Win-win-win for everyone is possible on Planet Earth, humans and all other species included. Ideas for getting there are found here! (Note: My blog labels are listed down below the posts, instead of as a sidebar.)
I'm delighted to hear my music accompanying Melissa West's podcast on aligning with Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of abundance. (For the record, I'm not a Hindu. I do honor the fact that there is a spirit of natural abundance in this world, that as I would put it, some call that spirit of abundance Lakshmi, and that through our choices we, the human species, can align ourselves with natural abundance, or not.)
Here's the podcast for those of you who'd like to take a luxurious hour exploring your connections to Lakshmi and the promise of Gaian/Earthly abundance.
Here's more information that could spare you a lot of unnecessary suffering.
This
time, I'm sharing with you one of the main techniques I use to orient
myself to what I think of as the "truth shared by Gaia's mind."
Gaia/Earth has a magnetic field. Magnetic
fields are generated when electric charge carriers, for example,
electrons (negatively charged particles) move through space or
within an electrical conductor. Here are some beautiful pictures giving a
suggestion of how this field is shaped:
Our
bodies actually need ongoing access to the electrons moving through the
earth's magnetic field, which is why it's so healthy to stand barefoot
on the ground or to sleep on the ground. (See www.earthing.com... and please note, I have no financial affiliation with this company.)
Gaia/Earth's
magnetic field is also an expression of her total life process and in
my view, can communicate with the magnetic fields produced by my heart
and brain.
For
this reason, I've been doing the following dialogue with
natural/physical/biological intelligence for years and as far as I'm
concerned, it has made a huge difference to my overall ability to
understand and participate in the world I live in...
1. Be aware of your breathing until you notice how pleasurable it is to breathe.
2.
State, "Natural/physical/biological intelligence, I give you 100
percent permission to bring my entire body into harmonious resonance
with the magnetic activity of Gaia/Earth."
3. Sit quiety until you feel the process is complete.
4. Thank your body, thank natural/physical/biological intelligence, and thank Gaia/Earth.
If
this dialogue with natural/physical/biological intelligence appeals to
you, I suggest doing it daily for a week or two and then assessing the
results. I wouldn't be surprised if you are surprised by how powerfully
this dialogue can bring a greater amount of truth and clarity into your
life.
My previous post talks about unnecessary suffering.
In this post, I'm providing information that could spare you unnecessary suffering, and possibly even save your life. It's all about deepening your relationship with microbes, a topic I started exploring in the post, Cabbage, Bacteria, and You.
I know that what I am sharing here works because it's one of the main techniques I used to clear up all my symptoms of Lyme's disease and an accompanying babesia infection. (Babesia is a parasite that eats red blood cells.) I'm not presenting this information as a substitute for good nutrition or holistic health modalities.
And the truth is... any one of us could end up in a situation where we don't have access to medicines, whether conventional or holistic.
Knowing how to communicate with the microorganisms in your body could be very helpful in a situation like that.
Like any skill, this one gets easier with practice, and you can use it to create better health right now.
A simple process you can do to bring yourself and
all the creatures inside you into a network of mutually beneficial
relationships...
1. Breathe with awareness of your breathing, until you notice that it's pleasurable to breathe.
2. Focus your imagination on the bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms living inside you.
3. State: "Bacteria/viruses/protozoa, and any other microorganisms present, you are now in my body and under my
stewardship. I give you 100 percent permission to fully express your prodigious energies.
At the same time, your self-expression must be organized in alignment
with, and in support of, my life purposes and my bodily balance and
vitality." In making these statements you respect the microbes' desire to live,
you give them a creative task, and you support yourself, all at the same
time. It's a win-win-win arrangement.
4. Sit quietly until you feel the tiny ones have gotten the message, then tell them "Thank you."
5. In the case of serious or longstanding non-harmonious relationships
between you and them, it may be necessary to repeat this process for
some time until the communication bridges have been completely built.
If you choose to explore this dialogue with your microbial populations,
you will find out just how smart these creatures are. Once they are
given a new set of parameters to work in, they will brilliantly
reorganize themselves to meet those parameters.
