The farmer then thinks, “Which way did my buffalo go?” He decides to follow one set of tracks and they lead him up into the high mountains, but he doesn’t find his buffalo there. Then he follows another set of footprints that lead way down to the ocean. However, when he reaches the ocean, he still doesn’t find his buffalo. His buffalo is not in the mountains or at the beach. Why? Because it is back home in the stable in his yard.

Like the farmer, we search for happiness and peace of mind outside ourselves. We search for freedom from our troubles high up in the mountains, at pristine, beautiful beaches and in the serenity of retreat settings. In all of these places, there are footprints everywhere, signs of like-minded seekers searching for happiness and a more enlightened existence. In the end, you might find traces of the contentment and illumination they realized. What you will not find, however, is the one thing you are looking for – your own happiness, peace of mind and enlightened nature. You may find someone else’s version of it, but it is not the same as finding your own.

No matter how much you may admire and long for the happiness and freedom of mind you perceive in someone else, whether it’s a great spiritual master, a bestselling self-help guru, or a true, modern-day hero or heroine, finding your own wakefulness, your own enlightenment within, is much different. It is like finding your own buffalo. Your buffalo recognizes you and you recognize your buffalo. The moment you meet your own buffalo is a very emotional and joyful moment.

To make our own discoveries, we have to start right here where we are. We have to search inwardly rather than outwardly. From the Buddhist point of view, ultimate happiness – the state of freedom, or enlightenment – is within our minds and has been from beginningless time. Like our buffalo comfortably resting in its stable, ultimate happiness has never left us, although we have developed the idea that it has left home. We think it is somewhere outside and we have to find it. With so many footprints leading in different directions, so many possibilities for where it could be, we may start to imagine things. We could think that it was stolen by a neighbor and is gone forever. We start to have all kinds of misconceptions and mistaken beliefs.

From the Buddhist point of view, there is nothing within our ordinary life that we need to reject or leave behind, and the state of enlightenment is not a place we go to from here. It is not a place that is found outside of where we are right now. If you wanted to find a perfect get-away from all your stress and unhappiness, where and how far would you go? To the other side of the world, to the International Space Station, or just the nearest bar? Your body would be somewhere else, but still, you would be taking your stressed, unhappy mind with you. What we are actually trying to leave behind is the mind’s confusion, which keeps us from being happy. It is how our minds function when we are in those mountains, at the beach, at work or at home, that determines whether we are happy or unhappy, awake in our life or sleeping through it.

According to the Buddha, the actual point of all our efforts on the spiritual path is simply to return to the state of complete wakefulness, which is the true nature of our minds. Our minds are brilliantly clear and aware naturally, but that brilliant wakefulness is hidden from our view by clouds of confusion. These clouds are caused primarily by the turbulence of our thoughts and emotions. There is so much commotion going on in our minds that our view of who we are and what the world is like is distorted.

If that’s the case, then how can we recognize the wakeful nature of our minds? The Buddha taught many methods of meditation, which bring stability, peace, and clarity to our agitated minds. Through the practice of meditation, we begin to relax; we feel like we’re waking up and coming to our senses. It’s a very ordinary, but profound, experience that deepens over time and transforms our view of life. When we start to work with our mind in meditation, there’s a sense of effort, but as we go along, it becomes more effortless. A good example of this is a bird taking off from the ground. When the bird wants to fly, it first has to run a little bit and then push down against the ground, so it can leap up into the space of the sky.

So long as we are looking outside of ourselves, there is no place to go, no end of the road, where we will one day find perfect happiness. Ultimately, the awake and peaceful mind that we are looking for is with us right now, in this very moment. We don’t have to pack our bags or follow someone else’s trail to discover the true nature of our mind – the buddha within us. That buddha is always within our reach.

Do you see it? Where are you looking for your buffalo?

Suddenly, I was struck by a sensation of ease and opening within myself as I experienced a sense of profound clarity. I could see completely, and simply how the bow was merely itself, without significance or import; I saw how each movement was unremarkable, not representative of anything. Yet, in the moment, the act was singular, unique, central and entire; it was everything. Then, in an instant, each motion and gesture passed and was gone, becoming nothing. The gesture, the movement, the attention and the intention no longer existed.

The passing of the moment was without any sense of loss or nostalgia as its passage produced a ceaseless series of endings, constantly replacing one another.

I decided a few months earlier that I would like to train to be a doan at the meditation center where I often sit and learn and take retreat. A doan is most readily compared to a cantor, the person who guides the proceedings, letting others know when activities are beginning or ending, leading chants, and allowing participants to be free from decisions and consideration of time and progression of activities. In the case of what I became responsible for, it includes the use of several instruments, chanting, timing of activities, and standing and walking in particular ways, in a particular order.

I felt the need to do this, even though it meant showing up at 5:30 in the morning, because I had recently realized that I experience much of the world kinesthetically. I felt that having my meditation practice involve something that involved moving my body in a prescribed way would be of value to my practice. In addition, my previous spiritual tradition involved a lot of ritual, and it was something with which I felt comfortable and at home. Instinct told me it was the right thing to do, and I was heavily supported in my intentions.

I knew that, in some way, this would to be an opportunity for me to gain insight. As is true of all opportunities for being struck by a lightning bolt of lucidity, I could not anticipate what I would learn.

When I began this practice, I asked my teacher what I should be thinking when I bowed. His answer was that it is merely another opportunity to be mindful, and I have kept that in mind. Then I became a doan, and the duties are prescribed, complex and wordless. First you light these candles, then you stand here, then you stand there, then you ring this bell, then you ring a different bell, then you ring yet another. Chanting, more bells, more chanting, more instruments, it was inevitable that I would be nervous. By attempting to be mindful of each thing, not worrying about the next, I was more able to let go of the worry that created the “stage fright” I found myself on the verge of. But the effort of paying close attention to what I was doing and readying myself for the next thing did not allow me to be mindful of the environment that I found myself in and was creating by these activities.

It was my third time acting as doan, when I was just beginning to be comfortable enough with the order of things, that I found myself with an opportunity for me to be quiet and present without doing. It was then that I was able to experience the aforementioned scene; one that awakened me to what my teacher was telling me about bowing.

I understood in that moment, the opportunity there is to bring meaning into each thing I did each day. I also saw that each thing has no more meaning than a momentary movement, word or gesture. It merely is.

Each gesture is a ritual, full and complete; each ritual merely a gesture. Every thing has only and exactly as much importance as we give it. Let us restrain ourselves from giving it more than is warranted or less than it deserves.

But most humans who are making decisions based on their minds or hearts will be so deeply connected to their own agendas, they will not realize there is a storm until the sky is black. They will not realize there is an earthquake until the ground is shaking. They will not know when they need to take action or to be patient because they are too fixated on “figuring out” what’s going to happen based on weak assumptions.

In the past, our society has taught us to follow our minds. Your logical and analytical mind will weigh the pros and cons in a given situation, leading you toward a solution with the greatest benefits and fewest negative consequences.

Your mind, however, is not effective unless you have trained it to be so by getting rid of mindless chatter, ego-based thoughts and the things you have been taught to believe. Most of us have not trained the mind thoroughly enough to make it functional and reliable.

Your mind won’t lead you to what you are passionate about. Your mind will not intimately connect you to other human beings. Your mind will not lead you toward love.

Your heart will.

More recently, we have been taught to follow our hearts. It is from your heart that you choose love, compassion, nurturing, caring, empathy, listening, giving and sharing. The heart will bond you to other people.

But it is this bond that can also deceive you. The heart will sometimes lead you toward ridiculous choices that simply make no sense. Making decisions using only the mind and the heart keep you stuck in a less than ideal “reality.” On a day-to-day basis, functioning from the surface leaves you with barely enough available energy to perceive something with depth because your energy is wrapped up with your thoughts and emotions.

At the surface, there are many outside factors keeping you from being the most effective person you can be. It is from this surface that most people are and have been for many millennia. You can witness how ineffective operating from the surface has been through the destruction of the earth and through war and crime on any level. You can also witness this through complacency, complaints and general misery.

While the heart and the mind, thoughts and love, have an important place in our lives, it is time to go beyond these facets and move into depth.

In my first book, Dancing with Divinity: Positive Affirmations for any Situation, I suggested that one of the Five Treasures was to let the heart lead. In my second book, The Nine Scoundrels: How to Recognize and Release Subtle Patterns of Sabotage, I wrote, “Sometimes the practical choice is not the better choice. The better choice is the one that comes from the heart.” While the heart can be an important guide for our decisions, we can access an even greater depth, from where we gain inherent knowledge and innate power.

Instead of operating only from the heart or the mind, choose to also operate from the heart of the matter. Connect to your deepest self – to that part of you which is infinite, powerful, certain, filled with insight and intuition and steeped in truth and wisdom.

Do not falter through choices that the mind or the heart creates. Go much deeper than that. Tap into the depth of your Self, where even your Self does not really exist and you are therefore void of ego, illusion and belief. From here, you can operate from a place where endless possibilities exist, from where you have infinite power, from where you can access certainty.

From a place of depth, necessary action will be effortless and impeccable. From this depth, there isn’t any confusion.

How do you begin operating from this level of depth? To move into true depth, release unnecessary and ineffective activities, thoughts, words, personal history and emotions.

Stop the need to be doing things simply to have something to do. Slow down. Prioritize.

Clear your mind. Embrace the depth of stillness. Let every part of your day be a constant meditation – not just thirty minutes seated at a cushion in half lotus. Use the mind for necessary tasks and then shut it off. Thoughts are a great source of misery. Stop torturing yourself.

Be silent. Just as it’s important to clear the mind chatter, it’s important to clear the verbal chatter, as well.

Release personal history. Retelling the past uses a great deal of energy. Tell stories that will sincerely help others or make you stronger through re-telling them. It’s okay to get rid of every story that makes you feel weak or stupid. And it’s also valid to shut down anyone who begins to tell one of these stories on your reluctant behalf.

Avoid suppressing emotions, but also make sure you don’t wallow in them. Honor the time necessary to grieve, but don’t let it infinitely rob you of your vitality. Release emotions that cannot be used as a catalyst to action. Pay close attention to self-pity, which is an enormous drain of energy.

Operating from the heart of the matter, you see beyond sight, with all your energy readily available to comprehend subtle shifts and nuances. You are always connected to intent no matter what situation you are in. You can “call the shots.” Because you “see” beyond the surface. You will have certainty because you will not have an agenda or a bind to a desired outcome. You will have heightened love from a truer depth not based on conditions or circumstance.

From the heart of the matter, you will know what to do, when to do it and be effective while doing it – just like an animal before a storm.

Meditation is fairly loosely applied to a number of practices and is often taken to imply concerted thought upon a subject, often philosophical in nature. However, it is most commonly applied to the practice of clearing one’s mind and by focusing on breathing, mantras or spiritual questions, incidences and figures (such as the nature of God, the lives of the Saints and the image of the Buddha).

Meditation is a practice that helps people achieve balance both mentally and physically, as well as emotionally. It is even used to treat depression, stress and anxiety. The deep rest that a person achieves through meditation can rid him or her of stress and enables that person to make better choices by allowing them to think more clearly. There have been reports of higher self-esteem in people who meditate.

People have even used this practice to help them quit smoking and to put a stop to alcohol and drug addictions. A person can even reduce blood pressure and greatly lower the symptoms of menopause and premenstrual syndrome. Meditation also helps to lower the heart rate and blood pressure by slowing down one’s breathing, which lowers the amount of oxygen needed for the body. The thought process allows the mind and muscles to gently relax.

Deriving its roots from the Latin word meditatio, which means “all types mental or physical exercise,” the meaning of meditation has also evolved through the years. Today, the practice is commonly known as inward reflection or contemplation. As years went by, people who practice meditation were able to come up with various disciplines. These involve a very wide range of psychophysical and spiritual aspects, or a combination of both that can lead to total enhancement of a person’s higher level of mental concentration, as well as spirituality.

Non-religious forms
Forms of meditation which are devoid of religious content have been developed in the West as a way of promoting physical and mental well-being:

• Jacobson’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation was developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the early 1920s. Jacobson argued that since muscular tension accompanies anxiety, one can reduce anxiety by learning how to relax the muscular tension.
• Autogenic training was developed by the German psychiatrist Johannes Schultz in 1932. Schultz emphasized parallels to techniques in yoga and meditation.
• Australian psychiatrist Dr Ainslie Meares published a groundbreaking work in the 1960s entitled Relief Without Drugs, in which he recommended some simple, secular relaxation techniques based on Hindu practices as a means of combating anxiety, stress and chronic physical pain.
• Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School conducted a series of clinical tests on meditators from various disciplines including Transcendental Meditation and Tibetan Buddhism. In 1975 Benson published a book, The Relaxation Response, in which he outlined his own version of meditation for relaxation.
• Acem Meditation has been developed in the Scandinavian countries since 1966. It is non-religious technique with no requirement for change of lifestyle or adaption to any system of belief.

