A Better Vision for Humanity

Humanity now has the resources, the means, and the collective will, for every human being on this planet to live in material security… no-one no longer need struggle to survive. That so many do struggle to survive, whilst so few live in material excess, is insane, and can no longer be accepted.

Such a situation does not reflect our true humanity. From the richest to the poorest, there is no-one who wants others to experience poverty, who wants them to suffer in war-zones, who wants them to endure environmental destruction, who wants others to die from curable diseases.

Certainly, there are those who are willing to benefit from such suffering – the large multi-national corporations, the military-industrial complex, the pharmaceutical industry, and, sadly, our governments, but such behavior is rooted in ignorance and delusion, blinded by consciences that have been quarantined.

We know that 22,000 children die every day because of poverty on a planet of abundance. There are many damning statistics but, really, what else needs to be said? That fact alone should surely be enough to make us deeply reflect upon this situation. Our true situation is so serious, so urgent, and so desperate for so many, that the only reasonable, sane, and acceptable thing to do is to drop everything, and rededicate our lives, our societies, and our resources to fixing this horror once and for all.

I mean that sincerely. We should pause everything that is not necessary, organize our systems so that our basic needs are met, and then – much like with the space race or major war effort – we should direct all our expertise and efforts into ensuring that every single human being on this planet lives in material security. That means appropriate and plentiful food, water, shelter, clothing, medicine, freedom, education, protection, opportunities… everything. Whatever we want and demand for ourselves should be the bare minimum for all.

This is what we all want. Right now in the West we could easily develop systems and societies where everything needed was provided for as standard. If we do not need to work for our food, our shelter, our clothing etc. anymore then why are we? Between the many beautiful minds on this planet we could create incredible economic systems that serve us all, instead of serving the ridiculously tiny minority that our current system does, as well as mind-blowing technologies that will liberate us from our toil and our plight.

This is what we can have. There is no human being who does not want material security. No-one wants to struggle to survive. We all just want to be able to survive with the minimal effort, and if we can provide this for each other – and we really can – then why would we not? I want to be free to explore this amazing life, to be creative, to be of service, to expand my mind, to live adventure after adventure… not to rape my soul in a call center all week just so I can fucking eat. It’s insane.

Material security for all human beings.

A simple, positive, and unifying vision that we can all get behind… that we all need to get behind, and that we must demand of our governments. Would it be difficult to achieve? Yeah, of course, it’s a huge challenge. But is it possible? Yes, it really is. Between seven billion of us there are not going to be too many problems that we cannot overcome.

And, look, what do we have to lose? Most of us aren’t happy. We have subjected ourselves to the most empty, mundane and meaningless lives. There’ll probably be no space for any new iPhones or the golden age of television, but we can get back to all of that when we’ve fed all the starving children etc. etc. Not that I think we would want to. This would be such an incredible adventure. It would spark so much creativity and growth and marvel… every single amazing facet of humanity would be on show, and it would be a joy to behold. It would bring the hardest heart to tears.

All of this is, of course, very naive. But that is the beauty of being naive… it allows you to contemplate what others would never imagine, and in that contemplation the seeds of possibility are sewn. And whilst there will be many who dismiss and ridicule such a vision, there will also be those beautiful, longing souls who will read this and connect with it so profoundly that this seed will take root. They are reading this now with a flickering heart and a mind abuzz. These words are truth – a truth so rarely spoken, and it is alive in your spine. I know you feel it. Inspiration floods your veins and ideas crash in waves over your mind. You will take these few pieces and add your own, and one by one, piece by piece, we will, together, begin to form a beautiful profound picture… and so it will be.

This is the sort of vision and passion that infects. It inspires an enthusiasm that is relentless and contagious. Like all moments of truth, it defines a culture and a time. You don’t need marketing teams to sell such a vision. Truth speaks for itself. Material security for all human beings… no more struggle to survive! Tell me it is not possible, tell me it is not right, and tell me it is not what we all want. This is not just the right thing to do… it is the only thing to do. So urgent and vital is our situation, so pressing a concern is the suffering we allow. This is what we all want, and if we can have it, then nothing and no-one should stop us having it.

