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| September 2002 |
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Lightwurks, LLC 2002 |
Issue 1
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Forward the newsletter to a friend!
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Featured Articles
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By: Kalyn
Bastion
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We all know that life is cyclical: hours follow hours, days
follow days, seasons follow seasons and years repeat the
seasons and days all over again.
Within the cycle of a year, there are four distinct seasons.
Ever season has its own energy and its own direction. Spring
is birth and rebirth; summer is youth, growth and working
your crops; fall is time to harvest your crops and winter
is time to enjoy your year and die to it, preparing for
the next. When we work with the seasons on ourselves (our
personal and spiritual growth) then we have an added boost
provided by the flow of the season.
We are now in fall. This is a prime time to Dedicate ourselves
to an aspect of fall within ourselves. A Dedication is our
work on an aspect of ourselves that accompanies the season.
Fall is a time for assessing ourselves: we look at what
we have accomplished during the spring and summer and we
decide what we will crop and what we need to release, now
that we are 'seasoned'. Whether your crop is the work you
have done to improve a skill or to improve an aspect of
your personality, fall now lets us look back at this growth
to assess how well our plant "grew". It is a time
to assess what helped our growth and what hindered it. Like
the leaves that turn colors and then fall to the ground
to be recycled by the earth, fall is also a time for us
to look at what aspects of ourselves and of our lives do
not serve us, aspects that we will want to 'drop' or release,
allowing us to take our energy back to recycle it for better
use.
Fall dedications can range from mending broken fences to
looking at our time management or feeling management. Where
have you spent your feeling energy this 'summer', or this
year? Have you spent a lot of energy being optimistic or
pessimistic? Have you spent your energy being friendly or
closed down? What use of your feelings have and have not
served you?
Once you find a fall Dedication this is your focus for the
fall- to work to reinforce what serves you and release what
does not.
When we work on one Dedication per season, we can make great
changes in our lives without much effort or time because
the seasons will begin too carry and help us along the way.
Love,
Light and wishes for a powerful Fall Dedication to you.
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| The
Counsel of Light (COL) |
Unlimited
Potential
Unlimited Potential is an incredible
class that will amaze and touch you.
In unlimited potential you will come to better understand
that we are made up of energy and that this is the place
from which we create. You will gain an understanding of
why we have hopes, dreams, desires, and soul urges. The
COL illuminate why and how we keep our own desires from
coming true, which is so hard for us to see and then makes
so much sense upon their teaching.
Guided Meditations- Best of all, the COL
lead a powerful guided meditation in which we experience
bringing a desire into energy for manifestation and fulfillment.
The COL lead us through creating an energy vortex to connect
our manifest desire and the spark that began the desire,
thus shrinking the time between the two, the time before
we manifest our desire.
Journey with the COL in Unlimited Potential to bring your
hopes, dreams, desires and soul urges into the structure
with reality. The dissertation is enlightening and the process
is beyond words! You'll want to do this guided meditation
again and again and again as you connect and bring the COL
into your life and your heart.
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Lightwurks, LLC is now offering live recording of actual classes
given by the Counsel of Light. The COL are beings of light
that refer to themselves as the gardeners of humanity, working
to aid in our growth and evolution.
The Counsel of Light are channeled by very few
humans capable of reaching their extremely high energy. Cherryl
Taylor is one such person who's life work has been to channel
the COL in classes, workshops and private session (very powerful,
but unfortunately no longer available, as Mrs. Taylor has
retired).
Go to
http://counseloflight.com
to find out how to bring the Counsel of Light into your life |
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The Three Keys to Your
Spiritual Journey
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A
life-transforming series
By: Kris
Raphael
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The Three Keys to Your Spiritual Journey – Part
I
Personal growth and transformation is really
very simple. It is only our minds that like to make it more
complicated than it is. However, just because it is simple
doesn’t mean it is easy. A true spiritual path is the most
difficult journey you will ever make, and the longest – it
lasts a lifetime. On this journey you may take wrong turns
here and there. In reality, nothing is really wasted on this
journey and each road has its lessons. None-the-less it does
help to have a map. It is simply too easy to get lost or to
fall into the many traps on the way. This is what a teacher is
for, they have a map.
I am a teacher. When I was a graduate student
I studied in Japan. I like the Japanese word for teacher. It
is sen-sei. Sen means “before.” Sei means “life.” A sensei or
teacher is one who “has come before us in life.” Being a
teacher doesn’t mean I am any different than you are. It
simply means I took an earlier train so I can tell you what to
look for as you embark upon your journey. I can share my map
with you. It took me many years to create my map and I am
continually updating it. I have taken many different roads on
my journey. Some led to spiritual advancement, others were a
dead-end. You can benefit by using the map I have created. It
will help you decide which road you wish to take, and help you
avoid the traps and dead-ends along the way. As you walk along
your unique path you too will create your own map that you can
use to help others on their journey. This is the way humanity
continues to spiritually evolve.
On my journey I have found three basic keys
that will accelerate your journey and keep you on track. These
three keys work with each of the other keys synergistically.
