WAKING TO TRUTH

Our unconscious behaviour patterns can rule our lives.

When we have our eyes closed we can't see our patterns to alter them. As we open our eyes and learn to discern an inapproriate behaviour, we can make a conscious adult decision to act in a new way.

One of the commonest defences we have is denial.
Denial, however, is a form of self betrayal.Our body will draw it to our attention with aches and pains or lethargy. As we take the risk of acknowledging our hidden feelings to ourself, we place our foot on the ladder to wholesome relationships and vibrant health.

However painful the truth is, it is better than the rumbling thunder clouders of inner deception - for honesty has a resonance which lightens and heals. Only when feelings are claimed and aired can an intimate and joyful relationship develop.

At some level we know everything.

Denial is a coping strategy which does not ultimately serve our purpose on earth. We are here to become transparent conscious beings.

We are always where we are NOW because we have placed ourselves there to learn. At any given moment we are in the perfect place with the perfect people for our growth.

All quotes from Deepak Chopra.

ABUNDANCE

Lakshmi - deva of wealth and abundance
"Like a river, money must keep flowing, otherwise it begins to stagnate, to clog, to suffocate and strangle its very own life force. Circulation keeps it alive and vital"

"The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want"

"The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation and love are some of the most precous gifts you can give, and they dont cost you anything"

"When you meet someone, you can silently send them a blessing, wishing them happiness, joy and laughter. This kind of silent giving is very powerful."

"Our true nature is one of affluence and abundance, we are naturally affluent because nature supports every need and desire"

"Today I will gratefully receive all the gifts that life has to offer me. I will receive the gifts of nature: sunlight and the sound of birds singing, or spring showers or the first snow of winter. I will also be open to receiving from others, whether it be in the form of a material gift, money, a compliment or a prayer."

"I will make a commitment to keep wealth circulating in my life by giving and receiving life's most precious gifts, the gifts of caring, affection, appreciation and love. Each time I meet someone I will silenty wish them happiness, joy and laughter"

All from Deepak Chopra.

LIFE IS A GIFT

Life is a gift to be celebrated and valued.
We have incarnated for a reason, we have a karmic destiny to interact with.
We have Sacred Contracts through which to evolve.
Below some quotes from the Bulgarian teacher Mikhael Aivanhov.

"They fritter their life away in the belief that, just because they are alive, they have the right to do whatever they please with it"

"Human beings squander their lives in the pursuit of all kinds of things that are less important than life itself"

"IT is time you understood how idiotic it is to throw away an eternity of splendour for the sake of a paltry existence spent in eating and drinking, sleeping and running round in all directions, trying to satisfy... Tell me do you really think this is an intelligent way to behave"

"There is no greater magic than that of animating and stimulating human beings, of firing them with enthusiasm and resuscitating them"

"True understanding involves every cell of your body. Understanding is a sensation, you feel something and then you know and understand it because you have felt and tasted it"

"Knowledge is to vibrate in unision with all that exists. When your whole body vibrates in unison with a truth, a sensation or an object, you know that truth..."

"When you manage to touch someones heart, you touch their whole being"

"Think about harmony, think about achieving harmony within your whole being, so that all your cells vibrate in unision"

"you can add all the other forms of therapy you like, but the way you live comes first"

"The way we live will always be the foremost therapy"

"Science still knows nothing about the etheric particles that abound in ever ray of sunlight... A whole new science will grow up around the study of the suns rays... "

"The best time of day in which to absorb the subtlest and most powerful element from the prana is in the few minutes just before the sun rises. This is when it is present in greatest abundance"

"The earth is alive and it breathes, the stars, too, breathe.... everything breathes, the trees, the oceans, even stones"

POWER OF FLAME

We all incarnate with the inner flame of 'awareness'. Deep within we know and feel our communion with soul.
Deep within we trust the Force that sustains life in this body through the breath.
We all know the truth, our minds may or not believe in a God Force, but what value are our beliefs?
Our beliefs shift like the wind and have no value. Our belief systems are conceptual patternings and differ from culture to culture and from generation to generation.

In my life time I have watched societal beliefs shift, scientific, medical and my own beliefs shift and evolve. We are subjected to structural constraints blinding us to the inner truths - through the disciplines of spiritual practice we can get back in touch with this truth. Through inner prayer, silence and inner listening.