Alas, no mighty oak started as a mighty oak, and no mighty oak needed to start as a mighty oak. For now let us dream sweet of food and water and shelter and clothing and medicine and freedom and peace and education and happiness for everyone. It would be a beautiful start.

How Does Reiki Bring Wisdom and Life-force Into the Body?

The spiritual energy healing practice of Reiki is an ancient eastern holistic health tradition that dates back thousands of years. Reiki was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui of Japan and was brought to the west by Mrs. Hawayo Takata in 1937.

The word Reiki is derived from two Japanese words – Rei, which can best be defined as higher wisdom or universal and Ki, like chi or qi, is a term used to describe our life-force energy. This hands-on form of spiritual healing manipulates our life-force energy. It is believed that the effectiveness of healing with Reiki is directed by a higher spiritual power that sends this powerful life-giving force to the perfect place within us.

The goal of this alternative health modality is to restore balance and harmony between all the parts of our being. Reiki works to create a state of equilibrium in our life-force energy. It raises the vibration in the body and words to heal and clear its energetic pathways. This allows our life-force energy to begin to flow again. The spiritual healing provided by Reiki promotes health and well-being to all of our parts, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
What To Expect During a Reiki Session

In a healing session, the recipient lies down with their eyes closed. The Reiki practitioner utilizing a series of fixed hand positions infuses the body with healing energy. In each hand position, the practitioner channels universal energy through their bodies, out of their hands and into the bodies of their client. The hands are held in each of these positions for several minutes at a time. Many of the hand positions correlate to the energy centers, the chakras that run up the spine. The positions start at the top of the head and progressively work their way down the body.

Having a Reiki healing session is not like getting a massage. Reiki healing is performed on a flat surface such as a massage table, but that is where the similarities end. You do not have to remove your clothes to obtain the benefits of the healing energy of this health modality. The muscles are not rubbed, kneaded, squeezed or pressed. Instead, the hands are placed gently on or held above the body.

Individuals who have received Reiki report a wide range of things. During a session, some report experiencing feelings of warmth, heat or vibration as the practitioner works on them. Others do not sense anything at all. The most common remark expressed by recipients of Reiki is the sense of relaxation, peace and an overall reduction in stress after a session.
Who Can Perform Reiki?

You do not have to be a powerful healer in order to perform this form of spiritual energy healing. Healing during a Reiki session is achieved when universal life-force energy is transferred from the ethers, through the practitioner, and into the recipient.

The clearer and more open the healing practitioner is, the better a vessel they are to channel the healing energy through them. This makes the use of Reiki as a healing technique open to anyone.

Reiki offers methods for both self-healing as well as methods of working one-on-one with a spiritual energy healing practitioner. There are also a number of wonderful books that can guide you to a deeper understanding of the healing power of Reiki, either for self-healing or if you are interested in performing Reiki healings on others.

Spirituality vs. Consumerism

Ritual is important, yet often it is least beneficial to those people who are ritualistically-minded and inclined to habit. The word ‘tradition’ is now applied to many socially embedded religious and ‘spiritual’ practices that have become engrained within our cultures. Yet in many instances it is possible to replace the notion of ‘tradition’ with ‘repetition’. Certain beliefs and practices are passed on through the generations without energy. It can be said to be like the shell of an oyster that has long been bereft of its pearl. Modification or adaptation to circumstances such as the current time and place of operation. This is little more than repetition of a fixed formula that whilst was functioning in its time, is often now without its inner kinetic.

An example of this can be seen in this interchange between a genuine spiritual teachers who went to an Asiatic country to address the issue of repetition. The visitor explained to the incumbent sheik that the practices he was advocating belonged to a time in the past and were limited for a specific, targeted audience. Since such conditions no longer existed, what remained was merely an outer core – a spectacle. The old Sheikh, who was the head of the order, replied that ‘in a world where there is no light at all, even a false gleam is perhaps something to have’, and that ‘I have been here so long, and so have my ancestors, that we cannot change.’ The old sheikh continued with his refusal by further adding that ‘we may well be wanted, and believed to be the possessors of secrets…we are here, after seven hundred years, not because of our value or viciousness, but because people want us. They want magic…many can follow a harmless path and feel better, elevated. That, in any case, is what they imagine spirituality to be.’*

However, imagining what ‘spirituality to be’ is like, is similar to imagining that the air we breathe is one substance. Yet this is not so, for if we have knowledge of the correct composition of a substance we find that it is composed of many elements in specific alignment and concentration. To focus on only a part of the substance and to gain nutrition from this, such as from ritual or selected practices only, is not only inefficient yet potentially harmful. Using this analogy for the air we breathe, we know from science that air is composed of 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% of other gases including argon and carbon dioxide. Yet if a person decided to select the nitrogen component only, and to concentrate their ‘ritual’ breathing on this part alone they would not find themselves breathing at all after very long.

