This Blog Has Moved To http://www.knowtheflow.ca

Nearly three years after starting this blog on the free service, Blogger, I've finally made the leap to a new WordPress site.  If you've landed here (or received an email with this blog) please be sure to reset your bookmarks to:
http://www.knowtheflow.ca

There will be no more blog posts through this site.

The new site has lots of exciting new features.  When you subscribe you can now specify which categories of blog post you will recieve.  I'm also delighted to announce that over the coming months I will be publishing my new series of guided meditation recordings titled, Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation.  Along with being available to play through a browser-based player, these podcasts will be available through iTunes as well as other podcasting directories.

In short, the new Know The Flow site is designed to be easier to navigate.  Upon close examination you'll no doubt come to realize that for the most part this new site is really a glorified blog.  Many of the navigation headings are simply organizers of blogs by categories.  The overarching goal is to make it a simpler and more interesting experience.  And thanks to some outstanding creative genius from Kory (the webmaster) and Andrea (the graphic designer) it really is a much prettier site!

In closing, I do have one request that relates to a new feature.  Next to each post on the new site are buttons for Twitter and Facebook.  When a post grabs your interest please click either (or both) or those buttons.  This will forward these posts into your respective Facebook and Tweet-streams, and will serve to get the word out there.  I make the effort with this site because I believe it helps to make a difference in the world.  Supporting me by clicking these buttons a wonderful way to help me in vision of inspiring and serving the Revealing of Eternal Presence.

Know the Flow and be happy,
Carmien

Now blogging at http://www.knowtheflow.ca

Daily Affirmation - November 16

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” - Lao Tzu

Affirmation for today:
I know the impermanence of all things and live every moment as a meditation of the Divine.

Affirmative Prayer - I am Divinely Inspired

"Spiritual mind practice is the very essence of faith.  It is the essence of conviction - an act of assurance; a complete surrender of the will to a willingness to believe; a complete abandonment of thought to the Invisible." - Ernest Holmes

I Am Divinely Inspired

There is One Eternal Presence.  This Eternal Presence is God, is within me, and knows me as part of itself.  I affirm my union with Eternal Presence knowing that it expresses through and as me, and through every living being.

I am ever aware of what there is for me to know.  Even when I think I do not know there is always a part of me that does.  I am divinely inspired by the Infinite intelligence of Eternal Presence.  With clarity and grace I surrender to God knowing that the answer I need is always apparent. 

When I experience resistance I am at peace knowing that any experience that runs counter to my desire is but a temptation to turn away from an awareness of love.  In such moments of resistance I consciously and intelligently ask God what there is for me to learn. 

My mind is sharp and filled with the awareness of Truth.  I am ever developing the faculty of awareness and I am awestruck by the unfolding perfection of every moment.  Through my deepening awareness I experience a wondrous harmony and peace.  I celebrate the opportunity to practice giving up control and any sense of separation.  I give thanks for every step that I take on the path of awakening. 

With deep gratitude I impress this affirmative prayer upon the Creative Law with a harmonious knowing that it is already done.  And so it is.

Daily Affirmation - November 15

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch

Affirmation for today:
I am comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Daily Affirmation - November 14

“You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” - James G. Bilkey

Affirmation for today:
Harmony fills my heart and discipline inspires my thinking.

Daily Affirmation - 11/11/11

“The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life.”- Dalai Lama

Affirmation for today:
I delight in the adversity that helps me awaken.

Daily Affirmation - November 10

“No matter what difficulty you are facing, it is coming from Divine Light to bring you to a higher place within. Write down every conceivable reason that this situation can contribute towards your growth. Write down every way this experience can possibly set the stage for serving to uplift others. When you are complete, and have come to the other side of this experience, you will then know 'why' it happened.” - Barbara Rose

Affirmation for today:
I know what needs to change in me for this condition to change.

Daily Affirmation - November 9

“Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.” - Barbara Rose

Affirmation for today:
I meet who I am in service and recognize God.

Daily Affirmation - November 8

"Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart." - Myla Kabat-Zinn

Affirmation for today:
I greet all experiences with a harmonious awareness and an open heart.

Affirmative Prayer - November 7

"Even God can give you nothing until you make up your mind about what to expect." - Ernest Holmes

I Am Liberated

There is One Life, One Eternal Presence.  This Life is God, this Life is perfect, and this Life is my life now.  I recognize and celebrate Eternal Presence being revealed through every living being in every moment.

Clarity and grace are the truth of my life.  I surrender to Eternal Presence and set a clear intent for the expression of God as me at all times.  I rejoice in the awareness of Love in each moment.  The world I experience transforms to the mental equivalent of my expectancy and harmonious awareness.  With this mindset of harmonious awareness I celebrate that the Law of Cause and effect as it responds to my spiritual practice and dissolves old thought-patterns from the deepest levels of my mind.   I am liberated.

I give thanks for every step that I take on the path of awakening and for the old thought-patterns that are released right here and right now.  I give up control and surrender to being an instrument of Eternal Presence.   With deep gratitude I release these words, and allow the release of old ideas and beliefs that no longer serve me.  I impress this affirmative prayer upon the Creative Law with a knowing that it is already done.  I know the result is automatic for it can be no other way. And so it is.

Daily Affirmation - November 7

“Do not feed your ego and your problems, with your attention. ...Slowly, surely, the ego will lose weight, until one fine day it will be nothing but a thin ghost of its former self. You will be able to see right through it, to the divine presence that shines in each of us.” - Eknath Easwaran

Affirmation for today:
I am aware of the Eternal Presence of God and see the truth shining through all.

Daily Affirmation - November 4

"What the Law of Mind knows in one place It knows simultaneously and instantly everywhere." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for today:
I might not know but there is always a part of me that does.

Daily Affirmation - November 3

"Spiritual mind practice is the very essence of faith.  It is the essence of conviction - an act of assurance; a complete surrender of the will to a willingness to believe; a complete abandonment of thought to the Invisible." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for today:
I surrender my will to a willingness to believe in Eternal Presence.

Old Memories - Cirque du Soleil

Last night I saw the Michael Jackson Immortal World tour with the Cirque du Soleil.  This was the third time I've seen them live and it seems like every time I see them they get better.  Either they are maturing over time or I am open to more possibilities as I age.

I shall settle for both being true.

And on that note, I wanted to share something.  I will happily confess that as a teenager I enjoyed Michael Jackson's music.  My passion for dancing has not abated over the years and as you might imagine I spent many an afternoon learning from a master dancer with friends. 

What was interesting was that during the show many memories were conjured for me.  I remembered spending time with friends practicing dance moves, excited that we'd get to hit the dance floor that night.  I attribute many a spin and fancy dance move to Michael and his creative genius.

I was also struck by the emotions that surfaced as I watched the creative genius of the Cirque pay tribute to this pop icon.  I suspect that many of Michael's fans had a similar experience.  However, I found myself observing the sensations that arose. 

Instinctively I shifted into a meditative awareness.  An emotion would surface and would be followed by a specific memory related to it.  But the meditator in me could not help but note that this sensation, and image, would pass away.  As a result I found myself fully enjoying the show.  I was completely present.

On the way back to the car I found myself processing what had just happened and suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my right foot.  The pain became so intense that I had to stop walking.  Again, the meditator in me noted that the pain was impermanent and I told myself that it would pass away (awareness of the true nature of sensations is something that is integral to my approach to meditation).  I started walking again and after a few minutes the pain was completely gone. 

I immediately realized that by being present to the emotional memories from my childhood evoked by the show I had been able to allow a process of release.  I had gained an insight about my childhood. But more importantly, I had facilitated whatever had needed to shift deep within my subconscious mind.

It was a magical night, but directly experiencing truth in action only added to the magic of the soul.  If you find yourself in such a moment, where intense emotional memories from the past surface, strive to be present.  Know that the emotions you are experiencing will inevitably pass away.  Such a harmonious awareness will do much to help you release what needs to be released from the past.  And who knows, by being fully present you may get to experience even more magic in the moment.

Daily Affirmation - November 2

"What we should pay attention to is our own inward awareness, building up an expectancy, increasing faith, stretching consciousness out to include more." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for today:
I pay attention to my inward awareness and invite opportunities to stretch my consciousness.

Daily Affirmation - November 1

"This practice is not a mental coercion, it is not mental suggestion.  It is mental awareness, a spiritual awareness of the mind." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for today:
I am aware of that Eternal part of my mind that is perfect, whole and complete.

