Monthly Archives: June 2010

Yoga philosophy for the female clad: “Help as many as you can”

[Last of three essays on the theme of Goddess Yoga]

Our sense of who we are in the world,
how we relate to the world,
and the way we reflect on the world’s cornucopia of desirable objects,
colors the original clarity of the soul’s desires with the mixed colors of material energy.

This creates material desires.
These desires lead to lust and longing
Longing leads inevitably to frustration and the sad/angry emotions
Angry emotions lead to poor judgment
Poor judgment requires forgetting spiritual lessons, losing sight of spiritual leanings and longings
Thus concludes the atrophying of our free will and the capitulation to matter over spirit
This extinguishes our bliss…

In the Goddess Yoga world view
We are…
Innocent victims of the matrix, that is to say our mother Maya
Awakening observers
No way to un-attach completely
In order to inhibit Maya’s manipulation
We must choose to feel without ego (identification)
Just feel
Feeling is hard
Uncomfortable
Unmoored
It’s the seemingly scary side of paradox and mystery

One goal is to stop running away from emotions. Another goal is to stop being run by emotions.
The more interesting option is to use your ability to feel emotions
Women (generally) are in a better position to feel (than men)
But women (generally) identify more strongly with their bodies
To dis-identify with the body is NOT to stop feeling
Instead feel more as an observer rather than victim
Observation takes practice
Start with looking for (i.e. aggressively self searching) emotional attachments/expectations (aka threats
to your identity or sense of self)
From these make note of the emotions that arise (the fruits are varied but the tree is anger)
Go through this laundry list of emotion in sadhana – using just the word to trigger the emotional experience and practice choosing to feel it in your body.
Practice WITHOUT images or narrative – just physical sensation
Becoming fearless in your ability to be a true and full observer of human experiences
Know that you are simply a tourist in a time joy forgot
these material emotions are just postcards for your one true love
the origin and realm of souls
Soon it will be time to go home
Before then, help as many as you can and remember to practice engaged detachment

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Yoga philosophy for the female clad: to be and not to be, that is the practice

[Second of three essays on the theme of Goddess Yoga]

Of the many obstacles in the journey of self-realization one of the most challenging is confusing the body you are riding around in as you. This challenge is often magnified for those travelling in a female body. This is partly due to the cultural pressures and biological influence that accompany identifying with the female body. These influences begin at an early age in at least three ways: 1) undue emphasis on bodily image; 2) fixation on the missing body of the future mate; 3) identification with the body that will (or could) come out of your own body.

So how do you do you? Without being you? [the body]

The solution is to come to feel the body around you as an instrument for divine intentions. Feeling like the temporary proprietor of an instrument for divine use empowers you at the soul level and brings with it a host of potential revelations. The more times throughout the day you can experience the phenomenon of sitting in a divinely inspired carrier, the more you will weaken the dark bonds of false ego that confuse you with your body.

This is the practice I talk about in the Boot Camp for the Soul, call engaged detachment. Also known as being in the world but not of the world.

In the Bhagavad Gita we find the Sanskrit instruction (ch. 5, text 11)
kayena manasa buddhya
kevalair indriyair api
yoginah karma kurvanti
sangam tyaktva atma-suddhaye

Here Krishna is instructing Arjuna:

With the body, the mind, the intelligence,
Free of materialistic intention, including even the senses
The yogis perform any and all actions
While giving up their association/identification [with the body/mind] to clarify and free the soul

Take time today to notice what it feels like to see, to taste, to smell, to touch and to hear. Deepening with each moment of ‘other-than-body-awareness’ the felt sense of being separate from your body and senses.

This is a wonderful step in unwinding the influence of the senses that in the past have imprisoned you but in the future will set you free.

Face Reading Drew Barrymore [Article]


Drew Barrymore is an extraordinary personality. Most people would agree with this. She’s lived her whole life in the media and you might think there’s little more we could learn… So what can we learn about her from a face reading?For starters we can see some of the complexity and effects of growing up in the dysfunctional remnants of a theatrical and film dynasty. We can also see the evidence of greatness traced out clearly on her cherubic countenance, which brings us to the more interesting aspects of her identity that arise in a face reading particularly when we ask, “Who was she in earlier lives?”When doing a face reading it is important to break the face into parts, as each section tells a different story about the person. It also helps to block out everything but the section you are examining. In Drew’s right mouth which tells us about how she reacted emotionally to her environment you can see the strain of feeling insecure and uncertain of being loved at an early age. (Incidentally, being able to see this is a learnable skill, one of my goals is to teach this face reading skill to others.)The lower face is where we get all the information about a person’s childhood, relationships with parents, authority figures, etc. It is also in this early time period where psychological “scripts” develop. Scripts are repetitive emotional and behavioral patterns that emerge in response to the environment. They can dog people their whole lives or in the case of those with resilience and the opportunity to grow and heal, over time these scripts can be converted into resources. Drew has several examples of this. She actually has a number of these scripts which it seems have been almost completely converted.