Spiritual practices in the modern world are rife with repetition; mainly because repetition reinforces mental, emotional, and physical conditioning and patterns of behavior. Further, repetition in such ‘spiritual practices’ often involve the carrying on of selected elements; that is, those elements which it has been decided upon will be most useful to pass on and highlight. In such cases, we need to ask – on whose authority? If one has a headache we may take an aspirin, yet to repeat this a hundred times will have a different effect than making the headache go away…we may lose much more!

Repetition in the science of inner transformation can be damaging if it is not in correct proportion to the whole. Yet each of us has a capacity to recognize that which is genuine; only that often it is clouded beneath an array of acquired traits such as laziness, greed, etc. One way to cut through this is to be sincere with oneself – to ask oneself directly if what you are doing is truly providing the nourishment and development required. If there is a need for self-justification we might ask ourselves why?

Just as in recent years the credit bubble placed many people into a false sense of security by offering the possibility to obtain untold goodies, so too does the promise of repetitious and ritualistic forms of spirituality. Many were duped into ‘repetitious consumerism’ because of the offering of cheap credit (‘false gold’). Likewise, many people are also attracted to the window-displays of attractive practices of inner transformation. Quotations and phrases are consumed and put on display; deeds are admired and miracles invoked. Even the extremes are commercialized: ritual suffering; automatic obedience; reward and punishment, etc. Yet all are low-level emotional stimulus. As one contemporary teacher commented: ‘The would-be learner, instead of realizing that there is an objective, becomes a bemused consumer of wonders and stimuli’. Such offerings may be ‘consumable’, yet are they part of a disciplined science that forms a unified, complete teaching of aligned development in recognition of specific contexts? As the saying goes – ‘False gold exists only because real gold exists’.

The inner evolutionary imperative is not a shopping list, or the random acquisition of abilities, nor the gaining of emotional satisfaction. It is a genuine inner need that, if acted upon sincerely and with genuine intention, can be of immense benefit to the individual and to the planet.

Gaia’s Butterflies

The cell precisely divides itself and maintains a divine balance with every reproduction thereafter. A few moments pass, and suddenly it takes on a fractal pattern with a sacred geometry that intimately creates, expands, and unites all life.

We are all the sum of this poetic, synchronized equation and still we insist on identifying with synthetic differences that keep us separate: man vs. nature; male vs. female; love vs. hate; race vs. race; class vs. class; creed vs. creed. But beyond these illusive divisions, there is a tapestry where you and I are fibers of the same thread.

For the mad few who resolve to solve Gaia’s riddle, she reveals how music and rhythm and magic all dance the wanting soul into a dimension beyond superficial dualities right into the infinitude of oneness. These brave hearts discover that the key to unlocking peace is to revere the feminine yin principle of all life–yours, mine, the trees, the ocean, the butterflies…

The senseless, unbridled, and violent masculine aggression that has made a spectacle of raping, ravaging, and ruining her grace has no ticket to eternity. Please, return her shoes. Return her garments. Return her innocence. It is not too late to resurrect her, no matter what those who justify their unconscionable behavior may tell you.

The butterfly arrives at her destination despite her disadvantaged design and against all manner of insurmountable odds. It is only when her yin and yang wings agree to make the journey together that she succeeds. You are the wings. You are the riddle. You are the answer.

How to Tap Into the Healing Abilities of Your Chakras

The human energetic body also referred to as the pranic sheath or astral body, is an intricate network of 72,000 nadis that facilitate the movement of prana, the vital energy of the human body. The nadis also referred to as astral tubes, astral nerves or meridians, come together in seven energy centers called the chakras which are located along the central canal, the Sushumna, which corresponds to the spine in the physical body. Understanding each energy center and having the ability to heal them can help you consciously control your physical body and hence aide physical and emotional well-being and assist in higher spiritual pursuits.

