Call us toll free: +1 4062079616
How To Be Spiritual In A Material World
Call us toll free: +1 4062079616

Full Width Blog

27 Sep 2015
Comments: 0

Full Blood Moon Eclipsed in Aries

I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
I will not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I will use my time. 
                                    ~ Jack London (Aries to Libra nodes)

 

2628187970a5fea937cecafcc13bda42

 

Do you have the courage to bring forth 
the treasures that are hidden within you?
                                                           ~ Elizabeth Gilbert
 

 

Aries Full & Eclipsed Moon @ 4 degrees
8:50 PM MDT
Sunday September 27th
This is a wild moon . . . a moon loaded with shenanigans and gifts.
Falling last in September’s seemingly endless series of energetic surprises and curve balls, tonight’s eclipsed moon feels like the crescendo of a long, dramatic Russian opera.
Probably it’s most piercing question to us is this one: Where have you not acted on behalf of something inside of you which is craving the light of day? This ‘something’ further defines you, expands and nourishes the Self you have been creating throughout this lifetime. An eclipsed moon, after all, isn’t eclipsing you as much as it’s helping you to understand what you may have allowed to be eclipsed.
The Aries to Libra energy of this moon seeks to integrate the need to be independent with the need to be in relationship. You are simultaneously learning to know yourself—your deepest expression of Self—in the context of your interactions with others. If there is something within you which feels shut out, which wonders when and where it’s safe to introduce (or re-introduce) itself, your sense of imbalance will be triggered.
You might find yourself tempted to breathe a little fire. Or to point your finger at someone else, someone who has, truly, offended or hurt you. But . . . the thing is this: nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished by blaming someone else . . . even if that someone else is perfectly awful. The way through is always to gather yourself together, refuse to feel as if you are The Victim, and go ahead and step into the next page of your story. No one else can do this for you. No one else can know how this next step needs to feel to you.
Tonight’s moon is helping you to move out of any shadow you may feel has cast a spell on you and just step back into the light of your Self with renewed energy. This takes no small amount of personal courage. But it’s sitting right there in your core, just waiting for you to call it into action.
Sometimes as I write these columns, I worry that you, my readers and my friends, might think I’m taking all that is unfolding in Time too lightly. I promise you, I am not. I am keenly aware that we have had to navigate a continuous series of energy shifts which have, now and again, seemed merciless in their demands upon our hearts and minds. All of us have either summoned the courage to dive more deeply into our shadows—or refused this rich soul work and, instead, chosen denial (which never works out very well in the end)—and as we feel the energy of tonight’s extreme Moon, most everyone is feeling alternately lighter and weary.
To keep things more than interesting, tonight’s emotionally-charged moon occurs right in the middle of a mind-bendingly tricky Mercury retro cycle already fully engaged in pointing out the wrinkles in your relationships as well as offering up countless frustrating detail-snaffoos. So this Aries moon, cruising closer to the earth than any other this year, and full to overflowing with emotional tides, is a bit like tossing a thimble of gasoline onto an already charged fire.
Please be careful. Watch for anger, in others as well as in yourself, and use it as an indicator that something is off balance. Then tap into the part of yourself capable of acting rather than re-acting. You can use this energy to set a new course. Nothing has to remain the same. Nor will it.
A few weeks ago, Steven Colbert interviewed Joe Biden who quoted his mother as saying: “What’s the use of being Irish if you don’t realize life’s going to break your heart?” I wonder if we couldn’t update that sentiment a bit to this: “What’s the use of being human if you don’t realize life’s going to break your heart open?”
To life.
Drop a note if you’d like to better understand how all of these recent shifts are affecting your own life or your relationships, or if you’d like to study your astro-cartography maps.
By: Ascension Lifestyle Guest Contributor 
Deborah O’conner

IMG_2453_2

 

Be humble, for you are made of earth. Be noble, for you are made of stars.

 

23 Sep 2015
Comments: 0

Thinking About Thinking

The Idea of Idea

interview

Ideas do not happen from nothing; they do not miraculously strike like rare comets, but are ever present. Ideas are a reflection of a person’s immediate needs and deepest desires. Ideas are birthed from a need to find a solution. An idea occurs when a person develops an attraction to something that does not yet exist, or has only existed in a different context.

The idea chooses you.

You may notice the idea blatantly; it may immediately overwhelm you with its enrapturing potential. It may subtly reveal itself at first, but persistently drop signs that it seeks you to court it. When an idea chooses you, it entangles with the emotions, possessing a person like a spirit. The idea will run you through a spectrum of emotions, you become like a puppet on the strings of idea. You get excited talking about it, in the hopes that it resonates with another person, because it is something special to you. You feel guilty for not executing or neglecting it. You may feel crazy for being the only one that holds it, sees its value. You get dissatisfied for living in a world with no evidence of its existence. Seeing someone else do it makes you jealous. Pursuing it terrifies you, but those wild enough to devote their immediate gratifications to bring down heaven find that the process fills the person with a joy and fulfillment unparalleled to anything else. This is what many describe as fulfilling their purpose.

