3.5 Understanding: The Observer

What does it mean to conduct oneself well?  Really it is quite similar to good posture.  Are we able to hold ourselves erect, to move gracefully with coordination and balance?  Are we able to be present and direct in our dealings with others?  Are we able to feel our relationship to all that is and act as stewards of our environment?  So much today is only about production performance – the ability to produce more.  But what about the quality of the experience?  What about the refined mastery of the details?  What about the sense of wholeness that we feel when we are able to move as an integrated being?  Really what is our relationship to ourselves and to our environment?

I Ching – Keeping Still, The Mountain

THE JUDGMENT

KEEPING STILL. Keeping his back still
So that he no longer feels his body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.

THE IMAGE

Mountains standing close together:
The image of KEEPING STILL.
Thus the superior man
Does not permit his thoughts
To go beyond his situation.

Keeping Still, The Mountain is an inner reality, not just the outer aspect of standing above things.  By standing still within ourselves we are able to clearly see all that is going on around us without judgment – nothing more or less important.  Everything suspended in The Field.  This gives us the best opportunity to fully appreciate the broad range of experience available to us.

As soon as we apply judgment, we are assigning value to what we observe and the Field resolves itself into our valuation structure.  Much is lost and much is gained when this occurs.  But before we begin to judge and to value, we must first allow ourselves some time to become absorbed in the observation of The Field, and to do this requires the correct posture and conduct.

Otherwise, our wants, our needs, our desires will pull us off our center – our mountaintop, and we will no longer see all that is there.  All we have then is our identification with what we want to see, and no sense of the whole.  What really are the possibilities in this very immediate moment?  They are endless.  Just for a moment let yourself be drenched in this, feel the electricity of the potential.  Then when you are truly calm and still, breathing deeply in the pine-scent of this moment, then you will have the full pallet at your command.  Truly what is it you wish to create?

This is the place of The Observer.  Having access to this is a magnificent and critical achievement.  Without it we are a rudderless ship adrift in unfriendly seas.  With it we have the ultimate advantage – we can always suspend the moment, hold it at arm’s length, and watch it.  All the while breathing in deeply the heady draught of eternity.

Lao Tsu states it this way in the Tao Te Ching for the Number 3.

Three

Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling.
Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
If men lack knowledge and desire,
then clever people will not try to interfere.
If nothing is done, then all will be well.

This is the philosophy of strict simplicity.  Nothing more than what is required – and nothing less.  Everything then becomes its own unique entity suspended in The Field.  The art of The Observer is to achieve this result in less than ideal circumstances.  When everything is harmonized and in balance The Field just is there for all to appreciate, but when there are disruptions, then the fabric is frayed and the lines are uneven.  When this is the case the state of The Observer is required to access The Field.

I remember when I was first introduced to this subject and I was asked the simple question, “Where is The Observer?”  To be honest I don’t know what my response was, but I know that I had no idea.  I remember trying to feel where it was in my body, and perhaps I chose a relatively accurate spot like the stomach or the brain or the gut, but really none of these is truly appropriate, because The Observer could not be The Observer if it were part of our bodies.  Observation by its definition requires some distance and objectivity, and a thing cannot observe itself.  But then, we are not just one thing.  We are two.  There is our Conscious component and our Core component.  When we enter into The Observer we are reestablishing the correct relationship between our Consciousness and our Core.  The Observer is an aspect of our Core that monitors our Consciousness.

What is so striking about accessing The Observer is that we have made a huge leap from our Consciousness back to our Core.  Due to the disrupted communication between our Consciousness and our Core, only rarely to we experience clear communication, but that is exactly what is occurring when we enter into the Observer.  At last we have a link to our Core, our Authentic Self.  We at last have a clear view of where we stand.  We may not yet know what we need to be doing, but we are well on our way.

 

Ascension

Let’s make this clear, Ascension is not about you.  It’s not about me. It’s not even about us. It’s about what’s to come. What your involvement in the Ascension process accomplishes is for Spirit to implant itself directly into the lower vibrations, into the physicality of Reality. As we rise up physically, Spirit descends.  We act as a conduit between Heaven and Earth.  This is the service that we are.

Until now there has always be a divide between the realm of Spirit and that of Body.  Communication there is, and on rare occasions, meetings, but as a whole the two realms are too far apart to directly interact.  The gulf between these two realms needs to be filled – and is being filled by the Evolution of Mind.

Ancient Egyptian texts tell us that the Door to the Mind is through the Heart.  My corollary has always been that there is No Brain in Mind.  The brain is a magnificent organ, but is by no means the Master that it has been portrayed as.  Let’s face it, it is really slow and always behind the curve.  It is a great strategist, but like any computer it is always dealing with the Past – what has already happened.  It relies on data input before it can even begin to process a response.  It can never enter into the Now.  Now is the realm of the Mind.

Over millennia the ego has infiltrated and co-opted the realm of Mind for itself, creating such a gulf between Spirit and Body that even simple communication has become an ultimate challenge.  Based on a paradigm of “practical” self-preservation, the ego defines everything based on itself.  The Now becomes Nowhere.  There is no Spirit.  The Body is just a machine.  It has been a long walk through the desert.

On a personal level, Ascension is our recolonization of the realm of Mind, enabling us to once again clearly see the relationship between Body and Spirit – and to reestablish communication and a meeting place.  While this is a great personal accomplishment, it is primarily a return to “things as they were meant to be”.  At this point in time, this work is required so that the realms of Spirit and Body can directly interact and interpenetrate one another.

It is important to realize that to the degree that we get caught up in Ascension being about us (as wonderful as that might seem), this is the degree that we are blocking the Ascension process. Ascension is Universal, a deep divining of the Will of Source.  To be a part of this requires all that we are – and can be.  A True Giving of our Selves.  Reach deep and Rise up!