Peoples lives are fueled by what the media says, what the doctor says, what the politician says, what the law says.
And we often fail to hear what God says. The inner whisperings of our deepest knowing throb inside of us with the vibrancy and brilliance of the candle flame.

We seek to fill our lives with sensorial bombardment, ever rife at this time of year!
But what of the voice within. What of the power of grace and the breath.

Many people I hear say 'owh I dont 'believe' in God' - as they talk, the cosmic force is fueling their body with breath! as they talk the cosmic force is sustaining their life, that they perceive so important. The doctor doesnt give them breath, nor the church, or the media. God gives life. We stand only with our karma. Our lives are an unfolding of our karmic expression.

Below are some powerful quotes by Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov.


"In the Agni Purana, the sun is considered to be the manifestation of Vishnu and the universal source of all that is."

"The physical world as we know it, is simply the condensation of primordial Light. God the active principle, emitted Light and used that Light as the raw material out of which He created the universe"

"God, the primordial fire, the masculine principle, drew from within himself and projected outwards the feminine principle, light, the matter with which he created"

"To say that God created out of nothing simply means that God drew the raw materials of creation from himself. The universe therefore, is Gods very own substance - it came from him , it has become exterior to him and yet it is still him"

SACRED SOUND

This beautiful imagary is from www.sacredsounds/ca
All sounds are powerful in their potential to transform, commune and build bridges, whether between each other or between ourselves and our soul, or our soul essence to cosmic forces and nature.

All traditions have their 'sacred sounds' and most socities of any depth have celebrated Spirit through the power of sound. The power of resonance to ignite our energy centres, evoke the body's primordial healing propensity and open up portals into other dimensions is known by us all deep within.

As a child I first felt the power of sacred sound in the latin mass and the gregorian chant, as I got older I felt the powers of the ancient hebrew and sanskrit sacred sounds.
There is something primordial and sacred in these ancient languages and many of the universally recognised mantras birth from these resonant lanuages.

European language has indeed its own special resonance - but the sacred sounds of the ancients are the seed of most language as we know it.

The west are skilled in the hymns and songs that open hearts through a more emotive spiritual response which in turn opens the doorways through resonance and knowledge into the upper realms of consciousness.

Devotion is the expression of bhakti, that most of us first dance with, and in time that bhakti blossoms into service, giving, caring and moving beyond our own personal neediness and patterning.

Sacred Sound has always been a profound expression in my personal sadhana, but nothing opened my centres more powerfully than visiting the land of sacred resonance, india. A sweet indian brother sat and waxed lyrical with me as to how india was a lang of magick and we know the powers of sound to shatter glass and evoked shifts in the water and nature. Being in this country nourished the part within me that had been awakened by gurus and teachers.

Nature pulsates with her ongoing mantras which we all feel drawn towards to give us comfort, solace and harmonious peace.
The mantra of the elements, the mantra of the breath and all life - Sound is so powerful.

All scriptures honour the 'sound' and in St. Johns gospel (my favourite) he talks of the 'word' the 'word' (the cosmic primordial sound) was encapsulated in flesh.

We resonate with Jesus and the great spiritual masters cause they were aware of the 'word' the cosmic sound within them and human beings are drawn to the word resonating in flesh in those teachers whose dharma it is to open our hearts and re-unite us with our soul and God.

The Divine Mother Mary - blessed amongst us systers - she was hailed as the 'mother' of god as she was the vehicle of the word - she carried within her the manifestation of that word being made flesh.

Blessed was the 'fruit' of her womb and she was filled with grace cause the lord was with her.
We seek for her to 'pray for us' - WHY? cause we know deep within we are also the word made flesh. We are the primordial sound, the expression of Spirit incarnate and we all seek to feel this intimacy with Spirit.

We can all so easily lose ourselves in the dramas of this life - our lives are sacred indeed, we have our chosen responsibilities and unfolding destiny.
But we so need to remember to feed the spirit within.

To resonate with the 'word' to feel the cosmic vibration that we all are and to remember, to get out of our own way and pray and chant and feeeeeeel once more the love.
Not emotive, romantic love, although thats one of the gifts of our earth plane.. but the energy resonance of love of which St. John spoke.

