The last article I wrote, titled “Depression – Lifting the Cloud with Natural Medicine”, asked for something more. I have decided to interview 8 people of different faiths, cultures and careers. My question to them was: “What makes you happy and what keeps you antidepressant-free?” Let’s get going and explore this wealth of answers!

“Most of us spend our whole lives in veiled search for the only two things we really want. Those are to be loved and happy. We wrap this search into a lifetime of actions, events, things and people. If I could just have a little more free time, I would be happy. If I just had a little more money, I would be happy. If I could get a new car, I would be happy.” These are the first thoughts of Dr. Rodney Dunetz, an Acupuncture Physician and Doctor of Oriental Medicine practicing in Boca Raton, Florida. He continues by explaining how helping others is at the core of true happiness: “I too, did this dance for much of my life. Then I realized, it was not the getting of my “stuff” that made me happy, it was the no longer wanting the “stuff”. I realized at the end of my life, I was going to give all my stuff back. I didn’t even get to keep my body. I give that back too. The stuff only made me a little happy and for a little while. And when I really looked at my life, I realized what truly made me happy was helping others. I embraced the idea of helping others. I made helping others a priority in my life and found my path to happiness. The more happiness I give, the more happiness I get. May you find your happiness, may you find your path. The truth is they’re one in the same.” He beautifully ends his thoughts by quoting Rabindranath Tagore: ”I slept — and dreamed that life was joy. I woke — and saw that life was but service. I served – and understood that service was joy.”

Dr. Martha Lucas holds a PhD in Psychology; she is a practitioner of Chinese Medicine, teacher, and author, and has a practice in Denver, Colorado. She begins by summarizing all that brings her happiness in one single sentence: “My life is so full and, in part, it is gratitude that makes me happy.” She goes on through every major aspect of her life showing us how every day and every moment can be lived at its fullest: “Wonder - I have beautiful, healthy grandsons who fill my heart with joy and whose wonder about the world is so sweet to watch.  There’s a line in one of Neil Young’s song I am a Child that says, “you can’t conceive of the pleasure in my smile”.  That is a perfect description of how I feel when I watch the young ones wonder at the world; their smiles are so sweet and innocent. Service/Career - as a Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I see all manner of illness and pain.  This often makes me very grateful for my good health and that of my family.  Having the ability using this wonderful medicine to help someone who has given up on life is very rewarding.  Further, knowing the energetic effects of antidepressants make me want to avoid taking them; for the most part, we can treat emotional distress using acupuncture and herbal prescriptions rather than relying on pharmaceuticals. Nature - I love the outdoors, sunlight, moonlight, the quiet after a deep snowfall … I think that it is important to truly “see” those experiences. Sometimes we take the burst of Spring for granted but it is so rewarding to appreciate all the new growth, sweet smells, warm sun on your skin. Relationships - my children, husband, good friends, and students, all add wealth to my life. Don’t get me wrong; I have stresses and disappointments just like most other people.  The bottom line is though that this moment is in a real sense, the only moment.  Therefore I do my best to enjoy the moment and put worry aside.”

Dr. Cynthia O’Donnell is the CEO of the East West College of Natural Medicine, Sarasota, Florida, and has been in the Natural Medicine field for 25 years; she is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Acupuncture Physician, she has extensive training in Taoist longevity exercises such as Qi Gong and has had full training as a Classical Homeopath. Cynthia answered the following to my question: “I have been lucky in my life in that I had an incredibly happy childhood, and my disposition has always been positive. I have incorporated classical constitutional homeopathic treatment, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage and herbs and nutrition into my lifestyle as health maintenance therapies and I have exercised regularly my entire life. I also have guided my life with spiritual principles and have been blessed to enter the career of my choice and be successful at it. However, I did once become terribly depressed for a long period of time after having received anesthesia for surgery. For that, I received healing sessions of external qi healing (a hands on healing technique similar to reiki) from a Taoist master and I was cured. After having been depressed for several months, with sluggishness and excessive tiredness, three external qi gong treatments had my friends marveling at the difference.”

Dr. Harsh Luthar, PhD, professor in Providence, Rhode Island, and the founder of HarshaSatsangh based on Ahimsa (the philosophy of nonviolence) and the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, states that “In terms of what happiness means, I am not sure it is a transient stage where some external thing or force can make us happy or unhappy. In Advaita, we use the term the Sahaj state or the natural state of the Self.” He feels that reading his article called “Easy and Natural is the Way” posted on his personal blog site, will describe more of his underlying orientation.