The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It’s not a religion, philosophy or lifestyle. It’s perhaps the most widely practiced, most researched and most effective method of self-development. More than five million people worldwide have learned this simple, natural technique — people of all ages, cultures, and religions.

A quiet mind
Other types of meditation that are recognized include prayer, Zen meditation, Taoist meditation, mindfulness meditation and Buddhist meditation. Some methods of meditation may require the body being absolutely still or to be moved with controlled deliberation, while other types allow for free movement of the body. While the methods are different, the end goal of all types of meditation leads to a mind that is quieted and free from stress by the use of quiet contemplation and reflection.

Two main categories comprise all forms. These are concentrative meditation and mindfulness meditation.

• Concentrative Meditation — This form of meditation focuses the attention on the breath, an image or a sound, in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge. Sitting and silently focusing on dynamics of breathing is concentrative meditation in its most basic form. Breathing is a natural and readily available object of meditation. When a person is anxious or alarmed, his breathing becomes shallow, rigid and uneven. But when the mind is tranquil and balanced in concentration, breathing becomes slow, deep and even. Absorbing yourself in the repetition of your breathing will allow you to reach a point of simultaneous stillness and awareness.
• Mindulness Meditation — The purpose of mindfulness meditation is to increase awareness of the inundation of sensations and feelings around oneself, but at a distance. In mindfulness meditation, you experience every aspect of your environment without consciously thinking about it. The person sits quietly and simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind, not reacting or becoming involved with thoughts, memories worries or images. Through this practice, meditators are said to gain an intense calmness and clarity.

Meditation can be practiced while walking or doing simple repetitive tasks. Walking meditation helps break down habitual automatic mental categories, “thus regaining the primary nature of perceptions and events, focusing attention on the process while disregarding its purpose or final outcome.” In a form of meditation using visualization, such as Chinese Qigong, the practitioner concentrates on flows of energy (Qi or chi) in the body, starting in the abdomen and then circulating through the body, until dispersed.

Benefits of meditation
If you practice regularly, the benefits of meditation will promote a sense of calm and control, you’ll feel far more relaxed and happy. Your ability to concentrate will be greater. You won’t become stressed about things and you’ll feel more peaceful and relaxed about everything. One of the greatest benefits of meditation is learning to go with the flow and things that used to irritate you before simply become insignificant. Meditation shouldn’t be used as a replacement to traditional Western medicine, but as a supplement to treatments your doctor has recommended for you.

More than 600 research studies have been conducted at more than 200 universities and research centers (including Harvard, UCLA and Stanford). These studies have been published in more than 100 journals.

Psychological benefits of meditating include: reduced stress and anxiety; increased creativity and intelligence; reduced depression; increased learning ability, moral reasoning and memory; reduced irritability and moodiness; feelings of vitality and rejuvenation; increased emotional control; increased self-esteem; increased alertness; improved relationships and improved concentration.

Physiological benefits include: possible lower blood pressure; prevented, slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases; boosted immune system; lowered cholesterol levels; improved airflow, especially in those with asthma; and a younger biological age.

Transcendental Meditation studies report improved brain functioning, health, focus, creativity, equanimity, happiness, relationships and peace.

“Transcendental Meditation promotes stillness — and when you are still is the only time you can think, the only time you can focus,” says Russell Simmons, co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label Def Jam and creator of the clothing fashion line Phat Farm. “When you have distractions and noise in your mind, you can’t comprehend properly and you can’t do your job. Comprehension comes from stillness, focus comes from stillness, and TM is the practice of touching that stillness for a few minutes twice a day.”

The benefits of meditation are endless and certainly deserve your contemplation and consideration. Many successful business people, celebrities and sports professionals practice and enjoy the benefits of meditation. Numerous businesses promote and provide help and assistance to their staff with the benefits of meditation courses. And, a thriving community of meditation centers and practitioners are available to help you learn to meditation and realize the benefits of the practice.

It is highly conceivable that meditation was discovered by one of our ancient relatives, who after a long day hunting and gathering, sat down and slipped into an altered state of consciousness while staring at the flames of a fire. Some may argue that the experience of spending time in dark caves also could lead the mind to enter a trance-like state. Meditation, perhaps the oldest form of mental, spiritual, health and wellness practice in existence, is in all probability as old as mythic thought and magic ritual.

The structured practice of meditation is thought to go back 5,000 years with its development in India, culminating in its initial development by Hindus as a means of discerning the true nature of Brahman (or God) and its later development by the Buddha (Siddhartha Guatama) who reached “enlightenment” by meditating under a Bodhi Tree, following years of disenchantment with established religious practices. The major break between Buddhism and Hinduism occurred as Buddha’s followers did not believe meditation to be a means of getting closer to an understanding of a higher being (God), but rather as a means of realising one’s interconnectedness with all things.

While meditation precedes all world religions, all the major religions have a tradition of meditation. It must be said, however, that religion does not hold the monopoly on meditation, self-actualization or enlightenment. You need not convert to a particular religion to practice meditation or to become self-aware. Meditation became universal, appearing in cultures all over the world. The differences appear to lie more with the goals, purposes and styles. Separate countries or cultures adopted different forms of the word “meditation,” and they each found their own unique way of practicing it.

Meditation was spread to Western society thousands of years after it was adopted in the East. Some forms of meditation were introduced in the United States as New Thought philosophy was developed in the early 1900s. About 50 years ago, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Transcendental Meditation (TM) to the world. The TM technique is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India. This knowledge has been handed down by Vedic masters from generation to generation for thousands of years. In the 1960s and 1970s, many Western professors and researchers began testing the effects of meditation and learned about its multitude of benefits.

Various forms of meditation have been described in popular culture. In literature, we find meditation in Frank Herbert’s Dune, James Hilton’s Lost Horizon and Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums. In television, Star Trek’s Vulcan race used meditation to calm and keep their tempestuous emotions under control as part of Surak’s doctrine of Logic. On the big screen, Star Wars included meditation chambers for those who follow the Force. These private inner sanctums are used by both Jedi and Sith to reflect upon the future, rejuvenate their inner strength and improve their subtle mental powers. Perhaps the most well-known meditation chamber was built for Darth Vader aboard his Super Star Destroyer, Executor.

Famous meditators include Lao Tzu, Confucious, St. Teresa of Avilla, Mahatma Gandhi, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emmerson, Henry David Thoreau, Ezra Pound, The Dalai Lama, Alan Watts, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, David Lynch, Steven Seagal, Al Gore, Richard Gere, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alanis Morrisette and Jennifer Aniston.

• A Quiet Place — It’s important for you to find a place that will let you be completely relaxed. Try to eliminate as many noises and distractions as possible. Remember to turn off your cell phone. This is your own personal time out for the day from all the stresses in your life. There are many different places where you can practice meditation — your backyard, the beach and a meditation center are just a few. However, a comfortable spot in your bedroom is just as good. You want put on music that makes you feel serene and peaceful. Many people like to have a small running water fountain, for the sound of running water is very soothing. Lighting the room with a few candles is also an effective way of ‘setting the mood’ for your meditation time.
• Proper Posture — Maintaining a proper posture is a main component of meditation. Without one, your body might become tense and unable to relax, and you may also experience back pain. Although meditation is possible in any position, sitting is the most common and the easiest. The key is to keep your spine straight and feel steady and comfortable. Sitting straight is better than lying down, because reclining can easily lead to sleep during meditation. However, if you often suffer from back pain, lying on your back with your spine straight will be the better option for you. Beginners often are most comfortable sitting in a chair. There are several classic seated poses, but sitting cross-legged works fine, particularly with a small pillow to sit on to make you more relaxed. Wear comfortable clothing.
• An Object of Focus — For concentrative meditation, the meditator must choose a single thing to focus upon. The gentle inhale and exhale of breathing or a repeated mantra are the most common, but sounds, colors, uplifting thoughts or a religious figure can also be used. If you choose to use a mantra, it’s best to use a word with positive and relaxing connotations, like harmony or peace.
• A Passive Attitude — This is the most important element for successful meditation. A passive attitude is one in which nothing has any consequence. External distractions and internal thoughts are recognized but looked at informally and indifferently. Let them come and go, of no more consequence than small clouds passing across an expanse of sky. When you do find your attention wandering, simply bring it back to your focus object. Remember to stay relaxed. It’s okay to become momentarily distracted every so often. The more often you meditate, the easier it will be to let go of your thoughts.

The following is an example of a simple meditation procedure:

Sit in your quiet place in the position that is most comfortable for you and close your eyes. Roll your shoulders back and down and gently lift the chest. Keep your neck long and the chin tilted slightly downward. Relax your muscles sequentially from head to feet. Starting with your forehead, become aware of tension as you breathe in. Let go of any obvious tension as you breathe out. Do this as you concentrate on each part of your body. Even if breathing is not your object of meditation, you should take slow, natural breaths. If you choose to use a mantra, you may repeat it quietly or silently as you exhale. Plan on meditating for a specific amount of time. Ten to 20 minutes is ideal. More experienced meditators may choose to meditate longer. Using an alarm is not recommended. It is better to open one eye and check the time when you feel you are close to finishing. After you finish: Sit quietly for a minute or so, at first with your eyes closed and later with your eyes open. Do not stand for one to two minutes.

Due to the high pace of life in the Western world, it is not always possible or desirable to sit for hours a week in meditation. Accordingly, it sometimes makes sense to meditate around your everyday life, developing an awareness of the transience of reality and clearing the mind as part of your existing routine. This involves being intently mindful or aware of sensations as they arise during the course of your day. Initially, it is best to focus on trying to achieve this in relation to just one or two activities a day. Following this it will be possible to develop an awareness that is carried with you in everything you do.

This can be started relatively easily by choosing an activity which you intend to become intently mindful of and resolving to undertake that activity with an absolute awareness of the sensations that accompany it. For example, you could choose to become mindful of the drive to work in the morning, feeling the sensation of driving, while resolving to not become distracted along the way. You will soon note how much more pleasurable this is than commuting with a head full of worries about yesterday, the day ahead and so on.

Zen Master, poet, peace and human rights activist and scholar Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most beloved Buddhist teachers in the West, offers a practice of “mindfulness” that is beneficial for people of all faiths. He encourages us to practice mindfulness meditation throughout our day, when we eat, when we wash the dishes, when we go for a walk and when we sit.

Follow his guidance for a walking meditation. Take small steps. Focus your attention on your feet as you walk, and not on your thoughts. If thoughts come, just note them briefly, and get back to concentrating on your walk. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that the feet can walk on the Earth as if they were kissing her. He has also said, “When I walk, my heart is at peace, my feet embrace the Earth, and my eyes embrace the sky.” Walking meditation is a good practice for slowing down so that we can appreciate what is around us, and be in the moment. A good verse to recite while walking is, “I have arrived, I am home in the here and in the now.” We arrive at home with each step.

But if you are tired of following the endless hop-scotching of your thoughts, it is time to meditate.

For those of you who want to stop the nonsense that goes on in your mind, know that meditation requires both courage and discipline. Meditation is for spiritual adults and not for those too scared to let go of their own ideas and anxieties. You are not your body. You are not your mind. You are not your emotions. You are something entirely different, and without courage, you won’t discover who you really are.

Meditation requires discipline because you can’t allow your body to itch or disturb your peace. In fact, in the ideal state of meditation, you should not feel your body at all. You should not be aware of your flesh body or what it is going through. You will also have to discipline your mind to focus on something other than mundane worries and situations. You will have to slow your breathing and get very simple in your mind until it slows down enough to wake up from being completely outer-focused. You cannot allow thoughts to pull you away from the subject of your meditation.

If you are meditating on peace, then only thoughts of peace or experiences of peace should be accepted in your session. Other unrelated thoughts should be left outside and discarded. You will need to focus and not be passive. You must be vigilant and not stressed out or worried.

As you can see, real meditation is not just relaxation. Many people do not get deeper than relaxing the body. They only go to the superficial levels of relaxing a little and never dive deeper into the sacred streams of blissful connection to the God that made them. If you don’t go deeper than relaxation, you won’t go to the deeper levels of humility and purity where the Divine Source within teaches, guides and directs things.

God is within. God inside you is going to give you an experience or knowledge or words about some subject that you hold in your mind. The purpose of meditation is to get your consciousness in a place where you can listen to something higher than what your frontal lobe generates. The reason this is possible is that God has been waiting to speak to you for so long, and through meditation, God finally has your complete attention. When you listen for real, God can inspire and guide you in ways that are good for you. Meditation reconnects you with God and thus with the real love at the source of it all.

