The Wounded Healer

 I've been learning a lot about astrology lately and one of the more significant ideas I've come across is that of Chiron.  It's called the "wounded healer" because it represents the areas of life and experiences as reflected in the birth chart that can lead to self-discovery and self-healing.  These areas and experiences, often called "issues" must be resolved in order to achieve personal growth and are reflected in Chiron's sign, house and aspects to planets and angles.  It is also linked to shamanism, an ancient practice of using intuition to heal. 

I found all of this very interesting because of the journey I'm on personally in my life.  When I started having severe health issues a couple years ago, my whole life was turned upside-down and I was literally forced to reassess just about everything in my life; my values, belief system, friends, ideas about how life "works", etc.  The concepts of self-discovery and self-healing have become an every-day occurence in my life, so "figuring out" what my "wounds" are and how to heal them seemed like a really good way to move forward on my journey. I found the following information to be a great overall lesson in dealing with the challenges in my life and you really don't have to know anything about astrology to understand and use them.  I found this information on Karyl Jackson's site, Alpha Life trends.  She also has a lot of really great information on the planets Uranus and Pluto and how they affect transformation and sudden changes in our lives.

http://www.alphalifetrends.com/index.html

Chiron portrays a forced savings account from our efforts. On our road of life, each of us are given pot holes from one challenging situation or another. The tendency is to blame others for these pot holes, or to blame situations for these deep challenges and scars in our life.  The Truth about Chiron is that it points to the type of qualities and the area of our life that is designated to give us the opportunity to understand selfless giving and to grow through our chosen responses to these potholes. Within these challenges, we are given the deep hole of experiencing unfair situations that we must accept, deal with, understand and ultimately bless. This is a very tall order, however, our life, our path is sprinkled with them.

Chiron takes 50 years to make one complete orbit, so that we have to provide 50 years of effort that may not be rewarded until Chiron connects with where it started out in our charts. Chiron is the ultimate of giving us challenges to see how we will respond to them. They usually take the form of unfair situations, being the target of ill-motives, blame, displaced power, etc. It is easy and the most popular response to be angry, to blame the situations or the people involved, something outside of ourselves for creating these pot holes. That may be true, however, the most important part is not the fact that others or outside circumstances created the pot holes unfairly. The important part is the quality with which to fill up these pot holes. 

There are five qualities, each of which has its own level of (spiritual) awareness with which to fill up the pot holes of challenges;

First, there is tolerance. We can tolerate the situation with patience and those that have created this pot hole with patience as well.

Second, there is acceptance. Ultimately we have to accept that this is the situation we are given, whether it looks like it was unfairly given to us or not, and not continue to point outside ourselves as an excuse for not seeing the opportunity within the situation. Our inability to look inside and find something to fill up these pot holes with determines that we will continue to point to the unfairness, become angry, and blame others.

Third is understanding. We may not be able to understand why everything had to occur and had to bring us to the depths of our soul. But the reward for having acceptance of the situation, is to bring us understanding.

Fourth is appreciation. To be able to appreciate the situation, to see the positive side of the circumstances. We can see the opportunity to fill up these potholes with something wonderful, finding the Divine Gift of growth. We can look to the new level of understanding and knowing that these potholes have brought us some incredible circumstances.

The fifth is to be able to see situations through love and the ability to see these potholes as something wonderful and good to help us to grow. We have the opportunity to respond to circumstances differently than those individuals who created our potholes and to take action instead of just reacting to the situations. This expands our understanding of the completeness in our Cosmic Savings account and the Divine Plan.