Deep down, you and the idea both know that the idea is more important than you, your existence, your needs, in your current reality. It seeks to share reveal itself through you. You are an outfit for ideas. You know the idea is essential to improving your life, as well as the greater good of the collective conscious. The perfect time to execute the idea never comes, the level of resistance seems to always elusively matches the degree which you desire the idea.

Ideas are unborn realities that temporarily possess those who are most eligible in potential execution.

To create is to receive from the unseen, and if it chooses you, it can choose someone else too. Ideas are maverick quantum fragments. They belong to no one. The best a person can do is refine themselves to the point they may be worthy of receiving and combining their unique imprint with the best possible ideas from the transcendent plane of all-there-is-and-ever-will-be.

abrahadabra

Many people get stuck talking about ideas, because the ideas themselves are so alluring. Ideas are like affection, execution is like childbirth. The land of ideas is pure from messy realities. People talk about ideas to share the excitement they feel about it, the mutual basking of an idea provides an instant gratification and for most people, this is enough. But ideas are not seeking a spokesperson. Ideas deeply desire to be created, just as much as you deeply desire to be involved with its creation.

If the idea gifts you with its presence but you do not fulfill the labor or share with anyone, it will torment you. You will pay. You grow rigid and dissatisfied with your current world for the debt you have not paid for your fantasy; your expectations for people become distorted with residual resentment. You will avoid your responsibilities. You will over-promise and under deliver. You will dislike and lose faith in yourself. You will feel alone and you will make yourself alone. If you do not execute the idea, the idea will make you tell someone who will, just so you can claim some sort of stake in its existence.

If you embark on the manifestation of the idea, you will come in contact with those who share the same ideas as you, or will challenge your idea, which strengthen or alters them. We are all vessels for ideas, meant to intersect to shape, sharpen and improve another, to bring forth better ideas. You will inspire all who bear witness to you. You will feel in control of your life. You will trust yourself and attract people you trust. You will be productive in a direction that is gratifying and beneficial to the universe. You will feel aligned with your desires. You will consistently energized, and alive with excitement. You will be a beacon of light.

1

Since ideas belong to no one, it is impossible to steal an idea. We mimic or we channel. Stealing an idea is a false concept because ideas are contagious. Ideas choose their best possible vessel, but if the vessel does not execute, the idea will find a way to express itself through someone else. People who have many great ideas often consult others, spreading their greater idea and vision to others who will execute it in their own way. Visionaries are those who manage to shape their fantasy world and manipulate time, space and effort to intersect the dimensions of desire and existence. The nature of ideas follows momentum: the more ideas you have, the more ideas you get, and so forth. The more you cast the net of your subconscious into the infinite world of possibilities, the larger your net gets and the more you know how to eliminate the unnecessary. Ideas are like water that gets used and purified over and over again, changing forms. You can never run out of ideas, and clutching onto ideas is useless. Weak ideas become less relevant as time goes by, since the conditions in which the idea came, constantly evolve. Ideas can be good one month and terrible the next, or the month before. To manifest is to date time, and your chance eventually runs out. Let ideas go. They are supposed to. Better ones come. Great creative careers are built upon a long, consistent stream of new ideas, and occasional bad ones that everyone eventually forgets about. The word “epic” really means “a long story”. This is the true definition of “epic”.

The best ideas are repeated, replicated, reproduced over and over until they become a part of culture. This is what is meant by the old adage “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” Culture is created through repetition, and repetition is created rampant approval. Ideas find their way into the world one way or another, and their success is measured on its impact. Some ideas may have a great impact on a few people, some may have a minor impact on a mass population, few have a great impact on a great number of people, but ideas find their way. The highest function of an idea is to get as many people to repeat it as possible. Ideas only want to exist through people. The more people share an idea, the more powerful it becomes. If a person is to devote their life to channeling ideas, they must be disciplined in refining themselves as if their existence were a divine tool, because it is. They must inform, train, polish and nurture themselves. Every potential idea recipient is equipped with their unique technique, their executional thumbprint that is sculpted through countless hours of repetition and focus. To create is to court the world of ideas, to intimately receive its vital parts and rigorously improve yourself to execute it the best way possible.

fulfillment

The world is constantly pulsating with idea, ideas are the source of all. You start off as an idea with capabilities to channel other ideas. To create is to surrender to the world of ideas and sacrifice your surrounding reality to make shape to the idea. Idea gives shape to us and we give shape to idea.

