Embracing the Silence (True, Necessary, and Kind)

As seekers of the light, as awakened Souls, part of our ongoing exercise during this lifetime is to refine our personal levels of awareness and spiritual skill sets in order to become optimal channels for Divine love. Within this refinement comes an innate understanding that where your thoughts are will invariably be where you reside. To put it another way, our personal universe is determined by our state of consciousness and the thoughts and feelings we choose to allow in it. Throughout history, man/woman has sought to discipline these thoughts and embrace the light, even while living in a world of pain, fear, struggle, and darkness. Some have resorted to extreme measures of spiritual depravity through vows of poverty and celibacy, hoping ultimately for absolution in the end. Still others have chosen a monastic existence vowing an oath of silence. This particular modality is one that I’d like to focus on briefly, not so much from the standpoint of a separation from societal challenges into the more communal existence of an ashram, but more from the standpoint of embracing the power of silence as a tool for living the spiritual life while engaged in the world of 3D and all of its limitations, personal foibles and “mind” fields.

The silence that I speak of has less to do with non-communication to any and all you may encounter, and more to do with the exercise of what has often been called right-discrimination. This right-discrimination has as one of its key features the ability to determine what is appropriate and/or not appropriate to think, say or do in any given situation, and the internal mechanism (the internal filter) used to help replace any lower based thoughts and energies with higher, more refined levels of consciousness. For so long, we have been conditioned within 3rd dimensional existence to accept and embrace gossip, selfishness, slander, ridicule, deception, mean spiritedness, and an overall Machiavellian spirit as just the way the world is, almost dismissing it as simply being part of normal acceptable behavior instead of the scourge of lower fear-based consciousness that it truly is. As lightworkers, this level of consciousness can no longer be tolerated as acceptable behavior; not because of any hard and fast rules dictated from outside, but because they are no longer consistent with the higher vibrational energies of Divine love that now flow through you.

In achieving this embrace of silence, I would like to share something I learned quite a while ago that may be very important in achieving this goal. There is a long held understanding in evolutionary consciousness of a simple rule; a litmus test through which everything that you think, say or do should be filtered through. Within this prism of right-discrimination are three basic questions that should always be invoked:

- Are what you are about to say, think and/or do TRUE, NECESSARY, and KIND?

Notice that I used the word “and” instead of “or” in the three choices posed. This is because in order for the filter to be effective, all three criteria must be met. You may have something to say that you consider true, but is not necessary or kind. You may have something that you consider to be true and necessary, but again is not kind. You get the idea. All three categories need to be met in order to fulfill this filtering process. Obviously, in extreme circumstances, exceptions might have to be made in resolving issues, but as a general rule, this criteria should always apply. Give it a try; see how you do. If you are true to this exercise, you will discover something extraordinary and immediate. The vast majority of what you may be saying to others will become noticeably restricted, since much of our conversation is often filled with gossip and mean-spiritedness. You will find yourself becoming more and more quiet, ultimately embracing the silence. As I said before, it is a means to an end, not an end in itself. At first it may seem a real challenge; it certainly was for me. But after a while you find that something very transformative occurs. Perhaps those within your social circle to whom you had considered “friends” may begin to fall away, because you realize that the only thing you had in common with them was gossip or the putting down of others. When they say something negative, you either give it no energy or counter it with something positive. Your social circle will begin to look at you differently and perhaps even turn on you because who you were is no longer who you are, and as the old saying goes, “If you can’t change your friends, change your friends.” Things begin to fall away that are no longer consistent with your state of consciousness and spiritual growth. In the long run the rules that you live by are of the highest spiritual vibration, and the circle of your relationships begin to adjust to meet this new state.

Some may view your kindness as a sign of weakness, but what they don’t yet understand is that you are not doing this for their sake, you are living within your truth, and that while they are still existing in the illusion, your inner strength and awareness of “reality” is moving you far beyond 3rd dimensional conditioning. It is just one of the many sub-plots of waking up to your true identity as Soul. So to recap, embracing the silence is an end result to refining your internal filter so as to live, love, communicate, and exist from the highest spiritual vibration; the highest Divine realm. Is it true, is it necessary, is it kind? If not, there’s no need to say it, think it, or be it. When you live within this consciousness, your inner light will begin to shine ever so bright, your inner chatter begins to quiet down and is replaced by the loving energies of Source. You are moving closer to ascension and your personal universe is being changed forever. Don’t forget to wear your shades.