Tapping into the healing abilities of your chakras can be achieved through various means, such as changing your lifestyle and diet, establishing a meditation practice, taking time for personal exploration, and integrating physical practices such as yoga into your daily life. Below are some specific healing techniques to balance each chakra and help you establish equilibrium.

Root Chakra – Muladhara – I am

Location: The base of the spine in the tailbone area.

Purpose: Keeps you grounded and centered.

When imbalanced: Feeling unfocused; maneuvering through life without purpose; sense of drifting along; fear and uncertainty; frustration with life direction; lack of emotional and life independence.

When nurtured: Increased sense of security, confidence, and satisfaction; increased sense of self-worth; strengthened connection with your intuition; ability to move forth to the creative nature of life; ability to fully love and enjoy life.

Healing techniques: Practice visualization of walking barefoot and growing roots to the Earth’s center; visualize molten lava or other objects that are bright red; perform walking meditation, if possible barefoot; resolve issues with family and close friends; re-establish your understanding of what you really need versus what you want in life.

What to eat: Root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, beets, garlic, onion, etc; protein-rich foods such as nuts, eggs, beans, and tofu; spices such as horseradish, cayenne pepper, hot paprika and chives.

Mantra: Lam

Sacral Chakra – Swadhishtana – I feel

Location: Along the spine in the genital area of the lower abdomen, about 2 inches below navel and 2 inches in.

Purpose: The dwelling place of the Self that affords us the ability to change and accept others.

When imbalanced: Resistance to change; emotional imbalance; becoming manipulative; sexual dysfunction; laziness and lack of motivation; hormonal imbalance.

When nurtured: Overall sense of feeling balanced; increased flow of creativity; ability to be easy going; easily getting along with others.

Healing techniques: Looks for a creative outlet that you enjoy and that allows you to align with who you really are; face any buried emotions from your childhood; become accepting of relationships versus trying to influence them.

What to eat: Water and mineral water; seafood, fish and other foods from the sea; sweet fruits such as melons, mangos, strawberries, passion fruit and coconut; honey; nuts such as almonds and walnuts; sweet spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, sesame seeds and sweet paprika.

Mantra: Vam
Solar Plexus Chakra – Manipura – I do

Location: In the upper abdomen at the navel, corresponding to the solar plexus in the physical body.

Purpose: The seat of intellect that is the center of our personal power.

When imbalanced: Low self-esteem or self-worth; being withdrawn; depression; lack of confidence in daily responsibilities; emotional issues are often coupled with weakness or illness of digestive system.

When nurtured: Clear sense of optimism; high self-respect; ability to fully express yourself; ability to confidently face challenges; strong sense of personal power; general satisfaction with daily life.

Healing techniques: Reassess personal choices and life path; meditate on uncovering and accepting the true Self; take the emotional steps to “grow up” and take responsibility for your own life path; take steps to make your dreams and aspirations real.

What to eat: Starches and grains such as granola, oatmeal, cereals, flax seed and sunflower seeds; dairy such as goat cheese and yogurt; spices such as ginger, mint, chamomile, turmeric, cumin, and fennel.

Mantra: Ram

Heart Chakra – Anahata – I love

Location: Center of the chest, slightly above the heart.

Purpose: Governs love, compassion, and spirituality.

When imbalanced: Feeling of self-pity; overwhelming feelings of sorrow for yourself; indecisiveness; anger; paranoia; fear of getting hurt; fear of close relationships; holding onto feelings or possessions that do not serve you; emotional issues can manifest themselves into cardiac problems.

When nurtured : ability to express love and compassion; ability to see good in other people; it is easy to forgive others and yourself; ability to show self-love.

Healing techniques: Visualize a bright light at the heart center and imagine it expanding slowly; practice breath meditation focused on inhaling into the heart center and observing sensations at heart center on exhale; write in a journal; open up to and talk with a trusted friend.

What to eat: Leafy greens such as celery, cabbage, spinach, kale and dandelion greens. Air vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, squash, and pumpkin; brown and white rice; green teas; leafy spices such as basil, sage, thyme, cilantro, and parsley.