About the Author:

Mreeuh Chang

Mreeuh Chang is a 24 year old tattooer, painter, children’s book author and illustrator. A multi-faceted and extreme personality seeking universality, her work blends the foreign and familiar, ancient and modern, imagination and intellect.

 

11 Sep 2015
Comments: 0

How To Be Spiritual In A Material World – 7 Simple Practices to Enhance Your Spiritual Life

are you really here

 

How To Be Spiritual In A Material World

7 Simple Practices to Enhance Your Spiritual Life 

1. Be Present, Be Mindful
2. Work With Your Energy, Mind/Body
3. Stimulate Your Pineal Gland
4. Practice Daily Meditation
5. Become More In Tune With Nature
6. Learn To Lucid Dream & Astral Project
7. Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People

Greeting Spiritual Seekers! This article is not meant to be an all encompassing guide for you to structure your spiritual life around. Rather, it is a resource you can use to quickly implement some of the foundational ideas that will help foster a well-rounded spiritual life. This guide is brief to prevent over complication and to focus your attention to the simple ideas you can implement into your life. You may not be able to master all 7 techniques discussed, but you should be able to digest and implement at least a couple of the ideas.

Be Present, Be Mindful

mindfulness_poster_UK

It’s important to have goals and ambitions. In fact, success in life requires them, but life isn’t only about getting to the next checkpoint. The demands of our daily schedules leave us preoccupied with future deadlines, situations, goals and fears. We worry about getting to work on time, getting the promotion, getting new business, making ends meet, and any one of a potential litany of vexations . Life can be hectic and complicated but if we can learn how to take time and slow it down we will be able to enjoy a much less stressful and more pleasurable journey. And you don’t have to bend the laws of physics to do it.

When you stop multi-tasking and purposely focus your normally scattered attention on only the present moment and focus on it, without judgment, you are being “mindful”. A key element of happiness is mindfulness because it supports many attitudes that contribute to a happier life. When you are mindful, you can savor the pleasures of life’s experiences as they unfold which helps you become more engaged in activities and create a greater capacity to deal with stressful situations.

People who are mindful find that they are less likely to get worried about the future or regret the past. They are less preoccupied with concerns about self- esteem or being successful and are better at forming deep connections with others. Mindful people can still have goals and prepare for the future, but they can also absorb the very moment that they are living in day to day.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness, but the goal of the following mindfulness techniques are to achieve a state of awareness and focused relaxation by intentionally focusing on thoughts and sensations without judgment. This means to be a witness to your thoughts, emotions and sensations without interacting with them, without labeling them as good or bad, as helpful or destructive, without placing them into any categories. It means to observe and acknowledge, but not attach any emotion to what you see. This non-judgemental observation will train the mind to focus on the present moment in full without emotional distraction. As your mindfulness techniques evolve, they will actually become a form of meditation for you.

One exercise you can use is to sit quietly for 3 minutes and focus only on your breathing or silently repeat a mantra. As you do this, allow your thoughts to come and go while repeating your mantra of choice.

You can also focus on your body awareness by noticing subtle body sensations such as tingling, itching, heat, heartbeat, stomach movement, etc, while observing all the parts of your body in succession from top to bottom.

While becoming aware of the sensory input coming from your surroundings, silently in your mind name the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and touches you come across as you encounter them. Focusing on your senses for even 60 seconds brings you completely and fully into the Now. You can also do this with your emotions, naming them as they come and go; joy, frustration, anger, sorrow. Accept that these emotions are present, observe and acknowledge them without judgement and let them pass through. When you come across an addictive urge, or negative emotion, pay attention and be mindful of it, then let it go. Observe the way your body feels as the craving enters and disappears. You can make it go away faster by replacing the craving with the thought of it going away. Having trust and faith that the craving or negative emotion will pass, will help facilitate its actual passing.

Below is a great video by Alan Watts that eloquently sums up what it means to be present.

 

Work With Your Energy – Mind/Body

tai-chi woman

Another aspect of spiritual practice is to appreciate and enjoy not only being mentally present, but physically and energetically present. It helps tremendously if we allow ourselves to really feel the joy of being fully physically present, which is vital to a strong spiritual practice.

Many holistic activities can help you become more in tune with your energy. Physical activities and subtle exercises you can do that will help you work with your energy with mind-body activities such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, Acupressure, Reiki, Shiatsu or Reflexology, not only have preventative and healing qualities but they can facilitate a better environment for spiritual awareness. Your consciousness is temporarily housed in your body and if you treat your body well, (not just by eating healthy) via holistic practices such as those mentioned above you will have a stronger connection to the infinite.

Begin to see yoga, tai chi, qigong, or any other mind-body movement class as a vehicle to spirituality, not just a physical routine or an exercise. Incorporate movement into your own spiritual practice, even if it means doing a walking meditation every day along your favorite path. By setting an intention as you begin any of these types of practices, you’ll give your movement focus, changing the nature of the activity and gain a greater sense of connectedness and joy. When experiencing something such as Reiki where you are not moving and someone else is touching you, set an intention of what you want to be brought closer to and what you want to release.