Daily Affirmation - October 31

"[The Practitioner] is using a harmonious thought to overcome a discordant mental atmosphere." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for today:
I am harmoniously aware at all times, particularly in moments of discord and discomfort.

Daily Affirmation - October 28

"Your thinking is the creator of your experience." - Ernest Holmes 

Affirmation for Today: My thoughts dwell upon harmony, equanimity and Love.

Daily Affirmation - October 27

"We can advance our our own well-being in many ways by simply deciding what we desire to be or to do and then giving the matter enough conscious attention so that it beomes a habitual thought-pattern." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today: I am love in action and I pay conscious attention to love in each moment.

Affirmative Prayer

Purpose: Perfect health

There is One Eternal Presence.  This Eternal Presence is being revealed through me and every living being. 

In this moment of utter conviction of this knowing I celebrate the perfect manifestation of Spirit that flows and expresses through me.  I know that my body is a vessel of God.  I know that all living beings experience transformation so that there might be a realization of the Divine, of Love, of peace and harmony.  I know that the Law of Unfolding in my indivualized experience is but a precursor to remembering the Living Spirit in each and every moment.  I am reminded that all living beings are God in action.  I am a witness to the Eternal Power of God flowing through me, every organ perfectly healthy, and every choice and action a homage to God.  I am perfect health.  I celebrate the ease and grace with which I perceive Divine ideas, and I am inspired to allow Eternal Presence to express through me in wondrous and awe-inspiring ways.

I am grateful, so very thankful for this being true, for this being so.  I release these words with exquisite expectancy, and know that as surely as the Law of Cause and Effect is universally true these words automatically result in a harmonious effect. 
And so it is!

Daily Affirmation - October 26

"The Law of Mind responds to a persistent idea and automatically maintains it." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for Today:
I am constantly reminded of God's magnificence expressing through me.

Daily Affirmation - October 25

"Mind responds to mind.  It is done unto you as you believe." - Ernest Holmes  

Your Affirmation for Today:
       I believe I have peace of mind, love in word, and harmony through deed. 

Daily Affirmation - October 24

"Even God can give you nothing until you make up your mind about what to expect." - Ernest Holmes

Affirmation for today:
I have an exquisite expectancy of love, peace and harmony.

Daily Affirmation - October 21

"Everything visible and invisible is but a manifestation of this One Mind - the result of Its Creative Action and the becoming of that which It creates." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
      I see the manifestation of the One Mind in everything and know it is through everything.

Daily Affirmation - October 20, 2011

"You avail yourself of the Creative Action of Mind through what you believe.  Perhaps you are not quite ready to accept this statement, but it is an interesting one and well worth remembering." - Ernest Holmes

Your Affirmation for Today:
      I believe that I am perfect, whole, and complete.

Daily Affirmation - October 19

"What you choose is created for you out of and through the action of the One Universal Mind, which is everywhere and is accessible to you." - Ernest Holmes 

Your Affirmation for Today:
      I choose love.

Who's Driving the Car?

During a recent meditation an amusing image surfaced in my awareness I wanted to share. What popped into my mind was related to the different stages of the journey of awakening, the passengers that we acquire over time, and the people we meet along the way. Suddenly I had this image of clowns surrounding a car and trying to get into it. And then I received a couple of comments through this blog that reminded me of the clowns we can meet along the way.

I have come to believe that those we meet along the way that lash out in hate are simply tempting us to not love them. I’m grateful that I’ve recognized that regardless of the actions everyone is deserving of love. I might not like your actions but I will always love you. If you lash out at me in anger I will respond from a place of love, and through this response I will retain my truth and be in the best position to support you as you make your journey through life.

How Many Clowns Are In Your Car?

The amusement of the chaos of clowns conjured a smile at the time but there’s actually a serious realization to be had. We start our journey in a state of sleep. I’ve often felt as though life is a road trip through space and time. We need to start from a place of forgetting so that we can experience everything anew.

The master of our journey is that part of us that is an individualized aspect of God. It’s often called Spirit and it knows that the destination of our spiritual journey is ultimately to gain a harmonious awareness of our entire nature. In other words, our journey is about integration with every aspect of our experience to the point of peaceful, compassionate, and loving wholeness.

Our Spirit guides the driver, our mind, through the softly spoken voice of intuition. The unaware driver though is often too overwhelmed with the noise from the engine and those noisy passenger-clowns to really hear that inner voice. And this is understandable from a certain perspective. The driver not only represents our analytical and discerning mind but is also responsible for planning and logic. It considers the information and knowledge it has. In our state of sleep the driver doesn’t hear the gentle inner voice of intuition and as such doesn’t really know where the most meaningful destination is. The mind can see the road, the scenery and the other cars on the road. It misreads signs and often gets lost. However, the mind that is asleep thinks it is the master and knows it wants to get to the destination as quickly as possible and to have as much fun as is conceivable.

You could say that our car is our body, the engine our emotions, and that ideally the driver is our objective, analytical mind (sometimes referred to as our ego). Our master, or subjective mind, is our Spirit.

In this state of sleep our mind receives directions from the emotions that rise out of our subconscious nature. And so blindly obeying our fears our sleep-state led us unknowingly into difficult circumstances. But at some point our Spirit begins to awaken. Perhaps done with the incessant feeling of being a victim raging against the truth of love within we decided we are done.

As we begin to awaken we start to realize that we have the capacity to put our fears behind us, to control the circumstances of our lives. We start to realize that we could be our own masters. Our Spirit started to give directions to our mind. But to continue this process of awakening we have to give up blaming others. At some point we start to take personal responsibility for what moves through our consciousness and experience, because we realize that the mind is the creative factor.

Those clowns around us that lash out in hatred (our neighbours), or those clowns within that try to convince us that we are less than we are (our passengers), represent the false beliefs we have picked up on the journey. We let the clowns in our car because we do not fully understand the experiences in the world. And the thing is we’ve had some of these clowns as passengers from our earliest years. These passenger-clowns represent hidden fears that get in between us and that part of us that is Eternal Presence. We may manage to quieten these clowns but they do become active.

Sometimes we even allow them to jump into the driver’s seat. The person sharing their comments with me in response to an earlier blog would love for me to validate their perspective of the world. But I cannot do that. If I did I would be letting them drive my car. In fact, contradicting the directions of the Master is a favourite trick of a clown.

However, it is essential to remember that our passengers are a part of who we are. By seeing the truth of ourselves in spite of their promptings we can transform them into something greater. My passenger-clowns may squirt water on my face from time to time and blind me to the road but that water will eventually evaporate.

More interestingly is that our old thought-habit patterns, the clown-antics of the past, have a tendency to reflect our fears on to the people around us. When we are asleep or newly awakened we might find ourselves desiring to harm, or hide from, our neighbours as a form of aversion. We might also find ourselves desiring to have our neighbours, or their possessions, as a form of craving. And yet all aversion or craving will do is to create suffering.

The best answer I’ve come up with so far is to love my clowns. Through acts of forgiveness and harmonious awareness we dissolve away hidden fears. There are two types of people in the world: Those that blame their neighbours for their own clowns or those that take responsibility for the clowns in their car and respond from a place of love. What type of person are you?

A Virtual Vision and Manifestation

Since the last 10-day meditation retreat I will confess that I have been blissfully productive.  However, over the past week something wonderful has been manifesting in my life.  But before I explain the specifics I feel compelled to write about what led to this point.

About a year ago I had an idea.  As you may know I lead 1 hour meditations each morning and evening through Second Life and on Skype.  The idea I had was to buy a virtual plot of land in Second Life and build a virtual spiritual retreat that would serve as a permanent home for these gatherings.  My vision at the time was to create a haven for meditation, spiritual practices and teachings. 

After some investigation I determined that it would cost about $1,000 to buy a sim (Second Life's term for a virtual plot of land).  But more importantly, I'd need help.  Creating things in Second Life really does require time and talent.  And realizing that I did not have the talent I could not help but think that it was not the right time.  However, I did some visioning and came up with an outline of what I would like to create.  I surrendered the idea and gave it to God.

Well, fast forward to last week.  A friend of mine in Second Life sent me a message indicating that she was retiring from the virtual land ownership business and wondered if I would accept the gift of full ownership of sim.  After the next meditation I let those gathered know about this offer.  The response was very encouraging.  When I spoke about my lack of experience with building things in Second Life a number of members said they'd be delighted to help.

