To save the world we need to evolve humanity beyond the present state of barbarian. First we must eviolve ourselves. Here are some methods. All ideas welcome.

[William Henderson]

METHODS OF ATTAINING HIGH AWARENESS

'This state of mental quietness is the goal of meditation, which mystics throughout the ages have said is the one way to Nirvana, or enlightenment.' Rodney Davies The Esp Workbook: How to Awaken and Use Your Psychic Power


When we listen to music it can bring us nuances of feeling or even overwhelming states of being. The music may evoke joy, or longing, or sadness, or feelings and mind-states that cannot be described.


After listening to music if we try to talk or write about the experience and state of being we may not be able to describe the totality of it. The true music experience can only happen while we are listening to it.


If we practice stilling our minds we will reach a heightened state, and we can experience the world in a similar way to how we experience music. Also, because we have cleared our minds of the clutter of everyday thought, we can begin to receive others thoughts and feelings, and we will also begin to connect with our soulmate.


The object of all meditation is to still the mind or more correctly, the result of meditation is a powerful control of the mind and thus the ability to still it.


There are many forms of meditation; some use mantras (chanting), others breathing techniques. But all that is necessary to reach a heightened state is just the ability to still the mind. This is fairly easy to accomplish.


At this point, try closing your eyes and hold your mind as still as you can even if only for a few seconds. How did you go? Some may have had no problem. Most people's minds would, on cue, have become noisier than they have ever been. The chattering monkey, the Buddhists call it. Do not despair. With practice you will be able to stop your mind ‘on a dime'.


In her book, Becoming a Writer, Dorothea Brande suggests simple aids to help with this mind stilling:


‘Choose a simple object, like a child's gray rubber ball (it is better not to select anything with a bright surface or a decided highlight). Hold the ball in your hand and look at it, confining your attention to that one simple object, and calling your mind back to it quietly whenever it begins to wander. When you are able to think of the object and nothing else for some moments, take the next step.


Close your eyes and go on looking at the ball, thinking of nothing else. Then see if you can let even that simple idea slip away.


‘The last method is to let your mind skitter all it pleases, watching it indulgently as it moves. Presently it will grow quieter.'


If you were successful in holding your mind still for a few seconds, you may not need to do the ball exercise. My own method is to do, in my mind, a continuous ‘Shhhh…' that is louder than my thoughts. Eventually, the ‘chattering monkey' cannot hear itself and becomes quiet, and then you can stop shushing and have perfect stillness.


If you can, try practicing stilling the mind at least once a day. If you do this your periods of successful stillness will get longer and longer. It is best, initially, to sit or lie alone and comfortably still.


Later when you become proficient at stilling your mind you can take it for a walk. One thing must be stressed, you must not doze or fall asleep; the mind must be stilled while remaining alert. For this reason it is probably best, at first, not to practice late in the evening or when you are very tired. Stay alert, but relaxed.


After you have become fairly good at stilling the mind you will become aware of your mind wanting to flow. That is, you will probably become plain bored with your still mind and will want to fill it with something. At these times, open your eyes, but do not let words enter your mind for the things you see. Instead let your still mind flow over the images.


Try not to categorize what you are seeing as door, bookcase, chair, chandelier, tree, ocean, and so on. Simply let your still, relaxed, flowing-mind move over the images, over the nooks and crannies between objects, and over the play of light from different surfaces.


Enjoy the flow, don't fix too much on to anything, just let go of everything and let your mind flow. Occasionally, your still-mind may become attracted, for seemingly no reason, to a particular shape, shadow, spot, or play of light. If so, let your relaxed eyes casually linger. Don't try to analyze the attraction. Just let it be. At these times you might receive a certain feeling that you will want more of. But don't try too hard to feel more, this will block it, just breath it in, and let it suffuse you. .


If you see a sunset, for example, try to avoid words like ‘beautiful' entering your mind because this will block the pure reality. Shhhh… your mind and let it flow. The more you practice stilling the mind and letting it flow, the more your everyday, non-meditative mind will change to this state of mind.


To some this may be disturbing because the calmer mind-state does not seem to correlate with their jobs or the tasks they must do. But trust this new mind-state. The reason I say ‘trust' is that part of what is happening with stilling the mind is that we are deepening our consciousness into our unconscious mind. Most of us would have heard the statement that we only use ten per cent of our brains. What is happening during our mind-stilling exercises is that we are beginning to tap into that other ninety per cent. Also, we are evening the balance between the left- and right-brain.


