You Are A Living Horizon

It might be a great relief to know that no matter what you've been through, the Light that runs through you at the deepest levels, remains pure.  You were born that way.  The only reason you exist is because Creation itself was ignited, and continues to manifest in every cell, membrane, sinew, tissue and nerve cell of your being.  At our 'common denominator' we human beings are the spark of Life in the midst of continuous Creation.  Everything we consciously learn and experience is layered on top of this essential Being.  Eventually, we get so caught up with our personalities, jobs, 'obligations', and struggles, we forget that a deeper movement is happening inside of us that is inextricably fused with Creation itself......or whatever you want to call it:  God, The Universe, Life, Great Spirit, Allah, Jehovah, The Infinite.   Life is awake in us every second of our lives — in the mundane as well as the transcendent moments.

Some prominent religions have taught us that we are born with 'original sin', and that we're lucky if we can gain enough favor with the Divine to be forgiven and allowed into 'Heaven'.  Ancient Wisdom tells us that we are manifestations of the Sacred, and that nothing can change that fact.  No matter how many lies we tell, or how many heinous crimes we commit, we are, at our essence made of Spirit.  If we have followed misguided paths of our own creation, we can always return to that which remains, that which we are made of.   Who you think you are cannot be sustained as it is a creation of your thoughts and conditioning.  Living from our personality can be exhausting.  It takes a tremendous amount of energy to create a persona and maintain it.  This can be an unconscious choice based on our conditioning.  Life, however, eventually makes itself known, 'pushing' us, in a way, to discover more of who we are.   We may begin to feel uneasy, claustrophobic, unsettled or increasingly unhappy in our seemingly chosen existence.  Often, we are being asked to let go of who we 'know' ourselves to be, and open to a wider horizon of Self. 

Our Western culture has deified the mind, knowledge, intelligence and science.  We have come to believe who we think we are and in general, base our self esteem on our accomplishments, the amount of studies we have done, and by our scientific expertise.  We have given these far more importance than the very Source which animates us.   As in-control as we think we are, our Life, in a very tangible sense, belongs to Creation.  If we can come into alignment with this simple fact, our whole experience of living will change.  Instead trying to understand and control our existence, we can begin to discover what moves through us.   We can even begin to let go of our limited definitions of Spirit. 

Listening with an open attention, we are continually widening the horizon of possibility.  We are constantly being surprised by Life as it pours to us and through us.  At the same time, we are more likely to feel where we stop ourselves from being all we can be.  We get to see and feel the edges of the Infinite in our perception.  This pivotal moment, coming face to face with our own limitations, is the moment of expansion.  Here is the chance to go beyond what we know and into the unknown.  Suddenly we are back at 'the beginning', with new vistas about to unfold.  In this paradigm, Life is the opposite of boring.  It is Alive with Presence, Possibility and Surprise. 

You are a living Horizon.  Come to the edge of your Self and see what lies beyond...and beyond.....and beyond!  

Unbound

High
Clear
Far away
and now closer,
the sound of my foot
stepping into a clear stream.

My eyes on the horizon
of wild things,
The taste in my mouth,
Freedom.

Unbuckling the harness from my heart,
I gallop
and sing
songs before unheard,
keeping rhythm with the cold, clear water,
and the night sky
full of stars.

by Jody Mountain
LineageofLight.com

Embody The Rising of the Light

Ancient cultures all over the world recognize the Sun as a sacred being.  We in the modern world perceive it's existence as essential to life on this planet.  Its' light has been revered for millennia as Holy partially because Ancient People consider Life Itself to be Holy.  The Life in the Earth, in our Bodies, and in the Stars were recognized as the same force.  In this world view, humans beings are inseparable from the movement of the cosmos — in the tiniest organisms, to the pulsations of our galaxy and universe. 

My teacher, Kahu, was an accomplished master of Hawaiian Geomancy — encompassing study of the flow of  the land, the elements, and natural energies' effect on our physical world on many levels.  In one of his teachings, he mentioned developing an awareness of the rising sun, and how its light arrives at the Mystical Being of your home.  Note what the sun touches before it comes into contact with your home.  It's rays, as powerful beams of energy from this massive ball of Light, will bring with it the energy of all it touches.   The Suns' rays embody the energy of their journey to us, just as we bring the energy of our Life's Journey to each moment.  The more immediate past can have a more pronounced effect.   If the Sun's Light reaches you through a clump of bamboo, the Light may be bringing with it qualities of softness, strength, flexibility and gentle movement.   If the Light touches a Police Station or Military Facility before reaching your home, you may more readily feel the energies of safety, urgency or precision. 

The rising Sun reaches me filtered by the sub-tropical jungle of Maui.  I am blessed to feel the Life Force of both the Sun's rays and the abundant green touching me.   The shapes and movement of the leaves and sun, in light and shadows on my windows feels strong & enlivening.  In kind, my life does seem to be filled with powerful growth through the ever-expanding attention allowed me through this work.   I can also feel overwhelmed at times by the many areas of my life which require attention.  So the energy of abundance and endless growth reaches me each morning.  Welcoming it with awareness, I will be able to use those elemental forces to navigate Life.  In other words, if I simply feel overwhelmed I may miss other qualities like 'powerful energy', 'abundance', 'more Life pouring through to me'.   Feeling how the Light of the Rising Sun reaches you, can expand your awareness and open up more choice around the movement of Life itself in your home, consciousness and actions.

