Spirituality

Under the Sun “Ceremonial Awareness”

/ Iam Saums / 4 Comments

Disclaimer: These are my personal observations and perspectives and do not necessarily represent the community to which I belong.

“Prayer is a way of life.”

A Calling

I have participated in ceremonies for 20 years.  For the purpose of this article, knowing which tradition is not essential.  I recall my first experience like it was yesterday; being in a room with a group of people I had not met, the specifics of the ceremony I attended and singing along with songs I had never heard.  The facilitator of the ceremony asked me where I had learned the songs.  I told him I didn’t know them, and he immediately invited me to another ceremony.  In all my traditional experiences, I could have never imagined how these last 20 years would transpire, in all their extraordinary ways.    

A Way to Pray

I have been told ceremony is all about prayer.  This is truer than can be “known.”  In my experience, the intention within the prayer is not expressed for what we may receive, yet in how we may give.  Contemporary prayer has become something often motivated by our external wants rather than empowered by our internal needs.  When we are honest, our prayers are often self-centered.  Perhaps this is why our practice of prayer can be ineffective, given our fixation on ourselves and our desires.  However, when we are empowered from within to pray, it is a universal calling.  An intention expressed for health, healing and support, for all who are in need.

Comfort Zone

We spend much of our lives constructing artificial securities, defense mechanisms, financial wealth, professional positions, selective realities and social vanities with little to no regard for those beyond our individual peripheral of existence.  We tell ourselves we will be, give, listen and understand others more, as soon as we have established our private comfort zones.  All the while, we allow our egos to diminish and eventually destroy our spirituality, distorting our perceptions of the very people in need of prayer.  This malaise we enable, with our personal oblivion, disrupts and severs the flow of empowerment, energy and epiphany we receive from the universe as we pray.

The Nature of Prayer

We have a tendency to habituate our prayer as a selfish endeavor.  The conditioned egocentricity of our social environment influences us to demean, manipulate and harm others in community. This is done in compensation for our veiled inadequacies, insecurities and tribulation.  We either intentionally or obliviously bring the vanity and violence of society into ceremony.  This inhibits and ultimately destroys our prayer.  We may even be so bold as to wield our prayer in condemnation of others.  We all have the potential for creation or destruction.  The nature of our prayer, be it shared with conscious empowerment or deliberate demoralization, manifests the nature of our experience.  

“For some, it is a way to pray.  For others, it is a way to prey.”

Broken Circle

In many communities, there are some who observe others receiving admiration, distinction and leadership.  Their egos are attracted to this, which causes their exodus from prayer.  With entitlement and expectation, they desire this acknowledgement, and strive to control and manipulate others to gain a similar role for themselves.  When this strategy fails, they attempt to sabotage and/or destroy the existing community so they may influence events in a way to present themselves as the savior of the very destruction they caused.  When others observe and address their behavior, they project narcissism to deflect and avoid responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions.  In retaliation, they defend their toxicity by pointing fingers of blame and shame upon those who stand to hold them accountable.          

Ceremonial Mirrors

All who truly need to read these words will likely succumb to their cognitive dissonance, ego, pride and vanity.  They will claim it is not “them,” as they accuse, discredit and vilify the authenticity of others.  They cannot observe let alone understand their toxic patterns, driven by their fears, insecurities, trauma and woundedness.  Their personal rackets are steeped in mirroring the experiences, prayers, practices and visions of others, in a vain attempt to gain power.  They separate themselves from the source and mimic the genuine prayers spoken by those who have earnestly served the community.  They “ghost” prayer with agendas of arrogance, domination, influence and manipulation.  They know who they are.  Most importantly, so do we!   

The Personal Encounter

We exist in an egocentric society.  Our personal survival, success, health and wealth supersedes that of community.  Many carry this social conditioning into ceremony and prayer.  They desire to acquire their individual wants, often at the expense of the community’s experience.  Their ego blinds them to the influence and impacts their personal agendas have upon themselves and others.  While engaged in vain strategies, they will never fulfill an authentic prayer.  They are preoccupied with what is favorable for them, and oblivious to the needs of the community.  Therefore, they cannot observe, understand or transform the behavior inhibiting their experience.    

The Community Experience

In this tradition, many of the ceremonies are a community prayer experienced in a circle.  One person(s) is no more or less important than another.  There is a listening and regard from the community empowering, encouraging and sustaining the prayer.  Personal experiences occur within the circle.  However, the focus is on the health, vitality and wellbeing of all.  In the community experience, acceptance, belonging and healing thrives, manifesting in empathy, kindness, love, purpose, transformation and understanding.  This creates a sacred space of relativity and safety for the community to express the essential vulnerability to empower and support their prayer.    

Spiritual Leadership

It is inevitable that people who participate in spirituality will desire leadership.  This is pure ego.  Some attempt to push their way ahead of others and promote themselves in pursuit of this role.  Some will even compromise or threaten the existence, health and wellbeing of the community to achieve this personal agenda.  Traditionally, one does not pursue leadership for themselves, it is a role one accepts when one is called into it by the community they serve.  Spiritual leadership is not a dictatorial endeavor.  It is holding the space for others to make and experience their prayer in ceremony.  True leaders are those who would not choose it, when given the opportunity.              

Consciousness, Empowerment and Transformation

Our eyes see only an infinitesimal range of the visible light spectrum.  Relative to this, when our ego influences and impacts our prayer, we experience only a fraction of the ceremony.  Shifting our experience requires us to express our prayer with conscious purpose.  Our prayer is a call to the universe; not for what we want, yet all we need.  The force that responds to our call is universal empowerment.  Within the sacred space of our prayer, we can observe and shift our behavior, thus transforming our experience.  Every prayer is an intention to experience the natural progression of the ceremony.           

Ceremonial Awareness            

Prayer creates a space of community, empathy, humility, service and understanding.  It is not a spiritual event to attend, it is a way of life.  Prayer frees us from the egocentricity of society, so we may be present to and fulfill the purpose of the ceremony.  If one makes their prayer and returns as the same person to the same life, it may be best if they had never participated.  Our commitment to pray must transcend our desire for personal convenience.  Our prayer is a covenant we make with the universe.  This empowers us with the ceremonial awareness to transform our experience and hold a space for others to do the same.         

“One mind. One heart. One prayer.”

– A Wise Man

Cult of Spirituality

/ Iam Saums / 20 Comments

“Spirituality is an expression of our ego.”

To Wake…Per Chance to Awaken:

Humanity may be “awake,” but has it awakened?  And to what?  Spirituality is the new religion. Its enchantment places the power of enlightenment in the hands of gurus, shamans and teachers.  Droves of willing initiates emerge from the shadows of contemporary knowledge, perception, reality and understanding to enroll in classes, healings, lectures, readings and weekend workshops.  Most of us seek destiny, meaning, power and vision.  Yet, deep down we are terrified to accept and apply these qualities to our daily lives.  It is an idealistic dance with elusive partners at the cost of our ambition, awareness, energy, intention and well-being.

