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ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: The Power Is in You – Richard’s Commentary
Rosemary’s Exploration this week contained a lot of good advice. I too have the sense that there is tremendous energy for change building in the World. I think a lot of this energy build-up is from the extreme polarity that we are experiencing. Whether it is political factions (both within and between political parties), economic debates about the best way forward, religious extremism or raging debates about social issues, people seem divided into camps of widely differing views and value. This polarization is creating the environment that will force change.
And there is another source of this change energy; as Rosemary observes: “It is time to transform. We’re still feeling the effects of the 2012 energy that gave a huge boost to the transformation energy. It’s not over yet!”
Rosemary and I are going through tremendous change ourselves as we are in the midst of packing up for our move to larger space and a greater degree of freedom. With any change of this magnitude comes the combination of excitement and trepidation. The questions: is this the right thing, am I taking the right steps, can I do it, do I have the energy, can we afford it, are followed by answers: yes, this is a necessary step forward, we have the way and the means, … and in the end, we trust!
And where does that sense of trust come from? Inside!
And this is the key response that Rosemary urges: as we face the building powers that are bringing about the changes we sense, we need to go inside to find the empowerment needed to make the best choices, to decide on our next steps for forward progress.
As I’ve written before, I am completely committed to writing my “morning pages” as urged by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. I have been practicing this approach to inner work for years and for me it works very well. As I sit with my pages I move inside and let words flow up and out onto the page; I gain insight, strategies, confirmation, hope, trust…Where does this support come from? Inside, from both my self, and my Self!
If you have been reading this blog much at all you probably already know I have many practices for inner work (and outer, physical work): Qigong, Yoga, sitting meditation, breath-work, cooking (yes, I consider this a spiritual practice!) and even household chores (I enjoy doing laundry!). But when I really need answers I seek my pages and write.
I wrote in my pages this morning about the move, the strategies and logistics, the concerns and the excitement. And I ended the pages with a tremendous sense of hope and trust. Yes, this is a big change; this is a time for big changes and hope, trust, and courage. Fortunately both Rosemary and I are Leos, both born on August 2. We both have courage to spare!
MONDAY’S POEM: Devotion
Last week I wrote about our experience with Sri Karunamayi, Amma, and the Guru Purnima celebration we participated in during the July Full Moon, July 21. Her charge for the coming months is offered in her 2013 Guru Purnima message. She urges us to Bhakti, or true devotion to our Guru and the Truth. She suggests that rather than ask our Guru for favors, boons and blessings, we are to offer our Guru bhakti and seek our own Truth within, to seek the Self. With this energy in my heart I wrote the following:
Devotion
In India it is Bhakti,
Another word for worship.
What is this Heart-swell,
This sense of surrender?
Amma calls all to Bhakti!
The Holy Mother awaits response.
Hearts open out to Her,
Compel feet a step closer.
Her Lotus Feet walk a thousand.
Her surrender is complete.
What is one more step for now and
One more lesson to be learned?
There is no there to step beyond.
The path leads all within.
There is no outer self to worship.
Devotion to the Self is All.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: You can watch Amma deliver her Guru Purnima message for 2013 here!
Guru Purnima 2013
Rosemary and I spent a wonderful 20 hours in Trenton, NJ this past Sunday. We drove up from Annapolis that morning to join our friends from Colorado to celebrate the Guru, and in particular, Sri Karunamayi Vijayeshwari Devi. We have been followers of Sri Karunamayi, Amma, for years and visit her as often as we can as she travels the US on an annual tour.
The July full moon is the occasion of the celebration of the Guru and is known as Guru Purnima. It is an incredible festival in honor of all Gurus through time and our individual Gurus through our spiritual lives. We have been to several of these now and each celebration, held in a different city each year, seems grander than the last.
