Sometime last year, one of my friends came across the work of Carl Johan Calleman, an independent Swedish researcher who had been extensively studying the Mayan culture and calendar for close to 20 years. In his research, Calleman presents an intriguing and different interpretation of the Mayan calendar that explains the reason time seems to be speeding up. And according to him, the Mayan calendar doesn't end on December 21, 2012 but rather October 28, 2011 (yes, as of this writing that's only 21 days away; talk about these things creeping up on you!).
Interestingly, in Gregg Braden's book Fractal Time, he also mentions about time speeding up. Actually, he focused more on how previous events that needed resolution will have similar conditions repeat themselves in a much sooner cycle than before. He uses the Golden Mean for his calculations although the basis for his end date is still 2012.
At the time we first encountered Calleman's research, it was interesting information but we somehow forgot about it until we encountered his research again in the video The Quickening. I'll write another article about The Quickening, but I'll focus more on Calleman here since his research forms the basis of the video anyway.
I'll try to summarize the message of Calleman's work in as few words as possible, because his research is really quite extensive. The basis of the Mayan calendar is the 9 step pyramid. Each step in the pyramid represents an "underworld" or wave. Each wave is divided into 13 phases (7 days and 6 nights; notice the parallel to the Biblical "7 days"). As you shift upward into the next wave, the next "step" is shorter than the previous one as a representation of the jump in consciousness. However, each wave still has the same number of phases so each phase has a shorter length of time compared to the same phase in the last wave. This is why time seems to be speeding up.
The first wave was billions of years long. We are currently on the 9th wave or last "step" and it only started on March 9, 2011 (a day before the devastating earthquake in Fukushima, Japan). The end date for this particular wave is October 28, 2011. So you can see how much shorter each succeeding wave becomes.
If you want a more detailed look into the particulars, visit Calleman's website and look at the following articles located at the left margin of the page:
1. An introduction to the Mayan calendar
2. The Nine Underworlds and Thirteen Heavens
For a more detailed discussion on the wave we are currently in, you can look at this other article also located in Calleman's website.
If you're reading this, I'm sure one of the burning questions at the back of your mind is: What is supposed to happen on October 28, 2011?
I think the jury is still out on that one. On the one hand, previous shifts in consciousness affected the way we think and the way we lived our lives. Examples of this would be the Industrial Revolution, the wars at the first half of the 20th century, explosion of the Internet and so on. But on the other hand, October 28, 2011 represents the end of the 9 waves of the Mayan pyramid, the culmination of billions of years of evolution. What is it going to be? Your guess is as good as mine.
If there's one thing that's sure, it's that this information will take most people unawares, at least among the believers (makes me recall Jesus' words, that he would come "like a thief in the night"). A lot of people, even me and my friends, have been so focused on 2012, with Hollywood and other media jumping into the hype, that most people probably wouldn't have prepared for something much earlier.
Either way, October 28, 2011 is just around the corner, so there's nothing but to just get right down to it and enjoy the show (if there will be one). Should we start selling our houses and all our possessions to prepare? I wouldn't suggest that. But we should still have some sort of preparation (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually) within the limits of one's time and resources.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Aftermath: Ondoy Redux?
At the time of this writing, Northern Luzon is still reeling from the double whammy that was Pedring and Quiel (international names Nesat and Nalgae, respectively) and what can I say, what happened now is even worse than previous typhoons because floodwaters are only stubbornly receding. I saw in a newspaper that the total damage would probably exceed that of typhoon Ondoy.
Climate change is a reality, whether we accept that fact or not. However, government response and preparations for such changes are still sadly inadequate. So it now falls to the individual to prepare as best as possible for different disaster scenarios.
A few weeks ago, my friends and I were fortunate enough to meet Ed Guevara. He is the founder of Geo Farms in Pangasinan. Geo Farms came into existence in 1991 and is one of the first, if not the first, eco-sustainable farms in the Philippines. They grow organic spirulina as well as a host of other organic products like tanlad (lemongrass), mint, etc. For those with a more esoteric mindset, the whole farm has a layout that follows the principles of sacred geometry.
Ed also teaches disaster preparation and survival. At the farm, they teach courses on how to prepare grab bags, how to make a survival boat using plastic drum and pvc pipes, and how to create a life vest using empty plastic water bottles. These are all skills that small communities can practice not only for disaster preparedness but also as a source of livelihood.
Ed explains that there are always three phases when it comes to disaster preparation: Before, During and After. The most critical portion is Before because this is the only time you can learn the skills and prepare the equipment necessary. The During phase will last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. And finally, you must also have a plan for After, because what happens during a disaster can affect your long-term continuance and survival (for example, the forced evacuation of residents around the Fukushima power plant because of high levels of radiation).
Whatever level of preparedness you are looking for, taking up the disaster preparation and survival seminar of Ed Guevara should be part of your Before plans.
If you are interested in finding out more about Geo Farms, you may visit the Geo Farm website.