The right-brain does not use word language and by stilling our minds, our consciousness is using the right-brain more.


Lastly, for those who believe in the soul, what is happening is that we are expanding our awareness into our soul, into our ancient larger selves, and into the learning of many lifetimes. So trust in this new mind-state. In fact, use it for your benefit. If facing a problem, an anxious situation or confusion, still your mind and let your larger being take over. You will be very surprised by what you are capable of when you are your larger self.


Take comfort in your larger self. You are more than you think you are. Let your larger self surround you as you go through life and it will make the way for you. During your later practice periods of still-mind-flow you will find that thoughts attempt to come into your mind, but because you are keeping your mind silent they cannot be heard. When this happens try to sense the seed of the thought that would have flowered in your mind had you not been stilling it; try to feel what it was you were trying to think. Then try to guess what you were going to think but let this ‘guess' enter your mind as wordless knowing.


After doing this for sometime you will eventually know what you were going to think without having to think it. I know this might sound ludicrous, but once you have achieved still-mind flow you will understand. What will eventually evolve is a type of thinking that is not word-based. You will able to ‘think' clearly about things and ideas, but without the baggage of words.


Your mind will stay calm and still, but it will flow around the seeds of your thoughts and know them directly in a similar way to how your still-mind flowed around scenery and objects. Again, your awareness is moving into more of your unconscious mind. Our day-to-day thoughts arise out of our unconscious, just as our dreams do.


By lighting more of our unconscious with our consciousness we are lighting where our thoughts and impulses begin, and thus we know more of the core of ourselves. With your still-mind flow you will find that you can ‘think,' (have a knowing feeling), of many things at once; that you can ‘think' on different levels, from many different angles simultaneously.


Because you are knowing the seeds of your thoughts your mind does not become cluttered and you can be aware of so much more. You will find that your increase in intelligence and intuition is unbelievable. And you will find your telepathic ability, and your ability to know others from the inside, a wonderful and passionate experience.


Eventually your mind state and your way of being will widen and evolve. You will feel more secure with yourself, because you will be yourself. Your Being will be much larger than before. You will be connected to all existence and you will receive much empowering energy from the source of existence.


When out of doors, a particular view of a landscape, the shadow pattern of trees and buildings, various sounds near and far, the curve of a road, shapes of clouds, the feel of the wind, for example, will become attractive to you. Let your awareness linger on what attracts you, and let the feeling enter you.


At these times try not to get too excited, even though this may be hard to do because sometimes the feeling is so wonderful that you gasp with wonder.


Remain calm, do not try to hold on to the feeling, let it come and go as it pleases, and keep in mind the knowledge that these feelings will come again by themselves, and with increasing frequency and potency. This feeling that you will sometimes receive may contain many levels of meaning. It could be an ancient memory from a past life, or a knowing-feeling of the truth of your Self and of the whole of existence.


The images or sounds or smells or touches that attract you are doorways into meanings. Let yourself drift into these meanings without getting stuck on the doorways.


Music or poetry may also provide doorways through which to receive these powerful feelings and being-states. The feelings you will receive are a result of you connecting with a wider reality, and with your soulmate. They are better described as thought-feelings.


That is, along with a powerful feeling entering you is a particular wordless meaning. To know this meaning you will be using your still-mind flow in a similar way to when you were ‘guessing’ your seeds of thought. The meanings that you receive may not be able to be deciphered into words, and they may only be fully understood while experiencing them.


When these thought-feelings reach out to you, you will probably recognize a great profundity, and you may experience a powerful yearning to fully realize the thought-feeling. This yearning is both from you and from your soulmate.


This entire practice will lead you into your true Self, your true home and your soulmate. It will connect you to all of existence and all life. You will see and feel people through your and their souls, and you will know them directly.


You will feel your soulmate, as they will you, and trusting in your higher being, and with courage, you will find them.

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MYSTIC EXPERIENCE

Mysticism is something we are all connected with. It involves the higher faculties of our human self. It has been called the sixth sense, intuition, and the supernatural. But its essence is an intimate involvement with existence. It is attuned to the aesthetic sense.

In the same way as we ‘feel’ beautiful music, or respond to visual beauty, this sense is a type of awareness of its own. A mystic can use this sense to ‘feel’ the universe, and ‘know’ something of its secrets, something of its meaning.