3.4 Understanding: The Field

The Field is many things.  It is the place where we go as children to live out our fantasies and wilderness adventures – rustling our bodies through a living sea of plants in search the hidden worlds intertwined amidst the stalks.  It is the place where carefully planted rows are cultivated and come to fruition to provide us with the food on our tables.  It is also an excellent book by Lynne McTaggart on the recent history of quantum physics.  I highly recommend reading this book if you are interested in an excellent reporting of how many so-called “fantasies” are actually backed by a wealth of scientific data and practical utilization.  But what we want to talk about here is The Field as the matrix of our perception – the entirety of our consciousness – the giant canvas on which we paint Reality.

Victor Szalvay

All of us are invariably caught up in The Field.  For most of us it is simply as captive voyeurs – like patrons in a movie theater that are glued to their seats and have no choice but to watch the moving images on the screen.  To access The Field, to merge with these forming images, is one of the main goals of the evolutionary process.  When I was a senior in college I wrote a paper on how The Person Becomes The Actor.  In the paper I discuss the importance of transforming ourselves from being passive onlookers in our lives to the effective actor who directly engages and influences the flows of Reality.  In order to accomplish this I defined a relationship I termed a dynamic pair and characterized it as the tool required to initiate the process.  Well the dynamic pair is another way of talking about the dance of opposites that is expressed in the Yin/Yang symbol.  Simply put when we engage and accept the paradox of contending truths, we activate a deep state of resonance, of pregnancy, that leads inevitably to the birth of new possibilities.  This is the state of being The Actor.

I discovered this state in quite a simple manner.  Over years I had observed my difficulty in just being me.  I was continually analyzing myself and worrying what others thought of me.  I was constantly bouncing back and forth between extremes of inner and outer concern.  And even though I had a group of friends that I could break out of this with, when I went into public on my own, I found myself trapped once again.  And then one day it occurred to me that I needed to balance the equation.  On the one hand I cared too much about what people thought of me, and on the other I had way too many expectations of how I should be.  Why not try holding absolute caring and total lack of expectations at the same time.  When I did this everything stood still and I was able to freely and joyfully socialize without caveat or concern.  This was my first dynamic pair, and by utilizing it I was able to consciously access The Field.

To be able to access The Field first we must become The Actor and be willing to directly engage and accept life.  Once this is accomplished it is just a matter of time before the birth of a new possibility, the 3^rd point.  With the 3^rd point we can rise up and have perspective on our lives; we can sit quietly above all the hub-bub and observe the comings and goings and interminglings of all that there is.  This state is called The Observer.

We can see this quite simply from a geometric perspective.  With 1 point we simply have the singularity of dimensionless space (any of the vertex points of the triangle).  With 2 points we have the duality that defines vectors of 1-dimensional linearity (any side of the triangle).  But when we add the 3^rd point everything expands and we define planes of 2-dimensional flat space – a field we can plant, or a canvas we can paint on.

There is a simple exercise that can be utilized to access The Field.  I generally refer to it as soft eyes, but it is of ancient origins and is also referenced as stalking focus.  Hunters when they are stalking prey are trained to work with their peripheral vision in order to detect movement.  This is because our peripheral vision, while having less acuity, is far superior in detecting movement and environmental changes.   A way to generate soft eyes is to take your arms with index fingers extended upward and rotate them outwards to the outer edge of your peripheral vision on either side of your head.  As you try to keep your attention on both fingers, you will force your eyes into a diffuse state of focus that views the scene in front of you all at once.  This is soft eyes, which is the feeling the eyes have in this state.  It is very different from the hard focus we use when reading or trying to thread a needle.

I first discovered soft eyes as a by-product of working with dynamic pairs.  I remember walking to my exams my junior year in college and entering into this physically diffuse state of focus.  I felt myself relax and my entire body come online.  When I entered into the test, I felt clear and relaxed knowing that I would do my best.  There was never any sense of panic or nervousness, just a clear presence and the ability to seamlessly access the necessary information.  I always scored very well when I prepared myself this way – even if I hadn’t attended all of the classes.

I must admit at this time in my life I had an energetic hierarchy that determined where I invested my energy.  Having been highly educated since the 5^th grade, going to class had become more of a reflection of how interested I was in the material or the teacher than any absolute requirement.  Of much greater importance to me were in the relationships I was developing with my friends, something that had been sorely lacking for most of my life.  This need for relationship – to be myself and have open free interaction with people – was the driving issue that led me to discover the power of dynamic pairs, one of the most potent focuses we can work with.  And really, what class was going to teach me anything about that?

Later in my life this changed when I started training in wilderness survival skills.  In these classes and situations the ability to access core principles like The Field become critical for basic survival, as well as for your ultimate enjoyment of Nature.  Here are a couple of more exercises that anyone can use to practice accessing The Field.

Pebbles in the Pond (raindrops are even better when they are available)

• Throw pebbles, mostly one at a time, into a small body of water
• Slowly enough so that you can see the effects of each of the stones
• And the patterns that develop
• Allow yourself to feel each pebble that is dropped
• And the entwined pattern that develops

 

Singing Bowls/Voices (great group exercise or use an instrument like a piano)

• In a relaxed feeling manner strike a bowl or use your voice
• Allow each strike or voice to resonate with the others
• Listen to the resonant patterns that develop.
• Allow the process to penetrate deep within you
• Breathe and feel

3.3 Understanding: Giving Birth to New Possibilities

Tensions build within the earth.  Powerful forces contend, but are contained.  But not for long.  The pressure is building, and soon, there will have to be a movement, a release.  The surface of the Earth shows the struggle in cracking, venting, shifting shape and form.  And then, the critical moment is reached, it cannot be held back, the forces surge up suddenly with unstoppable force pushing the surface of the planet up and out.  Molten earth arises into the atmosphere.  Reaching up and falling back, reaching up and falling back again.  Slowly now, the physical world comes to meet and reflect the new form as a physical volcano arises from the surface and reaches up to provide a new platform to view the world.

