Thoughts on the Teachings of Non Self, Wesak, Venus Transit 6/6/12

Although I do not write here as often as I would like or probably should, I keep several journals and am constantly writing the tidbits of insight I receive or occur to me throughout the day and my experience. The following is an entry I wrote on the weekend of Wesak, a day celebrating Buddha's life, Enlightenment and teachings.
I figure now, with the amazing astrological event of the last week (lunar/solar eclipse, full moon, Venus transit) is probably a good time to post this, with particular emphasis put on the Venus transit. Maybe more on that to come... :)
AND as I look at my journal I JUST realized this Wesak/Buddha entry was actually written on the day of Venus! (Friday: see note)*


*The way I title many of my entries in my journals includes the content and subject matter, but puts emphasis on the actual date (i.e, 4/28/12), the time of day, and any correspondences I feel are significant, which always includes the planetary ruler of the day (for magickal/astrological/shamanic purposes). Venus rules Friday.

Thoughts on the teachings of Non Self...
Buddha's teaching of Nonself does not implicate that we lack self or are empty or void in any way. Rather, that all of life and all things in it flow together in a single river of self. No thing and no one is separate from anything or anyone else. All is connected in every possible way.

When we eat a vegetable or fruit (I'll use fruit as the example), we are not just eating the fruit, or something that has only been alive on this Earth for some days. We are eating the tree that bore the fruit, and the ground the tree grows in. We are putting into out bodies the rain and sun light that fed and nourished the tree to make that fruit.

Nonself shows us that self has no boundaries, and is not separate from itself ever in anyway. Not that life nor you nor me are empty of self, but that we share the same self.

That fruit is the tree, the ground, the light and the rain - and when we eat it (and even before!) we are that. Even before we taste it, we breathe (and therefore are part of) the air that made the clouds that made the rain that watered the ground that made the vegetables that fed our parents that made us. Nonself means everything (in its essence and it's physical seemingly separate form) is, always has been and always will be connected as parts of a whole, nothing ever being lost or wasted, as everything is transformed (and already a part of!) into something else!

We can use this understanding to bring peace, hope and strength to our lives. Let us speak of trees again as an example. Sadly, trees are extensively cut down (when other materials and processes are more efficient, ecological, economical and safer) and used for all sorts of things. But, they are also used to make paper to make get-well-soon cards that family and friends give to loved ones when they are sick to show that they care which makes them feel better and helps them heal. This does not change that harm is being done to our planet (and therefore ourselves), but this persepective changes our thinking and teaches us to see things in a new light positively with courage and can enable us to have some peace and also find new solutions and ways to transition into a sustainable and intelligent (yet efficient and thriving) global culture. Anyone can worry. Anyone can complain. Anyone can judge. It requires true character, wisdom and strength to remain rooted in peace, compassion and faith.

So we see, through the understanding of nonself, that there is no seperation between us, between how we treat others and how we feel about ourselves. Between the happiness we give and the happiness we feel in our own lives. Between how we live and what we eat and what we waste and the destruction of our planet. Between how we think and speak and the violence created and felt by others across the world.

And this is a good thing! For when we learn to see things in this way we are able to create the world we wish to live in. We will quickly realize that to know true joy in our own lives we must give kindness to others. To take care of ourselves we must take care of others. And to take care of our planet we must take care of ourselves, for we are all connected. The health, prosperity, and peace of one depends on all the others. We only have immediate control of ourselves; of our actions, our words, our lifestyle, thoughts, and habits. If we all remember these things constantly, our lives will quickly become rich with meaning and we will feel constantly satisfied, at peace and inspired.

Daily Dose 4.22.12 - Sun Day, Earth Day Weekend

I was recently brought aware of Tiruvalluvar and the Tirukural.
Beautiful.

A translation entitled Weaver's Wisdom has brought much wisdom quickly and sublimely as I read slowly, attentively and reflectively.



Humility and pleasant words are the jewels that adorn a man; there are none other. - Kural 95

To utter harsh words when sweet ones would serve is like eating unripe fruits when ripe ones are at hand. - Kural 100

More to come... :)

Holy Cow!