Climate change is a reality, whether we accept that fact or not. However, government response and preparations for such changes are still sadly inadequate. So it now falls to the individual to prepare as best as possible for different disaster scenarios.
A few weeks ago, my friends and I were fortunate enough to meet Ed Guevara. He is the founder of Geo Farms in Pangasinan. Geo Farms came into existence in 1991 and is one of the first, if not the first, eco-sustainable farms in the Philippines. They grow organic spirulina as well as a host of other organic products like tanlad (lemongrass), mint, etc. For those with a more esoteric mindset, the whole farm has a layout that follows the principles of sacred geometry.
Ed also teaches disaster preparation and survival. At the farm, they teach courses on how to prepare grab bags, how to make a survival boat using plastic drum and pvc pipes, and how to create a life vest using empty plastic water bottles. These are all skills that small communities can practice not only for disaster preparedness but also as a source of livelihood.
Ed explains that there are always three phases when it comes to disaster preparation: Before, During and After. The most critical portion is Before because this is the only time you can learn the skills and prepare the equipment necessary. The During phase will last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. And finally, you must also have a plan for After, because what happens during a disaster can affect your long-term continuance and survival (for example, the forced evacuation of residents around the Fukushima power plant because of high levels of radiation).
Whatever level of preparedness you are looking for, taking up the disaster preparation and survival seminar of Ed Guevara should be part of your Before plans.
If you are interested in finding out more about Geo Farms, you may visit the Geo Farm website.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Angelic Human
Yesterday I came across a YouTube video about angelic humans. I liked the overall message and it has a soothing background music as well. You can watch the video here:
The concept of the angelic human being referred to here is more than just a person with angelic attributes, but someone whose soul is literally angelic and who incarnated in this plane for a specific purpose.
This is an interesting addition to the topic of angelic versus human evolution. There are several different points of view here. For instance, in Theosophy at the pinnacle of one's evolution as a human (meaning, once one has learned all that one can as a human), one has several paths to choose from to further one's evolution, and one of these choices is the path of the deva or angel. Therefore some devas used to be human souls, although the path of the deva is considered a totally different line of evolution. Nature spirits are said to follow the deva evolution.
Although in the Bible it seems that angels are totally different from humans, it is implied that humans can also become angels. For instance, Enoch (from the Book of Enoch) is said to have become the Archangel Metatron.
Since angels are on a completely different evolutionary path and so far it seems that it is humans who evolve into angels and not the other way around, I'm not sure about the concept of angels incarnating as humans, since they require totally different realms of experience.
But whether one is an angel soul or human soul, it doesn't change the fact that we should always be aware of and access the divine within us. It's a more fancy way of saying "be a good person" but that's what it always boils down to.
The concept of the angelic human being referred to here is more than just a person with angelic attributes, but someone whose soul is literally angelic and who incarnated in this plane for a specific purpose.
This is an interesting addition to the topic of angelic versus human evolution. There are several different points of view here. For instance, in Theosophy at the pinnacle of one's evolution as a human (meaning, once one has learned all that one can as a human), one has several paths to choose from to further one's evolution, and one of these choices is the path of the deva or angel. Therefore some devas used to be human souls, although the path of the deva is considered a totally different line of evolution. Nature spirits are said to follow the deva evolution.
Although in the Bible it seems that angels are totally different from humans, it is implied that humans can also become angels. For instance, Enoch (from the Book of Enoch) is said to have become the Archangel Metatron.
Since angels are on a completely different evolutionary path and so far it seems that it is humans who evolve into angels and not the other way around, I'm not sure about the concept of angels incarnating as humans, since they require totally different realms of experience.
But whether one is an angel soul or human soul, it doesn't change the fact that we should always be aware of and access the divine within us. It's a more fancy way of saying "be a good person" but that's what it always boils down to.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
We Can Do Something
ARE YOU BOTHERED BY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?
2012
Earthquakes
Floods
Cataclysms
Tsunami
Volcanic Eruptions
Typhoons
Storm Surges
Any natural or man made calamity
IF YOU HAD A WAY TO AFFECT THE OUTCOMES OF ANY OF THOSE MENTIONED ABOVE WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO USE IT?
Introducing the Meditation on Twin Hearts:
A meditation for peace and illumination.
As you bless the Earth you change your destiny in small ways; as you change your destiny, you affect other peoples' destinies around you; as you affect the destinies of people around you, they affect the destinies of other people around them. Eventually your nation, humanity's destiny is affected and changed for the better in small increments.
The more people you invite to meditate with you, the more the collective destinies of your people will change.
Change the destiny of your country, change the destiny of humanity, change the destiny of the Earth. Together let us work to manifest Heaven on Earth!
And even if you were skeptical about how your thoughts could affect the environment, a few minutes of meditation is still better than a few minutes of hearing gossip and intrigues, so there is nothing to lose by trying this.