The whole event struck me as effortless.  I couldn't shake the feeling of it being right and realized that I could undertake the financial commitment to maintain the monthly maintenance fee through my business.  With a feeling of peace and joy I accepted the gift.  But what followed has truly humbled me.

Once the sim transfer was complete members from the Community for Spiritual Living (a group I founded in Second Life) began asking how they could help.  I set to writing up a vision, my initial ideas and sent them out to the group.  Since then I've been touched by the many gifts and the time already given through the first week. 

The vision that is flourishing will result in a virtual home for those seeking spiritual teaching and community.  I will save the details of this vision until its finished.  But suffice to say the whole project is not only breathlessly effortless but is feeling like an amazing undertaking.

And perhaps what has struck me the most - when the time is right and you are ready all will proceed effortlessly.  A year ago I wasn't ready for this.  Now however, I'm struck by the conditions that are conspiring in my life. I'm about to start 3 years of Ministerial training with the Centres for Spiritual Living.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is the next stage in my virtual ministry; a calling that started with this blog over 2 years ago, leading meditation through Second Life for the past year and a half, as well as using Facebook and Twitter to compliment the sharing of ideas, to a virtual spiritual retreat where people from around the world can meet up with others of like-mind and grow in spiritual community.  Now is the time and my vision for inspiring and serving the revealing of Eternal Presence has clearly moved up a gear.  Something magnificent is indeed happening.

Why Do I Meditate? (Part III)

With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.

If you’ve done much reading (or listening to masters) about meditation you’ll have likely been confronted with something along the lines of, you don’t strive to become One, you let go and surrender. For many years I kept coming across this sort of statement. And it may strike you as obvious to read this, but I’m not talking about the white-flag kind of surrender either.

At first I wanted to understand what that meant. What do you mean, let go? Let go of what? Surrender to what? Surrender to the moment? What’s the ‘moment’? And then one day, during a meditation I began to discover what all those questions were pointing toward.

It turned out that for many meditations until that point I had been improvising. I had taken an intellectual idea, assumed it as my truth, and had gone along with it. I hadn’t fully experienced surrender and only had an intellectual grasp of what it meant to let go of something I couldn’t physically touch.

In that moment I directly experienced what it was to let go. I found myself experiencing Oneness and in an instant I knew that one didn’t try to surrender – when I was confronted with Oneness I couldn’t help myself. It was as if that part of me that was Truth, individualized aspect of Spirit, was completely revealed. But this had only been made possible because I had been improvising in spiritual practice. And somehow those parts of me that had been getting in the way, like clouds in front of the sun, suddenly parted and the magnificence of it all shone through. In the face of those rays of Truth I was home.

Once you’ve glimpsed such Truth suddenly life takes on a new meaning. I wanted to play. I wanted to enjoy. I found myself in situations where people would laugh at what I would say. Suddenly, I was funny (just ask my wife – she’ll you how un-funny I used to be). The urge to be so serious about life suddenly dissolved, years of earnestness now a fading memory. Having glimpsed the Truth, the creative nature of it All had become so apparent. Spontaneity became a habit, release a pleasure – faith had been transcended by knowing and I was becoming. From that moment on I realized that I was seeing through apparent reality and surrendering to the Eternal Reality.

And once I had experienced this for myself, the yearning that had been so subtle for so many years shifted. It was grosser, more obvious. Priorities changed. Suddenly I didn’t need to ‘convince’ others with my intellectual passion and my philosophy. I stopped drinking.  I became vegetarian and then vegan.  It was not that I was trying to do these things, rather that old habits no longer did me.  Drinking wine would not feel good and the sensations of getting drunk were far less interesting that those evoked through being fully and completely present.  Meat in my stomach would feel heavy and I felt a lightness through a new approach to food that felt great.  I discovered cooking.  It turns out that I love to cook! 

In that moment, recognizing the combined effects of meditation to this point, I knew that I was both nothing and yet everything. I had leapt into the Great Oneness and knew that logic and reasoning were insignificant.  The dissolution of old habits that no longer served me began to accelerate.  My whole outlook and participation in life had begun to irrevocably shift. 

Through practices we purify and pacify the objective mind. We gain control of the objective mind. There was a time when I believed that the monkey mind was a derogatory term, suggesting a mischievous critter jumping through the trees, like the objective mind moves from thought to thought. With practice the objective mind becomes a tool. Like mental scientist I had discovered an instrument at my disposal. Suddenly I was beginning to realize that I could be a metaphysical surgeon, cutting away at the dis-eases of life.  With practice my objective mind was starting to become more like a finely tuned instrument for life.  I was struck by the effortlessness in making decisions, in somehow knowing what to do without knowing why.  Indeed, the process of shifting from faith to knowing and then becoming is truly a marvel.

The objective mind offers so much potential. It is in its nature to move around. And why not – as a facilitator between the apparent reality (which is always in movement) and the Subjective Mind we need its ability to move so freely and translate this experience of space and time. Renouncing the nature of our objective mind is to set aside a part of us that we created through will, and thus to denounce something that was in actuality an expression of the One Mind.

Suddenly, the secret was laid bare. And once you have glimpsed this secret you will never be able to fully let the realization go. The secret is actually profoundly simple. It is laid bare by the wisdom to neither deny nor be tempted to forget the True Self. And the only explanation I have for this knowing and profound transformation is my practice of meditation.

Why Do I Medtiate? (Part II)

With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.

The more I have meditated the more often I have experienced mystical moments. Trying to describe the indescribable is futile. But the closest I’ve come to articulating words for this Infinite subject is to say that such moments are sublime. There’s an expansiveness and weightlessness that transcends words. Sometimes it feels like a faded awareness of where my body ends and the air around me starts. It is as if I am expanding, and yet this expansiveness of I am is actually a re-joining. My soul’s choice to wear this garment I call a body is suddenly exposed, and with a mental and emotional gasp I sit in wonder at how beautifully peaceful, still and loving the eternal moment is. Time stops, ideas and thoughts evaporate.

And yet with experience of such moments I have come to realize that this is not the goal. Such blissful moments of expansiveness, whilst entrancing, are merely something to be enjoyed along the way, just like the apparent reality. However, the key with both is to en-joy without losing the sense of the truth; to be in the world without being seduced by it.

A question that has emerged through practice is; “Well this is nice. I wonder what will happen next.”

This question is an important one. When we do not lose ourselves to mystical, blissful moments we can continue a rich journey of discovery and development. And the journey is about experience and choice. By acknowledging the pleasure of the moment whilst reminding myself that there is yet more to seek I am not ceasing my development. If anything I am cultivating a grounded-ness that will serve me well as I continue. For I am convinced that the moment we start thinking we’ve made it is the very same moment we have succumbed to the ego’s desire. The ego wants the experience to be unchanging. And it would like nothing better, after all these years of having its duties as a prison guard being eroded, to return to as the gaoler, only in this case I would be the one handing it the keys.

The part of us that is soul, individualized incarnation of Oneness, will truly only be satisfied by a full and complete return to the One. This yearning is what drives us, and has driven so many masters and seekers to aspire and explore as the enlightened mystic. Yet, my experience, and the spiritual texts of note that I have read, has made it clear that it is only through practice that I will find my way.

I am not one of those avatars that came to earth and decided that I would be enlightened through an instant of awakening. I, like so many others, have chosen to delve deeply into the journey of discovery and will awaken gradually, sequentially and inevitably.

So far my journey of spiritual practice has taught me that the intellect alone is a poor judge at how best to spend time. My philosophical wanderings, debates, and intellectual reasoning have never brought me to dwell upon what my True Self actually is. Certainly, I’ve spun a fine series of words at times. But experience has taught me that entering into practice has done more to reveal that yearning for Self Realization than any number of steps along the path of the intellect.

I will confess that I aspire to be awakened. I wish to be in this world but not of it. My desire is to show up in every moment, armed with unconditionally loving thoughts, words and deeds.

The irony as I write this is that I know that there was a time when I thought I understood what such an aspiration meant. And in this moment I understand more than I did, and will in the future know more than I do now. What I do know in this moment is that I am yet to reveal what this fully means. But without a shadow of a doubt I know that my aspiration to be an enlightened mystic will only be realized through practice.