All of the mystics had this experience of ecstatic embrace with God at the center of their being. God actually has been waiting to get your attention for years, and if you have the courage and discipline to experience a successful meditation, you might actually be able to hear God speak to you.

The Twin Cities Maharishi Invincibility Center is located at 399 N. Ruth St. in St. Paul. For more information, call 651.714.0254 or visit www.twincitiestm.org

The following events are upcoming at the Maharishi Invincibility Center in St. Paul:

• Open House: Maharishi Invincibility Center – architectural tour and lectures on TM program and Maharishi Ayurveda, October 24 and November 7, 1-4 p.m.

• Introduction to the new Maharishi Light Therapy with Gems: free lecture October 15, 7 p.m., private sessions October 16-18 by appointment, email mlg@tm.org

• Medication or Meditation: Good News for Children and Adults with ADHD, free, October 19 and November 7, 10 a.m.-noon, RSVP by October 16 and November 6.

• Luncheon: Minnesota Association of Professionals Practicing the Transcendental Meditation program, October 21, noon, RSVP, $20.

• Maharishi Health and Wellness Consultations: October and November, by appointment, $150.

• Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology: for reversal of chronic disorders, October 14-20, by appointment (see www.vedicvibration.com).

• “Art and Consciousness: Creating from the Level of the Unified Field”: with Tom Lane, MFA, Associate Professor of Art, University of Minnesota, October 25, 1 p.m, $10.

• “Is Consciousness the Unified Field” videotape: indepth exploration with Dr. John Hagelin, world-renown quantum physicist and director of the Institute for Science,Technology and Public Policy, followed by discussion, free, November 6, 7:30 pm.

• David Lynch Speaking on Consciousness and Creativity: videotape, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. free.

• Introductory and Preparatory Lectures on the TM program: available at any time by appointment, free.

The Twin Cities Maharishi Invincibility Center is located at 399 N. Ruth St. in St. Paul, MN

Invincibility. That is the hallmark of the new Maharishi Invincibility Center, or Transcendental Meditation (TM) center, or Peace Palace, now serving the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota. Not invincible in the sense of having power over…but in the sense of not having any enemies, the creation of such a peaceful and harmonious influence in ourselves and in our country that enemies do not arise.

In May of this year, the new center opened just north of Interstate 94 at Ruth Street in St. Paul. This palatial 12,000-square-foot structure was constructed by following ancient Vedic principles so the building itself would radiate harmony, serving as a sanctuary where such practices as Transcendental Meditation®, Consciousness-Based(SM) education, leadership training, health and wellness courses, Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology(SM), Yogic Flying(SM) and many others services and practices can be shared with the community at large. It is one of 20 such Peace Palaces in the United States.

Since the 1960s, TM centers have served the Twin Cities – on University Avenue, in a mansion on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, in a storefront location on Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis – offering instruction in one of the most thoroughly researched and widely practiced techniques to reduce stress and anxiety and to develop total brain functioning. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Transendental Meditation worldwide in 1957, and in less than ten years the mantra meditation was the rage among well-known musicians and celebrities, such as The Beatles, Donovan and The Beach Boys. More than five million people worldwide have learned TM, and many notable people have cited its importance in their lives, including Deepak Chopra, Shirley MacLaine, Jerry Seinfeld and David Lynch, whose foundation is now teaching TM in schools around the globe.

“The main thing that sets us apart from other holistic or meditation centers is the emphasis on transcending, and the importance of developing the Self in any of the programs,” says Billie Jean Billman, co-director of the Twin Cities center. “It’s really the underpinning and the prime movement of individual intelligence and cosmic intelligence.

The Directors: Jim Horwath and Billie Jean Billman lead the Maharishi Invincibility Center in St. Paul.

“By cosmic intelligence,” she says, “we are not talking about something far out. We are talking about that cosmic intelligence that not only maintains the entire galactic universe, but is also digesting my lunch right now. It’s the intelligence that knows and blinks my eyes and grows my hair. It is very intimate to every individual, and when individual life is out of alignment with cosmic intelligence, then we experience stress and ill health. This building actually helps to harmonize life on all different levels.”

Ms. Billman says the Twin Cities Maharishi Invincibility Center faces due east, because the direction of the rising sun brings influence of the early morning rays of the Sun, which are the most creative.

“They are the ones that bring an enlightening influence to the human race and all of life on the planet Earth,” she says. “The American Indians knew that. Many of the great cathedrals in Europe face due east. It is a timeless architectural principle that you also see in Vedic architecture. Orientation was important in choosing the location for the center. The other aspect of Vedic architecture that was really important was the proportion of the building – the actually dimensions, sizes of the rooms, the ceiling heights, the exterior heights, the elevation heights of the top of the roof and the top of the roof ornaments, all being prescribed Vedic dimensions.”

Ms. Billman, who came to the Twin Cities from San Diego, CA, where two peace palaces were constructed, said Vedic principles also determined how the various rooms would be used. “For instance, upstairs in the kitchen when you cook, you face east or north, but we do not do things like facing south, and the stove has to be in a particular place or it brings too much of the fire influence into the building, which you want to avoid.”

The mathematical center of the building is known as the Brahmasthan. A large marble cube sits there, with Holy Basil or Holy Jasmine plants placed according to principle. Ms. Billman says the cube “protects the silence” of the building’s space, preventing anyone from walking across it or disturbing its center.

Many daily practices
Each day, men and women use the building to practice the advanced programs of TM, such as TM Siddhi. They enter a room with the floor covered with mattresses so they can do what is called yogic flying. “The body lifts up and then when it comes down you don’t want to wreck your spine,” Ms. Billman says. “It’s more of a bouncing experience at this point, but it’s the most powerful technique that we have. It’s known today in terms of creating total brain integration and coherence where the body actually lifts off. That’s one of the technologies that is available here at the Maharishi Invincibility Center.”

Yogic flyers like Ms. Billman, who does it at least once a day, are advanced meditators who have spent years with the program and have completed the TM Siddhi program. Ms. Billman says such advanced meditators not only are transforming their own lives, but they are helping all of us, collectively.

“This has the most powerful influence of anything we can do for the environment, especially when it’s done in groups,” she says. “It has a good influence when we are by ourselves, but we have to tickle the unified field in order to create world peace. Human beings can directly experience the unified field. God gave us a nervous system so that we can actually experience it directly, not just talk about it or study it and know about it. The New Age has been really good about talking about it and studying, and maybe not so good at giving reliable, repeatable direct experience of that field. It is a huge boon to one’s personal evolution to be able to take the advanced techniques and the TM Siddhi program. It just hastens the whole process of development of Unity Consciousness, which is the state where one is fully realized and fully enlightened.”

Ms. Billman points to photos of brain scans on the wall that explain how maximum brain functioning is achieved during the TM Siddhi flying.

“All of the different parts of the brain are firing together at the same time at the same frequencies, and we find the maximum coherence when the body is actually lifting up off the ground,” she says. “First the body shakes, and then it shimmers, and then the body starts to lift up. Ancient Vedic records record people flying. It’s not a new phenomenon.”

There is a room in the center where Transcendental Meditation is taught to beginners, and where they come for free follow-up checks on their practice. There is a larger room for introductory presentations, for videos, and for classes on how individual awareness can transcend the 5 or 10 percent of the brain that we are said to be using to a point where both hemispheres of the brain work more coherently together.

“Normally people are not using this other potential, but with TM we actually transcend all the thinking to that level of maximum coherence, pure consciousness, that light of consciousness, that absolute inner wakefulness,” Ms. Billman says.

This new Maharishi Invincibility Center is large enough that some programs that once required hotels, such as the Maharishi Vedic Vibration Technology, that promotes healing of specific ailments, can be offered on site, says Jim Horwath, also a co-director of the center.

Looking down from the upper floor in the Maharishi Invincibility Center.

“We used to do that in hotels because we didn’t have enough rooms for the teaching of Transcendental Meditation,” he says. “We offered it at the other center, but it just wasn’t quite as quiet and deep as what we are able to achieve in this building.

“Like Billie Jean said, there are so many yoga centers around, and some of them do have a mind meditation, a sit down meditation, but in this system of meditation the mental technique gives the mind direct access to that transcendence, and what we offer is this whole theory of unified field. This puts one in touch with the level of life that is the source of Intelligence of nature.”

Ms. Billman says TM is like diving. “In diving, you take a correct angle and then you let go. TM establishes the correct angle in the mind and body, so that a person can let go and let nature conduct the process of meditation. That’s all that TM is doing. Our job is to ensure with our lifetime program that a person is going to always receive maximum benefit from the technique.”

A personal experience
It was 1967 and the Vietnam War was waging overseas, and in the hearts and minds of the nation. Billie Jean Billman was a 17-year-old high school student in Los Angeles. Her “cool” aunt who had learned TM invited her to an introductory lecture given by the Maharishi himself.

“I thought, ‘Oh, boy! If he could get 1 percent of the population meditating, then you won’t have any more war. I want to do that.’ This was back in 1967 when meditation was not a household word. Nobody meditated. But we were interested in peace and we were interested in developing the Self and expanding consciousness, and so the promise to do this legally and in a way that was good for me was very attractive to me.”

She has now been meditating for 42 years, and looking back on that span of time, she says it’s hard to imagine that she would still be doing something for that long if it was an effort or an uncomfortable discipline.

“It’s a self-sustaining practice,” she says. “You look forward to doing it, you don’t want to miss it. It’s not that you have to do it, it’s just that you want to do it twice a day because you feel so refreshed in the evening. I feel much younger than my biological age. TM inspires youthfulness, and also the ability to deal with anything. Some problem comes and it may be quite overwhelming for most people, but I see how a solution comes much more quickly. Inner happiness and joy is really important to me, and I just find that quality has grown in just a very steady way in my mind.”

Jim Horwath was attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, in 1976 when he learned about Transcendental Meditation. “When I was there, teachers were giving TM lectures on campus. In my first freshman year I had a philosophy course and one of the teachers was invited to speak to our class. Then I heard a guy speak about TM in the library on campus and that got my interest up. But I was a student at the time and I didn’t have any extra allowance or anything, so when I came home for the summer I earned some money so I could learn it.

“Nobody dragged me to the lecture,” he said. “I was looking for something. I was a seeker. I was interested in Asian culture and meditation and Zen. I had a philosophical bent, and I also knew that my mind was jumping around too much on the college campus. It was all this gruel of the social life, friends and parties and everything. I just wanted something to kind of pull me together.

“I was always interested in increased creativity, increased learning ability, and I think it has given me that. In my creative life, I’ve branched out in all directions. I also feel like when some problem comes up, the mind is more eager to dive into it and sort out and see the options and find a good outcome. And then there’s the energy part of it. You have to be able to put in the physical energy to achieve something, a business project or this or that, and what TM gives is this great resilience and great flexibility of the physiology, so that even if you work until you’re extremely tired, you can go back and meditate and recoup and get back out there again. There is a faster recovery from any kind of experience of physical exertion. Those things are very noticeable.”

The Twin Cities Maharishi Invincibility Center is located at 399 N. Ruth St., St. Paul, MN 55119. For more information, call 651.714.0254 or visit www.twincitiestm.org.

When you lack control over your circumstances, due to health issues or other unforeseen external factors, there is only one thing you can control; your inner climate. This can be done through the practice of meditation.

While much of life isn’t actually within our control, there is one place where all illusion of control tends to vanish. That place is on a commercial airplane, miles above the earth’s surface. Indeed, control seems to be lost the minute you’ve passed barefoot under a metal detector. You hear constant announcements about keeping your personal items near and endless reports on the current security level. You abandon your liquids and are forced to drink only those products available for purchase within the area surrounding your gate. Once in flight, there is no getting off the plane. You aren’t flying the big tin can, so you may as well let go. And, it doesn’t do any good to glance at your watch, because those sideways glances won’t get you to your destination any more quickly.

With so much beyond your control, much like when faced with a chronic illness, you have a fantastic opportunity to practice meditation.

What is meditation exactly? Well, I’ve read many books on that topic and have attended numerous meditation courses in a variety of traditions. What I’ve learned is that meditation is merely a matter of agreeing to be where you are. It is a place of surrender; surrender to grief, pain, or loneliness.

In so surrendering, you end the true agony caused by avoiding the truth of what is. You let your mind be where it is at, you observe your breath, and when you see your thoughts wandering off to all of the emails that will face you when you land or the new medication you’ve been prescribed, you gently observe the wandering mind and just return to your breath once again. If wholeheartedly embraced, you may arrive at your destination more at peace rather than bent out of shape because the plane took off two hours late or annoyed by the 30 minutes spent on the tarmac, waiting for an empty gate to dock the already-landed plane.