"We have wreaked intense
unbalanced destruction on our own bodies and the life forms around us since the
atomic age began during the second world war. In time, when we work with Nature, we will be
taken through the healing of that part of the planetary imbalances that is
personal to us. Getting used to full, soaring flight can be scary. Nature knows
our limits, and will take us forward at the pace we can handle—so long as we do
our part, and openourselves to change."—From Feel the Love, Get the Respect: From Nature, For You, With Music, Track 1
Sometimes people who are being "spiritual," as the phrase would have it, say that the world is perfect, that all is "unfolding as it should," or "as it is meant to be." They explain that things don't look perfect because our perceptions and assessments are faulty, rather than with how reality is.
I disagree.
I think that pain is painful.
I think humanity has made a lot of significant mistakes.
We're suffering as a result, and the other life forms are suffering too. In fact, we are in the midst of unprecedented species extinction... one of the greatest, if not the greatest, mass extinction in the history of our planet. The cause of all this death is none other than—us! How human society currently organizes itself, and how we relate to one another and to the other life forms, is basically causing what is termed a mass extinction event.
I spent years during my twenties asking myself what the meaning of suffering could possibly be.
One day I realized I was missing the boat with that question... I started off with the premise that suffering must have some kind of inherent meaning. But now I think that the meaning of suffering is determined by context. Suffering is what we experience when we are in a situation that is not working. Suffering is a call to action.
Not just any action though. This is where our humility needs to come into play. My view is that any action we take to transform suffering into pleasure must be informed by natural/physical/biological intelligence—or it will basically fail.
We already have more than enough failure to thrive occurring on Planet Earth.
When you spend time observing a tree, a wild animal, a dog, a river, a mountain, an ocean, your own body and feelings, what do you learn about transforming suffering into pleasure?
I'm taking one of my frequent little side trips away from the Feel the Love, Get the RespectCD. My thinking is that collaboration with natural/physical/biological intelligence becomes more understandable when viewed from many angles.
I recently received news from Sandor Katz, fermenter extraordinaire, of his upcoming teaching season. Fermentation is definitely all about collaboration with natural/physical/biological intelligence. Basically, we create a "starter home" (a jar full of salted vegetables) for bacterial species we need to have in our intestines for strong immunity and good digestion.
Then we get to eat delicious sauerkraut, kim chee, pickles, or other fermented foods. The vegetables evolve by turning into us, and also by being released into the environment via our bowel movements... which if things were organized properly in our homes, would be composted. The bacteria settle into the warm and cushy environment of our guts, where they continue to evolve, while supporting our evolution. The whole thing is definitely a win-win-win arrangement!
Did you know, by the way, that our bodies contain about 10 times as many bacterial cells as human cells? I have spent a fair bit of time over the past few years learning to communicate more clearly with the bacteria that live inside of me, as their physical well-being and mine are inextricably linked. I consider it very important for my overall vitality that the bacteria and the trillions of other invisible organisms living in my body are all aligned with my life purposes. Microorganisms are very energetic. If they're working with us, that's a major boost to our systems. If they're working against us, that's a problem. I will be writing down the road about how I have successfully healed a Lyme's disease bacterial infection using these principles.
Anyway, back to collaboration with bacteria... I first learned how to naturally ferment vegetables from a video demonstration by Sandor Katz. I currently have five jars of delicious, variously spiced jars of sauerkraut in my fridge. I have used garlic, cloves and black peppercorns, fenugreek, and cumin to make yummy sauerkraut. I've also made the best kim chee I've ever eaten using daikon radish, nappa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage), leeks, hot peppers (seeds and all) and a little added cayenne pepper. The only thing I do slightly differently than what's demonstrated in this video is to respect my weaker female muscles. I let the salt sit on my veggies for a while before I start squeezing them. Letting time do some of the work saves wear and tear on my hands and arms:
Sandor Katz has a new book coming out soon, The Art of Fermentation. He also travels far and wide, giving hands on workshops. His teaching schedule and all kinds of other fascinating information about fermented foods is posted at his website, www.wildfermentation.com
"In this regard, I feel that humanity is like a beautiful bird with a wounded wing. The bird can fly poorly, if at all. The masculine wing works very hard, sometimes to the point of feverish activity, while the feminine wing is unable to contribute its full strength to our collective flight. The result is that human experience includes unnecessary frustration, fear, greed, pain, grief, and shame. And because we impose our will on Nature, our current state of consciousness is mirrored in the physical world we inhabit."—From Feel the Love, Get the Respect: From Nature, For You, With Music, Track 1
Have you ever thought about all the ways in which you perhaps daily impose your will on natural/physical/biological intelligence?