This process of generating new Earth is ongoing – the dance of opposites at the Earth’s core is its basis, and evolution is its goal.  Change is the one thing that is guaranteed.  The only thing that does not change is Change itself.  And from the process of Change is birthed the myriad forms of our world.  Each time a birth occurs, the process is reseeded and begins anew.  Each birth is a vector of new possibilities that no one can predict.

Every birth is a volcano rising up.  The tension of opposites comes to fullness and rises up and transforms into a new being.  From the simple story of sacred numbers:  in 1 we are alone, just ourselves.  In 2 we find a mate, a partner to share things with, and we learn to feel the resonant power of relationship.  In 3 the relationship gives birth to a new possibility – the child.  The child comes forth from the pregnant resonance of the relationship – it is the reconciliation of the paradox, the resultant of the dance of opposites.In One/Awareness things are ultimate simplicity – there is no differentiation. Everything just is.  One is the base odd number, a number that cannot be divided in half.  It is the ultimate yang number.  In Two/Acceptance we establish polarity within ourselves and learn to work with the accompanying tensions.  Everything is juxtaposed something else.  All is contrast and everything is in the dance.  Two is the base even number, a number that can be divided in half.  It is the ultimate yin number.

In terms of our created world, One is considered outside of Reality, because until we accept it in Two, it is not Real.  Another way of viewing this is that Reality is the world we are capable of perceiving, and to be part of that world something has to be accepted – essentially granted membership into what we consider Real.  There is a long history of things having to contend for years for membership in our Real World – bacteria and the need to wash hands in surgery, quantum physics and the ethereal nature of matter, the effects of electromagnetic fields on our bodies, or the sovereign right for all people to be free and treated as equals.

That means that the first odd/yang number that we can relate to directly is the Number 3.  Three is the number that gives birth to our world – 3 is the basis of all Created Reality.  3 is the Number of Archetype – the underlying principles that govern all form and function in Reality.  It is in 3 that we first experience the results of Creation.  We feel the potential in 2, but it is 3 that brings it into our world.  This is represented in the Shri Yantra mandala, where the central small triangle expands and complexes to form the entire world of experience in 9 levels.

As we progress in any process, stage by stage the associated numbers will alternate between odd and even, between yang and yin – just as we experience our breathing or the beating of our hearts, the energy quantically shifts from out . . . to in with each succeeding stage.  This is a reflection of the dance of opposites, the process of Creation, that is evident in every level of existence.  Odd numbers are yang, creative, directed outward, active – related to The Light and Joy.  Even numbers are yin, formative, directed inward, receptive – related to The Darkness and Mystery.  It is critical to realize that from the perspective of The Creation, Light and Darkness are of equal value, neither stands above the other, both are absolutely required for the dance of opposites and existence to be possible.

tipstimes.com/pregnancy

The process of pregnancy, of developing new being, is one of the most powerful aspects of the feminine side of our Being.  Although universally attached to the female of the species, all of us give birth in many ways.  There are ideas that are birthed, or inventions, or businesses, or even cultures.  We speak of the birth of nations, or of birthing a solution to a complex problem.  While birthing is a female, yin-based process, the birth itself is decidedly male, yang-based.  The process of Creation, of developing the correct balance of elements, of fire, earth, air, and water – is of the Earth, The Mother;  The Creation is of the Heavens, The Father.  In many cultures when babies are born they are held up to the light, the Sun.  This symbolizes the quantic shift that birth represents.

In our process of Evolution, of returning to Source, the birth raises us up from our dantien/2^nd Sacral Chakra into the 3^rd Chakra, the energy center for the frequencies of the Number 3.  This center is physically related to our solar plexus, a dense cluster of nerves located behind the stomach.  So as we raise our energy up to the higher frequencies and potentials of the Number 3, we are literally raising ourselves up into our solar plexus, the radiating sun of our being that drives the intelligence of our inner processing including our digestion.  It is this radiant point that that determines our personal ability to be effective operators in our lives and in our world.

2.9 Acceptance: Resonance and Being

The true Power of Number is demonstrated in its ability to resonate Core – the essential Spiritual basis of who we are. Notice I did not say “resonate with Core”. That is because Number is actually the basis on which Core is built. Core has no resistance to Number, because Number is recognized as the true emissary of Source. So, when Number activates, Core responds.

So . . . if Number is the essence of Core . . . and Core is the essence of us . . . why do we not immediately recognize the Truth of Number? Why is it hidden from us?

This takes us back to the discussion of “being caught in an eddy” in 1.8 Awareness: Freedom Is The Ultimate Dream. We have forgotten that the stream of True Spirit is gliding beside us as we go round and round in the same endless circle of experience. The pictures change as we go round and round, but the story is always the same. We are trapped in a singular viewpoint and have forgotten that we are Children of Infinity. In fact, the concept of Infinity is terrifying to us. How could we ever handle that? It would destroy us. And yet, that is the home we came from – and to which we will return. It is the essence of which we are made and it is the realm of Number.

Number seems strange and even somewhat alien to us because we have adapted to a world without it, without Spirit, without our Souls. The Stages of Processing is designed to safely, consistently and persistently reunite us with Our Selves. By reconnecting us to Number – and to the Source – we all come from, the Stages enable us to reach outside of our eddy and touch the realm of True Spirit. Then, as we rediscover and reintegrate ourselves into the Number transmissions from Source, we slowly lose our fear and come to realize the truth of the matter. We have accepted a seemingly “safe” home to live in, but in fact it is a prison – and like any prisoner we have learned to live by the rules of the prison, and we forget the taste of the wind and warmth of sunlight.