Yoga for instance, unifies the mind, body, and spirit to work together. The word Yoga literally means “joined together”. A Yogi is someone who strives to unify all these life elements together to discover his/her fullest potentials, helping you to commune deeply with the infinite inside you.

Creating a practice of yoga will enable you to develop a strong energetic center, a resource to bounce back when you feel exhausted by life. It will give you a tool to help concentrate your energy toward your center, your foundation for living.

“You’re the Center and Your Always Free, In Every Direction” – Junip

Steady practice of a mind-body activity will allow you to master your inner alchemy. One can anticipate a feeling of deep centering of the soul and uninterrupted flowing of energy/prana. These are enlightening experiences that get better with practice and instill a blissful sense of peace.

Qigong and Tai Chi are useful on the spiritual level because the ultimate aim of Taoism is alchemical transformation of the mind, body, and spirit unifying the soul with the Tao. The energy of your thoughts and emotions are better understood when you are able to better feel the energy of your body, which leads to a more thorough understanding of your spirit energy.

The mind and body are laboratories of individual consciousness, which through QiGong and Tai Chi is continually refined to achieve ultimate health. In Taoist tradition, a healthy body and longevity is regarded as the foundation for spiritual realization. The longer one lives in health and wellbeing, the greater the potential for spiritual realization in their lifetime. Taoist view the body as an un-ignorable part of ourselves that we must refine and bring into the collective mind, body and spirit.

Whether it’s Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation, Reiki, Reflexology, Martial Arts, Yoga or some other form of mind-body practice, you can really connect with yourself when you participate in these practices. They can make us feel more calm, invigorated and clear headed with a sense of renewal. These ageless mind body traditions help us on multiple levels.

Stimulate Your Pineal Gland

3rd eye

Many spiritual teachers like to refer to the pineal gland as the third eye, inner eye, all-seeing eye, spiritual eye, or mind’s eye. They often encourage us to strengthen the functions of our pineal gland, because this gland allows us to access healing energies that contain high frequency.

In spirituality it is believed that when the third eye is activated and functioning properly, it allows us to encounter more ethereal experiences, sensing what is beyond the physical realm.

The next time you go to bed, focus your awareness towards your third eye right before you start dozing off. Concentrated attention on it will stimulate it, helping it to “open”. By concentrating on this area as you fall asleep, you are stimulating the gland as your brain enters stage 1 non-rapid eye movement sleep, which is the in between stage of wakefulness and sleep. This is an important time because it is when our brains are operating in Alpha and Theta waves, the most powerful state for manifestation. Those who practice meditation, or deep prayerfulness, often “hang out” in Alpha. It’s a deeply restful place full of contentment as well as being the fertile garden bed where you plant seeds of change.

Another good time to activate your third eye is right after you wake up. Instead of getting out of bed, lie still and focus your awareness towards the center of your brain, the house of your third eye ,with the intention of opening it. Sound and light are both powerful activators of the pineal. Try making the sound ‘nnnnnnn’ while covering your ears. Move into the sound ‘mmmmmm’. Alternate back and forth between these two which will put a light, vibratory wave through your pineal, activating it.

You can also try a meditation visualizing a beam of light. Visualize sending beams of light to the following locations in order: forhead, back of the head, left temple, right temple, strait up through the top and the strait down your spine. Remember to breathe. The “ocean breath” is a wonderful tool of relaxation and can increase your levels of meditation immensely.

Ocean breath, or Ujjayi Pranayama, gives any practice extra power and focus.

1. Inhale and exhale deeply through the mouth.

2. On the exhales, begin to tighten the back of the throat, slightly constricting the passage of air. Emit a Haah sound as if you are fogging up a pair of glasses.

3. Once you are comfortable with the exhale, begin to apply the same toning of the throat to the inhales. This is where the name of the breath comes from: it sounds like the ocean.

4. When you are able to control the throat on both the inhale and the exhale, close the mouth and begin breathing through the nose. Continue applying the same toning to the throat that you did when the mouth was open. The breath will still make a loud noise coming in and out of the nose. This is Ujjayi breath.

The more you practice using your pineal gland to experience beyond the material world, the stronger it will become.

It is also important to physically take care of your pineal gland by watching the food you eat. Below is a list of 6 additional things you can do to help open and decalcify your third eye.

1. Balance Your PH Levels. Eat more green leafy vegetables, and start juicing to bring your body toward a proper pH balance. Other good superfoods include chlorella, spirulina, sea moss, and wheatgrass. An Acidic body chemistry is not healthy for the pineal gland. Heavy meat intake can create an acidic environment for you body. You don’t have to stop eating meat, especially if you are on the Paleo diet, but make an effort to add a lot more vegetables to your diet to balance the acidity of the meat.