The Guru Purnima this year included a rare, once-in-a-life-time puja, or special honoring and offering for deities. This year Amma offered the Sahastra Linga Maha Puja as part of the Guru Purnima celebration. This Puja is conducted only once every 60 years and we were privileged enough to be in Trenton to experience it. This Puja is an offering to Shiva; 1,116 clay Shiva Lingas were used in the ritual. Words cannot describe the experience. But imagine a ritual that can clear away all karma, not only of this life-time but of all life-times!
Am I now clean, clear and ready for Enlightenment? Well, all I know is something happened in that honoring and celebration of Shiva and the Gurus. It was a magical time and the transformation energy was at a peak at the conclusion of the Puja and as we then entered the honoring ceremony. As we honored beloved Amma I also conjured all of my spiritual teachers and gurus that have helped me on my way, my path to spiritual awakening. I have been blessed by many. And they all seemed to join me during this event and were there with the 400 gathered souls to recognize and honor all Teachers.
Why is any of this important? Yesterday my comment on Rosemary’s Exploration on Self-Protection included a suggestion that we protect ourselves from misguided choices. The prescription to avoid these choices is to rely on our intuitive powers to make the choices that lead us onward and upward, on our paths to awakening. Intuition, from the Latin ‘intueri’, means “to look inside.” To use our intuition is to seek a priori knowledge to inform our choices. And this brings me to the key teaching of Amma, repeated yet again in her “Guru Purnima Message”. I have included some of her words here because they are beautiful and they are highly instructive:
Your body is not the external body, the mental body, or the intellectual body. It is the fourth body, which is the eternal Self, ultimate pure spiritual consciousness. You have to connect with your Self to unleash the light within you. Self-realization should be the ultimate goal of every human birth. How can you make progress towards that goal? Meditate.
The Holy rishis and even the gods are seen often in meditative posture. What are they meditating on? They are meditating on their own Self, the Atman, the soul. All the divine souls are merged into one. There is no discrimination for the divine soul.
Meditation is the only path to connect with the Self and attain eternal bliss. That is the path Amma wants all of Her children to follow. Once you start meditating, pride with give way to liberality; I-ness, Me-ness will give way to We-ness; selfishness will give way to selflessness. You will love everyone and hate no one. You will not criticize others but accept everyone for who they are. You will start developing faith in all religions. You will come out of your small boundaries and will be on your way to ultimate spiritual consciousness.
Meditate. Look inside. Access intuition. From that place you are completely protected from poor choice. And you step on the path to eternal bliss!
Jai Karunamayi!
Protect Yourself – Richard’s Commentary
This week’s message from The Divine Feminine was powerful, practical and personal. They are very methodical in their prescription for self-protection. Their message coupled with my recent experience with Sri Karunamayi during this weekend celebration known as Guru Purnima offers a lot of material for my posts at the end of this week. And it is all coming from theGoddess!
The Divine Feminine listed specific areas of our lives in which we need to consider ways and tools to protect ourselves:
- Protect yourself from fear
- Protect yourself from apathy
- Protect yourself from the energies of other people
- Protect yourself from negative thoughts and limiting beliefs
- Protect yourself from misguided choices
This is quite a list! Each item here deserves a separate blog post but for today and tomorrow I am going to focus on two and the related tools to protect against these negative forces that can so easily derail our good intentions.
The first area I’d like to examine in some detail is apathy. I think this force is attacking many people in this country and even the world. I don’t want to get into politics or the economy or institutional stagnation here, but let’s face it: for the most part our governments, our elected officials and our own constituency is bogged down in a state of paralysis that I believe is born out of apathy. We are stuck in a spiral of petty politics and an uncaring economic system that seems to be in steady decline. And who is out there to raise the banner of protest against this apathetic state we’ve sunk to? “Where is the Outrage?” read one blog-post recently! The so-called “middle class” is the “poster-child” now. But does anyone really care about the real middle-class?
