Experience Emotional Release

As the ancient seers observed, while pain is unavoidable, suffering, which is the pain that we hold onto, is optional. The following process will help you release every kind of emotion by connecting directly to the sensations in your body:

Take a few deep breaths, sit quietly, and feel the sensations in your body. You might feel tightness in your chest, stiffness in your neck, or some other manifestation of the upsetting emotion.

Feel the sensation without judging it. Just sit with the sensation.

Allow any feelings, thoughts or energies that arise. You may hear the voices of anxiety, anger, fear, or regret. Let the voices say what they want to say, and listen with compassion.

Feel the energy of the emotion dispersing, without demanding a total release. Your body will let go of as much stored energy as it can at this time.

In a few hours or the next day, repeat the process. You will begin to feel a sense of lightness and wellbeing as you release and free your heart.

Who Are You Really?

There are different belief systems attached to the origin of man, most of them irregular while others are just plain inaccurate. Adhering to the policies of others often leaves one pondering aimlessly through a maze of definitions that fall short on an internal soul level.

The power of spirit is most often defined outside the self, painting a picture of omnipotent energy that an individual in human form should worship for bits of understanding and favor so that they may come to heaven profoundly.

While all of this may give comfort to younger souls, the more evolved ones find themselves at a loss for a real defined moment of accurate information.

The real test of humanity begins in the realization that God or the energy of creation is not an outside influence but rather a pulse of energy that resides in every soul, including you.

The magic of creation at any level begins in the thought process in everyone of the universe's beings.

The key to realization begins slowly. Your thoughts are experience and evolution waiting to occur both linearly and eternally. God does not exist outside of our current form. The energy exists in the hearts of all of you waiting patiently to manifest through your thoughts.

Worship is irrelevant.

Embracing the energy is more conducive to transcending to a higher place of understanding.

So, if your belief system includes a God why not blend completely and be a miracle instead of expecting one?"

On Intuition

Intuition is the discriminative faculty that enables you to decide which of two lines of reasoning is right. Perfect intuition makes you a master of all knowledge. Your will and intuition should go hand in hand. A person with a strong will usually has an active intuitional power. You should develop the latent intuitive faculty; it can grow only through meditation. Do not make unimportant things important, nor concentrate on trifles at the expense of vital matters, or you will hamper your progress. Impulsive actions that are not in keeping with one's real duties are undesirable. Let soul intuition guide your thinking, and then proceed confidently in any undertaking. Paramahansa Yogananda Quote

On Thoughts of the Soul

The soul is the source of the perception of self as it navigates through physical. There are many definitions but the driving force of soul creation while in spirit and flesh is the thought process. Thus whatever moment you find yourself in has been created by you. Therefore the conditions around you have not created the situation. You have created the conditions that place you where you are. Blaming the conditions will only serve to heighten their existence.

Being physical is a pristine gift. Nowhere in the universe is the sense of touch as felt through the fingertips available. Realize that even though the purpose of life may elude you at present, there is an intent from the soul that may have been blurred + distorted through inappropriate choices.

Return to your thoughts.
Rediscover your original intent.
The rediscovery occurs while thinking through and beyond the dramas.
It is possible. First realize the beauty of your creation that is you.
Reconnect with the energy.
You have "thought" this experience before it began.

From the Desk of Lily Seymour

I have not written any personal letters to you in a long while and this I do apologize for. I have been so focused on building a Community which, in my deepest heart, I feel will truly bring us closer as a society of Oneness where we can all breathe together in Synchronicity.

As you probably realized, the majority of articles in this Blog are mostly from Spiritual Mentors, Teachers and Licensed Professionals in their field, placed here for the sole purpose of learning and growing together Spiritually, Emotionally and Mentally.

While it seems a lot of our Spiritual teachers have strayed away from sharing their wisdom and knowledge openly, preferably giving more interest and attention to the global crisis and recession which is the state of our economy today, we have had to fend for ourselves seeking knowledge wherever we could find, unless one is willing to go the traditional route of paying for books, lectures or retreats, but doesn’t that take away the purpose of having a Blog?

