You’d have to be almost living under a rock not to be aware of the once-in-400-years event taking place right now around the world as we experience a total lunar eclipse on the solstice. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of collective energy surrounding this event that is available to you now.

Old patterns have come out to play this past week, and it’s not uncommon to have had the sense of being hit over the head with a hammer, one that perhaps you thought you had dispensed with long ago. Even people accustomed to self-work and introspection can find themselves faced with long-familiar sensations dredged up from the buried past.

If this is you, remember that the energy is fleeting, at least in the grand scheme of things, and that you are in control of how you feel. In other words, what you are experiencing will change into something else (the Law of Impermanence), and regardless of what you are feeling, you can determine where that takes you. Perhaps, more than any other “lesson” available to you now, this concept is the most profound and life-changing.

Let’s examine this further. It is true that there are energies and influences “out there,” floating around in the ethers, that are likely to affect you. Understanding that your interaction with the universe, i.e. you vs. not-you, is a give-and-take or at least a two-way street is helpful. You are not subject to the whims of the universe; you are a contributing part OF the universe and therefore can determine how that interaction takes place. But this may require a paradigm shift of sorts, especially if you’re accustomed to allowing yourself to feel disempowered or disconnected from your own process.

You decide how you feel.

Getting there isn’t always easy. When you’re sensitive to energies around you, whether they are from people, people’s emotions, your community, or the world, it can be difficult to discern what is you and what is not-you, especially since on some level there is always the understanding of our constant underlying connection and oneness. The intensity and retro nature of this week’s Solstice Full Moon Eclipse is a prime example. You are likely feeling the effects of this through being presented with patterns, dynamics and feelings that are either exquisitely familiar (and perhaps in a not-so-good way) or that you thought were long put away.

Welcome to the opportunity that you give yourself to finally release these patterns.

Self work is not a linear process. When you think you are finished with something, it nearly always comes up again in some other way. This isn’t a test but an opportunity to see a familiar thing differently. Imagine peeling an apple, beginning from the stem end, in one long spiral that reaches around and around the globular shape of the apple. Stretched out, the peel is long, reaching perhaps the distance from one outstretched hand to another if held taut. Looped loosely in a pile, the apple peel’s edges touch other edges, giving birth to new interactions. What was once part of one side of the apple now can touch an area that had been around the other side of the apple, two parts that never would have met except through the wholeness of the apple itself. Self work is like the spiral peel of the apple. What was once now comes around again, but in different form. It looks and feels the same but you can choose to view it differently.

Now is the time we ease more firmly into our true heartspace, whether for ourselves or for humanity or for all awareness. This Solstice Full Moon Lunar Eclipse holds a container for an energetic shift, if we should so choose to walk through that doorway. The slow shift into heart-centered awareness takes place regardless of how we approach our spiral apple peels individually, but understand that conscious awareness of movement nearly always feels better than a stab in the dark.

You choose what to do with the energies available to you this week. Do you look backward and heal old wounds? Do you look forward into the brightness of what you create? Do you expand laterally into the Now of your every breath? All choices are valid, and all lead to growth. All choices help support the overall tapestry of creation that unfolds in every moment.

What will you choose? Whatever you choose to do with what is available to you in THIS moment, choose with your whole heart and your whole being. Choose what supports you most in this moment. And then step through that doorway into your What Comes Next.

11:11. We see this all the time, twice a day on every clock, and feel there is some deeper meaning there. Is this a message? What does this mean? Why do I see 11:11 all the time? What is this telling me? What can I do with this energy?

As we approach 11-11-10 and think about next year’s 11-11-11, let’s find out what this energy is all about in order to make best use of the energies that are being presented.

11:11 is a symbol. Numbers are just numbers, right? They carry no meaning in and of themselves? Yes and no. Numbers are themselves symbols, but they also carry energy of their own from an accumulation of meaning over the millennia. Those who have synesethesia can attest to the fact that numbers have energy (synesthesia? These are people who see or feel colors, emotions, tastes, music, or other input associated with numbers, letters, days of the week, etc). Numbers were created in order to symbolize the energy associated with “how many”.

The number ONE is associated with completion. I AM. ONE represents the complete Self, one unit, a full circle. 11:11 therefore symbolizes the natural progression of I AM into full becoming: four ONES lined up, supporting one another and becoming the unifying force between heaven and earth.

11:11 is a gateway. You can use the symbol of 11:11 as a gateway for yourself — use it to access and harness the infinite energies associated with this symbol. There is nothing you need to do other than open yourself to this with intention. Use your recognition of 11:11 as a guide to let you know that you are “on the right path,” or moving forward along your chosen direction, whatever that may be. In other words, allow yourself to be open to observing and noticing the 11:11’s in your life as they occur. Intend that they be for you a reminder that you are connected to your Self at your deepest internal level and that they also give to you a continual nudge or gentle push along the direction of your choice. Use this gateway as an avenue to connecting consciously to the divine and earthly energies that abound all around you.