Soul Distinction:

Since the dawn of the human race, authentic faith has been, is and will always be a solitary engagement.  No other person(s) could or should direct, guide, influence or mediate another’s spiritual experience.  Doing so would be the antithesis of personal illumination for all parties.  Vital elements of one’s evolution are found in the creation, discovery, distinction, expression and purpose of one’s chosen path.  There is no greater empowerment or inspiration one may have then choosing, claiming and walking their destiny.  However challenging, impossible or intimidating this may seem, it is the only true way to fulfillment.

The Divided Self:

The most powerful force in our contemporary society is the ego.  The more we believe we have control of our ego, the more dominion it has over us.  We do not express the essential awareness, commitment, focus and intention to successfully manage its incessantly diabolical tendencies.  As our “spirituality” grows, so does our ego.  Left to its own covert devices, our “divided self” coils around our virtues like a weed to a flower.  It feeds upon the energy of our discoveries, insights, opportunities, possibilities and transformation.  Our divided self is as a neglected child.  It craves our attention, control, importance and power.

Kingdom Come:

Contemporary spirituality has become a mutation of human invention.  The fusion of religion with spirituality has produced a myriad of dogmas, practices and wisdoms all promising the keys to illumination, yet never delivering.  Thousands of articles, books, lectures, online events and workshops seek to entice the masses toward commercialized enlightenment.  Those of us who have not established a relationship with our soul eagerly dive headfirst into the sea of manufactured mystery.  We rarely see how truly shallow it can be.  The human race has been deceived into searching without for what can only be found within.

A Pocketful of Gurus:

Spirituality is rife with gurus.  Most adopt the title with very little commitment, understanding and even less experience.  When we are empowered, excited and inspired by new insights, opportunities and possibilities, our initial response is to share our vision.  Yet, this is not the best way to nurture the manifestation of our true expression.  Our sub-conscious reaction is to pride ourselves with our innovative epiphanies by proselytizing our personal wisdom.  We allow our ego to suppress our spirit.  This diminishes the experiences of others.  We overlook the essential truth that our insights are meant for us alone and have little or no value to others.

“Superiority walks hand-in-hand with Spirituality.”

Hierarchy of the Soul:

Society is built upon a foundation of pyramid schemes.  Whether commercial, educational, financial, political, religious or scientific, there are far fewer people at the top than there are at the bottom.  In the modern age of spirituality, it is no different.  Regardless of the modality one may practice, there is always one or a small group of people that hold dominion over the many.  We enable patterns of sanctimonious conviction with the attention and energy we sacrifice to find our soul in a forest of human perception.  We willingly give away our own personal power to avoid the fear of claiming it for ourselves.

The Mind’s Eye:

Our interpretation of spirituality has a tendency to compromise our authenticity, empathy and integrity.  Our possibility for transformation vanishes in an attempt to funnel a multi-dimensional experience into a two-dimensional perception.  Words are the language of the ego.  When we attempt to communicate what we encounter as an expression of being, we instantly sever the relationship we have with our soul.  We abolish our personal power when we endorse our own authority and significance.  Once we break our connection with eternity, we inevitably diminish our empathy, intuition, perspective and vision.

Spiritual High:

Our multi-dimensional experiences produce a remarkable rush of energy that flows through every element of our being.  In these moments we are present to and related with all.  Our soul craves these experiences.  It is the electromagnetic synthesis between our body, mind, heart and spirit.  We become the embodiment of life.  Our ego hacks this beautiful tapestry of being and manipulates it into an illusion of grandeur.  It siphons it through a filter of instinct and intellect for the purposes of vanity and supremacy.  As human beings, we become addicted to this mystical buzz in a doomed quest to satisfy our soul with the language of our ego.

Custom Consciousness:

The only true power we have is our consciousness.  This extraordinary expression of our being transcends the ego.  Where our ego attempts to prove itself and impose its influence, our spirit emanates consciousness to transform our experience.  When the lines between truth and reality are blurred, our deficient awareness falls prey to the violent desire and desperation of our ego.  Many of us wear a mask to conceal our inadequacies, insecurities and vulnerabilities.  Yet, it is our self-delusion of these apparent weaknesses that hinders our ability to observe them as our greatest strengths.  Only in our consciousness will we experience our truth.

Alone Together:

Each one of us has our own crucial and unique purpose to fulfill.  We must walk this path alone.  We cannot realize our calling when we are focused on the experiences of others.  This is simply a clever way for us to avoid being authentically present to and interactive with our own in a vain pursuit to present ourselves as important and superior.  Instead of assuming the role of a guru, shaman or teacher, we can support each other in the manifestation of our purpose.  It is possible for us to be true to our own experience as a community without sacrificing our own destiny.  When we all live the lives we were destined, we become this together.

“Spirituality is an illusion of being.”

The Art of Being:

Spirituality has mystified us into a matrix of history, knowledge, narcissism, ritual and tradition.  It is a cult to which we subscribe due to our lack of faith in ourselves.  Our freedom is found in our commitment to be and how we personify it in our daily lives.  Spirituality is a compass of how we choose to live our lives.  Yet, it is simply a stepping stone on the path toward fulfillment.  When we become present to our ego’s agenda and its manipulation of what enlightenment may be, we transform our experience from one of emulation to one of being.  Our destiny is defined only by our courage, passion and willingness to become all our soul can imagine.

Romancing the Soul

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

In the beginning, there was religion, a system of belief that was conceived by a small organization of men to offer hope, peace and understanding.  The Bible and many other sacred texts were written by a small organization of men to provide a practice for learning, language, growth and a structure for righteous living.

Religion is a congregational (group) belief that follows a curriculum of verses, hymns, sermons, lectures, passages, practices, teachings, prayer and fellowship.  There is a hierarchy of small organizations of men whom preside over God’s will and testament for the flock (people).  This is where the vision for religion takes a heretical turn.

Religion could be perceived as a system of control, manipulation and distraction.

It presents a mirage of divinity with creation stories, history, parables and commonly accepted principles.  Small organizations of men distort and disseminate the wisdom of their selected saviors for the purpose of exploiting and enslaving the spiritual consciousness of their congregations. Who, to this day, continue to use religion to place themselves between that which is symbolized as “God” and humanity using the most powerful weapon known to mankind, fear.  In essence, they tend to divert their fellowships away from the only truth, peace, personal power, happiness, fulfillment, understanding and wisdom they were all born to become, their own.

Amidst the barrage of religions, another path emerged.  A way focused more on the individual’s experience of life and their relatedness to it, transforming the imposition and obligation of belief into a lifestyle later to be recognized as spirituality.  There are as many avenues to take on a spiritual path than there are people, as authentic spirituality inspires the apprentice to establish and maintain their own path.  It is a much more challenging endeavor of faith because it requires a diligent expression of bringing one’s personally discovered truth into their daily life through their chosen way of being.  There are few, if any, established guidelines, books, classes and lectures.  For the most part, there are no teachers to guide us in the direction that is most appropriate for “our” spiritual evolution.

