I ask the question often these days, “what is happening here in our country in these last years?” One of the expressions I find accurate and darkly humorous at the same time is, “The country is having a nervous breakdown!” Many believe our foundations are failing. There’s nobody to look to for leadership. Capitalism or materialism fails to take care of us. And we are left with great fear. And fear freaks us out!

Certainly, the Bush years promoted reactionary fear-based responses. Greed became ever more frequent as the ego said, “I have to get mine!” Our deep, core issues of separation/judgment increasingly polarized our interpersonal relationships and in extension, have created the most political polarization that we’ve seen in a long time. Fear also summons deep karmic themes from the inner darkness. It’s that first chakra survival theme that’s kicked into full expression. When the threats of losing one’s home, or not being able to care for one’s family, the result is we lose our sense of groundedness. The ego is threatened severely. Add to that the mass consciousness of this collective triggering of deep emotional energies, we will often project blame outward. President Obama becomes the target. Government becomes the target. And all of us that have acted unskillfully, or that have expressed our fears in harmful ways transfer/project those karmic responsibilities onto those that are “supposed” to take care of us. It becomes their failure, not ours. So we fire them and bring in a new collection of political hopefuls. It will not solve the deep issues underlying our collective neurosis.

In the sixties we had a similar astrological t-square configuration with Saturn-Uranus-Pluto. It was a time of war, revolution against the establishment, and innovation that changed our consciousness. A new spirituality emerged, especially in the west, when Eastern spirituality began to interface with western beliefs.  From India, Japan and China ancient knowledge was re-formulated for western audiences. I see it as a seeding of new ideas, new techniques of inner discovery, a catalyst that sparked fertilization of new spiritual possibilities. Out of the darkness of fear came a revolution that changed all of us. I believe that the current heavenly t-square configuration is catalyzing in the same ways. It is taking us through another revolution against the establishment. This time led by the right-wing. Fear is still the big issue. Fundamentalism is always pushed toward more extremism when fear is paramount. If there is a sense of threat to one’s belief system, one’s religious life, or to the status quo, there will be an active defense put into motion. Change becomes dangerous to the ego. The ego’s job is to defend one’s sense of self-definition: to maintain control of who I think I am and my personal reality. However, the soul may have a different agenda. The soul does not care about your belief system, it only cares about that growth-experience that moves you to liberation. For that matter, all of our souls are putting us through these times and these opportunities to help us learn how to care for ourselves and each other so we can come home again. If that means to enlightenment or back home to God/dess, then the inner work must accomplish that goal. As in the sixties, growth-producing innovation can become grounded in available forms. At this time in history there is more spiritual knowledge available than ever before, more schools of the soul, more techniques for inner work, and many competent, inspired teachers. In the midst of revolution, pathways of healing and transformation are available.

If we adopt the belief that God/dess is greater than human beings can conceive and that we may not always understand or agree with the mysterious journey we are passing through, we are asked to pay attention in the midst of our incomprehension. To keep the awareness open and to the best of our ability, to strive for non-attachment to the dramas we experience. To cultivate a faith in Spirit that keeps the spiritual energy in motion which will act like a compass to navigate the storms. There is inherent meaning on this journey through our lives. There is inherent meaning in our personal roles and in those relationships we have chosen willingly or unwillingly. There is inherent meaning is our being. By taking time to dwell within, that meaning will permeate your awareness and more easily be demonstrated in your life. This is one critical function that helps to ground us to our beingness. When we are grounded, fear cannot pull us out of the present moment into the uncertain future. Fear loses it’s power over us. Change is no longer a threat. The ego relaxes somewhat, transcendence becomes more spontaneous, and we come home to ourselves.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to come back to ourselves. We give thanks for the mystery. We give thanks for our lives and all of those that have served us for our betterment which includes everyone. Because we are all in this moment together, as One, as that collective force that has a profound intelligence to move us toward Liberation. May we bow our heads and open to That and give heartfelt thanks.

OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,

Rick Phillips

Life can be seen as a learning process, like going to school. This long journey is one of earned evolution and transformation. Difficulties arise; these are trials that test what we have learned and, those areas that need more work are tested further. We call them opportunities for growth. These stumbling blocks are our emotional issues that we have not quite mastered yet. Themes like judgment, anger, fear, intolerance, and all those other sticky, repetitive, overshadowing energies that we can’t seem to shake loose from our lives. Sometimes these feelings become quite dark; we lose the light of clear consciousness and these energies take us over producing a drama of pain and suffering. It is usually certain that they become harmful. The more overshadowing they become, the more we fail to see the lesson structured within them. They are assured to come back again and again until we “get it.” Then the dawn of realization arrives with a deeper grasp of the purpose and perfection of what that emotional issue was all about.

But there is another piece of this artful process. Do we have the ability to let the dramatic energies release their grip on our emotional body? This “letting go” process is a necessary step in our personal growth. We must find some degree of resolution in the difficulty, and feel the energetic release of the drama, past and present, with a feeling of freedom for the future.