2. Drink alkaline or distilled water. Alkaline water helps balance the body’s pH,which is usually acidic because of our high acid food diet, stress and exposure to environmental toxins.

Distilled water removes heavy toxins and metals out of the human body which can effect the function of the pineal gland.

3. Avoid fluoride & Chlorine. Fluoride is toxic to the human system and one of the main contributors to pineal gland calcification. You should be using non-fluoride toothpaste. Avoid swimming in pools that use chlorine.

4. Practice Sun Gazing. The pineal gland is crystal like and reacts very well to the sun. The safest time to look at the sun is when it is rising or setting. The amount of natural sunlight that enters your eyes and pineal gland is tremendously beneficial for the pineal gland and it’s decalcification. You can do this daily for 2-5 minutes. If you can wake up early enough try doing it in the morning and evening to get the full benefit from it.

5. Be Mindful of Your Thoughts. Try to keep a positive outlook on life and yourself. Your thoughts are powerful and having a strong mental attitude and belief in yourself and your locust of control will help you develop your pineal gland. Your thoughts are powerful!

6. Use herbs. Herbs like mugwort, wood betony, worm wood tea, and gotu kola have very good healing properties for the pineal gland. Worm wood, in particular, is one that is good at inducing lucid and vivid dreams.

Practice Daily Meditation

office meditation

The goal of any meditation technique is to bring us closer to the infinite where we can listen to and align ourselves with it’s vibration. Our consciousness can be raised above the physical senses into the higher states of awareness. Meditation is about simply being, not seeking any desire, purifying the body through the emptying process. Once we remove our desires and basic lower animal drives, we can then begin to fill ourselves with the infinite.

Meditation is a process that involves the ability to get beyond our thoughts. When you meditate you are doing 2 things, observing the mind’s distractions which are thoughts, worries, feelings and you are also focusing your attention on the practice of meditation and being thoughtless. Don’t let the process become a struggle. When coming across a thought, gently redirect your focus. When our minds do not cooperate with this process, don’t condemn yourself or feel frustrated, just give yourself some time to get used to refocusing the mind.

An ideal form of this process is the repeated gentle and persistent returning of the attention to the act of contemplation. Some practitioners urge that you focus on nothing, or emptiness. Others urge that you should focus on breathing, light, mantras, or your heart beat. Do which ever works for you. Many who have a problem with focus and restlessness find that when focusing on one particular thing like their breathing, or heartbeat, they get better results.

Try meditating for at least 5 minutes a day, preferably in the morning or before you sleep. Start small and work your way up by increasing the duration daily. It is easier to practice for a short time every day than to try to practice for long periods of time with less frequency.

The demands of worklife and moving up the ladder of success create duality of personality. The person you are at home with your family or with friends is not who you are at work. Through meditation we can balance ourselves and bring more clarity and peace of mind into our busy worklife. Your authentic self is the person you will now take to work with a more calm and in control approach to handling challenges.

The simplest and easiest form of meditation is simply focusing on the breath.

“It’s a gentle thing, the breath: it fills you, then leaves softly, all without you noticing.” When you meditate, your breathe is the only thing you should notice. If your mind wanders, and it most always will, just pay deeper attention to the breath. Feel your chest rise and fall, your shoulders, if they move. Feel the chair under you, the position of your legs. As you notice these things, you are completely in the Now again. And right Now, everything is *always* okay. If anxiety or tension return, know that they are temporary, as all thoughts and emotions are. Acknowledge them, don’t judge them, and let them pass.. like waves flowing over you in the ocean. As you return to breath.. tensions melt.

Feel the gratitude as the moments between the waves teach us most.

This great little 90 second video is one that you can breathe along with and obtain powerful benefits from:

 

Become More In Tune With Nature

Most of us live in cities and although convenient and accessible, the stress and busy elements of the city can be draining. You don’t have to move to a rural location but take time to surround yourself with nature from time to time. Take time to hike, walk in nature, take your shoes off and feel the grass under your bare feet, meditate in the woods, be present in whatever form of wilderness you have access.

Our current culture has lost the sense of connection to nature. Before technology separated us from the wilderness we were a part of the heartbeat of the earth and in tune with our natural environment. Technology, an amazing gift – yet still a curse – has cut the umbilical cord that connected us to mother earth.

There are practical and fundamental skills that appeal to all of us when we learn to connect with nature once again. These range from studying natural medicine, natural navigation, foraging, tracking, creating art, building and much more. We can learn to see the natural world properly through these skill sets. The satisfaction that these engagements bring lead to greater appreciation for time and the power of our senses. Connecting with nature can be life changing and will make you view your previous life as one-dimensional.