My goal has always been to help “Bridge the Gap” by creating an Alliance of oneness uniting us as a Community where we can all participate and grow together by sharing ideas, chatting and making friends with one another. The Chopra Community is a Social Networking site where this can be accomplished if we all become active participants sharing articles, ideas and experiencing Oneness together.

To experience Oneness, we are looking forward to having one Billion people breathing together in Synchronicity by 11/11/2012. I have made this pledge – have you? Begin by becoming an active participant in this Community and inviting others to join and participate as well.

Also, visit The Breathing Room and “Experience Oneness” with other like-minded individuals who have also made this pledge.

Light, Luster, Love!
Lily

On Strength of Mind

Life is a state of mind, whatever that state is, so goes your life. The events that take place in life don’t have the power to control your mind unless the mind buys stock in them, and scrolls out a personal dialogue, which entraps the witness. If the mind is unstable then life is unstable, if the mind is over or under compensating then life is compromised. A clear and stable mind which is in balance and uses pure reasoning without the egos biasness interfering, is the ideal way of reacting to the moment. However, the mind is usually in one mode of operation which is a constant state of working all the waking hours. There are different speeds and distortions available to all minds and typically they are uncontrollable by their host.

A strong mind can change the degree of intensity by dialing down the speed keeping the stress and strain to a minimum. This is due to the refocusing on something else or having attained the powerful skill of the silent mind. Gathering strength of mind allows one to direct the mind at will and eventually control its content and stability. This also helps you in becoming detached from the mind and body, by seeing it as separate attribute from your Self bringing you closer to God and realization.

A mind that practices strengthening techniques will gradually become peaceful and have more clarity in life enhancing good decision making. Most people think a smart mind is a strong mind when in reality intelligence is not a gauge for judging the stability of a strong mind. The mind needs to understand that there is another mode of operation that’s on the opposite end of its habitual nature, which is the silent witness. Working at achieving the silent mind of the pure witness is to give yourself and your mind a new and better workout goal, which is not too dissimilar from physical workouts. Mind directional techniques are used to keep the mind focused on a designated track and by a constant redirecting to that track strengthens it.

Meditation techniques use tools such as mantras, breath awareness, verses, sounds, questions, and visuals that all work towards softening the minds command. Spiritual contemplation works the best, so does personal topics of interest or even relationships can be used as a attention getter. Only good and positive thoughts or experiences should be cultivated and spirituality is the one track (thought) that has the ultimate cure for your body mind complex.

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

SUNDAY
The Law of Pure Potentiality
Take time to be silent, to just BE. Meditate for 30 minutes twice a day. Silently witness the intelligence within every living thing. Practice non-judgment.

MONDAY
The Law of Giving
Today, bring whoever you encounter a gift: a compliment or flower. Gratefully receive gifts. Keep wealth circulating by giving and receiving care, affection, appreciation and love.

TUESDAY
The Law of Karma
Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind. Choosing actions that bring happiness and success to others ensures the flow of happiness and success to you.

WEDNESDAY
The Law of Least Effort
Accept people, situations, and events as they occur. Take responsibility for your situation and for all events seen as problems. Relinquish the need to defend your point of view.

THURSDAY
The Law of Intention and Desire
Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment. Make a list of desires. Trust that when things don’t seem to go your way, there is a reason.

FRIDAY
The Law of Detachment
Allow yourself and others the freedom to be who they are. Do not force solutions—allow solutions to spontaneously emerge. Uncertainty is essential, and your path to freedom.

SATURDAY
The Law of Dharma
Seek your higher Self. Discover your unique talents. Ask yourself how you are best suited to serve humanity. Using your unique talents and serving others brings unlimited bliss and abundance.

