MIDSUMMER SANITY: “Hello Darkness, My Old Friend . . .”
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In the Garden by the River by Joan Pancoe
“Someone once asked a great sheikh what Sufism was: ‘The feeling of joy when sudden disappointment comes.’ Don’t grieve for what doesn’t come. Some things that don’t happen keep disasters from happening.” RUMI
Dear Friend,
A recurrent theme I’ve been hearing from clients lately is about all the emotional pain and suffering they’re feeling because they’re not getting what they think they need to be happy—from people, places or things—in the way they want and in the timeframe they most fervently desire, which is usually: NOW.
So, because of the “push-pull, full speed ahead with the brakes on” nature of the planetary energies this season, I’ve decided to share with you how I work and play at being in paradise all the time—right here and right now—instead of hankering and clinging to what is not yet to be—at least in the present moment—or what is no more.
In fact, I would hazard to say that our attachment to the drama—oh the drama—of two of our biggest causes of anxiety and agitation: the loved one not being capable of reciprocating the way we would like or the money not flowing in abundantly enough—is all a self-sabotage to keep us distracted from going within. WHY? Because inner stillness leads us to the inner void—and that is truly terrifying . . . unless we’re willing to face it—and make friends with it—as the true nature of absolute reality and our Self.
It’s impossible to be in paradise all the time unless we’re comfortable sitting in emptiness, i. e. the void, as this is the primordial space out of which all forms (including all planes of consciousness) continuously arise and fall away.
There are infinite levels of heaven—or hell—all available to be experienced within our own beings in each moment—and we always get to choose. So, for all you adrenaline junkies or “sick excitement” addicts out there (you know who you are)—you can choose to bottom out on this pattern of distraction now . . . or later. I did! And I’ve found that expanding my consciousness through going within is just as intense and much more sustainably blissful—than seeing how many “plates” I can spin—but in an empowering super-charged life-force enhancing way.
For more on this:
The Nature of Addiction: It’s Only Human
In all the great Eastern spiritual traditions—from Tantra and Vedanta, to Taoism and Dzogchen—there are a multitude of meditation practices for working with death and dying, emptiness, formlessness, inner space and the Void—but in modern Western religions—not so much.
In the mass consciousness of the West there’s so much fear around aging, dying and death that it manifests as a resistance to discussing the topic, even within our closest bonds, as well as a dread of dwelling on this theme, even in our most private thoughts. Not only has this avoidance created a deep schism in the mass tone—between anxiety bordering on hysteria, manifesting as an obsession with youth, on one side, and faith and trust in our eternal nature, on the other—but it’s missing the whole point of what living in this relative plane of duality is really all about.
Physicists’ and astronomers’ research has finally caught up with the innate wisdom of ancient seers: There’s a black hole, or Void, at the Galactic Center of our Universe out of which all forms of life have emerged, from the planets to us—and into which all forms will eventually return.
But since all time is, in actuality, going on simultaneously—emptiness and form are timelessly arising out of each other in a beginningless and endless infinite loop. Our job is to ultimately learn how to play the Earth Game from a place of emptiness and form concurrently.
Or as Ram Dass so eloquently says:
“If we come back into form from having merged with God, what the Buddhist call nirvana, we are in the world but not of it. We play the cosmic sport. We fill the forms though there is no one home, it is just more Leela, the dance of God.”
For more on this, please read: LEELA
Here are some quotes from a few of my favorite spiritual paths which corroborate this view:
Dzogchen: “Emptiness is the essence of being. It is this emptiness which allows us to manifest. Emptiness is the most salient quality of what we are—it is the ground of being. Energetic being arises from this emptiness as the play of energy, and material being arises from this energy as the play of form.” Ngakâchang Rinpoche
Taoism: “The Tao is like the eternal Void: filled with infinite possibilities. Empty yet inexhaustible, it gives birth to infinite worlds.” Lao Tzu
Vedanta: “Emptiness is not really empty. Emptiness is full of everything. The ‘everything’ just isn’t manifest.” Ram Dass
Physicists say that the Universe is made up of energy that is never lost, it just keeps changing form. But Tantrikas take it a step further and say:
“All energy is conscious. Consciousness permeates everything—from a grain of sand to every cell in our bodies—from inner space to outer space to the infinite Void.”