Over the course of my life I have made many choices and reacted to many sensations. As a child in a dysfunctional home it was not 5 years before social services placed me under a care order. In my earliest years of a being exposed to heroin (my birth father was an addict), alcohol and violence I got to experience impressions of apparent reality that were beyond my ability to process. I know what it is to be a vulnerable child. I know that the first 10 years of my life were filled with much blood, shouting, angst and abuse. And yet, regardless of how innocent and helpless I was, I reacted in those moments and in turn agreed to the expressed beliefs around me that this world worked a certain way. Over the course of the next 15 years I played these beliefs out, carved more grooves in my reservoir of memories, and so enforced the earlier memories. In short, I spent the first 25 years of my life completely lost to this world and my mind. It had me, and I was heart-brokenly seduced by it.

Spiritual practice has been necessary to counter my early years. The fears and desires of so many years needed a rebuttal. Meditation has been central to this righting of the scales. And now after many years of slowly working my way toward balance I have become very clear upon a simple truth revealed through my direct experience – meditation as a practice is serving the purpose of smoothing away the old grooves of separation and polishing in grooves of love. When my spiritual practices have served their purpose, when I have been liberated and freed from every last vestige of the pain, fear and separation I so often felt they will no longer be needed.

Before I became intimately partnered with meditation as a practice I was occupied with whatever sensations surfaced. My objective mind would analyze what arose from the depths, and like a slave I would stumble through life not even feeling the chafing of the shackles. I would wallow in emotion, lose myself to anger and act out the stories that had been passionately played for me as a child. I would see boredom as a cue to find something to do, to keep me busy. I would act upon impulses of lack, inherited from a childhood of poverty, and buy toys to support my need to be kept busy.

Meditation is a practice that cleanses the mind. I have glimpsed moments beyond description that have validated that yearning I felt so long ago. My mind feels purity more than it feels deprivation these days. When I feel a sensation of boredom I meditate or read a spiritual book. When I get done with meditation I pray. My meditation practice has inspired me to aspire for more.

Why Do I Meditate? (Part I)

With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I invite you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.

As I continue on my spiritual journey I'm becoming clearer about some essential realizations. The first and foremost is that the practice of meditation is the most important component of what I aspire to.

Meditation has empowered me to re-train and re-culture my mind. It has been central in my quest to uncover more about myself, which in turn has helped me to clarify my aspirations. The perseverance and determination to thrive with the practice of meditation has been a platform from which I have been able to consciously redesign my circumstances.

Those of you familiar with the spiritual practice of Affirmative Prayer (also known as Spiritual Mind Treatment) may point to that practice as a tool for conscious creation. And as someone who has spent years learning about crafting prayers I would have to agree with you. However, through meditation I have established a profound clarity, expansiveness and a direct sense of love. Combining meditation and prayer is like adding jet fuel to a moped. When I pray following meditation it always has a feel that cannot be compared to prayer alone.

Central to the Buddha's teaching on meditation was the idea that we should strive for mastery of the mind. I have rephrased this as ‘mastery of the objective mind’. The more I've delved into this practice the more I've come to realize that mastery of the objective mind is actually a skill. The more I practice using this skill the better I become at it. Over time I've gotten better at being the one that directs my objective mind, not the other way around (which used to so often be the case).

The objective mind (the analyst, critic, linear planner, and judge) is a tool and a facilitator. That part of me that is subjective mind (true self, soul, etc.) created the objective mind with will. Every time I use operate through my objective mind without awareness of the true self I blindly imprint memories, mental conditions, values and agreements beneath the surface of my consciousness.

The Buddha talked about the carving of grooves, or in the Pali language Saṅkhāra, beneath the surface of our conscious awareness. I explain it thus:

About the soul is a reservoir of memories. Each emotionally charged reaction, mental-conditioning, value, agreement, belief or attitude I dwell upon is carved like a groove upon my reservoir of memories. We have grooves that align with our aspirations and grooves that align with reactions to belief in separation. The more intense the emotional experience with that moment the deeper the groove my reactions carve.

When we go through life without an awareness of what is going on beneath the surface we get caught up in the same old thing. We experience boredom. We get into a rut. The idea of feeling invigorated or renewed becomes more challenging.

The great gift of meditation to me has been a way for me to re-train my objective mind. I've spent many hours refining such skills as focus, concentration and harmonious awareness. And the deeper I've travelled along this path the more indescribably beautiful the journey with this practice has become. Old grooves have been smoothed away (a process for which I will explain more about at a later entry in this series) and I have found an increase in my ability to concentrate. A direct effect of meditation for me has shown up in my being able to maintain a harmonious and loving awareness so much more than I used to be able to. Meditation has yielded great mental discipline for me. And because it has changed my thinking it has literally changed my life.

More Meditation...

It is confirmed.  I will be on meditation retreat from August 17 to 28 - 10 days of intense meditation and service.  I've no doubts as to the power of being surrounded by others doing such deep practice nor of the removal of distractions.  I also count myself blessed to be able to do this retreat before September and the meditation course I'll be teaching at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton.  A perfect way to prepare. 

I have also started working on a vision for a weekly meditation gathering in Edmonton.  The feedback from the 3 sessions we've done once a month through the summer has been wonderful.  I keep getting the sense, signs and comments that it is time to begin creating this.

In a recent meditation I saw myself in the future (more grey hair was the giveaway).  I was on stage and sitting on a meditation cushion.  As I spent time contemplating this vision I had the distinct feeling that meditation is going to be central to my path of spiritual advisor and teacher.  I am still cooking but the sense of something wonderful unfolding is with me every day.

An Interim Home for Meditation Recordings

I was speaking with a web designer friend in Second Life earlier today and he pointed out that I do not need to wait for the newly designed webpage being available before sharing the meditations I've begun to record.  If you look to the right hand side of this page you will see a new set of links with the title Meditation Recordings. 

The 30 minute meditation is an abridged version of the first 60 minute session and is designed for convenience. I have also shared the first two stages of the Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation practice.  My guidance is to listen to the 60 minute meditation I before proceeding to II.  If you meditate for 1 hour a day I would suggest working with stage I for approximately 2 weeks before using stage II. 

I hope you enjoy these meditations.  Over time I will be sharing more of this meditation practice as well as providing them in Podcast format so that you can more easily transfer them to mobile devices.

A Message of Hope - it is Time to Meditate

A dear friend of mine sent me a facebook message yesterday.  She asked me, if I wanted to use a video at our meditation gathering on July 19th.  After watching it, I could only say yes.  We'll be watching this after our meditation. 

Produced by James Newton Howard, this short film is relating Truth, in a clear and accessible way.  We really do have enough books on peace - it really is time to be peace.  We really are a part of nature - it is time to take responsibility for what we each need to do.  And one of the most powerful practices I know to accomplish this is to meditate - every day.

Meditation really is simple.  It is about being present, harmoniously retreating from the past and future, into a perfect Now.  When I reveal Eternal Presence I am connecting with my heart.  When I connect with the moment, when I shift my focus into that space in between craving and aversion, pure acceptance, I connect with the pure essence of who I am.  I connect with Oneness. 

These words cannot really convey the truth of what this means to you.  I can write about meditation and you can read these words, but it really is for you to embrace this for yourself.  Perhaps I write these words out of a calling to invite you, to entice you?  Perhaps Mr. Howard was driven in a much more profound way by producing this film?  What whatever the vehicle, we must be the drivers.

It is indeed time to remember, who we truly are.  The more I practice connecting with Love, with my heart, the more old ideas of fear, forgetting and separation dissolve.  It has taken time to wash away old remnants of the world.  And it will take time to dissolve the old values, attitudes, beliefs and agreements within that have kept us imprisoned.  There is no one way to do this.  But my experience has taught me that meditation is a most exquisite method for dissolution.

And when we dissolve the old prison walls of beliefs and prejudice all sorts of wonderful qualities are revealed.  Forgiveness, harmony, acceptance, joy and so much more result from choosing Love. 

If you are not meditating every day then something has yet to shift for you.  If you do not dance through the rhythms of love, gasping at the miracles of every moment, then only you can make that choice.  So many teachers are saying so many similar things.  We can choose love.  We can choose to see that every one, beyond their choices, ignorance and moments of forgetfulness are beings of Love. 

You are a great Spirit.  If you have experienced resistance to meditation this is really a result of that part of you that is mediocre opposing the Truth of who you are.  You are one.  All are one.  There is no time like the present to realize that now is the time to awaken.

Don't believe a word you hear,
Don't believe a word you read,
Don't believe a thing that you see.
But learn how to observe,
How to directly experience the Truth for yourself.
And from this place of direct experience you will know the Truth contained,
Within every word, sight, and event.

Know the Flow and be happy.

What is Your Meditation Practice?