Ancient Wisdom also tells us that we are emanators of Light.  This force of Spirit is present in every iota of our bodies.  This is the same Spirit which animates all of Life.  It's motion is constantly rising and falling in rhythm with Source.  In a sense we are receptors foran endlessly rising Sun from the depths of our being.  Like the Sun of our Cosmos touching what lies between us, this Light will touch whatever filters we have put in place, before it reaches our conscious awareness.  It can be likened to the 'tiny whispers' we hear from time to time — the whispers of our Soul offering a way that might seem illogical, counter-intuitive or 'unproductive'.  You might have followed some or many of these, and found wondrous and unexpected outcomes, or these decisions may have taken you on a path which has brought you even more gifts.  

At times, we might also have followed 'whispers' which seemed to result in grief, confusion or complication.  And here lies 'the rub'.  The filters through which we listen to this constantly rising Spirit Life within, will color our perceptions.  Our conditioning, pattering and belief systems are often unseen.  Once we have them 'installed' and have been listening to them for so long, like the music of 'white noise', they become, to our awareness, 'Like the Silence'. 

If we want to embody Life with more and more clarity and vitality, we must be willing to come face to face with our unseen assumptions.  Since we are usually listening to the silent matrix of our subconscious or unconscious conditioning, the mind, as we generally operate, is of little use.  It will tell us there is nothing there, or that what is there is pure, clear and accurate.  If we stop here, then we may find ourselves operating in a circular motion, where the same or similar outcomes seem to manifest and we don't truly move forward.  Through Ancient Wisdom, Kahu offered us work that accesses these embedded patterns in the matrix of the body first — which doesn't lie — and the mind 'catches up' later.   This is a natural process in which we can discover that the mind is not 'in charge' after all!  It also must submit to Life.  When patterning is transmuted in the body, the mind has no choice but to reflect new avenues of freedom which infuse our daily life.   Our electromagnetic field is altered and as we interface with ourselves and the world, new opportunities and discoveries are available that were not found in our previous state of being.  We recognize a deeper communication with Life itself as it rises and falls through us, as us.  We are able to touch, experience and embody the Sacred Rising of the Light within and without.

There can be powerful transmutation that occurs within the container of a Retreat or Training.   The following are initial principles that you may choose to explore in your daily life:

• Pay Attention - especially to any level of assumption in any given situation.

• Be As Honest With Yourself As You Can - If you are coming into contact with unconscious beliefs, they may very well feel quite uncomfortable at first, and you may have an impulse to deny, avoid or distract yourself with things like Food, TV, Busyness, Argument, or Hedonism.

• Take time to Nurture your Awareness - Spend regular silent time in a natural environment.  If this is not available, lie quietly, breathe and allow your body, attention, and awareness to completely relax.  With regular practice, you will succeed in unwinding many levels of tension and holding that can keep us from feeling our Spirit Life Force.

• Take Action that honors the Life inside of you, and therefore All Life.  Keep paying deeper and deeper attention to where you source your actions.  You will begin to feel more authentic responses vs. those you previously thought were 'right'.   Right Action can usually found in Presence of Now, and in support of Life.

Wishing you a profound communion with this Infinite Light that beams from deep inside you.  Aloha Nui Loa!

Living An Effortless Life

According to Ancient Wisdom, there is a way to perceive yourself, your life and every circumstance without the necessary use of knowledge. We do not need to know the movement of energy systems, spiritual paradigms, psychology, physiology or science to  successfully navigate the unfolding motion of our lives. We do not need past experience, insight or logic. We simply need to develop the ability to listen to the Life in our cells, which enables us to listen to the Life in all that exists.

As we attune the outwardly directed mind to the more subtle sensations of the body, we gain awareness of a broader spectrum of Life—and of the vaster intelligence that moves through us. This gives us the opportunity to feel beyond our subconscious assumptions and become more open to what is truly here right now.  In listening, with no attempt to understand, our perceptive field changes and we begin to experience a world outside the classifications of reality we have been taught.  As we widen our perception, we have the opportunity to increase our Mana (energy) and to live in deeper harmony with the Great Mystery of Life Itself.

The undeniable truth is that, as you read this, your heart is beating, your lungs are delivering oxygen to every cell in your body, your emotions are expressing certain colors, and somewhere in your system, your hopes and dreams are alive. We are a mass of cellular processes, thoughts, emotions, breath, light, water and spirit. All of this together (and more that we don't  comprehend) creates the frequency of you, here now.

Your vibration calls out to its match, in many forms. We see, feel and experience that which we are. In each moment, you are creating Mana (energy), gathering energy, and discovering deeper layers of your Self that will either move you forward in your life, or obstruct your own way. In contrast to the prevailing view that we are virtually powerless against the circumstances of life, the Ancients guide us to dissolve the separation between ourselves and the unfolding vision of our lives, and recognize each movement, perception and circumstance, as a resonance coming from deep within.  