So, now that we are, more or less, on the same page on this subject—here are some suggestions as to how to integrate this view into our personal realities, which will help set the tone for the mass consciousness:
I. Cultivating awareness that, as microcosms of the Universe, we contain within us an inner Void that’s infinite and thus can only be truly filled by that which is also infinite: Source, the Divine, the Tao, or the Flow of Life.
II. Imagining that, from the perspective of the Void, everything that arises in the 3rd dimension of form can be viewed without judgment as a manifestation of pure co-creative aliveness—in other words, Leela, Divine Play.
III. Maintaining an ever-present mindfulness of death and dying as an integral part of life makes each ephemeral moment that much more precious and poignant.
IV. Owning our true nature as multidimensional Beings having a human experience and remembering that the Void is the foundation out of which all dimensions continuously arise.
III. Embracing aging gracefully. To the degree that we choose to integrate the above suggestions as part of our spiritual practice===to this degree will we discover how effortlessly enjoyable every leg of our journey can be.
For more on aging gracefully:
“WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?”
As we savor the delicious wisdom that comes with being the Witness, we can allow our Beings to emanate the tone that “All is Well” at each stage in the dance of life, permeating our personal reality with an ever-expanding influence.
In closing, here are some of my favorite practices that always put a smile on my face:
From the Vigyana Bhairava Tantra:
1. “Focus on fire rising through your form from the toes up until the body burns to ashes . . . but not You.”
2. “Before desire and before knowing, how can I say I am? Consider. Dissolve in the beauty.”
From my favorite Dzogchen teacher, Ngakâchang Rinpoche:
3. “If you are fully present in the moment with the object of your desire—it is yours forever.”
For more:
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES READING LIST
Let’s enjoy the peace and quiet . . . as Earth School commences with an accelerated curriculum this Fall!
J O A N
“Which is worth more, a crowd of thousands or your own genuine solitude? Freedom or power over an entire nation?
A little while alone in your room will prove more valuable than all else that could ever be given you.” RUMI
Jupiter, the Great Benefic, just moved into Leo on July 16th and is conjoining the New Moon in Leo today, July 26th. What a magnificent time to begin a fresh cycle of expansion and growth!
For a comprehensive look at all things Jupiter (and his shadow side), I encourage you to check out my newest article:
And don’t forget to review:
It’s Showtime! Jupiter in Leo:
CLAIMING YOUR CROWN
If you’d like to really make the most of this Jupiter transit, so you’ll be awake and alert to the opportunities coming your way for abundance on all levels, an astrological reading from a soul-level karmic perspective is a most useful tool.
Once you know which areas of your life will be positively highlighted this year, you can focus more energy and attention there. This will lay the foundation for a 12-year cycle of abundance flowing into those parts of you and your personal reality that Jupiter in Leo is shining on through July, 2015.
So, if you’ve been thinking about gifting yourself or a loved one with an astrology reading from Joan’s unique psychic perspective—or are due for your yearly transit update—it’s the perfect time!
For newsletter subscribers only:
$50.00 off all one-hour phone or in-person consultations, if booked by August 1st, 2014.
ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT!
Just mention “Jupiter Special” when you schedule your appointment.
For details: ASTROLOGICAL SERVICES
To get your birth chart for free: Astro.com
Please don’t hesitate to call me for a free consultation to discuss how to customize the perfect session for your specific needs at this time. I’m looking forward to connecting with you:
To help catalyze an opening to a higher perspective, I’ve written a number of articles on themes such as: spiritual teachers, meditation, aliens, astrological themes and much more: WRITINGS
If you would like to read more deeply on this newsletter’s topic:
If This Were Your Last Incarnation, What Would You Do?
Feel the need for some help in dealing with “the quickening” of energies now? Then it’s time for a daily mind/body/spirit practice that feeds your Soul! If you’d like to learn what keeps me sane, serene, internally stable and grounded, please check out:
Taoist Practices MP3s for $20.12
If you enjoy receiving these newsletters, I’m now posting more frequent planetary updates on my Facebook page:
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And on my website: NEWSFLASHES
***NEWSFLASH***
Just posted:
A YOUTUBE Video of my entire TV Episode.
If you want to watch me performing past-life regression therapy,
check it out—it’s only 22 minutes:
Enjoy! Hope you like and share
If you’d like to read more about my karmic pleasure rut:
The Amorous Adventures of a Modern Mystic
For more of Joan’s art:
GALLERY OF MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DELIGHTS
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE RIPPLE EFFECT
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