by user_dd | Sep 21, 2019 | Community Conversations
Have you ever thought: If it’s meant to happen, it will happen? I hear this all the time related to the New Age movement. Do you think this is true?
One of the things I hate about these kinds of statements is how general they are. We need to be more specific to avoid confusion and empower ourselves rather than stall trying to figure out what serves our highest and best good.
So, I can go a few different ways here in my commentary, but let’s examine how this thought has led people astray of their path and connection with the Divine.
Why ‘Meant to Happen’ is a Lie
“What’s meant to happen, will happen” implies that everything that’s happened was meant to.
So we’re saying that war, genocide, child soldiers made to kill their parents and then eat them— all these terrible things happening in the world today were MEANT to happen? What kind of sick and deranged thinking is that?
I’ve got news for you. This mess was not MEANT to happen. These atrocities are happening because we are letting them happen, but not because they were MEANT to happen.
What was MEANT to happen is God’s divine plan on Earth: Shamballah. In other words,, heaven on Earth. A worldwide community of caring, compassionate people resolving world issues, like hunger, war, disease with powerful tools based on Love, not on fear.
By cutting ourselves off from Spirit, we maintain the illusion that we are separate, powerless, victims of the current world. We increase fear when we say no to Love.
“What’s meant to happen, will happen” is based on fear of your greatness. Fear that you’re actually much bigger, smarter, and capable than the problems the world faces. Fear that you CAN make a difference with your thoughts, words, and actions. What would happen if you did? What would that mean for you and your life?
Here’s a revolutionary idea for you: you’re not separate, powerless or a victim. In fact, you have access to the most powerful force in the universe: the force of Love.
Why Love Connects Us
Honestly, it kind of feels weird to have to write about this, but there is some confusion about what Love is too which relates to this issue.
Love is a force, not a feeling. Love is the great connecting force of the universe. It is an energy that pervades all things. It’s a tool that we use to connect ourselves with the universe and each other.
You can love someone close or far away, and that act will impact them whether they feel it or not. The HeartMath Institute has done a lot of research on the nonlocal effects of the human heart field.
When we operate out of fear, we are not operating out of love. In a sense, they are mutually exclusive. Fear shuts off important parts of our brain that are necessary for love. One model to look at is the sympathetic versus parasympathetic nervous system. When activated, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) literally pulls blood (life force) from your brain and into your ears, arms, and legs (think flight or fight response). The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), however, does the opposite of the SNS at the same speed. When the PNS is activated, it creates a better state for your body to operate cognitively and emotionally.
Basically, we get worn down living in a world where our SNS is constantly activated, and then there’s no energy left to make a difference. By creating the conditions that calm our systems, activating the PNS through meditation and ritual tools in our lineage, we literally design how we want our energetic body to occur. We move from victim to creator. This makes available the four experiences that contribute to building closer, more productive and resonant relationships: hope, mindfulness, compassion, and playfulness.1
The Way Out of Confusion
In conclusion, there’s a way out of this mess, and it doesn’t look like trolling haters on Facebook. That’s kinda like fighting fire with fire. The way out is to learn traditional techniques for how to be fully human aka consciousness expansion tools, like those offered in the lineage of King Saloman.
YOU are the key to our future. What you think and do DOES matter. And you can leverage your actions more by increasing your power over yourself through self-understanding and enlightenment. Know Thyself is the ancient mystery school axiom.
By reconnecting with our inner divinity, we will change the world—one human at a time.
1. See research by Richard Boyatzis et al presented in his e-course “Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence”: https://class.coursera.org/lead-ei-001/class/index.
by user_dd | Apr 8, 2019 | Community Conversations
My meditation practice has not been peaceful the last few weeks. What’s more is that I’ve been rather lazy in approaching how best to deal with it. It’s almost like I’m stuck in observation mode, just watching myself wallow without jumping in with a strategy or plan.
What’s great about that is for once, I’m not jumping in with a strategy or a plan! However, I do want my meditation practice to return to a time of peace and deep relaxation. So join me as we go back to the basics and improve your meditation practice with me!
Meditation Basics
There are times when the going is good. It may still be a struggle to find the time to sit down however, once you do, you can feel yourself relaxing into the peace of doing nothing. Relieving yourself of the stressors of life, if even temporarily, is worth the sore butt from sitting too long!
Then there are the times when your meditation is not working out as planned. Try as you might to wrangle the mind, it refuses to be constrained. You just can’t find the right position, cushion, background music or back support. Or worse, your body is comfortable and your mind won’t sit still!
One of the keys I offer to you is this: meditation, like emotions, have phases. You can expect the beginning phase of your meditation to be unpredictable. Sometimes it will be turbulent, and sometimes calm. Sometimes you will glide into your meditation easily, and other times, it’ll be like herding cats in your mind. This is why I highly recommend you do your breathing practices first. Once you master your breathing practice, the subsequent phases of your meditation will flow through easily and predictably.
The Key is in your Breath
Controlling your breath, or intentionally altering your breathing pattern is work you can do on the physical system that directly impacts your mind. Bringing your attention to your body and addressing what’s going on in the body is the first step to any successful meditation practice.
That’s why meditation teachers will often instruct you to return to your breath if your mind has taken over. Your mind will follow your breath, so when your meditation practice seems to be giving you diminishing returns, turn it into a breathing practice until the calm mind state you are looking for returns. And it will return. Your mind will follow your breath.
So breathe easy knowing that the solution to our turbulent meditation practice is right under your nose.If you want help, join us for a complimentary Tools for Awakening series meditation which happen regularly. Just check out the calendar to see when the next one is upcoming.
Matthew Koren founded Spirit in Transition in 2015, a business consulting firm specializing in building high-performance learning organizations, teams and individuals.
by user_dd | Jan 14, 2016 | Transitory Thoughts
It can be tough to take on someone else’s experience, but in the end, attempting empathy will help you (and others) growth.
A SHIFT IN OUR SENSES
Part of the shift we’re going through as a society is experiencing new forms of understanding. This happens at a deeper level than words and body language—it involves two souls communicating directly. It is a dance of energy and feeling.
As we grow in our awareness of a multidimensional reality, we learn how to engage with the world a little differently. This applies strongly to romance. With a US divorce rate of around 50%, it pays to wonder how to build a strong love life.
There are many relationship techniques you can pick up, and some of them are useful. What we’ll be talking about here, though, is empathy. This is the ability to sense the emotions of another person. It gives you valuable information and enhances bonding.
HIGH-END RELATIONSHIPS
Imagine coming home and saying hi to your partner. They smile, but you can just feel that something is off. You ask them how their day went, and listen carefully to anything that stands out. You check out their tense lip and fidgety fingers. Then it happens…one thing leads to another, and all of a sudden you’re in a fight! And why exactly?
Empathy opens up a broader range of experiences. Instead of being confused or saying the wrong things, you start to become a bit more fluid in social interactions. You’re tuned into a channel you never heard before. Even if you do make a faux pas, you can course correct more easily.
Enough talk. Whenever it comes to things like developing awareness and exercising your intuition, the best course is real world practice. Here are 3 keys to start using empathy.
KEY #1: CLEAR YOURSELF
Ever try to talk with someone in a noisy room? How’d that work?
If you’re cluttered with thoughts and emotions, it’s a challenge to sense your partner’s emotions. The first step is calming yourself and stilling your mind. Meditation is the classic formula for this.
Here’s a simple meditation:
- Sit comfortably.
- Close your eyes.
- Take a few deep breaths.
- Focus on your breathing.
- When a thought or emotion distracts you, allow it to run its course, then simply focus again on the breath.
Do this for 5 minutes a day, and build up to 10.
Also, throughout your day, pay attention to how your body feels and any emotions that arise. Accept them and be mindful of what they are and how they affect you.
KEY #2: CONNECT INTENTIONALLY
Energy follows intention. Now that you’re more aware and mindful, you’re able to form clearer intentions. Next time you’re with your partner, feel the desire to connect at a deeper level. “Breathe into” the feeling and let it expand. Be it.
KEY #3: BE PLAYFUL
Imagine you’re the other person. Literally imagine this. Pretend you can actually see from their eyes, hear from their ears, and otherwise feel from their senses. What sort of things might you be thinking if you had that experience? What might you be experiencing? Feeling?
Try this exercise at the mall or other public place. Choose a random person, and focus your awareness on them. Let yourself be calm and clear when you start, then imagine how they are. Things will come to you that will seem made up. It’s okay. Apply some childlike playfulness here.
When you’re with your partner, notice which sensations and information you get by doing this. You will want to gauge yourself, so use some of the advice in this post: Seeing Things Doesn’t Make Me Crazy.
Keep experimenting. You’ll get the hang of it.
Go ahead. Slip on those other shoes and start walking.
Please share your experiences below! I’d love to hear what impact these exercises have had on your empathy and relationships.