In my experience of true healing, both personally and professionally, the greatest virtue in service to our liberation from past attachment is the energy of forgiveness. This is undoubtedly a profound healing spiritual energy. It has the ability to free us from the attachments to the past. Whenever there is a drama full of pain and suffering, the themes of separation and judgment will be in play. If I’m hurt by someone’s words or behavior, or I have hurt someone in a moment of confusion or fear, my emotional body reacts. Also, I may have harmed myself through the viciousness of my own self-judgment. In every case, separation has occurred. Hopefully I notice the distance increasing between myself and the other and take corrective action. But usually, the defenses are activated, barriers are created, and judgment is imminent. Judgment furthers the separation and erodes the sense of connection I had with the other, along with the ability to communicate from our hearts. This is the fertile ground of emotional drama and it creates a situation that my ego feels justified holding onto. This is where that feeling of holding a grudge comes from. It is the ego-certainty that I am right and the other is wrong. Sometimes the loss of trust in a relationship or loss of our sense of safety will reinforce our polarized, opposing position. The ego uses any trick in the book to maintain the separation and perpetuate the drama. This is one of the most unfortunate tendencies that human beings possess. Therefore, our tendency toward polarization and the dramatization of life must be a powerful lesson for all of us to learn.

Spiritually, we have within us that Inner Knowing which is always available, (though we may doubt it), which can provide the opportunity and pathway to a way through these dilemmas of our stuck ego. The spiritual virtues are energies that are specific remedies for our low-vibration attachments. Forgiveness is that specific vibration that neutralizes the separation and judgment in our life. When I forgive, I let go. When I forgive, the energy moves again and I am no longer stuck to what happened before. When I forgive, my heart opens again to its essential nature and I feel peace. I return to a state of nature which acknowledges our inter-connection and interdependence. We play roles for each other; even unconsciously we are part of the teaching. Spirit moves us around in each other’s life as part of the grand theater of evolution. Forgiveness comes when we sense this purposefulness. The blessing of forgiveness comes to move us across boundaries to embrace life more fully.

Forgiveness is not a mental choice. It is an emotional healing. I may think I should forgive but that isn’t going to create genuine forgiveness. My heart is the source of forgiveness. It comes by itself in its own time, when the timing is right. It comes in the midst of an expansion of consciousness. As I watch the clients go through their processes, some gracefully and others with angst, I notice that time is needed to effectively release the blocks that allows forgiveness to be possible.

One aspect of forgiveness that many people misunderstand is the idea that when I forgive that somehow I’m trying to forget what has occurred, condoning the act, or in some way, “giving in.” This is not the case. Forgiveness is not a form of victimization or self-sacrifice. Its dignity lies in the fact that forgiveness is an act of strength which purifies the heart of the heaviness of past suffering. I can disagree with what may have happened and at the same time free myself from its associated burden. Spiritual energies, such as forgiveness, elevate the consciousness. We manifest a new point of view; one that brings more clarity. From that point of view there is no need to punish another or ourselves any longer. My heart is free.

A Forgiveness Prayer

Dear Sweet Spirit,

Please remind me of your mercy,

Help me to see that I am forgiveness,

That I have the divine power to let go of past suffering.

Forgiveness is that elegant healing that brings me back home.

As I forgive, separation dissolves,

As I forgive, I experience unity once again,

As I forgive, love gently arises.

I feel this blessing with such gratitude.

Rick Phillips

When I can forgive, others will follow.

If I can forgive, then God must be as merciful.

Forgiveness and Mercy are spiritual energies; energetic, independent of Mind.

Forgiveness  releases the past, mercy is a present way of life.

As I forgive, the universe releases the pain of judgment.

As I forgive, separation dissolves.

As I forgive, I come into the eternal moment.

As I forgive, God can be known.

To Love God, I must love myself.

To Love God, I must first forgive myself.

My inability to forgive, is my inability to know love.

Forgiveness releases the past veil of lost love.

Love is God.  Forgiveness returns me to love.

To be unconditional in loving is the highest acknowledgment of Oneness.

True forgiveness is unconditional.

Forgiveness acknowledges the perfection of the past, present and future.

Forgiveness returns us to peace.

Here are some suggestions for enriching the experience during the process of a guided meditation:

A guided meditation can be facilitated in a number of ways. You can read the meditation yourself, you can record the meditation in your own voice and play it back while you listen with your eyes closed, or have someone else read it to you. Regardless of how you use the meditation, you need to create an optimum environment to go within and flow with the process. Any meditation requires proper intention and mindfulness to the details of what is happening. Create the sacred space and prepare the way to transcend the superficial world.

As the meditation begins we take a few minutes to settle down, to let go of any mental constraints and begin to return to clarity of mind. As we proceed, the consciousness will begin to be stimulated by the key words in the meditation. Through the words, and the energies associated with them, you will be affected depending on your receptivity, your relationship with those energies, and the expansiveness of your imagination.