So when we talk of the mystical experience, it is the utilization of the aesthetic sense, which we all use, but with mysticism it is applied to the whole of existence itself.

The methods of self evolution above, if practiced, will lead you to many mystical experiences. It is even possible to be in a constant mystical state, although for this your world would have to be very secure and stable, as you would be highly sensitive, and thus vulnerable to the harshness of everyday life.

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How to get back the magic of your childhood awareness

Simply put, still your mind while letting go of everything that concerns you, and at the same time look around you at things in a simple way.


Now for the fuller version. The steps should open up your child awareness, which is a hairs width away from mystical or transcendent awareness.


You have to still your mind of thoughts. Then you have to mentally let go of everything.... this can be in words but better if you can
just kind if feel it. Go through all the things that are distressing you and let them go... say (or feel) I let go of needing this or that.,... I let go of needing money, security, love, happiness, peace; anything and everything if it is causing you even the slightest anxiety. You will know when it is working because you will start yawning (a physical indication that we are releasing).


Now here is the trick. At the same time in doing all this look at the world around you and focus on something simple... not the big picture. For example if you are in a supermarket, and there is a red sign or a red wall... focus on that and just enjoy looking at the redness.... (try not to read signs). If you see a yellow car look at the yellow and enjoy the fact that it is sooo yellow. Or look at the road and notice how it runs along the edge of the grass or pavement. Stupid (seemingly) simple stuff. If you hear the wind just listen to it.... not for any profound reason... just for the sound. If a car passes you just hear it and smell the exhaust... not with any critique... just look and smell.... if you see a blue garbage bin.... just look at it... it is blue...


The stilling of the mind helps us into more of our right brain (which is the child's natural state). The letting go of everything, puts us into
the child state of carefreeness (a young child doesn't have to worry about anything... as a rule) then the act of looking at things... simple things... is what a child does.... but as a side effect the mystic
experience comes flooding in and fills the world again with meaning.


By not focusing on the profound, the profound comes naturally.

THE SCIENCE OF SOULMATES

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[Jeanne]

Thanks William, All great ideas... another that comes to mind is:

When my 3 nieces and nephew came over and worked themselves into a frenzied delirium that I found unmanageable, I said, "I want you to lay down and listen to this sound until you can't hear it anymore." They did and they loved it and often asked for it after that. I now recommend a long intonation of a simple chime as a tool to calm children down. It also works for calming adults too...

What's really weird... is my nephew who was only a year and a half old the last time I had seen him, told me, "I really don't remember you, Aunt Jeanne, but I remember something about the sound of a chime." I was floored that he, at 17, could remember that long ago experience. It had apparently touched him deeply... and no wonder, being the youngest sibling of four is like being born into continual chaos... he longed for peace. Now he's the only one of his immediate family who meditates.

The definition of mysticism you gave differs from what I have learned. The definition I have understood is that a mystic is someone who does the same things that the spiritual masters before them did; as opposed to those who would merely be followers of the words of the masters. I have called myself a mystic because I fast, meditate, pray, seek silence and solitude and abide by a moral code of do no harm - similar to those before. I do not believe that we can achieve liberation with or through the knowledge or experience of others...

I really like your definition though, especially; "its essence is an intimate involvement with existence." Nice...

Metta,
Jeanne

[geraldine sacks]

Live Juice


Live Juice means:-
Rolling down a bright grassy hill, sleeping all day to stay in a dream, kissing puppies!

Definitely taking your shoes off at the beach, buying flowers that make you gasp.

Find those places inside that jump for joy and do things that bring out your best, most magic self!

[Beresford McLean]

Dear Everyone,

Thank you for letting me post here.

Somebody once said, "All we need is LOVE"

It's also what all the great books, stories, myths, and people teach. LOVE, from way back yonder until now . . . LOVE is the answer. But, there's catch. Who among us will practice what they . . . or even we, preach?

The other part of the catch is . . . what really is LOVE?

We may not know that . . . meaning to say . . . we may not all agree on what LOVE means.

So . . . what about kindness?

So, can we practice kindness until we understand LOVE?

I believe that if we can just be kind to those right where we are . . . those right around us . . . then we are well on our way to heal our small world, and so, the much larger world.

Regards,
Beresford McLean
www.anancybooks.com