August 2021 — Shamanic Meditation Studies – Unity in Action!
Please note that we are scheduled to meet from 3pm – 5pm (Arizona time ) on Saturday August 21.
Please reread pages 152 – 157 in "An Unfiltered Life." My focus this month will be to consciously stop telling the "story of me." Please post what you experience when doing likewise, and open to what holds us together. What is the feel of "falling out of you and into one?!" What is the pull back to identifying with us versus them?
On sincerity, I have little to add to what’s been shared already, except the internal review it triggers on ‘What do I want in my world, authenticity or bullshit?’ In the end I find that it is completely up to me – Truth or bullshit, it’s on me.
I think we are taught to judge ourselves. Then we judge others by those same standards. Less self-judgement and more self compassion, in my experience, will then be reflected outward to “others.”
My personal course correction for insincerity is in the recognition of it. The insincerity stumbling block that trips me up is usually arrogance which carries with it horrible judgment, impatience and intolerance. When I notice the uncomfortable tension that any of those characteristics creates I become aware of what is happening and at that point I do my best to override the default program. I frantically try to switch gears by taking a breath while shifting attention to compassion, love and kindness and hoping I did not cause too much damage while asleep in the moment. Judgement creeps in now because I still find it quite baffling and frustrating that after all these years this is still something that requires almost constant attention! I suppose all that really matters is that I keep waking up. Thank you all for always being there whether I’m awake or asleep. I love you very much!
The sincerity of sending love has to start right at home, in ourselves. Then the energy will be there for those that need it or recognize it. Betty you said it so well. Perhaps my animals felt That energy last night and came running for some, not sure, but with my earbuds in I know they couldn’t hear anything! Keshav I would luv to hear more about the flutes presence in your dreams again, if you care to share. My presence wasn’t fully present to hear you when you were talking about it … Namaste.
I usually feel the love first. But it is message to me that I am in separation. And I don’t even love myself from that perspective. When I am feeling unconditional love I send it out to everyone. And when I am at odds with someone I can feel compassion for them, i can see myself in them and vice versa. So start with loving yourself, having compassion for yourself.
What is the best course of action to take when we discover we are not being fully sincere?
So true, Keshav. Don’t forget to send love to those that need it the most. That is a great act of service. But it needs to be sincere, which to me means coming from presence.
Russ, as Betty said, not tmi – we are family. So glad you found music to help. Tonight I
found these shared posts. I’ve been having trouble falling asleep. So much new, different and unknown. Yet, here the posts share the same knowings…we are family, we are love, we are in this together. Taking that in, breathing it in, brings a smile and opens my heart even more. I feel supported and loved in this space, right here, right now…like being lulled to sleep. So grateful. Sending the love back around the circle as I drift off to sleep…
Russ I guess I’m just blessed to be surrounded by it up here, and it does truly touch me. For example today! … I was heading down our dirt road which enters the woods after an open field and a hawk literally jumped off a branch and flew over the roof of my car and chose to fly directly down the road ahead of me like it was my guide… I can still feel it… it then landed in another branch above the road so I stopped before it, which happened to be also next to the old unused sugar house. For some reason that made a difference to me, not sure why. Then it flew off to the right into the woods past it, deep into the woods. Namaste dear Hawk, and yes much love to you all, sent from the wings of a hawk. Peace.
Can’t say it enough. I love you all!
Hi Russ, not tmi. We are family. Thanks for the reminder that when thoughts or memories are torturing me that certain songs are soothing. Very often, for me, it is a certain vibration that seems to treat that place in body or mind that is suffering. I think that when we are being pounded by thoughts that are bringing us down it is natural to imagine them as the enemy.
Last week when I left my house to go over to water my friend’s plants a pretty large lizard ran across my labyrinth . When I arrived at my friends house another lizard walked in front of me as I approached her door. Just pondering the energy of lizard these days. They seemed to simply bring me back to presence from mind streams.
Lori, it doesn’t surprise me the full and deep spiritual connection you have with plant spirits. Amazing!
Missy, I’ve never met someone more ‘in love’ than you., with all of nature. I am so grateful that you would choose to extend that bridge to us and it is deeply appreciated. Thank you Missy.