Number 1 – Awareness – is the first step in this process, because unless we are aware of our situation, we cannot even begin to take effective action. The second step, as we have been discussing, is Acceptance. One of the most significant aspects of this step is the ability to access the power of resonance which is inherent in the Number 2. Just like a guitar string when it is plucked, holding any two points in tension creates a resonant wave between the two points. Since there is by definition tension between any pair of opposing forces such as black and white, yin and yang, male and female, or left and right, all we really have to do to access the power of resonance is to hold onto both forces. Each time we are placed in a situation where we have to make a decision, we have a unique opportunity. What are we to do? Do we choose sides? Or do we negotiate a resolution? We can either view this as conflict, a battle of opponents, as is common in our presently dysfunctional dualistic reality; or we can view it as an opportunity for resonance, a creative dance of opposites.

The difference is profound. Conflict demands that we choose sides and do battle against our opponents. And since we are really All One, that means doing battle against ourselves. Resonance, on the other hand, demands much more of us. We must be willing to hold both opposing forces within us in the pressure cooker of our 2^nd Chakra. We must be willing to withstand the tension between opposing forces and to host the dance of opposites within our Being. When we do this we establish a resonant wave that energizes our Being and and provides us with a glimpse of True Freedom. This is like having access to your own private contained nuclear fusion reactor. While this is not a complete victory, it is a great accomplishment. It provides both a window of opportunity to act with intelligence, and deep support for the development of our Being.

Let’s take a look at that last word: Being. It is simply our ability to Be. But . . . to be what?  What are we really talking about and why should we even care?  In essence, Being is our capability to have and to develop our ability to exist – to be an individual whole – in the face of the infinite Sea of Awareness surrounding us. This is why spiritual traditions place such a high value on the attainment of Being. And, why the conflict driven realm of our consciousness would much rather have it relegated to the trash bin. When we are fully in our Being, we are connected to our Core, and we are invincible. Nothing can deviate us from our True Path. . But alas, we are easily convinced that Being is infantile child’s play – it would be much better for us to spend our time and energy figuring out how to retire comfortably to a golf community.

When we instate resonance in our core – our dantien/hara – we create a vibratory pattern that forces out anything that is not true to our Being. This breaks the desire to do battle with ourselves, if only for a moment.  When the right note is hit and sustained, a wine glass will shatter – when an electro-vibratory stimulation is used, it will shatter pathogens in our bodies. When resonance is established, it activates and develops our Being – and at the same time hands us our ticket to Freedom.  This is not about doing whatever we want, we already have that. But about enabling us to reach for the stars, to fly free of entanglements. It all starts with Acceptance.

In my case this was made completely evident to me at a time when I was first beginning to develop my connection to my Being. One thing I had already learned was to trust my gut feelings – what my 2^nd Chakra had to say to me. It would always give a yes or no answer whenever I was faced with a difficult situation. Does this work? Or does this not work? And whenever I did not listen to this communication and convinced myself to take the other path, disaster followed. So, I made a commitment to always listen to and follow the advice my gut offered. This worked well until I found myself in a completely contradictory situation, where my gut said one thing and everyone I respected was saying another.

I was working as a field trainer for a cleaning company and ran into a challenging situation. The person I was training walked off the job in the middle of the day leaving me to complete the work on my own. From my perspective I had done nothing outside of my requirements as the field trainer to instruct her on the correct procedures. She later accused me of being bossy and rude to her. This seemed like a bald faced lie to me, but any one of us can make mistakes. When I checked in with my gut, I got a clear confirmation that I had done nothing wrong in the situation. However, my trainee had the ear of the owners of the company and I found myself betwixt and between. On the one hand my gut was clearly saying one thing and my employer was saying another. What was I to do? I could be reactive to being accused of something I did not do, or I could kow tow to my bosses and submit to the accusation. I decided to do both.

For the next two weeks while they sorted out what they wanted to do, I held both realities inside of me. At times I thought I was going to go nuts! The tension between the opposites seemed unbearable at times – it burned, but I persisted. Perhaps I was crazy – maybe I had it all wrong. And then, new light was shed on the situation. It seems that there were other disturbances happening on jobs the trainee was working on and her level of manipulation was revealed. What a process! My gut feeling had been confirmed – but in addition I had fully experienced the resonant power of the opposites, and I felt much stronger and able to simply be myself.

Until I Accept My Awareness
I am not Real.
The act of Acceptance creates the possibility of Me.
Now there is an “I” to do something with my Awareness.
An “I” that is distinct from the Environment
This creates the potential for movement.
And Choice comes into existence.
What will I do with what I am aware of?

When I Accept My Awareness
I begin to build a Core to my Consciousness – which is Being.
Each little act of courage, trust, and acceptance has a residue that accrues around this Core.
As this process continues the Core gains weight.
And this allows my presence to be felt.

2.8 Acceptance: Making Fire

When I was very young, I loved the idea of rubbing two sticks together to make fire. But when I tried it, I was only able to get a little warmth going – nothing that was even remotely hot enough. When I “grew up”, I found myself still very interested in the natural world and primitive skills. I ended up training in and teaching these skills to children and adults, with fire making skills being my specialty. Part of why I became so good at it was because it did not come easily. I struggled for months to make a bow drill fire, which is the primitive “hi-tech” version of rubbing two sticks together. Everything imaginable would go wrong time and time again, and even when nothing obvious was wrong, it just was not good enough to make fire. The key as it turned out was my internal relationship to fire.