When I was way younger, a small boy in Colombia, I visited a beautiful finca (ranch) in the mountains outside of the city. It was gorgeous and breathtakingly quiet. I remember standing a safe but close distance behind a line of immense cows as they fed from one long container. My face must have gaped in awe because I remember being in awe of how huge, powerful and gentle these creatures were. But that must have been nothing compared to the face I made when the cow pie released by the cow in front of me at that moment hit the ground and splattered, my 4 ft body and face speckled with brown and black.

In many places and cultures the cow is considered a holy creature, and its excrement a divine substance. Maybe I was blessed by that cow. But then again, maybe I just got shit on.

:)

Proper Dose Series Intro

So I am here, with you, now.

This is the beginning of at least a series of posts, sharing and expressing insight and inspirations from life, through the personality of who I am now. From the point of view of a Yogi Shaman.

As it is with each of us, the Shaman and Yogi sit silently and still long into the night by the Fire, serene and at peace, ever fulfilling their sacred duty in this world of sharing and living the miracle and joy of being given the gift of life. Knowing always that the sacred fire they watch is a reflection of the fire within themselves and within each and every being and moment of life - driving us forward, giving us hope and giving us every coming breath. They are the fire and the fire is them. We are the fire.

The Fire is of course a metaphor for the One from whom all metaphors come and just whom they are describing. And each of us is a worthy and deserving perspective and expression of the One Reality. These installments of wisdom are my pearls to offer unto you, my fellow family. Not because I feel I have some thing to teach you, but rather because I am grateful for the lessons life has taught me thus far. I do it so that I may help in my own way, to give thanks and give back, for life teaches us all the same lessons, merely revealing them at different times. All with whom I have interacted have taught me the greatest lessons - Life, Nature, and Each Other are our greatest teachers.

I also have decided to share my thoughts with a desire to use it further develop my life - to bring more meaning and purpose in to yours as well as my own - by utilizing this not only as a tool and actual practice (sadhana) of self exploration and introspection, but of creativity and proper expression. In due time, I have no doubt (and all hope and faith) that the fruits of these offered actions in service will bring at the very least more joy in to my life as well as other avenues for sharing the light of the torch that is to change the world.

I pray that my perceptions (and after all, that is all they are) touch you meaningfully, move you, bring you insight, and at the very least remind you occasionally of the beauty and miracle of life, at least amuse you pleasantly.

With the kindest regard and well thought intentions

A Question about DMT

A fellow psychonaut told me they had tried DMT several times, but had it recently and said she was told by her sitters that she started speaking in a strange language, dancing wildly and having convulsions. Knowing that I have an interest in these things and experience with traditional plant medicines and ethnopharmacology, she asked me if I could tell her some thing about what probably happened with her. Given that the substance in question is controlled in many countries, including the U.S., I share this information with the hope of promoting responsibility and safety. Although this chemical is ingested in several different ways by many aboriginal tribes of people across the globe as a sacrament and medicine (it is legal and even protected as a religious rite in Peru, Brazil, Colombia, most of Europe and many of these peoples' countries), I do not condone any illegal activity. Either way, be properly informed and safe. :)

My Response:

Hi,
It is a good thing you had sitters, as it is exactly the kind of experience that people have sitters for - if you were not conscious of your physical body or environment you could have gotten hurt. Let us be grateful for the way things are.

            
DMT is produced in the pineal gland in high quantities at birth, while dreaming, and at death. One can also stimulate the gland by traditional techniques like extended periods of fasting, meditation, yoga, mantra recitation, and trance induction through prolonged drummng and dancing. Some Native American tribes self mutilate in ceremonies to induce visions and communicate with their ancestors and the Great Spirit. Several African tribes that I'm aware of will drum and dance around a fire for more than 42 hours without food or water, inducing trance possession by spirits, gods and ancestors. some will fall unconscious and say they are taken into the sky by strings of light where upon they speak to their Big brothers in the sky. Some Native Americans call their ancestors Star or Sky people.
Interestingly enough, a very common theme and motif of DMT experiences (and deeply psychedelic experiences in general, particularly those induced by Tryptamines, like DMT)  is contact with aliens or super intelligent often 'spiritual' beings, either in the sky or underground in a very large dome of some sorts. *

Trance possession is most often the goal of tribal ceremonies and celebrations. Indigenous tribes of the Amazon use DMT in snuffs (as well as brews) which induce such possessions and glossolalia. thats the term for the trance induced language stream. glossolalia is also used to describe speaking in tongues exhibited by experientalist christians that accompanies their spasms and fainting. I think the tribal experience something way more authentic, but still, the natural human urge and tendency for altered consciousness is acted upon.