In this manner, a delayed flight can be viewed as an opportunity to access that quiet place inside; that trusting soul that agrees to simply be in the place it is. When practiced regularly, while in flight or waiting in line at the grocery store, you’ll be better equipped to access this place of quiet, even when faced with the extraordinary circumstance of a cancer diagnosis or an unforeseen job layoff.

Recently, I was given to separate opportunities to practice my own meditation. One was during a rather bumpy descent into the JFK airport. There were thunderstorms in the area and no way through but to go through the turbulent air. Even though the captain warned us in advance that the ride was going to get bumpy, I wasn’t prepared for that degree of bumpiness. As we swooped through an air pocket, I watched as my still unfinished cup of club soda catapulted up to the air vent. The trajectory was amazing.

I turned towards the woman next to me and said, “I’m scared.” That got her eight-year old son really upset and he started saying that he didn’t want to die. I realized that my own fear had sparked fear in a child. I felt genuinely bad. While still worried by all of the jostling in our descent, I closed my eyes and told myself that I wasn’t in control; we all face hardships, sickness, and eventually, death. I looked for that place of peace, letting it fill me until we once again stabilized just before landing.

The second opportunity was given to me just this past weekend. Eighteen weeks pregnant with my third child, I discovered some unexpected and unexplained bleeding. At the time, I was visiting my father’s home in a rural, wooded setting, which is the ideal landscape for self-exploration and deep thoughts, but not ideal for cell phone connections or medical crises. With the sight of the blood, I became anxious and every bit as fearful as when I thought my plane was going down.

After 20 minutes of panic and tears, I was finally able to calm down and find my breath, realizing that, here too, I was not in control. If this pregnancy happened to terminate early, then I would have to accept the loss and find a means to deal it. Until such an occurrence, however, I would do best by remaining calm and letting that calm carry me. How many of our troubles are only created by our wild imagination? When I finally was able to reach my midwife, she told me the same thing – to just be calm and she would check it all out when I got back.

For now, the pregnancy seems to have stabilized, but I am still on a plane of sorts and I am not the pilot. I have 22 weeks left to go in this pregnancy and I have no control. Things can happen at any time. All I can do is to breathe and know that I am capable of handling both life and death, as I need to. All I have is now, this moment, to breathe and to be present to all that comes my way, trying to save fear for the real versus imaginary troubles.

I am not the pilot, but a willing participant observing the mystery of life unfolding, as it will.

This interview was conducted with Kambiz Naficy.

Kambiz, during your previous visit, you introduced a variety of very useful psychological and spiritual topics. What is your main message on this trip?
One of the reasons I am here is to tell my friends about the brain’s ability to regenerate and renew itself through mental exercises such as meditation, solving puzzles and creative visualization. The brain’s ability to renew and regenerate itself, and for certain parts of the brain to switch functions, even at a very old age, is a recent discovery called neuroplasticity.

When was this discovered and which scientists were behind these discoveries?
A group of about a dozen top Western scientists, many of whom are neurological researchers, have gathered around the Dalai Lama and formed the Mind and Life Institute in the U.S. One of the leading scientists behind these discoveries is Chilean-born Francisco J. Varela.

What these scientists have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, through dozens of scientific experiments, is that certain mental exercises such as meditation and creative visualization actually strengthen certain parts of the brain by generating fresh brain cells, neurons and synapses (connections between the cells). For example, repeated experiments show that simply visualizing that you are playing the piano leads to a detectable and measurable change in the motor cortex of the brain as neurons and synapses form in response to creative visualization.

The scientific discovery that mere thought can alter physical brain matter is in line with the ancient Buddhist and Vedantic philosophies of mind over matter.

Are you saying that our thoughts and the mental environment that we place ourselves in physically change us?
Exactly. Not only can you generate neurons and form new synapses through mental exercises like meditation, personality-wise you also become who you think you are, through repetitious positive affirmations and visualizations.

Finally, quantum physics experiments now prove that your focused and persistent thoughts influence the dance of the atom and its electrons, and since all of the physical world is made up of atoms, your thoughts create your daily circumstances in this physical world.

Kambiz, what about mental and physical diseases? Can mental exercises such as meditation and visualization cure such diseases?
Buddhism and Yoga have known this fact for thousands of years, and over the last 25 years, scientific evidence leads to the same conclusion.

Meditation, especially forms of meditation that employ breathing like Kriya Yoga, produce unique states of relaxation that decrease stress. The unique aspect about Kriya Yoga is that these breathing practices change the blood composition so that acidic blood turns alkaline. When alkaline (acid-free) blood circulates in the brain, brain-wave activity immediately calms down and with a still and centered mind, our blood pressure, muscle-tension and stress quickly decrease.

The National Institutes of Health have gathered more than 600 studies scientifically verifying that meditation eliminates hypertension (high blood pressure) and various forms of heart disease. Medical science has shown for the last 20 years that more than 70 percent of modern diseases are somehow related to stress and that any practice that reduces stress levels improves health, prevents illness, and in many cases, eliminates disease.

I want to cite two particular illnesses, amongst many, that patients can cure and prevent through meditation and creative visualization. These are depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

In the early 1990s, UCLA’s Jeffery Schwartz and University of Massachusetts’ Jon Kabat-Zinn conducted experiments with OCD and depressed patients practicing mindfulness meditation. The volunteers were taught to witness and observe their mental agitation like movie-watchers, without physically responding to their thoughts. Volunteers learned to view their obsessive and depressive thoughts as random misfirings of their brains rather than objective reality. By mindfully and objectively witnessing negative thoughts without reacting, all groups of volunteers showed significant and long-lasting improvement.

Kambiz, is mindfulness what you will be teaching at the Joy of Life retreats in Minnesota?
Yes, that plus knowledge about eliminating childhood wounds, roots of low self-esteem, creating a strong inner-world and personal boundaries, creative visualization, healthy breathing through Kriya Yoga, and finally, how to manifest your own destiny through concentration and mind-power.

The Level I Retreat is open to all individuals who would like to achieve greater joy and peace in their daily lives. No previous experience with Kriya Yoga or meditation is necessary. This retreat will be held June 26-28 at WomanWell, 1784 LaCrosse Ave., in St. Paul. For more information and registration, call 952.594.4346 or visit joyoflifeorg.com.

Paramahansa Yogananda, standing, speaks to a full house at the downtown Minneapolis Radisson Hotel in the fall of 1927.

It was September 1927, and Paramahansa Yogananda was electrifying Twin Cities audiences with a novel but soul-rousing message. Clad in orange robe, with long hair and golden brown skin, he lectured nightly to sold out auditoriums  on the benefits of yoga meditation and inner communion, almost a century before modern medicine and pop culture would make these practices synonymous with enlightened wellness.

Yogananda first arrived in America in 1920 at the age of 27 as India’s delegate to an international congress of religious leaders convening in Boston. Over the next three decades, he traversed the country preaching the benefits of meditation and Kriya Yoga (a sacred technique of meditation for God communion), authoring numerous spiritual texts, and founding the organization that would oversee his spiritual legacy and teachings, Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), headquartered in Los Angeles.

Swami Yogananda touched many hearts and minds during his month-long stay in Minnesota. Beginning on September 18, 1927, he lectured at the Lyceum Theatre in Minneapolis, Macalester College of St. Paul, and other Twin Cities venues. He gave classes on subjects ranging from “Great Revelation for Beautifying Body and Mind” to “Vibratory Healing by Christ Power, Holy Ghost, Yogic Chants.”

Yogananda captured the imaginations of both ordinary citizens and dignitaries, including Minnesota Governor Theodore Christianson, St. Paul Mayor Laurence Hodgson, and Thomas Walker, founder of the Walker Art Galleries. Mrs. Simon Kruse, owner of the downtown Minneapolis Radisson Hotel, separately played host to this renowned pioneer of meditation and yoga in America.

Attendees, inspired by his lectures and teachings on meditation, formed the Minneapolis Meditation Group of Self-Realization Fellowship. Today, 80 years later, the Minneapolis Meditation Group of SRF conducts meditation and inspirational services at its  center in south Minneapolis, where members from the Twin Cities region come together each week for meditation and fellowship.

Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings had struck a holistic chord. A Roosevelt High School teacher in Minneapolis attending his lectures commented at the time: “His message is teaching us to unfold our inner spiritual faculties, as well as aiding in our development of physical and mental powers.”

What was true then is still true today, says Elizabeth Werner, the energetic 83-year-old coordinator of the Minneapolis Meditation Group. Werner attributes much of her vigor to Yogananda’s teachings. “Paramahansa Yogananda gave us scientific techniques for health, vigor and having a direct experience of God,” she says. “Regular, sincere meditation brings the peace that comes from God-communion. The practice is non-denominational and doesn’t require anyone to give up their own faith.”

Yogananda sought to demonstrate that all great religions are founded on the same universal truths. The Washington Post reported on Yogananda’s methods in 1927, stating: “The Yogoda message is nonsectarian, humanitarian and capable of fusing together in unity the different religious factions, though not in any way causing them to lose their individuality.”

Today, Self-Realization Fellowship has more than 500 temples, retreats, and meditation centers in nearly 60 countries. SRF members have included composer George Liebling, opera star Amelita Galli-Curci, actor Dennis Weaver and botanist Luther Burbank.

Yogananda was the first yoga master from India to be invited to the White House, meeting with President Calvin Coolidge  in 1927. He also met with many other prominent world figures, including Mahatma Gandhi, with whom he shared many similar beliefs, and instructed Gandhi, at the Mahatma’s request, in Kriya Yoga.  (The only portion of Gandhi’s ashes to be enshrined outside of India are at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine near Los Angeles, which Yogananda dedicated in 1950.)

Yogananda’s remarkable life journey, detailed in his book Autobiography of a Yogi, is considered one of the most influential books of the 20th century and is a curriculum staple in many colleges and universities.

The first alternative is trying to swim upstream in opposition to the flow of the river. The second alternative is trying to hold on to a static position in the river by grabbing on to a branch of a tree, which hangs down over the river. The third alternative is simply relaxing and allowing us to be carried by the flow of the river wherever it takes us.

The first alternative is a “no”-position in relation to life. The second alternative is an “I want…”-position in relation to life. The third alternative is a “yes”-position to life.

These choices mirror our basic relationship to life and bring up the fundamental question if life is a friend or an enemy, to say “yes” or “no” to life, to cooperate or fight with life.

1. The “No”-position
The “no”-position means to relate to life from a “no”-attitude. The “no”-attitude means to relate to life from our ego, from our separate ideas, desires, attitudes, dreams, illusions, ambitions, expectations and concepts about how we should be, about how other people should be and about how life should be.

The “no”-position is a defense and a separation towards life. The “no”-position means to resist the continuous flow and change of life. It is to separate ourselves from the joy and flow of life. The “no”-position is like closing the door from within so that life can not touch us.

The separate ego receives its strength and maintains its control through fight, judgments and comparison in terms of better or worse and higher or lower.

One of my course participants in a one-week course on the topic, “Yes and No to Life: Meditation, Relationships and Creativity,” exclaimed surprised when we did practical exercises about the “no”-attitude to life: “This is exactly how I have always related to life!” she said. She had not been aware that this had been her automatic way to react to herself, to other people and to life as a whole.

2. “I want”- position
The “I want”-position is an aspect of the “no”-position. It means that we only open our inner window towards life when there is something special that we want from life. In comparison with the “yes”-position – where we are open and available for life to give us what we really need – the “I want”-position is a state of desires, wishes, expectations and ambitions.

When life does not give us what we think that we need, we close our inner window with a disappointed and disillusioned feeling that life does not give us what we need. We close our inner window again without being open for the possibility that life may not give us what we think that we need, but that life gives us what we really need.

During Christmas 2008 when I wrote this article, a beloved friend of mine phoned me on Christmas Day. She told me that her boyfriend for many years had died during Christmas, and she wondered if we could meet and talk. Death is one of the most mysterious phenomenon in life that shatters all our ideas, desires and expectations. Death is basically a question of perspective: to see death from the perspective of the personality or to see death from the perspective of the soul. Death never seems to come at the right time and it always seems to come too early, but people die at the precise right time when the soul has learned what it came to learn and is ready to leave the body. After the phone call with my friend, I opened a healing channel with her and sent her love, understanding and nourishment until we met.

3. The “yes”-position
Our heart is the door to trust life. Our heart is the door to surrender to life. Our heart is the door to allow life to guide us. Opening our heart means to learn to say “yes” to life. It means to allow us to receive the support from Existence, which gives us exactly what we need in exactly the right moment with more creativity and ingenuity than we can ever imagine.

The “yes”-position means to relate to life through our inner being, through our authentic self, through the source of life within ourselves. The inner being is an inner space, an inner emptiness, where we can allow life to pass unhindered through us. The inner being is openness and availability to life.