Receptivity is an open mind. It is a state of non-judgment, a curious or interested state that allows the energies to touch you and the willingness to see what happens and where the flow of energy may take you. Your relationship to various energies, for example, your relationship to spiritual virtues such as love, bliss, creativity, compassion, etc., will be amplified in the altered state of consciousness of meditation. If I am receptive, and my consciousness is expanded, energies will catalyze the flow of attention as I am pulled inward. The deeper I go, the more manifest the energies will become. We will feel them more clearly; we will surrender into their teachings, their stories. These experiences will then begin to be led by a spiritual power beyond our routine ego state of being. What at first seems to be “making it up,” unfolds into a more spontaneous imagination that is guided from deep within. Don’t worry that you are “making it up.” Be creative, be easy, and soon you will notice it is going all by itself. You, the ego, is left behind and some other part of you is creating the experience. It could be a channeling, but it usually is the Higher Self that’s running the show. You may notice that it can be the best show in town! But be patient, practice always improves our skill to allow the process to unfold and evolve.

After the meditation, spend some time contemplating what happened. What was the purpose of the experience? What did you learn? How does the symbolism of the experiences relate to your life? How did it feel, and what does the energy of that feeling offer you? There are so many possibilities here, but don’t become overly analytical. The benefit comes in the experience that you were given and it can continue to unfold for some time afterwards. Be mindful and be aware to where you are being led. Enjoy!

My Facilitator made a comment that maybe I should give “God” a little more opening to intervene in these situations. I then realized that when I go into control I shut the door to Divine guidance. When my ego gets tough it’s like a dog with a bone, no surrender is possible and the path becomes rigidly defined. My control mode excludes all but my arrogant ego belief that I know best and that I will make this situation the way I want it to be. Of course, that rarely happens, and then I’m left with a whole host of emotions, disappointment or anger, discouragement or frustration, and the need to project my blame somewhere. It gets messy. So the realization that my control issue was exclusionary to that Spirit that is so beloved was a potent wake-up call.

To make a long story short, I committed myself to consciously opening myself to the possibility that in times of difficulty and challenge I could turn to my Spirit and ask for guidance, help, or a sense of being with that important moment that life was bringing me into. The concept is not new and is not difficult for me; it fits with my personal philosophy. But sometimes we peel the onion a few more layers deeper as we receive another chance to refine the karmic possibility. It is usually the behavior part that is challenging. A habituated behavior is hard to re-program. It takes practice, witnessing the story playing out again and again, seeing that this desired approach actually is a viable and a beneficial alternative. So my practice began and sure enough I had ample opportunity to change my default setting of control. For the most part, in the real world of “great responsibility,” I must say things improved. Then something really interesting happened.

It is summer 2010 now, and every summer Deva hosts our Creativity for Peace Camp. This program is my wife’s co-creation; Rachel founded it about 10 years ago after 9/11. We bring Israeli and Palestinian teenage girls here to Devaland to tell their stories, process their issues, open new possibilities of dialogue in an age-old legacy of conflict. The girls live here, sleep together, eat together, do art together, and witness personal transformation together. (see www.creativityforpeace.com)

Two days into the camp on a Saturday night, with 29 people living here on the land, Rachel woke me up at 11pm to tell me that there was no water. Immediately I’m triggered, “Don’t tell me that!” My mind is going through all the possibilities, a broken water pipe, electrical failure; the well pump has broken… I get in my car and drive down to the well house and search around for the problem but cannot find anything obviously wrong, except the pump isn’t working. Because the responsibility of the land and houses is mine, you can imagine everything going through my mind: “I’m going to have to move the girls to a motel…how long will it take to get a new pump and find somebody to install it?…” Later as I returned to bed with my mind in a whirlwind, I realized this must be a test. I passed the easy tests over the last few weeks, but this was on another level of intensity. The next morning at daybreak I’m back in the well house trying to determine what to do. “I need help!” I dig out the yellow-pages and call for assistance. The guy shows up promptly takes a look at the situation and says he can’t help me. He offers to call some pump technicians, but being Sunday, no one answers. I say thank you… and he drives off.

So I’m standing there partly in awe of the situation, processing the complexity of emotion, the significance of my recent work on my control issues, my responsibility issues, and almost every issue known to humankind running through my consciousness. And I hear my inner voice clearly reminding me to ask Spirit for help. Not that I had not already done that, but now I noticed that there had always been more than a touch of doubt in my communication. I had actually worked on that in my session: the feeling that I don’t like people complaining, pleading, demanding, putting their order into the “God-service” and expecting immediate results. My feeling has always been, “take some personal responsibility!” But in the session I realized that I needed to take it to another level where the separation between ego and Higher Self was dissolved into that unity and wholeness that we truly are. It is not an act of demanding to a being outside of you, but an act of manifestation of our inner infinite possibility. The other part that was important for me was to surrender the sticky attachment of need that this situation was exposing emotionally within me. The test/teaching, which was so apparent, must have catalyzed something within me because as I’m standing there by the well house suddenly I hear the well pump switch on as if nothing at all was wrong. There was a brief moment of disbelief and then a dawning of clarity. Synchronicity in all its cosmic proportion, that “aha” moment as my Higher Self kicks me in the butt saying, “see what a little faith can do for you! We did this together.” And…we haven’t had any more water problems.