On Remembrance

As you move from one experience to another the lessons that you learn or don't learn go with you. Those who would be in alignment with you during these moments will indeed encounter you again. Nothing is lost as one moves through the passages of life. Individuals who pulse in unison with your energy will indeed find you again.

In your culture there have been many descriptions of these encounters. Most of them inaccurate, some of them reminiscent of the cycle of life that is the truest. Evolution cannot be attained through one drama or experience. All sides of the equation are desired in the examination of an issue. Thus multiple lives are often necessary to align with the oneness of spirit.

There is a faint pulse of energy, just enough for most to have slight memory. It may encounter you as you go about your daily routine. Just a whisper that feels like something more. Remembrance. Though you may have been taught of singular opportunity, it is actually more than that. What a wonderful opportunity to get all the experience. You have many chances to get it right. Remembrance . The path is not a slight one. It is multifaceted with many inputs of information.

All that you have known, you will and do remember. Nothing is lost. You are a seed of god energy sent forth to know it all. Remembrance.

10 Signs of a Spiritual Awakening

Welcoming Transformation Within Yourself

The following list describes ten signs of spiritual awakening found in people who have chosen to conquer human limitations to reach the innate truth within.

1. Self Control By not depending on sense experiences or the default influence of past habits, one can exert true free will and experience the inherent happiness of the soul. Whereas the norm is to act based on what one is accustomed to doing rather than following one’s true wishes, a spiritually committed person throws out bad habits that offer temporary pleasure before ultimately bringing suffering and chooses the lasting satisfaction of the spirit found through self-control.

2. Humility A spiritual awakening is cultivated by the willingness to learn and show understanding, striving for the well-being of others and contributing to the environment by setting an admirable example without speaking of one’s greatness. Once one realizes that the self is something far beyond the body, that the soul is a microcosm of the greater Spirit, one acts with the intention of being a vessel for this benevolent force to express itself. Rather than taking credit for good actions from an egotistical perspective, it is possible to present successes as offerings to the divine aspect of the self, holding gratitude rather than pride for the attributes and achievements one is blessed with. When thoughts are centered on the welfare of others, truth manifests.

3. Selfless Unconditional Love Love is the driving attractive force that gives life and purpose to existence. Spiritual Master Sri Yukteswar said that ordinary love is selfish and based on personal desires and gratification, while divine love is boundless, changeless, and unconditional. Spiritually awakened beings live in harmony with nature and other people, loving equally all humanity and holding compassion indiscriminately regardless of creed, nationality, deed, or any other boundary. Love entails great freedom, but comes only when the mind is quiet and selfless. Only love, mercy and goodwill developing in each individual can bring peace and stability at both a personal and global scale.

4. Calmness and Concentration Spiritually-developed people have formed great powers of concentration to accomplish their goals. If one compares the true Self to the bottom of a lake, it is only visible when the ripples of thoughts have subsided and the water is tranquil. If the water is muddy or disturbed, the bottom cannot be seen. Events, memories, concerns, and desires all try to intrude ceaselessly throughout a person’s day. If thoughts are strongly attached to emotions, they are even more difficult to let go of. Concentration and meditation techniques train the mind to prevent restless thoughts from clouding and obstructing the experience of one’s true spiritual nature.

5. Non-attachment Part of spiritual awakening is mental freedom from possessions. By practicing non-attachment, one can enjoy things and perform material duties with a sense of service rather than of personal gain. The ego wants to cling to objects, ideas, youth, and other aspects of worldly experience; by letting go of these things gracefully when they have served their time, inner peace is strengthened.

6. Intuition Intuition is a resolute, unfailing source of wisdom and guidance to one who is receptive to its subtle advice. When one taps into this resource by surrender and daily meditation, one is able to hear and trust what the right course of action is to fulfill his or her best interests. Everyone has this quality and with increasing awakening and clarity, it becomes a fountain of growing insight and security.

