Michael's Blog
Obstacles: Posted June 26
There are only two types of obstacles: 1) Those that resist your evolution; and 2) Those that direct it. If only people could clearly see which are which…
I hear it over and over again: “There are so many obstacles to my doing so and so; it must be nature telling me it’s not the right direction for me.” This go-with-the-flow approach to life is terribly simplistic. Just take a look at Jesus’ life. It was strewn with obstacles. It was more like the Colorado rapids than the Suwannee River.
To illustrate the principles involved, let’s revisit Bruce in his cartoon world:
Envision the Earth. Imagine it is covered by a cloud of conditioned group consciousness. Picture it as a three-dimensional web, a complex hierarchy of astral beings all holding hands to create an intricate, lattice-like crystalline structure. This structure permeates the awareness of humanity. It is the network through which people communicate, verbally and otherwise. It is characterized by emotional tones that underlie people’s psyches and determine the agreed-upon world views. Though it is an interconnected whole, this cloud of group consciousness is not homogenous. It’s composed of many, many cultural and sub-cultural mentalities. This cloud is born of conditioning, the very thing that limits humanity, yet the very thing that everyone clings to as truth. The cloud is alive.
Now enters Bruce. He was born in a sector of that cloud. The nature of that sector has colored his heart and mind since childhood. It has been the primary determinant of his relationship with, and view of, the world—his morality, logic system, beliefs, and convictions. Go deeply enough into the sub-sub-sub-subsector of that cloud that dominates Bruce and you have defined Bruce, or more accurately, who and what Bruce believes himself to be.
In Vedic language, we are talking about the sum total of all Bruce’s samskaras, the impressions upon his being, the very substance his mind is made of. Bruce looks out at his world through glasses tinted with the color of that conditioning and sees truth in terms of that tint. It colors and permeates his heart and mind. It limits him. It confines him. It denies and defies the real Bruce that lies deeper.
Deeper than this matrix of conditioned consciousness is another matrix, infinitely more profound and sublime, the field of Divine perfection, the Veda. It is the source of infinite intelligence, harmony, and wisdom that birthed and sustains our entire universe.
Going back to our cartoon world, picture this Vedic matrix as another cloud, a field that permeates the entire world. To live in harmony with it is to live in harmony with your true nature and all of nature. It is fine and sublime. To perceive it clearly requires a refined physiology, a physiology and resulting awareness that is not overshadowed by the cloud of conditioned consciousness that has overtaken the globe. To awaken to the Vedic level is to become free of the samskaras and conditioning that have colored the glasses you wear, that you are wearing right now.
In this light, we can discuss the two kinds of obstacles in life: 1) Obstacles that attempt to hold the conditioned global consciousness intact, even if it means obstructing your evolution; and 2) Those that support your evolution by signaling the path of your true nature (your dharma). The conditioned web of global consciousness strives to survive. Though born of mistaken notions and limited thinking (pragyaa aparaadha, in Vedic terms), it is living and breathing, with all survival mechanisms intact. It convinces you that it is your truth and your divinity.
Now imagine poor Bruce. He is overtaken by the conditioned level of pragyaa aparaadha. This level is more crude and blatant than the Vedic level. It shouts out from within him and all around him. He feels it is him. It considers obstacles to be anything that opposes or threatens it.
However, the Vedic level understands that obstacles are something very different. Birthed by the conditioned matrix, they obstruct dharma, evolution, and life in harmony with natural law.
Now, what is Bruce to do? He certainly has a connection to the underlying matrix, the Veda. Without that, he would not be alive. It is what sustains life. However, the cruder, louder, more domineering voice of the cloud of global consciousness is much more readily perceived and is oh-so-easy to identify with as his truth.
How does Bruce find his way out of the complex web of his little subsector of global consciousness? The path is called “the path of discernment.” It has two facets. One is meditation to awaken you to the Vedic level, your true nature. The other is honest exploration of your conditioning. That exploration tills the soil that constricts your being. It frees you. This path clears the cobwebs of conditioning, enabling you to rest into your true Divine nature.
So, when you experience an obstacle in your life, ask if it is opposing your conditioning or your Divinity. Conditioning resists its own dissolution. Viewing evolution as a threat, it puts up many road blocks. For you to evolve, it must dissolve. For the world to evolve, it must melt away. Its only power is the spell it casts over humanity. Know that whichever level you align with, you will incur obstacles along the way. Through discernment, you gain enlightenment for yourself and the world.
Karma: Posted June 25
I recently received a request to write a blog about karma. What does it mean to take on karma? How do the mechanics of karma operate?
It struck me… just how important this understanding is. The notion of karma is rather common in the world today. However, understanding not just the notion of karma, but its actual mechanic, opens the door to a deeper and wiser relationship with life. How does karma work on a practical real-world level?
This can be illustrated through an analogy with (odd as it may sound) cartoons. Enter with me, a cartoon dreamlike world of karma. For fun, let’s invite Bruce, our endeared friend from The Golden Frog, into this world. In this cartoon world, all things (including thoughts, emotions, feelings, music, concepts—everything) have a tangible, wavelike, almost material though essentially invisible (to most) component. Call that component an aspect of karma.
Bruce takes a walk through a village in this world, completely unaware of the mechanics of karma. Imagine him walking by a snake charmer playing his flute before a cobra. Picture the waves of karma floating through the air, permeating the space, and entrancing Bruce. Bruce is taking on that karma. Of course, though his senses and mind are taken over by the spell, he is unaware of what has happened. Within the inebriated state he has slipped into, everything still has a rational… a self justification. Bruce hangs out in that space for however long he does, taking on and resonating with his karma in the form of the charmer’s spell.