In some ways, this is similar to "The Law of Attraction", but it includes a wider spectrum in the definition of Self.  Far more than just convincing the conscious mind of what we want to experience, The Ancient Ones show us that our subconscious and unconscious existences contribute similarly, if not more than our conscious existence, to our resonant field. When things occur that seem out of alignment with who we are, it may be an invitation to uncover an aspect of ourselves that we may have buried, denied or even tried to destroy.

In this potent time, our subconscious and unconscious resonances seem to be rising to the surface.  We are getting to see, feel, and experience anything that has been hidden, repressed, feared or denied. Anything we couldn't deal with or didn't want to deal with in the past now seems to be rising in order to be met, acknowledged, embraced and freed. If we had wanted to believe that bliss was the only frequency at which we were vibrating (or should vibrate), we can see now that we often hold a broader spectrum inside of us — part of our 'Ohana Nui, or Great Family.  

It is our job to observe how we pay attention and what we pay attention to. If weare honest with ourselves, we might notice that we often choose to escape this deep attention, distract ourselves from what might turn out to be a painful, or empty moment. The irony is that we can never escape ourselves. We can put a lot of activity, intellect, food, travel or drug use between ourselves and our true experience, but we remain, with all of our bliss and all of our pain, until we learn how to come, unfettered, face to face with this moment.  

The Law of Attraction, as it has been presented, encourages us to change situations we don't want by shifting the vibration of our conscious thoughts. Ancient Wisdom shows us that these very situations may be an uncovering of deep imbalances in our system that are crying out to be heard, to be seen and met. This is our moment to listen, and in doing so, welcome more of who we are into our consciousness.

Meeting our own fear, lack, insecurity, sadness and anger, we can allow them to be free, available as energy, taking their rightful place as members of our internal family. As such, they can support us in our forward movement instead of holding the weight of our efforts to keep ourselves separate, or the struggle to keep ourselves 'in the Light'.  

Is it possible, in our Judeo-Christian culture, that one of our deep assumptions is the clear existence of 'Light' and 'Dark'?  Have we become consumed, on many levels, with getting rid of the 'Darkness' and living in the 'Light'?  Listening on subtle and subconscious levels reveals that the Light and Darkness inside of us may not be as polarized and fixed as we imagine. What if we were actually a continuum of light, vibration, choice, frequency, and experience, all continually forming around a central core of Love?

There is nothing to be gained by rejecting or denying any part of this continuum.  It is all us, and the sooner we say YES to every part our being, the more rapidly we can access the full spectrum of Sacred Being that lives at our core, and move forward in Life as a True, Beautiful and Unique, Force of Nature.

The Big Bang

My world right now moves in ways that are beyond definition.   I can no longer say I am ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘confused’, ‘excited’, ‘angry’ or ‘joyful’.  As I receive the subtle and stronger undulations of events, frequencies, sensations, emotions and thoughts, I am challenged to let go and allow it all to rise and fall, arrive and depart, swirl and explode, run and lie still.  I take each step and surrender at the same time.  I am shown what is true and am continually challenged to empty my cup, and be ready for the unknown.  The ‘truth’ greeting each moment like the wind passing over the land:  high then low, gently and with tornadoes, whispering through the leaves or rolling down the mountainside, changing in deep partnership with what is.  I feel that more than ever, I am being called to listen without parameters, judgements, or expectations, and be willing to stop in my tracks or glide into a sprint at any moment.  There seems to be lots of ‘letting go’ around me, death and news of death  —  Patterns changing, sturdy clothes disintegrating, people leaving in all kinds of ways.  Inside, more of me seems available to let go.  It’s a funny feeling gathering more of my ‘self’ only to cast it into the fire - though it feels more like transformation than burning.   Working with others, I observe the ‘finish lines’, the places where our core identity becomes challenged, the places where we stop believing we are infinite, in order to hold on to something ‘sure’.  We all have a border at the edge of our willingness.  This work brings us continually to this place.  Will we step across the line?  Will we allow ourselves to know what else waits across the edge?   The trouble is that until we step, we can know nothing of the terrain.  There are no more reference points.  How will we manage without ‘knowing’?  How will we know who we are when we know nothing all over again?  We are faced again with the question the Ancient Kahuna would ask before each sacred session:  ‘Are you prepared to die?‘   Are we prepared to let go of our limited perception of self so that a greater wisdom can expand in us?  And at each turn, each revelation, each renewal, are we willing to die again?  I feel blessed to be a part of this profound and sacred work which guides me back to the beginning, back to ground zero, constantly stepping, falling, flying, disappearing and reappearing ‘across the line’, into the unknown.  Right now, there is such a convergence of Life in me.  I have never been in this place before, where seemingly all things are ‘true’.  Past, Present and Future converge.  My Ancient breath flies through me like a hurricane, and the wind seems to dance in and out of my cells.  This Universe has come back to the beginning — again. 

