Gatekeepers and Shamanic Androgyny

HigherLove wrote:I will find the proper medium, but for now I am resorting to stick-figure drawings. Even though my experience with being stuck in the snow when I hyperventilated, and passed into another world which showed me faceless monks in robes was several months ago, it still feels strong. The monks told me it was okay to pass, or that I was good to go.

I did a drawing of it today, and it is a bit surprising.

The manner in which I drew the brick wall makes it look like a high-rise, falling over. Inside the small room, I drew a picture of what appears to be a skyscraper with a jagged edge in the top. Next to it I drew what seems like a hybrid monk. It is floating in the air, its face visible, and looking quite benevolent, although it has somewhat of an oval face (perhaps my bad drawing; something else may take me out of linear thinking again).

PEACE

I know I take up a lot of space, and I appreciate it. This forum has helped me process through so much stuff, and in a short amount of time. I still have work to do. Thanks for all of the support and helpful nudges.

P.S.: "Brick" building? Brazil, Russia, India, China and Kansas?

Sanicle wrote:Troy, do you mind if I ask you what sort of healing work you do?

LeeEllisMusic wrote:I have never met Sai Baba in person, but he has been in my heart and consciousness for at least a decade. I have spiritual teachers who have been with him and passed on profound teachings. I know PERSONALLY stories of people who have been with him, in his audience room, and had profound ife changes, and yes, even given the miracle trinkets that are so widely derided. I met a New York Physicist who met Baba personally, and Baba manifested a ring on his finger and asked if he liked the design. He said no, and Baba passed his hand over the ring and changed it's face. The man showed me the ring. He was clearly not prepared to be faced with something he could not explain whit with he just saw with his very own eyes!

I have been with Baba's devotees around the country, and in Japan and Cambodia and seen the effects His presence has had on their lives, GOOD people, inspired to do good in the world. i could go on and on with stories of Baba, of the monk I travelled with in Japan and Cambodia taking tons of rice to the orphans across the Mekong, of myself being in homes where vibhuti (sacred ash) poured forth from the photos (I have seen this myself) I have tasted the Amrit, a honeylike substance that Baba manifested, and I tell you the vibrations are so pure and uplifting, there are no words to describe it.

I have been profoundly affected by the life and teachings of Sri Satya Sai Baba, and am ever grateful that He came to be with us for a time, whatever you conceive His Spirit to be, His mission was and continues to be that of instilling he five virtues = Love, Peace, Truth, Non-Violence and Right Action.

Baba has built great hospitals and water projects throughout India and inspired countless devotees to serve others. He is lauded by countless political leaders in India.
BBC News reports that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described his death as an "irreparable loss".

His most Famous motto: LOVE ALL SERVE ALL ~ ~ ~
I even wrote a song with that title - it goes like this:

Love all, serve all, heal all, free all - Be the love that you are

When you love yourself-You love all
When you serve yourself-You serve all
When you heal yourself-You heal all
When you free yourself-You free all

BUt these are pale words compared to the actual words Baba spoke. Reflect on them, and let them lead to you your own Indwelling Light ~ ~
JAI SAI RAAM!


The same God dwells in all beings. There is no justification for differences on the basis of religion. It is attachment to the body which accounts for religious differences. Do not regard the body as permanent. It is a water bubble. The mind too is like a mad monkey. Don't follow either of them. Follow the conscience. Recognize the fact that the whole universe is within you. You have all the powers in you. They are derived from the Divine Spirit within you. Forgetting the supreme power of the Spirit, people rely on the powers of the body, the mind and the intellect.

Vedanta (Vedic philosophy) declares: "Brahman is Sathya (Truth); the Cosmos is Mithya (illusory)". Your primary concern must be to understand whether you are real or unreal or what in you is real and what is unreal. It is only when you have recognised the truth of your own being that you can recognise the world as illusory and your own self as the only reality. The realized person asserts: "I am Brahman". Wherefrom has this statement emanated? What does it mean? It is a spontaneous expression and not the result of a thought or feeling. The "I" is boundless Infinite. When the finite individual merges in the Infinite "I", the "I" alone remains.