Claire Bangasser from San Juan, Puerto Rico, holds a Masters in Human Resource Development and a Masters in Pastoral Studies, with a focus on Feminist Theology. She is a passionate writer and she is sharing her first contact with depression and antidepressants: “I have friends who have to take anti-anxiety pills for long whiles to help them cope with their daily life. I may never have suffered from a depression because I understand that it is a real illness. On the other hand, when I was a child, I saw my mother taking sleeping pills and tranquilizers to escape a life that she did not like. I saw her groggy and no long remembering where she was. Once, I had to guide her to the bathroom as she was too lost to find it by herself. Having seen what pills did to her, I have never had any desire to follow her path. Strangely enough, it is also my mother who has taught me to look at the small ways Life blesses each of my days: a bird on the window sill, the blueness of the sky, the balminess of the wind. Thus, possibly, the attention I give to the moment helps me enjoy life more than others and prevents me from falling into a funk.  Finally, I remember reading psalms of praise when feeling really down some years back. I praised God despite my deep fear of what was to come. This had a way of lifting me up and place me just a little above the fear itself.”

My dear sister, Mariana Corca, B.Sc, nun at the Valeni Monastery, Romania, for over 10 years, is sharing her view by quoting the devout Paisie of Mount Athos, “Psychiatric clinics would be empty if Christians would confess sincerely, humbly and reverently to an experienced confessor, who may even be a little harsh. No one would then experience anxiety, troubles and great temptation, as you should know they all arise from selfishness, disobedience and bad thoughts…” She continues by showing her gratitude for the simple joys of life, “I praise God for the world he created, for the snowdrops and violets already into bloom these first days of March, and for the snowflakes which seem to have forgotten winter is gone and are joyfully dancing in the air.”

Iuliana Olteanu from Brasov, Romania, B.A. and Certified Translator in 3 languages, is my cousin and best female friend. Iuliana truly lets love shine through her words. “When it comes to happiness, I have come to realize that we pursue it so eagerly in the wrong places, being blissfully unaware that in trying to cope with our daily routine, we have become blind to wonderful things right under our nose. As soon as things do not turn out as we wish, we tend to jump to conclusions, dramatize things and whine about being unhappy, and even envy others who SEEM to have a happier lot. Experience has taught me that situations having a quite black picture often result in the happiest outcome. I am truly blessed and thankful to have learned lately the most wonderful lesson, which is seeing life again through the innocent eyes of a child. Since my own eyes have started to betray me, I will from now on rely more on the apple of my eye, Sara-Marie.”

Finally, Dr. Catalin Buiu, PhD and professor in Bucharest, Romania, has practiced Integral Yoga since 1992. Here is his answer to my question: “there are a lot of reasons for me to be happy, and none to be unhappy. I’d even go so far as to say that the mere fact that I can answer this quite inspired question and share a bit of my innermost feelings makes me happy. As I was thinking about all these reasons, I’ve come to realize that behind them there must be an ultimate reason. It has to do with the fact that I am intuitively aware and many times I happen to directly feel the divine presence inside my being, that eternal spark bestowed upon me by God the Father, the individual Supreme Self. It is to me an inexhaustible source of beauty, harmony, hope and love. How could I ever be unhappy or unsure of my spiritual destiny and myself now that I feel I am Everything?”

The truth is, WE ALL HAVE A CHOICE. This being said, I have nothing more to add and I’d better leave you to meditate upon all these thoughts! Maybe you too would care to share your experience with the quest for happiness?

Click on each person’s name to learn more about them and read part I of this article “Depression – Lifting the Cloud with Natural Medicine”.

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Could this be the reason why the latest research shows such a high number of Americans – 1 in 5 – are feeling depressed? Well, it is one of the reasons, to be sure. Do the antidepressant drugs really work? The latest research is contradictory, some of the studies showing that drug therapy works no better than placebo for light to moderate depression, having some better results in severe depression. Anyway, talking about research on drug therapies or their side effects is not what I had in mind for this article.

Moreover, my first instinct was to give you some statistics – and there are plenty when it comes to depression. But if you are reading this article because you or a loved one is feeling depressed, I bet statistics become just a bunch of meaningless figures to you. This is why my article will focus on the safe and effective solutions that natural medicine has to offer.

Depression has got this bad reputation, as it is generally associated only with negative thoughts. Depression could actually be compared to physical pain – is pain our enemy? No, because it lets us know we need to take care of ourselves. Likewise, a sense of depression is a symptom prompting us to solve or deal with certain emotions, such as sadness, grief, anger, etc. This makes sense, as depression often co-exists with panic attacks, anxiety disorders, and compulsive-obsessive behavior. So, what is to be done? Severe or not, depression can be debilitating and can make life feel like a punishment. It is in our nature to always be happy so let’s find out how to achieve and maintain that happiness.

