KNOWING WHO AND WHAT WE ARE

True mysticism, ( the reason for the poems that follow,) can be defined as a classical or scholarly understanding, in contrast with its degenerated and much abused use today, of any loose connection with the occult. I do not mean to say that areas within paganism are completely devoid of divine awareness. Quite the contrary, since I feel that man's closeness to the earth, brings him closer to the source of his life, providing his ritual approach does not drown out his natural intuitive senses, where all meditative inclinations are lost. I think of the American Indian who through ritual, had a keen sense of the divine spirituality in all living things, including himself. To make this difference of true mysticism more explicit, one might suggest a rather obvious comparison, say between the Christian mystic St John of the cross and the contemporary figure of 'Mystic Meg'! Or witchcraft, Druid symbolism in contrast with the enlightened minds of J Krishnamurti or shri Ramana Maharshi. If we draw on the insights of Vedanta/Advaita/ upanishads or even the many mystical utterances of Jesus, we may eventually arrive at the understanding, in knowledge and in experiential terms, that only one thing, or rather no thing, actually 'is' or 'exists'. (ie. one existential no-thing.) This discovery certainly corrects the vision and would seem to turn it upside down, or in Lao Tzu terms, turn it the other way around, as Alan Watts would so precisely and accurately put it. Major religions have been the cradle of mystical truths though they have often fought against it in their own particular midst. The Sufis were persecuted and murdered in history by mainstream Muslims and Christians did similar things to their mystics. - A monk in the 16th century was put to death for insisting that all things are one! Much as Jesus himself did, being executed for blasphemy. Jesus, not declaring a new theology but simply what he felt. For me, personally, Jesus is the embodiment of true mysticism. His cosmic consciousness enobles him to the title of cosmic empathiser. Alas! As many writers have said, now and in the past, Christianity as a monotheistic religion has been a disaster, a classical example of the folly of following the teacher and not the teaching. Little more needs to be said on this save to say that such deep wisdom and truth is available to the world, yet mindless fundamentalism still reigns, opposite high liturgical practices. The mess speaks for itself. I think of Jesus's words, "you search the scriptures daily for you think you have life in them". Scripture is as much idolatry as any other kind when it becomes biblical worship. Monotheistic religions always draw on divine transcendence while ignoring immanence. What might be detected from time to time in the body of poems here written, (see http://www.zalivanda.com/id3.html) in simple settings, is the seed of sage teaching and of true mysticism. The negation of all idolatry, both tangible and intangible, and certainly including biblical idolatry. It may also point to the various spiritual paths that lead us on to self and no-self enquiry, for it is there and only there, that the sacred ground of all might be encountered. Alan Watts is correct to say with his wonderful book title, (and I commend it to all) "The book on the taboo against knowing who and what you are", a taboo that we are unaware of or that we tacitly conspire to ignore.

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How Important are our Thoughts?

Our thoughts often lead their own life, in the sense that they can wonder and concern themselves with things, and in ways, without any conscious decision on our part. This seems to happen especially when our mind is partly but not wholly occupied with some task or other. Weeding or ironing and so forth.

Negative Wanderings
One of our concerns here may be that, not infrequently, these illicit excursions concern themselves with the negative things which have happened to us. Then we may find ourselves experiencing thoughts we would rather not think, and certainly we become aware that they are thoughts which we ought not to entertain. After all, we have the teaching of Jesus himself that:

“What comes out of a man is what makes him `unclean’. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, :greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean’.” (Mark 7. 20 - 23)

Not always, but generally, we sin with aforethought. In other words, we sin through considered acts, and considered acts are those we have thought about. As Christians, of course, we need, and probably most of the time we are, sufficiently aware of these things to hold them under control.

Thinking And Doing
However, if we allow even what we might call random thoughts, to have too much freedom, sooner or later they will probably influence our actions, and then we may enter into quite serious sin through them.

Indeed, they could be influencing the way we act right now, and we are not aware of it. An important part of the process of spiritual growth, of growing in deeper union with God, means in part, recognising more and more of these traits, until eventually they have all been eliminated. If what we think is good, it is far more likely that what we do will be good.

Choice Of Language
This is why, for example, our choice of language is so important. If, say, we allow ourselves to watch TV programmes that use blasphemous phrases which turn God’s name into, at the very least, a mere convenience for self satisfaction, and which use language that degrades the precious sexual act which God has given as part of the relationship between a man and a woman in marriage, then such expressions will very soon become part of our thinking, and then part of our speaking, even if only when we are angry and frustrated.