You should, though, practice caution. Especially if theres any history of mental illness in your family. These are extraordinaryily powerful compounds that change our brain chemistry and perception profoundly, however temporary. In a tribal setting it's not uncommon for the shaman's apprentice to be shot into a psychedelic state for up to weeks at a time, through such compounds or naturally, a state which in this society would be considered schizophrenia. this isnt to frighten you, though. thousands of people are taking psychedelics at this moment. dont be scared, but be safe.

I have myself experienced the effects of the ecstatic state created by entheogens, but under the guidance of different plant medicines. I wound also suggest you at least begin (if you do not already) a meditation practice of some kind to allow for better focus and attention during the experience which will help you remember the experience when you return to ordinary consciousness. :)

* For further and in depth information, Consult 
Super Natural by Graham Hancock
DMT - The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman MD

My Purpose

This blog is intended to harmoniously merge several ancient forms of practice and mind set that seem to me to be some of, if not the most, potentially powerful and necessary to be adopted in to the modern life style to reacquire the proper relationship between oneself, others, our environment and the universe. Bodies of knowledge, insight, and guidance that not only have long known what science is only now beginning to question and prove, but that are accessible and adaptable to modern lifestyle and demands, and may be what our future as a species depends on.

Though at first they seem distant from each other in time and space, and at a quick glance maybe even seem contradictory or just simply incompatible, but this is simply not the case. Mystics, prophets, shamans, healers, teachers, wizards, witches, magi, saints, philosophers, alchemists, recluse and sages of all lands, cultures and times have peered into the depths of reality and have brought back essentially the same thing; We are One, God is One, All is love and in truth, anything is possible.

Therefore, within this blog will be knowledge, wisdom and techniques left to us by all our ancestors across all times and lands. In service of all, for the benefit of all. Bless!

Thoughts: 2012, Death, and the Rebirth of Cosmic Consciousness

Sitting alone quietly in this normally boisterous home adorned with the mainstays of traditional Christmas decoration on the afternoon of New Years Eve allows me to breathe and think like I usually have not had the chance to. I stayed up late with my mom last night making jewelry while she fixed some pajama pants, spending some time together because she was going to her boyfriend's family's New Years gathering out of town. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation played, and we put on Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein after that. We laughed through both and silently enjoyed each other's company while we worked.

This morning I was slow in waking and waited an unusual couple hours to sit for my morning (it was noon) meditation, part of it because my mom was being picked up soon and I was waiting to say goodbye to her before I sat down in stillness. Since then, I steeped rosemary to put on my scalp, to enliven my roots and hair follicles, as well as to stop the slight itching and dryness of my scalp created by the dry, late-to-arrive-to-south-Florida crisp and colder air. I simply felt an urge to make it, so I did. Making it I am pleased by thoughts of the dream like memory of reading of spell craft some where of the benefits of the rosemary scalp infusion and its particular use during spring or on the New Year. Making it only because I felt urged to, and not because of the memory, I smile to myself, happy to feel that Spirit is guiding me, my actions and even my magick, connecting me through time to the knowledge of the ancestors and silently aligning my life rhythms to that of the stars and the cosmos at large; As Above, So Below - So Within, So Without.

The time awake before my meditation and Kriya was actually spent of facebook, looking at all the posts people were putting up. I actually have  noticed over the last few days that I spend a considerable amount of time (relative to how much time I spend on the computer to begin with) doing this. My thoughts actually feel quite similar to what I feel when people watching at a store, mall or airport, except that watching status updates I can see what people I know are thinking because they shared it, rather than guessing or hearing the thoughts of strangers, or simply watching their actions and body language. Here, people can put their minds on display, so to speak. I think this is rather interesting. The way we communicate and share experiences is changing, whether it's leading to a superficial world void of real interaction between people, or a hyper spacial leap of the collective human mind-spirit into virtual or supra-reality wherein everyone IS everyone else and reality is literally created by our thoughts in real time, is hard to say. But it's New Year's Eve 2011, and here's to all the crazy, impossible and wonderful things to come in 2012! The Big One. We're here.