Our spirituality is achieved with our willingness and commitment to being present to and interactive with this genuine way of life.  The more we give and share of ourselves, the more we will relate and connect to our spiritual experience.  When we are conscious of this realization, it may often seem as though our symbiosis with our soul is brief at best.

Personal spirituality is a daunting task, as there is very little social support, affirmation and applicable advantages to our every day reality.  There are very few translations of spiritual study to our daily lives that result in financial gain, employment advancement or extraordinary relations with most in our contemporary society.  There are times when these things occur, yet they are few and far between.  Walking our spiritual path is oftentimes so contrary to our daily lifestyle, it may seem almost impossible to attempt, let alone sustain.  When we do savor the fleeting moments of our fulfillment, it is a solitary celebration.  If our authentic experience of life (spirituality) is contingent upon and customized to our choices and involvement, we eventually realize that our spiritual path is for us and us alone.

There are millions of books and articles, thousands of lectures and videos and hundreds of spiritual teachers or “gurus” whom stand at the ready to “guide” the masses toward spiritual awakening, evolution, transcendence and transformation.  Many have committed to their observation, study, practice, experience and lifestyle of faith, expression and understanding.  Many can talk a convincing talk and may even walk a compelling and enchanting walk.  Yet, when the credits roll on the DVD, or the last word is read in the book or spoken at the lecture, it is all presented from “their” encounters in “their” life, not from or even for the life experiences of all whom are in their attendance.  When the audience leaves the comfort zone of the fellowship in which they inhabited the vicarious spirituality eventually retreats.

A common misinterpretation of contemporary spirituality has become apparent in our society within most popular spiritual paths.  It may seem that these extraordinary and revolutionary discoveries, perceptions, insights and knowledge are truly and essentially beneficial.  Upon our closer experience, we may find that we are allowing our souls to be “romanced” when we give our personal power over to the guru or spiritual teacher by looking to them for the answers only we can discover.

Much as the congregational and dependent-laden path of religion, all spiritual paths can become “romanticized,” “shaman”-ized and popularized to attract and enchant the masses.  It may seem that emulating or even “echoing” a guru or spiritual teacher’s wisdom makes the difficulty of walking one’s spiritual path easier.  Yet, it can become a distraction that only diverts and inhibits the individual’s growth and transformation, all the while potentially contributing to the expansion of the spiritual teacher’s ego and bank account.

It requires a great deal of discernment walking a spiritual life.  It may seem that most are merely talking the talk, for “spiritual” common sense clarifies that if one is talking a lot about their selected path and the epiphanies, revelations, insights and transformations they may be experiencing, chances are, they may not be walking the way as authentically as they might believe.  They may simply be attempting to prove their spiritual worth to supplement their own insecurities and/or inadequacies.  This is a superficial pursuit that can and does result in conflict within spiritual communities.

Our perception carries an immense measure of influence and intention in the quality and awareness of our experience.  Perhaps the most intimidating realization that may persuade us toward looking from without for our most essential answers is the discovery and understanding of the responsibility, intention, integrity and commitment it requires from within.

Those who choose to remain silent, ever present, vigilant and engaged in their path engender an energy of consciousness and wisdom.  There is no one else in the world that is more experienced, qualified or destined to establish our personal connection with our soul than ourselves.  It is not through our words or accolades, yet through the expressions of our humility, compassion, kindness and love we share with others.  This may be the only way we as human beings can support and empower each other toward our own enlightenment.

http://www.zengardner.com/romancing-soul/

Intuition

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

It is easy to believe in the things that we see.  We live in a visual reality.

It isn’t that our eyes “can” deceive us.  It is that they “do.”  Perhaps more accurately put, we allow our eyes to mislead us by where we cast them and with what we occupy them.

Our eyes are simply windows that not only focus our gaze, yet also our awareness.

It is easier to believe in the things we think.  We are unconscious of most of the thoughts we possess.  We have allowed and enabled our thoughts to become so influential in our lives, we can almost see them.  Our thoughts conduct and control us more often than we may choose to imagine.

It is difficult to believe in the things that we feel.  Our society is not designed to support emotionality as a viable expression of living.  The most powerful and enduring experiences in our lives are those we feel.  It could even be said that “feeling” our way through life may actually be closer to truly living and being.

It is most difficult to believe in the things we do not see, especially if we cannot understand or relate to them.  Since the time we are very young, we are conditioned to believe in only what we see or hear within a narrow perception of reality.  All outside of this fine line of life is where the extraordinary thrives.

In a society of distraction, instant gratification, busy-ness, expectation and entitlement, how could we ever assume we are experiencing the fullest of our lives or the world?  Have we ever?

Every day, there is a remarkable measure of life we do not experience.  It is astounding when we realize how rarely we use our hearts and our souls in relation to our minds and our bodies.   We live in a society structured around the needs, wants, pleasures and pains of the body and mind.  Our emotions and intuition are often pushed to the back burner of our being, without us even knowing.

Our experience of life isn’t merely what we can see, hear, smell, taste or touch.  It is all of these sensory encounters and more.  It isn’t only in the actions we take, the words we speak, the emotions we feel, or the random spiritual experiences we may encounter.  It is when we engender a present-ness to and being-ness in our lives that allows us to connect and relate with something/someone much greater than the “I” (identity) we perceive ourselves to be.  It is even beyond who we envision and dream ourselves to be.

It is reasonable to consider that if we are attempting to perceive our infinite nature with our finite senses, we will never be able to behold everything that we are, let alone reach our full potential or our soul’s fulfillment.  Our sensory expressions are all useful aspects of how we choose to understand and live our lives.  Yet, this is merely a fraction of our potential as human beings, and our senses will only reveal a fraction of all that is out there to discover and experience.

As it has been said, humankind will search the heavens and the earth for what has always been inside of us.  Since the beginning of humanity, only a fraction of the population during any given time period, has ventured to intimate and ally with what is beyond the seen, heard and known.  Only a few have chosen to go beyond simply knowing themselves and their position in the world.  Few have been able to give up everything they believe they are to become everything they were created to be.

If our heart is the gateway to our soul, our intuition is the pathway to universal consciousness.  There is a basic alchemy that human beings inherently possess.  It is a four dimensional dynamic that consists of our bodies, our minds, our hearts and our souls.  We live in a civilization that isolates us from our hearts and our souls, imposing upon us a two dimensional reality.  It takes a great deal of effort and energy to go against the mainstream of human “doing” and “thinking” to connect to, relate with and express from our hearts and our souls as human “beings.”

We are all born with the ability to transcend our human nature.  When we choose to temper our physical desires, calm our persistent thoughts and detach from our unhealthy feelings, we create an alchemical balance within.  We free ourselves to experience, connect with and relate to our soul using our dormant sense, our intuition.

Within all of us resides a pineal gland.  What is essential about the pineal is that it can operate with the Chakras and the Kundalini.  When these systems are performing in unison, a pathway to higher dimensions of being is opened.  This pathway is our intuition.  It is the medium through which we access our vision, creativity, truth, life force, spirituality and love. Our intuition connects to and relates with universal consciousness.   It is the “high”-way to who we truly are, beyond our bodies, minds and hearts, even our beliefs.

