.

We forgot that we have the power to weave dreams and use our power of intention to direct those dreams into manifestation.

5) We forgot our purpose

With too much chatter, noise and distraction in this dense reality we forgot what we came here to do. We forgot our purpose. We are caught in the mass trance of fabricated consensual reality.

We lost sight of our authenticity, that inner spark that drives us towards our happiness and self-realization. We forgot that we are here to be realized as spiritual beings embodied in a physical form and embedded in a congenial universe.

6) We forgot that everything is Love

This is perhaps the deepest mystery of all that only some seers came to understand it as an all-embracing truth. That truth however is hidden somewhere deep inside of us.

We knew it at some point but have lost touch with it. We forgot that everything is ultimately energy and consciousness and that love is the fundamental fabric of existence that runs through all energy and consciousness.

7) We forgot to Forgive

By being made to believe that we are separate and disconnected from the others and from everything else, we forgot to forgive.

In its deepest sense forgiveness is the act of reminding ourselves that we are one with everyone and everything and that there is no victim or perpetrator. It’s just all of us together moving together in a dynamic web we call life.

8) We forgot to be Free

Remind yourself one thing everyday: You were made to be free.

We were born and raised in a ‘reality’ where freedom is only a concept. We were bound to the shackles of fear, misconceptions, false ideologies, material reward and held ransom to rules and laws laid down to safeguard the interest of the few.

We were made to forget that we are free agents of change. We are free to be who we are without fear or guilt.

9) We forgot our real power

Living in fear has made us forget how powerful we are. We forgot the massive power of our will and intention to change our reality. We have been tranced into sleepwalking and following the ready made signs like automatons.

10) We forgot our lessons from history

If there is something that history has taught us is how fast we are at forgetting our lessons. Time and time again we keep on repeating the same mistakes, stuck in the same patterns of greed and self-destruction.

We cannot be blamed individually for the mistakes done by humanity in the past but we are responsible as individuals to to remind ourselves of the past mistakes and pass it on to the collective psyche.

11) We forgot to be simple

Human life got more complex and complicated. We are seduced by the glitter of more and not by the power of less. We forgot to be simple and the meaning of simplicity.

Life is simple really. Simplicity means discarding all the inessential stuff and ideas that clutter the view to our life purpose and the other truths we have forgotten.

12) We forgot to trust, believe and wonder

We lost our enchantment with the world. We forgot to be wondered by the miracle of life. We do not stand in awe at the majesty of it all anymore.

Our skepticism and cynical view of the world has made us lose trust in ourselves and the magic of the universe. We forgot how to believe. This is perhaps the biggest tragedy of all. It weakened our spirit and impoverished our soul.

Hopefully we can remember to embrace our unity and reconnect with the simple wisdom of ancient cultures, because our world needs us to more than ever. Let us remember we have held the secret to life all along.

Filed Under: Mind Body Spirit
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »