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Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Light of Christ in You

💫The Light of Christ in You💫
We are so much more than our physical bodies.
"We are spiritual beings having a physical experience."
This life is known as maya, meaning 'illusion'. Not that it isn't 100% real, but because this isn't who we are originally.
We can learn to feel more and more into our spiritual selves to help us navigate this life and tap into spiritual gifts that are our birthright. This is done through a DAILY spiritual practice that is not just about meditation and eating healthy (although those are two important practices). It's all about our ability to access and hold onto Prana - life force, chi, the light of Christ...it's that spiritual charge that animates all of life.
The following is an excerpt from the book, "Awake as in Ancient Days" by Felice Austin, also known as Nam Joti Kaur :
"According to ancient masters, “Prana is a mystical force that is found in all living physical entities, but which is non-physical. It is in the air without being air. It is in water without being water. it is in food without being food.” The ancients said that wherever there is life in the universe, there is prana. Without prana, all would be dead, lifeless matter. The word prana is derived from the Sanskrit word signifying absolute energy, divine energy, or as I know it, the Light of Christ.
The scriptures say that the Light of Christ “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space” and is “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed.” Though prana fills the immensity of space and is in all things, humans have a special relationship with prana because of our intellectual capabilities, which empower us to receive and transfer prana. Consequently, we can choose to fill ourselves with more prana, and we can also “send” prana to others for healing purposes."
Usually when "Christ" is spoken of, we are referring to the Master, Jesus Christ. Christ is a title rightly given to the Lord Jesus Christ as he was a master of prana, or life force energy.
Jesus tells us in John 14:12 that we can do greater works than his. Um...wow. Right? And...how?
We have the Light of Christ in us:
"In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." John 1:4
“You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
"The anointing that you received from him abides in you." 1 John 2:27
The Light of Christ is in you! Christ is the anointing, an oil. Literally. Inside our bodies.
We become "closer to Christ" by following the Holy Spirit (our own intuition - also known as our Higher Self) and following the Word of God.
We become "closer to Christ" not by simply "being" Christian and believing, but practicing daily. The quickest way to do this is by gaining an understanding of, and harnessing, the power of prana with daily, intentional spiritual practice.
Follow along for more insight and get tips on how to purposefully and more properly make use of prana in your everyday life.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Chakras in the Bible...and in YOU

I use to think that chakras were more of an Eastern philosophy rather than an actual part of our bodies.  That's right: "bodies".  We have a physical body as we all know which is amazing and complex, but did you ever stop to think about how our spiritual body works? Doesn't it stand to reason that there is more at work behind our physical body that we cannot see?  

When someone has brain surgery their thoughts aren't there.  If someone has heart surgery we cannot see the emotions we know they have.  Where are these things? You won't see the chakra energy centers either, but many who do a lot of spiritual work have felt their chakras and know they are there.  

Actually, everyone has at least felt the energy of the heart chakra when experiencing deeply intense emotions. The common nervous sensation known as "butterflies" have to do with another chakra known as the solar plexis. I know some think that the chakras are demonic - which baffles me since God created our bodies with a purpose.  Remember, chakras are within us, the kingdom of God is within you (see Luke 17:21), so they are directly from God. How else would we receive inspiration, intuition, revelation and so on? There needs to be a connection, a way to communicate, from spiritual to physical. It is my belief that the chakras are the key to transmitting information at an unseen vibratory rate out into the universe and back again, in a sophisticated dance of colors.

Have we in the west really missed out on learning about the chakras?  Chances are, if you have learned common bible stories or studied scriptures at all, you have heard about them. Some stories are cloaked with a deeper meaning, and that, my friend, will have to be another blog post. For now let's look at several passages that speak directly of our ethereal anatomy.

The ancient prophet Ezekiel recorded his vision of our chakras (chakra means "wheel" in Sanskrit):

"...for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels."  Ezekiel 1:19-21

Chakras have different colors which correspond to the rainbow: "
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD." Ezekial 1:28

“ I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.” Daniel 7:9

“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Revelations 4:5

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals." Revelation 5:1. Hmm... The "backside" of a book is called a spine.  We have a spine….(“I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).