In such cases our thought processes have been corrupted without our permission and, frequently, without our realisation. Television is especially pernicious in this respect. Initially we tell ourselves that a programme or film will be turned off as soon as such language is used. But then we get so captivated that we let the first or second occurrence go by, telling ourselves that this is probably the last time — but it never is. So soon we may have abandoned the principle altogether: our guard is completely down and we are open to one evil influence after another.

Choice Of Freedom?
In effect, our thoughts have been surrendered to film and programme makers who clearly care nothing about Christian values. Some secularist would say that we had simply exercised our personal freedom. But we have not so much exercised it as surrendered it.

And once surrendered to such people it can take some getting back! Clearly, the optimum course is to be strict with ourselves and not surrender it in the first place.

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Developing Your Inner Spiritual Guidance

As the world becomes more connected through the technologies of communication, it is also becoming easier to become disconnected from our own selves. The necessary quiet time that develops our natural, inborn connection with intuition and spiritual guidance is no longer easily found in our daily lives, and this can cause feelings of overwhelm, meaninglessness, and an inner sense of disharmony and emptiness.In today's world as we face unprecedented challenges both individually and collectively, there is also a very high level of daily stress that is constantly affecting our bodies, minds and emotions. Our daily lives are filled with intensity as we witness widespread social, political and climate change, uncertainty about the future, and fear of the unknown. If these weren't enough, there is also the effect of greater spiritual light expanding on the Earth, which is helping us to awaken spiritually, but is also creating a major cleansing process for us on all levels ... spiritually, emotionally and physically. The pain of the past that we may have buried from our consciousness begins to surface into our awareness, bringing old feelings or physical symptoms to light. We are all developing ways to cope with the increased levels of stress in our lives today. There are many spiritual tools and transformational supports that can assist you in reclaiming your inner connection with yourself. Once you create an intention to reconnect with your inner being, you will begin to draw to yourself the people, situations, and supports you need.One of the most useful and simple ways to navigate through these very intense times is to develop a deeper connection with your natural intuitive spiritual guidance. Inner guidance is a gift from our soul to our embodied, human self which we all have access to. Some of us are more attuned to this part of ourselves, especially those who are artists, musicians, athletes, or whose work involves healing. Some of us may have learned to "turn off" this inner gift, because of childhood pressure to conform to social standards. No matter how connected or disconnected you may feel from your inner spiritual guidance, everyone has the capacity to nurture, develop and strengthen this important part of ourselves. Living with an active and awake inner spiritual guidance offers us the opportunity to perceive and experience a whole new creative dimension of life. The universe of spiritual reality is vast and when intuition is activated, new experiences begin to open and create vaster and more meaningful possibilities.In addition to expanding our daily experience of life, developing intuition and spiritual guidance serves to create a depth of connection to inner truth. If you've ever witnessed the simple and profound clarity of truth that comes from small children who have not yet learned to censor their inner guidance, you'll have some idea of what is possible for yourself. In today's world where there are many sources of information that may or may not be accurate or truthful, your spiritual guidance and intuition can offer a clarity of direction in situations where it may not otherwise be possible to know what is real. As your intuition becomes more highly developed, you will be able to sense the presence of or the lack of love, light and warmth in people. You will be able to more easily discern what feels true or false to you, beyond the words that people say or the appearances that are presented.In today's world there is much at stake, and many choices are presented to us each day about who to listen to, and where to place our attention, time, and trust. If we are disconnected from ourselves and the center of our own being, then it is easier for us to be swayed in directions that depart from love and truth that we may later regret. Developing our inner spiritual guidance offers the precious gift of discernment, allowing us to see clearly what is true and what is not, and to navigate more easily in the great complexities and challenges that we face in today's world.

