* * * New Chakra Series for Shaktipat * * * Part 2

[Guest guest]

cut this part because the article was

too long.

 

* * * *

 

Continuing:

 

Spiritual Crisis and the Need for Devotion

 

The ~symptomology~ of a spiritual crisis is almost identical to that

of a psychological crisis. In fact, since a spiritual crisis

naturally involves the psyche, a ~beginning mystic~ may be unaware

that the crisis is spiritual in nature and may describe his or her

dilemma as psychological. The symptoms of a spiritual crisis are

distinct, however, and three fold.

 

The crisis begins with an awareness of an ~absence of meaning and

purpose~ that cannot be remedied merely by shuffling the external

components of ones life. One feels a much deeper longing, one that

cannot be satisfied by the prospect of a raise or promotion, marriage

or new relationship. ordinary solutions hold no attraction. Of

course, some people have never found meaning and purpose in life, but

these people are probably wrongly expecting life to deliver ~meaning~

to their doorstep. Chronic complainers and people who lack ambition

are not suffering from a spiritual crisis. Those who are in a

spiritual crisis, however, have a feeling that something is trying to

wake up inside them They just don`t know how to see it.

 

~Strange new fears~ are the second symptom of a spiritual crisis.

These fears are notordinary, such as fears of abandonment and aging;

they make a person feel as if he or she is losing touch with a sense

of ~self~ or ~identity~. " I am no longer sure of who I am and of what

I want out of life " is a standard report from a person saturated with

the energy of the seventh chakra.

 

The third symptom is the need to experience ~devotion~ to something

greater than oneself. The many psychological texts available today

that describe human needs rarely mention our fundamental need for

devotion, yet we all biologically and energetically need to be in

contact with a source of power than transcends human limitations and

turmoil. We need to be in touch with a source of miracles and hope.

Devotion commits a part of our conscious minds to our unconscious

eternal self, which in turn connects us directly to a Divine presence.

Even brief and fleeting encounters with this presence and its

infinite power help our conscious mind release its fears of life, and

human power ceases to command our attention.

 

Our need to be devoted to a higher power has found numerous

inappropriate surrogates; a devotion to a corporation, a political

party, an athletic team, a personal exercise program, even a street

gang. all these earthbound surrogates will eventually fail the

devotee. You may remain healthy in the process, but you will still

get older. And much of the anguish people suffer when they are let go

from companies they have served loyally for years undoubtedly occurs

because their loyalty contains and unconscious devotion. We expect

our devotion to earthly things and people to return to us a quality of

power that can take care of all our woes, but no human being or

organisation commands such power. No guru, minister or priest can

manage the energy of devotees for long without some form of scandal.

We are not meant to be devoted to a human being, devotion is meant to

be directed upward and to take us with it.

 

The absence of meaning, the loss of self-identity, and the need for

devotion are the three strongest symptoms indicating a person has

entered into the ~dark night~. Certainly these characteristics are

similar to common psychological dilemmas that people experience. Yet

when their root is spiritual, the person ~lacks the motivation

to blame other people~ for causing the crisis. Rather, he or she

realizes that the cause of the crisis is within. The inadequacy of the

external components of the person`s life is a ~consequence~ of the

spiritual crisis, not the ~cause~.

 

A skilled spiritual director can help a person get through the ~dark

night~, many of whose challenges involve facing intense psychological

issues. Standard psychological counseling would seek the cause by

looking into the negative patterns in his or her relationships, from

childhood onward. While identifying these negative patterns is

certainly helpful in spiritual counseling as well, a spiritual

director investigates, as a priority, the content of a person`s

inner dialogue related to matters of the spirit, such as:

 

What questions have you asked that seek insight into your life`s purpose?

 

What fears do you have related to your understanding of God?

 

Have you judged your life as meaningless when you evaluate it within a

spiritual context?

 

What spiritual fantasies do you have? Do you, for example, believe

that seeking a spiritual path makes you superior to other people, or

that it makes God more aware of you than of others who are not as

involved in a spiritual path as you are?

 

Have you asked, in the privacy of your prayers or thoughts, for

insights into the reasons you find it difficult to have faith in God.

 

Do you feel that you have, in some way, failed in the choices that you

have made for yourself?

 

Are you conscious of ever having violated your own spiritual rules.

 

Have you ever desired to be healed?

 

Have you ever desired to know God in a deeper way that you presently do?

 

These are not ordinary psychological questions. One can become more

open to receiving the answers to them by reorganizing one`s life in

ways that remove mental and emotional blockages. That reorganization

will at first make one feel worse as one experiences the ~dark night

of the soul~ through which one comes to know the content of his or her

mind and heart, confronts fears and beliefs, consciously pursues the

shadow side and challenges false gods who do not give up their hold

upon the human psyche without a fight.