You cannot become harmony while focusing on self. It is my experience that meditation ultimately requires that we surrender ourselves to that place between craving and aversion, between like and dislike, and simply become present. Meditation can be a constant practice of sitting in harmony and allowing the revealing of Eternal Presence. There should be no doubts about the present moment, no hesitation to fully allow the embrace of the moment. Any resistances that surface are of themselves opportunities.

This morning I was speaking to some friends about Revealing Eternal Presence meditation. We were in discourse about the nature of meditation. The truth as I see it is that any meditation can be good for you. There is no 'one way' nor is there a way that is perfect for everyone.

The outer way of meditation, where we contemplate something in our imagination or an object of nature, such as a stone, can be a very good practice for refining concentration.  It can result in an increase of mental efficiency and the ability to make decisions.

With the inner way of meditation one contemplates questions along the lines of, 'How am I Love? How well do I accept Love?" This can be very good for raising emotional awareness and is particularly good if you are ready to improve your emotional awareness and empathy.

The middle way, such as Revealing Eternal Presence meditation, works beneath the surface. I liken it to deep surgery where, through a process of observing in a state of harmony, we get to witness the Law of Cause and Effect dissolve old beliefs and mental conditionings from the Reservoir of Memories. This process of release is powerful since it gets to the root-cause of all the emotions and thought-patterns we experience on the surface. And so when I was asked if the middle way works at all levels, I answered that yes it does.

Any experienced gardener will tell you that if you simply pull a weed out of the ground you can expect a weed to sprout again in the same place. They will tell you that the reason for this is that unless you completely eradicate the root the plant will not truly be gone. This is the same with thought patterns and emotions. What we experience on the surface, the emotions, thought patterns, are all the result of previous thought-patterns that have carved themselves deep in the Subjective Mind, the unconscious. The Buddha called these Sankhara (in the Pali language) or mental conditionings.  Not only do our conscious thoughts influence our conditions but our unconscious, or subjective, thoughts are also creating.

However, the roots of our experience really can be dissolved with meaningful practice.  I am not proposing that Revealing Eternal Presence meditation is the only spiritual practice to accomplish the dissolving of such roots. But it is my experience that if one is diligent and perserveres that this indeed will be the effect.

Whatever meditation practice you undertake you should ensure the following:

• You feel better when you are done with the meditation than when you sat down
• You feel drawn to meditate more and more, to the point that the meditation calls you to sit
• You experience an increased perception of radiance and illumination in your life
• In those moments you experience fear your reaction is one of recognition and observation (not suppression).  The moments of ignorance, when observed with balanced and harmonious awareness, are wonderful opportunities for growth, release, and constitute work at the deepest level of experiential wisdom

In short, if you are left fully satisfied from your meditation then you are on the right track. However, do not expect such results to happen in one sitting with any practice. This may be the case for a lucky few, but for the most part you should undertake to reside with a particular practice for weeks or months. Only when you have given a practice the fullest opportunity should you move on to the next (the exception being if you have a strong aversion). If we flit from spiritual practice to practice we are no more conscious than a mosquito looking for the next meal.

Ultimately, meditation should lead you to seeing past the apparent reality and identity to Eternal Presence. We should feel a total and absolute offering of ourselves to a sense of unconditional Love. Concentration, awareness, the ability to watch oneself is a skill. The more we practice the better we become.

What is your meditation practice?  If you are becoming curious and are looking for a practice to pursue then you should know that with the release of the new Know the Flow website I will also be publishing a series of meditation  podcasts to take the meditator through the process that has worked so well for me.  After all, this blog is just words.  And no matter how much sense these words may make, it is only when we experience something for ourselves that we can truly make it ours.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends

A Recap, a Celebration!

I just submitted an article to a newsletter about my journey over the past two and a half years.  I thought I would share this through my blog.  After all, this platform has been central to my evolving purpose.

It all began on the 23rd of January, 2009, at a day retreat of growth and celebration with other Practitioners, led by Linda Watson. During that day we were invited to write down what flowed through us about our purpose. I remember writing a piece and reading it out. The reaction of the room was palpable, feeling like a mix between the nurturing attentiveness of a mother to a newborn and the insightful gaze that a veteran teacher brings to the classroom. Except in this case, I was the innocent newborn. How little I realized what this would lead to.

After reading my passage aloud Linda suggested that I should write more. During the next break a couple of people asked me if I blogged. And by the end of the day this insecure adolescent had aspirations to self-publish through the Internet. I knew that I was going to blog (which plainly put, amounts to posting journal entries to a website).

Within a week I had had done my homework, and I reasoned that if nothing else this blog would serve as a compelling way to get me to journal. After all, I had just begun my Practitioner Studies and each class was checking in about our practice. Within a month I started to realize that this experience was transforming me. I had a yearning to bring my spirituality together with my technical experience and knew that the first step had been taken. The innocent newborn was growing. And so I continued to blog through 2009. By the end of the year I had published 100 blogs. But as is the case, when we step into the Flow it steps into us. What had started as a desire to express was now transforming.

During a meditation in early 2010 the idea of logging into something called Second Life popped into my awareness. I’d never used this technology before. But I had vaguely heard about it and after a brief bit of research I discovered that some very clever people had created this virtual three-dimensional world, complete with an economy and over 1.5 million people involved.

I logged in to Second Life and started to learn my way around. After the initial adjustment and learning curve I quickly realized that Second Life contained a multitude of expressions, from social gatherings, cities using it for planning, to churches in celebration. I was staggered by the potential of this and in mind the realization became obvious – such an environment transcended the limitations of the physical world. I was meeting people from all walks and locations of life. The seed of this virtual ministry was planted within me!

I quickly discovered groups of common interest and found a Buddhist meditation community. At the time I was struck by fusion of simplicity and magnificence of it all. Of course people could meditate together through the Internet. The apparent fact that I’m thousands of miles away from those I’m meditating from may be a shift from the experience of being in the same room, but as I meditated with those Buddhists two realizations were revealed. Firstly, I now knew why I was here. Their practice was not quite what I was looking for, but I was here to expand my meditation practice. And secondly, space was a limitation only within our minds.

I spent the next month searching groups, looking for a virtual community that would align with my philosophy, my belief system. And finding nothing that quite aligned, I founded a Second Life group called ‘Community for Spiritual Living’ and decided to start offering guided meditations. People started showing up for my daily 9.30pm meditations. Within a year the group had grown to over 200 members and there were a couple of people showing up every day for Meditation.

One person in particular stands out and after a while I got to hear her story.  Whilst I held her in truth and had formed an environment for her to meditate that she could relate to, she did the work and ‘spent the spiritual coin’.  From being someone contemplating suicide, who had been unemployed for over 2 years, she has not only gotten herself her dream job but is now leading meditations for others!  She attributes much of this to the Community for Spiritual Living and our daily meditations (her testimony even formed one of my demonstration letters to License as a Practitioner).

From this humble beginning a remarkable series of events have unfolded. And whilst this is not the article to highlight all the details, my purpose is evolving. I’m working with a web-designer to upgrade my blog to a fully-blown website (http://www.knowtheflow.ca) that will be released to production at the end of July, 2011. That website will include sections on spiritual coaching (for my Professional Practitioner practice, using tools such as Skype), my spiritual poetry, daily affirmations, affirmative prayers and a practice I call Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation. For you see, what began as a way of strengthening my meditation practice has now transformed into the revealing of a beautiful meditation practice that is a repeatable process of release, that serves as a wonderful tool for releasing those old beliefs, values and mental conditionings that clog that pathway between the objective and subjective mind. I am even recording meditation podcasts that will make this practice available to anyone.

I am signed up to enter Ministerial Studies this September. I don’t know how things will play out, but my purpose is crystal clear. The insecure newborn of 1-23 is now stepping into adulthood, and my purpose to inspire and serve the revealing of Eternal Presence has just begun. If you would add this ministry to your Affirmative Prayers, knowing the perfect of expression and expansion of these teachings, I would be most grateful. Know the Flow and be happy, dear sisters and brothers-in-light.

You Have to Walk the Path Yourself

As I continue to explore the expressions of spirituality online I am struck by the abundance of quotes, texts and written discourses. Many quotes I read provide something for us to contemplate. Yet, as Krishnamurti once said, 'most of us live as mere technicians.'  For all the technical understanding of how to live consciously, even when someone points the way, we must be the ones who make the journey.  You have to walk the path yourself.