HOW TO DO IT
Simple Version:
Do a simple set of exercises like jumping jacks and stretches or any exercise you prefer, just make sure you move/stretch every part of your body including the eyes (you can exercise the eyes using eye rotations, clockwise and counter-clockwise).
1. Invoke for Divine Blessings.
2. Connect the tip of your tongue to your palate.
3. Be aware of your heart center, and visualize the Earth in front of you the size of a small ball.
4. While maintaining awareness of your heart center, raise your hands to chest level with palms facing the visualized Earth. You may use any prayer to bless the Earth or use a part of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Try to imagine and feel the energy as it reaches out to the whole Earth and to every person.
5. Next be aware of your crown center (the top of your head) and continue blessing the Earth. You can say the following prayer if you want:
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth be blessed with loving-kindness.
Let the entire earth be blessed with great joy and happiness.
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth be blessed with
understanding, harmony, and divine peace.
Let the entire earth be blessed with
goodwill and the will to do good.
Again, try to imagine and feel the energy as it reaches out to the whole Earth and to every person.
6. Now be aware of your heart and crown centers simultaneously while blessing the Earth. As before, you may say your own prayer or use the following:
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth, every person, every being
be blessed with divine love and kindness
Let the entire earth, every person, and every being be blessed
With divine sweetness, divine joy, with warmness,
Caringness and tenderness.
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth, every person, and every being be blessed
With inner healing, inner beauty,
divine bliss and, divine oneness.
7. Rest your hands on your lap and imagine a brilliant light on top of your head. While maintaining the imagination, silently chant the mantra OM several times and also be aware of the silence between the OMs.
After silently chanting the OMs, just be aware of the stillness, relax and let go for a few minutes. Just allow yourself to immerse in the bliss and stillness of the moment.
8. Gently return your awareness to your body and then release the excess energy by blessing the Mother Earth again.
You can also bless your family, your work, your projects, anyone you are in conflict with. There are many amazing stories of reconciliation and success by people who have done this.
9. Now root yourself to the Earth by imagining streams of light extending from your feet and the base of your spine to about 6 to 10 feet below the ground and continue blessing the Earth. At the end you can say, "I am connected and rooted to Mother Earth."
This is important to avoid having a detached, spacey feeling afterwards.
10. Give thanks to God for all the blessings.
Do another set of simple exercises, shaking and stretches to work out the kinks in your body. Remember to also exercise your eyes.
Important note: If you feel any discomfort or pain during the meditation, simply stop the meditation.
The above steps may seem long, but if you customize the prayers and go through the meditation at your own pace, it can only take a few minutes. You can buy the guided meditation CD through the Pranic Healing Foundation of the Philippines (http://pranichealing.com.ph) or the nearest pranic healing center in your area.
For a detailed discussion on the Meditation on Twin Hearts, visit http://meditationontwinhearts.tel/
The point is, you need not helplessly watch on television while the world changes around us. You can do something from where you are right now.
(Props to Nonoy for the first half of the article.)
2012
Earthquakes
Floods
Cataclysms
Tsunami
Volcanic Eruptions
Typhoons
Storm Surges
Any natural or man made calamity
IF YOU HAD A WAY TO AFFECT THE OUTCOMES OF ANY OF THOSE MENTIONED ABOVE WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO USE IT?
Introducing the Meditation on Twin Hearts:
A meditation for peace and illumination.
As you bless the Earth you change your destiny in small ways; as you change your destiny, you affect other peoples' destinies around you; as you affect the destinies of people around you, they affect the destinies of other people around them. Eventually your nation, humanity's destiny is affected and changed for the better in small increments.
The more people you invite to meditate with you, the more the collective destinies of your people will change.
Change the destiny of your country, change the destiny of humanity, change the destiny of the Earth. Together let us work to manifest Heaven on Earth!
And even if you were skeptical about how your thoughts could affect the environment, a few minutes of meditation is still better than a few minutes of hearing gossip and intrigues, so there is nothing to lose by trying this.
HOW TO DO IT
Simple Version:
Do a simple set of exercises like jumping jacks and stretches or any exercise you prefer, just make sure you move/stretch every part of your body including the eyes (you can exercise the eyes using eye rotations, clockwise and counter-clockwise).
1. Invoke for Divine Blessings.
2. Connect the tip of your tongue to your palate.
3. Be aware of your heart center, and visualize the Earth in front of you the size of a small ball.
4. While maintaining awareness of your heart center, raise your hands to chest level with palms facing the visualized Earth. You may use any prayer to bless the Earth or use a part of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Try to imagine and feel the energy as it reaches out to the whole Earth and to every person.
5. Next be aware of your crown center (the top of your head) and continue blessing the Earth. You can say the following prayer if you want:
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth be blessed with loving-kindness.
Let the entire earth be blessed with great joy and happiness.
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth be blessed with
understanding, harmony, and divine peace.
Let the entire earth be blessed with
goodwill and the will to do good.
Again, try to imagine and feel the energy as it reaches out to the whole Earth and to every person.