Other examples of the number seven in the Bible:

  • There were seven pairs of clean animals that were received into the Ark. Genesis 7:2
  • Seven people boarded the boat with Noah.
  • “Then the ark rested in the seventh month...” Genesis 8.4
  • No animal could be sacrificed until it was seven days old. Ex 22:30
  • There were seven “I AM’s” in the Gospel of John that Jesus used when He spoke of Himself.
  • The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week.
  • Seven baskets of surplus food are left after the multiplication of loaves. Matt. 15:32-37
  • Peter asks if he should forgive seven times. Matt. 18:21
  • The Lord would discipline Israel up to sevenfold if they refused to obey Him. Lev 26:18
  • “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways” Deuteronomy 28:7
  • Jesus mentions seven woes (or judgments) on the unrepentant in Matthew 23.
  • Jesus also mentions seven parables in Matthew 13.
  • There were seven letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation 2, 3.
  • There were also seven trumpets announcing judgments by God in the Book of Revelation (8).
  • There were seven signs given in the Gospel of John.
  • Joshua and Israel marched around Jericho seven times while seven priests blew seven trumpets before the walls came crashing down. Joshua 6:3-4
  • Elisha told the military commander Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed of his leprosy. 2 Kings 5:10
  • There were seven qualities or attributes of the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 11:2.
  • There are seven things that the Lord hates mentioned in Proverbs 6:16.
  • There were seven stems on the lampstand in the tabernacle. Ex 25:37
  • There were seven angels pouring out seven bowls of the wrath of God in the Book of Revelation (16:1).

And the list goes on and on! 7 days of famine, 7 days of celebration, 7 days of building, 7 days of fasting....So maybe some of these reference 7 actual days or years?  But I'm thinking it's mentioned SO MANY TIMES that there has GOT to be something more there!

There are also a significant amount of sevens in The Book of Mormon.  Here are a few examples:

  • Seven rebellions by Laman and Lemuel are recorded in 1 Nephi.
  • Seven churches are mentioned in the land of Zarahemla. (Mosiah 25:33)
  • Seven converted Lamanite cities and lands are listed. (Alma 23:7-13)
  • The Nephite monetary system is based on the number seven. (Alma 11)
  • Seven are killed by Ammon at the Waters of Sebus. (Alma 18:16)
  • Seven “deadly sins” of Nephites are recorded by Mormon. (Alma 50:21)

I believe the many authors of these books persisted to incorporate the number seven (and multiples of 7) into their work purposefully.

The purpose is simply this: we are to attentively work to raise our consciousness up out of the lower energy centers or chakras (aka, our “lower nature”) in order to meet God IN THIS LIFETIME. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” John 3:14


(Side note: If you know the related elements of the chakras, you can gather even more meaning from the stories.  How many people are forever changed or affected by water and fire in the scriptures?)

I also want to emphasize that just because the authors of these words are trying to convey a certain message and use specific numbers (the number 3 and 40 are also a common occurrence), doesn’t mean that these stories didn’t have real people behind them.  I do believe that the spirit guided these writers to transmit certain ideas and histories in a very precise way for His purposes. Just because a story can be seen symbolically doesn’t mean the characters are from some fable. 

I believe the scriptures are so rich in meaning we can gain understanding from them at whatever level we are at.  There’s the basic level where we read the story and take it literally.  We can also “liken the scriptures” to us in our day. Next we look at what things might mean allegorically. And there is also a hidden meaning that can be revealed through revelation based on what we are ready for or what we need for that time in our lives.

Sat Nam,

Samantha

Friday, June 16, 2017

Prayer Circle

A couple nights ago I joined a prayer circle with a handful of other woman.  It was beautiful and so simple.  It was hosted over Zoom.  One at a time we took turns to share what is happening in our lives right now, mostly what we are struggling with.  I found myself resonating with almost all of what was being said from the others and my heart breaking for those that are struggling with so much.  The energy seems to be intense lately and everyone seems to be feeling it. No one stopped to say, "I'm so sorry" or "Have you tried this?" We just listened and held space for each other.

We were then reminded that when life is hard, instead of asking for things through prayer, it is best to simply give praise and gratitude.  This was followed by a simple 11 minute meditation: hands at the chest, mantra is "wahe guru". When you say "wahe" one arm goes out to the side and when you say "guru" the arm is brought back the the heart then repeat with the left.  The movement is very slow and gentle.

Then a beautiful prayer was said on everyone's behalf.  I hope we do it again soon.  Maybe someday soon it will be in person.


Saturday, May 28, 2016

Letting Go

Today is day 45 of my most recent sadhana, 31 minutes of kirtan kriya.  46 days ago I knew I needed to do 31 minutes of kirtan kriya.  Not just whatever amount of time I thought I had time for,  not just whatever meditation I felt like doing, but a real sadhana that is practiced daily no matter what.