There are many ways to connect with our intuition.  I imagine that it is different for everyone, perhaps as diverse as any human being’s uniqueness, perception or reality.  Silence is the most important practice in synchronizing with our intuition.  Not just a space devoid of sound.  Yet, silence from our thoughts, emotions, instincts, perspective, agenda, drama and attachments.  Silence is the key that opens the door to our intuition.

A common and effective way to connect with our intuition is meditation.  When we meditate, there is an exchange of energy and consciousness that calms, balances and revitalizes us.  This experience brings us into a present-ness of being, utilizing our intuition to connect our heart with our soul.  The practice of meditation sustains us in our ability to balance our body, our mind, our heart and our soul.  When we establish and maintain this equilibrium, we are able to convey consciousness into reality, transforming ourselves and our environment.

Intuition is the universal instrument through which we as human beings may “art”-iculate creation, consciousness and infinite possibility.  Imagine if we were living our awareness to its fullest manifestation.  Our intuition unites us with our soul and the universe and relates us with each other.  It frees us from the illusion of separation and restores us to our true expression of life.  It is who we are as a universal being, pure consciousness energy.  Our intuition returns us to our true connection with the source, our love.

http://www.zengardner.com/intuition/

An Emanation of Truth

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

Under the Influence:

Our world, as we have been led to believe, is an illusion.  All of us live out our days performing the roles we have been conditioned to adopt with the belief it is for a greater cause.  Yet, this synthetic purpose serves only the few at the grave cost of the many.  Our perceptions have been manipulated over the span of our lives to hypnotize us into accepting a meager, ordinary, repressed, and selfish existence.  We measure the growth of our progression by our physical appeal, our programmed intellect and our social status, while we avoid, dismiss and discredit the essential expressions of our heart and soul.

Soul Sacrifice:

There is a massive gap between what we interpret as spirituality, religion or faith and its authentic and resourceful application into our daily lives. Many of us flock to our selected practice searching for sanctity, knowledge and the meaning of life.  We kneel in blind devotion to superficial entities feigned to exist far beyond our limited commitment, comprehension and willingness.  What we either don’t choose or don’t want to realize about our fidelity is that we are handing over our personal power to various beliefs sourced not by spirit, yet invented and exploited by man.

Global Exploitation:

Everything about the three dimensional reality in which we exist is manipulated.  From the seemingly most sacred to the utterly profane, everything we encounter in our daily occurrences has come under malevolent influence.  As atypical as genuine epiphanies are in our modern lives is as rare we discover pure and true experiences beyond the realm of mortal persuasion.  Our natures have become attuned to the energy of manipulation.  It has desensitized, diminished and destroyed our innate propensities for acceptance, compassion, understanding, wisdom and love.

Living the Lie:

The wool of our cynicism, denial, judgment, insecurity and fear has been pulled over our perceptions.  We enable exploitation to occur in our experiences simply because we are too terrified to claim and live our truth, purpose and destiny.  It isn’t just the social indoctrination we are all exposed to well before the time, if ever, we remember who we truly are.  It isn’t even the betrayal all of us suffer from those whom we believe are closest to us.  We are all eventually seduced by and compliant to the artificial belonging, meaning and principle of common reality.

“How we perceive is what we believe.”

An Affinity for Acquiescence:

Since the dawn of belief, history, legends, stories and traditions have been invented to distract us from our souls.  We have been attached to a blind faith in others more than we empower trust in ourselves.  Our dependency upon the external world has enabled an ever-expanding, internal vortex that has left us aimless, empty and unfulfilled.  We have been modified to a simulated lifestyle of attention, desire, status and survival.  It has become the very nature of our existence.  This has conditioned us to seek in others what we can only truly discover within ourselves.

Swimming Upstream:

Contemporary society is designed to function and exist against the flow of humanity.  This is why for most of the world; life is deemed as “difficult.”  The elements of apathy, challenge and distress are constantly and strategically infused into our everyday reality.  We enable this belief and lifestyle by deciding to perceive it as such instead of choosing to embrace it as a powerful opportunity to transform ourselves and make a difference.  The mere perception that life is excruciating and insurmountable provides the perfect circumstance and excuse to yield our personal power and become social slaves.

Elusive Epiphanies:

We are multi-dimensional beings with vision and potential that reaches well beyond our human experience of imagination.  We have the ability to create, express, exist and destroy.  Our potential for adaptation, endurance, relation and transformation far surpasses our inclinations to consume, think, reason or feel.  Our addictions to our personal dramas, judgments and opinions distort our discovery, focus and purpose.  We have the inherent ability to clarify, intend and manifest all that our heart and soul desires.  Yet we continue to sacrifice our opportunities at the zenith of their possibility.

“It is only as real as we believe it to be.”

Towing the Line:

For centuries, the human race has born witness to the tragic consequences of a society ruled by the wants of the few at the cost of the needs of the many.  Each of us bears the burden of this “reality.”  Most of us are not willing to be present to or engaged in the human catastrophes of global inequality, injustice and impunity.  It has become contemptible, impractical and political to identify or entertain the vital issues of our contemporary time.  Consciousness transcends the current trends of our society, though its presence and expression garners great animosity and resistance.

Turning the Tide:

Those of us committed to and empowered by truth realize standing for it always requires great sacrifice, dedication and ridicule.  When we are inspired to choose to embark on our journey for authenticity, integrity, purpose and the fulfillment of our true destiny, the whole world appears to descend upon us.  The more we live against the popular currents of present day society, not with defiance but intention; we realize that even the strongest tides shift.  The affirmations we receive when our actions, thoughts, feelings and insights make a difference are the foundation upon which our transformation is possible.

A Call to Destiny:

We each have a vital contribution in the evolution and transcendence of the human race.  Our intuitive vision, personal power and creative expression make an extraordinary difference in the way we perceive, interact and exist in society.  The composition of our reality is created in the wake of our focus, truth, purpose and love.  The extent of our expansion and transformation is defined by our commitment to express, share and sustain its presence in our daily lives.  No matter how often we have opted to defer our personal responsibility, we are entitled only to fulfill our destiny.

An Emanation of Truth:

The world will always be exploited to the degree we enable with our amusement, drama, egotism, indifference and oblivion.  The power and possibility to transcend the present condition of society has always been within us.  It is up to all of us to offer our personal contribution for its manifestation.  Each one of our unique expressions is essential and significant to the multi-dimensional experience of global transformation.  This is the fundamental dynamic of enlightenment.  It is the only choice we will ever have to make.  If we don’t choose to be a universal emanation of truth, who will?

http://www.zengardner.com/an-emanation-of-truth-2/

A Universal Instrument of Energy

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

The Tide and The Undertow:

Our society has strayed further away from the natural world. In many ways, we have attempted to distort and destroy nature for the sustenance of our modern day conveniences, comfort zones, innovations and pocketbooks.  We wonder why we starve for the basic necessities of clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, clean food to eat and clean environments in which to live.  It is more difficult to ensure the purity of our needs in a world that sacrifices them willingly for power, position and profit.  It is insane to believe that there is a viable justification for what we are doing, how we are enabling, and why it is deemed socially sensible to be biting the hand that feeds us.

