Meditation is the Doorway

Teacher: Meditation is a way to build a doorway to inner life where soul evolution takes place. As the soul evolves it collects tools, abilities, and wisdom from the wisdom of the ages. In meditation you uplift your frequency to the soul and let everything else fall away.

Student: Does this mean that if we contact our soul in meditation we will suddenly have access to all that wisdom?

It is there available but we must first build a mechanism capable of receiving it. We need to learn to tune into different frequencies. We know there are radio signals available all around us but we need the receiver set before we can hear them. The task of humanity today is to develop our potential so that we can access different levels of consciousness. All of the wisdom of the ancient past is then available. Meditation opens the doorway to this level of consciousness and much more. Meditation is a conscious attempt to become one with other levels of Self.

How do I know when I am really in touch with other levels of consciousness and not just on some fantasy trip or hallucinating?

This is why one needs a mentor, someone who has traveled the path before you. Some of the things people get in meditation are actually detrimental. Meditation is an energy, which fertilizes all that we are, the nourishing growth and the weeds. We must be willing to pull the weeds if we want to reap the fruit.

Emotions can cause confusion in meditation. As certain emotions come up we tend to defend them, and miss the spiritual feeling behind the emotion. At an ego level we get attached not only to things but also thoughts and perspectives. Personality may fight to defend its chosen piece of guidance.

I like the image of a garden. 1 know from experience that preparing the garden is essential, you can't just go out and throw seeds on the soil and have a beautiful garden. You have to prepare the soil, plant, water, and weed regularly. There's a commitment to meditation just like there is to a garden. There are stories of people who sat in meditation for years before their garden began to grow, before they touched the soul or gained enlightenment. But maybe, as everything is speeding up now, we can reach that state faster.

Hold on. One of the things that gets in the way of people's spiritual progress is wanting to get to the end of the tunnel before they go through the door. We want to pick the fruit before we plant the seed. It is more important to learn to live in the process, surrender to it. This is part of the transformation; you do what you can do day by day. Transformation is a process, a journey, not a destination.

It is true that this is a unique time for spiritual development. New levels of consciousness are breaking through; this is the greatest adventure on the planet. There are little pockets of people in alignment with the shift in consciousness now taking place, this movement is happening, those who can align with the shift are seeing a rapid movement within themselves. There will be a tremendous change in our society; this is what the end of the world writings are about.

But it's not the end of the planet. As a feminist and ecologist, I see it as the end of patriarchy and materialism. Do you believe that because people have interpreted the ancient prophecies in such a materialistic and fundamentalist way for so long, there is an unconscious effort to make them true by destroying the actual planet?

Yes, it is important to remember that it is the end of the world as we have known it. The shift we are making now is enormous; we are making a leap forward. Imagine human consciousness evolving through the chakras – we are now moving from the materialistic and survival focus of the first 3 chakras to love, relationship, and community of the Heart. This is not a progress along a line; it's a leap in consciousness from the power of the solar plexus to the unity of the heart. In the fully awakened heart there is unity between inner and outer realities.

How does this affect our spiritual life?

Humans have cried out to God in prayer for centuries, now it is time to listen, to learn to be still. The tool for listening is meditation. In the stillness we enter the mystery of ourselves and our divine potential is revealed. Here we have more self-control or self-direction and we learn to set proper boundaries and goals.

Many of us who have grown up in difficult situations have acute sensitivities and abilities that are more of a pain than a joy and so this becomes a part of our work. We are to learn how to be a sensitive person bringing the qualities of that sensitivity forward and developing a healthy enough ego that can love and honor our sensitivity; we don't let it destroy us or our work in the world. We need to be able to use our gifts for the whole of the world. The important thing is to bring peace, love, and compassion into daily life. Almost anyone can be peaceful in meditation but the point is to bring it into the life. Just as the human heart beat sets the rhythm of the blood circulating in the body, the energy of love is to flow through our lives with its own life and rhythm.

That sounds great but look what is happening in the world – all the violence, chaos, and disease.

All of this is just one part of the transformation of humanity occurring now. Much can be understood by looking at the evolution of the brain and remembering that the evolution of consciousness and our own psychic nature mirrors biological evolution. The evolution of the brain will also give us a framework for understanding the process of meditation.

Very briefly, three brains have developed through evolution. The first is the reptilian brain, often referred to as the R-complex, related to behavior. It is that part of our self that is concerned with the development of the physical body and survival. This level of ourselves has certain needs that must be met in order to function: it needs repetition, structure, and formality. When working with survival or health issues we tend to develop routine and structure. When the reptilian brain functions well it radiates out stability and security to other parts of the brain and body.

The second brain is the mammalian, also called the limbic system. Here we learn life loves us and is taking us somewhere. Mammals nurture their young and this part of brain has to do with relationships.

It is here that we recognize that we are communal animals, where we connect with collective consciousness.

The mammalian brain gives us the capacity for bonding and it does not like exclusion. It is very emotional and easily aroused. If it is not well developed, if we do not have a strong sense of belonging and love, then we can become like a dog in a pack - moved by a riot or mass violence. This is what creates gangs. Being social animals, we all want like-minded people in our lives. If we have been hurt to a certain level the mammalian brain may lead us to join gangs for protection and safety. We believe safety will come when we get to our people and bond together and become part of the pack.

