Introduction to blog 16 – My Personal Journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

Blog sixteen moves on from previous blogs which have given a broad view of my own Om Divine Grace Yoga spiritual journey. The details of this Yogic Pathway are  enumerated in the first five blogs. Now here the focus is on Enlightenment. Some of this material is adapted from the Om Divine Grace Journey – a book that you can partially read on this site.

Om Divine Grace Yoga is designed to enable practical use by a practitioner interested in this pathway. Of course anything here can be approached as just reading matter of interest.

Historically, this pathway is approached via a Guru for initiation and guidance. In our modern world this might not be feasible or practical, given the nature of this dark era (Kali Yuga). It may not be possible to get a guru who can assist you in this area.

It is necessary now to offer this spiritual pathway and process as an option for any practitioner, desiring progress. All this material will also become a book when all the blogs are complete.

My Personal Journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

Enlightenment continued…….(1)

Goddess inspired.

Kundalini yoga is supposed to be therapeutic. There is some research into its practice, Of course quite a lot of research looks at the value of meditation.  Writers in this field have express views that the kundalini process can include physical and mental problems. They also agree that the kundalini process can lead to the unveiling of the true self and enlightenment.

Depression may be located in the heart chakra, its effects appear to be in the brain area. The right side of the heart is described as a true spiritual centre. A number of teachers are very clear on this view. Depression also has echoes in monasticism and renunciation. The Sanskrit word vairagya means dispassion. In this case, it is almost a complete abhorrence of the world that drives a person into the state of renunciation known as sannyas. This seems to have connections with the state of anhedonia, which is in psychiatry is a loss of interest in all the world that previously appeared attractive.

The early life of the Buddha also illustrate this overwhelming urge through “sadness”, to remove oneself from the world at all costs, even if one was a king. One view would be that he had a very low mood, the second of the two main symptoms of clinical depression! The connection between the centre of the heart and the right side of the body is an esoteric subject all of its own. The product of these two areas may be a conflict between this life of the family, society and the male/female domain, and the domain of monasticism, and introspection. Its cave vs the cafe! Alternatively, we could see also a focus on good vs evil.

This primary chakra however may be more than just one chakra. It seems to be an area that is reached after the crown chakra has been breached. A sort of umbrella of light then moves down from the head to the heart area, and then all around the body. Thus its reached out from the heart chakra, but down from the crown chakra.

Kundalini works in the body through the chakra centres. It flows & allows blocks to be moved. That is physical, psychological, mental, and emotional.  Everything.

This can pay out, in the broadest sense.  Hopefully, to increase Bliss.  Suffering and Bliss. How these words resonate within the religious or spiritual sphere. Kundalini revealed and free to flow is synonymous with a deep spiritual awareness, and a connection with the Divine.  However, at some point the full process of energy involvement through the centres or chakras becomes irrelevant. We may do our daily spiritual practice, move into the sphere of knowledge and awareness of Oneness or around us.  So really the whole idea of human awakening “upwards” through the chakras can be dispense with, or reversed, as one becomes more proficient.

Getting back to a concept of depression connected to kundalini and spiritual awakening. Is a higher process trying to connect and balance both of flow and of energy to and from divine consciousness?  (This can be extrapolated to include all mental health imbalances). This view meets the needs and aspirations of the human personality, by presenting no negative outcome due to so called “disorders” of the mind, but rather accepts as Tantric view, that this is all part of a spiritual process. In present society moving into an ever advancing research, approaches to medical treatment to mental health may come to a recognition of kundalini type “electricity”. If currently medication/treatment approaches stay limited in their effectiveness, it needs that the true workings of the brain in Consciousness are found, and the consequent cures thus “discovered”.

Kundalini energies may be recognized, just as the power of meditation and other spiritual practice are being “discovered”.  If we say that psychiatry is defunct, we can also say the same about religion, or new age, or even any spiritual practice!  In reality medication works for many mental/physical ailments and so does meditation. There should be no conflict, theoretically, between our spiritual practice and scientific evidence-based treatment modalities..

Just stably being in the “witness state”, changes significantly the impact of any disorder or disease.  This witness state has been described in Vedanta philosophy as the soul’s overview and oversight of all activities in the world of Maya. In Buddhism there is also the meditation process which has been popularized in western culture as a mindfulness way that has therapeutic benefit.

All can be changed, because when we recognize our Strengths as opposed to our weaknesses we go about life in a very different way. (See also literature on the Strengths Model in mental health care).

From a spiritual perspective: Life and Universe is a learning experience for every moment or every breath.

Fear

Fear is a natural part of life since caveman times, when the fight or flight response was essential for survival. Now fear seems like a substratum, the foundation of our daily lives, and something that’s happening all the time, including and up to, the fear of death. We do a lot of things both for our survival and because we are fearful about what might happen to us if we don’t do certain things.

The spiritual teachers or Guides tell us that we are Divine beings, and in our Divine consciousness we are naturally free from fear. This does not translate into reality and probably never will if we are honest! Alright, reality itself may be seen as an illusion without permanence. It’s a philosophy idea that for most of us, that still may not translate into something spiritually meaningful or lived experience.