In order to make fire – and striking a match, etc. does not count since all of the real work has already been done – you must have already built that fire inside of you. For some this is easy, for others it is transformational work. For me it was more of the latter. Since we are talking about physically making fire, it has to be made in our physical moving center, our hara or dantien, which is our 2nd Sacral Chakra. Trying as hard and as often as I did forced me deeper and deeper into my reserves as I attempted to coax a living spark from the wood. And . . then . . . it happened something inside of me became aware of the process, of what it meant to make fire, and from then on there were fewer and fewer disruptions. In time I was also able to make fire with a hand drill, which really is rubbing two sticks together to make fire!  And . . . every time I make fire, I have to light a fire in my belly first.

It is important to understand just how this is accomplished at an energetic level, but to do that I have to introduce some new aspects of the Number 2.

is the basic form we have come to accept as the symbol for the number two. In fact, it is so ubiquitous that we can hardly think of it being any other way. But what are the origins of this symbol and what exactly does the symbol speak to us about? If we look at its magnified form to the left, we can begin to imagine many possibilities. Is it a swan gliding on the water? A hanger or a hook? Or maybe it is the snake of temptation? Interesting what happens when we take an ultra familiar symbol, enlarge it, and begin to look at it with fresh eyes.

While any and all of what I have supposed above could be true, there are several known origins for this symbol. The first is a very practically based. In ancient times the number 2 was written simply as two parallel lines one above the other like an equal sign. However, when you go to write this quickly as scribes were required to do, what happened was somewhat of a Z figure which with speed became more and more rounded to form the symbol we now see – 2. Try it yourself by taking a sheet and trying to quickly make two horizontal lines one about the other. You can even do three lines and be the creator of the number 3.

The other point of origin dates back into prehistory. The sinuous shape dividing the Yin/Yang symbol in half is the reverse S shape that we can easily see as the number 2. The symbol represents the dynamic interaction between the two opposing and complementary forces of Creation – Yin and Yang, The Darkness and The Light. Interestingly the symbol includes the principle of rebirth seeded in the opposing force: when one of the forces rises to its fullest power, it activates the seed of its opposite ensuring that the Creative dance of opposites continues. This then another fundamental representation of the energy of 2.

The 2 forces Yin and Yang represent the relationship of all possible opposites. Yin is the Primal Chaos out of which all of created existence was birthed. It is the Mother and the 10,000 things that are birthed from her. It is the Darkness and the Void. It is the substance of which we are built. Yang is the Solar Fusion that fuels the process of Creation. It is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost that provides the structure and organization of Creation. It is the Light and the Eternal Abode of the Gods where all things are possible.

Each alone is an absolute terror, but together they form the most perfect union – nurturing and cleansing – keeping all in harmonious balance while forever striving to be impeccable.

Chi, or life force, is the term applied to the flow of these forces through our bodies. There are actually two directions of flow: yang-chi flows from Heaven above down through our bodies and into the Earth, and yin-chi flows from Earth below up through our bodies and into Heaven. The main pathway of these flows is along our spinal column where our major energy centers (chakras) are located. A critical measure of health or balance is the equilibrium of these flows through our bodies as assessed in acupuncture.

Yang-chi flowing down from Heaven provides us with the basic energetic structures that are appropriate to manifest in. It also cleanses impurities from the system making all ready for new life to come into being. Yang-chi is the force of Creation defining who we are.

Yin-chi radiates into us from the Earth propelling life forward generation after generation. It provides us with substance to our form and nurtures our beings. Yin-chi is the force of Evolution, of the Return to Source. Yin-chi enables us to be all that we can be.

Yang-chi is a given; yin-chi we must decide to accept. Without yin-chi, we will still be put into form and we will still live lives, but only at a level of survival. It is only when we reach out and accept yin-chi that our true natures can be born. It is only in Evolution that we can transcend our fates and attain our destinies. We must choose to swim upstream like the salmon in order to complete our Cycle of Life.

To make fire in any dimension – physical flame, emotional inspiration, or intellectual enlightenment – we must first root ourselves in Earth. This is where we must sit to receive the spark of Awareness that is ignited by Spiritual Lightning and Earthly Thunder and to assimilate it into our 1st Root Chakra. This spark, this Awareness, is formless and requires our action to make it useful. We do this by making the decision to accept it, to raise it up into the nurturing womb of our 2nd Sacral Chakra.

Once this Acceptance has been accomplished, the unstructured spark of Awareness takes form as Perception, or in our physical example of making fire as a burning coal. We are now able to make use of and nourish ourselves with this new discovery. This is a transformational act: an invisible potential is transmuted into a functional form that we can do work with. We have taken yin-chi, the spark of Awareness yielded up by the Earth, and transmuted it into yang-chi, something that we can tangibly perceive. Rarely is this a conscious act, but that must change.

It is in our 2nd Sacral Chakra that we physically create our world. The evolutionary element for this process is earth. Perception is in essence putting earthly clothing on Awareness so we can relate to it in our physical world. The Earth within us, our 2nd Chakra, then acts as a nourishing womb for the newly clothed spark to grow and stabilize itself. Coincidentally, we find our Small Intestine physically aligned with this process. The Small Intestine is the point in the digestion process where we decide what is nourishment for us from the food that we eat. Similarly, a whole digestion process takes place in the 2nd Chakra to determine what of our new perception is of value and what is simply garbage. As long as we are present and patient and allow the process to come to fullness, everything will work out perfectly.