The Magic of Home

Fuerteventura, May 24, 2014

After what seems like endless amounts of airplane rides, take off, after landing, after take off, and getting lost in the haze of security lines and jet lag, I arrive on Fuerteventura to clear, open skies,  an undulating landscape of dry and shapely mountains, and stillness.

I am dropped at the small rental of a friend of a friend.  It is made of stone and plaster, powered by solar and windmill.  I am either lucky or cursed that almost everywhere I go, I feel I have come home.   How many homes can a person have?  I’m still counting.  

Settling into Fuerteventura, I am settling in to space - the vast terrain and the endless sky speak with the space inside me.  Blessed in the middle of nowhere, with no car, telephone or wifi, I tackle the initially daunting task of just being here, now.  Nothing to do, and no one to engage except myself and this vast new home.

The land here has a powerful resonance.  There is a rolling softness to it, and a heightened intelligence — at least these are my visceral perceptions.  

I walk along the gravel road towards a nearby set of twin volcanos.  Sitting on a short stone wall, it feels good to be still with these two giant presences.  After a while, it feels as if I am breathing with them.  It feels as if they are gazing back at me.  It feels as if we are remembering each other.   I am once again in awe of this sacred space of Life meeting Life, and so grateful for the blood of my ancestors that guides me to recognize the Life in all things. 

The thought floats through my brain that it is important to remember, on a visceral level, our origins.  At the same time, the already present wind picks up to mini tornado for a few seconds....my thought confirmed by the wind....perhaps.

I am aware that I can’t try to remember, can’t think my way home, can’t create scenarios of my origins and then make the logical choice.  I start at the place of truth:  that I don’t know, that maybe no one knows, and that I am open to the discovery. 

Ancient Indigenous wisdom, including Kahuna Sciences, recognize the intelligence and interconnectedness of the whole.  We are guided to come back into contact with parts of ourselves that have been banished as less-than or unimportant:  sensations, emotions, hopes, dreams, impressions.  In these less defined aspects of ourselves are shades of our expanded identity, waiting to be experienced.  I have had the honorable opportunity to feel the ever expanding edges of these often overlooked doorways and dive below, deeper and deeper, uncovering new dimensions of my Self, new opportunities for growth, awarenesses that expand in my daily life without effort.  

To the uninitiated, this may sound like nonsense.  However, there is a reason that legends of myth and magic are found in every indigenous culture.   It is because vast possibilities exist, far beyond our perceptions.  These new vistas make sense in the context of the awakening whole, but from a modern ‘Western-Mind’ perspective, they seem ‘magical’ or impossible.

If we were to present cell phones to our ancestors of only 100 years ago, this too would seem like some kind of impossible phenomenon.  Ancient Wisdom guides us to pay attention to the matrix of our being, the background in which our beliefs are set.  The beginnings of these can be found in the rhythms, sensations, feelings and shapes inside the body which we generally take for granted, or ignore.  If we can open to this different, and even opposite perspective, we are ushered into a world beyond our current perception, which is informing how we perceive on every level.   Here is where subconscious and unconscious beliefs can rapidly change and resonate into daily life.

For me, this is the path guiding me to my Original Self.  As my teacher has said, ‘it is a path beyond time.’

On this small stone wall on the edge of the Atlantic, I am struck once again by the profundity of this Ancient Magic which is ‘closer than breath’ in all of us.  And I am grateful for this land which has welcomed me home.

Remember The Way

Remember the way.  It is inside of you.  It is born of your Ancient Soul, and it cries out to be heard.  All the yearning to be in harmony, in connection, in union, is a shadow of this memory.  No matter where you find yourself, in what condition or situation, The Wholeness of Who You Are remains intact.  It cannot be dismantled, it cannot be torn.  Even if your heart is breaking, even through all you may have endured, something lives inside of you that cannot be touched. 

Bringing our attention back to our Sacred Self is not a sterile place of pure bliss.  Rather, this Holy place inside of you is an expanded wisdom that can hold all aspects of your pain.  Our Sacred Self becomes a crucible in which we can hold, feel, inhabit and transmute all of our unique wounds.  Running away will only beget more running away.  At some point, we either tire or collapse under the weight of all the ways we run:  alcohol, drugs, food, sex, worry, procrastination, fear, and on and on — all the ways we distract ourselves from the raw and immediate truth of what is here in us right now, all the ways we run from the compressed mana of our whole being, all the ways we run from our potential. 

Remember that all of us — every aspect of our existence — is here now.  Even amongst all the thoughts, emotions, programming and conditioning, it is possible find the Expanded sense of ourselves.  Even in our darkest hour, this attention itself will begin the alchemy of transmuting the old.  How do we 'find' our Expanded Self?  The Ancients guide us to the body.  This pathway is so simple, it is easily dismissed:  Bring the majority of your attention to your body.   Notice the texture under your feet, the feeling of your tongue in your mouth, the moisture around your eyeballs.  Notice your breath.  Come back to simply what is true right now.  This is not the same as the minds interpretation of what is true right now.  Once we realize that almost everything we perceive is a construct or interpretation of the mind, we can dive beneath this all the way to Source, which we are, quite tangibly, made of.    The road widens and narrows depending on what we choose.  It's never too late.  Choose to Remember the way.  It is inside of you.

