meditation

beware of possibility thinking: how to leverage your manifestation ju-ju

I was at an event that kicked off with a group meditation.

(Before I tell you how it went down, allow me to say that I think you should approach all meditations guided by strangers with caution. I've been to many a gathering where someone wants to lead us down the golden path - and while their intentions are often good, they may not be filling your airwaves with the highest quality thought forms. Guided meditations are like eating at any restaurant - you need to take small bites until you're sure what you're consuming.)

Back to a certain guided meditation. "Close your eyes." (Uh huh.) "Deep breath." (Uh huh.) "See your dream before you." (Locked in on crystal clear.) "How does it look, sound, etc, ?" (Feels freaking suh-weet.) "Now," [insert New Age chimes and slightly evangelical tone...] "...know that your dream is POSSIBLE! ... And now, open your eyes."

Whu? THAT's IT?! I lean over to my girlfriend and say, "Possible?! Fuck that. My dream is a done deal." Snort. "Ditto," she snortled back in solidarity.

"Possible" can be magical. But magic has varying degrees of power. There's magic sprinkles, and then there's elixir potions, tonics of creation, galvanizing spells. Leave the sprinkles for cupcakes.

MO' EFFECTUAL DREAMING
You can't dream in images of possibility-maybe-could-be-perhaps and get manifestation traction. It's profoundly unrequited. Possibility can be a lot like purgatory. You just never quite get there, not even in your dreams.

Wizardry is about conjuring up an experience of DONE (not "maybe".) Succeeded. Achieved. Arrived. Pow!

Visualizing Possibility = striving, maybe, reach, stretch, hit or miss, up for interpretation, deliberation, incomplete, out there, the resounding feeling that there's still so much to do.

Visualizing Done = the sensation of satisfaction, a reason to celebrate, achievement that you can walk into it, serious calm, expectation you can wrap your head around, a vision that calls you to stand up straight and be your wisest.

But here's the coolest part about Visualizing Done: that image of success may have something to tell you - a few pointers about how it got made real. When you visual things as "done," you can walk around the vision and see what it has to say. The image of success can reveal how-to's and pathways to itself.

Here's how I do it: I see a myriad of Done Deals in my cosmic atmosphere. I get myself to that state of full-on assuming that what I desire already exists in some dimension, and I just need to step into it, or pluck it out of the ethers. Done. This gives me an incredible sense of calm, and a feeling that life really wants me to win.

And then I ask the done deal to tell me how it...got done. And I hear strategies. For example, I envision my next book as a New York Times bestseller. Done. (Maybe a bestseller? Possibly a bestseller? That feels shaky, not invigorating.) And when I see that bestseller in action, I get really fresh ideas about how to make it a bestseller. Pow. Practical. Invigorating.

Sometimes I see Done Deals and I sniff them out and decide it's not what I want after-all. Next. You're never obligated to a dream or a belief.

The business of affirmations and visualization is a mind game, of course.
Ante up.
Play to win.
Big deal.

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INTERVIEWS

I got a shout out in USA Today thanks to NetSetter, who interviewed me about starting businesses, collaboration and seeing opportunities. Click here to read the NetSetter interview.

 

hot songs: 3 angels to groove your way

It took me a long time to ask for help and not feel weak about it. I thought I needed to behave for God to deliver. I didn't want to ask too much of my cosmic board of advisors, lest I wear out my welcome.

I'm over it. I figure I have an astral tribe of cheerleaders and there's nothing they love more than helping me plot my course to pleasuredom. Maybe some of them are are bangin' funksters, or DaVinci himself. This is what I imagine the classic angelic ones sound like... These are great songs when you're high, low, or on the outside of any door.

 

best book of 2009: the unfolding now

What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature Through the Practice of Presence
by A.H. Almaas

A.H. Almaas is the creator of The Diamond Approach work, which Ken Wilber calls "a superb combination of some of the best of modern Western psychology with ancient (and spiritual) wisdom...probably the most balanced of the widely available spiritual psychologies/therapies."