The energy resonance that Jesus embodied -
All traditions speak of the music of the spheres, the resonance of the angelic realms, the rainbow bridge to spirit.

Chant, sing, dance, drum, celebrate and resonate in love.

NARA

Nara: psychic disassociation happens when the annamaya kosha (the gross physical body) is mal-aligned with the other four subtle bodies.

In yoga chikitsa which is yoga therapy, we can diagnose this quite simply and address the issue with some specific kriyas.

Many disorders can be linked to this condition of nara - any of the bodies can be out of harmony and the symptoms of nara are rife in our society.

The late Swami Gitananda did a lot of work with nara disassociation and I feel blessed to have been in his tutilage.

We all seek harmony and balance - Eating consciously is one of the first steps towards harmony, as is consciously communicating and honouring our 'dharma'

We each have an inherent gift - the sun's dharma is to shine, the dharma of water is to flow.

As we find allignment in our own lives we attune with our inner gift, our dharma is about sharing that gift, nourishing others and uplifting awareness in being truthful to what we know deep within.

Om Shanti.

SOUND TRAVELS

A weekend of new age avarice saturated Perranporth over this weekend. Amidst the new age trinkets, angels wings and witchey covens a handful of stalls and sincere practioners shone in the somewhat overly heated, airless venue.

The foremost one being Sound Travels created by Jonathan Barnett. The website (if blogger copes with the link)! ? is
www.soundtravels.co.uk - each year I have been moved and inspired by this brothers dedication to source the best and this year his stall was brimming with some of his many new traditional musical instruments and sacred ritual sound instruments.
With a vast offering of audio and visual support in healing, chant and dance, the stall was aflow with books and lots more. the prices are excellent too.

The website is really cool and ruth friendly, so totally available and functionable for all I would say *grin*!! - AND they take electron, which is brill for me.

Within the Festival this year I felt a strong emphasis on the power of sound as a healing modality. We all know the power of vibrational medicine! - but this wave of its gifts flowing into the awareness of so many is heart warming.
Jonathans site abounds with instruments of sound and healing. With an offering of some wonderful looking therapeutic aids for us practioners to continue the work in vibrational medicine, I heart feelingly recommend this website.

Tim Wheater and his empowered playing and accompaniment with Natalie Shaw touched hearts and souls with evokative sound and sensation.
I personally have preference for the traditional rendering of mantra and chant, but I appreciate that the power of mantra needs to flow through familiar channels in the west. Tim is aspiring to bring the power of mantra into the lives of many through his gifts.

Appreciation to those sincere souls seeking to serve, to source and express right livlihood by way of upliftment and nourishment of our souls - thankyou for being there this weekend - thankyou for being.

Om shanti.

PANCHA KOSHA

Pancha means five and kosha means body or enveloping sheath. So Pancha Kosha is the terminology for our 'five bodies'

The Annamaya kosha is the gross physical body made up of cells. This body is the body of our earth side existence and completely disintegrates when we die.
The disciplines of yoga asana guide us in keeping the gross body in wellness,along with conscious dietary choices and environmental support.

The Pranamaya kosha, also known as the life force body, or vital body, is made up of 'prana' the subtle life force, sometimes called 'chi' or 'grace' - Its the vibratory life force of nature.

The Manomaya kosha is made up of the lower memory mind of chitta and conscious mind manas. Through yoga or other traditional disciplines we can develop the awareness to release unconscious forces that can hinder our intimacy with soul.

Vijnanamaya kosha is made up of the sheath permeated by the super conscious mind of the buddhi and the ahamkara. The self idealising principle of the higher mind.

Anandamaya kosha is the body of bliss, the cosmic body. Beyond reason, without existence - this sheath envelops the whole, like the sun shining on our mother earth.

AUM

Slow chanting of the mantra Om toning the syllables AUM reflect at a vibratory level in the bely, the chest and the head.

In the Mandukya Upanishad it is said that the syllables of AUM represent the Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep state. The levels of mind being conscious, subconscious and unconscious.

The dieties Brahma (creator principle), Vishnu (sustaining principle) and Shiva (transformative principle) are the three expressions of existence. All of life moves through creation, time of sustaining (holding the posture) and the release leading to transformation. We can meditate on this process in our asanas and during our meditative expereinces as we move from tamas, through into rajas into sattwa.