Hana

Waking up before dawn to a million crickets
Black sky, Bright stars
Stillness.
I gather my few things in an old string bag
And start up the pathway of illumination
The pathway lined with Kukui.
As I step, I feel the earth breathe, lifting my feet on every inhale.
Looking up into the tree tops, the sky is now barely glowing.
My vision feels like it is deep inside my head, and somehow in the trees at the same time.
I walk dumbfounded that my regular sight has disappeared,
And in it's place this kind of multi-sourced seeing.
Disoriented and Intrigued, I walk,
feeling the crunch of stone on the soles of my feet,
Not sure where 'I' am, or am not.
Listening to my vision,
Listening to the forest.
I say a quick prayer, in case anyone is listening,
As I speak, a pitter patter of leaves erupts in the forest right beside me,
A murmuring.
Individual leaves shudder and flap wildly, though most of the trees are still.
A sprinkle of rain is the only logical explanation I can come up with.
I look up — no clouds, no breeze
Just the forest, wide awake and listening.
We are in open communion with each other.
We are the breathing green, the waking light, the altered gaze, the damp morning air,
The stone and dirt meeting feet. 
We have gazed into each others eyes, this morning and I,
Seeing will never be the same again.
 

Reflections from a moment in Hana, Maui during our March 9-14th Training at Ala Kukui Hana Retreat.

Making Peace With The Unknown

It's quite possible that I have a special relationship with clouds.  I remember being in the midst of commuter trance in downtown Toronto in the middle of the day.  For some reason, I glanced up, and in the sky, randomly blocked by skyscrapers, were slow moving, white, fluffy clouds.  I moved next to a building to avoid being run over by pedestrians in mid-frenzy, and stopped.  I couldn't stop staring at the sky.  I was stunned, feeling like I had slipped into another world.  I remember thinking that regardless of the rushing masses, skyscrapers, droves of people busy with busyness and commuter traffic, that this slow, 'insignificant' movement was what was really going on.  I don't know where I was going, or if I was now late.  I didn't care.  I was stuck and indelibly struck by the intelligence of this movement.  I don't know how long I stayed there, but I can be sure that when I finally moved, my awareness, breath, pace and priorities were different. 

Today, over 30 years later, I find myself immersed in a work that continuously brings me back to what is true....what is really going on....the movement of Nature within and without.  Something inside me was calling that day, to be recognized and honored.  I was lucky enough to listen  — to quiet the daily thoughts, emotions and agenda for long enough to realize that the vastness of all of Life remains, no matter what our individual drama or perspective.   Notice that each day, whether our relationship is ending, a loved one has died, or we are buried in painful trauma, the sun never fails to rise and set.  If we choose to pay attention, we are not only surrounded by the natural world, but we embody it.  Each of us is the emanation of an ancient wisdom that is beyond imagination or classification.  The synergy, harmony and expansiveness of Nature lives in our every breath.  Despite our social and cultural programming, we are not (mostly) our agenda, our lists, priorities, beliefs or demands.  We are simply here now, the vast majority of our being comprised of energy, vibration, space and cellular processes.  Can we refine our listening to hear more of what is true and less of what is imagined, desired or projected?  The mind always wants to know, but what if we choose to attune ourselves to the unknowable? We live in a current world of radical upheaval on many levels.  The truth is that many things we easily took for granted 20 years ago are now in a state of flux.   The weather is fluctuating wildly in many areas of the earth, political agendas seem to have come into serious question, our food sources have been compromised and, depending on where we live, we remain either under the threat, or in the reality, of war.  If we want to thrive in this environment, it seems we will have to become attuned to 'the unknowable'.  As less and less is 'predictable' in our world, perhaps we are coming out of the illusion that anything was ever secure.  In big, bold letters, 'Uncertainty' has taken center stage. 

So how do we navigate this?  What is it to be in harmony with the unknown?   For me, it begins with welcoming, rather than trying to avoid or control it.  We can actually turn uncertainty into discovery.  If we can bring more and more of our attention, energy, breath, awareness and willingness to this moment, our world will expand.  This requires a willingness to see, as much as possible without the filter of the past.  If we can experience what is truly here now, without our preconceived notions, our vision begins to change, and what was unseen, becomes evident.  Each moment becomes an adventure of discovery.  Even in the most difficult of times, we can come back to the eyes of a child, where everything is new and filled with wonder.  So the next time you're able, just stop in your tracks, notice what is true, vs. what you have assumed to be true.  Notice your breath, and the air on your skin.  Remember that this very moment has never occurred before.  It is brand new!  Notice that you are smack in the middle of the unknown itself, even in the midst of all you may have previously taken for granted.....and see if you can feel the motion of Life Itself unfolding in you and in everything around you.  Every blessing on this infinite journey!

