Guest guest Posted July 17, 1999 Report Share Posted July 17, 1999 Summer Solstice 1999 Silence and Intuition Dear Kundalini yoga list rs, Sat Nam! This is a four page letter about the Summer Solstice Celebration, followed by a meditation practice to cultivate the art of silence. I recently returned from the 3HO Summer Solstice Celebration in New Mexico. I have attended 19 of the last 22. There have been 28 all together. This event is held in the mountains outside of Espanola about 45 minutes from Santa Fe. Yogi Bhajan bought the land from Native Americans who would sell only to someone who would preserve the sacredness of the land. One of the requirements was to have a day devoted to world peace each year. The 14th International Peace Prayer Day was held this year. We all camp in tents on the dry, expansive land. Everyone is served a special vegetarian diet. Over the years we have built bathing and kitchen facilities and a huge open shelter that holds over 1000 people. The main event is the White Tantric Yoga course, which is 3 days of the 8 days. The other days there is a selection of courses by wonderful teachers in the 3HO Organization. Each Tantric day we do six or seven 62 or 31 minute meditations. There are short bathroom and watermelon (a wonderful relief from the heat!) breaks and lunch. The energy is so intense these days we do well to hold on to ourselves. To my knowledge, White Tantric is the most powerful clearing of the subconscious mind on the planet. The exercises are done in pairs. We sit in long lines with men and women facing each other. The exercises are usually done looking into each other's eyes, chanting, with a hand position. We always wait anxiously to hear the hand position, which can be anything from hands on the knees (easy), holding hands with your partner (cozy), to hands on your ears (the worst!). There is only one Master on the planet at a time who can lead this cleansing process. At this time it is Yogi Bhajan. It is through his subtle body that the subconscious mind is cleared of garbage that we cannot access and get rid of in any other way. I keep coming back because the process is so effective and the results are lasting. I feel so clean and refreshed afterwards. Each course produces a dramatic shift in my life. I owe much of my spiritual progress to the over 90 White Tantric courses that I have attended in the last 22 years. (There are also weekend courses during the year and Winter Solstice in December.) People come from all over the world to attend this event. This year there were almost 1000 adults, plus children. I want to plant the seeds now so as many of you as possible can attend next summer. And don't let distance deter you. There were over 20 people attending from Chile. It is one of those special events that you cherish for your whole life. (You can read more of the www.3HO.com site.) Words from the Master Yogi Bhajan, Master of Hatha, Kundalini and White Tantric yoga, shared many special messages with us. I want to share some of his words with you. Here are a few paraphrased quotes from my notes. (1) "Let God work. Watch God work. Understand the play of God. Give God a chance. This life was given to you as a gift. Let God take you on this journey." (2) "Doubt and duality are the main causes of disaster…. We forget that God is with us" ( 3) "We need mental security. Our intuition is our security. If we seek the satisfaction of our ego, our third eye (seat of our intuition) will not open up. If we give up our ego, the vacuum is filled with our intuition and we are uplifted….It is easy to access our intuition when our chakras are open." (4) "We are in the cusp (transition) to the Aquarian Age, which will begin in 2012. Until then, do your best, enjoy your life, have faith and let God take care of your life." Comments (1) Good ideas! How do I do that?! Kundalini Yoga is one of the spiritual disciplines developed by saints and sages to accomplish these goals. (2) I couldn't agree more. Help! How can I remember? Patience. We are getting to that part. (3) Ego is one of those misunderstood words with many meanings. Defined as our conscious awareness, an ego is necessary to think, operate, make decisions and take action in this world. The problem is that we usually operate from a "limited ego" and narrow view of ourselves and the world. It is this "false ego" that we are trying to give up or transcend. An important task of our "aware ego" is to train ourselves to listen to our intuition, instead of reacting to random thoughts that are set off by our wounded emotions and inappropriate training. We need our "aware ego" to tune into God and join forces. As we do so, we experience "My will is God's will." And "God in me, me in God are One." (4) "God" also has so many meanings and is a very misunderstood concept. A spiritual path is about experiencing the reality of this concept. Yogi Bhajan always tells us that our biggest problem is that we think God is outside ourselves. The purpose of a spiritual practice is to experience God within our own being and to connect our individual psyche with the universal psyche. (one definition of God) Silence and Intuition Silence is core to all spiritual practices. The Buddhists are masters of silence. Or at least they recognize its value and practice the discipline. One must be silent to "hear" God. Practicing silence is recommended at Solstice. Silence used to be required. Now it is optional. Many people chose and were actually able to observe this sacred discipline. The experience is definitely more effective when we observe silence. When we are silent, our attention turns inward. We are able to identify and stop relating to what is called "excess personality" or "externalized ego". We begin relating to our Essential Self or Soul. It is our Essential Self that accesses our intuition and finds God within. The full effects of the White Tantric Course take effect 40 days after the event. The 40th day will be August 3rd. I thought we might tap some of this energy by practicing a silent meditation. Mercury being retrograde (July 12th -August 4th) also facilitates our inner journey. During Mercury retrograde (which happens 3 times a year for a little over 3 weeks each time) the mind loses some of its grip. It is easier to release thoughts, be still, meditate and be in the heart. A Silent Meditation for 40 Days In the yogic tradition, meditations practiced for a certain number of days have a certain effect. Forty days is the minimum to break a habit and set the stage for an internal shift. One student asked me once—"Forty days in a row?!" The whole class laughed. Yes, forty days in a row! And if that seems like a long time, in the past many spiritual masters have taken 40 years to achieve enlightenment. I imagine that all of us on the KYList have done that path in other lifetimes. This lifetime, we are attempting to get quicker results, so that we can enjoy peace and happiness in this lifetime. Let's get started. Here is a simple mindful meditation to practice for the next 40 days. Actually silent, mindful meditation is our first, last and ongoing lesson. We will use this meditation as a touchstone overtime