I discussed the concept of Yes and No to Life with my precious friend of many years, Eric Rolf, an international course leader and personal consultant to John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul Simon and Carlos Santana. His simple and true comment was: “I usually tend to say yes to what life offers.”

The basic reason to all our problems and worry is our desperate effort to try to fit life with our own ideas, ambitions and expectations. The “yes”-position is a deep acceptance of the reality of the moment as it is, without wish that the moment should be different than it is and without will to change the moment in any way.

The “yes”-position means to accept and include both joy and sorrow, both light and darkness, both negative and positive experiences and both life and death. It is to be and relate to life in a deep harmony without expecting life to fit with our own ideas, expectations and ambitions.

The “yes”-position means that the part surrenders to the Whole in love, joy, acceptance and trust like the water drop surrenders to the ocean.

Exercise 1 – Describe the “yes” and “no”-quality in one word. Take as a meditation to describe your own unique “yes” and “no”-quality with one single word. Begin this exercise by closing your eyes, turn your attention within yourself, and listen within to what words that your heart and intuition would like to describe your own “yes” and “no”-quality. Let these words come to you, without trying to force them. My own experience from courses is that people describe their own “yes” and “no”-quality in very different ways. To describe our own “yes”-quality in one word is also a way of describing the quality of our own unique and authentic inner being.

Exercise 2. Yes and No to Life – Take as meditation to be continuously aware if you come from a “yes” or “no”-quality when you relate to yourself, to other people, to creativity and to life itself. Turn your attention within, and ask yourself the question: “Do I act from a “yes” or “no”-quality in this moment?” Be also aware of the difference in the sense of joy and inner satisfaction that these two ways of relating to life create.

That is an extreme example, but we all do that kind of thing to a certain extent. We like our drama. The media saturates us with it with headlines and sound bites to make even the most benign story seem like something big. We like to have something to talk about and oftentimes we will exaggerate to make it sound more entertaining or more challenging – whatever will get us more attention at the time.

Sometimes we put a funny spin on a story, in a positive way, so we can get a good laugh out of it. But most of the time we jack the drama level up to 11 – and we don’t realize we are doing it or what we are getting out of it.

Just as watching movies or playing video games elicit chemical responses in our brains that make us feel emotions, so do the things we tell ourselves and others about our lives. Like walking down a well-worn path, our minds will take us down familiar paths that lead to some sort of gratification, even if that “gratification” is a negative outcome or emotion. By doing so, we stimulate ourselves with a rush of neuro-chemicals, in response to a positive or negative charge to the event. We become used to having that stimulation. It makes us feel something – and we often don’t take the time to realize the difference between feeling something positive or something negative.

Feeling is feeling. Stimulation is stimulation. We are sometimes like those rats that will starve themselves by pushing the button that gives them pleasure instead of the one that gives them food.

So how do we stop our destructive mental habits? Sometimes I think it starts with what a friend of mine calls “The Cold Wet Fish of Reality” hitting us upside the head. Spirit will always try to guide you gently to what is best for you. But in cases where you just aren’t able to listen, you will get smacked by that fish. It may look like the umpteenth person telling you to quit getting so upset, or another relationship breaking up for the very same reason as all the others, or just a stunning revelation while reading a book that says, “Hey, look at what you are doing!”

You may have heard it dozens of times before, but one day it just hits you hard and you start to think. That’s the fish. You start to realize a lot of your discomfort is because of your behavior and the way you react to things. You start to think perhaps there is a better way to go about your life. You start to wonder about and actively look at ways you can stop doing what you’re doing.

Changing your behavior isn’t always easy, but there are so many resources available to support you – meditation, self-healing, a spiritual practice – and lead you to a more peaceful and balanced mind. The magazine you are reading right now is a great place to start. As they say, “admitting it is the first step.” The next one is up to you.

WIRED: Researchers test Yongey Mingyour Rinpoche's state of happiness during meditation.

“Mingyur Rinpoche’s visit to the Twin Cities is significant,” said Cortland Dahl, executive director of the Rimé Foundation, one of co-sponsors of the visit. “Having worked with some of the world’s leading scientists, psychologists and philosophers, he is able to discuss meditation in terms that we understand and to which we can relate. He has expressed interest in visiting the Twin Cities regularly in the future to provide ongoing guidance to those interested in learning more about meditation.”

Other co-sponsors of the visit are the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, and the Shambhala Meditation Center.

While the practice of meditation stretches back thousands of years to ancient spiritual traditions, it has gained both secular and scientific attention in recent decades. A December 2008 U.S. News & World Report article, for example, touts meditation’s benefits in managing stress and dealing with anxiety, while a 2009 Emory University study reports the positive effects of meditation on human physiology, especially on the body’s ability to react less negatively to psychological and social stress.

While in the Twin Cities, Mingyur Rinpoche will provide practical advice on how ancient Tibetan contemplative practices can be used to deal with the challenges of modern life. The techniques he will teach are designed to enhance tranquility, happiness, and compassion and to allow the meditator to work constructively with powerful emotions and deeply ingrained habits.

“In three distinct events for health care professionals as well as consumers, Rinpoche will share his exceptional expertise of meditation practice, weaving together the principles of Tibetan Buddhism and neuroscience,” said Center for Spirituality & Healing Director Mary Jo Kreitzer. “These events represent something for everyone, so we encourage seasoned practitioners and those interested in meditation to come and share in Rinpoche’s wisdom.”

Schedule of Events
The first of these events will be a meditation workshop for health care professionals – “Understanding Meditation in Healthcare Begins with You” – from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Campus Club, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus. The cost is $65 and includes a continental breakfast and a copy of the speaker’s book.

Mingyur Rinpoche will hold a public discussion entitled “The Joy of Living: Meditation as a Path to Happiness” on from 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Mayo Memorial Auditorium, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus. The cost is $35 and includes a copy of the speaker’s book.

Mingyur Rinpoche will also lead a three-day public seminar entitled “The Heart of Meditation,” during which he will instruct participants in the practice of tranquility meditation and mindfulness. This retreat will be fromm 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, at Bayview Event Center in Excelsior, MN. The cost is $175 for the seminar ($36 for lunch all three days).

To register for any of these events go to www.tickets.umn.edu and click on the Center for Spirituality & Healing logo. For more information, visit www.csh.umn.edu or call 612.624.9459.

Now, I’m also finding out that re-building the connection is easier said than done – and that’s the point of this article. Those of us who would trade our left arm to be able to see, do, hear and feel some of the psychic things we witness and read about need to find introductory tools that provide personal, verifiable feedback all along the path from tin cans back to the equivalent of speed dialing.

As I searched for and tried different ways to reconnect, I discovered that being able to see, hear and/or feel my inner psychic (a.k.a. my intuition and my higher self) amounts to the ante into the poker game of the spiritual side of life. Seeing auras, feeling and adjusting energy blockages and flows, hearing or sensing our guides, receiving messages in our dreams, traveling out of our bodies, using a pendulum or dowsing rod, etc., all depend on a strong intuitive connection. Until we have that, the rest is just interesting reading.

So, how does a newbie learn to "hear" his or her inner psychic again? Well, I’m doing a number of things that are helping:

Use a set of oracle cards.

I bought the Ask Your Guides card deck. Sometimes the messages seem off-target, but their usefulness and accuracy amaze me often enough to confirm there’s something real going on. Using the cards reminds me that I can personally connect with my inner psychic, even at this stage, and even though it’s not a two-way conversation yet.

Meditate using Hemi-Sync Metamusic CDs.

I’ve practiced a few different approaches to sitting meditation. On occasion, I’ve sunk deep enough to feel a shift and a bit of quiet space open up. Then, during a session, a medium suggested I look into The Monroe Institute. I overcame my reluctance and purchased one of their Hemi-Sync CDs at an Edge Life Expo. Listening to it while meditating takes me to that "deep space" every time! I now own several CDs and seldom meditate without them. It’s great to feel the shift and that peace daily, and I hope that repeated visits to that deep space will make it easier and easier to connect with my inner psychic.

Talk to your guides.

A medium told me my guides are glad to solve mundane problems so that I have more time to work on the important stuff and fewer irritations to mess up my vibration. Ask for help avoiding traffic, finding a good parking spot, getting errands done quickly, whatever. For example, I used to work outdoors and avoiding rain was a big plus. So, I asked for the rain to stop before I arrived at a job site – and it did more times than coincidence would explain. I don’t get consistent results yet, but at this point, I’m settling for tools that provide just enough proof and feedback to keep me on the path and this tool serves that purpose.

Study the book The Astonishing Power of Emotions.

I have come to believe that the biggest hurdle to accessing my innate psychic abilities is my learned habit of not living in the present. I spend a lot of time worrying about the future. I spend just as much time analyzing the past. All that thinking stirs up emotions, mostly negative, and it doesn’t leave much time for living in the present. And I understand that the present is where my higher self lives all the time. This book provided a useful mental framework that explained why I was feeling so bad so often and how those feelings are really just a message from my higher self to guide me back to the present and keep me on my path. The best part is that Abraham gives us practical tools to strengthen this emotional guidance system. Also read Ask And It Is Given for even more tools (called "processes"). More often than not, the tools actually work in the real world – a very rare occurrence in my experience so far.

Get your aura photo taken.

A local psychic named Bobby Sullivan has the knowledge and the equipment to take aura photos. He includes a short reading of the aura, too, for $20 – it’s a bargain. You get a bit of insight and a bit of inspiration, and you come away with an amazing photo you can pin up to remind yourself of your true nature. I’ve crossed paths with him twice so far at a psychic fair and the Edge Life Expo and the photos and my aura changed in interesting ways each time. I’m waiting for the next time!

Visit a psychic or a medium.

This helps me in a few different ways. First, it’s like the difference between going to see a master pianist play Beethoven and just listening to a CD. The live experience inspires and amazes while the CD entertains. Second, my guides typically provide some useful insights and advice. Lastly, I’m reminded that I’m not alone in my quest; I have a lot of friends and family keeping an eye on me from the other side and helping whenever possible.

Be ready to talk yourself out of feelings of envy and frustration that will creep in if you compare your talents to the professional’s. And take the pro’s advice (whatever’s not directly from your guides or loved ones) with a grain of salt – most pros can no longer identify with where beginners are at, so their suggestions often end up more advanced than we can handle.

It was hard to ignore the psychic messages. Learning history was often a rediscovery of things I knew – not about everything, but about certain times and places. I had no idea where the knowledge came from, but I sometimes annoyed teachers and fellow students with my "know it all" confidence about things I couldn’t have known. Eventually I stopped. Once a person closes themselves off and rejects psychic information, it becomes very difficult to rediscover those connections.

Everyone is born with some psychic gifts. Female (and also male) intuition are real. The feelings of foreboding we get about certain people or situations is real. As we mature, many are taught to ignore their psychic gifts like I was. However, I never forgot that once I had this gift. As an adult I sought more information, so I read extensively: Roberts, Browne, Cayce, Bodine, Chopra, Redfield and many more authors.

As I read I developed my own understanding of God, The Universe and Everything. I formed a "unified theory" that was reinforced through studies of religions, metaphysics and science. Through my studies, I arrived at conclusions that were reinforced by the claircognizance that made me the "know it all" when I was young. I started reclaiming my psychic gifts.

When the time was right, synchronicity led me to take hands-on healing classes. After many lessons in a number of modalities, my head learned to allow my intuition to direct my healing work. My hands tingled when I was near someone I could help. The more I practiced, the better the resulting healing. Eventually I picked up on things related to the person I was working on. Unfortunately that led to becoming a psychic sponge, picking up on everyone’s troubles. I became more moody, short tempered and intolerant.

The person that I had become was a beast. Members of my healing group suggested meditation. After meditating regularly for a month, even my students saw the difference in me. I was noticeably more calm and easy going. I still find meditation to be a valuable tool in staying balanced and giving me stronger psychic connections to my guides and angels.

The next step in my journey was to take classes directly from a master psychic, Echo Bodine. In her classes I learned how to prevent psychic headaches, to remove the energetic residue that I picked up from others and a number of methods to receive psychic information. These classes taught me how to get and give information. When the classes ended, I needed more practice and got it through advanced classes and the Practice Circle at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community. I’ve found that this practice time has been extremely valuable in learning how to hear, see and feel messages from my guides and angels.

Eventually, five of us from Echo Bodine’s classes and the Practice Circle formed a company, The Circle MPLS, LLC, and started doing readings professionally. While I still consider my primary calling healing, I also give psychic readings through The Circle. Our monthly galleries and our Conversation nights at Echo Bodine’s Center provide further proof to me of the importance of using psychic gifts for the benefit of others.