Human body is meant to serve others, not to indulge in selfish deeds. Due to selfishness, one indulges in many sinful activities. Eschew selfishness, take to selfless service. Give up attachment to the body. Become attached to the Self. Understand that the same Atma (Self) exists in everybody. Though you find myriad bulbs glowing, the current that is passing through them is the same. Bodies are like bulbs, the principle of the Atma is the current that is present in them. With such a feeling of oneness, make efforts to alleviate the suffering of your fellowmen.
 
The same Atma, the same love and the same divinity is present in all beings. All are one. The heart is like a tank and all the senses are like taps. When the 'tank' is full of love, all that comes out of the 'taps' will also be love. Whatever you see in others is only a reflection of your inner being. Understand this truth. If you see evil in others, it is actually the reflection of your own evil feelings. What is outside is only the reflection, reaction, and resound of what is within you. If you wear blue glasses, you see everything blue. If you wear red glasses, you see everything red. If you are a good person, you will see goodness all around.


The Vedas deal with rituals and worship, which imply a dualism between the worshipper and the object worshipped. Vedanta spells out the principle of Adwaitha (non-duality). It is interpreted in different ways, but the real basis of the Adwaithik principle is Ekaatma Bhaava, the feeling that there is only one Atma pervading everywhere and none else. "Adhwaita Darshanam Jnanam" (Wisdom lies in the perception of oneness). The Upanishads preach this oneness, based on the concept of unity in diversity.

Oil is present within the sesame seed. Ghee is present in every drop of milk. Fragrance is latent in every flower. A fruit is imbued with sweet juice. In every piece of wood, fire is latent. In the same manner, the Divine is immanent in the entire cosmos in a subtle form as Chaitanya (Consciousness). The cosmos is the visible manifestation of the invisible Supreme Self. The Divine shines effulgently in every man as Sath-Chith-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss). While the Divine is in such close proximity to him, man in his ignorance goes about seeking God outside himself.

Pure and selfless love towards all living beings, considering everyone as embodiments of the Divine, with no expectation of reward, is true Love. With this attitude, when one regards divinity as present in all beings, he experiences true love. Whatever be the vicissitudes one may face, whatever be the personal sorrows and privations one may undergo, true love will remain unaffected. Today, the moment a difficulty arises, love turns into hatred. True love is the sweet fruit that grows out of the fragrant flower of good deeds. Love rules without recourse to the sword. It binds without laws. Only one who has such true love can be described as human, for, divine love is the basic quality of a true human being.

Realize that you have within you the source of power, wisdom and joy. Assert that you are unconquerable and free, that you cannot be tempted or frightened in to wrong. So long as a trace of body consciousness persists in you, the search for God must continue. Do not get caught in the sticky tangles of the external world. Do not harden your heart through greed and hate. Instead, soften it with love. Cleanse it through pure habits of living and thinking. Make it your shrine, wherein you install and worship God. Then, you can enter the sacred precincts of Moksha (Liberation).

Every aspirant who seeks the Eternal through the path of Bhakthi (devotion) should strive to acquire these characteristics: He must (1) keep away from the turmoils, the cruelties, the falsehoods of this world; (2) practise truth, righteousness, love and peace; (3) discard as worthless both praise and blame, appreciation and derision, prosperity and adversity; (4) keep steady faith in his own Innate Reality; and (5) dedicate himself to spiritual uplift.

All that you speak is a reflection of inner thoughts. All that you do is a reflection of inner action. Hence, to act according to your inner impulse is Dharma (right conduct). To speak what you feel inside is Sathya (truth). To contemplate on what you experience in your heart is Shanti (peace). To understand properly the promptings of the heart is Ahimsa (non-violence). Consideration for all emanating from the heart is Prema (love). The five values are thus reflections of feelings emanating from the heart. Being truly human means having complete harmony between thought, word and deed. If there is divergence between thought, word and deed, what is the outcome? Fruitless action.

One need not search for spiritual power, going around the world and spending a lot of money. You can stay in your own house and develop it within yourself. You do not have to run for it hither and thither. You are not a mere man, but God Himself. Do not be under the delusion that God is residing somewhere and that you have to search for Him; God is within you.