The Unfolding Now book is like chamomile tea for the soul, made with purified water, with honey from sacred bees, served in a hand made Zen bowl. So simple and nourishing. It is a book of rare transmission that sparks one's deeply innate desire to be real.

We want to learn how we can be here in as real a way as possible: How can I be completely here and completely myself, or as completely as possible? How can my atoms, which are scattered, vibrating, and oscillating in some kind of frenzy, slow down, collect, and settle here as what I am?
- A.H. Almaas

The most delicious mix of questions I drank in all year.

 

time management with the monks

One mile south of Georgia O'Keefe's beloved Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, thirteen miles down a cliff-hugging dirt road in the heart of Chama Canyon, you will find Christ In The Desert. The Benedictine Monastery is cloister to about twenty monks. I'd fantasized about retreating to the remote monastery for about fifteen years. And when I finally made the white-knuckling drive to the end of the long road and saw that adobe-anchored cross kissing the sky, I felt ... Home.

The peace. The humility. The sheer devotion. Getting to Christ In The Desert was a pilgrimage that my cells thirsted for. It's worth mentioning here that I considered being a nun when I was about six years old. Then I learned what celibacy was and heard that there was a lot of cleaning involved in convent life, and I asked Jesus for his forgiveness because I just knew I wasn't going to make the cut. I decided I wanted my own variety show, like Cher. Religion, cabaret...it's all a kind of intense theater of passion.

I arrived just in time for prayer. The monks sing their prayers. Glorious Gregorian chants echoed against the baked clay walls. My heart swelled. Tho' the heavy sin-trip of the Psalm wasn't lost on me, I was swept away by the beauty of it all. And I so needed to be swept away. When the chants concluded and the monks filed out behind the tabernacle, I was able to be alone in the chapel for a long, sweet time. I thought about hope - which I have a very cantankerous relationship with. And I thought about priorities of the most divine kind. My priorities have been bumping against each other for a while now - clanking around and grinding down my heart. The focus of my trip was to put my so called priorities on the altar. Smash few. Polish some. Reorganize them to sync with my soul.

"Above all, prayer holds the first place in the monk's day and nothing must be preferred to this activity. Prayer involves coming into contact with divine life, in openness to the mystery of love which is written in our hearts." The monks are encouraged to stop their chores if they feel inspired to pray. The passion to pray comes before work and all other tasks. The Brothers pray seven times in day in collective chanting and in solitude. Seven times a day.

So many mornings I have chosen email over meditation. I let deadlines rank over a stretch or a cuddle or a glass of water swallowed slowly and appreciated. I override the call to feel myself - the call to pray, or meditate, or be fully awake. Prayer comes in all forms and each one spoken brings grace to the day.

Thank you. Yes. Have mercy. Keep them safe. How lovely. Courage, please. I love you.

Our hearts are the altars. Ours days, when lived awake, are another chance to know the joys of what matters most. Attend first to the divine and the work at hand becomes art.

Tune in tomorrow for Part II of my monastery adventures...

 

goddess feature: saraswati, rocking the creativity

Saraswati is my #1 Goddess. She rules what I dig most. I'm surprised she's not up there with Kali and Aphrodite in mass popularity. Saraswati is regarded as the Goddess of knowledge and the arts. She represents consciousness and wisdom, is regarded as the goddess of sound and speech, and is revered as the dispeller of chaos and confusion. As she is the wife of Brahma, she is also seen as the co-creator of the universe. Her name means ‘the flowing’ or ‘the beautiful one’. Yeah baby.

My Saraswati story...
Years ago in Santa Fe, my friend Navjit and I went to a gathering for Guru Karunamayi. New Mexico is to gurus what New York is to rock stars - they all pass through eventually. So catching a Hindi lecture on a Friday night and then heading to the club was par for the course.