6. Now be aware of your heart and crown centers simultaneously while blessing the Earth. As before, you may say your own prayer or use the following:
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth, every person, every being
be blessed with divine love and kindness
Let the entire earth, every person, and every being be blessed
With divine sweetness, divine joy, with warmness,
Caringness and tenderness.
From the center of the heart of God,
Let the entire earth, every person, and every being be blessed
With inner healing, inner beauty,
divine bliss and, divine oneness.
7. Rest your hands on your lap and imagine a brilliant light on top of your head. While maintaining the imagination, silently chant the mantra OM several times and also be aware of the silence between the OMs.
After silently chanting the OMs, just be aware of the stillness, relax and let go for a few minutes. Just allow yourself to immerse in the bliss and stillness of the moment.
8. Gently return your awareness to your body and then release the excess energy by blessing the Mother Earth again.
You can also bless your family, your work, your projects, anyone you are in conflict with. There are many amazing stories of reconciliation and success by people who have done this.
9. Now root yourself to the Earth by imagining streams of light extending from your feet and the base of your spine to about 6 to 10 feet below the ground and continue blessing the Earth. At the end you can say, "I am connected and rooted to Mother Earth."
This is important to avoid having a detached, spacey feeling afterwards.
10. Give thanks to God for all the blessings.
Do another set of simple exercises, shaking and stretches to work out the kinks in your body. Remember to also exercise your eyes.
Important note: If you feel any discomfort or pain during the meditation, simply stop the meditation.
The above steps may seem long, but if you customize the prayers and go through the meditation at your own pace, it can only take a few minutes. You can buy the guided meditation CD through the Pranic Healing Foundation of the Philippines (http://pranichealing.com.ph) or the nearest pranic healing center in your area.
For a detailed discussion on the Meditation on Twin Hearts, visit http://meditationontwinhearts.tel/
The point is, you need not helplessly watch on television while the world changes around us. You can do something from where you are right now.
(Props to Nonoy for the first half of the article.)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Living the Teachings
At various times I've heard variations of the following story. There are a group of pious old women in church fervently praying a novena. They have been going to church at the same time for the past several days but one day they are disturbed by the sound of a child playing at the doors of the church. This irks the women and they take turns cursing and scolding the boy, driving him away from the church. The boy then crosses the road and is run over by a car.
If you have encountered people or have known anyone who displayed such schizophrenic behavior in or out of the church, then you have come face-to-face with one of the underlying challenges of anyone exposed to spirituality. As you have seen from the story, this challenge is not limited to people who are on the spiritual path.
I believe this dichotomy of behavior stems in large part from the fractious way we view ourselves and society. We tend to compartmentalize our actions, like when you punch out of the office on a Friday afternoon, your "work mode" ends and "party mode" begins. It shouldn't be surprising since compartmentalization is a survival trait, like when we blot out bad memories. Unfortunately, our lifestyle and environment reinforces this sense of separateness so that life becomes a series of disjointed events happening one after the other.
This inability to integrate different aspects of one's life and experiences manifests itself as chaos. We still see a lot of people who fail to make the connection between a poor diet and ill health. Or in being oblivious to the effect one's bad behavior has on other people.
A big part of the disillusionment with religion is the fact that followers and even religious leaders fail to follow the very teachings that are inherent in those religions. Many people tend to view the wisdom teachings like a museum piece - a curiosity that deserves study and appreciation but is left behind and forgotten after closing hours. But spiritual teachings are more than just a cognitive exercise, they are meant to be a way of life.
One objection to living the teachings would be to say, "It isn't me." But what exactly defines your life at the moment? Ill health? Poor relationships? Bad luck? Are those conditions really so important that it's worth it not to make the effort to integrate spiritual teachings into one's life?
We are creatures of habit, and changing a habit requires a lot of effort. So maybe that is really the issue. It's so much easier to follow a routine than it is to change one's direction. Transformative change is not always instant, that's why it often requires a lot of effort, usually a whole lifetime or several lifetimes of it.
This brings to my mind what Jackie Chan's character said in the Karate Kid remake: "EVERYTHING is kung fu!"
Most people associate kung fu with Chinese martial arts, but the real meaning refers to a skill that one does well and has achieved through persistent effort. So a five-star chef's cooking skills is indicative of good kung fu, for example. When we apply the principle of kung fu to our whole life, it implies that we not only work towards excellence in our work or our hobbies, but to our interpersonal relationships, how we view and treat ourselves and others, and our connection to God.
We don't need high-faluting spiritual terms or techniques to work towards good spiritual "kung fu." We already know what needs to be done in order to be a good person. We just need to go out and actually do it.
The effort of ennobling oneself is a process, and because of that we can still regress and make mistakes. As Master Choa Kok Sui keeps saying in his books, the key is not to beat oneself up for every mistake but rather to learn from the mistakes and resolve not to repeat them.
What is important is that one makes the effort. Persistence will do the rest.
