Eighth Annual Peace Convocation

I am just home after four days attending the Peace Convocation devoted to bringing a greater sense of balance in our lives. The Convocation is in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 event that shook the consciousness of our nation—the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and the crash of the commandeered plane over Pennsylvania.

Conducted by the Vajra Flame Foundation and led by Master Djwhal Khul, through Kathlyn Kingdon, the program offered participants a deepening of our connection with the true spiritual essence of our lives. We were able to examine the attributes of consciousness that provide a balance in our lives in the many areas that we so easily seem to get out of balance. Not only were the presentations by Master DK powerfully shared with each of us, but also the final celebration of peace and balance were extraordinary in reaching the depth of our personal being.

I will be writing more about this very special meeting of individuals with Master DK and the celebration of peace we shared. Come back to LifeCentering soon for more about the Convocation.

The Matter of Mind Experience - 3

A Three-Part Review of My Experience in the Labyrinth of the Mind Workshop

Part Three – Actions and Results

So what good are philosophies, teachings and practices if they are not utilized in our lives consistently? What results can we expect if we only continue to take in information, but never find ways to begin living the life that information offers us? Surely, not much will change for us if we do not take steps to implement our new understanding of the power at our disposal. Those of us attending the workshop have had the experience of opening the labyrinth of the mind. We have peeked into the vast reservoirs of our spiritual potential. Now, it is up to each of us to find our own way of bringing that potential into manifest form in our lives. This can mean newfound energy in mind and body; increasing abundance to meet our every need; and the confidence to be centers of peace and understanding in our world.

A teaching or set of tenets is of little value in the abstract. For them to serve their intended purpose they must become socialized. That is, they must be brought into our social lives as we interact with others. Any teaching lives ONLY as a FUNCTION. It must be a function of individual expression and social interaction based on altruistic thought, all-embracing compassion, and transcendent wisdom. Teaching in the abstract is an ego exercise. The ego may be interested in new ideas, but it doesn’t want us to do anything with them. New ideas, if used, threaten the ego’s control of our life. When we stop simply stuffing our minds with more information and start using the ideas to change the way we do things, the power of the ego will begin to fade and our spiritual belief structure will take over. This is actually one of the ways we deal with our karma. We are attracted to situations and ideas that follow our karmic patterns and as we recognize that we will begin to see how understanding these new ideas heals the connected karma.

It is important to reconcile the difference between HEARING great ideas and DOING something with those ideas. The value is only real as those ideas are lived. We are all aware of those who go from group to group following each new fad or prominent teacher, yet never seem to change their way of living and thus do not experience the potential for growth that is available.

As we embrace our spiritual potential through reading, consultation with professionals, attendance at classes and workshops we must ask ourselves, “What can I do with this information? What results can I expect by living these ideas?” We will not all do the same things because we each experience our learning uniquely and will find unique ways of demonstrating our understanding. Do not limit yourself by seeking to compare your gift to life with what another’s gift may be. There is no qualitative comparison. Your expression is uniquely worthy and a uniquely productive use of your talents.

Another meditation thought given to us in the workshop was from William James.

I will act as if what I do makes a difference.

Sometimes we may feel like we are just small cogs in the great wheel of life. Remember, however, that if that cog were missing, the wheel would not be complete and could not function as it is intended to operate. You are important! Your every act touches all aspects of the universe. You may be familiar with the butterfly effect, which is the notion that a butterfly cannot move its wings without the furthest reaches of the universe also vibrating in harmony. There is no such thing as an unimportant cog in the wheel of life. Rejoice in who you are and what you are becoming as you unfold as a spiritual being and a master of life.
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The Matter of Mind: An Explorer’s Guide to the Labyrinth of the Mind, through Kathlyn Kingdon. Order from http://www.vajraflame.org

The Matter of Mind Experience - 2

A Three-Part Review of My Experience in the Labyrinth of the Mind Workshop

Part Two – The Matter of Mind Message

One should not construe my comments about the message of the workshop to be directly those of Master DK, as his followers refer to him. What I have to say about the message reflects not only comments by Master DK, but also by participants in exchanges with Master DK and others in the group, and by my own inspiration in response to the experience.