Yoga – The Ultimate Depression Remedy

There is extensive evidence that yoga not only lifts up the spirit but also quiets the mind, which helps deal with our daily life, from relationships at work or home to living a life full of joy – but most importantly to achieve that higher and deeper purpose that ultimately is what can keep us happy every day.

The April 2009 Issue of Harvard Health Publications published a comprehensive article called “Yoga for Anxiety and Depression”[i] where a few studies show that yoga not only improves well-being but also decreases the threshold response to stress and pain.

Yoga is a discipline that combines breathing exercises, various yoga positions, and meditation. All of these bring awareness to your whole being and if practiced consistently, enormous benefits could be seen in each aspect of your life.

Let yoga become part of your life; try different teachers and styles to find out which one fits you best. Hard to quiet your mind during meditation? There are different ways to meditate, from listening to music to visualizing techniques, from specific focus points to, why not, chanting. Again, let your inner wisdom guide you in finding which meditation technique is more appropriate if you are a beginner.

Massage – Advanced Manual Techniques for Any Emotional Trauma

Both physical and emotional traumas are stored within the soft tissues complex – more exactly the soma. The emotions are retained and many times suppressed for our whole life in the non-conscious level. They really act like a protection mechanism, trying to keep us away from painful memories – but this will only cover the problem and not solve the core issue. The SomatoEmotional Release concept promoted by Dr John E. Upledger suggests that traumas are stored within different parts of the body.

The SomatoEmotional Release processes are often triggered by techniques such as CranioSacral Therapy and Myofascial Release. The proper and skilful stretching and activating of the fascia through Myofascial Release can help let go much of the stored emotion and lead to spontaneous healing[ii]. It creates the perfect environment for healing and when the patient is ready, facilitation of moving ahead and letting go of past issues becomes easier to handle. Moreover, the fascia is strongly connected to the CranioSacral rhythm[iii]. So, these two therapies work beautifully together and can lead to deep relaxation, which is ultimately the perfect environment for resetting and bringing awareness within our whole being.

Acupuncture – Emotions Uncovered

Chinese Medicine sees emotions as associated with specific organs of our system. The liver does not only consist of the organ itself as known in Allopathic Medicine, but also of its associated energy. Furthermore, it also has emotions associated with it – liver for example is specifically related to anger and depression. However, each of the organs can be linked to depression. For example, kidneys are strongly related to fear, spleen to rumination and disappointment, heart to fear of being hurt, and lung to grief and sadness.

When the acupuncture meridians are activated, either with needles or with Myofascial Release, the organ systems are regulated, and depression and emotional upset is thereby solved. Keep in mind that long-term excessive emotions, be they anger, depression, or over thinking, will sooner or later disturb physiological processes such as digestion. So, be kind to yourself!

A recent study[iv] has shown that acupuncture is even effective against depression during pregnancy. This makes acupuncture a very valuable tool, as pregnancy is a very sensitive period, where more natural and safe remedies are preferred for the safety of both the fetus and the mother.

Herbs

St. John’s Wort has definitely enjoyed the most attention as regards the treatment of depression. Studies have show that it can be effective in mild to moderate depression. However, practice caution when taking St. John’s Wort as increased photosensitivity occurs when ingested. In addition, it should not be taken concurrently with antidepressants.

Chinese formulas are prescribed according to the pattern found after proper diagnosis. Treating the root of the imbalance leads to long-term and effective results.

Other remedies known to bring relief in depression are Kava Kava, Valerian root, Ginseng, and Gingko biloba. From the Ayurvedic Medicine, some of the mixtures thought to have an effect on the mood are shavateri (asparagus racemosus), jatamansi (nordostachys jatamansi), brahmi (gotu kola), and gudachi (tinospora cordifolia)[v].

Always consult a licensed herbalist for proper diagnosis and safe combination of herbs.

Homeopathy

Classical Homeopathy offers an excellent choice for all types of depression. A session with a Classical Homeopath to assess your constitutional remedy can not only help with your mood but also influence your personality and your genetic predispositions. The right homeopathic remedy can truly go deep to the core of the problem, bringing long-term results. In addition, such remedies are one of the best choices, as they are totally safe and free of side effects, and can be taken together with other treatments without fear of drug interactions.

Nutrition & Supplements

B Vitamins and Omega 3 fatty acids are important factors in dealing with depression. A whole food diet is crucial in keeping balanced and reaching homeostasis – emotionally and physically.