If you have encountered people or have known anyone who displayed such schizophrenic behavior in or out of the church, then you have come face-to-face with one of the underlying challenges of anyone exposed to spirituality. As you have seen from the story, this challenge is not limited to people who are on the spiritual path.
I believe this dichotomy of behavior stems in large part from the fractious way we view ourselves and society. We tend to compartmentalize our actions, like when you punch out of the office on a Friday afternoon, your "work mode" ends and "party mode" begins. It shouldn't be surprising since compartmentalization is a survival trait, like when we blot out bad memories. Unfortunately, our lifestyle and environment reinforces this sense of separateness so that life becomes a series of disjointed events happening one after the other.
This inability to integrate different aspects of one's life and experiences manifests itself as chaos. We still see a lot of people who fail to make the connection between a poor diet and ill health. Or in being oblivious to the effect one's bad behavior has on other people.
A big part of the disillusionment with religion is the fact that followers and even religious leaders fail to follow the very teachings that are inherent in those religions. Many people tend to view the wisdom teachings like a museum piece - a curiosity that deserves study and appreciation but is left behind and forgotten after closing hours. But spiritual teachings are more than just a cognitive exercise, they are meant to be a way of life.
One objection to living the teachings would be to say, "It isn't me." But what exactly defines your life at the moment? Ill health? Poor relationships? Bad luck? Are those conditions really so important that it's worth it not to make the effort to integrate spiritual teachings into one's life?
We are creatures of habit, and changing a habit requires a lot of effort. So maybe that is really the issue. It's so much easier to follow a routine than it is to change one's direction. Transformative change is not always instant, that's why it often requires a lot of effort, usually a whole lifetime or several lifetimes of it.
This brings to my mind what Jackie Chan's character said in the Karate Kid remake: "EVERYTHING is kung fu!"
Most people associate kung fu with Chinese martial arts, but the real meaning refers to a skill that one does well and has achieved through persistent effort. So a five-star chef's cooking skills is indicative of good kung fu, for example. When we apply the principle of kung fu to our whole life, it implies that we not only work towards excellence in our work or our hobbies, but to our interpersonal relationships, how we view and treat ourselves and others, and our connection to God.
We don't need high-faluting spiritual terms or techniques to work towards good spiritual "kung fu." We already know what needs to be done in order to be a good person. We just need to go out and actually do it.
The effort of ennobling oneself is a process, and because of that we can still regress and make mistakes. As Master Choa Kok Sui keeps saying in his books, the key is not to beat oneself up for every mistake but rather to learn from the mistakes and resolve not to repeat them.
What is important is that one makes the effort. Persistence will do the rest.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Bahala Na
Bahala na. It's a common Filipino phrase, so common in fact that we often say it without thinking. The closest translation is Que sera sera or "Whatever will be, will be." The phrase is usually said when one doesn't know or is undecided about the next step to take or is unsure what the consequences of a certain course of action are. It's equivalent to going with the flow, taking it as it comes and letting fate decide how things will turn out.
This is why among progressives and intellectuals bahala na is almost a dirty word. It's the lazy person's approach to problem solving, a fatalistic surrendering of one's fate to chance. One might even say it's part of what makes Filipino society a "damaged" culture, just like the manana (mamaya na) habit that was supposedly inherited from the Spanish (the mamaya na habit is delaying something that can be done or should be done immediately).
Is Filipino culture really that damaged, that a lazy person's way of thinking has worked its way deep into our thought process and identity? I don't believe that our ancestors were so naive and ignorant as that.
In this age where a lot of things are changing, it is perhaps time to change our consciousness about certain things that have always been taken for granted. So how do we change our understanding of the phrase bahala na? We can start by taking a closer look at the etymology of the word.
"Bahala" is a shortening of Bathala, which in pre-Hispanic times was the term for a Supreme God. Bathala supposedly derives from Bhattara Guru meaning “the highest of the gods.” Therefore, bahala na is properly uttered as Bathala na, or "It is in God's hands." It is similar to the Islamic insha Allah or Inshallah (God willing).
At first look, this new interpretation is not really all that different from the common understanding of bahala na. It still seems that instead of leaving one's fate totally up to chance, one just substitutes "chance" with "God." But following Master Choa Kok Sui's principle that there are always several levels of truth, we can study the phrase Bathala na from a more spiritual or mystic perspective.
Spiritual traditions around the world, even indigenous ones, are consistent in making reference to a Supreme God and the existence of the soul, which is the spark of Divinity, the part of God that is you. Mainstream religion basically says the same thing, though the increasing aversion to dogma tends to overshadow that fact. With the steady resurgence of esoteric spirituality, closer attention is being paid to establishing, nurturing and increasing this connection to one's soul, specifically to one's higher soul.
I already wrote something about why one should be connected to one's higher soul in my other article The Value of Inner Peace, but I'll say it differently here. When we meditate and achieve that state of bliss or contact with our soul, it is often the case that we "come back down" to scenes of argument, bickering and the struggle for daily existence such that the bliss evaporates as quickly as morning dew.
