Chapter 4

Post – enlightenment?

Goddess Power

The Goddess represents both Maya in the whole world of human suffering, searching and pleasure seeking, and also represents the link back to the Universal Being, which is formless, pervasive Cosmic Consciousness. (Some people call it God). The Goddess is the energy or Shakti represented by the kundalini force, which rises up the spine with the human awakening, to break through at the crown of the head, so as to allow the liberation of the soul.

The Goddess is also the focus of the Tantric way that includes the world in worship. Instead of exclusion, there is inclusion of “money, food and sex”. (Which is in need often of being dealt with appropriately). The Goddess is the link or a means of transferring human identity to Divine identity by generating the understanding of what my gurus and guides are talking about.

Now my awareness is that there is no religion, or even spiritual belief that I have to defend. I also do not have to follow any path, but I am simply aware of my own choices in this matter. I have opened up to any religious or spiritual experience that helps, and accept the need for the many forms that religion and spirituality take. This then has led me to where I am now, in talking about Shakti & Devi, (Goddess as opposed to Deva – God).

If this does not make sense then what does make sense?

There must be something, some way of living that makes sense in our world, such as that our spiritual being is our essence, & leads us to something super-special. Religion may have some answers, and historically has done the job quite well for a lot of people

However perhaps modern life views of religion are result of finding out the truth of religious organizations & decrees. This has added up to finding out that you have a Picasso, but it’s fake! People may have also enjoyed their faith but discover it’s like black and white TV, (which we had in the 50’s). Then we discover there is color TV!

Religion now does not seem to provide the answers a lot of people in the Western world. In the Eastern worlds, religion is still a foundation of a culturally based society. That also is changing quite rapidly now we have instant worldwide Google, Facebook, and YouTube. As we know just being in the world, even if our culture is still solid, does not automatically resolve some fundamental doubts & questions.

I bypass all spiritual practice hype & confusion, by a surrendering process. That is to leave it up to the Goddess, or rather give it over to the Goddess. This can be replicated of course in whatever one’s pathway or religion is, and as I am multi-faith I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with doing the same process through any religion or any spiritual practice. I don’t have any issue or energy to discuss the benefits of one way or another, and I am simply not interested in debating my religion/s, (or politics). It is irrelevant, get on with the job, and attain Enlightenment and Realization.

I discovered that we all walk towards our Nirvana, and simply our world of experience is set up to provide the necessary learnings. (Who made this so)? We can sit back when we see life “as it is and ourselves as we are”. This does not cure or even deny room for change or personal growth. Just that one is able to work, without being affected dramatically by success or failure. Also that any objective is already present as the perfect Self. (The Atman as one with Brahman). The journey, the effort is also the goal. Do you live in terms of being self-realized, when what we want is already achieved, and anything else is also certainly achievable? Then ones way of living automatically changes to one of living in the light, and one gets out of the darkness.

Two key things for me have made me interested also in the channeled teachings of the Guides. (See books by Paul Selig where he channels the teachings). Firstly, the goal as expressed is to be free of fear, totally and unconditionally, as when one is in the light in the darkness doesn’t exist. As I have struggled with life’s fears & anxieties, this has been my goal. If I am honest, when I was a monk in India for those ten years, I was probably still enmeshed in more core human fear of “life & death”.  Secondly I see the teachings as being completely open to anyone at any stage, without any necessary background. No previous knowledge. My time as a monk counts for nothing, my spiritual practice today to counts for nothing! Unless I make the free choice of surrender to the purpose of living in the Higher Rooms, and unconditional accept my birthright to be a Divine being. (Under all circumstances). This ties neatly in with my surrender to Goddess Shakti as the world made manifest, & to me acceptance of personal Divinity, via the Vedanta teachings.

So in some respects this combines both a personal deity with an impersonal deity, and some “scientific” practice of working with bodily centers using the yogas of meditation, mantra and yoga postures. As well as a focus on chakra energies to connect my mental & physical body to the Goddess Shakti. This may seem contradictory but has been in practice from ancient times as per the writing of the sages and seers in India. They espoused lofty philosophies but also worshiped their chosen or Ishta Deity. (Devi, Rama, Shiva etc).

For some time The Guides were my gurus for the Gnostic part of my practice. Previously I had human gurus that guided my practice as a monk and into later years. Also I have been guided or helped by a number of therapists, in regards to psychological mental components of my life. It’s all about what works!

So, still a core component of my spiritual practice has been the worship of the Goddess as my personal Deity, which in practice has entailed engaging in Kundalini Yoga. This for me is working with the centers of the body, the chakras, through which the kundalini passes as it arises from the base of the spine. This practice is also about Shakti, the Divine Goddess energy, which can be invoked using mantas, especially “seed” mantras.  A devotion to the Goddess along-side of my monotheistic or non-dualist philosophic practice. The mantras though are the key activity, and these refer to specific goddess forms, (of the one Divine Shakti). As they are directed to specific chakras in the body, this repetition of mantras, purifies and bring light to the human realm. They also work subtly on mental health issues, addictions and obsessions.

The work of the Divine Goddess is about spinning  us into the web of Maya, seemingly on the surface. Then to trip us into mundane activities, but really to eventually liberate, as the Divine works happen in the world, and not in some cave or monastery.

We are led to:

Practical Enlightenment or Realistic Realization. Eventually.

As long as we are “on the pathway”. We are all full of subconscious material relating to needs and desires, but need to experience life through the physical persona in order to transcend the ego. Of course free will and choice is involved, and I had to make a choice to surrender to this version Higher Power, even if it was born of desperation. The mantras that I repeat as part of my spiritual way, led my individual self into an awareness of Universal Self, expressed as the Cosmic Sound. Eventually this sound can be experienced beyond meditation and bought right down through the chakras of the body to the toes and into all aspects of my life, “out there”. Life and the Universe.