Nature and Healing

Spend time outdoors, take a walk everyday and remember to breathe. 10 minutes spent in nature is more valuable than you can imagine.

As this is such a special topic, it really deserves more attention. While writing this article, it has dawned on me that nothing is more powerful than other people’s testimonials. I am honored to have interviewed 8 people of different faiths, carriers, and cultures.

They are all sharing a glimpse of their happiness with us, so don’t miss the second part of this article.

Coming soon! Depression – Secrets Unveiled

www.elitehealthplex.com

Reference:

[ii] Barnes F.J., (2000).Healing Ancient Wounds, The Renegade’s Wisdom. Paoli, PA: Rehabilitation Services.

[iii] Upledger E. J. (1996). SomatoEmotional Release and Beyond. Palm Beach Gardens, FL: UI Publishing

[iv] Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (2010, February 4). Acupuncture found effective against depression during pregnancy.

[v] Cherniak P, Cherniak N. (2003). Alternative Medicine for Elderly. New York: Springer

Disclaimer

The information on this blog is provided for educational or reference purposes only and it is NOT a substitute for professional health care. No information obtained on this blog should be relied on as the basis for treating or diagnosing conditions, symptoms, or illness and all queries should be directed to your health care provider. No warranty or guarantee of a cure is expressed or implied with any information at this blog, nor does Elite HealthPlex Blog make any representations regarding the use or the results obtained with the information. In no event shall Elite HealthPlex Blog, its employees or associates be liable to any person or individual for any loss or damage whatsoever which may arise from the use of this blog or any of the information available on this blog.

More interesting articles

• Keep the Flame of Your Love Burning: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• Sri Ramana on Book Knowledge with comments from Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
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• Photographs by Mazie Lane
• A Dance Ballet on Gautama Buddha: By Vinatha-ji

1. Take 2 folded blankets, and stagger them, so one is on top of the other, and the top blanket is pulled about 2 inches back. Fold the top blanket under at the other end, to make a pillow.

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2. Lay on your back with the base of the spine touching the bottom blanket. Let your shoulders roll under and open the front of the chest.

3. Let your body sink into the pose, let your chest open a little more, and soften your breathing. Focus for a few moments on feeling the nourishment in your breath.

4. Imagine that you are floating in a cloud of pure love and nourishment. Use your intuition to guide you as you imagine this cloud fully embracing you. Intend that the nourishment from this cloud is being drawn into the body on each inhale.

5. Take a few moments now to relax further and connect to your sacred heart space, or on a feeling of unconditional love. Continue to connect to the nourishment being drawn into the body as well as the feeling of unconditional love in the heart space, and allow yourself to relax even more.  Feel or intend that the love and nourishment is wrapping your body like an embrace. Allow yourself to continue to relax more and more into the heart space. Let your intuition guide you with this meditation as you continue to rest in the heart space for a few more minutes, or click here to be guided in a few more minutes of meditation with Christine.

Benefits: emotionally uplifting, opens the heart center, increases circulation to the heart & lungs, tones and lengthens the spine, releases tension in the shoulders & upper back.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to find out more about the writings of Christine click here .

Christine Wushke is a certified yoga and meditation teacher with over 15 years of experience. Her aim is to create a sacred space for students to effortlessly find the presence of stillness and an inner silence. Christine’s mission is to raise consciousness on the planet by empowering people to realize their own Divinity and to uncover a deep peace within. Christine is committed to assisting you in your journey, and helping you to realize directly for yourself the truth of what you are, and the stillness of truth within. In addition to her yoga and meditation training, Christine is also a registered massage therapist. In the past two years she has studied extensively in the spiritual tradition of Advaita Vedanta. Her teaching style is largely influenced by Iyengar yoga, and the nondual tradition of Advaita.

www.journeytolight.net
www.innerlightyoga.blogspot.com

© written and modeled by Christine Wushke

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Place your burden
at the feet of the Lord of the universe
who accomplishes everything.

Remain all the time steadfast
in the heart,
in the Transcendental Absolute.

God knows the past, present and future.

He will determine the future for you and accomplish the work.

What is to be done will be done at the proper time. Don’t worry.

Abide in the heart and surrender your acts to the Divine.

Bhagavan Ramana

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• You Are What You Eat

the tender darkness of a fleshy soul
deep within the heart of the earth,
secure & content in the silence
of its own endless night

until the whole weight of the world
bears down,

squeezing the black deposits out
forcing flesh into stone,
fluid into crystal,

hardening a molten heart
into the sacred geometry
of squares & angles.

& as if millenniae
of that rigidifying grief
isn’t enough to shatter
a rock back into a rainbow,

the thing
gets rudely unearthed

to the derision
of being called ‘rough.’

yeah, rough.