Mahalo to A Great Soul

We are left today by a great man.  One who realized his potential as a Human Being, and who inspired us all.  Thank you Mr. Mandela, for your courage in the face of hardship, injustice and fear.  Thank you for showing us all what it is like to remember our Humanity, and walk with Dignity.  We have been blessed beyond measure by your Presence.   May we listen, with great care, to your inspiration, and begin ourselves, to embody the greatest version of ourselves, and continue your great work.

"Action without vision is only passing time,
Vision without action is merely daydreaming,
But Vision with Action can change the world." 

— Nelson Mandela
 

Stepping Off the Cliff

What if we really lived the popular spiritual catch-phrase:  'We Are All One'?  What if we were able to see every person, circumstance and belief system that we came across as a part of our immediate consciousness?  What if we did not allow ourselves to blame anything — personal, political or universal — on any other person, collective or deity?   What if we were victims of nothing, and creators of everything?  What if the hate and anger we feel so self-righteous about is only feeding the energy of hate and anger in the world?  What if the hate and anger we suppress in order to be a 'good person' is an ever-strengthening bomb, waiting to explode in our bodies, or in the world?  What if Life Itself is not as attached as we are to our personalities' vision of Right and Wrong?  Can we allow ourselves to experience Life Itself as it flows through our body right now, and identify more with this flow than with what we have been taught to believe?  Can we put this flow before everything  and completely rearrange our priorities?  My experience is that Life Itself has a much more vast and ever-changing perspective than our tiny minds.  'We' are no match for the spark of Life that animates each of us.  Right now, as your read this sentence, all 50 trillion cells are participating in cellular processes.  Within the hour, you will have lost and replaced 1.5 million skin cells.  Not only do we generally take this vast intelligence pumping through our bodies for granted, we seem to live relentlessly in the tiniest occurrences of the mind, including all the conscious and unconscious evaluations, associations, beliefs, structures, fears, defenses, etc. (this list could go on and on for a long, long time).  The Ancients guide us directly back to ourselves — physically, metaphorically, energetically and spiritually.   The guidance is simple, but the complex resistance of our mind will dismiss it in less than a second.  Our body / mind relationship is exactly the same as the relationship between the 1% and the 99% popularized by the Occupy Wall Street movement.  It is exactly the same as the relationship of Western Colonial Culture with Indigenous Peoples.   We have deified the Mind, Science, Separation, and Technological Prowess, and we have dismissed the rest as existing to serve this elite concept.  Most of Western Society is caught in an elaborate concept of reality.   So what can we do?  We can start to pay attention.  If we can identify this significant imbalance in our own bodies, and therefore our lives, we can begin to come into resonance with Natural Order, the very rhythm of the Universe.  Step out of your comfort zone, even out of your concept of 'Spirituality' and see what lies beyond.  What if there was nothing to understand, but everything to experience?  What if we have been experiencing life primarily through the filter of our mental concepts?  And what if we can step into a resonance that will take us beyond our wildest dreams individually and as a race?  The mind will tell us that it is time to change the world.   Ancient wisdom tells us it is time to come into Alignment with our own Natural Order, within and without, and the world will change.  In so doing, we will act from a connected resonance in our cells, and external reality will rise to this greater resonance.  My teacher would say:  "To achieve anything in Life, You have to have Already Arrived".   If we are wanting to arrive in a whole new paradigm of Life on Earth, we have to allow all the dimensionality of this in our own systems.  This experience of Life is deeper and wider than many of us in the West have imagined.  The earthquake, tornado or pollution in your life, body, emotions or consciousness is not unrelated to the external environment.  Face them, take responsibility, keep listening to what is true, and together, we will embody this New Earth.

"Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing,there is a field. I'll meet you there."  —Rumi

The Grace of Beginning

One of the most powerful lessons I keep learning from this work is how deeply enmeshed our assumptions are.   My opinions, identifications, belief systems and behaviors are constantly changing as I encounter the boundaries of my perception.  What I used to 'know', beyond the shadow of a doubt, is continually being challenged, and most of the time, I celebrate the moment when my 'knowing' is shattered, dissolved, or rearranged, letting in the light of new possibility.  This moment is an open field, limited only by our own restrictions.  Mahalo, John O'Donohue, for this resonant piece:
 

For a New Beginning

In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.  Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
~ John O'Donohue ~