How do we protect against apathy? The answer lies in Purpose! The Divine Feminine say we each have a Soul Purpose. We are incarnated at this particular time in history with a distinct purpose to fulfill. We are each a unique part of the Divine Plan of Love and Light. And we have a “collective purpose” as we move deeper into the 21st Century so full of potential for Divine Transformation. We all must find our purpose, and we all must commit to that purpose and live lives of purposeful action. This is the way out of apathy. Whether we, as individuals, as a community or a powerful Nation, are to move beyond ourselves and into a New World transformed by the energies of change swirling around us, is a choice; it is our choice.
How do we know what our purpose is? There are many ways. For one it is written in our hands. The blueprints for our life are with us from before birth, stored in our fingerprints; and our hand-prints show us a map, not only of where we are going but where we have been. Find someone to read your hands and reveal your purpose. Then move firmly into that purpose and away from apathy!
The second area I’d like to address is misguided choices. The Divine Feminine advise trusting our intuition and accepting the choices we make and the lessons that come with them. The choices guided by intuition take us on the path of greatest growth. But for men this is not always the easiest thing. The old cliché is to trust “women’s intuition.” But what about we men? The key here is to learn to meditate and to practice meditation as a life-long commitment. Meditation helps us get deeper in touch with our own inner selves. This is where intuition lives, inside! And I have found that the more I practice going inside to look for answers the more I can trust the answers that come.
The Divine Feminine offered very practical ways to protect ourselves from those five negative forces arrayed against our expansion of consciousness and our contribution to the evolution of human consciousness. The main key is to do the inner work to develop the self and find the True Self in the process!
PS: If you are searching for someone to reveal your Soul Purpose and read your hands, Rosemary is both highly trained and exceptionally skilled through years of experience. For more information Click Here
PPS: I will be offering more detail on meditation and developing intuition in tomorrow’s post.
MONDAY’S POEM: The Heart of Perfection
Following up on my musings of late last week I wrote this:
The Heart of Perfection
If all the little mistakes
Are lessons,
And all the little lessons
Add up to a whole
Are the mistakes
At the Heart of Perfection?
If there is a plan to the Universe,
And that Plan
Is a Plan of Perfection,
Then all the little mistakes
Add up to a whole
At the Heart of Perfection.
Let the Plan of Love and Light
Work out!
Every error, every mistake, every sin
Is a lesson;
Learned lessons add up
To the Heart of Perfection!
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
PS: Happy 30th Anniversary, Rosemary! I love you!
Perfection in the Imperfect
In yesterday’s post I told the story of my misplaced sunglasses and my frustration/anger/lesson/awareness/self-love/love development. I am still processing this as a real opportunity for insight and growth. The day after I found the glasses I wrote this in my pages:
It is a better day today because I found my sunglasses. I know, it’s silly to have spent so much emotional energy on this little thing. And when did they turn up? After I had let them go, let go of all that emotional energy, accepted the loss and the lesson and put a good face on the rest of the day. And there is even a deeper lesson in the outcome: accept the lessons as soon as they arise with their teachings! Don’t spend the emotional capital on these small things. Save it, store it. This is true awareness.
Practice Awareness! This leads to perfection. Above all stay in the energy of Love as much and as often as possible. This is the true perspective and the true path to the Tao.
Whether the sunglasses turned up or were gone forever is immaterial. The lesson is the true and best outcome here. The first priority is Practice->Love. This is the Ultimate Way. And the Penultimate is Awareness->Perfection. The first leads to the second. Of course there is a tight feedback loop through all of this. Practice goes to awareness and perfection and Love – the end of it all. But the persistence in the practice comes from Love too. And the awareness comes from Love and practice. It is all tightly woven and I have much to continue to learn and bring to Perfection.
This whole notion of Perfection is a sticky one, especially for an Enneagram Type 1! OK, the Universe is already perfect. It is a whirling mass of delightful energy with an incredible force of Consciousness driving it. Call it Qi, call it the Tao, the Collective Consciousness of the All, Source, God/Goddess. It is perfect in its creation and its evolution. This is a key understanding. This does not mean that I am perfect, that everything I do is perfect. It does mean that there is no imperfection in Creation. It means that all the imperfections somehow blend into a perfect set of lessons for us all and we learn them to lead to the Ultimate Perfection of the Plan for the Universe. Somehow our mistakes are correcting over the long haul. They are necessary to spur and guide the evolution of consciousness.