The silent space after chanting the mantra Om opens potential into turiya the state of awareness of awareness we spoke of the other day. the timeless, zoneless pure conscious space of Sat Chit Ananada. translating as Truth or love, Consciousness and bliss.

Om Shanti.

YANRA

Muz Murrey was my first real encounter with Yantra some years back. He came down to Cornwall on several occasions and guided us in weekend workshops.
Muz and his cd's can be found on the web, he lives in an ashram environment in France and continues to serve in the world through his presence and resources.

Although I have tended to use pictoral or statue imaging to focus mind awareness.
These last few weeks I have felt drawn to the symbolic visual support of yantra. Literally using the geometric imagary created from the resonance of the 'sound' of Spirit.

Yantra is the essential form of the vibration of the names given to God -
Muz has explored the scientific work being done in parts of the world related to the effect of sound in creation, and we have the works of Masaru Emoto showing the powerful effects of sound on water crystals.

The imagary of the pranava Om.. is the general shape that manifests in form when the mantra is intoned for a period of time.

I am finding the traditional yantras very powerful in drawing the mind to attention and focus, freeing up the jibbering roof brain so that we can internalise more readily.

Having read some books on theta therapy - I am now exploring some of the work pioneered by Bill Harris at Centrepoint. The Holosync programme is proving to be amazingly powerful.

The dark days are refreshingly spacious and nurturing for soul and the darkness can be our friend in practice -

This is a powerful time of year for us to be reviewing our past years experience, maybe making mental or written notes of all we have to appreciate, and all we feel an urge to let go of or release before the sun turns and begins its long journey back.

FOUR FOLD AWARENESS

Our first sense of Awareness usually focuses towards the body and this is often the seat of many disciplines.
It is true that we have to address the body, how it works, and how it can support us in our spiritual journey.

This awareness of body also includes optimal choices of food, exercise, rest and relaxation. It involves 'right environment' - a choosing of where we put ourselves and how we sustain a harmonious living space.

Many spiritual traditions will take the seeker beyond body association and the second stage is awareness of the effect of the emotions upon the body and the study of how we can minimise the detrimental effects of emotive responses and attitudes.

Then thirdly we explore awareness of the mind and how the mind can channel and deal with emotive responses and reactions.

Mind as we often perceive it, is only 'part of' the mind. There are four aspects of mind, the highest being termed 'buddhi' in yoga.

The fourth stage of Awareness is being aware of the awareness, which we often call 'witness consciousness'

Sitting in witness consciousness, doesnt necessarily alter what is going on around us, but it does alter how we might perceive and also more importantly how we choose to be with what is happening.

ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATH

Mind and Breath are like the two wings of a bird, both so essential to the miracle of potential freedom.

Conscious direction of the breath can be a door to the deeper levels of our mind. As we attune with the breath, so we journey into deeper realms of mind.
Rumi spoke of 'corridors of mind' - and truly we can journey into realms of awareness beyond ego mind.

So Ham is the natural 'resonant sound' of the breath and this sound can carry us into our innermost nature of pure awareness.

For me, being pitta predominant, I find the power of Alternate nostril breath especially harmonising . When we endeavour to keep the nadis (pathways) clear we balance the solar and lunar currents within our lives.

The left nostril is lunar or kapha predominant, so we can seek calmness from inner turbulence or emotional issues or hormonal disturbances through focusing on the breath through the left nostril.
Cooling or lunar breath is nourishing for the turbulence of excessive heat or agitation, so it beneficial for pitta.

If we are feeling somewhat depleted, we can focus on breath in right nostril which is solar and pitta predominant, so we can seek a shift from tamasic or turgid depletion and depressions or emotional lassitude.

When we re-establish an expereince of harmony we can then focus on equalising the breath in both nostrils to find the peace and inner harmony of meditative awareness.

I find in my autumn years that I naturally embrace the more tranquil pranayamas with less emphasis on those firey breath practices.

There is a science on the many expressions of nostril breath awareness called Swara Yoga. Swami Satyananda has a book available from the Bihar School of Yoga in India or the Mandala Ashram in Wales.