How we breathe and live is much like the crashing and receding of the waves and the ebb and flow of the tides. There is a universal blueprint in the majesty of this often-overlooked expression of nature.  Yet, below the surface of the sea, something equally unseen and significant is happening.  There is an undercurrent that draws upon us; much like the opposing force of a magnet.  It pulls at our bodies, our minds, our hearts and even our souls.  It is the force of life we cultivate with our willingness and it is the force of death we enable with our resistance.  It is that which remains unnoticed that makes the strongest impression and passes the greatest influence.  It is only the circumstances we feel that allows us to sense beyond the diversion of reality and express our truth.

As conscious human beings we see the undertow everywhere in everything. It is in the extreme swings of the financial markets, the shifting power of the political arenas and the misguided strategy of the established medical industry.  It is in the contrived broadcasts of the media outlets, the romanticizing of spirituality, the false heroism of the sports industry and the sensationalized fantasy of the entertainment industry.  It is in the marketing of thousands of unhealthy products that lead to millions of deaths a year.  It is the declining undercurrent of our society.  It is a global vortex that exists solely for the sake of consuming.  It is the ugly face of humanity’s collective ego that devours with an appetite never to be fulfilled.

Transcending the Currents:

We live in a social structure we identify, interact with and to which we are tethered that we commonly accept as “reality.” Within this formation of existence, we are constantly influenced and conditioned by continual social undercurrents.  Some of these currents are very constructive and life giving such as love, creativity, healthy relations, community building and childbirth.  Even if we are not particularly conscious to the presence of energy currents in our daily lives, those of a higher frequency are undeniable.  They usually result in the release of natural endorphins that elevate our perceptions, vitality, mood, motivation and experience of life.

However, most of the currents in our contemporary society are very destructive and deadly. These artificial tides shower us through news broadcasts, entertainment, sporting events, religious propaganda, advertisements, misinformation and even personal and family dramas.  When we are caught in the undertow of these lower frequency currents, we are left tired, drained, depressed, hopeless and powerless.  As human beings, we often struggle to establish a healthy awareness of them.  These denser energy frequencies push and pull us to and fro, overwhelming our vision, senses, purpose and life.  They possess authority over us when we allow their energetic exploitation.  It is only when we concede our intention of consciousness we surrender our power.  When we do, we separate ourselves from the eternal spring of energy that the universe provides.

We are in the midst of an energetic conflict and its impact and impression is as constant and relentless as the ominous fate looming within and around us. Whether or not we are conscious of this secret battle does not take away from its potency and the burden of its probable outcome.  We are confronted by an energetic conundrum every year, day and breath of our lives.  We feel it when we wake up till the time we retire to our sleep.  Its presence permeates every facet of our being, most often without our awareness and understanding.  Our ability to thrive amid these social currents is dependent upon our willingness to differentiate and choose which energy we will adopt and represent based upon the nature of the expression of our lives.

In The Flow:

There are numerous sources in our world that radiate energy. Whether it is the Sun, the Earth, the winds, the rivers, the tides or even people, we are provided an endless supply.  Yet, the energy source that is most available to us is ourselves.  We are a biological system of life that generates and expresses an immeasurable amount of vitality.  Our body is constantly producing energy through breathing, digestion and hydration.  Our mind continuously fires neural activity as it sends commands to our body and relates us with our intuition.  Our hearts emanate life force through the circulation of the blood as well as the boundless electromagnetic energy that connects our heart with our soul.  Our soul is our direct connection with the source of all life in the universe.

We are eternal energy. All that exists is within us.  It is not an external entity that limits our capacity or takes our power from us.  It is our personal denial, self-righteousness, judgment and acquiescence that causes our diminished existence.  It is we who give our power away when we decline to become all who we are.  It is only we who can recover the energy we surrender to the chaotic undercurrents of our society’s turbulent, energetic tides.  It is in our nature to become multi-dimensional expressions of life in this world.  After all, we already are.  It is our living inheritance to claim our common destiny by fulfilling ourselves with the life force of all creation.  Everything that we need to thrive in our life is already within us.  We need only identify, accept and radiate our universal expression.

We are an instrument for the universe. The nature of instrument we will be is dependent upon the expression of our energetic birthright.  We have the potential to conduct the energetic currents that flow into this world.  We have the choice to be in flow with the universal energy and the collective stream of consciousness.  We have an obligation as living beings to stand strong amidst the social currents as they ebb and flow to challenge the bearings of our destiny.  We have the right to transform the fractured tides and undertows in our lives and in the world toward a convergence of energetic evolution.  Our lives are opportunities to express and share energy.  All it requires of us is to be the truth of our existence.  All it requires of us is to be what we are, a universal instrument of energy.

http://www.zengardner.com/universal-instrument-energy/

Fool’s Gold

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

Into the Mystic:

Before the era of mainstream spirituality and experiential ontology, religion ruled the kingdom of belief.  Billions of congregational followers flocked to their chosen church, temple, synagogue, mosque, shrine or sacred monument to seek answers only their Priest, Minister, Rabbi, Imam or Guru could provide.  Then, the spiritual revolution occurred and suddenly many seekers woke up to the realization they alone were responsible for their salvation.

Suddenly, the western world was awash with books, lectures, seminars, weekend retreats, weekly classes and You Tube videos selling shamanism as an applicable profession in the “real” world.  For hundreds or thousands of dollars one could become a shaman and almost instantly open a practice and facilitate ceremonies to heal and teach others to become one as well.  Eventually, common spiritualists came out in droves to answer this inauthentic, materialistic calling of the “new age.”

The shaman movement attracted curious, newly awakened, spirit-starved romantics seeking instant enlightenment through the repackaging of the oldest practices in the world.  Enter the opportunist that would reinvent the role of the intercessor to guide the re-born masses to Shambhala.  Now, more than anytime in the history of humanity, we see such a buzz and hullabaloo around the spiritual title “shaman,” and the broad range of modalities in which they may perform.

All That Glitters is not Gold:

In the midst of the excitement and fervor, these ancient ways were “modernized” into a form easier to understand, attain and practice.  The very essence of these sacred traditions and the experience required to properly practice them were sacrificed upon the altar of spiritual egotism and personal profit.  The rituals that had taken decades of time or longer to traditionally learn and perform would take only a matter of months, weeks or even days to the contemporary shaman.

The more this spiritual wildfire spread, the more the traditions were altered and/or re-invented to gratify a popular want in modern society.  Millions of people have been introduced to ways aged in the hundreds and thousands of years.  Yet, their teachers are not all wise and learned elders whose bloodlines had carried the cultural customs for generations.  The majority of the intercessors are merely actors most often playing a role that is far beyond their comprehension, ability, humility and commitment.

