Compassion and Beingness

"The outer mind is 99.999999 percent comatose.

It simply does not realize

the unconscious forces

that dominate

or direct

the life of the individual."

~ W. Brugh Joy

I am in a pondering mood this morning. It may be some anniversary energies as I am acutely remembering having spent a lifetime of joy over a few weeks time in Thailand back in September of 2010. The sweetness of those memories are wildly contrasted with some very convoluted memories of a trip to Europe just one year later, in 2011.

As I was pondering, a "thought for the day" popped into my inbox. It seemed to direct my mental and emotional pathway. Aaron, a teacher I appreciate very much, was explaining the nuances between compassion and unconditional love. "Compassion implies a trembling in the heart, and opening of the heart….there is no longer need for forgiveness. Judgment falls away….there is a deeper seeing into the other's suffering and an unconditional love that embraces the other…. [Compassion] involves both aspects: deep seeing and unconditional love." Aaron says when love is there without that deep seeing, we are talking about unconditional love, but not about compassion. 

As I read Aaron's writing, my mind immediately jumped back to having read Joy's Way, A Map for the Transformational Journey: An Introduction to the Potentials for Healing with Body Energies, by W. Brugh Joy early in my training as a Healing Touch™ practitioner. In chapter three of the book, Brugh writes about a woman who had a direct inspirational awareness—spoken to her slowly and repetitively—of three injunctions: Make no comparisons; make no judgments; delete your need to understand. (p. 59) 

While I was looking online for the exact wording of these three injunctions, I came across a video interview Jeffrey Mishlove did with Brugh. Joy also wrote Avalanche: Further Awakening Into Beinghood. This video interview is titled "Thinking Allowed" and Brugh is talking about healing and the unconscious mind. You may want to take 6 minutes and 45 seconds to watch it for yourself. 

This is the ad for the "Healing and the Unconscious" DVD:

The unconscious, says Dr. Brugh Joy, is composed of multiple, autonomous personalities. These personalities affect our state of health—from allergic response to disease states such as diabetes and cancer. He suggests that the unconscious mind is far more extensive and powerful than is generally acknowledged, and that the normal conscious mind cannot hope to control the personalities within. Esoteric rites and initiations, he maintains, were designed to call forth particular personalities from the unconscious at appropriate stages of development. 

 
In the second part of this program, Brugh Joy describes how our dreams reveal the unconscious dynamics underlying health and illness. Illness, he says, is always there for a purpose. If we simply try to remove illness, without understanding how we are served by it, we fail to grasp its lesson. As we explore our unconscious mind, we face the disowned parts of ourselves which may appear to us as hideous or demonic. Joy suggests that if we are able to withhold our conventional judgments regarding these aspects, we can gain new perspectives on personal and social issues—and appreciate them as manifestations of our wholeness.

I loved how Brugh spoke about your getting a bigger picture, and the benefit that you are able to see through the many pairs of eyes, and hear via the many pairs of ears. I would imagine I may not yet be fully finished pondering, but I do have a greater appreciation for the importance of our having compassion for that sacred (not scared!) journey into beingness.

Elephant Hugs

Elephants are thought to have very developed emotional intelligence, and they have long been revered and honored in many cultures around the world. When I was in Thailand in September 2010, I visited the elephant camp, where I even saw elephants creating artwork.

 “The fact is that elephant art has an immediate visual, aesthetic appeal. Paintings that are executed by sentient beings will always elicit a response because I believe that we recognise in them something fundamental. When I study a painting by an elephant I see something awesome and primeval.”

Issaraporn Kaewthanasawad, Director of The Elephant Art Gallery

We bought bananas and fed the elephants, and I so enjoyed being close enough to them to have a sense of them as individuals. I was honored to spend that time with the elephants, and I will forever remember the euphoria I experienced when I received this elephant hug!

If I were to choose an animal to inspire human behavior, perhaps elephant would be a logical choice. Elephant's medicine is said to be patience, gentleness, good communication, meaningful relationships, intelligence, strength, and compassion. Most would recognize these characteristics as those we all will benefit from having active. The benefits will be on all levels of our culture.

I read online, "Elephants show us that by supporting and loving one another, our own ability to thrive in the physical world is enhanced." 

I cannot imagine what went so wrong recently in a zoo in China that a mother elephant attacked and abandoned her baby boy shortly after she gave birth to him. The behavior was so unusual that veterinarians thought her having stepped on him was an accident, but after they cared for him and returned him to her, he was attacked again. They had to remove him from her for his own safety.

The most remarkable part of this sad story is that he cried for five hours, because even though she was the one who had injured him, he was grieving not being with her.  

Reading the story tonight was heart breaking. 

I recalled the feel of my elephant hug, and remembered the joy I felt seeing the incredible elephant artwork. It is as though I am right back there in Chiang Mai!

As I remembered, I thought to send love! I began to hold that baby boy in my heart space. I imagined I could hear his breath and feel his body heat. I began to breathe with the sacred intention to have him know he is safe and cared for. As I relaxed more, I could feel my heart opening. Perhaps it is true that the heart only breaks in one direction—open.

It was as though the miles separating us do not exist. Time and distance melt away in my mind. I am being hugged by an elephant, and I am hugging an elephant. I offer gratitude for the privilege of loving this sentient being now….