For example Drew has (had) scripts for Family Emblem (a guilt-ridden, compulsive succeeder). This script, when healed, makes the individual a super star and great contributor to society. She also struggled with Panella (perennial child) and to a smaller degree Smilin’ Jackie (a freaked-out, feeling avoider often hiding behind a grin or forced smile). As seen in the example of Drew’s life, when the Panella trait converts to a resource the person becomes a massive generator of abundance, and the Smilin’ Jackie trait leads to a highly sociable person able to matriculate in varying circles and circumstances.

Drew also has evidence in her face for Goodie Getter (self-destruct mode, an id skid, or taking out on one’s self the dysfunction of their surroundings). To a lesser but still impactful degree the Apple Tree (parent or authority enslaved destiny deflector) and the One and Only Heir script (living out a destiny mapped out by a parent or sometimes a circumstance). The Goodie Getter upon conversion shows up as a person able to relish and enjoy life. Apple Tree and One and Only Heir lead to successful producer (as she is a literal example) and a high achieving leader or business person.

So it is not hard to see that many of the self-defense mechanisms that Drew acquired in her developmental years have been largely healed or converted into their resource forms.

Now let’s move on to the left mouth. One of the things that is noticeable is the difference in size from left to right. The right side of her mouth is smaller. This is connected to the disappointment she experienced in her caretakers in childhood. It also gives the face reader information about difficulties she may still be enduring in parts of her life. (I won’t be going into that in this forum since it is not publicly available information and would not be fair to her.)

Let’s look at her full mouth. This can be called the “resume shot,” because it gives accurate information about how others feel about the subject. The general response to Drew is overwhelmingly positive; that is because people genuinely like her. At the same time she does keep up certain guards and it takes time to really get in with her, though those who are allowed in will say it is totally worth the patience. At least this is what her reading would infer.

Shifting up to the eyes, which are in fact windows to the soul — it is in the depth of a person’s eyes where you can surmise the so called “age” of the soul. Drew is a clear example of a very old soul. A person who has had many past lives in human forms.
Starting with the right eye which conveys a sense of them looking out at the world, or what they see…here Drew’s hope and optimism is visible. It is clear from this that she is a visionary with great creative skill. Here is where you can get a sense of her destiny and her depth as a spirit-soul.

The left eye is about how the individual sees themselves. It is them looking in. Drew’s left eye is a complex phenomena; as she is not fully prepared to see how deep and powerful she really is, there is a sense of trepidation. Some might look at the eye and see some sadness, and while that may be minutely there, what is more prevalent is the sense of potential overload, an “Am I really supposed to do all this?” kind of feeling. As Drew comes to grips with her inner depth and destiny she will realize that she has indeed only scratched the surface of what she is meant to do here. (Just imagine, considering all she has already accomplished in this life.)

Looking into the upper half of her face, one sees the surprising influence of not one but two dream animals (shamanic archetypes) both the horse and the lion. This is rare and fascinating as it sets up a range of potential personal powers as well as conflicts which would need to be carefully navigated.

The right side of the face is a person’s tool kit, or projected self: what they want you to see. Here you see the sweet and savvy aspects of Drew. She is telling us she is both charming and street wise. On the left side, however you see the extraordinary nature of her being, the regal, queenly, matronly nature. She is here to lead and to lead with love, and it is ok with her if you are or aren’t ready for that.

Past lives and the attributes developed in them come into focus when looking into the eyes and the structure around the eye as well as the overall feel of the face. One way of describing how past lives activities shape us is in the “soul types” or more accurately, “service personas” that develop over time. Service personas emerge over the course of lifetimes of behavior that favor service to humanity. (Lifetimes that are lived out of virtue and in service to the self lead to a de-evolution of the being, generally sending them to darker and darker experiences and then to lives as animals.) As the individual strives to use the human form of life for bettering themselves, distinct personas or ways of interacting with the world develop. These are visible as archetypes expressed by the face.