One thought that occurred to me as I thought about the activity and those present was that it is NOT the event that is important, but rather it is HOW the mind sees the event and responds to it. Each of us experienced the event uniquely. I have read the book three times and found that each time through it was an entirely different book! I do not mean that a few paragraphs must have been missed as I first read it. I mean the book was different, period! I know that this is how the workshop was experienced as well, because this is how life is experienced. While we all live in the same universe, we view it and respond to it from our particular perspective. It is especially important to remember this in our relationships with others. We will be more able to express an all-embracing compassion to others as we understand that their perspective will inevitably be somewhat different from ours.

I cannot help but refer once again to the simplicity of the teaching presented. Too often we tend to think that important concepts must be complicated. This is just not so! It is a trick of the ego to try to convince our mind that in order for something to be important it must be complicated, and that because it is complicated we must rely upon our ego to provide the understanding. Ego CANNOT solve problems and ego cannot provide the understanding we need to succeed in life. So, I might suggest that if you are struggling to understand some concept, it may simply be your ego trying to obfuscate the simple truth. Our mind already knows most of what we need to know to begin moving forward. Trust that as you take the first step in faith, the next step will become more evident. You will grow stronger with each successful step forward.

An objective in this workshop was to reveal how enlightenment can be achieved. As I played with the concept of enlightenment these thoughts came to mind. First, enlightenment means to LIGHTEN as in to lighten the load. We view events as problems and burdens when not seen through the enlightened mind. Enlightenment also means to ILLUMINE as in seeing life clearly. Finally, enlightenment refers to IN (within). As we gain an understanding of the power of the mind to see the truth that is always within us, we will begin to lighten our burden and free ourselves from the limitations posed by fear and doubt. Master suggested we begin each day as we rise from bed with this thought: Let the Truth come forth!

Each day our sessions focused on specific meditation thoughts. The following is one that we used.

Today I give thanks for everything and have no complaints whatsoever.
--Djwhal Khul

Just think about that statement for a minute. How far into the day do you think you can go before you typically find something about which to complain? It may be a driver that cuts in front of you. Maybe you overhear someone say something unpleasant about you. Perhaps it is another of those annoying political advertisements. Whatever we find in our day to complain about needs to be faced with a positive and clear denial of its ability to upset us and deprive us of a state of well being. Give thanks that you see through the problem to the enlightened attitude that all things are working together for your good.

In Part Three I will share reflections on the actions we can take to improve our lives and what results we can expect to achieve.
_____________________
The Matter of Mind: An Explorer’s Guide to the Labyrinth of the Mind, Master Djwhal Khul through Kathlyn Kingdon. Order from http://www.vajraflame.org

The Matter of Mind Experience - 1

A Three-Part Review of My Experience in the Labyrinth of the Mind Workshop

Part One - Experiencing Master Djwhal Khul

On the weekend of October 10 – 12 I attended the Matter Of Mind workshop in Denver, CO. This workshop was based on the book of the same title and to which I have referred in previous postings on this blog. From the book:

Known affectionately as “the Tibetan,” Ascended Master Djwhal Khul is one of the planetary Wisdom Masters, well known to spiritual aspirants the world over. A master teacher in every respect, he imparts timeless truths from many spiritual traditions in contemporary terms.

For the last twenty-five years he has imparted this wisdom through an outstanding channel, Kathlyn Kingdon. From time to time he has also expressed through others, most prominent among them perhaps was Alice Bailey, whose writings are published by The Lucis Trust.

As I read the Matter Of Mind book I was impressed with the clarity and simplicity of the concepts in a way that I have not previously experienced in similar writings. I determined to further explore this work by attending the workshop in Denver conducted by Kathlyn Kingdon/Master Djwhal Khul. It is somewhat difficult to explain the experience. The presentation was as simple and direct as the book with the added dimension of presence. There was a clear presence of all-embracing energy. It was like a beam of light shining on a path before us.

Many folks might consider a program by an Ascended Master to be a flash of “woo, woo” and hokum. Frankly, many persons interested in such works expect there to be some strange phenomena like lights blinking and ethereal, mystical sounds wafting through the room. I assure you this was not the case in this program. I was struck by the notion that great teachers express quite naturally and without the bells and whistles that attract only the curious rather than those who sincerely seek to know the Truth of their Being.