Mantra: Yam

Throat Chakra – Vishuddha – I speak

Location: At the base of the throat.

Purpose Governs our ability to communicate and our aptitude for faith and understanding.

When imbalanced: Difficulty communicating thoughts either verbally or in writing; inability for, frustration with or fear of self-expression; apprehension and anxiety; hypothyroid.

When nurtured: Ability to find an opinion or voice in previously uncomfortable situations; experiences of inspiration; faith and trust in the Universe/Divine/God; ability to observe life from a higher vibration; ability to separate yourself from everyday problems and obstacles; establish understanding of our inner truth.

Healing techniques: Practice emotional detachment from trivial everyday drama; sing and dance; speak and yell; stand up for your personal beliefs and ideologies; express yourself; practice certain yoga postures such as fish, bridge, and headstand.

What to eat: Fruit liquids such as coco water, juices, and herbal teas; tart and tangy fruits such as lemons, limes, kiwi, and grapefruit; tree growing fruits such as pears, plums, peaches, and apples; spices such as salt and lemongrass.

Mantra: Ham

Third Eye Chakra – Ajna – I see

Location: The forehead between the eyebrows (it is also called the crown chakra).

Purpose: Helps us stay focused and clear minded and allows us to receive inner guidance from the Higher Self.

When imbalanced: Lack of insight and intuitiveness; inability to make decisions; feeling lost, discouraged or egotistical; fearful of success; inability to acknowledge necessity to learn or ask for help.

When nurtured: Ability to connect to our intuitive nature; ability to see in our mind’s eye and envision our future; ability to look beyond the obvious and consider the mystical; facing truth without fear; life obstacles become new possibilities; trust is established that all things happen for a reason and are part of a bigger Divine plan.

Healing techniques: Visualize the third eye in the middle of the forehead looking around making keen observations; do not over-think or dwell on situations; take time to calm thoughts throughout the day; meditate on being present in the moment; learn new things; remain open-minded to unfamiliar ideas

What to eat: Raw green veggie juices; foods rich in chlorophyll such as spirulina; eat lighter foods and less food; dark-colored fruits such as blueberries, red grapes, blackberries, and raspberries; spices such as lavender, poppy seed, and mugwort.

Mantra: Om

Crown Chakra – Sahasrara – I understand

Location: At the very top of the head.

Purpose: Represents our ability to connect spiritually and allows the inward flow of wisdom.

When imbalanced: Feeling disconnected from life or life’s purpose; becoming destructive; lacking trust, faith, and hope; experiencing headaches and “brain fog”.

When nurtured: General sense of satisfaction with life; productive attitude towards all actions and tasks; ability to acknowledge and even feel the connection to the world; unlocking the doorways to the subconscious and unconscious minds; ability to let go of attachments; judgments diminish in thoughts, words and deeds; enlightenment and Divine Wisdom become possible.

Healing techniques: Visualize bright light glowing at the crown and enveloping the top of the head; ask your Higher Self for guidance and healing; stop judging yourself and others in your words, deeds and thoughts; work on balancing the preceding six chakras; meditate consistently.

What to eat: fasting and detoxing; smudging with herbs such as sage, copal, myrrh, and juniper.

Mantra: Aum

Here are some great tools to help you on your healing journey.

Chakra Meditation: Discover Energy, Creativity, Focus, Love, Communication, Wisdom, and Spirit by Swami Saradananda (Book)

Chakra Healing: Guided Meditation and Creative Visualization by Aimee Rebekah Shea (Audio)

Chakra Meditation: A Down To Earth Guide For Healing Chakras and Balancing Chakras by Little Pearl (Book)

Chakra Balancing: Mind, Body, And Soul Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 by Deepak Chopra and Adam Plack (Audio)

Purification of the Heart

Feelings derive from our heart space and have a greater power than our thoughts. We need to focus on our emotional world just as much, if not more than our mental world. Emotions are the means to manifest desires. Thus purity of heart should be considered a necessity. One cannot live long with a tainted heart and the longer we allow psychic garbage to collect within our heart space the more our emotional, spiritual, physical and mental bodies will suffer. A tainted heart is something that all should strive to avoid because it is the smearing of your true self.