When you eat, do you pay attention to whether the food gives your body pleasure, vitality, vigor? Or do you just expect your body to digest whatever you choose?
Is your home arranged in a way that your body finds comforting, nourishing, supportive?
Do you rest when you're tired, or do you drink a Red Bull?
Do you ever give yourself time to feel what you're feeling? Or do you think that some of your feelings are wrong, bad, childish, or irrelevant, and so you ignore them?
When you look in the mirror, do you appreciate your body, or do you criticize it?
Do you think that your body is what holds you back from being a good person? Do you follow spiritual disciplines aimed at making yourself good?
Do you put toxic chemicals on your body with the idea of making it "smell good?"
Do you put toxic chemicals on your lawn so that it will "look good?" Do you think grass is the most useful thing to grow on your land? If yes, why? If no, why?
Here's the point I'm trying to make, courtesy of an ad agency. Ad agencies, in my experience, tend to be very big on the idea of humans imposing their will on natural/physical/biological intelligence.
This video is available on youtube at http://youtu.be/MvFSgXpyhoM
Human will is good and I'm not suggesting that you give it up.
I'm suggesting that you become aware of how you impose your will on natural/physical/biological intelligence.
When you become aware, you are in a position to start thinking about how you can begin co-operating with natural/physical/biological intelligence. It wants to co-operate with you. When the co-operation begins, your life moves away from suffering, and towards pleasure.
What would topiary collaboratively created with natural/physical/biological intelligence look like?
"In this regard, I feel that humanity is like a beautiful bird with a wounded wing. The bird can fly poorly, if at all. The masculine wing works very hard, sometimes to the point of feverish activity, while the feminine wing is unable to contribute its full strength to our collective flight. The result is that human experience includes unnecessary frustration, fear, greed, pain, grief, and shame. And because we impose our will on Nature, our current state of consciousness is mirrored in the physical world we inhabit."—From Feel the Love, Get the Respect: From Nature, For You, With Music, Track 1
Human experience includes unnecessary frustration, fear, greed, pain, grief, and shame.
When I wrote these words, I didn't know about Karla McLaren's concept of free flowing emotions. So I'm not sure I'd word these sentences the same way again.
Maybe I'd say simply that we humans have created a lot of suffering for ourselves, by rejecting large swathes of our insight, intuition, wisdom, and feeling. Also by rejecting large swathes of the activity of natural/physical/biological intelligence. Whether we like what natural/physical/biological intelligence is doing or not, it always has something to teach us.
WHAT DISGUSTS YOU?
It is the capacity of the feminine to embrace. That capacity can be used to expand our knowledge and our awareness. Here's an exercise I sometimes do in my collaboration with Nature classes.
1. Think about all the landscapes, skies, creatures, and plants you know... also all the various situations you've been in that involved only other Nature beings, not other humans. Where does your memory draw you into disgust, into repulsion, into revulsion, perhaps even into terror or rage?
2. Remember the plant or creature or situation vividly. Let yourself feel those feelings of revulsion, repulsion, disgust, or intense fear or anger. Those feelings represent your survival instincts in action and I respect them for that work. However, they do not tell the whole truth about natural/physical/biological intelligence. Natural/physical/biological intelligence has its own perceptions of itself, and adding those to your internal mix gets you closer to the whole truth.
3. Take a few breaths, noticing your breath, until you notice how pleasurable it is to breathe. As you notice the pleasure of breathing, your mind will begin becoming less verbal. That is the state you want. Then say, "Natural/physical/biological intelligence, I give you 100 percent permission to show me, vividly and clearly, your perspective on [name whatever it is that you have identified as especially repulsive, terrifying, or angering].
4. Sit quietly, and notice any new thoughts, images, or sensations that come to you. If you have focused your intention sincerely, those thoughts, images, or sensations will be communications from natural/physical/biological intelligence.
5. When you feel that the "transmission" is complete (whether or not you understand it), thank natural/physical/biological intelligence. Whether or not you feel you understand what came to you, if you stay alert over the next few days, you'll gain more insights into the communication you received.
AWAY FROM SUFFERING
6. Those insights will change your relationship with your world, and they will move you away from suffering and towards pleasure.
