It is a Truth, that all beings and all of Creation is One with the Consciousness of the Divine; with God. A strong statement, indeed. If you were to study and learn from all the great Saints, Sages, Mystics, and Avatars this is common knowledge. Knowledge, as in the wisdom or truth not attained by scholarly education.
I studied yoga teacher training at S-VYASA – Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana Center in India back in 2001. We learned about the life of Swami Vivekananda, who was famous for coming to the Parliament of Religions in the west to speak about Spirituality. His opening address, “Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world.” This got him a standing ovation immediately. Most people were not accustomed to being received as brothers and sisters; as One people. We are One in Divine Consciousness uniquely created to be an expression of God. All of creation exists to evolve their consciousness until they are free from suffering and to become their very nature which is the embodiment of the Divine.
Swami Vivekananda said, “Each soul is potentially Divine.” This is for all of us.
I knew from an early age the gift of being in the presence of a Divine soul such as: a Saint, Sage, or Master. I had opportunities to sit at the feet of several Master Teachers who I would also say are Saints. There is an energy that encompasses the experience. I remember each time I would anticipate being in the presence of my Guru when he was in body, I would think about questions that I wanted to ask him. Every single time I arrived in His presence I would completely forget that I had a question as if it never existed! And, every single time I would receive exactly the wisdom and insight from the discourse he gave which answered any and all questions I brought into my consciousness. Eventually, I let go of my desire to grasp and seek answers knowing full well that he knew what I needed and it would be given always. It is like being a child and having all your needs met even if you are unconscious of what your needs are, which is usually the case for a young child. It was a relief to know and trust that your needs were met as a child, and in the presence of my Guru. This trust is similar to faith in that letting go can happen because the Mystic, Saint, Sage, Master, or Avatar will and always is taking care of us; the whole of humanity and creation.
This leads into a topic that I have wanted to write about for a very long time. I am completely in love with the great Saints and Sages, and at the moment with Jesus of Nazareth and Avatar Meher Baba. The thing I value most in life is our evolution of consciousness. I am not one to read fiction often, if at all. It is a rare occasion and when I do it is pleasurable and entertaining. Since my early twenties, I have always read spiritual books about consciousness. My first book was recommended by a psychic who I had a reading with at a fair. It was the famous Buddhist book by Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind Beginner Mind. From there I studied more about Buddhism, meditation, yoga, Hinduism, and qigong. It was exciting and the catalyst to my spiritual journey. Mysticism, spirituality, the Saints and Sages of all times…these are most important to me, but also really valuable and equally important in my life is being authentic. In other words, being human. Being the best I can be in my human incarnation. This coincides with my other passion which is health and wellness. It was only year after beginning my spiritual journey of awakening to consciousness through the Eastern religions and spiritual practices that I was called to begin a career in massage therapy. Health and well-being was my thing, and probably became an obsession to some degree. (Extremes and obsessive compulsive behaviors have been common in my life that I work on regularly.)
There is a quote I read from a Christian Mystic in my early years – “Be in the world but not of it.” For the life of me, I cannot remember who said this. I thought it was Thomas Merton, but I don’t think it is him. It will come, and maybe someone will enlighten me with this knowledge. This quote is profound to me. I carry it like a torch to keep me awake to its wisdom daily in my life. I drink this wisdom into my being like it is immortal nectar. Most spiritual teachings and insights I consume like it is filling me, and really they fill my spiritual cup which keeps me going in this lifetime.
Alongside sharing my story, my passions, my loves, what I really want to share is about my experience of being in the Presence and how that is what heals me. Specifically, how I understand and perceive healing and how that relates to my greatest journey in life – healing from an autoimmune disease. What does healing look like? How is healing different for each individual? Is healing even possible? Is disease and illness a block to enlightenment or evolution to our consciousness? And so many more questions like this.
I am ready to share. I am ready to learn. I am ready to become even more vulnerable. I am ready to fail. I am ready to lose my shit. I am ready to be seen and to be heard. I am ready to dive into myself no knowing what that will look like or how that will feel. I am ready to love deeper than ever, and more than ever myself! I am ready to swim in the ocean of bliss and awaken to the present moment even more. I am ready to love GOD greater than I have ever known how. I am ready to give it all up and let go.
Healing is a process. I would like to convey that healing is not something that happens, but is a process which is happening. Healing means “to make whole.” What is it to be whole? From my perspective, whole is to be fully present in one’s complete Self (all parts of ourselves are present and connected). In the healing process, often times we discover that not all parts of ourselves are here. That may look like old pain or traumas that are buried so deep within that we do not even know they exist any longer. When I was a teenager, I remember feeling angry often. If you had met me in my 20s, I would have told you that anger was not an emotion that I was familiar with at all. As a 43 yr old, I can honestly tell you that anger was buried so deep that it was not even part of my life anymore, until now. Anger took the form of pain in my gut, pressure in my chest and throat, and constriction in my whole torso. Emotions and thoughts are fleeting, yes. However, they can eventually take physical form in the body if they are not allowed to integrate, thus allowing wholeness. In a way, meeting the anger means allowing it to be a part of you and gives way for healing to occur. Otherwise, you might be saying, “a part of me has left the building”…maybe, never to return, unless you call it back. This is more an energetic concept.