Time to Step Up

Ok, where are you now? How are you feeling? Are you in balance? Are you in a happy place, a loving place? Are you taking good care of yourself? Are you honoring your relationships? How is your diet? Are you exercising regularly? Does your exercise include a physical and spiritual emphasis? Are you meditating or some other form of daily inner work? Are you finding time to embrace the silence? Are you handling your outer stress better? Are you reading and/or taking in things of a high vibration? Are you striving for greater awareness every day? Is your inner light shining bright? Well…?

I’m sure you must be asking why all these questions and who are they directed towards. Well if you don’t already know, I’m speaking to those of you have either just recently awakened and come online to your true identity as Soul, or those of you who have had your lights on for some time now, but may be slacking off a bit. How are you? As for why, it’s really quite simple. You see, right now the energies and vibrations of our universe and specifically our planet are increasing exponentially, and it is so very important that we all do our respective parts to align ourselves with the flow of these energies and the ascension that is already occurring, and will continue to occur. In this new year, it’s time to do an honest self-assessment of where you are and what you’re doing (non-judgmental of course), and determine where you may be in the process; this is your wake up call folks. This inquiry is designed to impart a little bit of tough love to all of you out there, because depending on where you are right now or what you are or aren’t doing, it is now time to step up; we need your energy.

If you are awakened, are you living the life of an aware spiritual being? Are you doing the daily work necessary to get your inner and outer self in balance? Are you connecting with your higher self in a conscious, knowing way? Are you asking for help and guidance when you need it from your many loving Angels and spiritual guides, your inner family always ready and waiting to provide for you whatever you may need? Bottom line, are you walking the talk of a conscious, awakened Lightworker? If not, why not? Not judging, just asking.

Perhaps it’s because of the seemingly constant demands placed on you in these uncertain times by 3D existence, to continue the daily grind that a survival mentality requires. Perhaps it’s simply the conditioning you’ve received by virtue of the many incarnations we’ve all had on this earth and the intoxication that Maya (illusion) so strategically plays on each of us to forget who and what we are; that this is the illusion, not the reality. Whatever the reason may be, snap out of it! : )

It’s your time now. It’s your moment to step up. It is the beginning of the final leg of your journey in 3D. It’s just about graduation time. But ascension won’t be handed to you on a silver platter; you have to do the work. You have to step up and do what is necessary to prepare yourself for the inevitable shift that is already taking place. The transition really isn’t that hard, but it does require a commitment to a conscious shift in attitude and intention. You have to want this. You have to be a conscious conduit of love. There is a wonderful quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” I’ve always loved this quote because it speaks directly to the idea of personal empowerment and the ability to decide for yourself what you choose to accept or not accept. With this as a template, Eleanor’s quote could just as easily be restated, “No one can make you feel anything without your consent,” or even “No one can impact your consciousness without your willing intention.” You have the power to choose what you accept into your consciousness. This is your inherent power; your inalienable right. Illusion simply makes you forget, and fear is an illusion. The awakened individual no longer falls victim to this trap, and lives his/her life in a conscious, aware and loving way. The awakened individual does not rest on his/her laurels, but does the daily work necessary to consistently maintain a higher state of vibration. This vibration is necessary to both protect you and allow you to serve as one of the many spiritual vessels necessary to help the planet and everything in it ascend in the perfect way. We are conscious lightworkers, and there is no need to take a vacation from this state of being because in so many ways it is the freedom we have always sought. Why, because we are consciously connected to Source in all of its love and glory at all times. We remember what our true missions are and what our tasks at this pivotal moment of NOW should be. We are in a constant state of bliss because we know what Divine truth is. Most importantly, we know that the multiverse was created through Divine Love.