“As rust is natural to iron and as milk turns sour, so the feeling of the heart which by nature is as pure as milk, turns when it becomes rusted.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

The transformation of the natural to the unnatural is a process that takes time. Slowly the innocence fades into nothingness as our heart goes sour. This is imperative to understand because it reveals to us all that this process of souring occurs over a duration of time. We can see that our innocence is intact at the beginning of life, but as we grow older and live a life many of us start to rust, thus our spiritual heart suffers greatly. Once this happens it is very difficult to turn things around, to restore oneself.

The way to cleanse our heart is to submerge it in the stream of love. A continuous inflowing of love will help heal our heart. This means we have to be willing to receive this love because that’s the problem many of us face. It’s not that love isn’t sent in our direction, but instead, it’s our inability to absorb this love that keeps us in a lack of it. Love is constantly flowing from the Creator to us, but because of our free-will and ignorance many of us cannot take in this love. We’ve hardened our heart with so much fear that it’s a very difficult task for love to penetrate.

Allowing love to enter one’s being is much easier than what we believe it to be. It can be simply described as being present in the Eternal Now. The Eternal Now is where you reside at all times, it is beyond the concept of time/space, thus it is the aspect of your being that exists in another realm of existence. This is where your higher self-resides and this facet of your being has the capacity to give you all the love you need. How do you become present in the Eternal Now you may be wondering, three words sum it up quite well; Love, Acceptance, and Joy. By accepting yourself and life you allow love to flow, by loving yourself and others, you allow love to flow, by being joyful to yourself and others, you allow love to flow. These three traits are invaluable when beginning the journey to self-empowerment.

“For it is the good quality of heart that will keep away undesirable impressions and thoughts, so that the heart will only reflect good impressions and desirable influences.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

Only by nurturing the good qualities within ourselves will we be able to prevent the rust from settling within and around our heart. Good qualities are pretty self-explanatory, anything that makes you feel good and wholesome. Such as love, compassion, acceptance, joyfulness, and forgiveness. These qualities allow love to be channeled into every fiber of our being. This divine love will enrich our aura and allow healing to take place on the many subtle levels of being. The practice of mantras can assist in this endeavor and one mantra that Hazrat shares is the following:

“My thoughtful self! Reproach no one, hold a grudge against no one, bear malice against no one; be wise, tolerant, considerate, polite, and kind to all.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

The need to remove and erase every undesirable impression is paramount in cleansing one’s heart. That means we need to be brave enough to explore aspects of our being that have been neglected for a great many years. We cannot think that we can just be positive and that will suffice, one must dive deep within their own consciousness and locate the darkness and negative impressions we’ve allowed to fester in our ignorance and lack of awareness.
READ: The 3 Lies That Block The Flow of Love

When one begins to locate their own various character flaws and fears, we are provided with an opportunity to transform them into assets (Divine Love). Only by becoming aware of these negative impressions can this be done. Thus one should take the time to think about his/her state of being, mental processes, and unconscious aspects whenever possible. Many of us are stuck in reactionary mode, we don’t quite understand why we do what we do or feel what we feel. Much of this has been programmed into our unconscious and subconscious minds without much awareness on our end. We pick up most of these learned behaviors from our parents, TV, school, media, internet, etc….

A perfect example of a programmed response is something along these lines. Let’s say you’re having a discussion with someone about UFOs and extraterrestrials, you start to make a claim and the individual whom your speaking to reacts very hostile and skeptical. They’ve been programmed with stereotypes that tell them that UFOs and extraterrestrials are absurd. This is a perfect example, because even though the person hasn’t done the research himself/herself they still react negatively. I’ve encountered this many times since my awakening and most of the time when I try to express to them the need to discover the truth themselves, they still dismiss it and choose ignorance. This is a reactionary behavior, we’ve been bombarded with so much fear that we perceive our reality through the modality of negativity. Thus everything is misconstrued to satisfy this bleak outlook we’ve incorporated into our belief system.

