Category Archives: Spirit

The Christian Meaning of Enlightenment

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In “The Christian Meaning of Enlightenment”, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr gives a Catholic perspective on western faith and the loss of its non-dual perspective. He refers to his teaching as a “Franciscan alternative orthodoxy.” He makes many excellent points though I’d disagree experiencing a “unitive” experience once will do the job. It may certainly change one’s perspective. But actual non-duality is not an experience. It is a lived reality with the resulting seeing he speaks of. For example, he spoke about us not having the software to see – right after making a statement about the exclusive uniqueness of Christianity … Continue Reading… →

Death is But a Dream

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Death is But a Dream is the title of a new film expected to be released late next year. Scientists in Buffalo have been doing formal research on late life dreams and their correlation with death. “End of life dreams & visions tend to consist of seeing deceased relatives and pets. Often times these visions have themes of travel or preparing to travel somewhere with a loved one.”   “Nurses are able to predict someones death based on what the individual is dreaming of.” On YouTube I’ve written on the subject several times, partly driven by my own experiences with friends … Continue Reading… →

Endless

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There never was a time when I was not, nor you, nor these rulers of men. Nor will there ever be a time when all of us shall cease to be. — Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, verse 12 You don’t end. Who you are beneath the noise of the world is eternal. This body and mind you are experiencing the world through come and go, over and over. But what some have called the soul does not end. It does not become fragmented or fractured. We first know it as pure being, the sense of I Am. We may well lose … Continue Reading… →

On Channeling

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In a discussion on another forum on some channeled material, I was asked what I mean by channelling and why I had issues with it. I thought it useful to share my response here. OK – the basics of what I’d call “channeling”. Essentially an astral being takes over a person to some degree. The person may be conscious but often is not. They use the person to communicate or write their message to other humans. Hence the human is a “channel” for their message. Part of spiritual progress is increasing the integration of mind, body and spirit. However, channeling … Continue Reading… →

Can Lower Life Forms Become Enlightened?

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This is from a debate over the title subject. A little more speculative than usual. Edited for context. It’s an interesting consideration. We tend to take a human-centric view of it, seeing ourselves at the top of the food chain and having the necessary equipment to sustain enlightenment. The way I describe the unfolding of stages of enlightenment is for humans. And for humans in the current age. In a golden age, most everyone experiences life as-if enlightened, but it’s the group consciousness that is sustaining that so eventually when the actual numbers drop, the age ends. Some describe a … Continue Reading… →

The Hero’s Journey

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Recently I watched the film Finding Joe, an overview of the Hero’s Journey. This journey is a summation of the worlds great myths, as presented by the late Joseph Campbell. The Star Wars film series was developed using this model and you can certainly see the influence on many of today’s blockbusters. The Hero’s Journey is the spiritual quest. “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons … Continue Reading… →

The Divine and Attachment

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The response I gave my friend, as quoted on NonDuality and the Divine, brought some further questions. In section 2 I said “Subtle beings are literal thought-forms that are entirely pliable to intention.” He wanted to clarify this. My response, edited for this context. When it’s not the experience, I fully understand how the idea of subtle beings can seem imaginary and illusory. In a sense, subtle beings are made of the stuff of dreams but they exist distinct from personal dreams and can be known in waking state. In the cosmic sense, they are thought-forms in the cosmic mind. … Continue Reading… →

What Does it Mean to be Spiritual?

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Firstly, I’d suggest being spiritual and being ethical are distinct. An atheist can be ethical, for example. Also, if a spiritual person moves from one country to another, they may have to learn a few new local ethical standards. They vary. Secondly, I would not say someone is “spiritual” because they have concepts or belief about being spiritual. That’s driven by mind and inherently ego and does not lead to ethical behaviour. Ego is self-serving and will behave “spiritually” or ethically if it thinks it personally appropriate. Going to church or reading spiritual books does not make a person spiritual … Continue Reading… →

The Risen Christ

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I heard a talk last Sunday on Palm Sunday and Easter. The talk of the risen Christ reminded me of how some people use the term Ascension. It’s a word I generally avoid as people use it to mean quite a few different things. But in it’s highest meaning, it is the awakening of the body, the physical as cosmic. While in previous stages of development we have awoken to pure Being and the divine, gradually that awakeness moves forward (down) into all layers of experience. First we become cosmic on the level of consciousness, then, with the shift to … Continue Reading… →

The (fake) Priest Who Met God

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A Catholic priest from Massachussetts was officially dead for more than 48 minutes before medics were able to miraculously re-start his heart has revealed a shocking revelation that will change everything you once believed… The 71-year-old cleric Father John Micheal O’neal claims he went to heaven and met God, which he describes as a warm and comforting motherly figure… The elderly man claims that he has clear and vivid memories of what happened to him while he was dead. He describes a strange out-of-body experience, experiencing an intense feeling of unconditional love and acceptance, as well as being surrounded by … Continue Reading… →

Stages of Clearing (Part 5)

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In prior articles, I’ve outlined the stages described in the Bhagavad Gita on how we become conscious of karma, the energy of action and how we’re responding to events. At first, we become aware after the fact, after we’ve reacted and the deed is done. We have a doh! moment and perhaps a mess to clean up. Then we begin to become aware during the reaction. At this point we can’t stop it but may be able to correct where it’s going. Finally, we become aware at the first impulse to react. Then we have a choice. Do I follow … Continue Reading… →

Calling Grace (Part 4)

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One of the more interesting aspects of Nancy Shipley Rubin‘s recent workshop was on Grace. In most spiritual traditions we are essentially culturing the ground (body, emotions, mind) and waiting for that moment of grace to descend for healing and/or awakening. Some may think their practices will “get them enlightened” but this misses what enlightenment is. It is not the me or person that is enlightened. And it is not anything we do. It arises from Grace, from beyond even consciousness. But what if you could call on Grace? What if Grace was also a creation field you could call … Continue Reading… →