How to access the 11:11 energies through this continual gateway? Although simple intention will do it, you may also wish to strengthen and formalize your connection to these energies with a ritual or practice.

11:11 Practice

Ground and center yourself by becoming comfortable and relaxed and then breathing in fully and allowing the breath to release. Breathe in again, intending that the next outbreath will fully relax you and prepare you for this connection. Feel the breath move through your feet and through the top of your head as you exhale. As you do so, imagine that there is a cord running through you that connects through you and down into the center of the earth as well as up into infinite space beyond. This cord is elastic and moves with you. As you imagine this cord, imagine it also becoming straight and string, holding you upright as a cylinder. You are now a perfect conduit connecting these energies and your entire body is completely energized as a result. Not only will you have perfect cellular memory of this moment, but each time that you imagine yourself as the crystal gateway of 11:11 you will energize and activate your DNA structure to more perfect proportions, every time changing your crystalline structure a little more until you reach your perfect potential.

11:11 is a message. So many of us are hooked into our deepest inner selves yet lack the discernment to know for sure that this is truly happening. Retrospect is a big teacher, is it not? How many times have you known something “in your gut” yet you either failed to act upon that knowledge or questioned it until it faded? Yet when you looked back you found that your first inclination was the correct one. If this is you — and it’s not an uncommon occurrence by any means! — then you have the power to change this and to find a mechanism of knowing connection that works for you. Why not use an occurrence that is present twice daily? Simply intend that you will make yourself aware of the 11:11’s in your life whenever you need the message that you are tapped in to your inner potential in a way that makes sense for you. Don’t stop to question this — you need to fully accept it for it to have the tremendous power that it can have when you step into it fully.

What about 11-11?

This is an entire day, given to you once a year, within which to increase your conscious inner connection a hundredfold. There is nothing you need to do other than be open and aware. On this day this year, notice whatever comes across your path. Notice the quality of the light in the room. Notice things you overhear, snatches of distant conversation. Notice your dreams. Notice your thoughts. Notice where in your body that your breath wants to go. Notice where there is tension, and where you feel relaxed and capable. Just notice and observe whatever there is to experience, on this one day this year. Through the observation, we promise that you will make quantum leaps of awareness, though you will perhaps not put all the pieces together into your consciousness until much later.

Ramping up for 2012

I’ll have much more to say about this later on, but yes, of course 11-11 this year is a precursor to 11-11-11 next year, and 12-12-12 the year after. This goes without saying. What will all this mean? Energies are fast on the increase to be available for whoever is on a path to access them. This means much more than personal effect (joy, abundance, relationships, etc) and has much more to do with the overall effect being generated to create shifts not only for the planet but also for the universe and beyond. I can be much more specific as time goes on, but for now you can plan that these dates will be beacons to those who wish to take quantum leaps in awareness on many levels. Without becoming egoic about it, simply concentrate on your particular piece of this beautiful tapestry while at the same time increasing your awareness of your effect upon the world around you. This will help you prepare for what is to come, both personally and globally, and I’ll continue to supply coded messages to help you get there. Deal?

[photo: c.e.b., flickr]

One of the major phenomena that have been occurring for a while now is the collective attention to and activation of numbers that occur in everyday life. With the advent of the digital age, people are able to routinely see 11:11, 4:44, and other such power numbers appearing on the clock as part of daily observation. This serves much the same purpose as does the attention that comes to power dates that appear on the calendar.

One could argue that since the present-day Western calendar has little astrological basis, it is therefore arbitrary and the numbers and dates contained within it all have a consequently arbitrary meaning, but there is energy to numbers. In cultures where counting is performed as “one” and “many,” the energy of numbers still exists even without the a symbolic numeral that represents the energy of the number itself. It is important or useful to remember that the numeral is not the energy of the number but instead serves as a symbol of that energy — the power — contained within it. Numerologists are on the right track when they attempt to attribute meaning to the number energies contained within names and dates.

Having then arrived at the conclusion that the upcoming date 10-10-10 (October 10, 2010, which is written the same way in both the American calendar and the European calendar) has significant meaning. Many people have been planning events and connecting rituals for that day. But what does it mean? How does 10-10-10 play out in the dance now being woven through human history?

Notice first the exquisite symmetry in the number, and the similarity to digital binary code. This is no accident. There is, encoded, within the number 10-10-10, a message that is available to all who attend to it. There is nothing special that you need to do other than notice that 10-10-10 seems to have some meaning. You may, of course, wish to strengthen this meaning and its reverberations within yourself by observing a private or community ritual or other observation, but this isn’t strictly necessary. The message is available to all, whether or not it is understood, interpreted, or even noticed in any way. Simply being alive and on the planet on this day avails you of the encoding within.

