Choosing a Spiritual Teacher or Guide

by Kumari Mullin

spiritual-teacher“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” – Rumi

Finding a true spiritual guide for this life is one of the most amazing gifts that can be given to you. Knowing when you are complete, when to move on, or just when it is time to graduate and live the teachings, is the greatest gift you can give yourself. It takes a great deal of discernment for either to occur.

It is said that there is nothing greater than being in the presence of a true spiritual master or “sadguru”; that lifetimes of karma can be dissolved. That the rare and extraordinary gifts of higher consciousness and supreme awareness and bliss can be transmitted from such a One to a devotee. I have certainly experienced this a hundredfold and am forever grateful. Continue reading

What is Enlightenment?

by Sally Dearman-Cummings

what-is-enlightenment-1-638A moment of enlightenment is a moment of fundamentally seeing, or ‘getting’, reality without the mind’s filtering process getting in the way.

Enlightenment is no more than reality. It’s not possible to exist outside of reality. Reality is all there is. Existence is reality. Reality is existence. There isn’t anything that isn’t reality, all the time. There’s no outside. You can’t have more than reality. An enlightenment experience isn’t anything greater than what is. Or lesser. The best I can come up with is that it’s a clean version of what is. It’s what is, before, after and during any filtering process. It’s what is, and how we would see things all the time if our minds weren’t right there between us and reality, interpreting what is all the time for us. The mind is really valuable, but, amongst other things, it acts as a filter between what is, and our perception of the same, and in doing so, it leaves us mostly not aware of what reality really looks like. What it really feels like. What it really is like. There’s nothing special about it, in terms of it being exclusive, esoteric, or attainable only by the select few. It’s just what is, all around us, all the time, now, and always, and it’s available for everyone to directly experience.

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Core Transformation

from the Galiana Retreat

coretransformationThe goal of this session is to nurture and support you for your spiritual development, explore and guide your personal core transformation process from the tantric perspective and supply you with tools for sustainable spiritual growth as an evolutionary being, tantrika, daka, dakini, or simply a person deeply in touch with your buddha nature.

This session will also serve as a satellite to the other practices that you do. Has it ever happened to you that you come out of a workshop warm, open and full of love? You are inspired; you see divinity on every corner, and Buddha, Shiva or Shakti in every homeless person. Then, in about three of four days, you start worrying about things again and getting caught up in habitual patterns. 
In order to sustain the effect of the practice, it is very helpful to receive support, reminders and tools which will help you maintain the spaciousness, inner freedom and aliveness on a daily basis. Continue reading

The (Yellow Brick) Road to Enlightenment

by Irwin Ozborne

Yellow-Brick-Road-to-EnlightenmentIn junior high school, I was a painfully shy student. It was to the point I would go through an entire week without peeping a single sound. While it was quite easy to shield my anxiety during most classroom activity, the lunchroom was always my greatest test. How could I possibly hide myself in a crowded cafeteria?

There was always one table in the back of the room which only had about five kids sitting there (the tables sat about 20-30 people). With so many empty seats at the table, it was the perfect spot for someone with severe, debilitating social anxiety. This group was the outcasts of the school. They wore the same clothes every day, never paid attention in class, didn’t follow the rules, had long straggly hair, and were already experimenting with drugs and alcohol. But, they were also different in the sense that they had no desire to fit in with the “cool kids.” They were perfectly content being in their own skin. Continue reading

What Is Spiritual Consciousness?

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spiritual-consciousnessHave you ever wondered what the term “spiritual consciousness” means? I have, and for that reason, I have been giving it some thought.

So far, I can’t offer you a dictionary definition for spiritual consciousness. But I have reached an understanding of what the term means for me, and I would like to share that understanding with you.
For me, spiritual consciousness can be distinguished from physical consciousness, which is your awareness of the physical world around you. Spiritual consciousness implies that you are spiritually awake. It means knowing and believing these great spiritual truths:

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The Akashic Record

by Akemi G.

akashic-recordsAccessing the Hall (or the Library) of the Akashic Records is not difficult. It is not a privilege allowed only to a handful of people; the Universe doesn’t discriminate. And there are many ways to access. Don’t get sidetracked to practice astral projection, etc. just because you read someone accessed the Akashic Records by astral projection. That’s like believing you must practice skateboarding because you read someone got to the public library by his skateboard. Get the skateboard only when you love skateboarding; in order to access the Akashic Records, choose the approach that feels comfortable and efficient for you. Continue reading

Your Passport to the Mystical Realms

by  Constance Rodriguez

imagesHave you ever walked into a room or building where the energy felt dark and heavy? Or have you been with another person and their energy felt either dark or light? Perhaps you have been at a power spot on the earth when you noticed a change in the space around you, or in a cathedral and felt uplifted. You were noticing the energy field at these places or around a particular person.

Scientists and researchers are finding that around every living and “non-living” thing there exists an energy field. This was first discovered in Kirlian Photography as the “phantom leaf effect.” Through this method, an entire leaf could be photographed after half the leaf was torn off. In other words, the energy form around the leaf was still visible enough to be photographed. At The International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) conference I once attended, doctors presented research with what is known as “the phantom limb” syndrome. In these situations, people who have lost a limb often complain of aches and pains in the missing limb. In this research they found that by actually manipulating or massaging the missing foot or limb, it helped decrease the pain. This has led scientists and researchers to acknowledge the human energy field as having a bonafide place in Western medicine. Continue reading

Enlightenment and Beyond

from Aetherius
enlightenmentEnlightenment is much harder to attain than many may realize, and much greater than any of us can really imagine – unless we are already enlightened! It is a wonderful, glorious and very holy state – far deeper, and far more mystical, than just basic peace of mind, or even advanced psychic vision.

It is the fourth of The Nine Freedoms – and as such is the result of bravery, love and service – the first three Freedoms. In this profound yet also very practical text, Mars Sector 6 explains that we should first put our physical and mental abilities to correct use, and that if we then develop and correctly apply our psychic abilities, this “will begin to open the door of enlightenment.” Continue reading

The Law of Acceptance and Divine Order

from Positively Yours

acceptanceHere, we want to talk about The Law of Acceptance and Divine Order. Imagine being and resting in the fact that everything is happening for the best, no matter what is happening right now. And imagine for a moment accepting everyone just as they are, knowing they are exactly how they are meant to be just at this moment. And not only is everything OK in your life, but YOU are OK too, just as you are meant to be right now! This is the peace and serenity that comes from living in the law of Acceptance and Divine Order.

We have talked about being spiritual beings on a human journey, always connected to our Source. Being connected to our Spiritual Source, it is wonderful to rest in the knowing that this source will always provide exactly what we need, when we need it. We realize our lives are under the influence of a positive, wonderful, life flow. We live in this constant flow, and often our stresses and problems are the result of us pushing against it, out of fear or unknowing. Continue reading

Lessons in Spiritual Awakening

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AwakenOn Monday this week, I went to view the winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, “Tree of Life” which I very much enjoyed. It was long, colorful and did not have a strong plot, nor dialogue. What I caught my attention at the beginning was that it was about the force of nature and the presence of grace.

I believe that the dynamic force of nature and the presence of grace may be in a fundamental conflict. Do we give in to our more animal natures? Or do we ascend into higher planes of thinking? The choice is not either or, as I see it. We can learn to embrace both.

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