When there is synergy there is much more energy created than
if each part was taken individually, their combined effect is
greater than the sum of their individual effects. In other
words normally 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. However, when there is synergy
(all pieces are combined together simultaneously) 1 + 1 + 1
can equal10 or even 100.
In this series I will be talking about these
keys and how to use them. They are very powerful. Again, they
are not complicated. In some ways they are deceivingly simple.
In fact this is one of the common traps that people on a
spiritual path fall into. We have been conditioned to believe
that unless something is intellectually challenging it must
not be worth much. We may read about a technique or a process,
and, it seems simple enough. We understand the words. But,
(and this is a big but), we don’t do it. We don’t practice or
implement the process in our lives. What many simply do not
realize, even though it should be obvious enough, is that
intellectually understanding something does nothing for our
personal growth and transformation. It is only by putting into
practice what we read or hear that any growth and
transformation can occur.
Another trap is that we do not put practice
the technique or process consistently enough, or over a long
enough period of time. We try the technique a couple of times,
our mental body becomes bored with it, and we stop doing it.
We then run to another technique and try that. This is like
digging for water. If we dig a couple of feet here, and then a
couple of feet there, we will not find water. Many people
approach their spiritual practice like this. They try out a
technique a couple of times here and then jump to another
technique there, but never what they are looking for. They
become discouraged and disillusioned. If instead we dig a deep
hole in one spot we will know whether there is water there or
not. Similarly, if we practice a technique consistently over a
sufficient period of time, we will know whether we are getting
results or not. The techniques I will be giving you here need
to be practiced consistently over a period of time. In fact
the keys I give you are techniques you will want to practice a
lifetime as the rewards for doing so are great.
One advantage of presenting the keys in a
monthly newsletter format is that it gives you time to
practice what is said about each key before you move onto the
next aspect of the technique or practice. Next month I will
begin describing an aspect of the first key. Put what is said
into practice and you will not be disappointed on your
spiritual progress.
Love and Light,
Kris
© 2002,
Kristopher Raphael |
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By: David
Pawlak
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I am the immortal Soul. Can you hear me? It may seem that
you have come to this moment by chance, and this could be
so, but for now, it is not. Who is it that is speaking
to you now? Is it David? No! He is but a channel within
structure. I, the Dreamer, the immortal soul, am here
now, with you, as always.
Can you see the structure around you? It is called the Tonal.
It is finite, within time, and appears to be all that there
is. Upon your birth, part of me came here with your manifestation
to the tonal, I began your dream.
Does this frighten you? You are my dream? This is creation,
the dream is real. And as sure as you came here, at some
point you will awaken to me.
Do you see what this means? Outside of time, I am the Dreamer.
You awaken to me, the immortal soul.
Thanks for your time,
Love and Light
David
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A
Little of Zen in My Day
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I
seem to keep a lot of things on my mind. Thinking about
work and worrying about my job security, wondering about
my relationship with family and friends, trying to figure
out where to invest my money, having to buy a new set of
tires for the car, engrossed in the war on terrorism, seeing
that all my buddies are getting married and a thousand other
things that gnaw at me throughout the day.
I am not
the only one with a lot on my mind. I have friends who are
dissatisfied with their careers but work it so they can
afford the house and the baby. I know guys with beautiful
girlfriends and nice cars that still seek approval. I know
girls with great careers; lots of friends but can not find
love.
So it
is easy for us all to be stressed. We look forward to ‘going
out’, meeting up with friends, shopping, weekends when we
can retreat to our homes, spending time with the new baby
and all the other little moments that give us pleasure before
we re-immerse ourselves into the immense displeasure of
the daily drone. Life seems like a cycle of seeking pleasure,
in material things, in business success or in personal relationships
in order to stem the displeasures of circumstance.
I recently
delved into Zen in order to break this cycle and experience
life in its entirety; not embracing just the good bits and
avoiding the bad bits because there will be times when such
things are out of our control. I still maintain my career
ambitions, my commitment to family and friends. My rent
still has to be paid and my car still needs four new tires.
But my day is no longer a daily drone; no longer a struggle
and I no longer seek to ‘get away from it all’. I am experiencing
things for what they are and not what they should be or
aren’t. For a Zen master, who I am not, there is no friction
between himself and life and the world. Events and circumstances
ebb and flow but he is always centered steering his life
wherever he sees fit and acting in a way that is always
appropriate to the situation.
So what
is Zen and how can it be used. Well, Zen is not a religion.
There is Zen Buddhism but there can also be Zen Catholicism
as well. There is no morality or ethics in Zen; for morality
or ethics you will have to look elsewhere like Buddhism
or Catholicism. Zen is a way of looking and confronting
events, circumstances and life.
Joseph
Campbell said of Zen practice, “It is like an athlete when
he’s in the zone, except all of the time.” I thought it
would be great to live and handle challenges and interact
with people like I was in that zone all of the time. Don’t
you?
Here are
some techniques for laypeople to obtain the benefits of
Zen.
Focused
Breathing: One of the basic ways of clearing your head of
distractions so that you can concentrate is focusing on
your breathing. Harvard Medical Center researchers can this
the relaxation principle. In Zen it is called zazen or sitting
meditation but I do this while jogging, reading and working.