So there we were in our leather pants and Timberlands, gold eyeshadow and Betty Paige bangs...in lotus position. Karunamayi spoke of a love that carries all. The God Head Love that bears everything for it’s creation. “My children, my babies” she said in her high-happy Indian accent, “When you are angered, give your anger to Mama. Mama will carry it for you. When you do not know, give your confusion to Mama. Mama will carry it for you.”

When it came time to be blessed - the touch of her hand to my forehead - I went flush...turned to mush. It was confusing. I’m not wired for guru devotion or public displays of emotion. But I felt a sense of love emanating from Karunamayi that was expansive and warm. I felt forgiven, cradled, curious. When she touched me, tears fell from my eyes as if there was tap at the crown of my head that she gently twisted.

I left with one of her devotional chanting tapes - $8 bucks was the least I could do for having my head spun 'round. One chant burned itself into my memory and for years, even tho' I never knew what it meant, I instinctively hummed it to myself. The chant would come into my mind before a speaking gig, or a big meeting; while on the acupuncture table or when I was sick. When my son was being born (at home) my mother accidentally flipped the stereo from “CD” to tape cassette (which hadn’t been played in years,) and there it was, the scratchy Karunamayi chant looping 'round for ten hours while I laboured:

Om Aim Srim Hrim Saraswati Devyai Namaha

I finally decided to look into the origins of the chant - for all I knew it could be a blessing for the fertility of camels. As it turns out, it is a devotion to Saraswati. My Sistah of speech. My Mama of the Arts. The Goddess of clear, calm strategy.

Goddesses always show up when you need them to.

Who's your favourite Goddess?

. . . . . .

Here's a wee little clip of the chant from the "Amma Store." Charms me to the core.

The Saraswati Mantra is a condensed form of Sri Gayatri Mantra and contains powerful seed syllables representing the three major forms of Divine Mother. Amma highly recommends this mantra for daily meditation or japa. This mantra grants the divine qualities of kindness, gentleness and true nobility.

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RELATED:
spiritual glamour: my first guru heartbreak

the Dalai Lama looked me in the eye and said, women rule! (in so many words)

 

can you blow it all away? my day with the monks

This weekend my son and I ended up at a Sand Mandala ceremony guided by Tibetan Monks. I just vaguely remembered that something about monks was going on at the Chinese Gardens, and we just happened to arrive as the ceremony was beginning. And there was a prayer carpet in the front row that was just the right size for us to sit together, crossed legged and curious. When things are that charmed, I always pay closer attention.

The creation of sand mandalas is a ritual in the impermanence of life. Incredibly complex patterns are painstakingly built by trinkling grains of coloured sand into their microscopic places. Mandalas can take many weeks to construct - not a grain out of place. And then...the mandala is swept into the wind, the sea, or smeared up into a pile of nothing but sacred sand and given to worshipers or carried to the river by procession.

All that work. Then poof! Since not many of us have worked in the medium of sand, try this metaphor on for size: imagine covering a 5 × 5 foot canvas working with only the teeny tiniest brush. You work round the clock for weeks, barely eating. Eyes stinging, hands cramped. The perfect masterpiece of meaningful complexity - worthy of the Louvre. Instead of a gallery show or collecting a commission, you take it out back and burn it.

Or...imagine building a successful company from just an idea; weaving a marriage together for years; growing a community; a garden; a belief system that guides your entire life... and letting it all go, just walking away. No leverage, no strings, no regrets.

Could you do it?

I think I could. I think I might.

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pssst...I've decided to tweak my "I'm Loving Mondays" regular feature to simply, "I'm loving..." and run it when I'm inspired. The Monday thing was feeling too restrictive. That said - look for an "I'm loving..." post tomorrow! It'll be a good one.
xo
D

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my upcoming speaking gigs

 

what’s your relationship to sleep?

I've subscribed for years to this occasional email from Dadi Jahnki. She's the current leader of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual organization. I loved last week's message from her:

Dear Friend,

Om shanti. Sometimes when we are together, you ask me why I don't seem to get tired when I travel from India or give programs into the evening. Tiredness is a kind of sickness. When we work with honesty and love, everything happens without tiredness. When we know how to take cooperation from others, there is no tiredness. It is not a matter of how long we sleep that determines whether we feel tired. It is waste and negative thoughts and actions that create tiredness. Create positive thoughts and elevated actions and you will take strength from that, and your tiredness will leave you.

