Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Return to Beauty


That which I am searching for is me. That which acts as an enemy is me, and that which is attempting to get rid of the self-destructive me is also me. I am the obstruction and I am the way. That which obstructs is my own creation in unconsciousness. The ‘I’ that is the light of consciousness that removes the darkness of unconsciousness and ignorance is hiding behind unconsciousness. That which I am searching for is hidden behind all the false images I hold of myself. That which remains and cannot be removed after getting rid of all that I have acquired, is the real me.  (Gurudev Amritiji)
We have been talking about witness consciousness and how to ascend into the witness, which is loving and neutral. Witness consciousness brings you into tapas, the transformation of what is heavy or agitated, into lightness of being. The way to do this is to return to the witness. Whatever you see, let go. When you witness your weakness, accept yourself and do not go into self-rejection.  Avoid blaming someone or something outside of yourself for the blockages you discover. Go through the whole process of allowing whatever it is that you have to let go of, to burn through; this is the surrender of tapas. 

Appreciate whatever small steps you are able to take, moment by moment. Be grateful for a mini-victory. Let go of an unrealistic desire for completion and be patient with the process. Every time you become impatient or frustrated, return your attention and commitment to the witness consciousness. Return again and again to the power of the breath. Whatever you witness is about you;  it is not about anyone or anything else.  This understanding is the doorway to peace and self-realization.

It is very difficult not to be affected by the times we are living in. These times are so challenging and burdensome, and change is happening so rapidly, that we cannot process it all. On top of all that, there is the microcosm of your life. You get up in the morning and you go through your day. What happens to you there? In the supermarket, at work, wherever and with whomever? What do you do about all the things that are continually arising there? The spiritual warrior must abide in the consciousness of purification. This is not purification in the sense of, “Something inside of me is bad,” but this is purification in the positive sense of allowing yourself to let go of the debris and dusting yourself off from the external insults that you suffer daily in this world.

How do you shed that debris daily so you are purifying and able to let go into tapas? Tapas is purification; it is the constant return to the witness to allow yourself to purify so that you can find lightness of being, so you can turn the lead into gold, and so  you can walk in beauty and peace. The purification process is constant, it is relentless. If you are not in the perpetual consciousness of love, it is easy to get backed up very, very quickly and get infected with what is not of God. It is easy to forget when you are upset, that it is about you and you are the only one who has the power to return to the breath, to return to the witness, to release all judgment, and to burn your reaction in the fire of love.

We are living in times of change and consequence. The changes are happening relentlessly. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. But you do not have to be concerned with processing it, or trying to make sense of it. All you need to be concerned with is your spiritual path, your practice and your relationship with God. All you need to do is abide there to help you to be stable, beautiful, and fully alive in this life that we have in the best way possible.

Stay with God

Yesterday I had one of those days where I was completely out of sorts, starting at the time I woke up. It’s hard to shake myself out of that grumpy, out-of-sorts place. I had a bad reaction to something my partner said.  It was such a flash response.


When you are given the opportunity to choose love and it does not happen, just close your eyes and breathe. There are endless, infinite ways to bring yourself into balance throughout the circle of the day and to help you stay there. In the morning, bring yourself into the consciousness of purification. When you arise, shower and purify. Give thanks to the elements. Give thanks to the spirit of the water from the West that comes in to cleanse you when you are washing your face and brushing your teeth. When you give thanks to the element of water, you are in the consciousness of purification. After you have finished showering and before you put on your clothes, anoint yourself. This is a sacred day, this is a holy day, this is your life today. This purification process helps you to remember how to go through the day appropriately, within yourself. Nobody has to know anything else about this but you.

When you take food, say a prayer of thanks with every bite or just with the consciousness of being given food by the Mother and being able to eat and take in nourishment.  Be mindful, remember to give thanks.  Breathe. I breathe in, and I know I am alive. I breathe out, and I give thanks for my life. When you have a reaction, go outside into the wind and let the lords of the wind purify you. There is a place for you to go, every moment of every day. You leave the resonance of peace. God does not leave us; we leave God.
And at the end of the day, when you lie down to rest and rejuvenate, you can call upon the Guardians of the West as  you go into the dream time so that you can dream and have your vision and connection.  There are just as many infinite ways to return to beauty as there are challenges from this incredible darkness that is in our world today. But if you do not return to beauty, you will get dusty and infected, and then it is like drowning. The opportunities to return are given to us in a full circle, the circle of the day, the circle of the week, the month, and the year. It is an infinite loop. 

The practice is to train yourself inwardly through discipline, which creates discipleship, and to control yourself, not through suppression, but through a pure desire to merge with the resonance of universal consciousness. It is easy to know when you are having a reaction inside. It is easy to know that the work is at hand. Now.  That is not hard. It is the only thing to do and the only place to go, always. I do not qualify it by saying, “in these times.”  In all times—in the past, the present, and the future. Ultimately, it is the only place for you. So what am I saying?


Stay with God.

Yes.
(September 7, 2014)


Maresha's next blog will be published February 17, 2015.

Messages of Light is published by the Sanctuary of Universal Light on Snow Dragon Mountain in Meredith, New Hampshire. A snail mail edition is available bi-monthly, free of charge. www.snowdragonsanctuary.com