This has been quite a different experience than my first 40 day sadhana.  Then I was pushed forward by all the amazing things I was learning and experiencing.  Then I occasionally did less than 31 minutes, but when I practiced 31 minutes the time flew by.

Not this go around.  I'm not gonna lie.  It was tough.  Each time I practiced I felt the seconds tick by slowly.  My body wouldn't sit still most of the time.  My mind continually resisted.  I would put it off until evening most days, one day I got started at about 11:20 p.m. (not proud to admit it).

But I persisted.

I reached out for help when I needed it from a friend doing the same meditation - only she was approaching 365 days.  One of the things that made it difficult for me was that once I began I knew this time it wasn't going to be just 40 days.  The number that was given to me then was 120.  So I continued, knowing I needed to make this a real habit to reach that number, all the while wondering how I would make it.  During this time I was reminded that this meditation is great for generational healing if done for a year.  So for now, my goal is 365 days....but I have a hunch that number will grow as well.

An interesting thing occurred on day 41.  I felt fear for continuing my sadhana and the changes that it was going to bring.  Real fear.  I sensed this was because now the real work was to begin. (God has been somewhat quiet as I plowed on for this sadhana.)  Now, I know that this is why I practice - to find real, deep level changing that I know won't take place any other way, but fear is not rational.  One lesson I've learned is that it's important to feel our feelings, all of them, so I relaxed into the moment and allowed the tears.  A mantra came to my mind, one I used a great deal during my first 40 days.  (I had forgotten that there was fear involved in those days as well.)  The mantra Chattr Chakkr Vertee is used in a meditation for eliminating fears.  It is so beautiful that I memorized it during my first 40 days so that I could use it at any time. It was nice for it to come to mind when I needed it. My doubts were calmed.

As I practiced kirtan kriya the minutes flew by.

The root of all resistance is fear. Fear of change.  Fear of letting go of the oars and allowing God to transform us in the best way only He can.  We are taught that we are in control of our lives but I think we forget that this "we" - this "me" image in our mind is the one that we have created over the span of all the years we have lived.  We forget that our soul is on a mission, and only God can help us with that.  No matter what we may want in this life, there will always be some things that only cause distress and unhappiness when we  resist God- even if what we want is righteous.

One brief example of this in my life was my sincere desire to have children.  I have never in my life been pregnant.  I can't even begin to describe the grief and anguish during the many years of trying - of begging God to bless me in the way that I wanted.  But once I let that go, my daughter was born exactly 9 months later through another woman.  That was a divine answer enough for me.


So this morning when I was in that stage of waking but trying to talk myself out of getting out of bed and then trying to find reasons why I deserved to stay in bed instead of wake early and meditate, I suddenly had the thought that this isn't about me, this is about God.  And I could no long, not for one second, stay in bed. While meditating I learned why I felt distant from God these past weeks: me. That's all.  Nothing more.  Me and all the things in life that I want, that I feel are sincere and right.

God has a plan for us and I know that before this life we had a say in that plan and knew it was for the best.  God knows what is best for our soul's development.  No matter how right we think our aspirations are, no matter how right we think we are, there is always something better that we cannot even comprehend.

Let go of the oars. Let go of the fear. Your life is guided by the One who knows more.  

Sat Nam,
Samantha

Sunday, May 15, 2016

How to Align Your Goals With Your Values

I wrote last about the power of words and our thoughts.  There is so much to explore here but for now I want to share with you a tool for discovering and narrowing down your ideals and finding your passion.  It's a word game to help prioritize your goals and it's quick and easy to do.

I. First, quickly read through the following list of words and pick only 10 that are important to you. (Quickly, don't over think it.)



Ability
Abundance
Acceptance
Accuracy
Achievement
Acknowledgement
Adventure
Altruism
Balance
Beauty
Brotherhood
Charity
Children
Comfort
Communication
Compassion
Competence
Contentment
Conquest
Cooperation
Courage
Creativity
Culture
Dignity
Discovery
Duty
Ease
Energy
Enjoyment
Excitement
Fame
Family
Forgiveness
Freedom
Friendship
Fun
Glory
God
Goodness
Greatness
Growth
Happiness
Health
Honesty
Honor
Hope
Humility
Independence
Individuality
Innocence
Innovation
Integrity
Intimacy
Joy
Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Law-abidance
Learning a mark
Leisure
Love
Making a difference
Mastery
Maturity
Money
Nature
Originality
Patience
Peace of mind
Pleasure
Popularity
Positivity
Power
Prestige
Pride
Privacy
Property
Prosperity
Purpose
Reason
Respect
Responsibility
Risk
Romance
Routine
Safety
Security
Self-control
Self-esteem
Self-interest
Service
Spirituality
Strength
Success
Support
Surrender
Talent
Teamwork
Trust
Truth
Wealth
Wisdom
Working with people

II. Next, narrow that list down even further to the 5 most important to you.

III. Now adjust the words in order of importance, for example, say to yourself, "In the context of my career  (or "life" or "happiness", etc., choose what is relevant to you) this is more important than that."