For most of us living in urban settings, a deep understanding of nature is no longer as vital to our physical survival as it once was, but what it is most definitely vital to, is our spiritual survival. The side effect is a loss of our connection to the rhythm to the earth. Understanding the cycles of nature, our relationship to it, and conflicts the lack of our connection are causing will enable us to gain a better appreciation of the world and perhaps, even give us a chance to save it, and ourselves.

Being present in nature cultivates both a sense of mystery of and sense of gratitude for the natural world. It brings about a feeling of awe. When a strong vibratory harmony is found between man and earth, a profound experience of transcendence happens. People who regularly engage in nature activates not only appreciate natures beauty but become deeply aware of a power greater than themselves. Inner peace is fostered by placing yourself in nature’s presence and it is both a humbling and healing experience that will teach you innumerable life lessons.

Some recommended books to help you along the path of forging a relationship with nature are:

Nature as Teacher & Healer by James Swan
Wild Communion by Ruth Baetz
How to connect with Nature by Tristan Gooley
The Wild Within by Paul Rezendes.

You can try the following exercises next time you visit a place of nature. Doing something as simple as standing still and breathing deeply, meditating, or loosely moving your body with warm up exercises can help you connect with your body while in a natural environment. Further explore with your senses the smell, sounds, feeling and taste (where appropriate) of nature. Don’t worry if you live in the city. A park will work, a garden. Anywhere you can have even a small space to experience the life of planet Earth with your senses. Find a special place in that resonates with you and spend more time there. Take a notepad and pen and write down how you feel, document it with pictures (I know that’s a form of technology but we can make an exception in this case).

 

Learn How To Astral Project

astral projection

“As long as there is breath in my body..
I will never ever cease to be a seeker after truth.”

Have you ever been dreaming and then suddenly you became aware that you were, in fact, dreaming? When the dreamer is consciously aware that they are dreaming, this is called Lucid Dreaming.

“Lucid dreaming is a state of consciousness where the dreamers are fully aware that they are asleep, and that what they are experiencing is a state of reality completely manufactured by the dreaming mind. At its best, lucid dreaming is a completely conscious state of mind where the doors to the conscious and unconscious minds are fully open to each other — available for exploration, examination and to be fearlessly embraced.”

As you hone your practice of being in the present moment and noticing your surroundings as we’ve been talking about this entire article, your ability to ward of sidetracking thoughts becomes stronger and stronger. The number one concept that spiritual teachers from wisdom traditions from every part of the world and from every time period all talk about is the importance of truly BEing in the present moment, with no worry about the past and no anxiety about a hypothetical future. This is the very foundation of lucid dreaming. Being aware of the present moment with more than just the physical body, more than with the conscious mind.. but with the higher self as well. Mind, Body and Soul.

There are many spiritual benefits to lucid dreaming. It is another direct path to becoming more enlightened, it enhances creativity, helps you acheive greater self- confidence and awareness, garners a stronger sense of self-control, it improves memory, creates higher energy levels, you’ll be better able to face your fears, have fewer nightmares, obtain more restful sleep and even solve some of your life’s challenges.

Lucid dreaming shows us that the world we know is still only a construct of our minds. When we are able to grasp this concept we realize that there are many fewer obsticles in our way. It is one of the greatest stepping stones into transcendence and spiritual ascension.

“Lucid dreaming is a skill that anyone can develop with motivation and effort. The enjoyment and benefits are well worth it. What could you do with the third of your life that is spent sleeping? How could you use it to benefit the other two-thirds? Through lucidity the line between the dream world and the waking world begins to blur, providing unique opportunities to interact consciously with your subconscious mind.”

Here are some tips on simple ways to enter the world of lucid dreaming.

  1. Try to remember all your dreams by playing them back in your mind as soon as you reach the first moments of consciousness.
  2. Keep a dream journal. Write down as many details about your dreams as you can remember. Even if it’s just key words, places, colors, sounds, smells or feelings you can recall.
  3. When dreaming, attempt to ask yourself, “am I dreaming” so you can begin to break through the barrier of the awake/asleep mind.
  4. Attempt to return to your dreams if you wake up in the night. Consciously try to stay in that state without coming completely back to waking reality.
  5. Practice, practice, practice. The more regular you are in your practice, the better you’ll become and the longer the effects will last.

“Lucid dreaming has considerable potential for promoting personal growth and self-development, enhancing self-confidence, improving mental and physical health, facilitating creative problem solving and helping you to progress on the path to self-mastery.” ~Stephen LaBerge

Mastering the art of lucid dreaming comes with a great side effect, opening the gateway into astral projection. You learn how to wake your mind up while keeping your body asleep, which is a skill you need for conscious astral projection. In order to separate out your consciousness from its shell (your body) you need to learn how to move your consciousness out of your body.