& then
the real sacrifice begins.

Jesus wanting to return the cup
knew everything there is to know
about diamonds, about

what must it feel like

to have your limbs
sawed off one by one

your head shaved
your edges sliced
your heart carved up
piece by piece

your familiar form
chiseled away

until fragments of your self
are strewn
all over some workman’s table,

dust settling  back to irridescent dust.

how is it
(terrible sweet wisdom)
to endure like that,

burning
with all the leaping blue-gold flame
of those eons forged in the earth’s furnaces

sparkling
with the solid light
of a million trapped & unshed tears

polished
ruthlessly on all sides
by a true master whose gemstone eyes

mirror
a clear & unspeakable compassion
for the sufferings
of each little pebble on the beach…

& what does it take, really,
to emerge at long last, flawless
in the eyes of your maker,

ready to inspire the world:

for inside every black stone
lies the same suffering,
the same journey,

the same precious light diamond liquid fire

waiting
to come out of hiding

&
shine like the sun.

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• I am not this, I am not that; who am I? – Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang

Dreaming the Dream by Anna Ruiz

 I’ve walked about
until I dreamed this dream
in the crystalline perfection of a snowflake,
and I
found You in the winter of myself,
gazing into Your eyes
a deep well of infinity
I remembered, we have been here
before
and we will come again.

Your tongue will touch my heart with
words that slice through the skin of
separation and I will fall in love with You
again and again
as if we strangers
from another world, casting
an anchor to the seven seas of breath.

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This is of particular interest to me as a teacher of Eastern knowledge in the West, having spent a number of years living in India, doing hard sadhana and studying the ancient Vedic knowledge closely, especially from the angle of healing. Coming back to America was a shock — especially when I began to listen to people talk about spirituality.

What I’ve observed is that there are hundreds of differing ideas and viewpoints about what constitutes enlightenment — it seems that no two people are using the same definition for the term, and yet they’re conversing with one another as though the meaning is identical. This creates interesting conversations and misunderstandings often ensue.

I’ve also learned that there appears to be an idea in popular spiritual culture that either enlightenment is a pretty easy thing to achieve, or that it’s not even something to strive for because everything’s perfect the way it is and we’re all already enlightened as we are. (To which my response is: “Really? If we’re all already enlightened, why aren’t we acting like it?”)

It seems obvious that enlightenment isn’t so easy to attain (or else millions of people would already have done so!) and it’s a little painful to encounter people who’ve been sold a bill of goods otherwise. A general sense of disillusionment after a few months or a year of doing a spiritual practice, thinking that it would give a person instant enlightenment, is something I come into contact with, a lot, as a spiritual teacher and healer. Worse, some people think they are enlightened (because they did such a practice, surely it yielded the results) and are walking around acting as if they are — when it’s clear that the enlightenment is perhaps a bit more elusive than they’d have hoped.

What I learned in India — and no, I wouldn’t consider myself enlightened, but I’ve had the great good fortune to encounter a number of souls who are — is that enlightenment doesn’t come over night. It requires hard work, dedication, sadhana, surrender, faith, patience and an open heart. It takes a surprising amount of stamina to stand strongly in one place while a great deal of one’s life is dissolving and dis-integrating around one!

Attachments, desires, resentments, negative emotions — so many things have to go, to be let go of, in the process of doing spiritual practices. Being willing to endure the purification of the body, heart, and mind (especially the mind!) — all of which are sometimes quite uncomfortable — isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. Or at least, it didn’t come naturally to me!

Even our dearly held and cherished belief systems about what constitutes spirituality, or enlightenment, have to dissolve as well. The reality is beyond any ideas or constructs of the mind — at a certain point we start thinking more with the soul than with the mind.

But finally, I think one key question needs to be considered by everyone who is undertaking a spiritual practice, or feels drawn to this subject of enlightenment… and it’s a simple question but not necessarily an easy one to answer: “What do you really want?”

When I was first asked this question by a sadguru, I was stunned by both the simplicity and the weight of the question itself and could barely stammer any coherent response. No one, I think, in my whole life, had ever asked me such a bald, clear question — especially in terms of spirituality! — and in answering it, I felt that a great deal of gravitas was being demanded of me, to be super-clear and sharp and serious about my ideas, aspirations, and inspiration for my life.

Each one of us will have a different response to that question, depending on our level of awareness, a sense of our dharma (mission in life), ideas about enlightenment, spiritual knowledge we’ve acquired, and so on.

But it’s really vital to ask ourselves, and frequently, “What do I really want?”