Although we affirm that "I am the soul" there is still a tendency to think of the higher soul as "there" while the everyday self is "here" when in fact there is no separation at all, merely a question of where the consciousness is at. What happens then is that all too often we are unable to bring the bliss and experience of connection that we achieve through meditation into our daily lives. It's like having muscles that can lift heavy weights while inside the gym but not being able to use those muscles to lift a sack of rice.
What does all this talk about the soul have anything to do with Bathala na? When you say "Bathala na" with the proper consciousness, you are communicating with your higher soul and acknowledging that "It is in God's hands." Meaning, it is a willing surrender to the guidance of God through your higher soul. Your higher soul is beyond space and time, so that part of you knows what's coming next and how best to approach a particular problem.
By tapping into that part of yourself, by humbly surrendering all preconceived notions and resistance to your higher soul, you allow your higher soul to act accordingly. You may find yourself being inspired to do something, or a leap of intuition suddenly presents a solution to your problem, or things just fall into place so that you achieve your goals. That, to me, is the proper meaning of bahala na, and the proper way to pray. It's certainly a good way to keep consciously connected to your higher soul in everyday life, instead of limiting this connection to meditation sessions.
This is certainly a lot to say for such a short phrase, but you can often find wisdom in the most unlikely places. We are so focused on being "modern" that it seems we have lost that connection to the wisdom of our indigenous ancestors, a wisdom that has found its way into common usage but with forgotten meaning.
If it seems strange to think that pre-Hispanic "primitives" could have such deep wisdom, just ask anyone who has spent enough time working with or helping the various indigenous tribes in the Philippines. These indigenous people have a raw spirituality that is very attuned with Mother Earth and hence with the cosmic order of things. Esoteric students may be surprised at just how much they can learn by studying the various indigenous traditions.
So what do you do next time you don't know what to do next? Say, "Bahala na." But this time, know that you are praying, so say it with meaning.
This is why among progressives and intellectuals bahala na is almost a dirty word. It's the lazy person's approach to problem solving, a fatalistic surrendering of one's fate to chance. One might even say it's part of what makes Filipino society a "damaged" culture, just like the manana (mamaya na) habit that was supposedly inherited from the Spanish (the mamaya na habit is delaying something that can be done or should be done immediately).
Is Filipino culture really that damaged, that a lazy person's way of thinking has worked its way deep into our thought process and identity? I don't believe that our ancestors were so naive and ignorant as that.
In this age where a lot of things are changing, it is perhaps time to change our consciousness about certain things that have always been taken for granted. So how do we change our understanding of the phrase bahala na? We can start by taking a closer look at the etymology of the word.
"Bahala" is a shortening of Bathala, which in pre-Hispanic times was the term for a Supreme God. Bathala supposedly derives from Bhattara Guru meaning “the highest of the gods.” Therefore, bahala na is properly uttered as Bathala na, or "It is in God's hands." It is similar to the Islamic insha Allah or Inshallah (God willing).
At first look, this new interpretation is not really all that different from the common understanding of bahala na. It still seems that instead of leaving one's fate totally up to chance, one just substitutes "chance" with "God." But following Master Choa Kok Sui's principle that there are always several levels of truth, we can study the phrase Bathala na from a more spiritual or mystic perspective.
Spiritual traditions around the world, even indigenous ones, are consistent in making reference to a Supreme God and the existence of the soul, which is the spark of Divinity, the part of God that is you. Mainstream religion basically says the same thing, though the increasing aversion to dogma tends to overshadow that fact. With the steady resurgence of esoteric spirituality, closer attention is being paid to establishing, nurturing and increasing this connection to one's soul, specifically to one's higher soul.
I already wrote something about why one should be connected to one's higher soul in my other article The Value of Inner Peace, but I'll say it differently here. When we meditate and achieve that state of bliss or contact with our soul, it is often the case that we "come back down" to scenes of argument, bickering and the struggle for daily existence such that the bliss evaporates as quickly as morning dew.
Although we affirm that "I am the soul" there is still a tendency to think of the higher soul as "there" while the everyday self is "here" when in fact there is no separation at all, merely a question of where the consciousness is at. What happens then is that all too often we are unable to bring the bliss and experience of connection that we achieve through meditation into our daily lives. It's like having muscles that can lift heavy weights while inside the gym but not being able to use those muscles to lift a sack of rice.
What does all this talk about the soul have anything to do with Bathala na? When you say "Bathala na" with the proper consciousness, you are communicating with your higher soul and acknowledging that "It is in God's hands." Meaning, it is a willing surrender to the guidance of God through your higher soul. Your higher soul is beyond space and time, so that part of you knows what's coming next and how best to approach a particular problem.
By tapping into that part of yourself, by humbly surrendering all preconceived notions and resistance to your higher soul, you allow your higher soul to act accordingly. You may find yourself being inspired to do something, or a leap of intuition suddenly presents a solution to your problem, or things just fall into place so that you achieve your goals. That, to me, is the proper meaning of bahala na, and the proper way to pray. It's certainly a good way to keep consciously connected to your higher soul in everyday life, instead of limiting this connection to meditation sessions.