I believe that behavioral change can occur in many ways, sometimes slow, sometimes quickly. Usually for me, it takes some practice, a lot of reflection, and more practice. But this time a touch of grace sorts it out with such elegance that all I can do is bow down in humble gratitude and say “thank you, I’m learning.”

Rick Phillips

Prepare for meditation.

Come to your breath. Let the breath be normal, comfortable and just follow the breath with your attention.

Now bring the attention to the Kidney 1 point in the sole of the foot. Feel the foot chakra there at the bottom of both your feet. From those points connect energetically deep into the earth,

Connect to Mother Earth.

Your physical body, rooted to Mother Earth now transforms into a beautiful, magical tree. Imagine this tree, feel this tree take form around you.

The Tree expands, larger and larger, more magnificent as it unfolds itself. It becomes a refuge for the birds & butterflies, the squirrels… all creatures find refuge in your tree. Feel the joy and purpose of opening your branches to all life.

Your tree nourishes all that come into your branches.

And through you, the Goddess nourishes all, invites all, rejuvenates all.

Feel the tree continuing to grow, so much that now the tree branches reach out into the universe.

And you continue to invite all beings, all entities, from every corner of the universe to your branches of cosmic proportion.

And all find refuge & sanctuary, connected to you and the Goddess.

Feel the joy of the Goddess in giving and sharing this magical tree of life.

And, of course, feel the transcendental and all-encompassing love.

(Silence)

Now we shift the point of view…

You are now out in deep space, in the void, the black.

There are only faint points of light in the far distance. The black void is what surrounds you.

You are alone and separate, just floating in empty space… Feel that with all your mindfulness, even though it may be uncomfortable…

And then you notice a light in the far distance that is growing in intensity.

And then, the light seems to be sending you a call, to you personally. It’s an invitation to you to pay attention and connect.

This light grows brighter and clearer, and you see that it is not a star but a divine tree radiating all the colors of the rainbow.

This radiant tree is calling for connection and it’s energy is so attractive that it is natural to open to its all-encompassing love.

Feel that connection.

And as you connect you notice that you accelerate to it. The  connection is ever so solid which dissolves the aloneness and separation.

This divine tree is radiant with life and love, a feeling of fullness in this beautiful presence.

You spontaneously come into its inviting branches like a child into its Mother’s arms.

You feel at home in the embrace of the Goddess.

She is so happy to have you here, you are so happy to be connected again.

Feel the fulfillment.

Be in that. (Silence)

Now you deepen further.

You move from the branches to the center of the tree, into the trunk of the tree.

You move deeper, from the trunk to the roots.

You move deeper from the roots to the heart and soul of the divine tree into the present Goddess within, and further into Her essence.

She is formless, she is beyond time and space, beyond the form, even beyond the energy.

Omnipresent, always available, she’s here in the silence.

Be with her. (silence)

From the Goddess, she desires to create. The spark of life is created in her womb. The flicker of light unfolds and becomes the powerful flame of life.

The Divine Child is created. This Divine Child is you, born of the Mother Goddess, born of the Tree of Life, born of the infinite cosmos, born in the sacred silence of the Divine Intention.

Feel yourself forming from the source of love within all of this.

You are born into this body here today.

We have many bodies. You now have been given a new body as a gift from the Divine.

Feel it in your body.

Today give it expression, express your new beginning, your new life.

You have an opportunity today. Won’t it be exciting to see what you will do with it?

(Silence)

Namaste

Let go of what you have heard or read about God. The god of less enlightened ages; the stern, judgmental patriarch. Let go of your programming for just a moment and imagine…

The I Ching, the Chinese Book of Changes, gives us a prediction; it says that since the creation in this universe, 15 Billion years ago, time has given us a vector of evolution that is of increasing novelty and away from habit. We are moving toward an epiphany of unimaginable perfection, power, and fulfillment only momentarily dreamed of before. A time when the creative force breaks free from the habits of non-transcendence. We accelerate off the scale into infinite consciousness.

Can you imagine God, not of the scriptural type, but as a force located in the future that pulls us toward Itself. Pulls us toward s the Light of Lights, pulls us into that consciousness of who we truly are, into the awareness of our perfection. But not just as souls finishing a long journey and happy to finally rest, but pulling our reality, our world to how it could and should be. An unlimited life in a universe of all possibilities.

Can you imagine a time when:

-You live life not of separation but oneness?

-You live days free of judgment, of any kind?

-You perceive the God within all dimensions of life and you consciously feel the link to that God-love.

-A time where love and compassion rule your conduct with yourself and others.

-That pain, if there, does not interfere or block your vision and feeling of the Divine.

-The awareness that the fear is gone, where nothing blocks your way.

-A time when love brings you and keeps you in a state of communion.

-When the chakras are open, with no block, all in perfect communication.

-A time when the senses and intuition open you to the clarity to view the Beauty.

-That your family has also achieved this experience and vision with you, where you share this consciousness, your children are free to live this dream come true. And where your ancestors also are free to celebrate this time of heaven on earth.