Many would rather be deceived rather than know the truth because they’re afraid of the prospect of being lied to. We have this fear of being wrong as if it invalidates who we are. We don’t want to believe that things could possibly be that bad, that our government would lie to us, that people would kill to get what they want, and corporations would suppress technology that would benefit mankind. This is reinforced by our fear of change as well, the prospect of many UFOs, extraterrestrials, free energy theories being correct would change the world. They subconsciously resist it because of the fact they’ve invested so much into this false paradigm.

That is the type of behavior we must become aware of within ourselves, we need to dive deep into these beliefs and discover the root cause. Upon exploration of my inner-world, I discovered that I was skeptical of a great many things because of fear. Fear is the reason many people choose ignorance, because as the saying goes, “Ignorance is bliss” and it’s easier for many to deny something than to confront it. We’ve been conditioned to resist change, especially if it differs from our reality in such a dramatic display. When I discovered this within myself, it suddenly opened the doors to my real self and I’ve learned a great deal since then. This can only be achieved if you have the willingness to explore oneself.

Hazrat emphasizes the need of developing innocence. Not innocence in the sense of avoiding being at fault, but instead, innocence in the sense that your desire is to be your real self. Our innocence is reproached upon when we give into the ideas of our synthetic self. The synthetic self-identifies with things of this world, constantly attempting to build its kingdom upon quicksand. As you all will no doubt learn over time, any attachment to this world will not satisfy one’s soul. This world is based upon the principle of impermanence, all shall return to the earth. Our bodies will decompose, our money will turn to dust and our thoughts will become psychic dust.

Innocence is a state of being that embraces the constants in life. When one firmly plants their feet on the immutable constants, innocence will increase. Loving, listening, accepting, appreciating and assisting others is the pathway to innocence, these are the constants that will assist thee. Bear no homage to the ways of cleverness, for they seek nothing but a worldly knowledge that can benefit oneself. To be clever is to identify with one’s own mortality. Cleverness is a trait that is fleeting and temporal, eventually, it shall fade back into the black or you will encounter someone who is more clever than yourself. Time diminishes cleverness, with age does one’s intelligence and cleverness start to wane. Thus it is a self-defeating delusion of attempting to gain significance within the temporal plane of existence.

“The innocent are oftener blessed by Providence than the worldly-wise who are always trying to get the best of everyone and to seize every opportunity that may seem in any way advantageous.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

He who develops innocence is truly capable of removing the fear from the lives of others. Only they are able to bridge the gap between fear and love for their fellow brothers and sisters. They who are innocent within the heart are the shepherds that shall lead humanity once again to freedom. The clever and worldly-wise cannot do so, because they operate upon this plane of existence, while they who are innocent dwell within the consciousness of the divine. Only through the innocent shall the lost be found,only through the heart shall we be freed from the chains of fear.

“Purity of heart is the only condition that allows the inner stream to rise. The pure-hearted see more deeply, though they say little.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

Through innocence, we rise through the different octaves of our being. Slowly ascertaining to who we are, why am we’re alive and what is the purpose of life.By purifying our hearts we get closer to these inner truths. Within us lies the answers to all our questions. Purification of the heart and development of innocence allows these answers to come into our awareness. This is the journey all must eventually embark upon in order to return to the source. Unavoidable this is, because in the end; we’re all One.

The De-Conditioning of the Ego

What could a person possibly gain from insecurity? What could be the reward of feeling undeserving? Why would we harbor low self-esteem? Why do we think against ourselves? These states are not natural to our essence or inner being, so why… where did the urge to give away our power come from?

I grew up in the American Northeast, in a place where people worked very hard for not a lot of reward. And yet, I can’t remember a single instance of a farmer or my middle-class family saying ‘I deserve’ a better life. Everyone I knew behaved as if self-denial was humble and spiritual and a sign of goodness, and ‘I deserve’ was presumptuous and greedy.

It’s the ego that makes these comparisons. Ego identity comes with the situation we’re born into, formed by interacting with who and what is in our world, and by what works for us as we go out into our world. It’s the character we think we are, the separate I and me, as we deal with others.

This is just a guess, but I’m thinking the inferior ego of my early upbringing could be a very old pattern, related to the class system. These farming and middle-class families are descendants of European immigrants, pioneers to the Midwest. They brought their cultures, Christian religion, and languages with them, as well as their ideas about who they are, collectively.