Group consciousness at a mammalian level is part of our nature and is very strong. We are moving into an age of group work and so our society is breaking into groups acting out the consciousness of those called together.

The third brain is called the neocortex or the new brain; this is the system of thought and image. Here we find the left and right hemispheres. The left is our information gathering and storing assistant and has to do with linear thought processes, mathematics, and rationality. The right hemisphere is wholistic; its task is to help us stay in touch with the whole of life. It is that aspect of ourselves that can go through the different levels of consciousness, it can make attunements to any form of life – animal, vegetable, mineral, water, earth, sky, and so forth. We are always connected to it all even though we are not aware in a rational way.

The neocortex needs novelty and newness to keep developing. This is why lifetime learning is so important. This brain uses curiosity like food. It is through the right hemisphere that we get in touch with the reptilian and mammalian brains.

To get back to the situation in the world today, we can see that some of us are reacting to technological and political changes by forming gangs bonded by fear, hatred, and violence, while others are seeking groups who will connect in learning to live from a more wholistic, peaceful, loving view.

All this brain research is relatively recent; meditation is a very ancient tradition. How does this brain development relate to the process of meditation?

The ancients taught that when you enter the spiritual path you become a baby again. You have to come back and restructure your life, this is why there is all the repetition and formality in the ancient temples, bowing and greeting and kneeling. Every single act is designed to reconstruct the reptilian consciousness because otherwise it may not have health giving properties –ritual is designed to put us into constructive patterns. The first step in all meditation practices is repetition.

The second step, developing the mammalian brain, requires movement and rhythm to heal and develop. Rocking, swaying, walking, and dance movement are found in all traditions -- in Native American ceremonies, Sufi dancing, Gregorian chanting, and so forth. When we meditate we sometimes rock or move this is one reason we don't lean our back against the chair, let the rocking heal the mammalian brain. Freedom of movement brings the energy of safety.

So are you saying that spiritual development requires that we follow the practices of a certain ancient tradition?

We have come to a place in the evolution of consciousness where the old rituals aren't always meaningful but in fact we still need ritual and discipline for spiritual development. The neocortex wants something new and this is appropriate for its continued development. The systems of the past are solar plexus techniques -- do this, do that, rule by law.

As we leave the old world, we restructure the new one but we can't leave everything behind. We still need rhythm, movement, and group consciousness. We need to honor our spiritual bond as part of our personal identity, as a bond with the Great Goddess, the Christ, Buddha, Quan Yin, Sophia …or wherever your authentic bond is.

What about our bond with the Earth and one another?

By opening up to higher consciousness we will experience ourselves as part of a whole, participating in the life of a greater being. Gradually we will come to see each other as divine beings.

We have a society that has extremely well developed left hemispheres; we have lots of knowledge and virtually no access to the right hemisphere and little connection to the deep brain structures. Awareness is cut off from the mammalian brain and it does not know itself to be part of the whole. We need to engage in a dialogue between rational mind and inspired mind, left and right hemispheres. Humanity has been going through a period of developing the rational and has put the intuitive on hold. Now the time is right within the collective to begin collective integration.

Rationality and left-brain thinking are associated with the development of a patriarchal, law-driven social structure, maintained by an us-them consciousness. I think the emergence of feminism signaled a genuine shift in this emphasis but there is still a long way to go before we will have a properly balanced society.

Feminism continues to be a wake up call. Humanity is waking up to the creative feminine wisdom, which is always available to us; it's a matter of shifting our awareness into the background where wisdom waits. But we don't leave rational mind behind in the process, it must be convinced this way is safe and acceptable; then it can light the path.

We need to understand two points here (1) humanity collectively forms the mental mechanism for planetary life, and (2) we can either live on the planet in a mostly unconscious level where personality continually struggles or we can assist collectively to lift human life to a wiser level. Meditation is the principle bridge between worlds or levels. Consciousness does not mean intellectual abilities but the be-ingness we are at any moment of time.

When there is a blending of intellect, emotions and behavior, an integration of mind, heart, and body, then the spiritual comes into expression. This is the service many psychologists are performing – helping us develop and integrate our own psyches and understand and discover all the different aspects of our nature and psychic tools available to us. All psychological work is spiritual work.

Passive meditation techniques encourage an alignment between the physical, emotional, and mental bodies. This prepares the inner mechanism to receive the Gifts of the Spirit. Next we turn to active meditation, a bridge to the level of spiritual insight, guidance, and just knowing.

It sounds like you have to have your physical, emotional and mental life together before you can even begin active meditation.

Remember that this is a continuous process that we enter wherever we are. The main thing is to learn to live in the process, surrender to it; allow transformation. Some times you sit in meditation and you have a subjective awareness of being aligned, attuned and connected; other times it's different. The subjective experience isn't important; it's what we bring into our daily life. Active meditation is an activity of thought and being.