This is certainly a lot to say for such a short phrase, but you can often find wisdom in the most unlikely places. We are so focused on being "modern" that it seems we have lost that connection to the wisdom of our indigenous ancestors, a wisdom that has found its way into common usage but with forgotten meaning.
If it seems strange to think that pre-Hispanic "primitives" could have such deep wisdom, just ask anyone who has spent enough time working with or helping the various indigenous tribes in the Philippines. These indigenous people have a raw spirituality that is very attuned with Mother Earth and hence with the cosmic order of things. Esoteric students may be surprised at just how much they can learn by studying the various indigenous traditions.
So what do you do next time you don't know what to do next? Say, "Bahala na." But this time, know that you are praying, so say it with meaning.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Time's Up
Time.
What is it, exactly? Is it the number of seconds that it takes to read this sentence? The scratches on a prison wall that mark the passing of days? Or is it the number of wrinkles that show up on your skin? Is it a measure of your descent into cynicism? All of the above?
A lot of metaphors describe time. Time is gold. Time flies. River of time. Sands of time. Make the time. All refer to movement and something that is easily lost once past. Or perhaps time is simply an arrangement the mind makes in order to make sense of the progression of events in our lives. Is this why the sages of old exhort us to live in the NOW, because every second that passes contains crucial events that we need to be aware of as they happen? But time isn't simply a series of events strung up in a line.
Time is a paradox. It can be subjective and objective at the same time. Imagine if you were immortal. You don't age, you don't get sick. Time seemingly stops for you. And yet, you watch your friends and loved ones get sick and die. Time still passes, and you are in the middle of it, subject to the emotional highs and lows that come with the experience.
It seems then that anything subjected to time is impermanent. You can even find it in the play of words. Temporary = temporal = time. And if you really think about it, every second that passes means the previous second was already lost. Even doing nothing, you are already losing something. If only the same could be said about losing excess body fat, eh?
What then does it mean to work towards the permanent, the eternal, the everlasting? Aha. It seems we've strayed into "religious" territory.
If time relates to loss and impermanence, then it seems that for something to be eternal it shouldn't be bound by time. If there is no time, then there is no beginning and no ending. Not a nihilistic event, but just one big NOW. So when the ancient sages said to live in the NOW, perhaps what they are referring to is to live towards what is permanent and eternal. It is like the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. It is the circle that is never ending, it just IS.
If you've spent enough time researching the esoteric, you would have encountered descriptions of the supernal realms being timeless and spaceless. Unfortunately, without having experienced it, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to live in a realm with no time, and no space.
Perhaps physics can help give a clue. Let's take a closer look at Einstein's theory of relativity. I won't discuss the history or technical aspects of it and just say that as one approaches the speed of light, time slows down relative to everything else. An astronaut in a spaceship that's traveling close to the speed of light might only experience the passing of a few months in deep space when on Earth many years could have already passed.
As one reaches the speed of light, it is theoretically possible to go back in time. In this case, at the speed of light you may say that one is existing beyond time because one is not bound by its progression. This ties in with the accounts of the so-called akashic records, where one may view scenes from the past and if one were advanced enough, scenes of possible futures.
But here's where it gets interesting. From what I understand of the theory of relativity, as long as you have mass, you cannot really hit the speed of light. You can approximate it, but not get to the speed of light itself. It's interesting, because that essentially means that you should be beyond space as well in order to get to the speed of light itself. How then can you shed mass in order to get to the speed of light?
The potential is actually in all of us, again as described in Einstein's formula E=mc2. This formula is frequently associated with the atomic bomb, but I got insight into its deeper meaning by watching an episode of History Channel's Ancient Aliens. One scientist explained the formula as follows:
"When you have atoms break apart or come together, you lose a small amount of mass. It turns out that the amount of energy in mass is related to the mass times the speed of light squared (E=mc2). And the speed of light is such a huge number, and that's what converts the small amount of mass into a huge amount of energy."
So within each particle of the universe there exists a huge amount of energy, but most of it in the form of mass. But the potential is there. Shed the mass, and you release the energy. Sounds almost like a description of the soul, doesn't it? At death, we shed the physical body and we enter into the supernal realms.
It's interesting that in Master Choa Kok Sui's book Achieving Oneness with the Higher Soul, he describes the soul as "spiritual energy with consciousness." So one is a being of light, with consciousness. One doesn't need to experience death in order to get into this state and this actually forms the basis of practice for many yogic traditions.
As the world enters a phase when a lot of people are thinking of the "End Times" (not the same as the end of time, mind you) coupled with fears of a global recession and a lot of uncertainty about the future, it would do well to think about working towards the permanent rather than on things that will fade with time. I'm not saying one should renounce the world, but rather to know how to discern between the permanent and the impermanent, so that one knows how to manage priorities. This allows us to live and thrive in the world without being attached to it.