Eventually, for whatever reason, Bruce drifts away from the charmer’s influence. Perhaps the charmer stops playing, or perhaps Bruce stumbles off down another corridor. As he strolls through the village, he comes upon the shop of an herbalist offering free samples. Entranced by the universal karmic ethers that say, “Anything free is good,” Bruce cannot help but to try a sample. He enjoys the mystery of herbal concoctions and is enthralled with the promises the herbalist makes. Imagine a cartoon karmic caricature of the herb passing Bruce’s lips, going down his throat and into his stomach as etheric waves of karmic influence from the herb permeate every cell of his body.
Now, shift your attention to the herbalist sitting in his shop mixing his latest brew. The brew becomes imbibed with the karmic cloud of the herbalist’s being, his aura. Herbs are a concentrated and deeply penetrating source of energy (karma) that intermingles with the depth of the consumer’s being. This particular herbalist is not of a scrupulous nature. His interest is primarily in how to coerce money out of his clients. He does it largely through manipulation and seductive dialogue. Though his herbs may well have some value, they are laced with the tentacles of his lowly nature. His concoctions carry his ominous vibrations. All of these influences permeate Bruce’s heart and create a self-reinforcing mentality that rules his thoughts. They determine the nature of his speech and the color of the glasses through which he perceives the world. By surrendering himself to them, they overtake him to ever-increasing degrees. It may become a deep-freeze karma that is rigidly adhered to throughout life.
Another herbalist down the street chants mantras of black magic regularly and his herbs thusly carry that vibration deep within the consumer’s being. Of course, Bruce cannot resist this herbalist’s free samples either. Bruce then becomes a reservoir of numerous karmic influences that color his heart, his mind, and his body.
Somewhere in the village dwells an herbalist who lives a life of purity. His formulas facilitate the cultivation of supreme health, i.e., alignment with natural law.
Fortunately, through his life/lives, Bruce has found himself in the influence of many positive karmic forces. The home in which he grew up was loving and good. That karmic influence permeated him and he carries it with him to this day. His early school years were good. His school teachers were loving and supportive. In this cartoon world, you can visualize those positive karmic influences as a host of guardian angels that go with him throughout his life.
Good karma can be seen as etheric wave-like (energetic) influences that help to align you with your Divine Inner Nature, your wisdom and health. They support and protect you, assisting you along life’s road which eventually leads you to enlightenment.
Everything has a karmic field and emits corresponding karmic waves. The web karma weaves is complex and alluring. Your clothes, the food you eat, your home, your friends, the people, teachings, and mentalities you associate with… everything. You are walking through a karmic cartoon called worldly life. Spend some time viewing your life in that manner. Your ability to discern is vital to your evolution.
Death: Posted June 13
Someone who recently lost a loved one has asked me to talk about death. For now, what I say may be only a notion. However, as the cobwebs in consciousness clear, leaving you free of any programmed way of thinking, what I have to say becomes self-evident. Knowledge is not outside of you; nor is it far away.
Death is only of the physical body. ‘You’ will never die. Only the physical body dies. The physical body is, of course, very important. It is a precious vehicle that carries you through this life and with which you can evolve most rapidly.
The sadness around death is usually about the pain of missing the one who has died. You may wonder, “When will I see them again?’ and ‘Will I see them again?’ ‘Are they still ‘alive’ somewhere else?’ The answer to these questions is most assuredly ‘yes.’ However, missing them is very real and acute, and compounded by the uncertainly of these ‘whats’ and ‘whens.’ The knowing of what I am saying comes from within you, not from outside of you. And though that knowing offers some comfort, your missing of them remains.
It is important to know it is best to let them go. They are now on a new and different journey and holding on only holds them back. The bitter sweet nature of life is sublime. Understanding the spiritual truths regarding life and death does not blunt your emotions around its nature, but can somehow unite the range of emotions you may feel, thereby heightening your wisdom about what you are feeling. Wisdom is understanding. Understanding is humble. Humility is the gateway to true love. Love holds everything—the full range of human emotions—in a most gentle embrace.
Phoney Obstacles: Posted June 1
I have been asked to comment on the nature of challenges - how one can distinguish "between phoney obstacles and those that might better garner our attention." Interestingly enough, I think the 'phoney' one's are the one's that best garner our attention. They are the 'real' ones. They are the one's that distract and mislead us. However, to explore that, we must look to the last place most people ever want to look: inside. I do not mean the inner most place of your Divinity but the inner landscape of your psychodynamic makeup: your emotional and mental makeup. Phoney obstacles are inner obstacles. They are inner resistances, biases, fears, and distortions. They prevent you from seeing clearly.
Pride is a big and very common inner obstacle. Why is it so difficult to admit you were out of balance: wrong, inappropriate, mistaken, confused, or irrational? That is simply how life works. To distinguish between 'phoney' and 'genuine' obstacles, first, give yourself the time and have the humility to come back into balance; and then, have the courage to honestly look in the mirror. I think we often fear that admitting our errors shows weakness, resulting in loss of respect of others as well as our own self-respect. The truth is exactly the opposite. By living a life of honesty with the willingness to share that with others, you will gain clarity and respect. And by doing so, 'phoney' obstacles melt away. |