Being Present

This is the second post in the Peter Russell series of articels.  It deal with being present in your life.  This is typically a very challenging thing for most people to achieve with our society as it is.  There is so much focus on what we're GOING to do, what we're SUPPOSED to do.  Everyone want to know what you're plan is for your career and/or future and how you plan on getting there.  I'vedefinitely struggled with this one for a LONG time, mostly because I didn't know any better.  When I first heard of the concept of "living in the now" it seemed kind of impossible, because what was I supposed to do about the rent being due???  It surely wasn't going to pay itself, along with all the other bills, etc.  It took a while before I was really even able to let go of the worry and stress of that kind of situation, but when I did, I was able to see that the less I worried/stressed or thought about how something was going to turn out in the near or even distant future, the more smoothly it actually turned out.  That was a giant revelation for me and although being able to implement it into my everyday thought process was akin to pulling teeth for the first few years, it was one of the most integral concepts I learned to bring success into my life.

You can read more about Peter's insights at the link:

http://www.peterrussell.com/SP/3Present.php


***Living for Now versus Living in the Now***

In one sense we are always in the present. Everything we experience is an experience in this moment.  Our memories of the past are experiences in the present. So are our thoughts about the future.  When people talk about not being present, they are usually referring to the attention not being in the present moment. When our attention is caught up in our thoughts about the past or the future, and we are no longer so aware of what is happening now.

Unfortunately, most of us spend too much of our time thinking about past and future events. We savor past delights, rejoice in past achievements, ponder whether or not we did the right thing, grieve over past losses and disappointments, get angry about the way things turned out. Or we anticipate future delights, plan our best course of action, worry about what might go wrong, fear not being in control of a situation, anguish over how others might respond.

Most of this thinking is unnecessary; a waste of time and energy. Moreover, it makes the mind tense, which is the very opposite of what all this thinking is trying to achieve—an easier, more peaceful state of mind.  This is why the wise ones have repeatedly urged us to be more in the present; to be here, now.  But what does it mean to be present? There are three principal ways in which people use the term.

1. Living for today. Not worrying about what happened yesterday; nor about what might come tomorrow.

This attitude definitely has its value. It may help us take life as it comes, and not get so caught up in unnecessary fears and concerns. It allows us to enjoy more of what life has to offer.  But it does not necessarily lead to a fuller awareness of the present moment. One may still be as caught up in thoughts as before, even if they be thoughts of today rather than yesterday or tomorrow.

2. Awareness of present experience. This is the starting point for a number meditation practices.

Whereas most of our thoughts are about the past or the future, our sensory experience is always "now". Thus many spiritual teachers advocate placing the attention on bodily sensations—points of contact with the physical world, the heartbeat, or the breath. The actual feelings in the body are in the present moment.  Then when the mind wanders off into some thought about the past or future—as it surely will—gently return the attention to physical sensations, and so back to the present.

3. Being at ease with everything. This often comes as the result of the long-term practice of meditation.

There is no longer the need to keep the attention to sensory experience. One is present to whatever is—including the arising and passing of thoughts about the past or future.  Some call this the witness mode. There is deep ease, and profound relief. There is an inner equanimity in each moment.

It simply is as it is.

Waiting

This is the first of several posts that I'm planning on doing that highlight some of Peter Russell's amazing insight.  This one deals with waiting ;-)  You can read more about Peter's work on his website:  http://www.peterrussell.com/SP/Waiting.php

"Waiting Is"—a phrase immortalized in Robert Heinlein's celebrated sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

For most of us waiting is not easy, often a bore. Waiting for a bus or train, we look for something to do to pass the time. Sitting in a doctor's waiting room, we idle away the minutes thumbing through magazines of no particular interest.

We want the waiting to be over with, so that we can get on with whatever is the next task at hand. Yet in treating waiting this way, we deny ourselves a most valuable opportunity.

Pure waiting, not waiting for any event to happen, just waiting without wanting, can be a profound spiritual practice.

When you simply wait, not waiting for anything in particular, not wishing things were different than than they are, the mind relaxes. And, as you let go of wanting, you will probably find your awareness of the present moment expanding.

Many, from Buddha to Ram Dass and Eckart Tolle, have encouraged us to be more aware of the present, to "be here, now". And numerous practices aim to help us become more aware of the present. Most, however, lead to focussing of the attention on some aspect of the present—the breath, a visual object, a mantra. The focus may be effortless, nevertheless it is there, a very faint directing of the attention.