The message of 10-10-10 is this:

You have come to a time in your life, both as an individual and collectively as the mass of humanity, whereupon change is no longer avoidable. All who attend to the encoding contained within the symbolic numerals 10-10-10 will be attuned to an energy frequency change. This attunement is available to all, whether or not there is awareness of it on a conscious level. The attunement helps gather resources necessary to support further and more noticeable change later on. It helps you regain lost knowledge about your life path. It helps you remember your connection to All That Is.

What can you do with this information? Simply by opening your awareness to the changes that are taking place within you and around you, you assist with the flow of energy necessary to help support this level and degree of change. Start with what is different about yourself. Begin with the most fundamental part of you: your breath. Attend to your breath, noticing the rise and fall of your chest, the contraction of muscles, the inflow and outgo of the life force within you. Move next to your heartbeat, and feel within you the beating of seven billion hearts, all connected in some small way to the bird-flutter inside your own chest.

Breath and heart; heart and breath.

For the next sixty days, attend to yourself with a simple meditation on your breath and heartbeat. Know that you will notice changes and slight fluctuations as the days progress, and as you do so pay particular attention as well to all the mundane things you do in the course of the day that now begin to seem brighter and with added purpose. AS you do so, realize that the message of 10-10-10 is one that connects you more firmly to your soul’s purpose, and rest in the knowledge that you are being supported by seven billion other heartbeats around you.

The onslaught of energies assaulting the planet that began with the Solstice and successive eclipses in June, and have continued with a particularly strong Mercury retrograde and the proximity of a retrograde Jupiter, moves ahead once again this week with a double-whammy of the Full Moon Equinox on September 23 (or, the evening of September 22 for those in North America). If ever you have been doubting that your life is in flux and that the only reasonable course through such commotion is to breathe and ride with it, now is your chance to embrace this philosophy.

Let’s discuss these events separately and then together.

The full moon occurs regularly and is a figure on a regular basis in terms of providing an opening toward growth or movement. Use this time to your advantage to focus on what you are creating. What messages are present for you in the perceived movement (or lack of movement) in your life? Take care with your thoughts about creating your life and your story – if you focus only on the “good,” you rob yourself of the power of your shadow side. In meditation, embrace all that you are creating and welcome it to your side. Breathe for a while with what you have created, and then seek to release what no longer serves you.

The Equinox, especially this one, is even more powerful. It symbolizes the crossing over from life to death, and for balance, in the Southern Hemisphere it symbolizes the crossing from death back to life again, or rebirth. With this energy, then, is great power, one that can bring you in closer connection with your cellular beginnings. Use this time to think about your life on a grander scale — bring into your awareness all the what-ifs and might-have-beens; they are a part of you as and such deserve to be honored and considered. Now is the time to perform your own soul retrieval, bringing those past parts of yourself, the lives created by the choice points in your past that are not a part of the You that you know yourself to be today, into your conscious being.

Together, then, this Full Moon Equinox is a time to bring into balance and awareness the totality of You. It is a powerfully healing time, and offers a space through which to move into a new chapter in your life. 

On a personal level

This is perhaps the most noticeable manifestation of these energies. Along with the inner expansion of the Jupiter retrograde, and in preparation for an upcoming Venus retrograde, the majority of you will find yourself re-examining past patterns and relationships. We have said before that the primary method of experience physical plane experience is through interacting with others, and so relationships are an important part of each individual’s experience. In this time, you’ll find yourself realizing new insights about old issues that have felt stuck to you in the past. Use this time to meditate on your common triggering reactions and responses. Embrace them and bring them to you without judgment, and then stay with the feelings that arise. After all, they are just feelings! In time, with sitting with these reactive patterns, you’ll be able to release them. For the next several days, try to create some space within which to meditate and to allow your sense of these patterns to come into your consciousness. If you like, follow the threads that lead from you to the others in your life with whom you have created these patterns and practice Tonglen, breathing in awareness and understanding, and breathing out love and compassion.

On a relationship level

Because of all the intense inner work that most people are experiencing, relationships will be changing as well. Now is the time to pay attention to what you have been creating and the story you have been telling, perhaps for years now, about the people you have known. Do you still wish to hold onto that story? You may use this energy to make a new story if you like. Mentally hold hands with the person with whom you’d like to create a new story, and tell them that you are now choosing differently. The in-real-life reactions of people to the inner changes you are making will vary, but understand that it is the people closest to us who have the hardest time seeing change in us. Allow time and space for change to develop.

