Notice so often, many assume spiritual growth means achieving some extraordinary, other-worldly, blissed-out state where we are somehow transported out of where we are. This view leads us to constantly reach for the next spiritual high, focus on futures. Or we feel that with all our commitments, responsibilities we have few ways for developing our inner nature. Both of these views reflect an error in perception. Let's step back, take another look. 

In fact, our day-to-day experiences offer raw material for spiritual development. Conflicts that arise in our families and among colleagues, the pain of losing loved ones, or our resistance to paradigms, stories, events, do not prevent inner development. Rather, they point to our ignorance and all else that hinders us from knowing and embodying true nature. We must simply be willing to surrender to the process. We are each invited to meet situations that present with compassion. This is true nature. 

Many of us do not distinguish between true nature and our personality traits, particularly our less desirable traits. Thing is, we are not the body, mind, emotions, but spirit-soul. It is the nature of the untrained mind to want what it perceives as advantageous and resist what seems painful. Discovering how the heart and mind can work together allows us to move beyond resistance and start to know inner freedom. Every situation we create has potential to reveal our true nature.

At different stages, we can feel overwhelmed by life conditions or feel bound by past traumatic events. If and when this happens, we do not see things as they really are. They are just mind-states which can be known, seen as impermanent, do not belong to us. They do not define true nature. A spiritual practice can provide insight and discipline to explore our perceptions. We each must discover what is true for ourselves. Heresay does not cut it. We can each do this right where we are. There is no need to go to a monastery or get our life more together. The intensity of our will and fears is a catalyst that propels us to go down the rabbit hole.  We can choose how to see, reframe, respond to events that will lead us to a deeper relationship with true nature.

For many years, words by Viktor Frankl have inspired me. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning wrote, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

It is crucial to understand, from a spiritual perspective, that the pain and suffering with which we work is no less substantial, or less real or difficult than those others face. The constrictions of the heart and mind cannot be measured like so many pounds of pressure; they are energies we learn to feel, harness and guide us back to true nature. Funny, the quest to reconnect with true nature is often lost in ordinary life. To be wrapped up in the mundane causes us to forget the big picture.

Buddha teaches that true nature is obscured by veils of wanting, fear, and delusion (or ignorance). He urges us to look at nature of our mind systematically and observe how these three mind-states condition what we think and value, and how we behave. He teaches that to identify with these mind-states causes suffering.
If we are not our thoughts, then what is our true nature, how do we find it, and how do we live so that it may flourish?

Well, the true nature of love is not based on ego strategy, but on the sheer openness of one heart to another. This is the kind of heart-opening that provides us with courage to face what arises.

Buddha also echoes our true nature is emptiness- a lack of a permanent Self- and when this true nature is realized, the divine states of the Brahma-viharas – loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity- emerge. There is also a state of mind and heart known as bodhichitta that leads one to completely dedicate oneself to the liberation of all beings from suffering. In the teachings of the great yoga masters, our true nature is Brahman, the universal soul, of which the individual soul is simply a part. When this is realized there is satchidananda, the awareness of bliss, from the knowing that pure awareness is our ultimate nature.

At some stage, it dawns, feelings of true nature are real. What Buddha describes are actual states of mind- body that can be physically and emotionally felt as profound consciousness shifts. For some people, these changes in consciousness have a strong physical component or a marked shift in perception. Some of us experience dramatically altered states of being. Others know subtle shifts in clarity, emotional centeredness, spontaneous acts of kindness. Every moment the body and mind experience true nature may feel transcendent, and manifestation simply occurs without effort. To know a “soft heart” is to act with selfless compassion. This is dwelling in the divine aspect of true nature. The new normal can feel like a transcendent moment.

Create radical forgiveness and self-love

Notice during this journey of human existence, we often encounter challenges, forcing us to confront our shadows and question the dynamics of our relationships. Such experiences can lead us to a renewed sense of freedom and joy, as we uncover valuable lessons from introspection and deep self-work.

Ram Dass inspires us to explore the power of shadow work and forgiveness to feel more harmonious. He echoes all we do, every action and intention, unfolds within the privacy of our heart. This profound truth highlights our innate ability to shape the external world based on our internal landscape. Our thoughts, emotions, and intentions hold immense power, and by cultivating self-awareness, we can consciously create a reality that aligns with our true self.

Shadow work, essential to growth, unveils the hidden aspects of our psyche. It reveals the nature of our shadows, which learn to disguise themselves to fulfill their own needs. These shadows manifest as dysfunction, creating disharmony and disconnect in our lives. Still, shadow work offers us opportunity to recognize these shadow aspects with compassion and understanding.

Sometimes, painful experiences serve as catalysts for deeper self-reflection. A challenging encounter, like a recent exchange with my family about my decisions for my kids' home education, prompted me to question why I am viewed as a "bad person." Despite the initial urge to blame, I realized the power to change the narrative is within me. Understanding that everything is done within the privacy of our own hearts empowers us to explore what needs to shift inside.

Through shadow work, I discovered that my shadows sought to create a world of fear, chaos, and disconnection by projecting my own fears onto others. For years, in seeking acceptance, I unconsciously surrendered my power to those around me. Yet, this realization led me to see I am a loving and compassionate being. Shadows within are responsible for my own perception of dysfunction that manifests externally. By embracing self-love and recognizing our shadows, we can release the need for external validation and reclaim personal power.