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The Power of Thought

Have you ever made New Years resolutions with such zeal and enthusiasm on the 31st of December only to have broken each one by January 7th (or sooner)? Why is this? I know many souls who upon asking them, what is your resolution this year, reply glibly, “The same one I made last year!” Hopelessly and with expectance we watch each resolve fade and break away, such that by this point, most of us barely hold on to the possibility of effecting change in our lives at all. Often we believe we are incapable of keeping a promise. We have broken so many in the past. Perhaps we wish to lose weight, or stop smoking, or be kinder, less reactive to things beyond our control; other people, circumstances or events, thereby building a stress-free life complete with happiness, peace and improved health. Whatever the change in behavior I wish to see in my life, I must first begin to realize that thoughts are like seeds. Whatever my thoughts, so will be my attitude and behavior. So the emphasis needs to shift, not so much on the behavior, as the thinking which creates it. Your thoughts can be your own best friend or your own worst enemy. Where does your experience of happiness or sorrow take place? … in your mind. The person or event etc. to whom we have assigned “blame” for our experience of sorrow or stress etc. is not in my mind. I control my own thinking. Do you not think your own thoughts? Yes, there are many things out there that will try to influence the way I feel, but I decide how I think, and how I feel. I choose what things I will let in, and what things I will leave out. We are careful not to ingest poisonous food for the body and yet often we allow the mind to “eat” whatever poisonous thoughts are offered to us. If you keep a diet of “junk” food or spoiled and rotten foods you will get an upset stomach and your physical health will deteriorate. In the same way if you permit yourself to think negative, sad or worrisome thoughts, you can expect to have an upset mind, to suffer the illness of sorrow, peacelessness and stress. My mental heath will begin to deteriorate as well. If on the other hand I imbibe only those thoughts which will feed my mind in a healthy way, I will begin to have control of my mind to such an extent that I am free from the common stresses and sorrows of this life. I begin to enjoy a life of constant happiness, peace and well-being. When I am not in the practice of checking the quality of my thoughts throughout the day, my mind will begin to race and I will react sensitively to little things. I become vulnerable to the opinions of others as well as my own limited way of understanding. You are what you think. Love, peace, wisdom, happiness … the more you think of these things, the more you will become them. When you build a house, every brick counts. When you build character, every thought counts. Whatever I wish to achieve … nothing happens until I first think about it. Thought precedes everything, so make your thoughts strong and happy and so will be your experience. A very wise friend (Dadi Janki) once said “When you talk to yourself in your mind, which self do you address, and how do you speak to yourself? Usually, most do not speak to their divinity, but to the most superficial aspects of their every day personality. Often it’s a stream of fears, complaints, and a mindless repetition of old things. If we talked that way to others, we would have to apologize.” “Learning to talk properly to the self is a spiritual endeavor. Thoughts from the past and worries about the future do no make good conversation. Instead, learn to talk to your mind as if it were a child. Talk to it with love. If you just force a child to sit down … he won’t. A good mother knows how to prompt a child into doing what she wants. Be a good mother to your mind. Teach it good, positive thoughts so that when you tell it to sit quietly, it will.” Would you like to get rid of 2/3 of your sorrow right now? It’s very easy. So easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it years ago. … Don’t think of the past or future. You have enough to deal with; just with what’s happening in the present, don’t you? The past is finished, nothing I can do about it. I have no connection with it. No matter how much I cry or complain not a single moment of the past can be changed. Once the photo has been taken, there’s nothing I can change in it. I can complain that I wish I had worn a different color lipstick, or my hair was different, but no matter how I complain, that picture has already been shot! I can learn for the future picture that blue lipstick really doesn’t look very good on me … but that picture; there is nothing I can do about. The future is equally elusive. When does the future come? … tomorrow? When tomorrow comes, that’s today! I have nothing but now … right this moment. Thinking of the past or the future is what we call waste thoughts. No benefit can come from this way of thinking. But as we have experienced for ourselves, what can and does come from this way of thinking is sorrow, stress and anxiety. I need to be aware of how much damage is being caused by negative thoughts. Negative, wasteful thinking over a long period of time will drag me down so low that I, out of self preservation, begin to call it “up”! I must first change myself, and then I can change the world. If I want to see peace in the world, for example, I must be that peace. What is the world made up of after all? ….. People! Not governments, communities or organizations … but people, and people are made up of their thinking! I wish to see peace between countries that don’t speak the same language, have different features and customs and yet I can’t make peace in my own country … because there isn’t even peace in a state …. or peace in one city …. or even in one neighborhood …. or even in my own family, my own household …. Because there isn’t even peace within my own self!!! So the first thing I must do is change my attitude and behavior. Then, as I change it will have an impact, and be an inspiration for others to change as well.

Article Source: http://www.spiritarticles.com