On a community level

To balance the inner work, people are feeling more intensely a need now to connect with others. This has been occurring overall on a global level for some time, but the shift of seasons, from light to dark, is an important marker for most people that creates a need for change. Summer is an outward, expanding time, while Winter is an inward, contracting time. You’ll likely be feeling a need to ground yourself within the activities of others at this time (for those in the Southern Hemisphere, you’re also feeling a pull toward community but in an expansive, action-oriented way) in ways that bring a sense of fellowship and sameness. Examples of this are desires to worship with others, to create and eat food with others, and to interact in a meaningful way with deep discussions. This is a good time to join a book or film discussion group or to seek a new way to connect with others who share your beliefs and values. Connecting through shared experience becomes important now. 

On a global level 

Worldwide, balance is created among the hemispheres which moves the global collective community light-years into the What Comes Next. Because of the amount and intensity of the inner work being done on a personal level, waves of global change will begin to emanate after this Full Moon Equinox. This has an effect on many levels: expect through mid-October some repercussions that may look like earthquake activity (Northern Pacific Rim), large bank failure, political scandal eruption, and other events that “rock the boat” for some time to come.

Full Moon Equinox Meditation 

To assist you with moving effortlessly into the energies of this time, we offer this meditation. Try to practice it at least twice over the coming three days, paying especial attention to when you need to create this connection on the Equinox itself.

Close your eyes and focus on the breath. Feel how your body, your cells, expand along with the rise and fall of your chest, your shoulders, your abdomen. Feel how this breath move along tiny passageways into every cell in your body, infusing you with the energy of this moment. It is this moment – right now – in which you are creating what happens next. In this breath, you plant the seeds of your next week, month, year, and decade. In this breath, you infuse your being with all your hopes, dreams, and expectations, and in this breath you embrace also the stories and dreams of all those who share breath on this planet with you. Breathe now and breathe in those stories, allowing them to mix with your own. Breathe out again and send your hopes out into the universe to be co-created by all those who share breath on this planet with you. Rest now in the immense possibility that you have created with one breath. Breathe that knowledge – knowledge of your innate power to create – into every cell, down to your toes and beyond back down into the Earth again. Feel the door that you just opened, and choose to walk through it into your next breath.

It is easy, given our cultural framework, to imagine spiritual learning as analogous to education - that spiritual learning is an accumulation. The idea we have is that one must keep learning, keep reading, keep listening to teachers, keep doing yoga in order to "advance." However, in truth, spiritual learning is nothing more than learning to be fully who you are. There is no "better" as you grow older and have more experience. There is simply more of who you are.

"In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added.

In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped." - The Tao te Ching

No matter which spiritual path you choose, the path will always bring you to You. Some people take roundabout paths and some dive in headlong. There is structure in the manifestation of spiritual learning as the learning moves deeper into the cells of your body and your basic being. This structure creates "layers" of spiritual learning. There is movement among the layers — this is not a static creation, nor is movement restricted to one direction only. Each of the seven layers exists within you, and each may be accessed at any time (although you likely will "live" in one for a period of time). All layers are necessary to create the tapestry that which is You.

Layers — not Levels — of Spiritual Learning

Our cultural framework suggests that older and wiser is better. Certainly, in physical life, age can bring the wisdom of experience. This often translates into perception of spiritual wisdom: "I'm an old soul, therefore I'm more evolved than you" is commonly thought but likely not voiced. But in reality, everyone — from infant to elder — is on a level playing field, simply operating from a different perception. The idea of layers conveys that. All layers exist simultaneously. One layer may be close to your core, like the core of an onion, but all layers are part of you and none are let go of or moved through, discarded. You do not grow beyond a layer other than letting go of identification with it. Each layer is simply an aspect of yourself. Deeper layers are not better; they are simply present with you at all times, ready for access. Within you, you always have both the new explorer and the enlightened master.

Moving through the layers is not a linear process. You do not finish one and then move on to the next. There may be, for a time, a "home" for you in one of the layers (certainly, when looking at them, you'll be able to easily identify the layer you spend most of your time in now, as well as layers you have used in the past), but you have access to all of them at all times. They are always a part of your experience.

Layer 1: Explorer

This initial layer holds the excitement of bounding out on a newfound journey. The quest has begun. You feel an initial sense of wonder, like a child tasting candy for a first time. You taste the potential of spiritual presence and its benefits and you feel the energy coursing in your body. In some ways, you have a core connection to what the deepest spiritual attainment is — this generates enormous energy and inspiration and draws you forward to your chosen path.

It is all new, so you explore the spiritual world with a child's wide open eyes. This is what we often refer to as the "sponge" stage. In it, you accept everything but you do not yet apply discernment or even much differentiation. Everything is good; everything is valid. You might explore and read any related subject to your interest. You might follow the recommendation of any teacher, friend or acquaintance who appears to be on a spiritual path. For instance, if you are interested in Buddhism, you might read every Buddhist title in the local library to explore it all, irrespective of the branch of Buddhism, and you might also read anything else with an Eastern flavor such as Hindu teachers. Because of the newness, exploration within this layer can feel like pure Truth and the stuff of great revelations. This is the "diving in" to a new teaching. This layer helps you get a feel for what is out there and helps bring the teachings deeper within you, past the surface layers of personality.