You can develop your innate psychic gifts. Meditation helps some. Others never shut it down in childhood and have always enjoyed the ability to hear and see messages from the other side. Most of us benefit from classes that teach us how to use our gifts wisely, how to protect ourselves from dark energy, and how to open and close our third eyes – skills that are learned from an experienced mentor or teacher.

If you want to be able to hear the subtle whispers of spirit, silence is one important quality to nurture in your life. If you cannot quiet all the chatter in your outward life or the inner chatter of your own brain, you will have a hard time discerning the voice of your intuition.

Spending time every day, if possible, or at least a few times a week, in meditation will help you be able to sort out what are just random thoughts and what may be the voices of your spirit guides or higher self. Meditation does not have to be just sitting and trying to clear your mind while listening to your breath. It can be anything that stills the constant banter going on in your brain. You can get CDs with guided meditations, you can do a mindful activity such as gardening, exercising or dancing or you can listen to music and see where your imagination will take you.

Imagination is very closely linked to psychic ability, but it does take practice to be able to tell the difference between daydreaming and receiving psychic information. One way to do that is to write down whatever comes to you during your meditation time. Keep a journal with all the little things that you see, hear or feel. Then review it on a regular basis to see what came of it all.

Eventually, you will be able to tell and feel the difference between your daily thoughts and wishes and the ideas that come to you from spirit that are there to guide you in your life. If you find the messages aren’t making much sense or seem garbled, it’s OK to ask for clarification. Sometimes it is like tuning in a radio station. You have to fiddle with the knobs a bit to get the right frequency.

Another key component is trust. You must not only trust that you can develop this ability, but you must trust it when it happens and act accordingly. For instance, if you get a hunch that you should call a friend because they may be in need, call them! It may turn out to be nothing, but then again, you may just brighten the day of someone who was silently crying out for some love.

You should also be willing to trust your intuition even if you never know if it was accurate, such as feeling strongly that you should take a different route home from work. You may never know the reason why you felt the need to do that, but you need to trust that it was worth the trouble. I found that the more I listened to my little "hunches" and acted on them, the stronger they became. You also need to stop writing them off as coincidence. I’m sure you have heard many people say there is no such thing as coincidence. I agree. I think coincidence and serendipity are just different words for divine intervention. Spirit is talking to us all the time just waiting for us to really listen.

Finally, it is always good to be thankful for all our abilities, especially ones we want to develop. When you find you were right on about something, pause and say a little "Thank You" to the universe for the gift you have received. Or I should say, for the gift you have just noticed, because it is something we all have and sometimes we just need to acknowledge it to help it grow.

On a personal level, we become short tempered with our partners, our children and friends and co-workers due to an ever increasing "edginess" inside of us. While our awareness of stress, and its ability to hamper our otherwise sunny dispositions is obvious, what to do about it has not been effectively addressed. What has largely been missing is a daily approach to managing stress on an individual level. In recent years we have seen many health-care professionals begin to support practices of biofeedback, yoga and regular exercise to reduce stress in people’s lives. But, I am encouraging you to take a look at another option.

A few years ago, during some "reconstructing" of my life, I began a practice of meditation. This craft takes many forms and disciplines and has seen a recent explosion in this country, especially among women, due to author Elizabeth Gilbert’s story in Eat, Pray, Love. While an ashram in India isn’t in the cards for most of us, the same tranquility can be found in the sanctuary of a small space in your own home. Meditation is simply a practice of quieting the mind and releasing the stresses of our body and endless chattering of our conscious mind.

As a Therapeutic Coach®, I use various techniques to help my clients accomplish this feat in a manner that is comfortable and realistic for their lives. Many assume that meditation must be an event that seeks to remove us from our physical form, and catapult us out into the universe for relief from our human condition. While that is one approach, it’s not the only one. Simply relaxing 10-15 minutes in a quiet space, undisturbed by the comings and goings of daily life – to focus on our breath, to experience an awareness of our bodies from the inside – can be all that we need to relieve the burdens of stress in our lives and renew our sense of ourselves. This allows us to engage with others in a more relaxed and accepting way.

When we are at peace within ourselves, our energy body extends that outward, and like-minded others are attracted to us. We create lives that are more harmonious and, accordingly, manageable. Now, I’ll never suggest that meditation will remove all stress or its effects on us, and in us, completely, but simply finding the stillness within for a few moments a day can help us develop clarity to see the stresses in our lives from a higher vantage point. Accordingly, we can work with them from a standpoint of constructive behavior, instead of behavior based on being over-stressed and reactionary.

Meditation can provide a way to welcome an inner beauty and calm into our lives, while creating the environment for many positive health-related benefits. Research shows that meditation can lower blood pressure, reduce symptoms of depression and reverse heart disease, as well as increase our level of happiness and productivity. It has been found to express healing after surgery and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients.

It is said that life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you react to it. In the truth of this statement, it becomes crucial for us to cultivate behaviors that move us towards a sense of contentment and groundedness that come from a balanced inner self, while leaving behind the flailing of fear and turbulence as though we’re being chased by a pack of hungry wolves.

There are many ways to help us deal with stress in our daily lives and, let’s face it, stress in some form is a part of life for all of us. As we welcome in this New Year, the benefits of meditation can become peaceful escorts through the ever changing and sometimes challenging moments of daily living.

Now…where’s my zafu?

My life took a turn when, instead of pushing heavy blocks of ice (the visible world), I simply puffed away the clouds (sub-atomic Sources of creation). If one can learn to surf the Creative Force and influence the dance of the electron, fear and stress naturally fade. I explain in this article how one can live at ease by being in touch with the Source.

The universe is made up of energy, and the language of energy is waves and frequencies. Scientists have detected that at every dimension of life, including the human body, subtle energy layers are vibrating beneath the visible world of matter.

Yoga describes six energy layers: the physical, electrical, mental, emotional, intuitive and the Soul. Science today can detect the vibrations of the first four layers using sensitive scientific devices. While intuition, the fifth layer, remains undetectable by sensitive equipment, it is known by many as their "sixth sense" or the insight that seems to jump out at them from "nowhere." The sixth energy layer, which also continues to elude science, is the same as the Life Force or creative God Force.

Let’s take a closer look at the first four layers. The physical layer is essentially the gross human body. The electrical layer is composed of subtle heat and electrical impulses that emanate from the surface of the human skin. These subtle energies have been detected by sensitive equipment for years now.

The brain, which we often misperceive as the origin of thinking, is merely the medium in which thought waves measured by an EEG device vibrate. The mind, where thoughts originate, constitutes the mental layer, and is actually a formless energy field. While most people think of the mind as singular, there are actually three minds: the intuitive mind in touch with all universal information, the rational mind that analyzes and categorizes, and the subconscious mind that is the storehouse of all human memories, emotions and core beliefs that drive our behavior.

The emotional layer refers to emotions. Emotions can be defined as energy in motion. Emotions arise from thoughts and vibrate at different frequencies. There are two primary emotions in the universe – love and fear. Love exhibits the highest vibrational frequency, while emotions of shame and guilt vibrate at very slow, dense levels. Joyous people vibrate highly with emotions of love, forgiveness and acceptance.

Patanjali, one of the founding fathers of Raja Yoga, said that our subtle thoughts influence the Creative Forces. Recently, scientists like Einstein and Bohr proved that the intentions and thoughts of the physicist repeatedly influence the dance of the electron and the outcome of the quantum experiments.

What this means is that our predominant thoughts not only program our subconscious behavior, but that our repeated and focused thoughts manifest into physical reality by influencing the fundamental building block of all creation – the atom. Taking this a step further, essentially you have the power to choose and alter your thoughts and emotions to manifest your desired reality at the subatomic level. If you do not like the way you are feeling and the outcomes you are getting, you have the power to alter your thoughts and, therefore, the vibrational frequency within you, as well as the results of your external life.

Think of yourself as a radio set. If the God Station is whispering to you at frequencies that you are not tuned into, you may think, "God, why have you forsaken me?" Recent experiments in higher consciousness show that people begin to have holy visions and experiences while vibrating above 200,000 cycles per second. The gross physical body of a non-meditator vibrates at approximately 350 cycles per second. Where do you feel you are vibrating at the moment?

During meditation, as we learn to quiet our mind and turn our focus inward, we gradually increase our vibrational frequency. It is possible to raise your vibrational frequency and tune into the God Force, by incorporating daily prayer and silent meditation into your life. You may also work to consciously choose love over fear at every junction of life and intentionally replace negative thoughts with uplifting ones.

Kambiz Naficy will conduct his first U.S. retreat at Macalester College in St. Paul on January 16-18. For information on the retreat, visit the Joy of Life website [www.joyoflifeorg.com], email joyoflifemn@gmail.com, or call 952.594.4346.

In the past 35 years, the spirituality and self-help markets have increased at an alarming rate. As a spiritual teacher and medical intuitive, I have seen many clients strive to change their lives and witnessed only small changes. Why are there are so many healers, and yet the consciousness as a whole doesn’t seem to leap forward? Why is lack and poverty, unhappiness and depression still so much a part of daily lives? What is missing? Have we simply forgotten how to know the true Self and get to the absolute Truth and awaken?

For decades, so much information has been imparted with so many tools and so many lessons learned. Books tell us how to choose the correct words, do the right meditation and listen to the right music. So why aren’t things really shifting in life?

Many masters, including Buddha and Jesus, preached "Know the Self." By "Knowing the Self," Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha. In his search for enlightenment, he traveled for seven years only to learn that what he searched for lived right inside of him. The richness of his being vibrated deep at his inner core. He reached His awakened state of consciousness by understanding his own Self.

Why do we need so many reminders, endless encouragement and hours of meditation to "Know the Self?" What makes it so difficult? Striving for what? Do we even know? It’s time that we investigate what really dictates our life. We must look deep within at the belief patterns at our inner core self. This movement in consciousness is unavoidable.

So many people proclaim their spirituality and yet have no idea what makes them happy or sad. Do you actually know the inner workings of your own true Self? What creates happiness or sadness? Why do we co-create personal dramas and disasters to wake up? Why is anger so potent when values are questioned? Or fear so scary?

The true inner Self is not angry, jealous or afraid. It is not our wounded female or male or even our crying inner child. The true Self is inner joy and enthusiasm. It is our birthright – the innermost part of Self, which is free from limitation and completely abundant with unconditional Love.

The act of "being spiritual" means to love, honor and accept the "whole self" (body/mind), every nook and cranny. It means to take the necessary steps to responsibly nurture ourselves on every level and live fully in the physical body. Wounds run deep. It’s surprising how many "spiritual" people get defensive or angry when they are questioned. Many can’t distinguish if they are thinking or feeling energy, although they are wizards at "woo-woo" dialogues that would make anyone spin. There are so many tools to get you back to God that it gyrates me. Do you think Jesus sat in the garden of Gethsemane memorizing the color of the rays? Or Buddha sat under a Banyan tree with a pendulum deciding his next move? I don’t think so. They built inner relationships, stopped the mental chatter, calmed the emotions and remembered a distinct inner quality of Love. When we develop a healthy relationship with our own Self, the relationship we have with fear and illness changes. In the bigger picture, we know very little about the true Self.

I ask clients, "What would you like to do in life?" and silence prevails. Ask someone, "What brings joy and happiness into your life?" Do you know?

Recently, I asked a long-time client recovering from a divorce: "What brings you joy?"

His response: "My son. Whatever he likes, I like."

I asked him, "What would you like to do with your life now that you are single?"

He couldn’t answer me. He only knew himself as a businessman.

The first time I met Rodney he introduced himself by saying: "Hello, my name is Rodney. I’m a millionaire." Now his millions split, and so has his self-worth. How many of us identify with this? If not money, replace it with something very dear and important in life. Once we lose an external object like a spouse or career, we lose self-esteem and self-worth. Why?

This self-discovery journey (life) enlightens us. As we journey, we discover so many wonderful and not so wonderful parts. We uncover limitation in the form of fear, denial, resistance, anger, shame, doubts, and also positive characteristics of love, compassion, honesty, integrity, and so much more. All layered succinctly, negative or positive, makes us individuals and perfect reflections of God. We are beautifully designed into a sculptured mass of ingredients. As skilled architects, building house after house, life after life, we continue on the path of self-discovery. Revelations, along with judgments and fears, eventually fall away until a non-judgmental statement remains about the Self.

Buddhism is on the rise in America and around world because so many people are seeking just what Gautama Buddha and other Masters achieved: Enlightenment! Awakening! Ascension! Self-Realization! True Self! Choose the word that is best suited for you. They all mean the same thing. Buddha’s role, like Jesus and others, was as a living example of enlightenment – someone we would choose as a role model to awaken us. For at least 2,500 years, we are still trying to achieve what these masters have eloquently said: "Know the Self!"

Once the Buddha was asked, "Who are you? Are you a man? Are you a saint?"