Can you see how this helps your goals become more clear?  Refer to your list often, post it on your mirror or vision board, keep it in your journal or planner.  You will now be able to stay more aligned with your aspirations and goals, helping you manifest your dreams and stay in tune with your core values.

Sat nam,
Samantha

Saturday, May 14, 2016

The Power of Words

It really is ironic that I enjoy writing.  I'm not a person of many words - or maybe that's my inheritance form my father's side but the need to share thoughts and ideas stems from my mother's side.  Whatever the case may be I think about words and their power a great deal.  For example, I never understood why people can so easily throw around the name of God (or Jesus, or Christ, etc.).

There is great power in the words we use.  They can uplift and inspire or change the vibration of any situation just by being careless with them. The meaning behind words are certainly important but words carry their own vibrational tone.  You can even think of them as a living organism capable of growing as if you planted a seed.

Think of all the words that have survived over the years.  Most mantras that are used in Kundalini yoga are from the language Gurmukhi  and have survived thousands of years.  I remember when I first searched out meditation and heard Kundalini mantras.  I couldn't make sense of them and they didn't hold my attention at all.  Fast forward several years when I found out that all the mantras are is ancient words praising God and I gave it a try and was amazed at the effect.  Felice Austin (aka Nam Joti Kaur), author of "Awake as in Ancient Days: The Christ-Centered Kundalini Yoga Experience" explains this effect of Kundalini mantras well:
"Though there are a few English mantras that work well, English is a symbolic language, which means that you say the word "love," you have to know what love means. Whereas, in Gurmukhi, the language of most Kundalini mantras, if you say the word which translates as "love," you feel love.  The patterns of the sacred Sound Current, existed from before the beginning of creation.  The patterns are simple, primal sounds that are the tides and rhythms of the creative pulse of the universe."
Isn't that fascinating? "..the tides and rhythms of the creative pulse of the universe."  For more on Kundalini mantras and their meanings, see my posts The Power of Mantras Part I and Part II.

But for now I want to bring out the importance of our words in our language.  The words we speak and think.  Are you confused about how disconnected our ideals can be from our reality sometimes?  We know that speaking kindly is a good thing, yet when we become stressed, agitated or tired, somehow we forget.  We might yell at our kids or think how life is so horrible - or how we are so horrible.  Yes, we need to speak kindly to ourselves as much as anyone.
Here's a thought: 
What kind of mantras are we telling ourselves all day long?

I challenge you to become more conscious of your thoughts during the day.  What words are you using to describe your reality to your mind and body? Try to just observe them without judgement.

Next I will be posting a tool for choosing high vibrational words to help you narrow down your goals and ideals in life.  It is a quick and easy activity that brings your values and principles front and center so you can more easily manifest what you want in your life.

Until then...

Sat nam,
Samantha

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Let the Mind Expand


"There is no harm for any man or woman letting the mind expand to lay hold upon all that God has revealed, and to ponder upon it, as the ancient children of God did. . . . When we have prepared ourselves by getting all the knowledge we possibly can from that which is written, God will give us more". -Orson Pratt 
Love this quote!  There is so much to reflect on.  Here is another thought to consider:
 "One of the grand fundamental principles of 'Mormonism' is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may." -Joseph Smith

Some thoughts:

  • Do we allow our minds, let alone our hearts, to be open enough to receive truth "come from whence it may"?
  • As LDS we have been taught if we are righteous and obedient and seek the things of God, our faith in Jesus Christ can grow until we are worthy to have all things revealed to us (Ether 3:1-20, James 2:14-20, Ether 12:6, D&C 88:67-68;93:1, 27-28) and when we are prepared, the Lord will reveal more sacred records to us (Ether 3:21-4:18, 2 Nephi 27:7-11).
I know that sadhana, a daily spiritual practice, is helpful here.  Searching, pondering (meditating), and praying daily to receive further light and truth. Some kind of daily practice is crucial.  It takes commitment.  It even takes courage.  But it is so worth it!

Sat nam,
Samantha