Wisdom of the Ancients

There is a Force moving through this world, animating all of Life, giving Resonance to everything in Creation.  We are made of this Force.  It runs through our bodies and is the reason we are alive.  One might call it Spirit of Life, Creation or God.  Ancient Indigenous Peoples were in touch with this Force.  To them, the Earth and other creatures were not a distant or inferior 'Nature' (as we in the West may have learned to perceive it), but a part of their family, body, and consciousness.  Ancient Wisdom guides us through the layers of familiar, societal, cultural and religious conditioning to experience a Self which the mind cannot grasp, analyze or evaluate.  It is an ever-deepening state which guides us into the flow of alignment, healing, acceleration of our path, and into an ever-expanding field of perception.  We are brought back to our original innocence and the Great Mystery that lives beyond our conceptual mind.  We begin by awakening our deepest resonance.  Striking the highest chord at the Center of our being changes the resonant field in every cell of our bodies and reverberates throughout our lives.  This chord, however, has nothing to do with our concepts of what is good, right or holy.  We move through an experiential process, opening the subtle channels of Spirit in the body and simultaneously dismantle old belief systems and behavior patterns.  We discover what is actually true here and now.  Not what we think is true, not what we have been taught to believe, but what is.  Ancient Wisdom guides us in transforming our perceptive field so that we can access more of our whole Self to feel and experience our 'internal' and 'external' reality.  We can also mobilize more of our wholeness to navigate and to create in our lives.  Transformation occurs in subconscious, cellular and electromagnetic fields (among others), and we 'find ourselves' behaving differently.  This happens without forethought or logic.  The mind, I have found, catches up later to this new-found harmony of being.   I had studied Lomi Lomi with other teachers before studying under Kahu.  In his presence, everything else fell away, as I felt my whole being guided to a deeper, higher and more expanded Source inside of me.  I experienced the Grace inside each cell rising in the light of recognition.  It is this Grace that meets each moment, each body, each thought, emotion, person, action, and circumstance.......if I let it.   So, in it's essence, this work shines a brilliant Light on the origin point of our manifestation in this Life.  It is huge — far more than bodywork, and more vast than a cultural tradition.   It is a gateway to discovering more and more of the vast unknown of 'who we are'.  It is a priceless Opening to the Divine, right here and now.  It is constantly humbling, constantly exciting and new in each moment.   When I think back to the fear and lack that might have stopped me from first approaching the Kahuna for training, I shudder.  I am endlessly grateful to my teacher, and to this infinite Grace that moves through us all.   Aloha Nui Loa!

Miracle Consciousness

A distant cousin to the 'glass half full' and the 'glass half empty' is Miracle Consciousness.  I have found this to be a state of being where all things are possible while meeting any limitations which may present themselves.  Miracle Consciousness allows me to see what is here right now, and to keep it in the perspective of the Infinite, which runs through every aspect, including this body/mind/spirit!  Even on a global scale, as corruption is unveiled in the food industry, human rights and civil liberties, I find myself embracing Miracle Consciousness.  This is not a la-dee-da state of being, where I surround myself with pink flowers and think only 'good thoughts'.  It is a fully engaged awareness of each situation along with the willingness to act, to write letters, to stand up for what I believe in and at the same time realize that the Governments are not ultimately in charge, the Banks are not ultimately in charge, the police and military are not ultimately in charge.......Spirit is.  How is it we tend to forget that the infinite Love, Grace and Light that permeates every iota of existence is also present in personal conflicts, in stress at work and in international affairs?  If we can have the presence of being to bring The Infinite into every dilemma, we free ourselves from the powerlessness of being at the mercy of circumstance.  We free ourselves from inevitable outcomes and from worst-case scenarios.  As we access this highest kaona of being inside of ourselves, and expand our perception, we create space, possibility and change.  We can easily forget that The Greatest Force in the Universe, the Higher Power, The Light of Illumination is also here now.  All we have to do is remember that with 'God' All Things are Possible.  Where is 'God' in the midst of all this anyway?  For the Indigenous Mind, The Great Spirit exists within all of life.  We are each a unique expression of this Infinite Mystery......With US, All Things Are Possible.  There is nothing that can't be healed, and it is never too late to 'save the planet'.   Staying open to outcomes that we haven't yet experienced can open the way to a whole new spectrum of experience.  A miracle is the manifestation of the unknown.  Don't assume that what has always been, will always be!  As we are willing to open to The Mystery — what we don't already know — we arrive in Miracle Consciousness, and experience the Limitless with each breath.   If we work as One to face all the limitations, activate inspired action while remembering that we are the Infinite Field — Spirit itself manifest in form — we will truly be witness to many, many miracles, in our own lives, and in the world. 

"Never underestimate the Power of One. 
YOU are the Light of the World!"

The Meeting

Taking a step towards myself, towards Spirit, towards Life, I find that Spirit takes a step towards me.  In saying 'yes' and 'meeting' whatever comes my way,  I take the power out of my own resistance, and Life is able to flow more fully through me.  Strangely enough, it was much easier to meet the pain, anger, fear, and lack, as this is what I was used to.  Yet another moment of rejection, even as I went deeper into its roots, had a familiar ring.  As my willingness to come face to face with myself increased, a subtle, and then more clear acceleration began to build.  I was able to move deeper in to my relationship with my family inside, and recall my power from people I had (quite mistakenly) trusted with my redemption.  I finally realized that I was the only one who could face whatever I needed to face.  No teacher or doctrine could do it for me.  Then, a beautiful moment occurred — like a bride, realizing she is at the wrong altar —  I was able to pick up the train of my wedding dress, and walk with dignity, out of the church, even under the shocked gaze of all the guests.  As I stepped out of a false belief and into the truth of my own deepest resonance, Life flew in, with great velocity, to meet me.   This single act seemed to recall my energy from every situation in which I had given my essential power away.  Since this pivotal moment, I feel as though a whole new layer of reality has opened up.  I have been dancing with the wind, singing with the ocean, in a pure and endless communion with everything inside of me and everything outside of me.  It's not a fairy tale, but does feel like the awakened mystical is available more and more to meet my everyday life — all the strong and subtle moments no matter what they bring.   In each moment I find myself with more choice, more ability to feel what's true, more overflowing Love for myself, for my fellow beings and for Life, more hysterical laughter and more fun.  As seemingly aeons of pain has been released, I am finding a new challenge to meet more and more of the joy, and the question arises:  'Who am I to say 'yes' to the goodness of Life?'  I would never have guessed that meeting the more painful sides of Life would have been easier than this.  Yet here I am, facing the challenge of opening to more beauty, courage, abundance, light, love, expansion, and fun. It is surprising to arrive at the gateway of more ease, joy and freedom, and find my own resistance greeting me.  'Aren't these the things I've always wanted?' I ask myself.  And so here I am, on the edge of a deeper Joy, paying close attention.......happy to be on yet another vast and amazing cliff.....stepping off into unknown wonders.........NOW!