With pure waiting, on the other hand, there is no attempt to be aware of any particular aspect of the present. Instead, with nothing to do, no particular thing to wait for, there is space for more of the present to reveal itself. We begin to notice aspects of our world we were not aware of before—the sound of a clock, or a distant conversation; a tree gently waving in the breeze; the touch of clothes against the skin. It does not matter what. It will probably be different every time, simply because the present is different from one moment to the next.

As you get the hang of simply waiting, you will find yourself being present in a relaxed, innocent, undirected way.

So the next time you have to wait for something, use the time as an opportunity to become more awake. Instead of waiting for that something, simply wait. No expectations. Simply stopping, and waiting, with an open mind.

Nor do we need to wait for a late bus or be sitting in a "waiting room" before we can practice waiting. Any moment of the day we can choose to pause for a while and simply wait.

Waiting without expectation for whatever is next. Maybe a bird flies past the window. Perhaps the refrigerator starts up. Or we find we have wandered off on some thought. It doesn't matter. Waiting is.

You can start right now. Pause. Take a breath. Relax... And wait...

The Science of Spirituality

I was raised Catholic and attended a Catholic school from 1st grade to 12th grade.  I also went to church twice a week.  A large portion of the curiculum at the schools I attended included religion classes, along with all of the other "regular" stuff; math, science, art, history, etc.   The religious education I received was primarliy centered around Christianity, so until I went to college, I wasn't exposed to and didn't know very much about any other belief systems, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Occultism, Shamanism, Islamism, or Paganism.  I had also never heard of the concept of blending religion with science and throughout most of my life I can more consistently remember hearing about how the two were opposites. 

As I began my journey into adulthood, I also began to question the set of beliefs I had been brought up to believe were the only true fact and/or reality and while acknowledging that it takes more than a few years to really understand everything there is to know about any particualr religion, I feel like I was able to get a pretty good grasp of what the main ideas and core values were of most religions.  As far as science goes, I have to admit I never really got good grades in my high school chemistry or physics classes, but I really loved learning about it all, especially biology.  I'm not sure how it's possbile to get low grades in a subject you really like, but leave it up to me to be the one to do it. 

Anyway, my point is that I'm not an expert on religion or science, but I think I know enough to be able to make informed decisions, or at least educated guesses;-)  And it turns out that the path I found to be the most true to what I felt in my heart, had to do with spirituality in general.  I'm not sure if spirituality is considered to be a religion or if it's just more of a set of beliefs and guidelines to live by.  Some might say that IS the definition of religion, which I agree with up to a point.  "Religion" DOES require one to follow a specific set of beliefs and guidelines, but most (albiet not ALL of them) also usually tend to hold the belief that all the other ones are "wrong" in some way or another, which is where I disagree.

Throughout my exploration of spirituality I've come across all kinds of very interesting ideas and concepts.  Within the concept of spirituality, (in my opinion) there are little bits of almost every religion, including science.  All of this has been very fascinating to me and I feel a very genuine calm and kind of reassurance, that what I've found so far has been very right and true, at least for me personally.  And I do believe, that that very concept, IS what it's all about; finding what's right for you. 

So, back to my original point.... In my journey, I've come across a few different people who discuss the science of spirituality.  I was very curious to see how these so-called "opposites" blend together.  How does one quantify the spiritual?  What is the human spirit?  Is it even possible for humanity's scientific parameters to ever really fully grasp something that isn't literally visible?  These questions are far from being totally answered, but a dialog is emerging and a community is growing, based on the ideas and principles of how science can apply to religion or spirituality. 