Work for money and you will count your hours and your salary. Work for love, and you can work 16 hours a day with happiness and without getting tired. Serving others brings energy. You will then feel your happiness accumulating.

Love,
Dadi Janki

I think a lot of us have a big story around needing sleep. I know what science says about sleep and overall wellness ("eight hours is a must.") But then, science doesn't have quite as much to say about the chemical effects of joy or enthusiasm. Many eastern teachers believe that we are a culture that sleeps too much. Some practicing monks get by on five hours a night. Apparently Einstein slept in four hour increments to just "rest his brain." (more...)

 

spiritual glamour: my first guru heartbreak

On my first trip to India, my friends and I made two important visits. We went far north for a private audience with the Dalai Lama {you can read about my heart-altering experience here.} And we went far south to stay at the Ashram of the famous guru Sathya Sai Baba.

Sai Baba is a controversial swami. I have right-minded friends who have witnessed him work miracles - or magic tricks as many others suspect. He is said to work his powers to manifest rings and bird eggs and gemstones from his palm. And, I think, why not? Our human perspective of dimensionality is only emerging, but certainly some know how to pierce the veil. I believe that instant material manifestation is possible, so why not Sai Baba?

But in addition to being praised for his powers, Sai Baba has been accused of being a sexual predator and a conman. And yet, just like the week I sat in his temple, there are thousands upon thousands of people ... from curious spectators like me, to life-long devotees, who travel far to sit at his feet. They stay for weeks, sometimes years. Huge sloping white temples, a free hospital built in his name (people journey from as far as New Jersey for open heart surgery at no cost,) a Sathya Sai Baba university. The place is impressively massive.

I wore frangipani flowers in my hair.
I got up at four am to stand in line and hear the chants. I’m embarrassed to say I even wore a bindi dot (which is kind of like going to Jamaica and getting corn row braids on holiday ... it’s lame.) I chanted. I prayed. I meditated. But, I was just not feeling the love. It was confusing my expectations of bliss. Clearly, I was not going to be saved on my trip to India.

No eye contact is allowed within the ashram walls. Imagine a bustling village without anyone really looking at eachother. Men and women are kept separate within the temple. There is a lineup of hundreds of men, and a separate line up of hundreds of women. The old Indian mamas who were in charge of steering the herds of attendees were gruff. One of them snapped at me for looking at a man...and I wasn’t even lookin’, I swear.

By day three in swami land I had a wicked craving for a pack of smokes and The Pogues. (more...)

 

where to find God: down, not up

“I had always imagined God to be in the same general direction as everything else that I valued: up. I had failed to appreciate the meaning of the description of God as the "ground of being." I had to be forced underground before I could understand that the way to God is not up but down.”
- Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

Yogis and gurus have it easy, I figure. No mortgage to pay, no lover to argue with or long for, no groceries to pick up. No parking tickets. Detachment must be a cake walk when devotees are bringing you food and cash.

You want to show me evolved? Then get a j-o-b. Navigate inter-office conflicts, hormones, interest rates, and family holidays with meditative calm. I dare you.

I’m being facetious of course. Ascension can be a bitch. And there are many spiritual masters who have earned their silky cushions and well-supported lifestyles ... to whom I deeply bow.

But for me, the aim to transcend has proved to be a distraction. Maybe enlightenment is not attained with out of body experiences, or astral travel, or rising above the mundane, profane and banal of everyday life.

Perhaps, as activist Parker Palmer puts it, God is down, not up. Perhaps God has temper and likes Her meat rare. Maybe He hangs out with crazy people and likes a bargain. Perhaps God is waiting to be found in the things we try to avoid. (more...)

 

The Unfolding Now, by A. H. Almaas

one of the most important books I've read