As she entered the room and comfortably sat down before us, Ms. Kingdon simply took a full breath, relaxed and began, as Master Djwhal Khul, to share insights into how the mind works. There were about 65 persons in attendance. The atmosphere was contemplative, yet there was open access to Master with questions. I felt that this process was so normal and natural that it demonstrated how all of us really do have access to the power of All That Is. For me, this simplicity, this unvarnished sharing of meaningful ideas and processes by which we have the means to transform our lives is what convinced me of the veracity of the message and the honesty of the channel. Even if I were to doubt the process, which I do not, I would still accept the message. I have mentioned before that content is more important than form.

During each session we were led in deep meditations to open our inner pathways to enlightenment and to experience PRESENCE. Our mind is indeed like a labyrinth, but negotiating the path is not as difficult as it might seem at first. In Part Two I will discuss more about the Matter Of Mind message as I experienced it.
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The Matter of Mind: An Explorer’s Guide to the Labyrinth of the Mind, Master Djwhal Khul through Kathlyn Kingdon. Order from http://www.vajraflame.org/

Everyone Is Psychic!

For all of my life I have been interested in psychic phenomena. My maternal grandparents were interested in aspects of it, my mother was interested, and of course, it was natural that I would develop an interest. Now, before you start thinking you know why I seem so strange, let me say that I also have always been very skeptical of what was traditionally being offered to the public as psychic activity. I guess you might say my interest had been developed around the lighter side of the subject. I saw the “phenomena” more as a game or as entertainment, rather than a serious practice of ancient arts and secret science.

All of that was to later change in my life. I came to the point where my personal experience transcended the limits of “games” and took on a deeper nature of understanding what this was all about. In my early years of seriously exploring the capabilities of our human consciousness, beyond the simply outer sensory awareness, I discovered how everyone exhibits some degree of alternative consciousness—psychic awareness.

Interestingly, the more I came to see the naturalness of our psychic abilities, the more I was skeptical of so much of what I saw practiced. I was always particularly skeptical of the so-called “Ascended Masters” followers. It just seemed to me we didn’t need some hierarchy of ancients hanging around delivering wonderful philosophical statements that never seemed to really make much difference influencing society as a whole. I thought, “If these guys (or gals) are so smart, why aren’t their adherents really making a difference in the plight of humanity?” Well, that question never got me anywhere. I did come to a point where I realized that infinite wisdom is available to all of us, but many of us do not believe we are capable of directly tuning into that wisdom. In looking at the problems of our world and even our own personal difficulties, we just cannot seem to fully grasp that we have greater abilities than we know. So why is it we cannot seem to make the connection necessary that enables us to fully believe in our spiritual capabilities?

Pam McKinnie, one of the co-founders of the Whole Life Learning Center in Denver in 1973, recently sent me a book: The Matter of Mind by Master Djwhal Khul delivered through Kathlyn Kingdon. As I read this book it was almost like reading my own thoughts and touching my own feelings, but it was clearly coming from “outside” me. “DK” as Master Khul is referred to, spoke simply and yet eloquently in easy to understand language. It was the first time I found myself responding to an “Ascended Master.” All my previous barriers of mind that rejected them disappeared and I accepted that indeed, this was another sign of the enlightened wisdom that is available to us if we will listen.

More to the point of why I started writing this article, I visited the MasterDK website and came across the section on questions that had been asked of DK. The one that caught my attention was: Master, when you look at your students here on the Earth Plane, is there one thing that seems to be holding us back from our spiritual accomplishment more than any other? If so, what is it? (This was asked in 2003.) I won’t try to tell you what the answer was, but I encourage you to visit the site for yourself. This answer helped me to understand more fully why we continue to fall short of demonstrating all that we are capable of expressing. Also, we are given encouragement on how to keep on with our effort to understand and bring about our fullest potential.

Click on this URL: http://masterdk.com/questions_and_answers_20031116 or paste it into the address line of your browser. Take some time to further explore the site as well—with an open mind.