Whatever you need to do, whomever you need to speak to, wherever you need to go in order to connect, plug yourself back in and amp it up! Source loves you unconditionally, but as the old saying goes, “God cannot do for you what it can only do through you.” Be the channel, the conscious channel that you are. Do your spiritual work daily to maintain that heightened vibration you know will keep you above the fray. Remember, you are God itself; there is no separation. You only need remember and all will be here for you. You just need to roll up your sleeves and get to it. Much love and light.

Personal log: Goodbye to a Dear Friend (Response by Betty)

After posting my earlier homage to Mario, I received this heartfelt correspondence from his loving wife Betty, and felt that it deserved much greater prominence than a simple blog response. So I would like to share with all of you this spiritually enlightened introspection from her.

To Betty, I know that I can speak for everyone when I say that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, and we all surround you in the light of God's love. One more thing worth noting, please go to Art by Mario to view some of the amazingly beautiful artwork from this wonderful and creative Soul. Namaste:


Thank you Darrell, dear friend. I am touched by your kindness and compassion. It's people like you who make surviving a personal tragedy more bearable. Even though Mario died from an accident, there are really no accidents. We only may take different paths to meet our destiny where all our choices will eventually lead...by one road or another. What we learn along the way and the love we share is what is most important. His thirst for knowledge and love of Truth was his driving passion in life and I believe Mario achieved what he came here to do. I choose to see him as having gone ahead to lead the way for others through his shining light which will serve as a beacon for those who loved him. I'll miss you always Mario, but in time grief will be replaced by joyful memories. I am fortunate to have shared 26 years with you.

His loving wife, Betty

Personal log: Goodbye to a Dear Friend

I just received word that a good friend and spiritual brother of mine, Mario, has transitioned to a higher realm. His passing was sudden but as I understand it, serene, despite having been fatally wounded from a fall he suffered in Brazil. His loving companion, Betty, is coping with the loss the best way she can, and is now in the comfort of friends and family support. While she is completely awake and totally aware of her and Mario’s true identity as Soul, the sudden shock of such an episode still cuts deeply, evoking questions of “why?” or “what if?” But Soul never dies, and Mario is still among us, certainly surrounding Betty in a warm and intense love embrace, and connecting with family and friends. In honor of Mario, I wanted to share a poem that he wrote some time ago entitled “Before the Sound Was ‘I’”. It speaks to the depth and breadth of this wonderful man’s spirit, awareness, and heart. It expresses the dynamic of spiritual entropy, chaos to order, that we as a collective consciousness have been working through in pursuit of divine love and truth. We’ll miss you Mario. Be well, keep in touch:


Before the Sound Was "I."

Sonic malignant waves touch all in their wake;
Shrill, pinching sounds, unhealthy tonic of embedded harmonics
Roaring to unholy rhythms, progressive artful resonant fusion,
Sweeping over RNA neuron pathways of God in a hell-storm of confusion.

The planet of our unconscious world is a distant dilated pupil,
Hanging in Satan's firmament, closed-eyed and fearful,
No longer a shining star emanating goodwill and gentleness of Soul,
A synthesized construction, paced and placed to the beat of discipline.

The sleeping mind hears naught but bliss and octavian leads
Tugging on heart strings leading to labyrinths of slavish minotaur.
Our world is built on undulating forms, stiff and rigid,
The harmonics of control, the science of robotics.

A grand orchestra of Oz plays a frontal lament, a guitar gently weeping.
Yes, we all cry and sway, utterly fatigued by the dance of poly-fragmented characters,
As we stand back and watch our human-ness undulate dimly on the wall.
Truly life is spent in pursuit of real music...

And yet from wretchedness, behind it all, is the knowledge of harmony,
The truth of elements and true gods.
Where creation is built on symmetry and love.
A soulful wave of happy entities...we are Truth...after all.


Mario

I See You: Avatar’s Spiritual Essence

First and foremost, what an amazingly breathtaking movie Avatar is. Director James Cameron (of Titanic fame) has, in my opinion, really raised the bar for what the future of movie viewing will now be. This is a real game changer. The cinematic beauty and visual detail alone fills the senses in a way not quite experienced before. Add to this the element of 3D and you have a paradigm-shifting film. But the power of Avatar does not lie in its visual effects; it lies in the story. This is not a 3D movie, but an amazingly beautiful, poignant story and cinematic journey that happens to be in 3D.