To allow our transformation, the practice of surrender is key. Yet this is not giving up or giving in, its about "letting go" of old stories, projections, judgments we carry within. Creating space within our hearts for something new to manifest requires release. Central to this process is the radical act of forgiving self and others. Forgiveness does not always require we involve those we forgive directly. It is an internal process, allowing us to let go of resentment and create healing within. Recognizing that everything we do unfolds within our hearts empowers us to take ownership of our experiences and create positive change.

Shadow work unveils the nature of our shadows, allowing us to address and integrate them with compassion. By releasing the need for external validation and embracing self-love, we reclaim personal power and create a foundation for inner transformation.

Feel into the power of the mantra, "Let go, something magical is about to happen." This mantra beautifully encapsulates the essence of our journey. By surrendering to the flow of life, we create space for something extraordinary to unfold. So, let us release our attachments, embrace the transformative power of shadow work and forgiveness, and allow the magic of life to unfold before us. May we find solace in the privacy of our hearts and embrace the transformative power that lies within us.

Unleash the dragon within

(Image credit: Orestes de Armas Centeno)

Notice if you have ever travelled anywhere, near or far, chances are you know what its like to take things you never need and later wonder why you did.

Excess baggage echoes our fears, the fear of not having enough, or the right stuff, not meeting our needs. Fears weigh us down. Its common to judge some personal experience as negative. Fear of history repeating can influence how we respond to life, people, situations. Often, the dead weight feels like part of us.

Just like a backpacker carrying stuff that is not needed or serves no real purpose, the universe is nudging us to let go of things, thoughts, emotions, memories. Then true being shines. People in our lives do not see the real us, the best of us, if we hang onto what no longer serves us. Maybe it used to but we can change.

Maybe it is time to do what many travellers end up doing along the way during a long walk. Unpack our overloaded personal backpacks, all that we outgrow yet hang onto 'just in case'. Engage in your own inner inventory. Examine each item honestly. Only as lessons are learned can situations change. Decluttering our lives is a step toward decluttering the mind. Lighten the load.

Turns out, I recall climbing up Kazakhstan mountains with far too much stuff. I had told myself I took what I needed for different purposes on a 6 week trip through different countries. Before long, I gifted 2 of my 3 bags away. Not only was the sky clear to observe stars that night, but my mind got a little clearer. Now the more I travel, the less I take.

Admittedly, letting things go can be hard. Value is so subjective. Sometimes we believe that we are not whole without a given thing, situation, relationship. Once we have the courage to set certain things free, an incredible lightness arises.

The analogy of the alchemist and the dragon's egg rings true. To discover real freedom is about unleashing the inner dragon, the dragon within. The symbolism of a dragon egg is a reminder to acknowledge our inner potential, be open to big change, embrace our spiritual journey. We are each in process of an unforeseen metamophosis and self-discovery. Letting go of what we thought was important at another stage of life is how we navigate challenges and evolve consciousness.

Allow Freedom to Reign

 Notice amazing feelings of freedom wash over us every moment. And yet, conditioned fear cuts us off from this deeper reality. This flow or feeling of release comes and goes. Imagine instances that take your breath away and somehow bring it back. What compels us to ride waves as a surfer, to skate like the wind along the ice, to heel on a sailboat during a fierce storm, to cycle down the mountain or ride the equestrian jumping course of our lives? Perhaps its a glimpse of engagement in some kind flying through air; like hot air ballooning, skydiving, bunji jumping, hang gliding or otherwise merging with air currents that offers a taste of divine grace.

At some stage, through the course of our own direct experience, something arises in conscious awareness. It dawns, we are not simply a fragment of the universe. We are each a universe in and of itself, unfolding, expanding and interacting with others. Simply being here in this moment is enough. Although something prompts us to attempt to recreate the experience. What some would call thrill-seeking, others would call reaching for harmony or inner peace. Any desire to 'get back here' overlooks we never actually leave. Thoughts simply arise to block the truth of awareness.

So, be here now, in this moment. Taste it again, as if for the first time. Allow the wind to dance across the skin, tousle hair. Tune into breath, that which breathes you. Be that which passeth all understanding.

Awaken Energetic Nature

Notice everything unfolding in our midst is inviting us to awaken to the energetic nature of the phenomenal plane and the big picture. Only as we reach a level of insight can consciousness arise out of its limited body vehicle to enter a wider field of awareness and know liberation. The growing institutional, local, national, global market upheavals foreshadow the dissolution of the familiar, many levels of destruction and change, many of which are unfathomable in mind.

Part of the job of yogi, and all who are ready, is to ground self in a state of peace to hold space for the external crumbling of systems and conditioning we have outgrown. Soul is aware no chaos exists at the level of Infinite Self. It is transitioning from one age of human consciousness to another. The old paradigm, old ways of functioning, must fade, dissolve so a higher vibrational state can arise. Only then can the fear of death, loss and duality of our world be recognized as a portal to the birth of a new world free of the kinds of conflicts and illusions that led to this period of transition.

In a nutshell, time is of the essence. We need an extremely direct path to self-love and acceptance. Not much time for pilgrimage walks, ashram stays or reading libraries of books, taking courses. Destruction is happening and the familiar is fading fast. Surrender to love. Stop time travelling between the ears. Ideas of past and future reside only in the mind. They are illusion. Willingly let go of all that has been taught as distraction. Bravely sit to face yourself. 

To graduate from this level of reality, now is the moment to get the spiritual knowledge of the most profound sages of our planetary history. Embody their wisdom. Turn inward. See things as they are. Shapeshifting happens quickly to those who are wholehearted.