Astral projection tends to be an advanced concept for most people and requires a lot of practice, although there are some people who seem to have been born with the gift and have always been able to project with ease. Learning how to astral project will leave you with a greater awareness of reality. It provides a unique experience of our ability to exist outside of our physical body. Realization that we are more than physical beings opens new levels of personal development. Once we consciously access and explore our nonphysical self, we can unlock deeper knowledge of our subconscious mind and harness our ability to explore reality much more deeply. Your conscious potential is dramatically expanded beyond all current concepts and comprehension.

Fear of death is noticeably reduced when we experience ourselves consciously separated from our physical bodies. Once you separate from your body, you will be assured that you still exist, therefore eliminating the fear of the unknown, the fear of death.

You will begin to look at yourself as a soul temporarily possessing a physical body. Unproductive habits will be easier to break free from once your perspective of yourself and your limited time in this physical dimension shifts. Experiencing yourself outside of your physical body can provide you with a more enlightened perspective of your own existence and meaning of your life. New levels of personal growth are fostered by the expansive vision of yourself.

We as humans have always had questions about our existence. What is our purpose? Is there life after death? What are we? What exactly is reality? Deeper insight to these questions can be sought out through our astral projection experiences.

There is a certain excitement that reaches deep into every core of your being when you have an out of body experience. Deep down we realize that we have become the ultimate explorers and life itself becomes a more vivid journey.

There are a plethora of resources for those who wish to explore more deeply. “Journeys Out of the Body” by Robert Monroe and “Astral Travel for Beginners: Transcend Time and Space with Out-of-Body Experiences” by Richard Webster are just a couple of examples.

 

 

Surround Yourself With Others

On The Same Path and Vibration As You


taking a walk

 

“Lately I’ve been feeling isolated. I have a very spiritual way of thinking. I’m in the process of awakening myself, however, I’m being distracted by the people around me and my current living situation. I’m in need of people who are also spiritual and who’s thoughts are similar to mine. I want to be around people physically like that. I want a friend who I can spend my time with, share spiritual thoughts with each other, meditate with. Just someone who shares the same ideas as I do. I need a spiritual friend.”

Have you ever felt like your consciousness level is higher than the company you keep? Have you ever felt somewhat alone as a result of this? People have many different views and opinions but being spiritually alone in this world can often feel like you are the only one who cares about the deeper meaning and mysteries of life while everyone else around you is absorbed in the superficial.

When you find other people in your life who are on the same path as you, it feels like a breath of fresh air. The world feels more real to you and you don’t feel so alone anymore. It is also an amazing opportunity to grow as an exchange of wisdom and understanding will take place the more you interact with people who are on your path.

It doesn’t mean you got to cut everyone who is not like you off, but you are who you surround yourself with, and the more you associate with people who can accelerate your journey, the more you can develop as a person.

Life is an exchange of information and feedback. Our environment is constantly giving us feedback and shaping us into who we are becoming. Putting yourself in an environment where you are connected with people who seek the same things as you will continue to shape and define who you are spiritually. Like-minded people support and inspire you to push yourself beyond your previously-known limits. I don’t advocate living in a bubble and only associating with people who are exactly like you. I do however, strongly support nurturing friendships with people of similar interests to advance your involvements and understanding of those interests. So much of what I have learned on my journey was through other people. Coming across information and experiences that they shared with me.

“Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe”

You are more likely to become like the people you associate yourself with. If you want to expand your consciousness, it is important that you let the right people into your life who are on a similar journey as you. You and your friends will benefit and learn from each other, pulling you higher up the ladder towards spiritual ascension.

Keeping an awareness of these practices can help you move into resonance with the infinite. There spiritual path is much more complex and never ending but these 7 practices should be enough to move you into a deeper space within and expand your conscious potential. Consistently applying these practices into your daily life will bring growth in your personal development. We hope you found value in this.

If this guide was helpful to you, subscribe to our newsletter below to stay in the loop

About the Authors:

Ascension Lifestyle Staff Writer John Baran
10592765_10152581614411877_2874552490605604561_n

http://www.JTwiz.com
http://twitter.com/JTwiz

Ascension Lifestyle Staff Writer Genevieve Elena

dATnIHz6

http://www.originseducation.com
http://www.twitter.com/phenomenality
http://instagram.com/therealphenomenality

 

05 Sep 2015
Comments: 0

Overcoming Fear of Major Life Changes

consciousness-expanding-documentaries

When we are kids we start off with a fearless spirit. Un-jaded and un-molded by the current curriculum of our society. As we grow up our conditioning forces us to think within the confines dictated by our parents, religion, school, society, etc. By the time we are adults we become influenced by F.E.A.R (false evidence appearing real). Essentially what this means is that it is all taking place within our minds. Of course there are some fears that are legit and trigger a fight or flight response such as moving out of the way of speeding car. That is a legit fear, but fear based on something that might not happen, or could happen but won’t harm you in any significant way is the type of fear that keeps us within our boundaries. It’s the fear that puts us in our place and creates regret down the road. When you release this fear, life truly begins at the edge of your comfort zone.