-Where schools really do educate, encourage discovery, and give the experience of knowledge into wisdom, foster creativity, joy, celebration for life

-Where hospitals are not places for the sick, but places that teach healing and ways to know oneself.

-That governments no longer play the games of mirroring the negative issues and negative consciousness of the society, but they now mirror the ideals of the god-consciousness where their work is one of healing, integrity, and peace.

-Where organizations and businesses:

-heal the environment of Mother Earth and Father Sky

-feed the hungry

-manage an economy based in generosity, sharing, and equality

-giving justice its fulfillment by tearing down the prisons and stopping the need for punishment

-Can you imagine where time and space are no longer limits, where universes open and become available to you?

-Can you imagine infinite silence integrated into every moment of your life?

-Can you imagine the ideals becoming real?

-Can you just imagine?

Prep for Meditation.

Imagine a column of light descending from the heavens. Let this light be of the highest vibration. Pure, powerful, beautiful. See it in front of you. Now allow this shaft of light to soften, its edge becomes less distinct, the column of light becomes a luminous wave-like being. It is alive with Divine light. The being moves as a wave of light, undulating, vibrating, energy flowing down its body connecting heaven to earth. As it comes into more clarity you notice this being is a snake, a serpent of incredible beauty, vibrant with cosmic life-force, a ch’i overflowing with intelligence & wisdom.

Feel its presence and the positive effect it has on you.

Now, when you are ready, approach the snake of light. Come closer, feel that it is safe, the closer you come the more blessed you feel by its healing energy. The cosmic serpent is the knower of the secret of life. She knows the secret of all living things, that essence of connectivity of the universal web of life. She wants to help you realize her secret and how to feel the unity with all living beings. But before she initiates you into realization, some healing is necessary within your physical body.

The cosmic serpent invites you into her light. Step into the brilliant vibrancy of her being. Feel it. How does it feel? Do you feel the flow of current within your body? Any tingling, or energy movement? Just be with it. There is intelligence within the light. It knows what you need, allow it to seek out those areas within your body that require transformation and the quickening of vibration. Take your attention into that particular area that comes clearly to mind. Go into it. Feel the energy flow deep into that area. See what happens. (pause)

Now, go deeper into the core of that abnormality, impurity, or problem area. Trace the pathway into the makeup of that tissue or organ, into the cellular makeup of that area. See the light illuminate that area and magnifying it for you to perceive what is held there. Is there something you notice that looks unusual or odd. Is there something stuck there that needs to be removed or repaired? Is there a dark area or shadow in the cell? Now continue to look deeper into the nucleus of the cell. See the DNA coiled into the double helix structure. See it, sense it, feel it in some way.

Now, connect back to the cosmic serpent of light. Allow this healing serpent to enter into this area that needs healing and transformation. Notice how the serpent coils around the DNA molecule. Notice that it fits perfectly into the DNA structure. The healing light transforms the DNA molecule. The repair is made effortlessly. As if the serpent knows exactly how to heal it, and then to align, rejuvenate, and activate its function for you. Do you feel a shift within that area? What else do you notice? What is the energy feel like now?

Now, allow the cosmic serpent to take you to another area of the body that needs healing and repeat the process. When you feel complete then bring the serpent back in front of you.

Open the communication to the serpent. Ask her if she will share with you a message or knowing. Listen.

Ask her what her secret of life is all about. Listen.

(The cosmic serpent is the DNA molecule. DNA is the building block of all manifest life-forms. She is that energy that resides within all biological organisms. Therefore, she knows how to identify, repair, and activate the DNA function. The DNA molecule is a coiled double-helix molecule. Each DNA molecule is 6 feet long, 10 atoms wide, each human is made up of 125 billion miles of DNA, enough to wrap around the planet 5 million times)

Open your heart to receive her blessing of wisdom.

Throughout history we have searched for understanding of ourselves and the lives we lead. The great questions of philosophy attempt to open our minds and give us the beginning of our individual search. For me, this search motivates my life. Speaking of these subjects, writing, and teaching become helpful in keeping the energy lively in my pursuits.

One of the curious subjects is the nature of our karmic themes, those repeating patterns that structure and organize my life agenda and give impetus to what is most urgent for learning and growth. The current topic focuses on the energetic basis for our repeating behavioral patterns, those thoughts and feelings that can be so obstinate and unyielding in our current psychology.

This writing is a continuing discussion for my students concerning the nature of our karmic themes and the dynamics of healing and transformation using primarily the techniques of Deva Work as developed by myself and Rachel Kaufman over the last 25 years.

The language that we use at the Deva Foundation may be colloquial to many. One of the phrases we commonly use is the term, the emotional body. This body which is a subset of our astral energetic body holds memory, specifically the layers of karmic memory that have collected and attached through countless lifetimes. These valuable memories are not inconsequential, but ones strong enough to overpower and shock the ego to the extent that the person is imprinted and identified with that experience. There may be an experience of fear that has overshadowed the self where we feel that we have become overcome by the experience of fright, or an experience of loss or tragedy that knocks us down and flat and holds us in grief for some period of time. I am not talking about healthy emotion here but almost always an emotional experience where we feel we have lost our self. It is a deep wound that we attempt to protect and defend from that point forward. These experiences are the core emotional themes that grow through time accumulating layers of similar experience around their core. We talk of it like the structure of an onion and our task is to peel the onion down to the core and then know it deeply within our soul for the purpose of liberation and eventual transcendence.