The secret here is acceptance. It’s one thing to realize this at some level, to write about it intellectually, to think it through and see the logic of it. It is quite another thing to live by the rule: All imperfections are necessary to form the Perfect Whole. There is an implicit acceptance here that is required to the fulfillment of the Perfection – Prajna Paramita!
This is the Heart of Perfection. Acceptance: acceptance of the form and formlessness, the empty limitlessness, the mistakes, illness, old age, death – all part of the Heart of Perfect Wisdom – Prajna Paramita!
Is this the Buddha’s real meaning in the Heart Sutra, that all the imperfections in the world, all the suffering, all the strife are all part of a greater Perfect Whole? Acceptance, surrender, is the pivot point of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. And how can there be anything left after that surrender but pure Love?
Peace and blessings!
Love and Life Purpose – Richard’s Commentary
The heart of the message from The Divine Feminine channeled by Rosemary for this week’s Mystic Message is:
The work of the enlightened ones and all spiritual students who wish to support the evolution of human consciousness is to spread the high vibration energy of Love into the energy grid of the Planet. This energy attracts assistance from other realms to amplify the energy on Earth.
I would like to think I am a “spiritual student” and certainly wish to support the evolution of human consciousness. And yet I seem to fail so often in so many ways! Or do I? Here’s this week’s story:
I “lost” my sunglasses. They happen to be an expensive pair that I like; I’ve had them for several years and have taken very good care of them. My first reaction when I lose something is to begin a frantic search. Searching with no results leads to frustration. The longer the search the greater the frustration. And when the long search is fruitless, frustration turns easily to anger.
The anger is self-directed. I am at fault for misplacing/losing the sunglasses. I am further at fault for wasting all the energy in the search, then the frustration, then the anger. And though the anger is self-directed, it is not necessarily self-contained. It spills over through a bad mood. Everyone around me experiences my loss!
After much consternation a night passes without their appearance. My temper is vented in my “morning pages” and through writing out the story a perspective begins to emerge: this is a small loss, my frustration and anger are over-blown, there is a lesson here, the Mystic Message this week is about Love, beginning with self-love.
Ah ha; there can be no love without first loving one’s self. And self-directed anger over small errors is the antithesis of self-love. Directing this anger-energy into the grid of the planet is the antithesis of what a “spiritual student” needs to strive for; and it likely “attracts assistance from other realms” that I would rather not attract!
The trouble is I’m an Enneagram type 1, “The Perfectionist.” And I really struggle with this pervasive characteristic, or motivation in myself. Sometimes it is a harsh, unforgiving task-master riding on my shoulders. I want things, events and people to be correct, to go the right way, to be smooth and cooperative, to follow rules…to be perfect. And when things, events, people go awry, I too easily move to anger. And where is the love in that?
There are many lessons in this story. The main one I choose to take away today is one of “awareness.” And I am practicing this lesson, it seems, on a moment-to-moment basis (and maybe that’s the point!). It is time to become fully aware, moment-to-moment!
A few days ago I offered the story of Tenno and his umbrella. Did he get angry with himself when he failed to answer Master Nan-in’s question about placement of his umbrella? No. He simply surrendered to his need for more study and practice – 10 years more!
After writing these thoughts down in my “morning pages” the day after my loss, I felt better. I accepted the lesson and my imperfection. I realized my anger-energy was pointless and wasted, maybe even damaging! I let go of the sunglasses. They had served me well; it was time to move on. It was time to practice love!
That evening I found the sunglasses, buried in a chair I had been using. My relief tangled with my realization that I had learned another (again) lesson on love. If I had started with love, even self-love for attracting a valuable lesson, I would have saved myself a lot of time and dark energy, and maybe I would have found my sunglasses earlier in the day!