It will be helpful to be centered and focused within one’s heart with solidarity with the level where you find a light that shines and inspires. This is where fear does not exist, and this translates or rather transforms the negative or dark energy in our lives. It will not just go away! It needs to be transmuted as in an alchemical process, and this may not happen in a “flash of light”. (As in “I have seen the light”). Anything towards helping us to deal with fears, anxieties and depressions, will also help alleviate our core fear.

But it is fantasy thinking to start putting any kind of outcomes in place, as the guaranteed benefit of any spiritual practice, positive thinking, or therapeutic healing etc. This is all ego territory, and the earnest spiritual practitioner should stay focused on what the real outcome of practice is. (Hopefully better self-surrender, better service of others, and a natural “high” based on love towards all life).

So when we say, according to the Gnostic type philosophies, that I am the Cosmic Consciousness, or at least a Divine Being, we are in psychological terms creating positivity and outlines or sketches for our individual souls to “feel into” the Cosmic Soul. (Who is free from all blemishes, including fear, disease and pain). That is if we don’t muddy the waters with our ego expectations.

The purpose or the agenda of the Truth is self-realization, not freedom from being human, or experiencing what it is to be human. Human experience still goes on even for the so-called realized person, because of the cumulative effects of past karma. This experience of remaining in the body and experiencing spiritual resonance with Truth while still having work, family, physical elements, fear and anxiety, is part and parcel of this thing called: Realistic Realization or Practical Enlightenment.

Accumulated affects and continuing friction from past actions are transmuted by the self-realized soul, who is unafraid, and doesn’t worry about anything, because of Being in Truth. (Also nothing is seen as “real” from a permanency perspective, including the body and mind).

To get to this position requires usually some additional activities on the spiritual journey, (other than a pure philosophical stance). This is the case to even just enhance the pace of the spiritual journey, or even to ensure the spiritual journey actually has some practical traction. This is where additional support from one’s personal Deity comes into play. Religion has benefits for some!

I my case it’s the Goddess who is available to smooth this process, and I dedicate this section to Tara the Tibetan Goddess.

Of course you may do it through the Christ, Krishna, Buddha, or other. Your choice!

The point is there is a need for a personal God to assist in the understanding of a Cosmic Divine energy which is beyond all thought and speech. Therefore it becomes necessary to be really practical, and except the Divine in whatever form or through whatever process that works to free oneself. There can be no space for judgement of anyone, for as you damn others, so that damnation returns to you.

Do unto others as you would do to yourself.

(So simple, but to really do this seems elusive).

So the spiritual journey requires that we don’t give away our agenda of humanity, but we do give away the small individual soul. Especially the agenda that is based on darkness. An ego based darkness which is full of, not just fear and anxiety, but also hatred, self-serving and the historical mankind starting point for: “divide and conquer”.

Although the qualities of nature remain in control of the universe, we retain our self-responsibility for self-determination and choice. A choice to be at the highest level of Being, is claimed by the highest level of practicing spiritually. Focused with rigor and honesty, meditating in that state in the form of the form of God “as you understand Him/Her”.

You become able to accept what is happening with serenity, without losing your ability to change things, and this is where the fearlessness comes in, because you’re not frightened of outcomes or what people think of you.

Thus:

 “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change”.

“To accept the things I cannot change”

Along with the wisdom to change the things you can.

So here is not just a fake wishy-washy think stance. This can be a powerful, possibly very assertive stance when needed, which is delivered without any internal anger, and is driven by courage.

“And the wisdom to know the difference”.

So, we are talking about modifying something, (say reactivity), which is only part one of the spiritual process. The other part is recreating or creating anew. Being significantly in touch with the Transcendental Soul we move out to another world of Being. Not doing! Otherwise we are like clothes stuck in a dryer going round and round, and yes getting pretty dry, but not out on the line in the sun. Swishing around in just recovery and hope.

Not a bad thing but nevertheless not the full ticket!

We need to investigate then how we can live beyond our fears and anxieties, by remaining in Divine awareness, even in the midst of daily activities.

By going beyond or transcending, we then move into a space of re-creating where we are no longer just recovering or just managing. Various mental health, addictive and psychological issues especially are put on one side, while we get on with our true purpose. (Realistic Realization or Practical Enlightenment). This includes the chronic tendency towards fear and reactivity which propels us to behaviors where we seek to self sooth, and possibly leads into activities where we descend into substance use, including food. Depression at a clinical level seems to go hand –in-hand at this point.

We have created what is before us per individual, and we suffer per individual as a result. Of course happiness and pleasure is there, but sometimes we are just wrapped up in either the getting of it, or the wanting, or the holding on. Then if there is an exclusion of a healthy overview, we don’t want to know, until perhaps we hit rock bottom. Therefore there is not much point in talking to those who are not interested in addressing their pain and remain content to seek pleasure only.

Pleasure though, in a spiritual perspective, is no different than pain, and should equally be addressed by the practitioner of a spiritual process or program. This is all filtered down through the self-identifying process leading to realizing the individual self, (the Atman), as being one with the cosmic consciousness, (Brahman).

Additionally some of us will need some religious or spiritual activities that are more specific and targeted to help with the gross elements of human existence. This is where we have our own set of prayer, chants, mantas, or liturgies.