One characteristic of these emotional or karmic themes is that they are fractal in nature. They are clusters of the same repeating theme. For example, the theme of fear, the energy vibration is within a well-defined frequency range, but the object of fear, or the conditions that illicit the fear, and the consequences of the fear may change, but the fear-vibe is the same. The fears on the surface are subsets of the core fear. These are fractal variations with the same core, and that core originates from the collective consciousness that we incarnate into. The core then is continuously layered with new memories, experience after experience, lifetime after lifetime, leaving us with an individual configuration of memory and habitual patterning which we call our individual karma.

So at this moment in time we carry a host of different karmic packages with us, which like a lens, we look through and act upon, a web of blending, organic energies, some antagonistic, others finding a vibrational and behavioral symmetry of expression that define our individual personality. These behavioral precursors are not static but affect each other creating a dynamism through life, but some of these karmic themes may dominate and push themselves to the forefront time and again. We may see these overpowering themes such as fear, anger, depression, self-judgment, the expansive set of possible human challenges, as being beyond our control or influence to remedy, but our primary spiritual responsibility is to bring ever more consciousness to bear on this human ambition to evolve and grow more skillful in our life and relationships. So the question is always, “How do I change those karmic patterns that entrap me? How do I find liberation from my pain and suffering?” The current state of psychology and religion seems inadequate to insure reliable and practical progress in these endeavors.

I believe it is possible to advance this perennial quest. I believe that a psychospiritual approach can change the frustration of conventional approaches to psychological healing and well-being. The five steps of healing discussed in my blog, Mystical Musings, “How to Work on a Problem” provide an introduction to the philosophical basis of our Deva Work.

How do you alter/change/transform a fractal form? If you break it apart, you are still left with the seeds of the fractal that recombine. But if you could mutate it, where a new form entirely replaces the old form; the new form now substituting for the old, then an evolutionary advantage has been achieved.

The question is always, “How do we let go of a disadvantageous behavioral pattern? How do we let it go? We want to dissolve it, transcend it, and liberate ourselves from its trap of repetition. We talk of the “quickening” like the centrifuge, where the heaviness of low vibration energies is thrown out of the system, using natural law to cast away or purify our energetic field. It seems natural, desirable to quicken into a higher frequency of consciousness. The quickening requires some symbolic energetic enhancement, some high-energy download, some cosmic energy to break the current paradigm. But we are also ignoring the role, though many times occult, of the Divine Intelligence here. The quickening makes the density of a karmic pattern lighter, more pliable; it opens its energetic structure and prepares it for the penetration of a higher consciousness mutation. In that fluid state of emotional energy, a divine insertion of positive change occurs altering the dynamics of that emotional configuration. Unlike current evolutionary theory that looks at the role of time and chance providing advantage, we acknowledge divine intervention, but not as some isolated gift or boon, but the co-creation of higher intelligence in concert with the unfolding path of the human being. It is what we call Higher Self, working with the potential of individual and collective awareness possible in a given time. The idea of mutating the fractal nature of the emotional energy patterns allows for a real change in those patterns, not just pushing them aside but literally changing them. In the brain we would see it as an altered configuration of neural connections that give a new pathway to the energy. When you add the potency of a slightly enlivened consciousness or enlivened life force (ch’i) surrounding and empowering that physical and energetic location in the nervous system, it creates significant advantage. Imagine that part of the brain lighting up a little brighter than the previous part, the energy running a little more like a superfluid than before, the antagonistic neural factors being reduced so that the flow is less obstructed and more efficient.

We know this is possible, both by watching our own personal development and the evolutionary changes within others. We use this theoretical model to visualize how the changes within our energetic field and its corresponding psychophysiological nature could occur. The more we understand, the more we can take our imagination to the next step.

Rick Phillips

12/31/09

By Rick Phillips

The other day I received a phone call from across the planet from dear Ms. Hwee-Meng Tan. She asked me if I would be willing to write an article about the importance of Deva Sessions for the Lapis Lazuli Light Newsletter. I said that I would be happy to put something together.

As an introduction, Deva Sessions as taught by the Deva Foundation take a person deep within themselves into a profound, non-ordinary state of consciousness. Wakefulness increases as the consciousness expands, and the individual moves into an open, aware state where the governing ego steps aside to allow the unconscious mind to express itself into clear consciousness. The experiences that arise can be of almost any variety, from forgotten memories of this lifetime or other lifetimes, or experiences can be seen as symbolic stories that have special meaning and relevance to our current lives. The Deva Facilitator is trained to support this process and bring the important information out for discussion and insight. The process is usually surprising and illuminating, though at times the healing can be uncomfortable as the old attachments break free. This process is guided by one’s own Higher Self, that spiritual inner knowing that brilliantly organizes and carries you through the experiences. I personally have gone through these Sessions hundreds of times; each session always unique and revelatory.