I remain a “spiritual student.”
ROSEMARY’S EXPLORATION: Love and Life Purpose
This message is from The Divine Feminine as they continue instructing us on our role in the evolution of human consciousness.
“Dear Ones,
The most important energy that can be activated on Planet Earth to counteract negativity is the opening of the heart centers of individuals. Each person who opens their heart to shine the light of Love energy into the Planet will have more power than anything else they can do.
Fear shuts down heart energy because the human response to fear is to erect an armor that protects the heart from harm. Even the fear of physical harm starts with protecting the heart. Allowing yourself to feel fear for long periods of time or allowing fear to grow and deepen moves your energy away from the heart energy of Love.
Love conquers fear. Love of self protects one from the negative effects of fear. Love for self engenders Love for others and protects one from fear.
Finding one’s tribe of like-minded loving individuals also protects one from the effects of fear, for there truly is strength in numbers. Around the world you are seeing groups of individuals coming together to rise up against fear by saying, ‘No more!’
Their choice, however, is often to express the energy of violence rather than the energy of Love. This does not advance the evolution of human consciousness.
Many who are stuck in old consciousness see violence as the only choice in response to fear. They also choose violence as the agent of change when they wish to enlist the support of groups who are susceptible to the power of fear. Spreading the concepts of ‘hatred’ and ‘otherness’ powerfully instills fears in those who resonate at the lower vibrational frequencies.
What you will see in coming days are deepening clashes between the powers of Love and the powers of Greed.
Political parties have devolved from representing the people to representing greed. There is little room for caring and Love in the politics of nations around the world. Even those nations that are grounded in deep spirituality are succumbing to the energies of Greed-Fear-Violence.
The work of the enlightened ones and all spiritual students who wish to support the evolution of human consciousness is to spread the high vibration energy of Love into the energy grid of the Planet. This energy attracts assistance from other realms to amplify the energy on Earth.
The energy of Love must first be felt for self. This is not abstract; it is very specific and demands that each person is to love all elements of self at this present moment, including any challenges or circumstances in life. From this Love can spread a love of others exactly as they are in this present moment. Then the Love energy can be sent into Earth’s energy grid.
Love of self includes love of and expression of each individual’s Soul Purpose for this incarnation, for that is how the Universe’s Plan for humanity can work out.
One problem at this time is the vast number of people who are not focusing their energy on living their purpose. This is the first step toward saving humanity from possible destruction. Each individual is responsible for discerning their Soul Purpose and manifesting that in the world.
Many people are waiting for some external force to ‘fix things’ in their life. This stagnant, waiting energy creates a void to fill that invites in those who would dominate with ‘power over’ energy. The protection from this ‘power over’ one is to become empowered within oneself.
Personal empowerment starts with self-love and acceptance that couples with a focusing of energy on living one’s Soul Purpose. As more humans embrace this and become empowered, the Light in the world will increase and will spread to counteract greed and violence.
Until the day when those who are sleeping wake up, however, each individual must take responsibility for their own life. When you are living your purpose, others will be inspired by your life to discover and to live their purpose.
And so it is.”
PS: Soul Purpose – a key to living a life of conscious evolution and empowerment! Do you know your Soul Purpose? That information is encoded in your hands, specifically your fingerprints. Through Scientific Hand Analysis your Purpose and many other “blueprints” for your life can be revealed! Learn More Here
MONDAY’S POEM: Vital Force
The feeling of Qigong:
Vital Force
Formlessness
Empty force
Breathing in
Deep down
Belly out
Rootedness
Feet connect
Bubbling spring
Qi rises
Radiating upward
Earth offers.
Root chakra seals
Lower Tan T’ien stores
Energy forms
Prana expands
Heart opens
Expression flows
Mind merges
Vision extends
Crown reaches
Heavenly Love.
Humans link
Heaven and Earth
Form and formless
Eternally One.
©2013 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.