Seeing all these posts from everyone has made think quite a bit, graciously allowed by the silence and calm of the apartment, the atmosphere aided by two sleeping cats. I'm sure a good amount of today's philosophical bend and musings have been spurred by merely being alone right now and the end of a year, and really, in many ways, the end of an era. Being at the end of a year, the edge between this year and the next is like tipping forward at the brink of the plunge into the mystery of what 2012 will bring. On every level, from the most personal and intimate unfoldments of mine and our lives, including emotion struggles, growth and transformation (and here's to revelation!) and family drama, to the largest changes coming to communites, countries, the human species and the planet. We can either be overwhelmed by  uncertainty and fall in fear and hysteria into the dark depths with doubt, OR we can dive head first into the Abyss, full of grace, faith and courage, putting everything on the line, reaching for our innermost calling and desires, riding on HOPE we did not know we had and thought we ran out of long ago, plunging fast towards redemption, fulfillment and satisfaction.

Sincerely, for a long time I have felt like I - like we are all - running out of time. Even if NOTHING HAPPENS BY THE END OF 2012, we all stand at the end of another year, facing time, the temporal and ephemeral nature of life, and our very own mortality with no nothing to protect us. Yes, even if NOTHING HAPPENS after Dec. 2012, WE WILL ALL REACH OUR OWN DEC 21 2012. Unlike the elements of earthly erosion like heat, wind, water, and ice, Time is the one element of life and this reality that will find us no matter where we are or how we live. Time allows us to experience life - be born and begin a journey, feel things, think things, choose things and, eventually, to bid farewell in gratitude for the journey, and walk through the door with the great EXIT sign through which all living beings must pass - Death. The great equalizer of men, the liberator of life, He who speaks not. Let us think of Death now, as this year comes to its own, so that we may also think of LIFE, embracing the Year 2012, hoping for the best, and acting accordingly, being grateful for the life we have, knowing that Life cannot exist without Death, nor Death without Life, and that WE ARE BLESSED TO BE ALIVE!

As a last thought for you, during my breathing today I notice the rise of a thought - "no one should be alone on the holidays." From this arose many intermingled and actually contradicting feelings, from the warmth and security created by the concept, touching the ancient genetic tribal desire for family, safety and a full belly, to the compassion and sadness for those who do not have family or friends with which to share these days, to my own immediate circumstance of being physically alone (my younger brother in Orlando with his dad/my step dad, my dad living in WA, and my mother leaving for the celebration) and the impending possibility of me not really being with anyone tonight at midnight (my companion, Maria being made to work tonight - she works at a night club). Since then Maria has told me she doesn't have to go in after all, which made me quite happy. THIS, though, is what lead me write this paragraph. Although I have several options of what I could do tonight and be some where full of people having fun, it really didn't and wouldn't have meant anything for me if I went and didn't have at least some one I was truly close to by my side. I don't mean some one to even be romantically involved with or anything, but someone that I care about deeply, and who I know cares about me the same way. Is that not (it could be said) what the entire human condition and experience revolves around? It doesn't matter how many people are around us, but rather who is around us, not only to help us resolve and release what we do not want in our lives any more but to also Welcome and Embrace what we do want in our lives INCLUDING THEM! We kiss and hold each other's hands as we walk through the threshold of this year's death to the birth of the next and our own rebirth, inviting each other to help CO-CREATE the life and reality we deserve and want for our selves and others! 


We can do anything! We simply need to ACT ACCORDINGLY. 

In the year to come we are going to be given great opportunities for POWERFUL CHANGE and GROWTH. We MUST take advantage of that and live our lives fully, helping one another always, and aligning all our actions for the greater good. For Freedom, Peace and Prosperity.


HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY AND JOYOUS 2012! MAY WE LIVE THE BEST WAY WE KNOW HOW, FOR OUR SELVES AND EACH OTHER!


To All my Family and Friends, I love you. May you always have plenty, may you always be healthy, may you always be happy.