Layer 2: Initiate

After some time spent in the Explorer layer, there is often a realization that you need to narrow down your focus so that you can explore more deeply into what resonates with you. You cannot become a master of all teachings at once; here you find that you need to focus on one thing at a time.

The emphasis in this layer of learning is on the structure of what is being learned. Passages, sutras, and scriptures are memorized and you attempt to distill for yourself the essence of a teaching for a purer understanding. This helps you incorporate that essence into the routine of your daily life. You have a basic understanding of your chosen teaching, and with this understanding comes a first siphoning off of what does not work. For instance, if you were learning about Christianity, you might at this point choose which denomination you wish to belong to and decide on some level that other denominations aren't "the Truth"- for you. You have decided which path to follow and what works best for you in this moment. This enables you to have more focus so as to better incorporate what there is to learn in the cells of your body.

Within this layer, there is also a sense of awe for all the wisdom that is out there as well as for other "wiser" beings who are teaching you. You search for teachers who bring a deeper layer of learning. This can give you a magnificent feeling of support and guidance, and it can also lead to the (false) belief that others know best for you than you do. This belief is gradually let go as learning progresses.

Layer 3: Teacher

Within this layer of learning, you've already accomplished a lot of intellectual and social learning — there is a recognition that further study yields diminishing returns. You see all the learning that you have accomplished so far. The value of the teaching is still very much appreciated, however, and so you begin to focus on teaching what you have learned to others. There is an emphasis on demonstrating the authority of learning — that you know the teaching. Teaching others brings you a renewed appreciation in what you have learned; there is a dual experience of the joy of this path.

Within this layer, you may desire to create a study group. You may become a counselor. You may respond regularly to questions in a society or in an online group. You may proselytize if your path advocates it. You may write a blog. By teaching others and exploring your own beliefs, you learn more yourself and see how your learning interacts with others' paths. You expand your own presence to try to influence others.

The limit of the learning so far, however, is that up to this point you have been learning primarily from external sources: books, teachers, and the community around you. You are an authority under something else such as an organization or an abstract teaching. Therefore what you teach tends to be your interpreted regurgitation of what you have learned so far. You do not yet teach directly and solely from your own soul. In other words, the student becomes an authority by playing the role of what they think a true person on the path should be. A student of Buddhism might meditate regularly, speak with compassion and follow the eightfold noble path as best as they can. A student of the Michael Material might teach others about overleaves or begin to learn to channel. If you have an advanced degree in psychology you may hold workshops and counsel others.

Experimenting with authority in this external fashion is all part of the journey to find a true sense of inner power by learning to live your path from your deepest essence.

Layer 4: The Search Begins

"What?" you may exclaim. "The Search Begins only here? What about Layers 1 to 3? I've been an expert - I'm not just beginning!"

It is in this layer that the diving off the cliff toward inner knowingness truly begins. This is the fulcrum layer between following a teaching and living it from within. In the previous layers, there was a social identity — a firm path to follow — which can involve teaching others. If you belong to an organization and have an identity as such, you'll have an understanding of what is appropriate within the teaching of your organization. However, at some level you will realize that just because someone else speaks a truth doesn't mean their truth is yours. Following the path of one's own quiet inner voice requires courage, integrity, and a willingness to step away from the herd. It requires changing your path if one day that path doesn't feel right for you — even if it disappoints others' expectations.

This is where the dark night of the soul appears. What you know disintegrates and crumbles around you — your identity, your comforts and defenses — so that you may find something greater: your Self.

In short, the inner self opens and begins to speak up. You have a newfound dialog with your own soul and essence. The newness of this creates movement in your life in thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Conflict and turmoil can appear if one's inner voice differs from what has been learned. It is rare that your true perception matches exactly the teaching that you have been following. Perhaps you realize that your body does not truly want to sit in meditation for hours and that substituting other practices can give you the same benefit. Perhaps common phrases you have used now feel dogmatic — that is, having lost their personal meaning for you. Within this layer you'll find yourself questioning authority of all kinds so that you find that you yourself are your own greatest guru. In some spiritual communities, this creates unrest, discomfort and conflict. Cries of 'heresy' and of not being 'true to the teachings' can occur. However, in this layer you feel compelled to truly bring your teaching to a new level that includes being true to one's self. There is a desire to see for one's self instead of relying on anyone else's experience, including liturgy. Every true teaching is a living teaching — and it is your life you bring.

