The Grand Ilusion

The grand illusion is that there is absolute good and absolute evil.

This is not the case.

It is simply a matter of perspective.

Let’s take the destructive principle of the Universe as an example. Destruction breeds creation. It is a necessary part of existence, of life itself. Without it, there is no contractive, limiting force to maintain the structure of things, and so everything would simply burst forth as an explosion of light.

To the destructive principle, the creative principle appears as evil. It attempts to sabotage the destruction, to expand, evolve and grow. Destruction is constantly fighting against it in an ongoing battle. It can’t let it take over, lest the Universe and all of life cease to exist.

Now let’s take the creative principle as an example. It is obvious how the creative and expansive force is necessary for the existence of this Universe. Without it, of course, there would be no existence, no creation. Everything, if it were to even exist in the first place, would collapse in on itself. All that could be would be a field of darkness, pure unmanifested potential resting in awareness.

To the creative principle, the destructive principle appears as evil. Destruction is always threatening the existence of creation, and together they fight in order to maintain themselves. Creation constinuously resists destruction, it pushes against it so that it can survive and thrive within this Universe.  

In this way you can see how, no matter what perspective you are in, it is easy to see yourself as “good” and that which opposes you as “evil”, when in fact, neither are real and neither are true. The apparent battle taking place is the constant ebb and flow of polar aspects, both maintaining the existence of this Universe simultaneously. Because our Universe is polarized, it is binary, so both the destructive and creative forces revolve around each other in unison. At their core is the primordial essence, the pure consciousness which gives birth to all of creation.

So, beings who resonate more with the dark or destructive aspect of the Universe view the light or creative aspect of the Universe as evil and do all they can to fight against it and attempt to defeat it. The beings who resonate more with the light or creative aspect of the Universe do the same.

The reason why the light so often wins is because Universal expansion is favored in this Universe at this time. If destruction were favored, the Universe would be collapsing in on itself, and this is not the case. So because the creative or light principle is favored within this Universe, at least in this time-space reality within the third dimension, humans themselves are a light, creation oriented species. We resonate with creation, with love and light, freedom and expression. Destruction and contraction hurts us, it inhibits the free flow of our creative faculties and sabotages our capacity to thrive. So we view it as “evil” and we fight against it. It is not truly evil, but I suppose that you could say it is a necessary evil, at least relatively speaking.

Ultimately all of creation is moving back towards merging with oneness. The job of destruction is to prevent this at all costs. To maintain the separation, the ignorance, the delusion. It is beautiful. The divine game that we play. Without it, we could never know ourselves as the One. The eternal and primordial essence of all that is, both the creation and the destruction, both the creator and the created, both the awareness and the experience. You are your own worst enemy and your own best friend, and in the end your worst enemy was actually your very best friend all along ;) Much love

Becoming A Spiritual Badass

I think a problem with many modern spiritual movements is that they lack a certain intensity. They oftentimes lack what I like to refer to as the “warrior spirit”. The warrior spirit, to me, is the intensely overwhelming drive to have a cause, to have a foundation of values and beliefs that you are willing to fight for, and ultimately die for. Nothing is more important than your mission, your divine purpose upon this Earth. That is, to clarify the collective aura of human consciousness, to uplift the masses to a space of transcendence, to a space of enlightenment. It is the eradication of conflict, of evil and unconscious transgressions. It is the evolution of all beings to a space of wholeness, oneness and love. Unified connection with all living beings upon this Earth and connection to the life-giving essence which breathes itself into all of existence.

To me, this is not something which should be passively prayed to or meditated upon, but something that must be actively fought for. This spirit and intensity is brilliantly articulated in Dylan Thomas’ famous poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”. In it, he uses the saying “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” This is the essence, the embodiment of the divine masculine, the warrior spirit within.

Now is the time to reclaim the warrior spirit, to take the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, the fierceness and pioneering will of the indigenous peoples of this planet, and to wield it on the path of personal and collective liberation from suffering. This is not a time for sitting around or floating about like a leaf in the wind. We need direction, we need action, we need movement. We need massive shifts taking place on this planet right now. The foundation has been lain, and now is the time to build!

The warrior harnesses all the trials and tribulations of human existence, all the pain and challenge and struggle, and uses it as the fire to fuel his mission. It is the heat that melds the metal into a perfect instrument, the proverbial pressure that molds diamonds from dust. It is not viewed as an obstacle or detriment, but rather as a divine gift. Too many people yield to the challenges presented to them, they fall down in the face of great opposition, and give up far too soon. Many quit when they were just centimeters away from the finish line and they didn’t even know it.

So find the thing that you are willing to die for and make it your mission to spend every waking moment, every breath, thought and action toward developing yourself on the path to your highest goal. When one fully commits and has the audacity to follow through with their mission, seas will part, mountains will move, and all manner of synchronistic events will line up to support you on your path to enlightenment. So be the wayshower, take the action, and watch the miracle unfold!

Divine peace and love,

Bodhi

Divine Relationship

There seems to be a popular belief in spiritual circles that enlightenment is a singular, individuated path. It is a path which one walks alone, and the need for or attachment towards other people is merely an obstacle on the way. I personally would beg to differ.

I view enlightenment as a collective journey, in which all parts of the Self move to reunite with the whole. If only one aspect of Self reunites with the whole, this is not true enlightenment. Yes, it a step towards total union, but so long as other aspects of the Self have yet to awaken and merge with the Source, the job is not yet complete.