7. Self-Knowledge Those committed to a spiritual path constantly examine themselves in order to make progress and implement necessary changes. Spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti asserts that without knowing who one really is, there is no starting point for right thought so there cannot be transformation. By being aware in each present moment of one’s thoughts, intentions, and desires, one can begin to chisel away unwanted personal qualities and give life to new traits that lead to triumph over oneself.

8. Discernment With increasing spiritual understanding comes the wisdom to know with certainty the right course of action and the resolve to let nothing stand in the way of upholding a choice. This does not imply stubbornness or impulsiveness, rather a state of self-awareness that consists of staying true to convictions while having the humility to admit when one is wrong.

9. Happiness Everyone strives to be happy. One becomes devoted to the spiritual path ultimately to find an unchanging peace and bliss that is elusive in material things.
Paramahansa Yogananda explains that one can never be truly and permanently happy until one seeks satisfaction in spiritual progress and avoids influences that inhibit this transformation. When it comes down to it, the absolute proof of spiritual awakening is real, unconditional, never-ending happiness.

10. Freedom In the end, one is individually responsible for his or her own habits, mistakes, and resolutions. Once the greater Self is found in the soul with devotion and faith, one attains freedom and life is truly beautiful. The Bhagavad Gita says, “Unattached to the sensory world, the yogi experiences the ever-new joy of Being. His soul engaged in the union with Spirit, he attains indestructible Bliss.”

Spiritual awakening is a major occurrence in the lives of people because it reveals a purpose for existence. To solve life’s labyrinth, to see the marvel in everyday experience, fulfill the soul’s craving for union, and ultimately find one’s way home is the true meaning of spiritual awakening.

On Having Courage

Have the courage and the heart, the centeredness, to follow your own path, to be who you are and love being who you are, no matter what things may befall upon your path ~ Always shine your light out into the world ~ you light is special ~ Never let anyone tell you otherwise ~ Never allow setbacks or even major betrayals to dampen your shining light and your being.

In life's journey you may encounter narrow paths blocked by avalanches, forks in the road shrouded in fog, deep valleys of darkness and bright sunny days in meadows of golden poppies ~ It is all a part of life And as you walk your path,other people will join you for a time: a dear friend, a lover, a spouse, children and parents ~ And then they may go away.

And through it all, the only constant is that you are you, that you have a core of truth within you and a path to walk, and if you allow your core of truth to tell you which fork in the road to take, if you allow that internal compass to tell you which mountain to climb, then you will do well indeed and have a fulfilling, interesting life. If you go chasing after others, trying to make things be other than how they naturally are, then you will find yourself suddenly awakening in a deep forest without knowing where to turn.

On Your Beautiful You!

You are beautiful. Right now. Today. Just as you are, just the way you look as you read those three words: You. Are. Beautiful. Say it slowly aloud, as if the phrase were a foreign language, for it probably is.

You are beautiful. Now say it in the first person singular. I am beautiful.

Do you know that? If so, remind yourself of this glorious fact every day. If not, it is time to become beautiful in your own eyes. This will require a makeover of sorts, but not the kind you think. Learning to love the way you look has nothing to do with starting a diet or reshaping your eyebrows. Accepting and embracing your authentic beauty means seeing yourself from the inside out. I love me, I love me not--I love me.

Beauty may only be skin deep, but there is nothing superficial about the complicated relationship that a woman has with her appearance. How you see yourself and how you think other people see you—your body image—is deeply connected to how you feel about yourself.

The effects of a negative body image can be devastating. If you don't like the way you look, you probably don't like the woman you are. And those feelings of worthlessness, self-consciousness, and inadequacy will insinuate their way into nearly every area of your life—into your friendships, your career, your romances, and, most importantly, your relationship with yourself.

A positive body image is equally powerful. It is not an instant solution to all of life's problems, but a starting point, a spark that can set off a fabulous chain reaction. Loving how you look when you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror or store window paves the path of self-love, and with that acceptance comes self-esteem, confidence, and authentic beauty, a radiance that glows from within. A beauty that is more than skin deep.