This layer also brings a deeper connection to others — you are bringing more of yourself forward in meeting with others. You are no longer identified as "just" a Christian, Muslim, Jew, or any other member of a teaching. You are you. You are an expression of the Divine, just as you are, and you begin to recognize with your own eyes - not simply through others' words - that others are as well. By beginning to truly be yourself, you support others in recognizing themselves as well. You begin to understand the greeting "Namaste" for the full depth of its meaning:

That which is of God in me greets that which is of God in you.

Layer 5: Truth in the Moment

Here, a regular connection to essence occurs and you recognize the dichotomy that while your past learning may have been true for you at that time, newfound revelations and perceptions are always different in each moment. You therefore learn to live by your own perceptions, moment by moment, with a deep trust in them. You know that there are no rules, only choices - and that all choices contain within them an inherent perfection. You build from your past learning instead of limiting yourself to it. The ideas of "right", "wrong", "good" and "evil" fall by the wayside. There is only Truth, and part of that truth is a deep love of life and everyone and everything in it. The result is an expansive flexibility that is filled with gentle humor and play.
Because of this flexibility, there are many ways that you might manifest who you truly are:

• You may find a newfound interest in other learnings and see them no longer as different from one another, but as part of a universal teaching.
• You may begin to have a gentle, relaxed laughter as the humor of life itself is experienced. Yes, this path is perfect - as is every other path!
• You may find a new sense of creativity and even eccentricity. For instance, if you explained a spiritual topic to others 10 times, you may give 10 completely different explanations - each one being true as a completely new discovery in that moment. These may even be contradictory on a superficial level - but the contradictions will help others see the deeper truth.
• You begin to let go of the "shoulds" that are in your life and live life simply as you desire. There's less need to do anything. Paradoxically, this lets you act selfless, help others more, and make better use of your time.

Living firmly in this energy helps firmly build community and connection around you. True pillars of community live from here.

Layer 6: Living Deep Harmony

In this layer the connection to One has become deeper and stronger; there is less focus on what looks like teaching and more focus on loving. You live life with sacredness and spaciousness of experience, and within that spaciousness grows a deep sense of inner peace. There is room for all of You. This brings harmony in thought, emotion, and action. You love life itself. You meet all of life, from your inner demons to external conflicts, with that sense of inner harmony. This can bring tremendous inspiration to others as it shows others how to let go of past habitual conflicts and destructive habits.

This harmony also extends to tremendous compassion for the world. You bring all you have learned through manifesting a calm sense of appreciation of life in whatever form it may take. This compassion can manifest as humanitarian action, like with Mother Theresa, or through social change, as with the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Because the action comes from inner peace, movements arise seemingly without effort. There is little basis for internal conflict.

Layer 7: Being Pure Presence

This is where the great spiritual teachers reside. Here you regularly experience essential oneness with the Self: your essence, your Buddha-nature, your Atman, or your Christ Consciousness. You experience the reality of Who You Are. Intellectual learning is put aside as you teach from the Now. There is no longer a need to teach, nor to change things — perfection is experienced simply as What Is. Love is expressed simply by being, and this is felt powerfully by those around you. This manifests as pure presence.

The power of manifesting your full nature cannot be underestimated. Students came simply to sit with Ramana Maharshi, for example, because sitting in his presence enabled them to experience inner harmony for themselves.

Pure presence is more than the ultimate manifestation of a teaching, a religion, or a path. It is the unrestricted allowing of All That Is - and this creates an unlimited potential for creation and conscious choice. It is this field which allows great healing to occur. It is a far deeper authority and power than the third layer, as the authority with the layer of Being Pure Presence comes from the full allowing of All That You Are, which without exception exceeds your wildest imagination of what you can experience. Your full and complete presence is the ultimate gift that you bring to the world and to others.

Using the Layers

How does the layer concept work in reality? Again, there is no linear progress through them, although you may experience a sense of that for a given time. I'll use my own experience as an example:

When I began to focus on my spiritual path, everything lit up for me. I wanted to taste it all. I found truth in so many different things: energy healing of all kinds, crystals, the whole "ascension" idea, plant lore, shamanism, the work of Louise Hay (just a few examples). Everything tasted good! I was clearly in the Explorer layer. This is what I often refer to as the "sponge" stage. As time went on, I applied some discernment. Some things resonated more than others. I deepened my look at the things that felt right to me. I was in the Initiate layer. Over time, I felt that I wanted to speak about what I knew. I had taken these truths into my being and was ready to move them outward again. I was a Teacher, but also used the Explorer and Initiate layers when new things were presented.

Then the real fun began. Everything fell apart and I questioned it all. I went deeper into myself, examined my beliefs, and came out more sure of who I was and how I viewed the Universe. The Search Begins. And at times, because of that, I've been in Truth in the Moment. But frequently I'll move into Teacher because it works for that time. And then into Explorer/Initiate when I wish to learn something new. And I've had moments, perhaps, of Living Deep Harmony and Being Pure Presence — we all have access to those layers — when everything just clicks and I am in the beautiful flow of the moment.