to review our progress and assess our goal of achieving inner peace, contentment and a richer, fuller life. Part One. Everyday be silent and practice listening within. Morning before sunrise is the best time. Or at least morning before you start your work day. Simply sit quietly and observe your thoughts, be with your breath and feel the sensations in your body. Gently and silently be with yourself. The optimal time is 22 or 31 minutes. If you don't have that much time, 11 minutes is also an effective yogic time for meditation. Part Two. During the day, practice listening to yourself before you interact with others. Do your best to get your own answers before seeking advise. Process your own thoughts and feelings before sharing them with others. Share only those thoughts and feelings that inform and inspire others. Do not dump your emotions on others as a way to avoid processing them yourself. Keep your own personal issues and process to yourself. (Unless you are working with a counselor or therapy group.) Part Three. Once a week practice silence with a partner or with a group of friends. Observing silence, go for a walk together, be together at home, eat a meal together or partake in another activity. Agree on the process beforehand, so you can relax and enjoy the experience. Have a notepad handy in case the need to communicate arises. You might also want to check out silent Buddhist evening and day meditations or week retreats. Results. The above practice makes us aware of how much we turn our attention outward and look for cues outside ourselves. We realize how much we say that is unnecessary and a waste of energy. We start to see how much we try to fill in "empty" spaces to feel comfortable or make the other person feel comfortable so we will feel comfortable. We find our intuition and "hear God" in the open spaces of our minds. I am always reminded that I have to listen to myself, if I want to hear my intuition. It is not that our intuition is not working. It is dormant through inactivity or is buried by all our mental noise. We are not listening, trusting and following our intuition. When we don't listen to our intuition, our Soul screams at us in other ways—accidents, stress, fear, anger. (You must have noticed! :+)) Preparing for the New Millennium As Yogi Bhajan shared with us (at the last Solstice of the millennium), our intuition is our security. When we tune into our intuition, we know what to do. When we know what to do, we can trust ourselves and our universe. When we trust ourselves, we are in charge of our own lives. On the other hand, if we don't listen to ourselves, we have nothing to trust. The best we can do it operate from blind faith. But doubt ends up getting the upper hand. We turn to external authorities and become a victim of forces outside ourselves. As we move into the next millennium, our goal is to empower ourselves from within (there is no other way) and to extreicate ourselves from all forms of victimization. The energy on the planet is becoming more and more intense. (I am sure you have noticed!) Many people feel out of control and they probably are. The only way to deal with the energy is match it, join it, go with it and use it!. To do so, we must intuitively sense it and flow with it. The good news is that the intensity of the energy also speeds up our desire and our ability to tap our spiritual roots. Our goal over time is to integrate the above practices into our daily lives. To do so, we have to train and monitor ourselves. You may find it useful to keep a journal of your experiences. I find it therapeutic and encouraging to watch my progress. Training ourselves to connect with the divine within and maintain this connection during every hour of the day is the purpose of all spiritual disciplines. And with the energy available, we could witness some quick results. Although the above silent meditation may seem simple, its mastery is not. Students take years and even lifetimes to perfect it. Fortunately, there are Kundalini yoga techniques that facilitate the process and speed up our progress. The purpose of the Kundalini Yoga Training is to share this technology. Our first step is to simply practice mindful silent meditation and watch our results. It is important to monitor your experiences so you have a baseline of comparison as we add the Kundalini exercises to the process. Get started today, have fun and lets share our results over the List. Kundalini Yoga Training List Many of you have already signed up for the Kundalini Yoga Training List, where we will soon offer lessons and share our experiences with each other. In order to let others know about this opportunity, I am beginning this training with this lesson for everyone on the KYList. To go to-- KYtraining- . Please tell your friends, so we can all get started together. Sat Nam and many blessings, "Rattana" Gururattan Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D. Copyright by Gururattan K. Khalsa, Ph.D. July 16, 1999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 1999 Report Share Posted July 17, 1999 Rattana, thank you for sharing your experience at Summer Solstice. I was wondering if you could talk more in depth of the following statement you made. >>>>"Rattana Khalsa" The energy on the planet is becoming more and more intense. (I am sure you have noticed!) Many people feel out of control and they probably are. The only way to deal with the energy is match it, join it, go with it and use it!.>>> I do agree that the energy from the planet is becoming more intense. How do you suggest matching it in a positive light? Esp. if one views what's around her as negative energy? Angie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 1999 Report Share Posted July 18, 1999 Dear Angela, I was > wondering if you could talk more in depth of the following statement you > made. > > >>>>"Rattana Khalsa" > The energy on the planet is becoming more and more intense. (I am sure > you have noticed!) Many people feel out of control and they probably > are. The only way to deal with the energy is match it, join it, go with > it and use it!.>>> > > I do agree that the energy from the planet is becoming more intense. How > do you suggest matching it in a positive light? Esp. if one views what's > around her as negative energy? ANSWER: The energy on the planet is actually increasing in frequency. The new freqency matches the frequency of the heart center. The way to match it is to operate from your heart and be guided by your intuition. We all know how to act and interact in a way that is uplifting, caring and graceful. We need to learn to take our ques from inside ourselves and not from the negative examples that exist around us. The increased speed also means that the reactions to our actions will happen quicker. Another way to say this is "instant karma." We take an action and we experience the results right away. The good part of this is that when we take actions that are in integrity with our heart and highest values, we get supported. Thanks for your question. Sat Nam, Rattana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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