But time need not sound so negative. According to Kabbalah, time is also equated with mercy because it is the interval between cause and effect. This gives one the opportunities to make up for any negative actions one might have done in the past, or to reinforce and affirm positive actions. But this only works if one believes in the Law of Cause and Effect (also known as karma).
Time is either a glass half-full or half-empty, depending on your disposition. But I did say it was a paradox, didn't I?
What is it, exactly? Is it the number of seconds that it takes to read this sentence? The scratches on a prison wall that mark the passing of days? Or is it the number of wrinkles that show up on your skin? Is it a measure of your descent into cynicism? All of the above?
A lot of metaphors describe time. Time is gold. Time flies. River of time. Sands of time. Make the time. All refer to movement and something that is easily lost once past. Or perhaps time is simply an arrangement the mind makes in order to make sense of the progression of events in our lives. Is this why the sages of old exhort us to live in the NOW, because every second that passes contains crucial events that we need to be aware of as they happen? But time isn't simply a series of events strung up in a line.
Time is a paradox. It can be subjective and objective at the same time. Imagine if you were immortal. You don't age, you don't get sick. Time seemingly stops for you. And yet, you watch your friends and loved ones get sick and die. Time still passes, and you are in the middle of it, subject to the emotional highs and lows that come with the experience.
It seems then that anything subjected to time is impermanent. You can even find it in the play of words. Temporary = temporal = time. And if you really think about it, every second that passes means the previous second was already lost. Even doing nothing, you are already losing something. If only the same could be said about losing excess body fat, eh?
What then does it mean to work towards the permanent, the eternal, the everlasting? Aha. It seems we've strayed into "religious" territory.
If time relates to loss and impermanence, then it seems that for something to be eternal it shouldn't be bound by time. If there is no time, then there is no beginning and no ending. Not a nihilistic event, but just one big NOW. So when the ancient sages said to live in the NOW, perhaps what they are referring to is to live towards what is permanent and eternal. It is like the Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. It is the circle that is never ending, it just IS.
If you've spent enough time researching the esoteric, you would have encountered descriptions of the supernal realms being timeless and spaceless. Unfortunately, without having experienced it, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to live in a realm with no time, and no space.
Perhaps physics can help give a clue. Let's take a closer look at Einstein's theory of relativity. I won't discuss the history or technical aspects of it and just say that as one approaches the speed of light, time slows down relative to everything else. An astronaut in a spaceship that's traveling close to the speed of light might only experience the passing of a few months in deep space when on Earth many years could have already passed.
As one reaches the speed of light, it is theoretically possible to go back in time. In this case, at the speed of light you may say that one is existing beyond time because one is not bound by its progression. This ties in with the accounts of the so-called akashic records, where one may view scenes from the past and if one were advanced enough, scenes of possible futures.
But here's where it gets interesting. From what I understand of the theory of relativity, as long as you have mass, you cannot really hit the speed of light. You can approximate it, but not get to the speed of light itself. It's interesting, because that essentially means that you should be beyond space as well in order to get to the speed of light itself. How then can you shed mass in order to get to the speed of light?
The potential is actually in all of us, again as described in Einstein's formula E=mc2. This formula is frequently associated with the atomic bomb, but I got insight into its deeper meaning by watching an episode of History Channel's Ancient Aliens. One scientist explained the formula as follows:
"When you have atoms break apart or come together, you lose a small amount of mass. It turns out that the amount of energy in mass is related to the mass times the speed of light squared (E=mc2). And the speed of light is such a huge number, and that's what converts the small amount of mass into a huge amount of energy."
So within each particle of the universe there exists a huge amount of energy, but most of it in the form of mass. But the potential is there. Shed the mass, and you release the energy. Sounds almost like a description of the soul, doesn't it? At death, we shed the physical body and we enter into the supernal realms.
It's interesting that in Master Choa Kok Sui's book Achieving Oneness with the Higher Soul, he describes the soul as "spiritual energy with consciousness." So one is a being of light, with consciousness. One doesn't need to experience death in order to get into this state and this actually forms the basis of practice for many yogic traditions.
As the world enters a phase when a lot of people are thinking of the "End Times" (not the same as the end of time, mind you) coupled with fears of a global recession and a lot of uncertainty about the future, it would do well to think about working towards the permanent rather than on things that will fade with time. I'm not saying one should renounce the world, but rather to know how to discern between the permanent and the impermanent, so that one knows how to manage priorities. This allows us to live and thrive in the world without being attached to it.
But time need not sound so negative. According to Kabbalah, time is also equated with mercy because it is the interval between cause and effect. This gives one the opportunities to make up for any negative actions one might have done in the past, or to reinforce and affirm positive actions. But this only works if one believes in the Law of Cause and Effect (also known as karma).
Time is either a glass half-full or half-empty, depending on your disposition. But I did say it was a paradox, didn't I?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)