What I discovered was that it wasn’t enlightenment per se that I was after — it was more about wanting to know the truth of this creation, the underlying reality of life and death and beyond those states, and somehow I had a notion that this tied into healing other people effectively.

Some people really want to know the truth. Others want to experience peace of mind, or a blissful state of awareness. Still others want enlightenment — and really need to define, for themselves, and to the divine, what they mean by that term. Is it a blissful state of feeling connected with all beings? Is it a state of unconditional love? Is it a place from which manifestations happen? Does it mean unlimited gyan, tapping into the cosmic knowledge? Does it mean that the individual “I” self melts into something larger, or dissolves altogether?

What do we mean by ‘enlightenment’, really?

What do you mean by it? And if it’s enlightenment that you want, deeply — then, why do you want it? What do you imagine yourself doing, once you’ve gained enlightenment?

If I’ve learned anything over years of spiritual work, it’s that being vague with the divine matters doesn’t really answer. Having clarity and being able to articulate something succinctly, in ourselves, creates a kind of sankalpam, a divine intention, and sets it into motion, in nature. Speaking our true desire for our lives into nature starts activating Nature itself to create a response to that desire. And then the adventure really begins to show itself!

It’s a beautiful place to start, when considering our true nature, as human beings, and what we really came here on earth to do. It’s so simple, but not easy to do — but why not start now, and ask yourself, deeply, “What do I really want?”

You might be amazed at the truthful answer that wells up from the inner depths of your being. And what’s more, you may end up delighted, as your own journey starts to unfold in powerful and unexpected ways…!

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And yet if we could only become aware, that it is our preconceived notions of the term that comes in the way, perhaps more of us might make it our reality. Enlightenment is not something for the sages, it is not an impossible dream and it does not imply a distancing of self from all that we have held dear.

Life, even our very contemporary life and enlightenment are not mutually exclusive states. And this to me is true spirituality- something that includes and not excludes my day-to- day life! Something that blends with, and indeed optimizes my humanity and its purposes and desires, rather than opposing, suffocating and suppressing them! Thereby deeply fulfilled do we extend the same to ‘others’ around us and extend from self to selves to the Godself within!

Indeed one soon realizes that impossible (sounding) concepts are not really so! Unconditional love, non-judgment, forgiveness, oneness and the like might appear idealistic, impractical, impracticable indeed when read off the pages of a book, but once you are on the journey they become unexpectedly user friendly!

Ask me! I used to think unconditional love was only a sop for those who had no ‘real’ personal lives of their own! And being the much touted ‘witness’ seemed to me a concept Shiva created so that no one could copy him! And yet, a few years into this wondrous path, all these qualities ‘happen’ more and more naturally.

One discovers that it was largely our misconceptions, rising from a half –baked understandings of these concepts, that made them loom so large and forbidding; and the rest of the gap is easily bridged by a growing awareness that literally changes the way we think and feel. And through it all we are moving towards what en ‘light’enment is best known for- increasing awareness… inner illumination… though a series of tiny almost silently building up eureka’s beyond the words that brought them about.

In more modern and scientific terms enlightenment is a re-mapping of our neural pathways, a literal expansion of our minds, into consciousness! With literally new brainwaves, our perceptions begin to change, reflecting in enhanced ways of being almost automatically; as consciousness we become one with all things as they are-and Unconditional love, non-judgment, forgiveness, oneness…happens!

And suddenly, ‘enlightenment’ is an escalating lightening of the heart, reverberating through our personal lives and environment and indeed our world. Individual journeys spontaneously become spiritual service towards humanity for you are 24/ 7 transmitter of this new consciousness wherever you maybe placed in life, through whatever tasks your day –to- day life may comprise of! Without needing to be guru or teacher…!

And the best part! Enlightenment happens in individual ways, tailor made to you! Enlightenment does not need following a prescribed set of must do’s; neither does it imply becoming some impossible ideal like the Gods and Masters we revere or resonate to for we have each individuated to be what only we could be for the whole…. and this awareness- embracing & playing our role in the cosmic play not fighting to get out of it –is enlightenment! We do not lose self but indeed revel in Self in being what the whole chose to be through to us; we do not lose self as much as find Self… in ways perhaps we were not even aware of! And life becomes an Arabian night’s journey …and mindlessness …often considered a sign of enlightenment… is not doing nothing, being nothing, or being indifferent…but entering more wholly into whatever every now comprises of-allowing the play to flow through ‘you’!