Every layer is part of the beautiful tapestry we weave on a collective global basis through our experience. Every layer has a purpose and a use. Every layer is necessary to create the structure of that tapestry and to hold it together. So wherever you are in the moment is perfect for that moment. You can flow through the layers seamlessly and effortlessly, weaving your own path through the tapestry with glorious colors, being more of who you are, and in so doing encourage others to be more of who they are, to deepen and brighten the colors we weave together.

We wish to comment on the recent oil spill occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. At the risk of sounding overly simplistic or obvious, the fallout and end result of this spill is anticipated to be both more far-reaching than presently imagined and unclear as to scope for many years to come. Both the magnitude of this spill and the ongoing responses and effects are presently underestimated by the majority of the scientific community. This is, in a way, understandable, as the event is unprecedented in human history — previous spills did not occur in heavily populated areas, and the Gulf is a central oceanic pivot point, essentially affecting a vastly larger section of the planet’s total oceans than the area of the Gulf itself. But this underestimation is also naïve and reflects a misperception regarding the ocean’s existence as a single, united entity.

In other words, what affects one part of the ocean on one part of the planet ultimately has an effect on the rest of the ocean and as a result, the entire planet. This is a concept that will be coming to light over the next 50 years or so as effects of the spill are parsed, measured, and recorded.

One result of the spill, therefore, at least in the not-too-distant future, will likely be scientific acknowledgement that there is really only a single ecosystem on the planet; that all life is connected, intertwined, and interdependent.

[Channeled May 2010]

Most of you reading this are already aware on some level of the change upon which your planet and those inhabiting it are undergoing at this time. Change has been taking place for a long time now (one could argue successfully that change is a constant state), but the degree and intensity of change has been on the increase and is now something that many of you can sense or feel on a number of levels. We would like to offer our encouragement in the support of these changes as well as some practical advice on what to expect and how to gracefully move through this time while at the same time applying conscious awareness to your part in the play, your place in the overall tapestry of the universe.

Signs of planetary vibration changes

• Feelings of unease
• Disorientation
• Vivid dreams
• Déjà vu, synchonicities, or similar phenomena
• Sleep issues
• Wanting change, but not knowing what to change

• Feeling like your personality is changing
• Wanting to end life as you know it
• Wanting to connect with people
• General malaise
• Feeling that you are receiving messages
• Feelings of fear that you can't connect to anything known

If these are familiar, you are not alone. You are moving toward a time when the higher enotional state is honored and accepted more than it has been. This necessitates some growing pains during a lengthy transition period as you move away from what has been into what is coming. We offer our energetic support to you during this time, to assist in the self understanding and growth you are undertaking as part of the process of being on the planet and accepting your choice to be a part of the changes that are taking place.

Awareness

It is not necessary to be aware or conscious of what is happening within and around you, but awareness helps with the sense of disorientation that can occur. But how to increase awareness? We give practical exercises frequently that can assist in your own awareness not only of Self and your place in that universal tapestry but also in your awareness of the bigger picture and of the connections you forge and maintain with Nature and with the millions of people connected to you in some fashion. We extend such an exercise now:

Sitting quietly and comfortably, rest your hands on your knees. Allow your eyes to close and allow the thoughts of the day and the moment to slip away. You are only here now. You are only in this moment, sitting and resting comfortably, with your hands on your knees. You feel the weight of your hands and the warmth that melts into the space between hand and knee. You breathe now, breathing in and then out again, feeling once more the weight of hand upon knee.

There is a circle being created here, a circle made of your own body. Hand to knee and back up through all your chakras, then down again with your breath to your hands once more. Hand to knee, up with your breath, out again to hand on knee. Over and over, around and around. Feel as you notice this circle how there are so many other such circles being met and made in the same moment. In this moment, countless other people are sitting, hand upon knee, breathing around and around. Feel these circles and your connection to them. Notice that they are there, simply be aware that they exist.

And then come back to yourself, your own small circle, now enlarged. Breathe in and around once more.

The next time you sit in such a manner, hand to knee, a part of you will remember this connection and you will build upon it. It is a common pose and therefore will bring your awareness that much deeper each time you find your body resting in this manner.

Vibration

The Earth’s vibration rate is changing and is increasing overall. This also can lead to feelings of disorientation, of spinning out of control in one’s life, especially if control is an issue for you to begin with. It is a common issue and so it is likely that many people are affected by this sense that the world is moving faster than they are prepared for.

The simplest thing to do, from our perspective, is to let go and release any expectations about what comes next or even of having a feeling of “being okay.” But that is from our perspective and doesn’t necessarily speak to the challenges of life in a physical body, where safety is not always a given.