When you are relaxed you are more focused and effective
in the task at hand. To do this you must relax your diaphragm
and be fully conscious of your breathing. This is not easy
to do when you are tense. It takes true self-awareness to
realize that your body is tense. It takes effort to relax
those muscles in your stomach and discipline to breath steadily.
But try to focus on your breathing; here is a long breath
in, here is a long breath out, here is a short breath in,
here is a short breath out. You will find that you will
be more in tune to the present moment. As your mind is focused
on your breathing, your senses take in the situation around
you unencumbered and unfiltered. You begin to see things
as they unfold, hear and listen to sounds as they come,
feel and smell aromas as they arise without automatically
shutting any of it out or reflexively reacting to them.
Continued practice of focused breathing will help you deal
with situations in a more rational and objective manner.
It lets you put things in perspective. And it gives you
insight into the way your body responds under different
situations. Focused Breathing is the foundation for adopting
many of the other techniques of Zen. Practiced on its own
it will yield immense benefit to you.
Beginner’s
Mind: Zen is known for some very esoteric notions, ‘No mind’,
‘With-out Thinking’ and a refutation of all concepts in
general. This is one reason Zen appears inaccessible and
nonsensical to the casual observer. These notions are meant
to encourage us to adopt a basic tenant of Zen, the Beginner’s
Mind. When we first learn something we may be anxious, nervous,
excited and looking forward to it but we begin without concepts,
knowledge or any ideas about the subject. Maintaining a
beginner’s mind, even in things that we are already experts,
means not to carry any preconceived ideas and beliefs when
confronting situations. His students asked a Zen teacher
if he ever got tired of being asked the same question day
in and day out. He replied that each student was different
and their question, though worded the same, had a different
meaning. A beginner’s mind protects us from over-conceptualizing,
over-thinking and over-analyzing a situation. We are better
able to think outside of the box because we respond appropriately
to the needs of each situation. When we think we already
know what is going on or that we are already experts in
our field we are trapped in one mode of thinking. Many physicists,
scientists, philosophers, economists and corporate leaders
practice Zen-like techniques because they are aware of such
traps. The next time you think ‘here comes an annoying co-worker’
or ‘someone has let me down again, they’re always like this’
or ‘how am I ever going to get this done’, go back to focusing
on your breathing, take in the situation unencumbered and
unfiltered by your knowledge and conditioning and learning.
Trust that you have all of the prerequisite abilities that
have taken you this far in life to respond to any situation.
Once your initial, reflexive thoughts subside you will find
that by not categorize situations as they arise you will
be open to more alternatives, more opportunities and more
ways of responding to the situation appropriately and effectively.
Mindfulness:
It is not easy to let go of our thoughts, feelings and tension
as they arise. Commotion, distractions and other people
requiring our attention surround us. We cannot always maintain
a beginner’s mind and often we cannot afford to focus on
our breathing because we are actively responding to something;
this is especially true with first applying Zen techniques.
But like everything else, continued practice allows us to
live these techniques not just merely apply them. One way
to over come the initial hurdles of applying Zen in a busy
day is to be Mindful; basically to be self-aware and self-monitoring
with the aim of accepting all of the thoughts and feelings
that arise in us without judging them or shutting them out.
When you are focused on your breathing, with a Beginner’s
Mind you will sense feelings and thoughts arising. Focusing
on your breathing will keep you centered, and with a Beginner’s
Mind you will observe thoughts and feelings without judging
them; rather let thoughts and feelings rise and subside
while you pay attention but not cling to them. In Zen, all
that arises within us are natural; they are a result of
what we are and how we are connected to the world. Our eyes,
ears and nose sense the world; we perceive, conceptualize
and feel because that is the expression of our body. When
we are mindful of anger, sadness, nervousness and joy we
acknowledge them, welcome them when they appear but we do
not cling to them. When we feel love or happiness we welcome
these feelings. It should be the same with anger and nervousness.
All these feelings are our mind, body and consciousness
communicating to us. When we are mindful of them we can
only become wiser and more insightful. I may get nervous
before a test. ‘I am nervous. Hello nervousness, how are
you today? Glad to feel you again.’ Focused breathing keeps
me centered. When the test begins my nervousness naturally
subsides. ‘Farewell nervousness,’ and I am completely in
tuned with the task at hand. Do not try to resist or suppress
your feelings. That only means you have turned your mind
to them and are clinging to them even more. Let your feelings
and thoughts. Be mindful of them. I find that as the situation
dictates my distracting feelings and thoughts subside allowing
me to respond unencumbered by the task at hand.
Focused
breathing, Beginner’s Mind and Mindfulness are basic Zen
practices. They are almost common sense but often we become
mired in the complexities and details of every day living
and lose sight of common sense wisdom. Zen is not a monastic
way of life. The Zen ideal is to experience and embrace
life experiences full on; not editing out the bad bits because
there are no bad bits, just things are they are.
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| September 2002 |
Ó
Lightwurks, LLC 2002 |
Issue 1
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