Nothingness yet another term connected with enlightenment- is really not ‘nothing’- but no thing other than I! In no-thingness we become all-thingness! Thus nothingness is not feeling empty but full and so we don’t cease to exist or function in ‘normal’ ways but indeed live our day to day life …accepting of all things in our now….blissfully. And this Bliss is not some orgasmic state of unqualified ‘joy’- but beyond joy itself where the seeming ups and downs don’t appear as opposites and this paradoxically ‘neutral’ all accepting state is the unqualified bliss. And yet thoughtlessness is not about no thoughts….but about no thoughts about our thoughts! And enlightenment which cannot be defined, for each will describe the paradoxes differently, becomes the paradox of ‘finding’ that there is nothing to find; ‘reaching’ an understanding that there is no where to reach; ‘becoming’ aware that there is no one to become!

It is the all pervasive stillness and momentum of the dawning that all is perfect, as it is, in every now and everything is happening as it must so really there is nothing to do or not do towards it! And yet this is not divorced from day to day life-whatever yours may comprise for there is infinite scope for inner expansion, reflecting in external areas of life panning out more and more to our individual ideas of what they can best be! And then …there is more…!

And one realizes that ‘enlightenment’ is not some perfect end …something that is a finish… but a dynamic state of being… like consciousness itself! And we realize that ‘enlightenment’ is not one magical moment but a series of these happenings… which have been happening somewhere along the way……and this realization permeates us in a manner quite like the beautiful music that has been playing all along in our neighbors house…but we only become consciously aware of it at some seemingly sudden ‘point’! And the sacred permeates our day-to day life in minute ways – awake, asleep, and playing, at rest or working. …indeed the sacred and mundane lose their demarcations…
Divyaa Kummar
www.divyaakummar.com

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Seers of earlier days viewed these highest potentials, qualities, essences ‘That” we truly are, and in order to describe them to the larger people, they gave them form and name. For example, describing life force as Shiva; abundance as Lakshmi; wisdom as Saraswati. And to further enumerate these qualities or essences, as each is made up of innumerable facets (for example life force can be expressed as power, as will and desire, as awareness even; and abundance is so many things at deeper and deeper levels: joy and bliss and profusion of all that is within to name but a few) and it could take sentences or pages or books to explore all the nuances of any one ‘quality’… were stories and mythology woven around them. This is called anthropomorphism – whereby we personalize or humanize an abstract quality to understand it better! We give it human name and form and history even! We bring the abstract to life to understand it better! The intangible aspects that make up our universe, or explain what creation really is, was too subtle for initial mankind to truly grasp… and this tangibility made it easier! It’s truly what ‘stories’ are! It is what makes up most of mythology. For through these ‘stories’ can we more easily understand and identify the purer nuances of Self! And thus seek to be them!

And thus have our purest visions of Self, become our gods! And thus is our source projected outside as our goal! And thus are they all immanent in our Dna…that record keeper so to say that keeps all that we are intact within us while we play the game of seeming separation and ignorance! But bear in mind that the word ‘pure’ is without the judgment of being better than ‘dense’! For actually the only difference in pure and dense is the vibratory frequency at which I am exploring or experiencing Self! Thus yes, while pure does refer to our ‘finer’ vibrations …in the larger picture it is these finer aspects of self, which choose the ‘denser’ experiences to add to their finesse! And thus it works so beautifully! Finer aspects of Self, explore the denser realms to add to the perfection of Self …perfection doesn’t remain a static state of being! And yet, while we explore the more tangible realms we retain our purest aspects- outside us as gods to merge with! And within us -as our DNA to propel us forward!

From this follows the understanding that if our thoughts and feelings are the creative power through which we create life – then surely- critical mass humanity conjuring their gods in any given appearance would create these forms on inner levels? Whereby we would tangibly feel their ‘presence’ as such and thus consider them ‘real’? Strengthening our belief in ‘them’ and adding to that vitality that we first created on the inner planes! And thus drawing even more succor from these vitally tangible if not physical forms that hold (or are shaped by) our highest potentials! Yet if we can now make our gods more humane…not merely view them in the lofty, out- of- reach visuals that benefited us as early mankind, our gods will indeed exist as you and me…and the new avatars that the world is waiting for will ‘be’! Now is the time, and you are the avatar!

Lets take this a little further and view our gods in different ways- Mythological ‘gods’ which I have referred to above- the pure potentials and qualities That I Am. Thus qualities that makes up our very Dna! And our historical gods like Buddha, Jesus, Mahavir, Mohammed (to name a few) who as mankind actualized these pure potentials within them! The yet unknown gods that we are, individuations each on this same journey or play, unraveling the potential immanent in our DNA! What science calls extending the frontiers of our brain! And the Whole, Godself; from which we ‘descend’ metaphorically …for actually the cosmic play is happening within the Whole! Not outside as we usually conjure! There is no thing other than I…no ‘outside’! This is why there is no time and space! To grasp this beyond the intellectual, view in analogy yourself dreaming of visiting another country; conjure yourself older… and now younger; visualize what you consider ideal playmates to join you…and observe all of this happened within you, in the now! In that no space within you! And this is how we play our Cosmic game as God- within!