For a few days I sat with myself and my Higher Self and contemplated what approach might be appropriate for this article.  And as I was organizing some old personal Deva Sessions I came across a session from more than 20 years ago. And I realized it had a new purpose for me and a special relevance for people living around Singapore. Here is the Deva Session presented as a symbolic session:

“I see myself in a cave. It is dark, warm, damp. There is no light yet somehow I can see. I have some kind of physical form, but not human. My eyes are adapted to this environment; actually my life is adapted to this place. This cave feels and represents the boundaries of my sense of universe. I don’t know how long I live here, but I do what I have to do to survive and that occupies all my time and energy. Fear is dominant because it is hard to protect myself here. I can’t see much. I’m always on guard. There is no peace here.

One day the earth shakes and a huge crack appears in the cave. Bright light floods into the cave. I feel cool air, an amazing breeze flows through the crack. After some time I make a decision to journey into the crack and I go up into the light. As I journey I feel apprehension and some fear, but there is a stronger force pushing me onward, maybe it is curiosity or maybe I want more, I’m not sure, but I keep going up. I feel so alive. Finally, I arrive on the surface and I have to cover my eyes because it is so bright, so I find a dark place to rest. Then something strange happens, the light goes away, except there is a round, bright object floating farther up above me in a dark void. Well, it’s not completely a void; I see other points of light all above me. I explore and I find colors and water, and rocks and sand, and other animals and insects and birds. It seems that the more I experience, the more that I begin to understand. Life is different here than in the cave. My vision, my hearing, all my senses adapt quickly to this new reality. Much time passes as I learn to live this new life in this new place, in this new reality. I know now I live on an island surrounded by an ocean. But now I enjoy the exploration and desire to go to new places and experience new discoveries. I find a mountain on the island and I decide I want to climb the mountain. It takes time but I’m patient and I go through different ecosystems, jungles, rain forests, grasslands, higher and higher. And in each new place there are amazing and different life-forms, the feelings are different, but what I love most of all, is when I look out I can see so far across the water. I’m so high and I can see so much space. It feels so unlimited. But after much time I realize that I’m trapped on this island and I may never leave because this is the only land as far as I can see. But I keep climbing higher and higher and one day I reach the top of the mountain. And on this perfectly clear day I see in the far distance across the ocean another mountain. I can’t believe it. I’ve discovered another land and my mind realizes that there must be something more there. A new world, with new life and maybe others like me that are eager to experience a new reality. And I am determined to find a way to travel there, to meet other life-forms, to share my journey and to learn of their journeys and discoveries. And maybe we can help each other. And maybe there are others still living in the caves that like myself may be ready to rise out of the darkness and into the light of a new world of possibilities. Life is so much more than just surviving day after day, following the same routines, living the same reality with no hint of something more. I am so grateful that when the earth shook and the crack opened, that I was willing to explore what lay beyond.”

This is a rather simple symbolic story, but with many levels of meaning. One level is to demonstrate why Deva Sessions are important. So I would like to use this example of a simple session to comment on some benefits of such work:

I see myself in an imaginary reality. First of all, the imagination is one voice or expression of the soul. As the imagination opens consciousness, I begin to flow with a story that is rich in symbolism of what my soul wants me to experience, and hopefully, to learn from its significance. The cave represents my personal reality. My ego is habituated to that reality. My reality is structured by “survival” and all the routines required by that basic need. “Cave” is also underground, without light, severely limited in what it can offer me, the boundaries tight around me. And then something shocking happens that may be termed “grace,” or simply an extraordinary opportunity for the next stage of personal evolution. It may be stressful; it may be too much to handle, but that “opening” many times is a calling that we dare not pass up. The ego reacts by giving us a host of excuses why we should turn away and avoid it. It triggers the fear response, or “I’m not ready response,” all those thoughts of the ego is part of its job to maintain the status quo. But in this case there was a more potent force pushing me forward, something more trustworthy, and as I remember clearly to this day, a dignity that could not be denied. What am I going to do? Stay in this dark prison or accept the open door and follow the light up into fresh air? So I’m sure you feel the same as I did, the only choice I had was to go for it.

One of the great things about inner work is when an inner dilemma is confronted; somehow you know what you have to do. This is the beginning of recognizing and practicing one’s inner genius which we call Higher Self. Right in the beginning of this story, there is a turning point. Do I stay in the cave or do I notice the opportunity and follow the light? If I choose the former, then I’m in for some heavy processing about entrapment, strict boundaries, being survival dominated, regret for lost opportunities, and about being stuck my whole life. And even if this is what I choose, the Higher Self will continue to create another plan of action. Because one purpose the Higher Self will always give us is the promise of eventual and inevitable liberation.

