The Shape of Things To Come

As the container, so will be the shape of the substance filling it.

Just as water takes the shape of the container offered to be filled, so does the Essence of Life fill our mind and heart according to how we have shaped and developed them. I often write about our belief systems because they represent the key to the experiences we have. Our beliefs condition absolutely every part of our lives from how we choose and relate to our friends and families to how healthy, happy and successful we are. Our belief system shapes what we offer to be filled with the potential energy and abundance that is available for us to embody.

Obvious examples in the religious field range from fundamentalist Christians with their strong belief that we are sinners requiring redemption and salvation to so-called atheists who deny the reality of a higher power, whether named God or Spirit or whatever. If you believe in yourself as a sinner, you will act like one. The results will most likely be that you feel you do not deserve a better life and the hardships you experience are due to mistakes you have made in your relationship to God or “tests” that God gives you to prove you are a worthy person to receive His love.

On the other hand, if your beliefs are more like the potter working with the clay he shapes into his projects of art, then you will work with the understanding that God has given you every possible opportunity to succeed by providing His Infinite substance for you to shape and form by your thoughts, actions and reactions into a positive framework for living.

When the disciples of Jesus could not cast out the demon in a young boy and they came to Him asking why they could not perform the task. Jesus told them,

Your faith is too weak. I tell you this: if you have faith as a grain of
mustard-seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move hence to yonder place!” and
it will move; nothing will prove impossible for you.
-- Mat. 17:20 RSV

Jesus was not talking about the size of the mustard seed so much as He was talking about the pattern within the seed that indicated its potential to become the matured plant. In the same way, the acorn holds the pattern of the mighty oak. It is the pattern of our beliefs that determines what we are able to accomplish in our lives. That pattern is the shape of our container and the substance of God fills that shape accordingly.

In this connection I thought of persons who channel wisdom figures and it occurred to me that they present a framework or container of their understanding and that shapes the content of the information delivered. For example, Kathlyn Kingdon[1], who channels Master Djwhal Kuhl, has an extensive background in psychology, music, both as conductor and composer, and as an author and lecturer. It is natural that the information channeled from Master DK will utilize her experience, skills and vocabulary to present his lessons. In my opinion this accounts for the smoothness of the transition from Kathlyn to Master Djwhal Khul in her presentations. I must add, however, that the messages are not limited to the knowledge of the person serving as the channel. That knowledge is simply part of the framework or container through which the message is made relevant to the students.

So, what will be the shape of things to come for you? If you knew that you could decide how you wanted things to be, what would you decide? If you could go anywhere, where would you go? If you could be successful in achieving your goals, what goals would you set? You see, my friends, the shape of things to come depends on the choices you make in regard to the questions above. How you answer them begins the charting of your course. Your answers identify the container you hold out to be filled. In the final analysis this has little to do with religious doctrine. It is also more than simply positive thinking. No journey can begin without a goal and no hope can be fulfilled without the belief in the possibility.

Of course, there is always the choice for doing nothing different. You could continue to feel that things are out of your hands or that others control your decisions. I would urge you to consider the acorn and remember that you have the seed of Spirit within you. There is no limit to what you can bring forth in your life. What is required is that you believe in the possibilities and that you offer yourself as the container to be filled.


[1] See The Matter of Mind: An Explorer’s Guide To the Labyrinth of the Mind, Vajra Flame Foundation,
http://www.vajraflame.org

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.
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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

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/