His response, "I Am Awake!"

During this coming Christmas season, open a new portal of sublime devotion so that the Christ Omnipresence will be able to come anew within your consciousness. Every day, every hour, every golden second, Christ has been knocking at your dark gates of ignorance. Now, in this august sacred dawn, Christ is especially coming in answer to your inner call, to awaken his Christ Consciousness Omnipresence within you.

Weave a cradle of tender perceptions with the threads of your meditation and make it commodious enough to hold the baby Infinity within its welcoming vastness. Christ is born in the viridescent blades; His gentleness is cradled in all fragrances. The opalescent sea-decked globe, the star-spangled savanna of the blue, the crimsoned love of the self-sacrificing martyrs and saints, have vied with each other in offering a dwelling place for the all-pervading baby Christ.

This Christ of Everywhere is sleeping in the breast of Eternity; He loves to take new birth at any time, anywhere, especially in the warmth of your true affection. Though the Infinite Christ is present in every speck of space as the splendor of ever new wisdom and creative expression, you can never see Him unless He chooses to be seen in the cradle of your unceasing devotion.

The cozy crib of your heart has for a very long time been small, holding self-love alone; now you must make it enormous, so that social, national, international, creatural and Cosmic Christ – love may be born there and become One Love.

Christmas should be celebrated not only by appropriate festivities and the exchange of material gifts, but also by deep, continuous meditation, making your consciousness a cosmic cathedral for Christ. You should offer therein your most precious gifts of love, goodwill, and service to uplift your inimical brothers, as well as your friendly brothers – physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Infinite Christ is everywhere; worship His nativity in Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Moslem, Jewish and other true religious temples. Every expression of Truth flows from the All-pervading Christ perception, so learn to worship that sacred Universal Intelligence in every pure religion, belief, and teaching. Because the Cosmic Christ dreamed into existence the divine being that is man, you should celebrate the birth of Christ in your newly awakened equal love for every nationality and race.

All new-blown blossoms and astral twinklings are images of the Infinite Christ; garland each one with your love. Behold in your love the birth of an intoxicating Christ-love for your parents, friends, relatives, neighbors and all races. In the sanctuary of your soul, invite your restless thoughts to assemble and still themselves in a service of deepest united love for Christ.

When the Christmas packages are placed around the family tree, make every thought an altar of Christ, and saturate the gifts with your goodwill. Worship Christ as born in all creation: in the star, in the leaf, in the blossom, in the nightingale, in the nosegay, and in your velvet devotion. Unite your heart with all hearts, so that Christ may be born there and remain forever and forever.

I’m on the integration path. I do a lot of different things, and I’m watching them, feel them, all come together. I’m becoming much more of a feel sense.
WALKEN RAPAJCZYK

The source is Isha, and the activity is practicing the facets in her system. She teaches how to find inner peace and unconditional love of self. All my life I have been looking on the outside to find happiness, to find peace, to find love, while all the time it was within me. As you start practicing the facets, more and more you start going into that inner space of peace, and more and more start solidifying it. Even if the outside world changes, it doesn’t matter.
ANA BEECK

My background is as an engineer, and this is my first trip into this whole (metaphysical) world. Until I took Susan Just’s class on hypnotherapy, I had no idea what the word metaphysical even meant. Becoming a hypnotherapist has helped to open me up to the world of the unknown.
CHUCK HANSON

First of all, I’m getting a master’s degree in holistic health at St. Kate’s, and that in and of itself, supports my spirituality. I’m in a research group and we’re currently evaluating spirituality and its effect on energy healers and their practices. From a personal perspective, I’ve always had a strong pull toward shamanistic practices. I also try to do things ritualistically on a daily basis, such as setting my intention for the day, and it’s remarkable how well things go.
PAMELA OLSON

Meditation and laughter and being with my pets and my wonderful friends.
JEAN WALLIS

My main course of study has been the Conversations with God material for about 12 years, and I facilitate classes on that. I’ve been a student of A Course in Miracles for a long time. And I’m pretty active at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, a community that honors all sacred paths. I’ve explored other material, like The Power of Now and The New Earth, and the Tao Te Ching and a few others. They all kind of say the same thing.
GARY CHISHOLM

I go anywhere – in nature, in synagogue – to be in silence so that I hear the promptings, and I can allow myself to enter into that great illumined presence of God and allow that peace to give me its music. Now I am taking that into music with my silk art, which are really called singing in silk. There is a song, and a story, that are behind the out-picturing for all of us, the consummate artist in all of us. I’m very interested in assisting others to do that, as well.
JENWAH

I spend a lot of time with family to support my spirituality. I spend a lot of time with people I love to support my spirituality. Recently we’ve gone to some Unity and Unitarian churches, which support my spirituality. And meditation supports my spirituality.
CHANG BULLOCK

Definitely meditating and praying. Those are my personal, private ways in which I connect with God. And music. I am a musician and I like to write songs, sing songs, be with songs. And then people I get to spend time with really connect me to spirituality.
COLLEEN BUCKMAN

Photos by Tim Miejan

Every world religion has its own mystics. They share a common preference for direct and real experiences of the divine, choosing real knowing over dogma or theological beliefs. In whatever tradition, mystics approach the scriptures and teachings of that tradition by seeking out an inner meaning, one that gives an experience within their own beings. Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of the Cross are all well-known Christian mystics, and they have been an inspiration for many who seek a real experience of the divine.

If you want to make this season more meaningful, try taking the following steps to connect to a mystical experience of Christmas:

• Start four Sundays before Christmas, which is the beginning of the pre-Christmas season called Advent. Count out four Sundays before the 25th and have a wreath ready with four candles.

• On the first Sunday evening, sit with your family or your spiritual friends and light the first candle.

• Before starting your meal, read an important part of the pre-Christmas story. Recommended texts for the story of Christmas, other than the Bible, include Maria Valtorta’s "Poem of the Man-God, Volume 1," and Anne Catherine Emmerich’s "The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Both women were Christian mystics and have beautiful writings about the Christmas story. I recommend readings in the following order: for the first Sunday, Mother Mary and Joseph’s betrothal; on the second, Mary’s annunciation; on the third, Mary’s visit with her cousin Elizabeth; and on the fourth, the journey to Bethlehem and the events that preceded the actual birth of Jesus.

• As you light one candle for each of the four Sundays of Advent, the physical increase of light symbolizes the inner approach of the Great Light. Everyone can meditate on its meaning and feel the increase of light inside them.

• Then, on Christmas Eve, you can choose to make that evening all about the birth of the Light instead of the materialism of gift giving, which you can postpone until the next day. You can attend a Christmas service, meditate quietly on your own, or join with others to pray for peace on earth.

• Finally, read the story of the birth of Jesus out loud and meditate on its beauty, what it represents and what it means for you.

During these weeks of Advent, tune into the feelings you get in meditation versus the feelings all around you in the outer world. You will likely feel how the light is increasing in your interior world, even though outwardly the days are becoming shorter and the nights are becoming longer. As you move deeper into your inner self, you will feel the increase of joy and spiritual presence as this light grows within. These are real experiences that you can know for yourself, both in the readings and during meditations.

All these steps provide the opportunity to examine the symbolism of these characters inside of us. Where is Mother Mary in us? Where does Jesus reside in us? Which parts of us are like Joseph, the shepherds, the angels or God? What does the stable, the star and the animals represent?

Every element of the Christmas stories relates directly to our inner being and serves as an inner guide on the journey towards God, bringing us into a deeper awareness of the inner truths of Christmas and the joyful mystery of the coming of the Light. In this way, you can experience the real meaning of Christmas: We can hope, we can fill with Light, because God loves us beyond all measure.

Fifteen Centers of Light across the nation will celebrate this meaningful Christmas journey together. The Center of Light, Minneapolis, located at 2540 Pleasant Ave., is a warm and welcoming spiritual community. The center offers free "Intro to Meditation and Christian Mysticism" classes, as well as daily meditation/communion and Sunday worship services. People from all spiritual backgrounds are welcome to join in awakening to deeper devotion and love this Christmas season. The public is invited for Christmas Eve Service at 11:30 p.m. For more information, call 612.986.5575 or 612.886.3822, email revjoan@centersoflight.org or visit http://minneapolis.centersoflight.org.

When was the last time you took a deep, peaceful, and healing "yogic" breath? We humans, for the most part, are unconscious breathers. I recently participated in a workshop on sacred geometry and the activation of the merkaba – the light body or energy field that surrounds the evolved human – and when properly recreated, it can transport us to other levels of consciousness.

What activates this vehicle is a specific 17-breath meditation. It is an ancient process of breathing prana that, when done very consciously and from love, leads to profound healing. Breathing in this fashion made me think of the dolphins and whales. I believe that these creatures are spiritually aware and sentient beings…and, wouldn’t you know, these animals are conscious breathers? They actively decide when to breathe, so as to survive.

We can learn a lot from these highly conscious creatures. By their cognizant breathing and the way in which they move and swim, they continuously pump energies up and down the spine, from the base (root) all the way up to the pineal gland, located in the center of the brain. When energy from movement and breath is brought up the spine and permeates the pineal gland within the crown and beyond, through meditation, Christ Consciousness can be realized.

So much power to obtain and transformation to be experienced, all by the act of breathing!

Breathing is essential to living. The primary source of one’s sustenance is derived from the prana extracted from the air. The more life force one has within the body, the more alive and spirited one is, for within the breath lies abundant healing power. Physiologically speaking, breathing deep brings greater oxygen to the blood and brain. Also, when the breath is slow and rhythmic, anxieties and tensions lessen or slowly dissolve, affecting the central nervous system. Control of the mind for purposes of concentration is greatly increased.

There are three parts to a breath. The first is the inhalation, which is deep and full and is felt by an expansion of the abdomen and a lowering of the diaphragm. The second part is the retention. In the moments of pause, not only are we "building the energy," we are also stilling the mind as we are in between inhale and exhale. It is within this gap, especially, that our awareness is altered as spirit is no longer bound to the matter of our bodies. Rather, it resides in a space of timeless dimension (of mind). As our breath slows down and then ceases, for a time, thought slows down. It is very difficult to think when you are holding your breath. The mind follows the breath; the breath follows the mind. When the mind is let go, we reach nothingness, where pure Spirit resides. It is ecstasy. Yes, at some point we do need part three, the exhale. Here, we "let go" to make room for the new – a kind of destruction or ridding, for without this release, there is no room for creation. The abdomen contracts and the diaphragm rises, as the breath is released – very rhythmically and slowly.

So, go ahead and breathe! Practice and meditate with it, and soon you will begin to feel its affects on your whole being – not just on the physical, but also on the mental, emotional and spiritual plane. Over time, you will begin to see your consciousness levels shift, as you become more aware of this life force to gain overall health, while also realizing your true Self.

The physical body is always in a state of present moment. Use the breath to bring the mind and emotions to the body in this state of oneness. It feels divine. Try it – be Inspired!

Kambiz is extending his Joy of Life organization to the United States and will be conducting his first U.S. retreat in St. Paul in January. His interest in the United States stems from the three decades he lived here, and his experiences at the Maharishi International University in Iowa.

The following are excerpts taken from an interview conducted with Kambiz in Sri Lanka:

Have you been interested in spirituality from an early age?
Kambiz Naficy: I was born in the mystical land of Persia. When I was a little boy, my father often recited the poetry of Rumi and Hafez. I would listen intensely, because I loved my father and the wisdom of that poetry. My own nature was a philosophical one. I remember being 6 or 7 years old and distinguished adults would find themselves sharing problems with me and asking a little boy’s opinion about life issues.

What would you describe as the turning point in your life, causing you to change the course of your life?
KN: I was in my thirties, had already earned multiple graduate degrees and had worked in Wall Street. I had owned my own company, the BMW and expensive clothes. Then, I began to outgrow my old way of life, mainly because I looked around and found that all the leaders that I admired were themselves full of fear and worries. Their marriages were a mess, their children lacking love and their energies managed through drugs. No matter where I looked, I could not find a person who was truly inner-directed, and creating success from inside-out.

I decided to sell my computer firm and many extras in my life. I moved from New York out to Maharishi International University in Iowa. There I spent two years in near silence, studying the Gita and Upanishads.

Would you describe Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation as the key influences that guided your inner journey?
KN: TM was the beginning of my journey. Through mantra repetition and Maharishi’s videotapes, I learned to concentrate my mind. After 18 months of deep silence, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi gave us his Siddha initiation and to my surprise, while reciting Patanjali’s sutras, my body floated above the floor. After two years, I left for India and met with Sathya Sai Baba, Sri Karunimaya and Swami Hari Harananda. Interestingly, all three told me that they were my guides, but not my Guru. My Guru is a little boy of 8 who had not lived in the body for centuries. During this period, Swami Hari Harananda appeared in my life and initiated me in Babaji’s Kriya Yoga.