It is a common experience that when a person breaks into the high vibration of an expanded state of consciousness or experiences the brilliance of the spirit, it can be intense. The light is too bright, the energy currents too fast and because it is a new experience we pull back energetically. But if we stay with it and allow the energy to modify my energetic field, I will adapt and open into it. As I integrate this new reality it will reveal itself to me. A new reality is different than before, it has laws of expression that ask me to change, to stretch, to sense through new organs of perception. As I adapt mindfully to this new world, I open the fascination of what is possible for life “above.” I say, “The more I experience, the more I begin to understand.” Consciousness is the basis of experience, and experience is the basis of understanding. Without sensing, feeling, being in body with an experience, understanding is fragmented and faulty. This is one of the problems with trying to understand solely through the intellect, or using faith as a source of knowledge. Thinking about something is so marginal, whereas, opening your consciousness and living an experience on that unbounded level takes the experience onto all levels of being. We could call it “holistic.” Going to school, church, temple…and being told, “this is law” can only penetrate our knowing up to a point, but having the deep holistic experience of the “law,” we realize the law.

This session is about the journey of the expansion of consciousness, from the dark, limited, constricted state of the cave, to the expansiveness of the unlimited. Each step brings expansion, expansion empowers, the path is not a torture, but a thrill. Each level achieved brings with it the momentum and encouragement to keep climbing, as if the great cosmic magnet is pulling us forward to into it. The “great cosmic attractor” cannot be denied because it is part of every manifest being.

The movement of the journey is now the flow of life, unfettered; the karma now is more appreciated. When our karmic path expresses visible evolution, we understand it better, not to mention that it feels better. When our karmic path feels blocked or stuck, it feels full of suffering. Polarities are the basic building blocks for a relativistic world, both are necessary. When we find the key that opens the locked door, the movement into freedom is available if we can find the courage to take that first step. The pendulum swings out of one polarity into the other.  The Deva Session demonstrates this energetic breakthrough. As I experience this symbolic act within my consciousness, I experience this shift outside in my “real” life. Integrative change must begin internally to consolidate karmic resolution out in the world. Remember, we are not just isolated bodies in random space; we are unified souls occupying bodies in space. Bodies come and go, but our soul holds the karmic memory until I release my attachment to it through the liberating effect of spiritual consciousness. What is inspiring is that I may have been trapped in “cave consciousness” for countless lifetimes, repeating this pattern in countless incarnations, but now I have released myself from that isolated, painful karmic attachment and I am now free to expand into more life. We call this “clearing the emotional body” of its habitual or karmic attachments. Almost all inner work sessions contain moments where the healing nature of Spirit energetically dissolves that binding nature of past experience and frees us to change.

Another characteristic of this story is the demonstration of “inner maps” that Spirit commonly offers us.  An inner map is a plan that directs us through the difficult terrain of our emotional and karmic history. The plan guides us, and helps us navigate the unconscious mind. One expression of an inner map is experienced as a personal journey that leads us through various challenges or new experiences where we learn valuable lessons along the way. This is true for this story. I journey from the lower world into middle and upper worlds, each realm with a different reality and different realizations. The lower world represents constriction and a limited sphere of influence. This is a realm of 1^st chakra, the survival theme is dominant and fear keeps me constantly on guard. An opening appears and I find courage to choose to move up into the middle realm. I realize fear can be overcome by courage which produces a new state of consciousness. This middle realm has a new reality for me. My journey now seems to have purpose and I follow the inner map forward and up into higher states of consciousness, each one opening more freedom and an expanded sphere of influence and connection.

Another quality of this session is the transformation of ego. From constricted, fearful ego which only cares for its own survival, the ego transforms during the journey. It expands; it empowers and sheds many of its limiting beliefs. Instead of living only for itself and fearing “the other,” it now seeks relationship. “And I am determined to find a way to travel there, to meet other life-forms, to share my journey and to learn of their journeys and discoveries. And maybe we can help each other.”

This is quite a profound shift of being. Because the ego is primarily about preserving itself and maintaining the status quo, to see the ego change is auspicious for the real possibility that our egos can evolve in this lifetime, that our egos are not fixed and doomed to old, unyielding negative patterns of behavior, but can become healthier and more free.

Lastly, the Deva Session is full of optimism and positive energy. I literally release myself from the dark into the light, from fear of life to the joy of seeking out more life, from isolation into the potential of mutual relationship. Whenever the Higher Self brings us a session that demonstrates transformation into more vitality and willingness for more relationship to life, the path is open for us to more easily make that real. It has already happened inside, so we naturally manifest it outside in our new reality.

Did I as a typical client doing a typical Deva Session know that when this simple story emerged in my mind while I was laying on the massage table that it would have so many levels of importance and meaning? Of course not! I’m just speaking out the story. My intellect did not plan or create all those different levels of meaning. Only after, when I read it over and think about it do I discover the treasures. The point is that even if we believe that I just “made up” a simple story, what is really happening is that the story is coming from the Higher Self, that dimension of genius and perfection. Spirit has just given me proof of its existence and more important, a personal communication that we can use to bring ourselves into greater clarity, harmony, and understanding. Deva Sessions are truly amazing because no one does it for you. You do it for yourself. This is the essence of self-empowerment.