What can help you along your journey is to observe several basic areas.

Number one is total commitment. Many times we are not fully committed in what we are doing therefore we have a lot of fear about the outcome of an endeavor we weren’t fully indulged in to begin with. We are often distracted and pulled away from our goals. The less committed we are, the less we are driven and dedicated to making it work. How much time do you commit EVERY DAY to your aspirations or new direction in life? Are you fearful of it not working out even though you have failed to allocate significant time to nurture it.?

The next one appropriately follows the previous, and that is: repetition. Doing the same thing over and over again can make us fearless. This may sound like obsessive compulsion but to be more specific I am referring to repetition of positive habits that lead toward your goals and whatever makes you happy. You must become obsessed with positive actions that bring you closer to where you want to be. As you begin to do that you will begin to brainwash yourself (in a good way) into thinking you can accomplish what you set out to do. You will see obstacles in a different way, rather then becoming fearful of them.

Many people work in jobs they hate, but changing their career is fearful because it will create too many uncertainties. It is logical to worry about how the bills will get paid, mortgage, car payments, etc. It’s perfectly normal to be concerned with all that. People however can become so disabled by the thought of this that they cease to take action toward changing their life. Instead they settle for what is certain and avoid pursuing what is seemingly uncertain. Jordan Belfort once said “The only thing stopping you from achieving your goals is the bullshit excuse you keep telling yourself”

‘Neuroplasticity’ is a great book by the psychiatrist Norman Doidge in which he talks about the brain that changes itself. When this happens one builds a new circuitry within the brain. New neural networks are built that are more aligned with the actions you take to create change in your life, such as thinking a certain way, doing a particular habit everyday, perspective and paradigm shifts, etc. Change can be daunting but it only takes less than 30 days to create a new Neuro pathway within the brain to form a new habit. This helps us to become fearless in letting go of whatever no longer serves us.

There is also a holistic approach to this as well. With regard to the foods we eat. There are a lot of beautiful high frequency plant based foods that boost our energy and can effect our emotional state of mind when consumed. When eating a lot of processed food or non organic meat it messes with the biochemistry within our body, disrupting and unbalancing the equilibrium, bringing us to a lower vibration.

Asparagus is a mood enhancing food which boost stress relieving folic acid. Blueberries and oranges contain a high amount of vitamin C which helps reduce blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. Avocados are rich in stress relieving B vitamins and they are high in monosaturated fat and potassium which lowers blood pressure. Almonds are rich in B2 and E vitamins which boost immune system and lower blood pressure with monosaturated fat and potassium. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps keep cortisol and adrenaline from spiking when you’re feeling tense. Spinach is packed with magnesium, the mineral that helps regulate cortisol levels and promotes feelings of wellbeing. Thick cut or steel cut oatmeal is good for inducing serotonin levels which help keep you calm.

We also have to look at self confidence, not caring what other people think, which is the greatest form of self love. We have to have self confidence in order for us to follow our true calling. We are programmed for acceptance. Its ok to want to be accepted but we must not let it dictate all of our choices in life. Don’t be afraid to be the rogue star in the galaxy. Break out of the sheep mentality and follow your true calling. Average might keep you cozy at night but it may not fulfill you in the long run. You may get push back from your friends, family, and anyone else with influence in your life. I’m sure most of them mean well when they tell you not to take your desired course of action, but they are likely unaware or do not see how this will benefit you much more than the current path that you and everyone else in their world is on. We don’t have to compare ourselves but rather plunge ourselves into the moment. Just do it. Take Calculated risks, but as Wayne Gretzky said, you will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

According to speaker Brian Tracy, the greatest obstacle to success in adult life is the fear of failure. He says, “Taken to its extreme, we become totally pre-occupied with not making a mistake and seeking security above all other considerations.”

He says more than 99% of adults experience fear of failure, and that the solution to fear is the development of courage and self-esteem. The opposite of fear is actually self-love and self-respect. “Acting with courage in a fearful situation is simply a technique that boosts our regard for ourselves to such a degree that our fears subside and lose their ability to affect our behavior and our decisions,” says Tracy.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “People who are good at making excuses are seldom good at anything else.” As harsh as it may sound, if you want to get something done, you find a way to do it. Remove obstacles that do not serve you and move in the direction that does. Don’t make excuses to make yourself feel cozy with your inaction. Success loves speed. If you want to accomplish something, you got to get to work.

Live in the present moment and realize that all the power lies within you. The real magic is you taking action and not languishing in fear.

Sometimes we have to take the path that others won’t walk.

Leave a Comment!

You must be logged in to post a comment.