Now, it has become a trend to be a shaman.  Many mystify the masses with charisma, confidence, a little bit of knowledge and presentation ceremonies that may even harm the patients or participants more than they heal.  They have shifted the focus of the practice more upon themselves than on the spirits sourcing the medicine or the people requesting healing.  In many ways, the contemporary shaman has stigmatized and discredited the medicine way and caused challenges for the traditional ceremonial healers and their tribes.  The spiritualization and glamorization of these ancient, sacred paths have altered them forever.

The Heart of the Tribe:

There is a vital distinction between one who labels oneself a shaman and one who is a traditional ceremonial healer.   The ceremonial healer most often has grown up and lives in or around the community the medicine tradition has been kept.  The shaman most often has/does not.  The healer is willing to conduct a ceremony for very little financial return.  The contemporary shaman most often may not.  Most people whom practice ceremonial medicine do not call themselves shaman and some do not even know what that is.

In indigenous communities, those whom have understood plants, roots and our relation to the natural world have always held a vital role in the health and well being of their tribe.  Even to this day, when conventional doctors and the medical industry cannot treat the direst of situations, many traditional ceremonial healers are consulted and willing to help.  More often than not, they are severely under-compensated in comparison to modern-day physicians.  Yet, the commitment they made upon first entering their lifetime service far outweighs any concerns of comfort, convenience or status.

For many traditional ceremonial healers their experience began from the time they were adolescents, some from the time of childhood and some even from the time they were born.  It was a way of life for them for decades before the elders of their tribe acknowledged them as a leader on the medicine path.  To this day, it is a custom and a lifestyle that helps to sustain the strength, wisdom, history and ritual of their culture.  It is a tradition that preceded them long before they were born and will succeed them long after they have passed.

Few are called, Even Fewer are Chosen:

With the steady stream of spiritual practices and their accessibility over the last century, a decisive and detrimental shift has occurred.  There has been a gradual disassociation between the roots of these ancient ways and how they are conveyed and exist in the modern world.  To a great degree, the commercialization and popularization of these traditions has diminished their power and altered the expression of their energy.  The contemporary spin of these ancient practices has also provided inaccurate depictions and unrealistic perceptions to the unaware and unsuspecting novice.

The traditional medicine way is not something one may choose to become; it is something that chooses the ceremonial healer.  When this sacred exchange is established between the person who vows to help others and the spirits who bring the medicine, it is as natural as the progression of life.  They exhibit an awareness, intent and humility rarely beheld or experienced in our modern society.  Their commitment and dedication is beyond comfort, convenience, reason, sense and imagination.

As with many ceremonial practices, it is not about service to the self for financial, social or personal, spiritual benefit.  It is not about the number of patients/followers or how many referrals one may gather.  Rarely, if ever, does an authentic traditional healer consider ceremonial medicine an occupation or primary source of income.  It is about service to all without attachment.  It is the understanding and practice that the health and well being of a person in need far exceeds maintaining an image of importance or a lucrative practice.

The path of the traditional healer is one of the most difficult ones to walk.  There are very few, if any, reference points and it requires an extraordinary level of consciousness, compassion, purpose and dedication.  An authentic ceremonial lifestyle requires everything of the traditional healer.  There are no shortcuts and no concessions.  The ceremonial path may be one of the most amazing lifestyles we as human beings may experience.

If the shaman represents the branch of the ceremonial tree, the traditional healer is its root.

http://www.zengardner.com/fools-gold/

The Usual Suspects

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

A Dime a Dozen
They are found on the covers of magazines, books and a myriad of publications.  There are CDs and DVDs of their speeches, lectures and classes.  They host seminars, retreats and special engagements.  Their links are added to hundreds, perhaps thousands of websites.  They write forewords and brief praises for lesser-known author’s books.  They hob-knob and network with celebrities, politicians, athletes, business executives and royalty.  Their faces are even seen on TV, billboards, marquees and in movies.  They are the new age of applied mysticism.  They are “The Usual Suspects of Spirituality.”

Many of them have careers in very different fields prior to their “enlightenment.”  Some are doctors, authors, musicians, ministers, scientists, poets and professors.  Some may have experienced hardship, injury, loss and near-death experiences.  Many of them have had authentic insights that led to a change on their life path.  Most, if not all, have found them selves enamored with the awe, splendor, humility and illuminating epiphany of the expansiveness of universal awareness, relatedness, truth and love.  Yet, in the presence of the greatest experiences they may have had, their sacred union with spirit is often wagered for the fame, fortune and artificial fulfillment of the contemporary marketplace.

Edging God Out

We are all graced with consciousness.  When we become present to it, we transcend beyond our known selves.  In the majesty of this being-ness, we feel connected to everyone and everything.  Within this experience resides all possibility.  There is no desire to prove our intelligence, value, wisdom or spirituality.  There is only a need to relate and express with our spirit to sustain the balance and harmony of multi-dimensional life.  We exist in a beautiful and fluent dance of eternal energy, ever inspired and empowered to be our greatest manifestation.

This is a very challenging union to maintain.  Most human beings have not transformed themselves in this essential way to be present and interactive with the divine mandala we experience as life.  It is nearly impossible not to fall victim to our ego.  After all, as our consciousness and connection with our spirit grows and expands, so does our ego’s presence and influence.  It exists in and of itself, divergent from our reason, intelligence, wisdom and compassion.  It is what it is and forever shall be as long as we are human.

This gives us an insight as to how easy it is for a Spiritual Leader to not only become influenced, yet also run by their ego.  Belief is a double-edged sword.  On one side, there is a natural inspiration and inclination toward innocence, wonder and curiosity.  These qualities clarify and empower personal truth.  On the other side, there are strategies and agendas toward control and manipulation for the sake of self-worth, self-righteousness, spiritual hierarchy, entitlement and monetary gain.  A Spiritual Leader who does not commit to a practice of authenticity, humility and transformation will always misguide the very people they are attempting to lead.

Transcen-“dance”

The onus does not rest completely on the Spiritual Leader who has fallen prey or succumbed to their ego.  The common reality in which most of us exist lends greatly to this unfortunate outcome.  In order for there to be a measure of success in anything within this three-dimensional construct we call “reality,” those attempting to achieve it must interact and become a part of its program.  They must surrender to socially-prescribed conditioning in order to function and excel within it.  This instantaneously diminishes the energy frequencies with which we all connect, relate and unite through our higher level emotional being and our intuition.  The moment we intellectually and instinctually disengage from this extraordinary communion with our heart and soul, our spirituality is quantified into “reality.”  All possibility of living our true destiny is lost.

Our society is overpopulated with “spiritual opportunists.”  They learn just enough to charm, romance and outwit potential, unsuspecting clients, patients and customers.  The less we are aware of the bittersweet truth of authentic spirituality, the more its intellectually modified version hypnotizes us with its false luminosity.  Our pursuit of comfort, convenience, safety, knowing, entertainment and compliance with “reality” are the greatest common distractions from our authentic spirituality and true-life path.  Once we have subscribed to the quest for our mortal luxuries, what we have sacrificed of our soul goes beyond our imagination.