God is the great Unseen, the vast Unknowable. Though you do not see the roots or know how deep inside the earth they are, you pour water round the trunk, so that it may reach them. You expect that the roots will absorb the water and the tree will grow and yield fruit. Recognize that similarly there is God as the very basis of Creation; pray to Him, and He will shower fruit.

Man does not live by food alone. In fact he lives by the power of the Atma. So you must use your strength of body and mind, wealth and education with intelligence, in order to realize the power of the soul. Without discrimination, what is the use of physical strength? Everyday, when you take food, you are offering eatables to the Fire that God has put in you to digest food. You have to eat in a prayerful mood, in profound gratitude. The Bhagavad Gita says that the fire that cooked the meal is God; the meal is God, the eater is God; the purpose of eating is to carry on the work entrusted by God, or pleasing to God; and the fruit of that work is progress towards God.

God is the Antharyaami (Indweller), and so, when He is sought in the outer world He cannot be caught. Love Him with no other thought; feel that without Him nothing is worth anything; feel that He is all. Then you become His and He becomes yours. There is no nearer kinship than that. You have come from God; you are a spark of His Glory; you are a wave of that Ocean of bliss; you will get peace only when you again merge in Him. Like a child who has lost his way, you can have joy only when you rejoin your mother.

Man has springs of joy and peace in his heart, even as a child. Cultivate them, give them fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilize all fields of activity, that is the real purpose of education. Man is born to be perpetually happy, but he is always in misery. This is tragic; it is like the man who died of thirst though he was standing knee-deep in the running stream. The source of happiness is in you. Real education has to teach man how to tap this spring of joy.


Why is man so pathetically afflicted today with fear and anxiety? Are we to search for the reasons outside us or do they lie within us? The reason lies in the false emphasis we have laid on things of the material world, ignoring matters of the spirit. The body that man bears is essentially a receptacle of God. It is a temple where God is installed, where God is the Master. Hence, it does not behove you to pander to its every whim. Instead, realise it to be a very valuable instrument in your journey to God.

Gu' means darkness and 'Ru' means light. Guru (spiritual preceptor) scatters darkness through light; he imparts wisdom which roots out our ignorance. 'Gu' also connotes 'Gunaatheetha' (One who is beyond 'gunas' or attributes) and 'Ru' connotes 'Roopavarjitha' (One who has transcended Form). Do not seek human Gurus, however great their reputation. They are bound by the qualities they have developed and they are still in need of the Form so that they may conceive of Reality. They themselves being limited, how can they communicate to you the Unlimited? Pray to the Parabrahma Principle (transcendental principle) or God within you to reveal Itself. Accept that as the Guru and you will be illumined.


In this Kali Age, people have forgotten human values and exhibit animal qualities such as lust, anger, greed and hatred. One may study all the scriptures, perform all types of sacrifices, go on extensive pilgrimages, but it is not easy to control the senses and the mind, direct one's vision inward and maintain equanimity. In ancient times, the sages and seers maintained purity in thought, truth in words and righteousness in deeds. Purity of heart and selflessness are the hallmarks of human life


Man expects the New Year to confer on him and the world at large peace, happiness and prosperity. But the welfare of the world depends on man's conduct and behavior. Man's conduct depends on his mind. The nature of the mind depends on thoughts. Only when man's thoughts are based on truth will the world flourish. One who aspires for the welfare of the world should see to it that his thoughts and actions are in accordance with his aspirations. The New Year brings with it neither happiness nor misery. Man attains happiness or misery based on the actions he performs. So, he should perform righteous deeds.

What is spirituality? It is the resolute pursuit of cosmic consciousness. Spirituality aims at enabling a person to manifest in all its fullness the divine cosmic consciousness (Chaitanya) that is present both within and outside oneself. It means getting rid of one’s animal nature and developing the divine tendencies within one. It means breaking down the barriers between God and Nature and establishing their essential oneness. Today, people think that spirituality has no relation to mundane life, and vice versa. This is a big mistake. True divinity is a combination of spirituality and social obligations. National unity and social harmony are founded upon spirituality. It is the Divine that links spirituality and social existence

Attachment causes pain, and detachment results in joy. But, you cannot easily detach yourself from activity; the mind clings to something or the other. Make it cling to God, let it perform all actions for God and leave the success or failure, the loss and the profit, the elation or the dejection, to God. This is the secret of Shanti (Peace) and contentment.