This brings us to one last origin of the Number 2. The 2nd hexagram of the I Ching is K’un or Earth, which matches nicely with our conversation so far linking the Number 2 with the element of earth. The Commentary on the hexagram K’un talks to us of the need to be devoted to the process of life and evolution. It is only by doing this that we can make ourselves real. Real in this case refers to our ability to tap into our Core, the true essence of who we are, and develop our Being. We are also encouraged to work with friends and helpers in this and other great undertakings that will be solid and endure. In all of this timing is critically important. This is what is meant by waiting for fullness.

K’un is formed entirely of broken or yin lines – yin being the energy of Earth, The Mother and Her 10,000 things. Reflecting upon the image of the hexagram it is easy to see the formation of the Roman numeral 2 or II. This is all as it should be because at the level of Number there are no coincidences. Everything is based on the fundamental precepts of the Universe and there are no mistakes or confusion. Things simply are. Thus we have this woven web of symbols, elements, and images all tied together in a nice neat package simply because they are all of the same origin. It could never be any other way. Welcome to the Power of Number.

2.7 Acceptance: Reaching Out

When a seed is planted in the ground, it must wait for the right conditions. It must allow itself the time that is required for it to become full in itself as a seed. Once that is accomplished, a time will come when moisture and temperature and light reach an accord, and the germinated seed bursts forth creating a root that reaches out to the world around it. Much of how the growing plant relates to its world is established in this first encounter. Is the earth moist and open and nourishing? In this case the root grows straight and strong and provides a bounty of nourishment for the evolving seed. Or, is the earth dry and tight and rocky? Now in this case, the root is forced to work very hard to penetrate far from the seed. It will have to wind its way around rocks and all for little or no gain.

When we are able to have a healthy relationship to nourishing ourselves, the world opens providing us with all that we need. We have an innate feeling of our connectedness to the world and a desire to work together to create Heaven on Earth. While this may never be just as we want it to be, we will find everything required to accomplish our mission in this life.

Each of us has our personal mission – a mission we volunteered for in service to Source. And to live in this world requires that we work and be of service. But if we are traumatized early in our process, and our relationship to nourishment is bent and mangled, we find ourselves mired in Parasitic self-delusion. This leads to alienation, antagonism, anger, fear, and manipulation. If this is the case, as it is for many of us, then our first work is to straighten out our relationship to nourishment – to the world and the Source that loves and supports us.

This root emanating from the seed – reaching out for the nourishment it needs – is the essential description of the Number 2. The seed is our essential self. The root is us reaching out and creating the connection to the second point, the nourishment in our environment. We fill ourselves with Awareness and the seed of who we are reaches a point where it must burst forth and reach out to the world around us. This is the basic structure of Acceptance.

Jesus uses the image of the seed in several of his parables.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13, New International Version

While much of the analysis of this story is focused on the importance of being “good ground” in order to receive the teachings or Word of God, at a much more basic level of Truth we are being shown the power of the Number 2. All aspects of the story point to the essential connection we all must have with each other.

• Jesus places himself in a boat at a distance from the crowd – there is a separation, a sense of the one and the other
• Every aspect of the story is about how the seed relates to its environment
• And in the end we are asked if we have (2) ears to receive the message.

Jesus is the Seed and his Story is the Root reaching out to touch the people with his message. Jesus was just as much in need of the people to connect to as the people were in need of his message.

A key aspect of being human is the ability to reach out to touch the world, to seize the moment, to receive the nourishment we need to survive and thrive. Reaching out requires that we acknowledge the bond we have with the world around us:   the people we know and love (as well as those we don’t), the planet that is our home, and the power of the Universe that brings us into existence. Truly reaching out is a humble act. In doing so we are accepting the power of Source in each and every thing. And, we are facing the ultimate paradox between our connectivity to all of creation and our individual responsibility for each and every decision we make. If we choose to withhold ourselves and not reach out, we are reduced to robotic fragments of ourselves. But if we choose to take the chance and extend ourselves, we will find the wholeness, the completion we have always been looking for.

Tao Te Ching:  Two

Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil.
Therefore having and not having arise together.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short contrast each other:
High and low rest upon each other;
Voice and sound harmonize each other;
Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.
The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease.
Creating, yet not possessing.
Working, yet not taking credit.
Work is done, then forgotten.
Therefore it lasts forever.

2015

What’s going to happen in 2015?  We are always asking these kind of questions to start a new year. Let’s take a look at the  numbers so we can get an idea of how things will unfold.

But first let’s look back at some previous years to see the trends we are looking at.  Let’s start with 2012 – the year everything was supposed to change.  Perhaps it did and we just haven’t noticed.

2012
First we break down the range of influence of the year’s number like this: 2012 is 2 (galactic) 0 (solar system) 1 (planetary) 2 (personal).  This means that for Galactic purposes this is a 2 year, for Solar purposes it is a 0 year, for Planetary purposes it is 1 year, and for Personal purposes it is a 2 year.  Of course this means that the year for Galactic purposes lasts a millennium, the year for Solar purposes lasts a century, and the year for Planetary purposes lasts a decade.

Let’s start closest to home where Individually this was a 2 year.  The theme for 2 is Acceptance with a harmonic resonance with Being.  Acceptance is the 2nd Stage of Processing – Awareness being the First. A simple way to relate to 2 is based on the Law of Duality – or everything has its opposite.  The question then is what do we do with opposites?  Do we fight or do we dance?  Another way of looking at opposites is that and not-that, or me and not-me, or who I am and everything else.  Acceptance specifically is the act of integrating something outside of or other than ourselves into our personal sphere.

Being comes into play in two ways – first it is what is required to work with a set of opposites, and second  it is what is developed by working with opposites.  So for each of us in 2012 the key was learning to Accept new ways of looking at things and being able to Be with the changes that were coming our way.  We had to choose whether we were going to dance with the incoming energies or fight them.  All in all it was a bit like the threshing of wheat where you separate the wheat from the chaff.