This is the primary reason why congregational religion, new age organizations and spiritual societies work mainly for the Spiritual Leader and rarely for the Spiritual Initiate.  These methods hinder the growth and expression of awareness far more than they help.  They are generalized social systems founded upon the structure of a three-dimensional reality to control the progress and expansion of individual and global consciousness.  They do not represent, relate or harmonize with the universal, multi-dimensional natures of our spirit.  Each person’s soul is unique and diverse.  It is actually impossible for one or a group of individuals to provide guidance or illumination on another person’s life path.  Only the person who chooses to discover the mysteries of their own soul and destiny is appropriately qualified and born to do so.

Soul Savior

Spiritual Leaders are only as genuine as their commitment, loyalty, humility and authenticity.  Their willingness and intention to evolve and transform in the service of their community and the world ought to transcend any notion of personal benefit they may achieve.  They may have knowledge, understanding, experience or wisdom that makes a great deal of sense in the moment it is shared.  However, when it is applied to our own lives, its value may fade as quickly as its appeal.  The wisest people are those whom are able to identify and discern when another’s wisdom, however popular or successful it may seem, does not apply to their own.

Spirituality is not a freedom from ego.  It is a practice for us to manage its relentless and inevitable impression.  An authentic spiritual path is not about belief.  It is all about who we are being and how we are living everyday.  Spirituality is about claiming our personal power and becoming the leader of a destiny to which only we were intended.  We were not meant to occupy a seat in someone else’s vision.  We were born to be the manifestation of our own.  We are the only ones who can bring our unique expression of purpose and transformation to the world.

We live in a society where it is very easy to exist vicariously through the perceptions, judgments, experiences, understanding and wisdom of others.  No other is meant or intended to guide our spirit through its life experience on Earth.  We may have epiphanies of relation, orientation and synchronicity with others when our paths may cross.  Yet, all we are is the expression of our choices and who we are being when we make them.  Living our authentic spiritual path may be challenging, humbling, wearisome, inspiring, empowering, enlightening and transformational.  Though its reward may never bring us a sense of comfort, status and accomplishment, it will always unite us with our soul.

http://www.zengardner.com/usual-suspects/

Being Present in the Present

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

Living History:
We are surrounded, enamored and consumed by our past. It is in everything, everywhere and everyone we know. It is our comfort zone, our personal security blanket to protect us from the world. Our past does not haunt or stalk us. It is in us. It lingers in the shadows of our minds like infinite echoes eternally bouncing off of each other. When we choose to view our lives through our antiquated filters we are living in our past. Most of us avoid releasing our past from our perception. Eventually, we fail to see how much of our past is in our present and inevitably our future.

It isn’t that the past is particularly safe, comfortable, enriching or illuminating. The past is relative. It is only beneficial to us when we may overlook something advantageous in our present. Its greatest value is in the expression of our awareness in the moment. Consciousness is the true measurement of our experience. The more conscious we are in our present, the more we will harvest from it when it has become our past. Who we were and who we may become ultimately creates who we are.

Our society is living in the past. We are constantly conditioned, influenced, entertained and frightened into its familiarity, certainty, docility and false security. It is an illusion we consciously and unconsciously construct and sustain for the sake of our selective remembrances, possession accumulations and professional achievements. Our past is a fragile and diverse fantasy we enable to escape the severity of society’s present reality. This survival strategy we adopt disconnects us from our lives and imprisons us with our own apathy, pride, cynicism and fear. We become enslaved by our experience with the artificial safety and finality of our relativity.

Over the Horizon:
As human beings we have an extraordinary power to focus our attention, project our energy and connect with anything we choose. Whether it is a healthy or unhealthy expression, the ability to do so is inexplicably misunderstood, disregarded, invalidated and unemployed. We live in a social structure that has gradually diminished and destroyed the necessity and importance of being the pioneers of our true path. It scatters us into various directions leading us away from our lives and ourselves. We have been persistently distracted, traumatized and emasculated into our soul’s sacrifice.

Whereas our past may dictate, alter or consume our present, the probable future can be equally as ominous and influential. When we fantasize about what may be, we inevitably compromise the awareness, quality and possibility of our present. We become a perpetual pendulum swinging between what was and what may be. In so doing, we rarely occupy our present long enough to give ourselves the opportunity to identify, cultivate and manifest our truth, mission and life. Our present is annihilated by the existence of our archaic memories, empty dreams and unconscious fears.

Our future is dependent upon our insights, thoughts, choices and actions in our present. It is in a continual flux until the moment we manifest it into our present reality. When we have produced an outcome in our lives, it becomes a fixed experience that instantaneously becomes our past. Even when we alter the dynamic of its existence, it is simply a variation of an obsolete life experience. More often than not, we are kicking the proverbial can of our future further in front of us just before it is actualized. Even our ideal perception and desire of what we would like our future to be can alter its creation and existence.

The Present of the Present:
At any time in our life we may find ourselves a split second ahead or behind expressing our purpose and creating our destiny. Unbeknownst to us, the achievement and success of our intended fate is often earned or lost within the slightest degree of experience. This slim measure is the distinction between living in the past, the present or the future. We neglect to generate and maintain a functional consciousness that would allow us to acknowledge and distinguish this minute diversity. We are rarely effective in our ability to keep our lives, let alone ourselves in the moment.

However difficult it may be to ground and center ourselves into the present, it is vital to our evolution. It is only in the present when we are able to connect with our intuition. It is only in the present when we find the sacred balance and harmony within that allows us to obtain and express our vision, purpose and destiny. It is only in the present we can fully become who we were meant to be. It is only in the present when we are creating our life. It is only in the present when we can fully experience love. The past and the future may appear real. Yet, the present is all that is true.

Beyond Now:
There is an infinite emanation of life occurring in the present that is beyond our senses, comprehension, competence and imagination. Before we are able to acknowledge, understand and interact with the multiplicity of the present, we are inundated with social diversions. Our three dimensional reality, social conditioning, common sense and beliefs compromise our consciousness, creativity, possibility and intuition. This temporal battle rages within us. It sources our insecurity, uncertainty, indifference, cognitive dissonance and fear. We become that to which we concede.

The present is a proactive, powerful, creative and extraordinary life expression. When we are in and aware of the present to the best of our ability, we live everything as we were intended. What once appeared to be linear in dimension, perception and experience transforms. We become aware of the multi-faceted existence of being. This is not something that is initiated simply by our shift in consciousness. It is the natural dynamic of universal experience. The present is an eternal gateway that allows us to exist in concert with numerous realms of being.