I once heard a story of a wise man that taught classes for seekers of Truth. Every day a young man would come to hear the master's discourses. He had listened dutifully for a couple of years. One day this same man came a little early and found the wise man alone. He approached him and spoke aloud a question that had been been forming for sometime.

"Master, I have a question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts."

"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path; have them clarified. What is your question?"

"Master, for a couple of years now I have been coming to your classes, and I have noticed there are many different students, older and younger, who come to listen to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached enlightenment or close to it. I can see that many experience change in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say they are fully enlightened. But I also notice that a large number of students, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better.  Why should this be, master? People come to you, such a great man and clearly a master of Truth, with such compassion. Why don't you use your power and compassion to guide them to enlightenment?"

The master smiled and said, "Young man, where do you come from?"

"Master, I was born in Bombay, India."

"I would imagine that you have thought about returning there. And if asked could tell people the best way to travel to Bombay?"

"Yes Master. I am sure I could."

"And having come from Bombay, having travelled and thought about this path many times, you must know it well?"

"Oh yes Master. I know the path very well. I might almost say that if I were blindfolded I could find it on a map."

"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know you are from Bombay, or at least from India?"

"Definitely. I have even discussed my hometown with other students. And there's no doubt that in between my memory and research I can describe it as well as anyone else, perhaps better."

"Then I've no doubts that others have asked you about the path from here to Bombay. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"

"What is there to hide, master? I explain it to them as clearly as I can. Very plainly, master."

"And these people to whom you give such a clear explanation, do all of them reach Bombay?"

"How can that be, master? Only those who travel the entire distance to its end, only they will reach Bombay."

"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to enlightenment and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask, 'What is the path to englightenment?' And what is there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: 'This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says, 'Well said, well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't take the trouble to travel it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal? I do not carry anyone on my shoulders to take him to the final goal. Nobody can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say, 'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work and you will reach the final goal.' But each person has to travel themselves, has to take every step, travel every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken a hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk the path yourself."

***

The message of this story is obvious.  No one can quiet our mind for us.  We have to learn what is necessary to quiet the active mind.  No one can reveal Eternal Presence within us, we must reveal it within ourselves.  In my experience revealing Eternal Presence "comes only when the thinker and the thought are one, when there is no duality such as the thinker controlling thought." 

I will continue to explore such ideas over the coming months.  And yet I know that this blog, filled with words as it is, is a limited vehicle for such ideas.  And regardless of the eloquence of words, it is only when we walk the path ourselves that we can possibly hope to reach the destination.  Otherwise, all we will be is a technician of Love, not a Lover.

With the realization of the limitations of words alone to inspire and support you I have an exciting announcement.  As you may already know I have been working with a web designer to create a new home for this blog (currently planned for before the end of July). When the new site is released meditation podcasts will be available. 

I have already begun recording guided meditations.  For those who prefer a shorter time in sitting I shall be publishing two to three 30 minute meditations.  However, I am most excited about the series of 1 hour guided Revealing Eternal Presence Meditations, designed to be followed in order and guiding you from the very first steps of this approach through to a fully established meditation practice.  You will be able to download these audio files for yourself and be guided by me in the technique of Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation (an e-mail subscription option will allow you to be automatically notified when a new podcast has been published to KnowTheFlow). These meditation podcasts will be yet one more instance of someone pointing the way. However, maintaining a daily meditation practice is a very meaningful step in making your own way toward the destination.  More details will be provided once the site is launched.

The goal of making these meditations available freely on this site is to offer you an opportunity to be guided in practicing quieting your mind.  Whilst these blog entries are intended to inspire and support you, it is my experience that sharing my meditation practice is a more a more significant contribution than words alone.  It is my deepest hope that you are inspired by such offerings and if the time is right embark upon a most wonderful journey with me.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends.

"Thank You for Noticing" - Accepting a Compliment with Grace

A couple of years ago I was on a retreat and had the delight to spend some time with a teacher called, Kabir Helminski.  Along with participating in a Zikr led by Shiekh Helminski I also had the opportunity to sit with him for over 90 minutes as he dissected some of Rumi's passages. 

To this day I remember his insightful and loving stare, his gentle passion and eloquence as he explored the inner meaning and mysteries contained within Rumi's prose and poetry.  Like a master locksmith he was unlocking hidden meaning for us, bearing the mechanics of the lock and its' secrets, and expressing living evidence of the product of decades of studying and contemplating Rumi's Divinely inspired poetry.  And that is what a teacher can be; a key to a lock within life.  However, even in such moments of teaching it is for us to turn the key.

At the end of the session I went up and thanked this teacher.  In a few words I noted how much I had enjoyed his clarity, the benefit of his contemplation that had laid bare such hidden meaning for me and the joy he clearly had for his task in this lifetime.  When I was done he bowed his head, touched his hand to his heart and said, "Thank you for noticing." 

We parted ways and I have not seen him since.  But above and beyond all of the teachings and sharing of that day, the manner in which he acknowledged my compliment has had the most profound impact on me.  I shall explain why.

At the time I was struck by the profound quality of such a response.  In contemplating the choice of these words I have come to deeply appreciate their beautiful truth and elegance.  I realized that in the past I have tried to deflect or lessen a compliment when it has been shared.  I might have said something along the line of, "it wasn't a big deal", or "it was nothing."  But in truth, these statements were, I believe, my way of averting taking ownership for my part in the events leading up to the compliment.  I believe that in the past I had less than a sense of perfect self-worth, and when using a deflecting statement I was unconsciously putting up a block to fully owning my part in the exchange.  I may even have been influenced by a cultural belief that we should be modest in the face of compliments lest our head become so big that we cannot get through doorframes.  But regardless of the cause of such responses, by trying to deflect a compliment I was in effect averting a wonderful recognition of my worth in that moment.

My contemplations also revealed another aspect of truth.  When he said, 'Thank you for noticing', I believe that Kabir was also acknowledging that in being able to observe his clarity, his expression of Truth and his joy, that I, as the observer, must also have a conscious grasp of these qualities.  In effect, he was subtly paying me a compliment.  Have you ever heard, 'if you spot it, you've got it'?  Have you heard of the idea that what we see in others is a reflection of what is in us?  Thus, when we observe truth, joy and clarity in others, that must mean we have a conscious grasp of these qualities.  By saying, "thank you for noticing" he was acknowledging in some way that in order to have observed these wonderful qualities in him that I too was embodying these qualities at some level.

I was changed by this event.  Since that exchange and my subsequent contemplation I have found myself responding to a compliment by saying, 'thank you for noticing.'  What a wonderful subtle practice of Truth this is!  When I speak these words I am both consciously claiming the work that I have done to reveal this Truth as well as acknowledging that the other person also has these qualities.  With such an awareness I am equalizing the exchange.  For in spite of being the one receiving the compliment, I am paying one in return.  I am acknowledging that the person offering the compliment must have the awareness to appreciate what is within me and thus is my equal.  How could it be otherwise? 

This is a subtle practice.  With a conscious and deep understanding I can accept a compliment without inflating the ego because I am clearly establishing the value of everyone in the exchange.

Claim your Divine authority!  In changing your awareness, accept that there will be times where you will have a positive impact on the world around you.  When someone in the apparent reality compliments you, accept these words with a knowing that, even though they are responding to the Eternal Presence expressing through you, you were the one who did the work to reveal the Eternal Presence.  And as you accept the compliment be aware that the one paying the compliment must embody these qualities by being able to recognize them in you.

Know the Flow and be happy my friends.

Meditation - Neutralizing Negative Reactions

When we are ready to hear (or read) a message it will make itself apparent.  When the student is ready the teacher will appear.

I am going to assume you've heard these cliché’s before.  Before I get to an announcement I'd like to make, I wanted to share a story I heard on Sunday while at a party.  A friend of mine was on a cruise with her husband and two daughters.  During the trip she had the opportunity to hear Dr. Michael Beckwith speak.  Apparently, during this talk Dr. Beckwith suddenly went on a tangent of topic and started talking about what drinking soda does to your body.  My friend's perception was that it was clear that Dr. Beckwith was obviously channeling truth, and even though the tangent lasted some 10 minutes or so it had a profound impact.  So much so that her daughters got out the 'soda tokens' they had purchased and gave them to their mother, indicating that they had no use for them.  Their mother's smile shifted when a woman behind her, obviously present to the very same message, asked if she could have those soda tokens since her children could use them. 