From a Planetary perspective 2012 was about 1 Awareness with a harmonic resonance with Consciousness. There was a Planetary waking up and becoming conscious of greater perspectives and possibilities, particularly with regard to the Oneness and interconnectedness of all things.  But this is an Initiatory period, not a Manifestation as many had hoped, and it will last until 2020.

And from a Solar perspective this was about connecting to Source which is the meaning of 0, and this period will last until 2100.

Finally this Galactic millennium that will last until 3000, is about 2 and Acceptance/Being but at a much grander scale, and yet intimately connected to the Personal reality we experienced in 2012.

All together the numbers 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 5 which is the Universal number for the year.  5 is often called the Human number and has a direct connection to the Will of God and to the Expression of Truth.

So what was 2012 about for us?  The Universal principle operating was the Will of God and the Expression of Truth, and truly forces began to felt in ways that few had ever experienced before.  However, this is a very high and subtle energy for physical beings such as ourselves, and the effects are more in the realm of Thought than of Action.  Seemingly we are being asked to think differently about who and what we are.

Meanwhile, our Solar System is being plugged directly into Source which means that all manner of things are possible – including Total Transformation for the Sun, it’s Planets, and for ourselves.  Earth at this time is being Initiated into a new level of Evolution and this means we are along for the ride.  And finally when it came down to us we just needed to Accept what was happening and to learn to Be with the forces and energies that were beginning to transform our world.  For many this was a disappointment, because they expected immediate Transformation, and for some this was even cause for despair that once again nothing had changed, nothing would ever be different because at the physical Personal level little new could be seen.  It was not yet time.  And yet God’s Will was being worked and Truth was being told for those who would listen.

Another way to look at this year is as 20 – 12.  Twenty is the number of Intuition or deep inner knowing and resonates with the Merkaba force of Integration, while 12 is the number of Vision that resonates with Revelation and connects and also has a connection to the Integration as well.  So this year was about Integrating the forces that will constitute a new Reality and learning to hold them in a state of perfect calm and peace.  In this deeply Intuited place will come a Revelatory Vision of the path that lies ahead.

2013
2013 brought to us some new energies.  Particularly at the Personal level where 3 Understanding came into play.  The harmonic twist to Understanding is The Observer – a mysterious aspect of Spirit that allows  us to see ourselves and our world objectively as it Really Is.  We spent this year learning to objectively look at who and what we are, to Understand why we are, and to see the forces that impact and influence us.

The Total 2 + 0 + 1 + 3 = 6 increments by one and the overall Universal focus for the year was 6 Alignment and Preparing The Way.  In order to create anything new, we must first as they say “have all our ducks in a row.”  This is Alignment and when it is established it opens The Way, or the Path to Source.

13 which is the number of Transformation now combines with the Intuition of 20 for 20 – 13.  So in 2013, this was when we truly began to change our world and to establish the principles upon which a New World could be based.  The Vision of 2012 was now active and beginning to rearrange the forces that define Reality as we know it.  What we had to do was to Acquiesce to this Vision and to the Will of God.  In many ways Acquiescence is the inverse of Transformation – in Transformation we are raising up our frequency to become closer to Spirit, while in Acquiescence we are lowering our frequency to allow ourselves to experience the reality of the Body.  This year brought our Bodies and Spirits closer together.

2014
In 2014 the number 4 became our Personal focus.  4 is the number of Resolution and Discernment.  We were asked in this past year to start sifting through our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and desires and to truly look at what we valued.  To bring into focus what our Vision had shown us and to decide what we wanted to take forward with us.

2 + 0 + 1 + 4 = 7 meant that this was a year of Activation – time to turn on the lights.  It was also a time of Creation where new possibilities were brought into our sphere.  Activation creates new possibilities and Creation activates these new possibilities.

Now 20  – 14 brings us to an interesting discussion which is far beyond the scope of this review.  Suffice it to say that 14 holds a special place in the realm of Numbers.  It is the only number that is its own harmonic.  It is the Janus of Numbers having two faces.  Its ascending face of Evolution is The Gatekeeper that ensures that entrance to the realm of Spirit is closely guarded so that only those of Pure Spirit can pass.  It’s descending face of Creation is Resurrection that infuses Spirit into the Physical body.  It is both the Gate and the Key.  And this is what we have been passing through this past year.  A complete purification preparing us to ascend and to regain our sovereignty.

2015
So what is ahead in 2015?  Galactic, Solar, and Planetary focuses remain the same.  Galactic Acceptance and a dynamic dance of opposites preparing the way for a new Vision, Solar influx of Source energy relentlessly powers the force of Evolution, and the Earth’s Initiation into a new cycle.  Personally we are entering a time where we will come into direct contact with 5 Will of God and we will be called on to Express the Truth.  Nothing will ever be the same.  The amount of Light that is about to be released is without measure and there will be no place that it will not illuminate.  The Darkness will have no place to hide.

This is 20-15 and 15 is Acquiescence.  This year will be about Acquiescence based on deep knowing of and alignment to the Will of God, and it will power the changes that are coming.

You see, until we personally Acquiesce to the Will of God, Source, the Universe, whatever we want to call it – nothing can change.  It is our separation from Source that was the foundation of the Illusion we created – and then lost ourselves in.  The only way out of the Illusion – to return home – is to align ourselves with and accept the Will of God and become One again.  This is Acquiescence and it is what this year is about.