Once we have prepared the inner mechanism, we plant a seed thought, a phrase or word, and this initiates a certain line of thought. It's like a seed that can grow into a vast pool of knowledge.

What exactly is this mechanism of understanding we are building?

The mental body or the conscious mind. Look at it this way. Just as once upon a time the Chakra system with it's seven major centers wasn't formed, so now the mind body isn't completely formed; we are each building seven points of consciousness in the mental body. As we are creating the bridge between the world of matter and the world of spirit it becomes easier to integrate spirit and personality.

The mind envisions, visualizes, and concentrates the needed energy. It focuses the required attitude without necessarily being conscious of results. The mind can act as if the necessary alignment has been created. Constant repetition and focused attention provide the building blocks.

Once created in consciousness, the essential alignment of the physical, emotional, and mental is ever present, needing only a moment of directed thought to bring it to life in the relationship between inner and outer.

We know that energy follows thought so in active meditation we use thought forms to make the bridge. Remember that meditation is a process of placing our mind in harmony with the “Great Mind” and in that harmony we discover ever-expanding new growth and development of our human capabilities. Through meditation we come to know our soul purpose, we learn what is ours to do.

But aren't we supposed to quiet our mind, detach from the stream of thoughts, in meditation?

Yes, that is an important work in passive meditation techniques, which prepare us for active meditation. For many years going to the void was the highest goal, now our goal is to cross that to higher consciousness. The seed thought carries us across.

In seed thought meditation we introduce a certain word or phrase into the stream of consciousness and follow where it leads.

All seed thoughts, like all words, exist on a certain vibrational level. Every word produces a thought form. The words we use create an energy which vibrates in our own energy fields and beyond. A seed thought is not the same thing as an affirmation. Affirmations are specific to an individual. A seed thought is impersonal; it leads us beyond personality to wisdom. For example, “Where there is compassion there is equality and justice” is a seed thought. The seed thought takes us out of our individuality but by meditating on this expression I evoke compassion to assist me in my life – increasing my awareness of the inner connectedness of all peoples in my personal life situations. We can create affirmations from seed thoughts in the effort to bring certain qualities into our lives. ”I am compassionate with myself and others,” is an example.

When we work with a seed thought we don't want to work strictly on the mental level. Discernment is the main ingredient. Discernment is a spiritual gift, a gift of spirit. When left and right hemispheres work together you can see rational and intuitional levels, the energy of the soul and higher mind blend in a new awareness and you use discernment to make decisions.

Does that mean you give your personal choice over to a sense of the greater good?

It's not that we give up anything with discernment, rather we shift our point of consciousness. When we choose with discernment it's not a choice between good and bad. Discernment tells us what is appropriate at the time - is this mine to do? Shall I assist this person at this time? It may be a good thing to do but not right now. Discernment is not reacting from old patterns and not analyzing and judging and deciding rationally what to do. If we know what is ours to do, we can walk away from many things and stay focused.

All of our experience over life times forms what we call “high self.” With passive meditation we began to get in touch with the high self and how to get guidance. Our first work is relaxing which helps the body and emotions to live better together. Next, with the seed thought, we look inside for a point of guidance where our high self can give us some insights from its journey.

As the high self is induced into activity, the seeds of meditation sprout and reach up and then a reverberation starts, and we touch the soul which has always been there, sensitively waiting to give birth a to a divine potential. A seed that has waited is now fertilized and comes to life.

Think of it like this, in meditation we are building a new point of consciousness, a reference point for our self. As more people do that we build a group mind so that humanity will have a new reference point. By virtue of doing this work we unfold the higher vehicles of the soul causing the intuitive body to unfold and give up its fragrance and its radiance, giving us its light, giving us its outpouring. The soul waits for something to set growth in motion. Meditation work awakens all of that which is waiting on another level of the self. We are doing this work for all humanity, it will affect all.

What are some of the effects?

We learn that when you are having trouble with another you can shift levels and see them as a soul. See behind the personality. When we learn to think of each other as souls we begin to act accordingly. Then it is easier to be respectful. Even if the relationship outside doesn't change our internal positioning can change.

Within the self the levels began to cooperate so instead of emotions opposing mind, or setting mind and body into conflict, they work together—for example, you may think exercise is good for body but body resists getting up off the couch. When we shift our point of consciousness, they begin to blend and come together. Heart and mind come together and personality changes, creating a new kind of person. Personality, by invoking certain new energies, will change.

Will is very important for this process and important in the life of the spiritual student. With the will comes the ability to create. For example, when we experience desires in the presence of will instead of turning into daydreams they become the motivation to creativity, the ability to make things happen. And desire becomes the ability to energize the creations. At some point in life there is a conscious decision to become what you can be, some awaking comes and says, “I can be more than this,” and then you move toward your divine potential. You change your allegiance and that's when you begin to live in the world but you are not of the world -- you pull yourself out of the preconceived social hypnosis, you say this is who I am and this is what my life is about.

It is important to put every thought, every meditation, and every moment of consciousness in line with your path of integrity. Meditation is a portal behind which the soul awaits. The Inner Teacher eagerly anticipates your presence.