More so, our historical gods (like all of us) are each a unique exploration of the Whole; a finely honed focus of the Whole; taking ‘back’ or actualizing an inimitable, distinctive aspect of the Whole! And thus each ‘god’ shows a different facet…none ‘teaching’ exactly the same! And sometimes humanity gets confused as to which is the truth! But that’s the whole point of creation! Whereby each individuation explores and actualizes a unique aspect of the whole for the whole! We imbue the whole with a unique slant! We desire a distinctive experience for the whole! And thus must we not get perplexed by what the different gods are saying, but take from each god what helps us create our own vision and real-ization of the whole! For if we all ‘go back’ with the same picture…what a waste of eternity! And yet, bear in mind that actualizing any one aspect to its fullest potential, automatically leads to all our other divine qualities actualizing within us…for each facet is only a doorway! And once we ‘enter’ the whole through it, we actualize all that is within! And become the divine beings that we are!

And if we keep in mind, that ‘they’ our gods, are in the largest sense, ‘earlier’ aspects of Self (in non-linear terms or it all happens simultaneously) we do not feel so distanced from our highest potentials. As an earlier self, they are inherent in me and always there for me to tap into…and contribute to! For ‘they’ the gods are not stagnant, finished…but expanding every moment through us, their extended selves! Perfection is a dynamic state of being…not an end as we often consider it to be! And thus as current self taps into this ever expanding ’god or higher potential’, there is always more to tap into and thus further actualize! We contribute to our god selves even as they to us…what a beautiful cycle…!

Divyaa Kummar
www.divyaakummar.com

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• the diamond
• Make Beauty The Path Home: By Divyaa Kumar

All of us are attracted to beauty- be it beautiful things, people or places! And today I want to show you how to make beauty one of the easiest, simplest and most direct paths back ‘home’ to God or Divine Self!

Most of us are aware that there is One God. And as all aspects flow from this one source there is of course only One Divine beauty! And whenever you experience, feel, touch, see anything that you consider beautiful, you are actually reaching this one beauty …divinity itself! Therefore “all things ‘bright and beautiful”- be it art, jewels, a flower, a beautiful face, a quality -are tools all helping you touch the Divine in the here and now.

Think what happens to you when you come across a thing of beauty? You enter a speechless space? Feel a sense of wordless wonder? And in this ‘space’ that the mind cannot describe or label… it rests momentarily; and even as the mind…the you… moves out of the way there is spontaneous meditation; for without the barrier of the mind you are wide open… to all that is! Yes you feel free …and expansive…and peace… and employ these words to describe the description-less because you are actually touching what lies beyond language – the splendid magnificence of Divinity Itself! This is why man has been drawn to beauty through his existence – and in this conscious awareness can you now make it a valid path home! You need not intellectual understanding, you need not will power because moment to moment, as you ‘touch’ sense, feel, view the one beauty; you are in direct communion with the divine!

And yet there are times when you see things of beauty and do not touch the same sacred space- because your feelings of wanting to own it, possess it, make it yours comes in the way! Feelings of lack in it not being yours; thoughts of condemnation at why the other has it, does he deserve it; or calculations of whether it is affordable or worth the cost- are all subconscious veils that do not allow you to enter the Divine zone! And the object of beauty remains just that- another object to annex! This is why nature easily allows us to touch divinity because there are no latent desires of wanting to own, possess, and make nature yours! There is no judgment or jealousy against Mother Earth! And yet let this be property to purchase, and all these feelings block it from being a sacred landscape!

Allow this awareness to help you move away from needing to posses every beautiful object! This does not mean that you cannot enjoy beautiful things – indeed you will enjoy them all the more, free from the desire to evaluate, own, possess all ; knowing that each thing of beauty leads you to the Divine! In this will you be able to admire revel and appreciate it in nature, in self, or on the neck or wall of another! You will be able to make love to every facet of beauty and as it winks back in response, divinity permeates!

So come beloved readers appreciate everything around you and be in a constant state of seeing “God’! Every beautiful aspect will become a thing of worship, a shrine, an altar so that moment- to- moment you are in direct communion with the Divine! Make beauty the path back home! Love from my heart to yours.

Divyaa Kummar
www.divyaakummar.com

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