 

 

 

Enduring the ~Dark Night~

 

Enduring the ~dark night~ requires faith, prayer, and if at all

possible, a spiritual director. If finding a spiritual director is

impossible, you can turn to spiritual literature for support. Finding

a person who understands the nature of the journey can feel like

finding a life raft. Keep a journal, record your thoughts and your

prayers, and above all, hold on to the truth that all dark nights end

with a light illuminating a new path.

 

Become devoted to a daily form of prayer with which you feel

comfortable. Devotion - not obsession but devotion - is an extremely

healing and comforting force. pray at specific times each day. The

quality of the prayer is not measured in time but in intention. Even

five minutes each morning and evening is sufficient. If certain

prayers bring you a sense of tranquility, then make those prayers a

part of your daily devotion.

 

Prayer represents one`s conscious connection with God. Authentic

prayer does not mean to turn to God in order to get something; it

means to turn to God in order to be with someone. Prayer is not so

much our words to God as our life with God.

 

Our goal while on this earth is to transcend our illusions and

discover the innate power of our spirit. We are responsible for what

we create, and we must therefore learn to act and think with love and

wisdom and to live in service to others and all of life.

 

When we have integrated our soul and personality and thus the link

with ~God~ or the Divine Source of life then we have truly evolved

into complete human ~beings~ on our soul journey through this lifetime.

 

********************

Chakra Exercises

 

Enter consciously into the energy of that chakra and sense the quality

of energy activity increasing that that part of your body.

 

Proceed through the chakras, focusing in the following ways.

 

The 1st Chakra : The Spine

 

~All is One -

 

Focus on the energy and feel yourself connected to all of life. Then

focus on the symbolic meaning and bless the life you have agreed to

live, and the family, both personal and extended that makes up your life.

 

The 2nd Chakra : The Lower Abdomen

 

~Honor One Another~

 

Focus on the energy and sense the energy you have released from this

area of your body into acts of creation. If your energy is

contaminated - filled with negativity and fear - re-examine your

intention. See each person in your life as having a Divine purpose.

Wherever you cannot see that Divinity clearly, ask for the energy to

see through the illusions that are controlling you.

 

The 3rd Chakra : The Solar Plexus

 

~Honor Oneself~

 

Focus on the energy of integrity and endurance. Evaluate your code of

behavior and whether you have compromised your honor in any way. If

so, meditate on the significance of honor and ask for assistance to

maintaining your personal standards. Then bring into your mind the

energy to the commitment to yourself to honor your own dignity.

 

The 4th Chakra : The Heart

 

~Love is Divine Power~

 

Focus on the energy of love and compassion. Evaluate how well you

extend love to others as well as yourself, including the loving energy

contained within acts of forgiveness. Then focus on the care you give

for yourself and how well you honor this.

 

The 5th Chakra : The Throat

 

~Surrender personal will to Divine Will~

 

Focus on the energy of mercy and judgment and evaluate the quality of

the thoughts you are holding about other people, as well as yourself.

Evaluate the words you have shared with others. And if you have

expressed harmful words, send positive energies to those people. If

you have expressed false words, consciously acknowledge that you

have acted to deceive others, and examine the fear that exists within

you, from which deceitful actions emerge. Ask the Light to enter that

fear and give you the courage not to act in that negative pattern again.

 

The 6th Chakra : The Third Eye

 

~Seek Only The Truth~

 

Focus on the energy of Divine wisdom and understanding and continue to

evaluate your daily life. Request wisdom and insight for the

situations in which you feel confused or frightened. Remind yourself

of the promise of this energy that each of us has a special gift to

give to this life and that each of us is inevitably led to that path.

It is impossible to miss our life's purpose.

 

The 7th Chakra : The Crown

 

~Live in the Present Moment~

 

Focus on the energy of your contact with the Divine, consciously

completely and releasing your unfinished business. Allow the energy of

~God~ to enter into your mind, body and spirit, and breathe that

energy into your being.

 

In addition, remind yourself on a regular basis of the archetype of

the Promised Land. This archetype is not meant to inspire us to seek

out a ~one time~ physical solution to all our problems. It is meant to

draw us into ourselves to discover the power behind our eyes. We can

transcend every dilemma through the power of our spirits: that is a

Divine promise.

 

Above all else, as you learn the language of your spirit, establish a

code of honor for yourself that reflects the spiritual content of your

biology. We are meant to move forward towards self discovery and

spiritual maturity, to be ready and able to live a life that matters

to us and those around us.

 

 

Namaste

 

I honor the place in you in which the entire universe dwells.

I honor the place in you which is of

Love, of Truth, of Light, and of Peace.

When you are in that place in you

and I am in that place in me,

We are One~