Freedom and Energy – Richard’s Commentary
Rosemary concludes her comments on the Mystic Message, posted her yesterday, by stating:
Freedom and energy – intimately connected and your choice!
We are always about choice! That’s the great thing about being human, and as I wrote last week in remembering what the 4th of July celebration is all about, it is our freedom to choose that makes us unique; unique as Americans in this 21st Century and unique as human beings on this planet, Earth. We are free to choose to remain just as we are, whether that’s “stuck” in some place of comfort and security or launching on yet another adventure to see how far the next road takes us. We can choose to remain complacent or we can screw up our courage and take a new path, set our sights on a new vision.
Rosemary and I will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of our marriage on July 22nd. Just the other day, July 9th, we remembered our first meeting…40 years ago! I haven’t consulted Rosemary yet; we actually renew our commitment to “another year” on our anniversary. But I already know what my answer to the question is! After 40 years of adventure why would I choose to get off the road and settle for the easy track?
I know I have the energy. And I know I have my purpose still challenging me to “get on with it!” Hey, I am building more Qi every day, breathing life and vitality into my Tan T’ien, balancing my chakras, keeping fit and healthy for the continuing journey ahead!
And well you may wonder about all of this! If you’ve been following Rosemary and/or me for any length of time you know the depth of understanding she offers. If you read this blog, her weekly newsletter, published for over four years now without missing a beat, you know the richness of her material, the serious commitment she has to her purpose and the vibrant community she and I are building. You may even have a taste of her sources, The Source, the incredible reach she has to the many dimensions she hears, sees and senses with all of her being. The clarity of her access and the purity of her channel are unquestioned.
I choose to remain on this path with Rosemary, this highway of adventure in all realms of our existence, from the simple physical life on Earth to the travels through multiple dimensions to other worlds where we encounter other beings, angels, guides, loved ones who have died, both recently and long ago. No door seems to be closed to her loving curiosity and her gentle questions. Teachers come to her to guide both her and all of humanity, those with the openness to listen, to be with her as she seeks.
You too may choose this experience. It takes an open mind, curiosity and even a little courage to seek out what Rosemary can reveal. Some people have come to her with doubt, trepidation, even undisguised skepticism. None have left without receiving confirmation that Rosemary offers wisdom, comfort, guidance and insight from The Other Side.
I am not writing this post as an ad for Rosemary, but as a tribute to our decades together and the wisdom she has brought to me. I have received many messages over the years through Rosemary from what we call The Other Side. This is our simplified name for the many dimensions Rosemary reaches. It is as if the normal three or four dimensions we live in melt before her “gaze” and the past, future, extra-terrestrial, angelic realms, and the after-life open to her. She not only brings guidance and wisdom through from these extra-dimensional “places”, she even dialogs with guides and answers questions participants in her conversations bring.
Events with Rosemary are educational, enlightening, transformative and even fun. We laugh with loved ones who have passed but are having a grand time on the other side. We marvel at some of the advice from historical figures. We wonder at the teachings of future beings as they reveal how important our lives now are to them, then!
And now you have a choice! You too can participate in a Conversation with The Other Side with Rosemary as she shares messages specifically for you brought to you by your guides, your angels, your loved ones who have crossed over. It is as easy as dialing a phone or clicking a link on your computer. If you are lucky enough to be in the Annapolis, Maryland area you can even attend in person!
Your next opportunity is Saturday, July 13 at 7:00 pm Eastern time. And this is the bargain of a life-time at $55 for the entire event, two hours of teaching with personal messages for everyone.
But don’t wait too long. Limited space is available; everyone gets a message so only 12 people attend.
And in case you wonder how all this works, we have posted sample messages on Rosemary’s website; these were messages for me channeled through Rosemary at our last event in June. You can watch Rosemary in action here.
Tomorrow, Saturday, July 13, 7:00 pm Eastern. It’s your choice, if you have the energy!
PS: Ready to register? Click Here
Men and The Goddess 