For me, what makes this movie experience so fulfilling is the spiritual essence that the story of Avatar contains. Without going into too much plot detail, Earthlings have found an inhabited moon called Pandora that contains an abundance of life and a wealth of natural resources, just prime for the taking. The indigenous humanoid life forms on Pandora are known as the Navi, blue 10-foot aboriginal beings that share a very close connection with the land. This connection is not to be taken lightly for it is the essence of their existence on Pandora. Humans, through bio-technology have developed Avatar host bodies who look almost identical to the Navi. These Avatars can be controlled by DNA-linked humans through a remote harmonized synaptic connection, thereby allowing them to interact with the natives directly. Of course things become problematic when the need for the Navi to protect the land goes head-to-head with human shareholder interests to excavate and pillage the rich planetary resources abundant on the planet. This of course is not a new theme, and I recognize some similarities to another great movie, Dances With Wolves.

But the true power of this epic tale lies in understanding the spiritual connection that the Navi have with its planet and all things contained in it, and the balance created when people respect and honor the land and its resources vs. the misguided and disconnected notion of supreme ownership, entitlement and conquest. There are some movie critics who make the assertion that Avatar reeks of a pagan, pantheistic focus on spirituality. While this is an interesting interpretation, these critics clearly do not get the significance or importance of what this movie is trying to convey. It is about how maintaining a harmonic balance between sentient beings and their surroundings is a key ingredient to spiritual upliftment. This is only one of the many messages that Avatar imparts. The connection to the planet and its resources shown very literally in this movie is an allegory to the actual literal connection that everyone in fact has to the earth, to all living things, and to the universe as a whole; we have simply forgotten this connection exists.

The Navi have an affectionate greeting of endearment to one another, which in their native tongue they affirm “I see you”. This greeting goes much deeper than “I see you standing there”, but that “I see into you, I see your soul and your essence”. In fact, I get you. This is just one illustration of the deep and wonderful solidarity that the Navi have. The Avatar humans slowly come to understand this significance, and as more and more of them begin to see deeper into the true meaning behind this spiritual way of life, they become increasingly conflicted with the ultimate plans that are about to be inflicted by their employers on the Navi. It is from here on that things really get interesting.

I have mentioned a few key spiritual aspects of this movie. But there is one more important theme that was made very clear to me while watching. This is the fact that we are all living in Avatars ourselves. The truth is that our human bodies are nothing more then vessels designed to allow us to have mobility in 3 dimensional space. But in fact, we are not the bodies we occupy; we are Soul, a divine spark of spiritual awareness. We are truly sparks of the eternal itself using a human host to live, breath and have our being on this physical plane.

If I have any criticism of the movie at all, it would probably be that the bad guys seem a little overly two-dimensional to me. There wasn’t enough conflict of conscience for my taste, but that’s just me. I am tempted to go into much greater detail about the movie and its many layers, but I will refrain from doing so in case you have not yet seen it. I highly recommend that you do. It is a sensory filled treat, and has much to say about who we are and where we should be going in our own respective spiritual journey. More than anything, Avatar symbolizes the vital importance of connecting to our higher essence. It is a siren song for us to awaken to our true selves as Soul. Many are getting this message and are heeding the call. To all of you who are getting it, I SEE YOU.

Count Down

…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It’s been a whirlwind year, this 2009. Much has happened and there is much more to do. In many respects, it seems like several years have passed by in just this one. This is no accident. The vibratory rate of existence is indeed speeding up at a blistering pace, with karmic burn-off from both an individual as well as collective group consciousness level moving along at light speed, and we’re all feeling it. Many of us are waking up consistently at around 2 or 3 a.m., experiencing a download of information and spiritual insight, our bodies vibrating with refined energy. We’re also noticing an increase in the speed it takes to manifest things in our lives as well as an overall heightened sense of expanded awareness. No my friends, you’re not imagining this stuff, it is happening; it is real.