Source In You

You are not simply the product of an egg & sperm.  You are not just the combined DNA of your ancestors.  You are not the belief system of your parents, teachers, community or religion.  You are more than the sum of your parts.  You are insignificant beyond measure, yet Creator of all that you can perceive or imagine, at the same time.    You are unique in all of time and space.   As we unwind what has been fed to us through society, our upbringing, and through the collective field of humanity,  we can begin to see what is actually true for us in each moment, and move with life, instead of with old, static patterns and beliefs.   The Western-mind world view tells us that we are at the mercy of our circumstances.  If we work hard enough, are a 'good' enough person, or just lucky, we will 'succeed' in life.  If we follow the 'rules' our parents and teachers gave us, we will win the approval of others and of society.  Ancient Wisdom tells us that Life is not a random ocean of events tossing us to and fro.   We are, in this paradigm, each a portal for Life to pour through.  You are the conduit and lens of Life Itself, Love Itself — the gateway between Heaven and Earth — shaping your life like a fine piece of art.     The kaona (level of perception) you choose, will open the doorway to worlds within worlds.  Two people observing a common incident will report a different chain of events, different colors, identities and timing.  You are seeing through the matrix of your unique perception.  None of us see life as it is, but instead see it as we are.  We stand at the Center of our perception.  What we experience depends, at least partially, on kaona - the levels of perception to which we are able to open ourselves.  All levels of experience can be helpful depending on the circumstance.  When we're hungry, we happily pay attention to gathering and making a meal.  In the realm of consciousness, Quantum Physics tells us that as human beings, we are 99.999% space.  Physical Science tells us that we see only 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Most of who I am, and what lies just beyond my immediate (tiny) perception, then, is the vast unknown.  Infinity, I am told, cannot be grasped with the mind.  As I have allowed myself to reconsider what I 'know' as only one possibility, space has been created for more Life to flow through.  Allowing myself to 'not know' has, so far, created the greatest movement of expansion on all levels.  Instead of seeking more, I choose less — less knowledge, less seeking, less striving, and more willingness to dive without a safety net, into the Present, allowing this moment to reveal itself, and being as honest with myself as I can, to feel what is actually true right now.   This 99.999% unknown, unseen inside of us, to me, is Source.  Happier and happier I am, to leave the comfy, cozy consciousness of what I already know, and dwell in the unknown.   'What is true' in this moment seems to become more and more vast, and the glimmer of magic runs, like sparkling water, through everything.  Dismantling our 'perceptive field' — in cellular consciousness — and finding our way back to Source inside of us, is the pathway to Freedom offered by the Ancient Ones.  Every Blessing on your journey!

Before Time

Ancient Light

Rhythm

Spirit

Rumbling underneath and within

Everything

Speaks

in ever louder sounds

Moves

in ever faster circles, shapes, pathways

Aching,

Fighting,​

Crying

to be free.​

Meeting this opening,

We stop

All that holds us, ​

drives us,​

wants us.

The Universe cracks open.

The Ancient Light

Rises.​

In you

In me

In humanity.​

The way is revealed

Closer than breath

A heartbeat away.​

Right now.​

Remember

Remember

Who came into this world.

What innocence, freedom, comfort.

Who was it that built the fairy castles, and proclaimed herself queen?

Who loved the world upside down and could find himself walking on the sky?

The time when hunger was delicious, and laughter was best in forbidden places?

Remember

When singing and building sand castles were the same thing?

When you swung higher on the swing than anyone had in the history of the world?

When tracking monsters in the backyard became a full blown dance?

Remember

The connection that needed no connection

because nothing was 'apart'.

Remember

When the rain was a creature to be played with.

How every day unfolded endlessly.

When Light sparkled in your eyes from sheer wonder at all that was magical.

When nothing was impossible.

I breathe

I sing

I laugh

I cry

I jump

I shout

I sleep

I remember

I AM.

This original Heart still beats inside of each of us.  Uncovering the essence of who you truly are from layers of who we were taught we could be, should be, must be — this is the gift of the Ancients.  No matter what anyone has told you.......We are here to remember.........and to FLY!!!