The present is not the destination of our journey. It is simply the foundation upon which we choose to live. The present is as unpredictable as the future. It is a multi-dimensional experience of being. Infinite possibilities are expressed from the womb of its presence. When we seek to control, inhibit and manipulate its outcome, it results in only what we individually think or believe. The present isn’t intended to satisfy the ego, desire and will of the few. It exists to transform, inspire and empower all. When we are conscious and related in our lives we truly experience it. Only then are we able to be an infinite expression of the present. Only then are we able to create, share and be the fulfilled nature of its possibilities.

http://www.zengardner.com/present-present/

The Greatest Illusion

/ Iam Saums / Leave a comment

“Spirituality and being spiritual mystifies us from being all who we are truly meant to be.”

Soul Distinction:

We are not spiritual. When we are attempting to be spiritual, we are not being spiritual. We may practice one or many styles of spirituality enough to consider or call ourselves “spiritual.” Yet, by our very nature in relation to the common reality and the dynamic of contemporary society, we are not. We may give the appearance or impression that we are or do, though we truly aren’t and don’t. When we present ourselves as being “spiritual,” we aren’t “being” spiritual, but more often disingenuous, eccentric and superior. When we believe we are enlightened is usually when we are furthest from it.

Living a spiritual life is publicized as something we must learn and develop; yet it is something we rarely experience or become. Whatever medium of spirituality we may believe we are performing is a characteristic of our individual interpretation. It is simply not possible for us to share the “wisdom” we may discover, adopt, reflect or convey. It is ours alone and may only work for us in our lives. There are over six billion truths, perceptions, opinions and encounters with spirituality in the world. It is narcissistic to believe that “our” understanding of spirituality is universal or “the one.”

When we choose to embrace living a lifestyle that brings us into alignment with our soul’s purpose and destiny, we begin to draw lines of distinction between what we believe our path to be and what it truly is. More often than we would like to accept, how we choose to live determines whether we are talking and proselytizing a spiritual life or walking and living it. The use of the term “spiritual” implies that those whom are intending to be it are not. Most people that seek to live a spiritual life never realize that they may be feeding their ego more than they are being an expression of their soul.

Lost in the Logic:

Relation with the spirit is a very unique experience. When we attempt to quantify our illuminations using thought and reason, we have already diluted and eventually lost their true essence. When we listen to a spiritual speaker, read a book or an article 😉 or watch a video, we aren’t receiving the entirety of the message or its wisdom. It is compromised as soon as it is translated from a four-dimensional experience into a three-dimensional reality and captured with two-dimensional logic and ideology. As soon as we attempt to speak about it we have already lost it.

Many “spiritual” leaders, gurus, shaman, ministers, priests, etc. have sought to be an intercessor for all emanations of spirit. Many members of congregations, fellowships and religious and spiritual organizations have willingly sacrificed their personal truth, power, purpose, freedom and destiny seeking outside of them that which already abides within. The pursuit of artificial belonging, comfort, convenience and common belief ultimately “converts” a revolutionary, transformational four-dimensional experience into a contrived and routine two-dimensional secular sentence.

Ritual of Rhetoric:

As central as the ritual is to one’s practice, it is not the end all be all. It may seem ideal to live a life in constant ritual, yet it is not realistic, nor is it beneficial. At some point, all of us must return to our daily lives and apply to them what we have experienced in ceremony. If the spirituality one is practicing is not proactively useful, personally innovative and progressively transformational, it can become more of a detriment than a benefit. Millions of people use rituals everyday to escape the reality to which they subscribe. Even a ceremony can distract one from the evolution of their life.

Rituals open the door and guide a person into the realms of epiphany, consciousness, appreciation, transformation and wisdom. These practices allow us to step outside of our lives and ourselves and experience something new, bold, radical and revolutionary. They allow us to relate with our heart and soul through our connection with the vision, insight and expression of our intuition. Ceremonies balance our body and mind with our heart and soul. They assist us in establishing and maintaining the sacred alchemy of our four-dimensional potential.

Participating in ceremony is essential with our intention and need to live harmonically and symbiotically with our heart and soul. The frequency of our participation and our experiences help us to discover and sustain our awareness to, relation with and expression of the creative force of the universe. This is our fullest potential which all of us are born to bring into three-dimensional reality, beyond even our imagination. This is the life force that creates the possibility of transforming ourselves, our reality, our environments and ultimately the world.

Soul Distortion:

We have been turned around so many times in our lives by the common reality and the society in which we live that we fear and resist all that we should embrace and apply. We surrender and acquiesce to that which is outside of ourselves as our celebrated contemporary lifestyle. It has become the customary way of life. We have found a false sense of security, worth, empowerment and fulfillment in being afraid of our own shadows. Throughout our lives, our fear grows to be insurmountable. It ensnares us into a perpetual state of delusion, confusion and indifference.

Eventually, we allow the social rules, obligations and havoc of our human experience to distort our intuitive vision and suppress our emotional expression. We do not truly live. We merely survive a two-dimensional existence. We attempt to compensate for the lack or loss of our heart and soul with left-brained intelligence and gratifying our insatiable, instinctual desires. We become masters of reason, opinion, duality and common sense. With every shallow breath we take in our unconscious existence, we further sever our relation with our soul.

The Illusion:

Before we are able to comprehend the necessity of our relation to and expression of our spirit in our life, it is relentlessly charmed and seized by numerous facets of society. As children, we live from our heart and soul before our bodies develop and our minds are manipulated with two-dimensional intelligence. As we “mature,” our emotions are repressed and we are alienated from our intuition. We begin to believe the truth of those around us as we inhibit and bury our own. We live so removed from our heart and soul, what we are faced with on our deathbed is our fear of the unknown we ourselves enabled.

We are programmed, conditioned, educated, emasculated and enslaved into an artificial, three-dimensional reality living a two-dimensional existence. Everything that we are told we ought to live for by our family, friends, peers, teachers, preachers, professional associates and authoritative figures is the mask of the illusion we call “life.” We drive ourselves with the initiative of acquiring more to eventually buy our freedom from the communal prison of reality. When we reach the mountaintop of “retirement,” we isolate ourselves further from the world. Our surrender is complete.

The greatest illusion ever invented by humanity was the belief that we are separate and divergent from our soul. Our society is built upon this lie to sustain this deception for the benefit of the few at the cost of the many. The common acceptance of this perception has segregated us from the extraordinary expression of who we truly are. It has condemned us to the shadows of existence from our fulfilled potential and the true purpose of our destiny. Yet it is our own fear of the pure power of our soul and our lack of loyalty to it that has suppressed and separated us from our four-dimensional experience.

We are whom we have been waiting for. We are the key that unlocks the door. This has always been the truth and purpose of our lives. This is why we are born into this artificial, three-dimensional reality and consistently challenged by a two-dimensional existence. It isn’t to sentence us to a life of fear, servitude, escapism and self-indulgence. It is to inspire and empower us to choose to transcend and transform this simulated reality. This is how we discover and declare our personal truth, power, purpose, freedom and destiny. This is how we become the soul we are meant to be.

“The greatest illusion isn’t that we are separate from each other.

The greatest illusion is that we are separate from our souls.”

– Iam

http://www.zengardner.com/the-greatest-illusion-2/