For the higher souled members of society three or four fully developed soul types are common, and a sign of advancement. Drew has a startlingly high number, ten fully developed service personas. They include; Joy Child (bringer of the good news, and operative of ‘win-win’); Trickster (disrupter for the benefit of re-orienting consciousness); Warrior ( fiercely dedicated to getting the job done for the good of all); Fountain of Love (unconditional agape love for all); Wise Old Woman (heart based, soul knowing, emotional supporter); Priestess (intuitive cosmic connection and loving guide); Sorcerer (consciousness transmutor and heart affecter); Empress (devoted and charismatic leader); Discoverer (accesses new resources, ideas and directions); and Maternal (generative nurturer and/or mentor for tomorrow)…

Wow, that is a lot. It also gives an indication that for all she has accomplished she still has not fulfilled her enormous potential.

The other tricky part of face reading requires the consideration that all human forms are not necessarily human beings. After all, everything living entity has a soul, and that would include (if you are willing to accept the possibility) aliens, angels, demons, fairies, elves, etc, etc… If you start to look around you will see the traces of these types of past lives on a percentage of the people around.

Drew’s face shows the remnants of angelic or more accurately celestial past lives. She came into this life with a mixed bag of karma but clearly demonstrating the residual benefits of coming down from a higher plane of existence. Generally when you exist on those planes you are burning through some fabulous karma (past life credits) and most come here because they either run out of high end karma or to be of service. Drew is more of the service bound type than the bankrupt.

That’s all for now, more celebrity readings to come… what do you think of Drew’s face reading?

Atma

To learn more about face reading check out How to Read Faces

If you are interested in a face reading you can sign up for one HERE (cost $175)

Photo credit: Capital M

Yoga Philosophy for the female clad

[One of three essays on the theme of Goddess Yoga]

The gender of the soul is a mysterious and transcendental subject. It is cloaked in the paradoxical and the inconceivable. 

The gender of the body is a fleeting and transient experience, neither real nor illusion, but temporary fact. Gender, in the realm of matter, flips back and forth over lifetimes, driven by karma and desire. This back and forth blurs the lines and the content between male and female so that over time we all have much of both.

Nonetheless, from life to life we generally find ourselves in one or another. Yet regardless of gender, we (the soul), continually find ourselves in an earthen vessel that is both temple and prison. This creates the ironic goal of having to both worship the temple and break free of the prison.

To further our sense of the paradoxical nature of being, consider that while we are in these clay coverings we are considered prakriti or mother nature (the feminine aspect)and the soul is considered purusua or consciousness (the male aspect). Yet in the realm of the soul the soul is called prakriti (or feminine) and the source of consciousness is call purusua. This gives a tiny hint as to the paradoxical nature of the soul’s gender.

Goddess Yoga, is meant to ask the question, “Are there differences in spiritual practice (sadhana) for you (the soul) when you are momentarily trapped in the female form versus the male form?”

The answer is yes and no; there are some differences and some similarities. The exposition of these essays will be the exploration of the differences.

The spiritual journey is different for the spirit-soul residing in a female body versus a male body. For example the female covered soul is generally much more in touch with the concept of body or form. This includes body in its various permutations: her own body, her lover or mate’s body, and her child’s body. This attunement is part of why the path of aestheticism has always been arduous and in some ways inappropriate for the feminine garb.

While the male body has the likelihood of being slightly less attached to the body they are not necessarily better off. In fact, it is this tendency towards bodily nonchalance that necessitates the austerity and submissiveness of the male-bodied path.

So while it is important that the male shaped aspirant grovel and serve the guru menially, that is not necessarily what is best for sister-spirit-soul.

So what is best for the female shaped ones?

The simplest answer is to use all the bodily proclivities to create connection to spirit.
+ Respect and beautify the body, not as you, but as a mystical clay temple of the supreme soul living within.
+ See and treat the lover/mate as representative of the divine.
+ Raise children as ambassadors of pure consciousness.

In addition, the mind should be disciplined in the dialectics of spirit… to learn to resist polar views of black or white and instead to entertain the paradox of synthesis…

+ surrender the need for certainty in exchange for pursuit of clarity
+ stop seeking control and instead celebrate beauty in nature and spirit
+ do not be moved by illustration which is only ABOUT something, but champion art which IS something
+ do not over value knowledge, instead learn to worship mystery
+ and above all do not mistake matter for spirit

In future essays I will explore and bring together easter science and western philosophy, with the hope of expanding our understanding of hatha, pranayama, mantra, and some of the esoteric meanings of the ancient Sanskrit text. The goal of this is series is to learn about the nature of the spiritual journey for souls who are in a female body. I look forward to your feedback.

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