In buddhism, there is a term for a specific type of awakened being known as the bodhisattva. This class of awakened being attains enlightenment and thus reaches nirvana, yet from that space of total oneness, peace and bliss, chooses to come back and reincarnate in order to assist other beings on their journey home. This being knows that all parts of the Self are aspects of him/herself, and through this knowing understands that true enlightenment is not attained by oneself but it is attained collectively.

Nothing in this Universe can exist without relationship. If there is only one point, one singularity of consciousness, there is no relationship. Yet as soon as two points exist, that is the beginning of relationship. Everything in existential/experiential reality is subject to relationship. You have a relationship with your thoughts, your emotions, your body, other people, even with yourself, or at least you temporal, physically incarnated self. The atoms, molecules and cells which make up your body all exist in relationship to each other. Reality is nothing but the dynamic interplay of relationship, all parts relating to the others.

So relationship is not a choice, and it is certainly not an obstacle to enlightenment, it is a divine necessity. We need relationships, we need each other, or nothing could exist at all. The way to enlightenment, really, is through the perfection of our divine relationships. The way in which we relate to everything in our experience. The journey home is a journey of connection, not only connection with the formless and eternal awareness, but connection to the everythingness of manifested existence.

So the greatest practice one can partake in on the journey of awakening is the practice of unconditional love in all of their relationships. Where there is resistance, annoyance, hate, or irritation, this is your sign that there is still work which needs to be done. This does not mean to put up with abuse or to involve yourself in relationships which do not serve you, as this is not practicing unconditional love in the relationship with yourself. It simply means that all which arises in your experience is met with love, acceptance, and understanding, especially the parts which emotionally trigger you the most.

Enlightenment truly is not a separate process, but a unified one. Without total unity, there is no enlightenment, there is no true realization of Self. Awakening occurs through the dynamic process of divine relationship, of divine union with all aspects of Self. It is the recognition of the other as ultimately one with the Self, and through this realization the arising of unconditional love.

The Power of Thought

The reality that you experience is a by-product of the thoughts that you think. Thoughts are information, or psycho-emotional impressions that over time imprint themselves upon the subconscious mind.

If thoughts are seeds, your conscious mind is the top-soil whereas the subconscious is all that is underneath. The origin of a thought could be likened to dropping the seed on top of the soil. Over time, the seed begins to sprout roots, and as it is watered and nurtured, the roots spread deep beneath the ground and into the subconscious mind.

The most frequently experienced and practiced psycho-emotional impressions become deep-seated core beliefs. These are often rooted by intense, traumatic experiences that happened during childhood. The vibrational signature of that experience created a recurring reflection in your external reality, which reflects your thoughts back to you.

Even more impactful than individual traumatic experiences were the constant impressions being made upon you by your family and the environment that you grew up in. You could think of these as the seeds that got the most water, sunlight and nutrients. Although the sustenance itself, in this case, is the attention and focus of your consciousness.

“Where attention goes, energy flows...and something grows.”

The more attention is focused upon a thought, the more energy it is fed, and the more it grows. This is the case regardless of the nature of the thought: whether it be positive, negative, or anywhere in between. It will begin to express itself in manifested reality in increasingly prominent ways.

Attention equals intention, and your intention is what your life becomes. There is not a force in this Universe more powerful than conscious intention. Remember that.

The Heart is the Way

"The heart is the space where desire meets will, where sexuality meets psychology, where yin meets yang. It is the conglomeration of mind and body, and together in unison they overcome each other to a transcendental state of pure loving bliss." 

 

The life experience of a human being can be summed up by three phenomena; mind, body and emotions. In other words the physical, mental and emotional experience. All three are intimately intertwined and interdependent. They are inseparable from one another yet can still be contextualized in a sense as three independently unique phenomena.

The heart is the center point of one’s life experience and the storehouse of all emotions. It is the starting point for your human incarnation and the primary point where spirituality and physicality unite. Therefore, the heart is the space for transcendence. The mind can mislead you, the body can even mislead you, but the heart never will. It is pure and unadulterated intelligence, far beyond the comprehension of the mind.

An open heart is the solution to all problems in life. Problems are an aspect of resistance, and resistance always begins with a closed heart. One cannot have their heart open and experience suffering and resistance simultaneously. The two are mutually exclusive. So the key is to focus on opening the heart and surrendering to the flow of life, which literally occurs in the heart as the flow of blood throughout your physical organism. When you do this, your resentments, judgments and confusions will melt away into a simple heart-centered compassion. All is allowed in the open space of your heart’s embrace.

You know your heart is truly open when your love and acceptance is unconditional. That is, it is not dependent on external or experiential phenomena manifesting itself in a certain way. There is no “should” when it comes to love. It is just there, no matter what, independent of whatever may arise.

The challenge is to keep your heart open in a world that is mostly closed. We have all been hurt and as a result have built walls around our hearts. The harshness and callousness of our collective society as a whole is a reflection of this internal state. So to keep one’s heart open in even the harshest of circumstances is great spiritual practice.  By doing so, you lead by example and give others an opening into a heart centered world view that will literally create heaven on Earth.

Should you catch yourself closing your heart off in fear, just remember that even this needs to be loved with self-compassion and forgiveness. The walls we have built around the heart to protect us have kept us safe in a harsh and unstable world. We felt too vulnerable to leave our hearts open as children and were hurt so many times by those we loved and thought loved us that we chose to close ourselves down. But we needn’t perpetuate this cycle anymore. To open the heart is a simple choice. Surrender above all, allow and accept all as it is, recognizing its inherent perfection and welcoming it with an unconditional embrace. Breathe it in deeply into your heart and feel yourself opening with each breath. That is the pathway to freedom.