What do we mean when we say, “let go and release”? There are connotations with those words that can lead one to conclude that letting go is a painful and arduous process. Letting go and releasing simply means detaching from expectation. Allowing for ALL possibilities, even when you can only see one or two.

Letting go exercise

Here is a simple exercise designed to assist you with feeling more comfortable in letting go.

Close your eyes. You can do this in any position, even seated at a desk. Focus your attention on the tip of your nose. For the next moment or two, the tip of your nose is the only thing that exists. There is nothing else. If any other thoughts come in, set them aside for the moment and refocus again on your nose. Just the tip of your nose. There is nothing else in the universe, just the tip of your nose. There is an entire world populated on the tip of your nose. You can imagine this. An entire world, resting there on the tip of your nose. Ives are lived, loves are loved, wars are fought, babies are born, just there on the tip of your nose. Nothing else exists but this space.

Breathe that in for a moment. Just the tip of your nose. Nothing else exists.

Now, slowly, bring your awareness to a larger area. The whole of your nose. Your mouth. Your eyes. Your face. There is still a world balanced on the tip of your nose but now that universe expands. Expand it now once again, this time on a macro level. Planets, Stars. Galaxies. And still, the tip of your nose. See how they coexist? The micro and the macro.

All possibilities exist in this moment.

Vibrational changes also occur on a very physical level. Not only is time speeding up a bit, but there is also a sense of urgency for many people about getting themselves in a better space personally. You will notice an emphasis on personal growth, even more than before. An additional emphasis is placed, for many people, on consciously being aware of AND DOING their unique life purpose.

Being a part of these changes doesn’t have to mean making any overt change within yourself or doing any particular action, but for many these types of changes become paramount. You may find yourself wishing to completely change your lifestyle now and the company that you keep. People who were friends or were in close relationship in the past may seem less satisfying to you now. This has a lot to do with vibration – not everyone processes vibrational changes at the same rate. Not everyone even responds to overall vibrational change in the same way. If you find yourself moving away from people, there is likely good reason to do so. It is not that they are detrimental to you, simply that they are not serving the same purpose for you. Look for new groups that support the things you feel are important.

Finding a passion

One thing that can help ground you through this period is finding something that you can be passionate about. Not everyone is into activism, but this is an excellent time for it. Activism moves large numbers of people into action. Positive activism (about creating something new and not about destroying what doesn’t work) can be immensely helpful at this time in grounding and helping you find like-minded people with whom you can weather the vibrational changes together. This is very important at this time.

Another way to find passion is to look inward. Is it finally time to write that book? To publish those poems? To think seriously about a career change? To find a personal practice that fulfills you? Use the next few months to try some new activities that you have been putting off for a while, or to bring out an old project that calls to you.

Reach out and reach within

Again, we can’t stress enough the importance of forging a sense of connection to Self and to others around you. This is a challenging time with challenging energies, but you will be best served (and best serving others) if your connection to Self is strong and your connection to the spheres that surround you is acknowledged. Challenge yourself over the next few months by reaching both outward and inward.

Reach out to people you might not have in the past. Whether you dismissed them or felt dismissed by them, now is a time to acknowledge the connections that exist around you. Be open to introductions from others. Be open to people handing you gifts of a phrase, word, book title, or thought that becomes a part of you afterward, Be open to new experience and to new perceptions. Others are changing as rapidly as you are, and, just as you are, are looking for an anchor in the storm. Remember that you give as much as you receive — if not more.

Reach inward to deeper and deeper places within you. Yes, there are dark corners you have avoided. Now is the time to shine light on them and to invite them into your experience. Make friends with your darkness. Find ways of pleasing yourself with small things — a bunch of flowers, an ice cream cone, 20 minutes to make a quick drawing. Notice the connection between you and the greater You that exists within.

You are part of the change. Everything you do is helping to create, maintain, and support life in this planet as you know it to be. Each breath and each moment is important. You are important.

Gratitude is the state of being open to what is present around you. It's receiving, being fully open — without judgment — to the state of what is around you.

Energetically, gratitude is an invitation into the third chakra to take in the totality of the energy of that which surrounds you. You can focus on something particular to hold that openness to. For instance, you could be grateful for a person and be open to their energy, inviting it in through your third chakra to then infuse you. You can be grateful to a situation and allow the energy of the state of something, as you perceive it, to be more a part of you.

Most people, in their normal state, are in a state of resistance. The amount of resistance varies from person to person and will vary for a particular person from situation to situation or from interaction to interaction. In other words, there is a spectrum of resistance.

Since most people are in a constant state of some resistance there is little awareness of the resistance that they are holding. The majority of people are in a rather low level state of resistance. Moving from that low level end of the spectrum to the more intensely resistant end of the spectrum is noticeable — and that's when it kicks in to conscious awareness for most people.