Obviously, there were different levels of awareness unfolding in that exchange.  Her daughters were ready to hear Dr. Beckwith's message and make a choice accordingly.  The mother sat behind them was not.  This is not to pass judgment, rather to provide a concrete example that relates how our present level of awareness has a great influence on our choices.  And when I consider my own personal experience I am often struck by how much my awareness, and consequently the theme of my choices, has changed over the years.

As a part of being a Teaching Assistant for the Centre's current Spiritual Practices class for these past 10 weeks I've been re-reading, 'Can we Talk to God?' by Dr. Ernest Holmes.  I've read this book before (or at least, thought I had read it before).  However, this time around the experience has been substantially different.  Apparently, I am now ready to appreciate messages that passed me by before.  How do I know?  Well, not only am I highlighting new sections but there are some instances where it takes me several days to get through a page or two.  It's taken me about a week to get from page 85 to 91!

I wanted to highlight a few passages that have really resonated with my current focus, and with Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation in particular.  On page 87 of the 1992 edition, Holmes writes:

"It is not our spirit that needs to be made whole; it is our mental reactions to life that need healing.  These mental reactions are both conscious and subjective.  Successful mental treatment must neutralize negative reactions on both the conscious and subjective planes.  Proper teaching does this for the conscious mind, and proper mental treatment will do it on the subjective side of thought.

Mental healing is not accomplished through a coercion of the consciousness, but through it's illumination."

This passage jumped out me because I have decided at some point to grow at that inner level of Intelligence.  I wasn't ready for that passage a couple of years ago.  But as I read it now it jumps off the page.  How we react to life, to the sensations that surface from beneath the surface of our consciousness, is central to our experience.  Every reaction is a thought.  Every thought is a prayer.  The Buddha taught that the blind reaction to a sensation is how we condition the unconscious (or what I call subjective) mind.  In my experience meditation is the ideal vehicle to practice being aware of sensations and practicing not reacting blindly to them.  During meditation if I have an itch, I do not scratch it.  If I have a pleasant memory, I do not crave it residing.  If I have a pain I objectively observe it, not wishing it would go away.  And so on, until I have practiced such a balanced reaction to the point that equanimity (or balance of the mind) becomes a habit.

And at this time, and during the re-reading, a beautiful yet subtle wisdom is becoming apparent for me.  If one looks at mental treatment as being meditation (and not just prayer, of Scientific Mind Treatment) then suddenly what was a mystery to me is decrypted within the passage.  What I read in this passage is that Dr. Holmes is telling me to use meditation as a vehicle to neutralize negative reactions to what I experience, both consciously and subconsciously.  And he's also advising us that proper teaching will be very important to master this consciously. 

It seems like common sense, and yet it took me over two years from reading this passage for the first time to begin to delve into the deeper mysteries of this particular snippet of wisdom.  This approach has yielded great illumination for me and requires no coercion.  It is no coincidence that after having stepped up to claim a new idea for myself recently that this passage should take on such significance. 

A little later he writes:

"There is a subtle element here - that of knowing the truth and then letting go so that the truth may demonstrate itself. Perhaps this is one of the most difficult things to understand in spiritual work. Our thought is creative, but we do not make it so; it was so before we realized it - not will but willingness; not coercion but conclusion."

The theme for meditation continues. We must let go of any knowing we think we have of the truth and allow the truth to demonstrate itself. Certainly, we must aspire and be ready to hear the message, but we must not crave hearing a message either. And this is indeed one of the most difficult things to understand in our spiritual work. Truly letting go, neither craving nor averting, is to surrender. Yet, how hard is it to fully surrender? Think of something you care deeply for. Now consider that if the object of your caring is a thing or relationship that exists in this apparent reality then how ready are you to surrender should it pass away? And as you contemplate this consider that the Buddha taught that, suffering results when we wish things to remain unchanging in the constantly changing apparent reality.

Dr. Holmes continues:

"Conviction compels the attention of the intellect; it is Reality which floods it...The Originating Power descends into the consciousness that meditates upon It and receives It."

And with those two sentences I knew I had to blog about this.  One of the central purposes of Meditation for me is to practice being aware of Eternal Presence, or 'Reality'.  It is inspiring to hear Dr. Holmes confirm in his experience that, if I meditate upon the Eternal Presence, then I will reveal Eternal Presence.

I want to acknowledge that one of the challenges with communicating such ideas in this blog is that unless you directly experience this for yourself then these are just words.  Until you make something your own it cannot become your wisdom. 

To that end I am delighted to make a few announcements. I am currently having a new site for http://www.knowtheflow.ca/ built.  This will be a new incarnation of this blog, with a much greater degree of organization as well as the ability to subscribe to the content that most appeals.  And, perhaps most significantly, I will be incorporating podcasts as a part of this site.  What does this mean?  Well, I plan on recording some of the Revealing Eternal Presence meditations I lead.  If you are unable to meditate with me, either in real or second life, then you will be able to download some of these meditations to play on your iPhone, computer or any other suitable audio device.  It is my vision that by recording these meditations that I will be able to support you in discovering one potential of meditation for yourself.

In the meantime, here's the new logo for the site. Know the Flow and be happy, dear friends.

Purpose, Excitement, Revelation and Authority

Sitting in the presence of someone who is Divinely inspired can be likened to being a tree in a forest fire.  It doesn't matter how big the space is between you, what may physically be in the way to break the fire's progress, if the fire is intense enough sparks will reach and ignite you in turn.

Last Sunday was like that for me.  In this case, Reverend Patrick Cameron, Senior Minister of the Centre for Spiritual Living Edmonton was talking about purpose. From the moment he started to speak I could tell he was on fire.  That passion and sparks of Divinity caught my attention as he explored the idea of purpose in our lives.  Asking what you want was one thing he said, but it's more profound to ask, "What do I get excited about?" His reasoning, inspired by Tim Ferris, was that this trumps working out 'what do you want to do.'

As I considered this question I felt a feeling of certainty.  In my mind my purpose statement of, 'inspiring and serving the transformation of knowing Love' came to mind and I felt excited about it.  I still do. In fact, in many ways I will restate my purpose statement at least once every day.  And after a few years of doing this I am probably more excited today than I was the day my purpose became clear to me.

However, he didn't stop there.  Patrick also suggested that we not only set a purpose that excites us, but that we also set unreasonable goals for ourselves.  These goals should be extreme, stretch us, and definitely require help.  If you can do it alone it's probably not a big enough vision.

In my mind I realized that the work I am doing to build a spiritual platform through http://www.knowtheflow.ca/ excited me.  The next thought that came to mind was in response to setting an unreasonable goal.  I immediately knew that my goal was to build a platform that touches over 1,000,000 people.  That's right, one million.  I know what I'm doing is oozing with Truth and Love.  I know that I am deepening in awareness of the Eternal Presence.  And so, surely building a platform of over 1,000,000 people is unreasonable.  Such a goal stretches me and I cannot do it without help.  With the mental certainty that I'd need help to accomplish this goal I realized I could turn to those who I've already connected with and share this goal.

But like any forest fire, once a tree catches fire it explodes into flames at some point and keeps smouldering long afterwards.  This week has been a cascade of wonderfully synchronous events, the Divine exploded through and around me in a dazzling display of light.  On Monday I was reading a book by Ernest Holmes called, We Can Talk to God.  On page 85 I read a sentence that talked about finding the peace and stillness when we slow down and commune with Eternal Presence.  That got me to thinking.  Over the past 6 months I've been piecing together an idea I'm now calling Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation.

I set the book down and leaning back I felt a sense of restlessness.  I knew I was close to finding the next piece to the puzzle I had working on for the past 6 months.  Fortuntely, I had enough awareness to set this down and release it to the Universe.  But as I released this knowing a realization came to mind that I had a blog to write on Tuesday.  I didn't know what about, but I knew I would write one.

If you read my last blog then you surely know what came of that.  The idea for 'Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation' jumped in my mind during my Tuesday morning meditation.  I had a powerful realization emerging and felt an exquisite certainty.  With the blog published I set about posting about it through Facebook and Twitter.  I also sent out an email to those friends I had in my address book (something I rarely do).  Out of curiosity I took a look at the blog stats and observed a spike of 5 times the typical visits following a post.  I realized that whilst I hadn't hit the 1,000,000 visitors it was certainly a move in the right direction.