Their story: “We are from peasants and fishermen. We believe that it is virtuous to ask for nothing and that nothing is deserved. Everything must be earned by dedicated hard work, belief in God, cooperation with authority, and acceptance of the hard realities of life. If we live right, the reward will come, if not here, then after death.”

This is definitely a ‘system approved’ mindset, and it even sounds kind of high-minded, doesn’t it?

That’s the cultural womb in which I developed. When I left my small town of Boiling Springs, Pa, I had nothing to go on but my flawed goodness, self-critical inner voice, and insecurity. It’s such a relief to look back on situations and choices, realizing that ‘inferiority’ was the set-up. This is deep conditioning, and as I look at it now, it explains a lot about how and why (I) we suffer.

There are many avenues to inferior ego, and class is just one. It’s amazing when you think about it… the incoming messages telling us how, for this reason, or that reason, we are flawed in comparison to others. Of course, if the messages are trans-generational they not only hit home, they’re firmly established as normal and natural. We develop thought patterns and emotions around them, and ways of coping.

Ego is concerned with ‘something for me’, so the ways of coping would grant the ego ‘something’. What is there to gain from doubting oneself? Avoidance of confrontation – that’s a biggie. Then we have hidden pride in one’s humbleness and sacrifice. Fitting the description of what God wants is another. There’s also the opportunity to endlessly think about ourselves because there is so much to fix.

If you’re into New Age, you may decide that by sufficiently putting yourself down it means you’ve gotten rid of the ego. At this point, the flipside can show up and you become ‘superior’ at manifesting the soul. Badness is gone, goodness here, I am nothing… let me become a teacher. Hopefully, if that happens, the dishonesty in it will be felt, and you’ll look for the exit, pronto.

Obviously, ego is not going to get rid of the ego… which is a fruitless effort in itself. We can’t rid ourselves of the ego, nor should we try. We can see its doings, notice what it’s saying, feel it when it fires up the emotions, sit it back down, and make sure our decisions come from the heart. Ego has a place, just not as the driver. It’s a great relief, that day when you notice the ego’s not significant enough to get in the way anymore. The heart is being called in to make decisions.

It took a long time for me to see how I had embraced inferiority and that I was conditioned to give my power away. Thankfully, painful experiences throughout my life sent me in the direction of self-knowledge and expansion of consciousness. Into my world came great books, teachers, healers and wise friends, and the thought… I deserve to be ‘not this miserable’. That was the beginning.

By the way, we can tell the difference between when the ego says ‘I deserve’ and when the heart says ‘I deserve’. I think realizing this is key. Relating it to myself, fear that I’d be deemed a bad person, or that my choices would be self-serving and harmful to others, kept me in insecurity for quite a while. I wonder how many of us have experienced this. I suspect quite a few.

We don’t need to apologize for having an ego, and for its identity being formed by the conditioning we experienced. That’s part of life on earth. We live and grow, and uncover our connection to Source experience by experience. By the time we begin to make heart-based decisions, the conditioning will have much less effect, and the ego will be diminished and diminishing. It’s a beautiful thing when we can see the way to our true selves… that full, all-inclusive, ‘divinity within’ human being.

I wouldn’t bring this up and share it if it hadn’t been vital to my own expansion of consciousness and possibly helpful to you: loving ourselves is step one on the heart-centered path. Because of my terrible early childhood abuse, “I deserve to be loved,” was an incredibly difficult statement for me to contemplate, and it took the following words to open the door: “And so I will begin by giving myself the love I deserve.” It's taken almost a whole lifetime for me to come to this conclusion.

Give yourself the love you deserve, give yourself the respect you deserve, give yourself the health, the appreciation, the kindness, the honor, the liberation from conditioning that you deserve. You are not ‘less than’ or unworthy. If there is a voice in your head that argues about your worthiness, know that it is the ego, and this opinion you can safely let go.

Heart-based decisions will never do harm. The heart is not the seat of sentimentality… it is the seat of courage and devotion to that which is sacred in us and in life. The intention of the heart is aligned with the highest good, which is love, and the highest good for ourselves translates into the highest good for all, including those close to us. This is your power: take it back.

In the heart, we live for ourselves, not against. In so doing we can’t help but live for the world, intending and creating the world of beauty that we deserve.