The time of autumn/winter is a wonderful time to deepen our practices and attune inwards as the planet rests in the womb of winter.

With love and joy to all.
Ruth.

THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE

I have been sent a link about a petition to the government, I have signed, not sure if you would like to, or know of any that might ?
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/HErights/
It's about home education empowerment. Do pass it on if meaningful to you.
My son and daughterinlaw home ed their children, and I know of many in Cornwall who are choosing to home ed their children -
So for those parents and children who make that choice lets support their right to choose.
Sunny days. Love Ruth.

DON'T WAIT

"When two people are encased behind their respective walls, someone needs to take the first step and step out from behind their defenses
so that communication and honesty can take place. This opening of the cocoon is an ongoing process.

I find that, for me, the importance is to stay focused in the heart,
to feel my heart expanding and opening towards those around me. The
fear of being "thought a fool" still comes up, yet, I am aware that
only by "risking" and showing my feelings will others feel safe in
opening their hearts and showing me theirs.

I invite you to abandon your defenses and to become, once again, as vulnerable as a newborn child. Together we can do it! Don't wait for others to make the first step... They may be waiting for you!"


EXCERPTED FROM the article:
Being Vulnerable
by Marie T. Russell

INSPIRED BY SWAMIJI

Inspired by Swamiji, Swami Vivekenanda, is a psychiatrist yogi, sharing in the world.
He addresses the ancient system of yoga as a philosophy, lifestyle and techniques which help us evolve as a whole person.

The physical, the vitality, the mental and the emotional expression of the human is addressed, evoking wisdom, ethics and a higher quality of relationships and the realisation of our spiritual reality.

Thus yoga supports us in realising our higher potential expression.
We are then able to function more positively for the benefit of ourselves, other people and the world we live in.

Yoga is more than people think.
Yoga was not designed as a therapy. It is a system of personal development - but an added bonus can of course be the prevention of illness, physical, mental and emotional.
Qualified therapists can gain experience in yoga teachings, often for their own benefit. They can then add this to their normal procedures working with others.

Namaste and Joy.
Love Ruth.

LIVING FOODS

Hi to all rainbow hearts - since returning from the Fresh Event, I have been pretty busy - so today is the first real chance to catch up with blog!
Pondering on Living Foods.

I believe that all our food choices contribute to body wellness, clarity of
mind and keeness of perception.
I perceive all foods have a subtle Life Force energy as well as a nutrient
component -

If we choose foods full of this Life Force, then we in turn feel light and
abundantly well.

If we choose foods that have been depleted of this Life Force through
cooking then we create a leaching of vital energies from the body, as it
struggles to deal with the energy depleted foods.

For me I don't view my food so much as raw... more as energy filled.

It follows that if we draw on the bodies energy reserves to digest less than
optimal food choices, then we have less energy for Life.
So as we come together we will be aspiring to Live Life Alive... rather than
just living life within the clinical expression of life.

.... many people have expectations around raw food wellness.
Raw food takes us right 'into' our selves.
Thats why the old patterning is so addictively attractive .
I don't personally feel its just about addiction of the cooked foods - I
perceive its this initiation into Self that can become so intimidating that
people go back to cooked foods.

If we are advocating raw foods we can't compartmentalise into purely a physical
experience.
If we embrace the wholistic shift then more people will feel 'heard' in any perceived struggle.

Its not just about gritting ones teeth and getting on with it. I feel this creates undue tension and pressure and feelings of remorse or failure.

Choosing Living Foods is part of a wholistic journey - If we try to embrace raw foods with just the logic 'making
a decision' part of ourselves we will could cause separation and disharmony and
activate further toxicity within.

In the west we have a tendency to 'grab' one expression of a whole lifestyle
and compartmentalise and parcel it up into groovy 'sellables'
This has been done with yoga, it has been done with accupuncture and many
other traditions.
We CANNOT embrace living foods without addressing the whole being, mind,
body emotions and Spirit.
If we try to do this and contain it in debate and mind stuff we lose the
essence of the energy and remain in as much separation as any other rigid
dietary choice can bring about.

WHY is the raw food diet soooooooo much more difficult for many.
It not just that it is the most radical. its because we can't pussy foot
around avoidance of Self -

In love to all - Ruth.