The next day I received a completely unexpected email from the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, asking me if I'd like to teach a meditation course in September.  At first I thought they were asking me if I'd put together a little course on meditation.  It turned out that they were asking me to teach the 200 level meditation class (an accredited course with ICSL).  Not only was I surprised from the perspective that Staff Ministers are normally the teachers of such courses, but it struck me that being asked to teach meditation really lined up with the vision and purpose of 'Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation'.  Within a day of claiming my authority on this I was getting yet one more sign.

However, it didn't stop there.  On Thursday, I was speaking with a friend of mine who also happens to be an amazing musician.  We chatted for a while about him coming to Edmonton to play in September and after suggesting a couple of places he could play he said that an idea had just jumped into his mind.  What would I think about doing a night of meditation and music with him?  With a big smile on my face and in my heart I let him know that would be a fabulous idea.

And finally, at the end of Thursday I led a group of 5 people at a friend's house through Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation.  The experience was beautiful.  Everyone had their own perspective to share and the discussion that ensued was wonderfully inspiring.  There was even encouragement for me to record these meditations (which is something I plan on doing and serving up on the knew rebuild of the soon-to-be revamped version of this website).  In closing, we scheduled the next night for July 19 and I came away with the sense that this was yet one more sign.

I have shared this story of my week as both a chance to journal my gratitude and to offer inspiration.  It is a powerful practice to journal gratitude.  However, when our awareness and consciousness are ignited by the Divine Spark from others I believe we should stop, take note and share such stories.  I am so very grateful for the various signs that have shown up this week.  And yet I know that this particular phase of my journey has only just begun.  I have shifted this week.  I have discovered a deep sense of Divine Authority in this week, a clarify that I have never had with this intensity.  I have an unreasonable goal of building a platform of over 1,000,000 people, and I'm letting you know that I need your help to do this.  If you know someone that you think would enjoy reading this blog then please forward this to them.

And yet through it all, from the fire in Patrick's belly to the ignition of my spirit I have constantly been blown away by the sense of humility and peace, the revelation of Eternal Presence in my life.  Indeed, revealing eternal presence is more than just 2 hours of meditation a day.  It is a constant practice now.

Know the Flow and be happy, dear friends.

Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation: A Practical, Relevant and Simple Spiritual Practice

It is my experience that I am surrounded by people with intelligent and enquiring minds. It is also my experience that there is a growing realization that simple faith and worship are no longer enough in this day and age. There is an increasing intensity of enquiry when it comes to spiritual teachings that are relevant to daily life. The typical process of enquiry for me runs along the lines of: Is it relevant, is it practical, is it simple? If these three questions of enquiry yield a 'yes' for me then I will invariably dig deeper into said teaching. And I suspect that, even if many people are not aware of this kind of process going on within their minds, any teaching that is relevant, practical and simple will find significant appeal to our present-day society.

And so like many others in this world that have encountered a personal moment of profound spiritual transformation, I've been seeking teachings to help me understand what is going on and what my purpose in life is. I've been a seeker of Truth for about 15 years now. I wanted to use this blog to introduce an idea that has come to mind that I have called, the Revealing Eternal Presence (REP) Meditation. But before I share more about REP Meditation I will provide the necessary context for this idea that comes in the form of two teachings that I've been working with for a while.

The first of these teachings is one I've been studying for the past 6 years. Arguably the most notable of Dr. Ernest Holmes prolific writings was a book he authored in 1926 called, the Science of Mind. The Science of Mind is both a philosophy and a way of life. After much contemplation, reading of spiritual texts, and building upon the ideas of great thinkers before him, Dr. Holmes presented us with a number of significant ideas, a few of which I would like to introduce.

Firstly, he proposed that there is a Power for Good in the Universe that is always contemplating and expressing. You might call this Power God, Spirit, the Cosmos, Oneness, or whatever label that best defines the idea of Creator to you. Secondly, that within this Infinite expression known as Spirit is the Creative Medium, or Soul. And Thirdly, that Form results when an idea is impressed upon Soul by Spirit. One of the more common analogies is that when I think or feel, I plant a seed (thought) in the soil (Soul), which in turn manifests as a sprouting plant (Form).

To put it more simply, Dr. Holmes proposed that effects are what we see around us. Thoughts and feelings are what cause effects, and because we are an individualized aspect of God our thoughts and feelings are the cause of effects. And the Law is always obeying us by making manifest our thoughts and feelings as forms. The idea of Spirit, Soul and Form were not new, but what Holmes did do was to get very clear about a process called the Affirmative Prayer, that one can use to repeatably manifest through conscious and intelligent use of Soul, or as he called it, the Law.

The second teaching I've been enquiring about of late concerns the Buddha. Specifically, I've been studying Vipassana meditation. It is argued that the Buddha had no interest in a religion (that would go on to be called Buddhism) but focused on a process for enlightenment, that he called Vipassana. Vipassana is about observing the sensations that arise in our body. The central idea of Vipassana meditation is that if we can learn to observe sensations, know them for what they truly are and neither crave or avert those sensations we will become liberated. In other words, we come to know true peace, where we are liberated from attachment to sensations and break the cycle of suffering.  This is what the Buddha meant by the 'middle way', neither craving nor averting sensations, being liberated from the apparent reality and thus being able to know the Ultimate Reality.  I like to think that this is what Jesus meant by, being in the world but not of the world.

Obviously, both the teachings of Ernest Holmes and the Buddha go well beyond what is practical to cover in this blog but I did want to share my experience around them. When I discovered the Science of Mind it struck me as practical, relevant and simple. If I can change my thinking I can change my conditions. So much so that through the use of a tool called Affirmative Prayer, I can repeatably demonstrate changes in my conditions. This is extremely relevant and practical (although not, in my experience, always simple).

When I discovered Vipassana meditation I was immediately struck by how compatible the Buddha's ideas were with the Science of Mind. I was deeply moved by the idea that by observing sensations that arise in my body, old mental conditionings (or Sankhara as they are known) would be released.  And Vipassana meditation is also a repeatable process that is simple and realistic (although going on a 10 day course to discover this is not necessarily practical). I realized that the potential of this idea given the creative process of Affirmative Prayer was huge. In short, a repeatable process that will inevitably help one clear away the old stock of conditionings (or what I consider to be beliefs, values, attitudes that no longer serve me) would be invaluble, particularly to a Practitioner of Affirmative Prayer.

For you see, after some 6 years of study of the Science of Mind and its related teachings I had never encountered any reference to a repeatable process for clearing the old 'stuff' out of the way. Of course, through various techniques and tools for self-enquiry we could reveal old causal beliefs but the process is lengthy. It is not simple. And there's certainly no page or chapter in any book that I've read that has really shown me how to shift into a feeling of complete and total peace. That is until I discovered Vipassana.

And what is the idea I promised to write about earlier? Well, it goes along these lines. We can use meditation to be aware of the effects, the sensations, that arise in our experience. At the same time we must be aware that they are caused by the Eternal Presence, Spirit (this is where my idea begins to diverge from Vipassana). In this state of awareness we can know that effects pass away because they are effects in the changable, apparent reality. We must be aware that effects are the product of the Law and ultimately of the Causal Spirit that created them. In short, we can use meditation to practice being aware of both the Cause (Spirit) and the Effect (sensations and feelings).  This approach results in a most complete Revealing of Eternal Presence.

What stands out for me is that every effect, every sensation is a product of contemplation. In becoming aware of the Cause and Effect we liberate ourselves from effects, of attachment to them, particularly when we see Spirit as their Cause. When we tie together this realization we can more fully experience the Cause, we are practicing being attuned to Spirit and liberate ourselves from changing nature of Effect. It is my experience that this approach to meditation empowers Affirmative Prayer because, as a repeatable process, it clears the baggage beneath the surface that impacts our affirmation work. 

As you can imagine one blog entry is nowhere near enough space to fully explore this idea with you. I will be using future blogs to continue sharing my contemplations and enquiries about Revealing Eternal Presence. However, if you are in Edmonton this Thursday June 16 at 7pm, then I would like to invite you to come to an evening of meditation where I will be exploring this idea through guided meditation and discourse. If you would like more information then please email me at carmien_owen@shaw.ca.  You can also check out the event on Facebook event.

Ultimately, writing about Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation is like someone telling you the food is good.  Practicing this technique, like any spiritual practice, is where you get to know for yourself that the food is good.  If you can't make this event you can connect with me on Second Life where I lead meditation every morning and evening.  Alternatively you can connect with me and enquire further with me through Facebook.  So what are you waiting for?  Don't take my word for it; connect with me and experience this meditation for yourself!

Know the Flow and be happy.