Altogether this year adds up to 2 + 0 + 1 + 5 = 8 which is Integration – bringing all the parts together in a harmonic whole – a MerKaBa or Light-Spirit-Body.  This will reestablish our sense of sovereignty – of internal Oneness.  This also initiates a powerful resonance with 20 Intuition (20 and 8 are harmonically linked) on the personal level.  This will link up with the 20 of 20-15 to establish an Intuitive link between our personal and spiritual realities.  This will have the needed effect of marrying Spirit and Body, Heaven and Earth.

And as we look at our journey from 2012, which adds up to a Spiritual 5, to 2015 where we have a Personal 5, we can see how the Spiritual has become Personal.  It is now is the time for the Will of God to manifest and shape this world.

2.6 Acceptance: Cassandra Rises

Shake off this deep denial partitioning your mind –
So what you wish drowns what you know and leaves you worse than blind.
The blind will grope with stick, with hand, to exit from harm’s way;
But you, and those caught in the curse, wait for yet another day.

From Cassandra Speaks; Rima E. Laibow, MD

Greek Mythology has a wonderful way of sneaking up on you. In this case the story of Cassandra provides us with a glimpse within our minds. You see, Cassandra was a daughter of the King of Troy, and the god Apollo being struck by her beauty provided her with the gift of prophecy. However, when Cassandra was unsympathetic to Apollo’s romantic advances, he placed a ‘curse’ on her ensuring that none would believe her warnings. Thus, Cassandra was left with the knowledge of future events, but could neither alter these events nor convince others of the validity of her predictions. A simple story that has much dramatic angst to it, but the truth is much worse than that.

Mythology, while often derided as the creation of simple minds incapable of any real understanding, is in fact a vehicle for the transmission of Truth. The Greeks had an intimate relationship with the world they lived in, and myth was their methodology for sharing what they knew. Their knowledge differs significantly from that of today’s ‘science’ that professes to have a monopoly on ‘real’ knowledge. What a joke! Science is simply our present day mythology, the way we have of describing our world. In many ways the Greek myths provide deeper insight to the workings of our minds and our relationship to our world – however inconvenient some of this information might be.

In the case of Cassandra we are being shown how our minds are not our own. A jealous force from outside of us (Apollo) has split our mind in two. This leaves us incapable of knowing ourselves. On the one hand, we have Cassandra who has intimate knowledge of what is and what will be happening; and on the other, we have the People who cannot listen to her words. This is exactly the state we find ourselves in in relationship to our Core or Authentic Self. Even when we can hear the whisperings of our Authentic Self, we rarely if ever listen to the truth it is speaking. So, it is not only Cassandra (our Core) that has been cursed, but the whole society, the People who are representatives of our Consciousness, who must endure the unforetold calamities.

We have been broken in two, and a false battle has been instated between our Core Spirit and our Consciousness Body. We are always schooled that we have to choose one or the other. From a spiritual perspective we must deny the temptations of the body and withdraw from the world of physical practical reality. And if we want to be successful in the world, we must obey the physical and financial laws that have been established and not confuse ourselves with spiritual impracticalities. We are back to the battle of opponents – being expressed here at its most intimate, between our Body and our Spirit. But what of the dance of opposites, the marriage of body and spirit we were designed to express?

In order to resolve such a conflicted situation, it is critical that we first become aware of it, to allow ourselves to be present and soak it in. I know this sounds simplistic, but wait . . . becoming aware is a great accomplishment that honors the very root of who we are. Continually becoming aware is absolutely critical if we are to have any chance of resolving the conflict. And I know that being aware of any kind of “bad” situation creates hordes of resistance because there is always some kind of pain or discomfort involved. But the reality is that the pain is there whether you are aware of it or not. The difference is that once you are aware of it, you can do something about it.

Then, secondly, we have to accept the deep conflict that exists between our Body and our Spirit – and this where we all really get hung up. While it’s difficult to be a by-stander watching a “bad” situation, it is considerably more challenging to absorb that experience into us, to let it live in us, so that we can develop an intimate understanding of what is really happening. This takes great internal strength that can only be developed through practice and perseverance. By taking the experience deep within us and allowing it to touch our Being, we are changed. But unless we do this, we will never evolve and be able to hear the Truth, the story our Core wants to tell us.

A surprise benefit of Accepting our predicament is that we find that we have a new ability to hold our own and to simply be ourselves. This very challenge to our sovereignty forces us into direct contact with our Being, helping us to better define our real needs and desires. One of our most potent desires is to reunite with our Spirit, our Core. To begin with all we can do is to hold this great desire in the protective sphere of our Being where it can be protected and nurtured, allowing it to grow and develop. This provides us with a spark and a badly needed point of reference that we can measure our experiences against. Now we can sometimes see that aspects of our behavior are not in accord with our true desires. We can see ways that our desire to connect with our Core, with Truth, and with Love have been frustrated and twisted into base obsessions with things and sensations. These twisted obsessive substitutions are called Identification.

Identification is a substitute for not having an Identity. When we cannot access our Core, the true essence and nourishment of who we are, we frantically cast about like a person downing for something – anything – to take its place. The only things we are left with are what we can sense and feel, so we rivet all of our attention on these. We identify ourselves with these objects in the hope that they will nourish us – but they cannot. It is like eating ashes. It only leads to intense greed, spite, and frustration. And this breeds either a feeling of complete desolation, or the desire for absolute domination. Once identification takes hold, it encases us in a vision of itself. The whole world is identification, and the only way out is to break the connection, to withdraw our attention from the objects of our senses and place it back where it belongs – on our Spirit. We must learn to listen to Cassandra.

We experience the world as we experience ourselves –

So the world becomes a reflection of our inner reality.

We can only experience what we know.

And if all we know is identification, then that is what the world becomes.

If the world is identification, we must choose to be different.

We must choose to Feel and not be afraid.

We must choose to See and not turn away.

We must allow ourselves to be Touched.