The Fabric of our Lives

Thought for the Day

All that is required for success is a vision of the destination.

The journey itself will reveal the means to take me there.

~ Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University

One of the projects of the Brahma Kumaris I really appreciate is Images and Voices of Hope. Images and Voices of Hope is a collaborative effort among journalists, artists, and media professionals. These are folks who recognize the work they do in media as "a way to give societies hope for the future." What a powerful awareness to see what we do in the world as that powerful. 

Today was the first time in almost a year since I was together with skin on with all four of my local interfaith Minister of Reunion colleagues. It was a wonderful time of laughter, tears, sharing, reflecting, and enjoying our loving support. We looked at the changes, challenges, and gifts this past year has brought to each of us. The theme that emerged over and over is the truth that life can be trusted. We spoke of the lesson of the importance of being patient.

As Mona said, you can push dreams into manifestation before it is time, but that results in things being more difficult and messy than when you wait for your dreams to unfold in divine timing. The metaphor that slipped off my lips was like a half-baked cake. 

 

Following our delicious lunch and time for sharing, we were treated to a tour of the new Merlin and Carolyn Hanson Hospice Center that will soon be opening here in our area. 

The new facility will have 16 patient suites that are built to accommodate family members to stay overnight. The setting includes two walls of windows in each room so there is plenty of natural lighting.

Private patio areas—quiet spaces indoors and outdoors—"foster companionship and comfort among patients and visitors." 

Even the two wings of the building are named for nature: Hummingbird and Butterfly, to remind us we are each part of a grander plan.

As we moved through the entire space, each of us was noticing the attention to detail. An amazingly welcome feeling has been built into each nook and cranny. If you would be honored to add your blessing to this wonderful "home" for the final days of those you may or may not know personally, go to the website where you can look at some of the furnishing. 
 

While none involved knew exactly what the final building and grounds would look like, many years of unending dreams went into the vision of our hospice residence. Breathe your passion for life into the colors and the patterns and textures so those who are to come here will feel that love. Remember people in your own heart who have gone on to spirit. Feel their connection to this project. 

I read recently if you dedicate yourself to service, the doors will open. As you flip through the pages and look at the furnishings, imagine running your hands over the fabric and thinking about those to come. Parents, children, siblings, and friends will lounge on the sofas, and sit on the chairs. These walls will bear respectful witness to tender goodbyes, words of forgiveness, expressions of love. We are all in this together.

Answer the Call

Last evening we watched Cloud Atlas with some friends. In a very complex plot, spanning six locations and seven time periods, Sonmi-451, a human clone in 2144, works as a slave in a fast food restaurant. She becomes awakened to the truth that the workers are not freed after the end of their contract but are actually killed and fed to other clones. As with each of us, awareness invites inspiration.

In the throes of a sweet attack after lunch today, I resorted to eating a fortune cookie left over from our last Chinese take-out. This is my fortune:

         

          You will be called upon to help a friend in trouble. Answer the call.

It is my prayer that we all know our whole lives are about answering the call. Cloud Atlas is not an easy film to watch. It is much too violent for my taste, and it is three hours l—o—n—g. Even so, it is a film I will watch again. The story has a significant message that is relevant to our lives. 

Even as I was watching "Cloud Atlas" the first time, I knew I would need to see it again. Now that I've seen it the second time, I know I'd like to see it a third time — but I no longer believe repeated viewings will solve anything. To borrow Churchill's description of Russia, "it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." It fascinates in the moment. It's getting from one moment to the next that is tricky.
 
Surely this is one of the most ambitious films ever made. The little world of film criticism has been alive with interpretations of it, which propose to explain something that lies outside explanation. Any explanation of a work of art must be found in it, not taken to it. 

~ Roger Ebert, in his review of Cloud Atlas (24 October 2012)

As we drove home from the having watched the film, I had a profound memory of an experience I had several years ago. Our grandson, about 13 at the time, had gotten all caught up in a video game. The family was ready to go out to dinner, to celebrate a couple of birthdays, but he was trying desperately to make it to the next level and kept saying, "Wait! Just give me a few minutes." Everyone was in the car, still waiting for him, when his mom went back in, and pulled the plug. We ended up having a very uncomfortable situation.  

The following morning, my husband and I were on the road. He was driving and I was pondering the events of the previous evening and writing in my journal. I was thinking and writing, " It is ridiculous that he gets so intense—it is just a game."

I heard in my head, "It is just as ridiculous to get caught up in the game of life. That, too, is just a game. Even if it is something like global warming. You entered a 'game of life' zone. When you see it as it really is,  you will understand why people say not to sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff.

The archivist asks Sonmi-451 if she had known the rebellion would fail. She admitted she had known it was doomed, but if she had remained invisible, the truth would have stayed hidden also. Before being executed, Sonmi-451 makes a public broadcast. The power and clarity and relevance of her words resonated in my heart as I fell asleep last night and are still with me today:

“Our lives are not our own.

From womb to tomb,

we are bound to others,

past and present.

And by each crime and every kindness,

we birth our future.

I believe there is another world waiting for us, a better one.

And I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Cloud Atlas is not an easy film to watch. It is much too violent for my taste, and it is three hours l—o—n—g. Even so, it is a film I will watch again. The story has a significant message that is relevant to our lives. It is my prayer that we all know our whole lives are about answering the call.