On Peace

This Article was taken From the June Issue of Namaste - The Chopra Center Online Newsletter

Today is a good day for war to come to an end. As we begin June 2008, an estimated 41 military conflicts are being fought around the world. In the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Conga, Burma, and elsewhere, the collective subconscious is erupting with rage and violence.

It’s a good day for all of these wars to come to an end. But is it possible? War has dominated human history for so long that it’s easy to believe that violence is an innate response and that warfare is inevitable. In truth, violence is not the essence of human nature. It is prevalent, yes, and it is innate. But so is the opposite of violence: love.

To end war, I believe at the core of my being that only a consciousness-based approach will work. You have to think of ending not just one conflict, and not just 41. We have to end the idea of war, which has become a habit of war. With increasingly deadly weaponry, the habit of war has brought us to a pivotal point for humanity’s future. Now, perhaps more than ever, we have reason to unite in peace. Put simply: war must end, or we will.

How can we overcome the habit of war? By overcoming hatred. How can we overcome hatred? By releasing love. How can we release love? By growing in consciousness, which means consideration, forgiveness, understanding . . . an awareness of our common being. And this applies to collective, social, family, and individual conflicts.

Peace can only be created by those who are peaceful
Societies get caught in the grip of their own national and tribal stories, which are limited, self-serving, based on the past, reinforced by orthodoxy, and therefore opposed to real change. Wars are fueled by these stories, which can be incredibly persuasive. A prime example is the story of victimization, used countless times to justify revenge and violence.

It is helpful to realize that we can choose not to participate in the story. It is also important not to try to change anyone’s story. We need to simply notice and observe ourselves when we start to buy into it, then back away from participating in it.

Keep in mind that engagement and detachment aren't opposites; the more engaged we become, the more detached we will have to be. Otherwise, we will lose ourselves in conflict, obsessiveness, anxiety over the future, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Realize that we are pioneers into the unknown, and uncertainty is our ally. When our minds crave closure and certainty, we need to remind ourselves that these are fictions.

The global shift in consciousness may not come easily, but it is possible. One person at a time, we can release the habit of war and find new ways to respond when we are very afraid or very angry. The way of peace has to become a new habit. And there is reason for optimism. Humanity has evolved to transcend many things that once seemed innate. We have learned to use reason triumphantly and have overcome many superstitions and diseases. We have deepened our understanding of nature, consciousness, and ourselves. These successes lead naturally to the next step, which is the realization that human beings have outgrown war and are ready for peace. Love, Deepak
Chick Here To Join Namaste!

On Emotions

Emotion is the shading, texture and color of an otherwise black + white experience in the physical. It is the explosive charge that ignites linear existence so that the impact is felt throughout all of your moments. We realize that some will argue that it can be a hindrance to the intellectual perspectives of certain essences. We honor that position but retain the ultimate importance it will have somewhere in your journey no matter what your current belief systems may be at this moment.

There have been conversations with those incarnate who may have a misunderstanding of the potential of emotion. This may have sprung from a chaotic past experience or simply from a lack of partaking thus far. Some essences are centered in emotion making their position more explosive in either a positive or negative fashion. We venture to state that from your perspective both ends of the poles can be beneficial in a well rounded physical experience. One life can be extremely positive while another the opposite in negativity. All sides of the coin are needed in a true perspective of emotion. Those centered thusly will whole heartedly agree.

Essences with a more intellectual perspective will choose to analyze emotion rather than experience it until they shape it into a more palatable perspective for themselves. So for example if you are less emotionally based than others in your current moment that does not mean that you will never experience it properly. The definition is left to your own creations. We simply state all will experience it in their own fashion, in their own time.

There are those who also observe all the facets of emotion from an outside perspective. It does not limit the intensity of their experience so the judgement of another emotional barometer is inappropriate. Again we repeat, it is the shading texture and color of a black + white physical experience. You are the artist who chooses the appropriate pallet for yourself. The brushes + canvases will be defined another day, another time.