What are the influences of NLP and Quantum physics on your journey?
KN: Patanjali often points to Samskaras (subconscious negative tendencies beyond our control) as obstacles in the way of enlightenment. Neuro Linguistic Programming is a fast and effective way to reprogram negative, unconscious mental habits by transforming our negative mental tendencies into positive thought patterns. This happens because the subconscious mind recognizes no difference between present moment reality and optimal reality as you wish to visualize it. Also, the subconscious mind does not care whether you feed it negative or positive thoughts or images. Whatever thought or image you consciously choose, the subconscious mind will immediately obey and manifest that notion in your daily life, "You are what you think."

Quantum physics is the doorway to the invisible world of Brahman (The God Force). The ancient Vedas hint at the fact that beyond the smallest of the material particles (atoms), there exists a self-aware, loving and infinitely intelligent Light. This divine light is no other than The God Force, or Brahman. Modern particle physics laboratories are conducting experiments based on the findings of physicists like Einstein and Bohr. Scientists are now discovering that the quantum world is the spiritual dimension, the very Source of all creation.

Once you understand and experience the Light that shines beneath the atom, you are instantly filled with love, light and Spirit. Once you learn how to influence the dance of the atom, you can influence and collaborate with the very building block of the material plane (the atom).

Today, we see tremendous strife in the world, but at another level, many people are seeking inner peace. What are your views on this paradox?
KN: The world population, more than ever before, is split between those who want to manipulate through external power (fear-based), and those who lead through authentic power (based on love and mutual respect). This deep rift is actually necessary and is being brought about by The God Force. I believe that the age of ignorance is falling apart; those who understand the world of invisible, divine energies are learning to dance through life. Those who want to hammer away on the physical dimension will eventually break their own bodies.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
KN: Go into silence and hear the "silent voice within…Understand what it is that you really want in life…Focus your mind, concentrate and visualize success everyday when you awaken…Take a few steps each day toward your goal without being distracted…Refresh your energies through spiritual practice…When you become successful, give something back to humanity.

Kambiz Naficy will lead a retreat at Macalester College in St. Paul on January 16-18, 2009. For information on the retreat, visit the Joy of Life website, email joyoflifemn@gmail.com, or call 952.594.4346.

I started my path of listening, studying and experimenting, passing through the channels that were available for me in that moment – in a friend’s garage, a guitar teacher from the parish church, and local concerts.

During this growth I realized that the "Musical World" was polluted from a twisted thought of the society that influences a big part of the music business. I come away from it and I spent a period of loneliness venturing to the meditation, not knowing that the meditation itself would bring me back the Music and the Life. Now, I simply do the same things as ever, but with a different quality. I cannot find any better words than saying that my vision has been cleaned up: the mirror is the same, but the dust and the smudges that were darkening the image are gone away.

I use the Music to dance and reconnect to myself and to the earth. I let myself go in the listening and I flow in the vast spaces that the Music brings to me. I spend many moments even listening to the Nature, which gives me the Infinity. And when I play and sing, my notes are like rays pursuing that Infinity.

Ninety-five percent of the "fear and uncertainty" is about the U.S. economy and our place in a changing world. Fortunately both will probably (continue to) take a tumble in the near future, and that will have the ultimate effect of helping us redirect our attention back to where it belongs. Right now we’re fixated on the wrong things: primarily wealth and power. It would have been nice if, when we had them in such abundance, we had used them for the common good of all people. Unfortunately, we chose to use them to try to accumulate even more wealth and power for ourselves. That was a big mistake, but maybe a necessary one. Now we will see if we can redirect our energies toward right human relations as we become less powerful and less wealthy. It will be very good for us and the world if we do…and I am confident we will.

What holistic practice is a part of your life to help you maintain health and wellness and to connect with your spiritual Self?
GC: Meditation. I believe there is no greater key – the peace and well-being that lies always within.

What single message do you want to share with us from your heart?
GC: God exists. Spirit will triumph in the end. And we’re about to witness the greatest flowering of the human spirit the world has ever seen. It’s actually already begun.

Today a whole group of fully enlightened individuals – people just like us who have gone before us on the path – are gradually approaching humanity. They will call forth what is best in us, and that is very good indeed. Operating from the highest within ourselves we can and we will solve every problem on the planet. Fifty years from now famine, pollution and war will be relics of the past. I know this is true though years of personal experience. As I just said, it has already begun. The signs are everywhere. In my talk, I’ll show you where to look…and if you’re reading the interviews with Benjamin Creme, you already know a good deal about it.

Dr. George Catlin will present "THE MASTERS AND THE PATH" at 11:00 a.m.-12:50 p.m. and "TRANSMISSION MEDITATION" at 3:00-3:50 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, free events – Dr. George Catlin has lectured throughout North America for the past five years on the approach of the Teachers and the path before all who seek to remember their true purpose, life’s true purpose. He presents the current information about the inner and outer events in the world with candor and some humor – hoping only to encourage his audiences to consider the incredible opportunity that is before us all. Dr. Catlin’s past includes four years at the Findhorn Community in Scotland and 12 years of teaching psychology. He is the author of two books on the path (The Way to Happiness and The Long Journey Home), and has given over 300 highly regarded talks, workshops and interviews. Visit www.share-international.org

Why are you optimistic about the future of humanity in this time of uncertainty and fear?
TM: When we talk of the future, most of us feel we don’t have any control over it. Many of us hope for the best but then unknowingly doubt and wonder if the best will happen.

Everything in the known universe is cause and effect. We are all creators of our own experience. Some of us know this, some of us are learning this and some of us are still blaming everyone else for our problems.

Remember "you reap what you sow" or "what goes around comes around"? These sayings represent the cause and effect at the personal, experiential level.

When one begins to act and think with Love and "positive thinking," you begin to experience the same creation coming back to you. When one applies this universal law of positives on a regular, constant basis and not just when you are in pain, you reap the positives of your own creation on a constant basis. When one truly practices these truths in your life, this way of being positive becomes a way of life.

The outcome is a positive thinker that does not allow anything else but the optimistic way of thinking. I am so very grateful that I was taught these important truths more than 30 years ago. My life is so full of positives today, and there is no room for fear because of it.

What holistic practice is a part of your life to help you maintain health and wellness and to connect with your spiritual Self?
TM: Constant Meditation and Prayer has become a way of life that I am grateful for – beyond words

In the West, (USA) we base everything on our "test tube" science. We take note of cause and effect to be present in the way matter in the universe moves. We recognize this tracking of effect as factual science. This is sometimes referred to as "the domino effect" science. Up until recently any attempt to show the scientific community the power of the mind was rebutted. We are just now beginning to recognize the science of Quantum Physics that clearly shows the mind’s powers.

In the East, we take note that everything is energy and thought and feeling are the two most powerful forms of the energy of creation. We see that nothing was ever created that wasn’t thought and felt first.

What single message do you want to share with us from your heart?
TM: Please take responsibility for your own creation and create a loving world for us all. Just know it, be it and live it.

Thomas Morton will present "ACCESSING YOUR HIGHER SELF: AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE’s PURPOSE – AN EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOP" at 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, tickets $15 now, $17 at door – Thomas Morton, one of the founders of Light Speed Learning, has been involved with and instructing in the areas of accelerated learning, manifesting, quantum physics, sacred geometry the application of universal law for over the past 30 years. He makes these normally deep topics seem very easy to understand. For more information, go to www.lightspeed-learning.com

But first it’s necessary to talk about some of how I view this subject. Please take this in as my opinion and my experience, not TRUTH in capital letters, for you might find your exploration yields variations of what I will present.

1. Time is not linear.

When you are IN the focus of this lifetime, you exist in a state of awareness that I call a time/space continuum. It’s sort of like a fabric, where there is a beginning, present and future. It’s linear.

You expand beyond this regularly. In sleep, you place less awareness here; the body rests, and the Greater You travels.
There are dimensions where time and space do not exist. An advanced journey I teach TAKES people outside of time and space to view it “in total.” This IS possible. A great deal of perspective can be achieved. There are many ways to accelerate your growth.

The past and the future exist AT ONCE. One is not necessarily more easily seen than the other is, except we like to look backwards; many people simply think the future hasn’t happened yet. This is not true. The past and future extend outward from the present. They are both mutable and changeable.

This topic is more complex than I can address here. All that truly exists is the NOW, and I can give you an example of how it works. If you have an issue with a parent — and through counseling or whatever means, you resolve that energy — often you will find your relationship different. YOU hold onto memories of things you think happened, so that constantly recreates the past. But the change you made DID affect it, and your parent probably will respond differently to you. At the very least, the cords into the solar plexus are released.

When you look at a “past life,” you are seeing the construct of the present in another area of the web of time and space. (Orin, channeled by Sanaya Roman, calls it “frozen time.”) We border on a topic called probable futures, and you can look into the Seth material (channeled by Jane Roberts) for more information on that. [Basically, every choice you make exists, and you only choose to follow along one of them. The immensity of that is staggering to contemplate if you haven't been exposed to it before.]

Many “pasts” and “futures” extend outward from NOW. So a “past life” you encountered 10 years ago may or may not exist in the same way now.

It’s NOT linear. And the concept that you come from one lifetime, learn, and go to another is erroneous. That’s sequential.

2. Your Soul is multi-dimensional.

The concept of the Soul is a big topic and I cannot believe I’m going to try to tackle it in a paragraph, but here goes:
Your Soul seeks to learn, looking to acquire different qualities. A quality, such as compassion, is desired. So the Soul extends outward in many directions (lifetimes/states of beingness) to understand. Some of those are the “need” for compassion; some are opportunities to extend compassion to others. But essentially the sheer number of lifetimes from one “Soul” is beyond comprehension. Again, they are not linear.

So, you may be an extension of that Soul-desire. Keep in mind, we are grossly simplifying the Soul’s intent. Regular travel into Soul consciousness brings its own learning and accelerated growth path.

You go into a “past life regression” state to “see” what you supposedly have been before. Only it’s NOT before. It’s now. The energy you connect with is more appropriately described as an alternate lifetime. You are always YOU. You “see” an extension of your Soul, but more a “sister/brother” sort of consciousness. You emanate from the same Soul, so there are marked similarities. You will probably find a lifetime with similar desire intents, so the “feeling” is quite similar, as well. But that lifetime is NOT you, and it never has been.

But you ARE connected, in more ways than I can describe. If you fall and break your leg, that lifetime (and many!) will stumble and hurt their leg, as well, often not as severely. You have impact and they impact you. This might be called bleed-through.
3. You can learn from other lifetimes.

Even though this is not as “romantic” a concept as some people like, it’s a far more accurate template of understanding in my experience.

You are NOT the victim of a past life — not in any way.

So how do you use this information? Go into meditation or however you access other lifetimes. Immerse yourself in that consciousness as completely as you can. This can happen as energy and take no time whatsoever. Share what YOU know, and gain what they are learning more consciously. You accelerate your growth and that of what I would rather call your alternate Soul consciousness.

For example, if you find a lifetime in a military environment and you can grasp the strategic concepts known by that alternate life, you can apply that to this lifetime. Those same constructs apply to creating a business plan and playing chess.
Usually you will encounter lifetimes that have very familiar FEELINGS, but markedly different outward circumstances.
One of my first experiences was finding a lifetime where I was the head of a village of nomadic people. It was very cold, and I had dogs, just as I do now. I was VERY close to them, far more than the humans that I was responsible for in this lifetime. What was so starkly apparent though was that I felt the same loneliness that leadership gives in any situation. Inherent in being a leader is the sense of being ahead of others, and thus alone.

What I learned was that the dogs were FAR more conscious than I had imagined. Psychic, if you will.

From that experience, I eventually explored other lifetimes with animal connections. My experience of some of the Native American tribes and their ability to KNOW what every animal feels as we all walked through the night was astonishing. There was simply no separation! The deer in her trepidation and the mountain lion getting ready to pounce were ALL ONE. I felt each of them in the same way you might know the sensation of an arm or leg in your body. Seamless awareness! To FEEL the eagle soar is so thrilling I simply cannot find words for it.

I’m doing quite a bit of work in this lifetime on the evolution of animal consciousness, so these ventures have served me well.
So that begs the question: What do you really want to know? Chances are you will find an alternate self that has similar interests, as you are both extensions of a greater consciousness!

If you have any trouble doing this in conscious meditation, ask for your Soul’s help, or ask to have it occur as you sleep. Then wake up slowly each day and see what you remember. Realize that as you exceed the outside parameter of your awareness in ANY area, you open the possibility to do that in any OTHER arena, as well. So stay flexible and open to learning in new ways!
Have fun, learn, and grow together with the Greater Soul self!