As for me, it may be TMI that when PTSD begins to overwhelm me I have found that Krisna Das, or specifically “Maa Durga” is the single greatest weapon I have to work with. (I question the use of the word weapon here, but, I’m not going to be fussy. My Love and Gratitude to all!
Keeping our garden alive has focused on lugging buckets of water from a neighbor’s house rather than weeding. As I stepped into the overgrown garden yesterday, I didn’t see the pussy willow behind me but I certainly felt it. Instantly, I could feel the the tension leave my shoulders. With the next breath, I could feel the presence of a friend behind me. The feel was so strong! And as I opened my heart more, I could feel each plant spirit sending support, surrounding “me” in a healing circle. No longer a “me” or a “them”…just shared space/energy.
I’m here, just haven’t had anything witty to add so I’m sharing this from Rob Brezsny who finds some interesting tidbits to share. I looked up the author he quotes and his independent mother was his greatest influence. She legally divorced her husband back in the 1800s which was unheard of and a social disgrace, but he was abusing her. Strength passed on. Here’s what he said, on the lines of what we all are working with:
…According to Leo author Guy de Maupassant, “We are in the habit of using our eyes only with the memory of what people before us have thought about the things we are looking at.” That’s too bad. It causes us to miss a lot of life’s richness. In fact, said de Maupassant, “There is an element of the unexplored in everything. The smallest thing contains a little of what is unknown.” Your assignment in the next two weeks, … is to take his thoughts to heart. In every experience, engage “with enough attention to find an aspect of it that no one has ever seen or spoken of.”
Namaste. Love to you all.
I love all of you too and am grateful.
I think most people I know can identify with the desire to be as good person. I believe many of us were taught to be good persons. Won’t people admire us, like us more if we are good persons? Won’t we feel better about ourselves if we are good persons? But we can drop personhood all together.
My spirit soars when I connect with another spirit. Your spirit. It is really just recognizing our connection. Of course, my persona likes your persona. Your “Russ-ness.” I love your sincerity and your sense of humor. That is life in form.
I do something good for others and it comes from the heart and expects no reward, needs no recognition. Or it comes from my persona and it is rewarded…I just did a nice thing and that makes me a nice person. The second one is self-serving. Or, failing to meet my standards I can judge myself as not good enough. I have experienced both.
Ram Dass would say that it is all grist for the mill.
I love you Russ! We are walking each other home.
Russ. I totally get your post. Thanks for putting it so succinctly into words. That is my experience as well.
I don’t meet the standards I set for what it is to be a “good Person”. This is not to say I see myself as a bad person, but I just can’t live up to the very high ideals I ascribe to being a “good person”. Pretense is all I can see about myself right now and it’s all bullshit. It’s exhausting and full of suffering and self abuse. Still, it is a strangely terrifying addiction to put down…
Beginning this weekend, I am starting to hold individual Intensives. Group Intensives are logistically out of the question for now. The focus of the Intensives with be on developing a more intimate relationship with undivided presence. Please let me know if you are interested!
Yes, it is ironic that it takes a great deal of energy to maintain separation and no effort to go home. And yet I continuously fight my way back to separation. How wonderful it is to relax into the peace and bathe in the oneness.
I notice how terribly loud my mental space is when I am in a place of separation. The choice to let go always feels like a day at the spa despite the “o shit” resistance at times. During my last session side trips came up ,but I always returned back home into oneness. This ironically comes without effort.
I was consciously singing those "chants" of love to all of us. I love that I can both feel and see the heart connection.
Wow, tonight’s music was like a hot shower on a cold, wet day. How warm and cozy… I’m so glad you were all there, amplifying the heart factor!
It is wonderful to become aware of the oneness of a group where everyone’s heart is open and feeling our connectedness. I have had times when this has happened with one or a group of “strangers,” often when we are sharing an experience in common. And I have opened to this oneness when there is no outward evidence from others of that connection but still I feel the connection, the community. I believe this is because in spite of what our separate selves may be projecting or I am sensing, if my heart is open I can connect spirit to spirit with anyone. It is my observation that Spirit is just pure love and connection. This also occurs in nature, such as when I look up into a starry sky and feel the pull between myself and those energetic beings. It is always there waiting for me to discover again and again.