I believe that there are quite a few people who are internationally recognized as being "experts" in this field, but a few that I'm more aware of are Lynne McTaggart ,Gregg Braden and Peter Russell.  Lynne is "an internationally recognized spokesperson on the science of spirituality" and Gregg is "internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science and spirituality"....basicaly the same thing;-)  As for Peter, through the description of one of his books, he also describes himself;  "As much as the book is a journey of ideas that starts with science and arrives at God, it is also my own personal journey from a physicist with little interest in spiritual matters to an explorer of consciousness who now begins to appreciate what the great spiritual teachings have been trying to show us for thousands of years."  I will be posting a series of articles from Peter's website regarding his views on consciousness, that I found to be extremely useful and interesting.

Lynne McTaggart
http://www.theintentionexperiment.com/

"The Intention Experiment" is the first book to provide scientific evidence about human intention. It is also the first to show you how to use this power in your life, individually and collectively according to all the principles that have worked both in the laboratory and among ‘masters’ of intention.

The Intention Experiment (website) is a series of scientifically controlled, web-based experiments testing the power of intention to change the physical world. Thousands of volunteers from 30 countries around the world have participated in Intention Experiments thus far.  Lynne is working with leading physicists and psychologists from the University of Arizona, Princeton University, the International Institute of Biophysics, Cambridge University and the Institute of Noetic Sciences.These experiments are being run at her seminars and conferences and on the web, and have produced extraordinary results.  This is not about sending intentions to make millions of dollars.  The targets are only philanthropic: healing wounds, helping children with attention deficit or patients with Alzheimer’s, counteracting pollution and global warming.  Besides the big Intention Experiments, her web site also runs informal "Intentions of the Week" for people or situations with illnesses or problems.

Her book, "The Field"  is considered a seminal work about the link between science and spirit by Deepak Chopra, Barbara Marx Hubbard and many other leaders in the field of science, consciousness and spirituality.

Gregg Braden
http://www.greggbraden.com/

Following a successful career as a Computer Geologist for Phillips Petroleum during the 1970s energy crisis, he became a Senior Computer Systems Designer for Martin Marietta Defense Systems during the last year of the Cold War. In 1991 he was appointed the first Technical Operations Manager for Cisco Systems where he led the development of the global support team that assures the reliability of today’s Internet. For more than 22 years, Gregg has searched high mountain villages, remote monasteries, and forgotten texts to uncover their timeless secrets. To date, his work has led to such paradigm-shattering books as The Isaiah Effect, The God Code, The Divine Matrix and his 2008 release, The Spontaneous Healing of Belief:  Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits.

Peter Russell
http://www.peterrussell.com/index2.php

http://www.peterrussell.com/SCG/scg.php  Direct link to articles, video & audio files on his site.

Peter Russell is a fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, of The World Business Academy and of The Findhorn Foundation, and an Honorary Member of The Club of Budapest.  At Cambridge University (UK), he studied mathematics and theoretical physics. Then, as he became increasingly fascinated by the mysteries of the human mind he changed to experimental psychology. Pursuing this interest, he traveled to India to study meditation and eastern philosophy, and on his return took up the first research post ever offered in Britain on the psychology of meditation.
He also has a post-graduate degree in computer science, and conducted there some of the early work on 3-dimensional displays, presaging by some twenty years the advent of virtual reality.

In the mid-seventies Peter Russell joined forces with Tony Buzan and helped teach "Mind Maps" and learning methods to a variety of international organizations and educational institutions.  Since then his corporate programs have focused increasingly on self-development, creativity, stress management, and sustainable environmental practices. Clients have included IBM, Apple, Digital, American Express, Barclays Bank, Swedish Telecom, ICI, Shell Oil and British Petroleum.

His principal interest is the deeper, spiritual significance of the times we are passing through. He has written several books in this area -- The TM Technique, The Upanishads, The Brain Book, The Global Brain Awakens, The Creative Manager, The Consciousness Revolution, Waking Up in Time, and From Science to God.  As one of the more revolutionary futurists Peter Russell has been a keynote speaker at many international conferences, in Europe, Japan and the USA. His multi-image shows and videos, The Global Brain and The White Hole in Time have won praise and prizes from around the world. In 1993 the environmental magazine Buzzworm voted Peter Russell "Eco-Philosopher Extraordinaire" of the year.