As we move headlong into 2010 and beyond, it is important that we all begin to take stock of what is happening. We need to take this stuff seriously and really begin to listen to our inner voice and what it is telling us. Most importantly, it is time to let go of the fear and really, truly, in your heart of hearts and with all your essence, embrace the LOVE. There are those that would like to keep this transition to a new reality at bay, and are trying with growing desperation to maintain the herd mentality through fear and propaganda that so many of us had (up to now and for far too long) been victims of. But now is a new day, and all of you wonderful Souls that long ago made a conscious decision to incarnate into this world at this important time in our history are starting to awaken more and more to the truth of who and what you are. You are wonderful, magnificent star children, lightworkers, and earth angels. You are incredible healers and beacons of love energy. It is your time now. Awaken to it and claim it. You know who you are, you’ve simply forgotten.

So on this momentous new years eve of 2009, may I wish all of you a happy, safe, prosperous, abundant, awake, aware, enlightened, and Source filled New Year. 2010 is going to be really interesting. We hope that you experience it awakened and fully engaged. Namaste.

Choices and Consequences

Even though we live in the world of illusion, it can still really cut like a knife sometimes. Life is tricky; it’s all about choices, and the decisions a person makes at any given moment may have repercussions that go far beyond what was intended. Over eons of time, we have developed a somewhat useful yet potentially problematic ability to compartmentalize the things in our lives, separating one conjoined aspect of truth from another. In the process we are able to rationalize and justify almost anything. This, however, can become a dangerous double-edged sword, for compartmentalization ultimately leads to irrational fragmentation of truth, and a subsequent inability to see things from that all-important holistic perspective; the big picture. Within this dynamic, the ego gets an overindulgence of attention, and our ability to see things from points of view other than our own too often become lost. When you throw the emotion of fear into the mix, it quickly becomes a very toxic soup, leading to questionable decisions and unintended consequences. So what does all of this have to do with spirituality, and how do we move through this illusory gauntlet to determine what is the best course of action at any given moment?

Well, the question itself contains the seeds of its solution. You see, we must understand that we live in the illusion – it’s all a big stage play. The inner is the true reality and the outer is the illusion; go figure. As such, we are not the bodies that we occupy and working within the dramas that we create should always be viewed through the prism of the higher self; the Soul perspective. We are Soul, a divine spark of the eternal Source. We are one with All That Is. We gather experience by working through the dramas we create in order to become self-aware and ultimately God-aware. When we come to that all-important plateau of awakening to our true identity as Soul living in eternity, we’re able to rise above the slings and arrows that are thrown at us. We’re able to identify the dualistic nature of all things we encounter. We still have to deal with the dramas, but we can (as the saying goes) learn to be “in it but not of it.” When illuminated with this Soul perspective, the need or desire to compartmentalize or rationalize begins to fall away, for we are no longer afraid to deal with truth. One must always remember that truth is strength; it’s a real game changer when you finally embrace it.

Yes, those slings and arrows may sting sometimes, and some days are better than others when dealing with them, but as an awakened being you remember that you have a new default perspective; you are Soul, living in eternity. What you are dealing with shall pass. It is not a forever thing. You on the other hand, are. As an awakened Soul you find yourself constantly asking, “What is the lesson here?” The body’s emotional chakras may be firing on all cylinders, but you have the ability to step outside of that perspective and see things in a Divine light. As such, it’s all good.

As we move forward on our transcendent journey towards enlightenment, we must embrace the slings and arrows we sometimes encounter, and view them as opportunities for growth. We are at an all-important place and time in our collective experience. We will be encountering more and more trials and tribulations as we move closer and closer to our spiritual transition. Throughout all of these tests, we must never forget that everything we deal with has its true solution based in LOVE. Love is indeed the key to everything. It really does conquer all, for when we place this in the center of our hearts it is able to wash away all pain. It reconnects us to Source. We must become conscious beacons of this love energy and proactively outflow it throughout the world everyday, every moment. We are all a part of the collective critical mass of God-centered energy that will ensure a positive shift to enlightenment. So don’t let those slings and arrows slow you down, simply surrender them to love. For this, my friends, is the ultimate test.