He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers himself bound remains bound. Constantly think yourself as being eternal, unlimited, Consciousness-Bliss, and you will be free and happy. So long as you trap yourself in body consciousness you are like a lion moping about in a musty cave. Do not feel satisfied by saying, 'I am the body'. Roar and say, 'I am the Universal Absolute. I am all that is, was and will be.' Pettiness, ego, time and space - all will flee from your heart and you will realise your own Divinity.

There is a tendency to interpret renunciation as merely giving up worldly attachments. Renunciation truly means attaining perfect equanimity. People may criticize you or praise you, take them both with a sense of equanimity. One may try to harm you while another may try to do you a good turn; treat both situations with equanimity. In one business venture, you may incur a loss while in another you may make a profit; treat them both alike. Equanimity is the hallmark of yoga (spiritual attainment).

My dear friend Connie Shaw has been to see Baba personally over thirty times over several decades and is the author of the book, Wake Up Laughing, which recounts her experiences. this is what I received from her this morning:

Dearest Ones,

He is not the body, nor are we. It is Easter Sunday in India and at 7:40 a.m. Baba left His body due to cardiovascular failure. See the message I just forwarded to you from the latest He gave Seema Dewan and reflect deeply upon it.

Easter Sunday…the day of Resurrection. He told all of us months ago that “Now your mission has begun.” We must bring in the Golden Age of Peace and Plenty together.

Feel Him in your heart and stay established in God consciousness continually now. He has not gone anywhere. He is always with us, as He has been. He is the eternal Love with each of us. Let it radiate out to all we meet, meeting Him in them, loving and serving them in His Name.

He is still, and will ever be, your Rock and Refuge, Father and Mother, Beloved and Spouse, the All-in-All. That has not and could not diminish one iota.

He lives, ever, as do we, with or without the ephemeral body!

Jai Sai Ram, long live Sai in our hearts!

And now we move together in unparalleled harmony to complete His mission of creating a New Era for humankind.

Lovingly,

Connie

Why dont these shamen and alike ever see themselves as a flea for example,
Or a mouse, mosquito, rat, tortoise blah blah.

Why is it always something big, fast and powerful ?

Sanicle wrote:Wow, God bless you Troy. Sounds like you are working in areas of such great need and doing an admirable job. I'm not surprised people enjoy talking to you and feel uplifted when you enter a room. I feel the same effect when reading your posts here as you obviously communicate from your heart, with love and honesty. Your natural friendliness just shines through.

In an effort to help you with your work, I would like to share something with you here and I don't know if it will help or not, or if you wish to try it or not. That, my friend, is entirely up to you. But being a Druid, I think what I say will resonate with you.

I used to do healing work...the type where you hold your hands over someone and find the centres where there is too much heat or cold to balance it etc. It was so successful sometimes it freaked me out. The point is though that before I began I'd ask for God, Higher Beings, my guides or whomever to use me as a channel for the healing. While doing the work, I'd see various images in my head to explain what was going on etc. Then one amazing day, I had a very clear vision of a Deva come into my mind......NOT what I was used to seeing.

Anyway, he/she told me that around 70-80% of the healing work I was doing was usually to heal imbalances in the body and that this is THEIR area of work.....the Elemental realms..... not that of the spiritual sources above whom I'd ask. They do work together, but He/she seemed a little put out that I'd never knowingly included them in my prayers and thanks when it's them that was doing the majority of the the work with me. And it made sense to me, given that they are the builders and maintainers of form. They truly are amazing beings, as I'm sure you know.

Anyway, thought I'd pass that bit of info along to you in the hope that you will be able to enjoy their help as much as I do and I'm sure that becoming aware of the part they play opens the channels and allows them to work with you more fully.

Hope this info will help you with your work my friend.

HigherLove wrote:
This is wild --