[Uma]

Day 36 of 40: April 30, 2016 link beginning around 55:00

Today I'm going to share a little differently. I can never do justice to his talks by attempting to condense them. If I tried, I would write posts that are way too long. I can only share the bits that stand out for me in my own practice. I am so familiar with his teachings and the practices I've been following for nearly 20 years now it's easy to forget that people need to start with the A, B, Cs. I too often assume that you already understand advanced meditation and will know what I'm talking about. I'm just putting it out there my way and hoping there is something useful for everybody.

Why moment-to-moment?
Today Sri Vasudeva inspired us seekers of self-transformation to ramp up our spiritual discipline, to "make it stronger, more relevant, and purposeful" in our day-to-day moment-to-moment life because that is what will protect us energetically and consciously from the bombardment of misfortune, poor health, broken relationships and daily stuff that happens to us every day. "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," that Hamlet spoke of in his famous soliloquy.

Apart from self-protection, he reminded me that having all the knowledge we have is only going to be useful if it is put into practice because that's when knowledge transforms into experience, that's when discipline is no longer a practice, but a lifestyle, one that comes very naturally, as it does in lives of the enlightened ones.

At the end of every talk he provides us with an affirmation and prayer, so I'm using that today to share my 2¢...

"I centre myself in the Consciousness Space holding my being in spiritual discipline in the sustained awareness of my chakras, all of them, in the power of life breath (the prana)." ~ Sri Vasudeva

Centering
This is the most challenging one by far - to stay centred in every moment. I need to live from and identify with my inner world while being fully engaged in my outer world, seeing the two as reflections of each other in a way. The outer world is the manifestation of consequences of choices I have made (a.k.a. karma), choices I made in the past now confronting my consciousness. Wild idea isn't it? Being centred in my inner world I am "enveloped in energy" (his words) in an auric field that is very powerful, that is not only protective (which is a passive tamasic thing) but proactive - because I also impact that outer world coming at me. There is lots more to this interaction that's going on at subtle and not so subtle levels, but the key to it all is maintaining my centre. And then sustaining a firm awareness of what's going on with each chakra as I speak, eat, walk, talk and do everything through my soul vehicle, the body.

His words are simple yet profound because there are many teachings contained within each teaching. He speaks from his perfect connection with Source. And for the next part he said:

"My intention is to stay balanced in my energy at every level of being in my multi-dimensionality and to be centred and aligned to that Divine Consciousness within me, the Source of all Grace," ~ Sri Vasudeva

Multi-dimensional awareness
Wow, lots in here too. The chakras are portals to other dimensions and my soul is able to exist in many dimensions at once. The earth plane that I live in because I am inside a human body is the dimension of the root chakra. I cannot ignore it. I must follow its rules and live by its code if my body is to thrive and can be used to full capacity.

There there is the part about being "aligned to that Divine Consciousness within me." The word "aligned" - very important. He has given entire workshops on that one word! Basically it's what happens when the Divine Energy Kundalini awakened within me and became my Inner Guide telling me what I should do, what is the higher road, and what promotes wise action in the play of life. So being aligned to That, is giving attention to the Inner Guide whether She manifests within me as energy and that still small voice - or whether She manifests on the outside through people, objects, situations, plants, animals…and then having the faculty of discrimination (knowing true from false) operating reliably so I don't mistake divine intention for egoic intention.

Then he said:

"In that centre of Divine Consciousness I feel secure, nourished, guided, supported," ~ Sri Vasudeva

Creating a bubble of protection
That's the great perk of following instructions to the letter, of maintaining a strict self-discipline, the discipline of self-mastery - mastering my lower urges and taking the higher road. I feel secure, nourished, guided, supported. I know I am never alone! I have the support of the entire Universe right here inside of me!

Then he took us deeper into this truth:

"My True Home is within my soul, not any physical home, not even the body. My True Home is deep within my spiritual being. I centre myself there as I prepare for a new day," ~ Sri Vasudeva

Remembering who I am
Ever notice how "Om" and "Home" sound similar? Om is said to be the source of all sounds, and the sound that is heard in the subtle dimensions when everything is working in harmony (in "alignment"). So the next thing that happens when I feel the presence of the Divine supporting me is this strong remembering of my true identity so I don't forget who I really am - a spiritual being having a human experience and not the other way around.

Then he mentions "intention":

"My intention is to stay aware all day of my energies at every chakra, every spiritual centre and to stay in balanced energies throughout my day as I engage in pranayama using my mind in focus and using my breath wisely when I need to," ~ Sri Vasudeva

Aligned intention - setting and holding
Embedded in this is the teaching of the power of intention and attention - which is fundamental to my co-creative power as a self-aware soul having a human experience. I don't need to be fully enlightened to be able to start using my awareness of subtle energies, my awareness of the chakra points, my power of mental focus and my ability to breathe how I want to breathe using pranayama techniques to create special effects depending on the needs of the moment.

Next he mentions "prayer":

"I pray for the Grace to manifest the best of me in the human experience today that I may be a blessing to my world. I am in gratitude for all the gifts of knowledge. I pray for the Grace to apply them through every experience of my day. I am in gratitude," ~ Sri Vasudeva

Inviting Grace to manifest
It is said that meditation is listening to God and prayer is speaking to God. I think this is way over simplistic. There is much more I can do in meditation than just "listen". This has been the subject of these talks helping me in engaging my co-creative power in my inner world. If I am listening, it is to listen for cues and prompts from the Divine in how to use that co-creative power, not just to "listen" and do nothing!

And prayer is not just speaking. Prayer is actually "centering" in Divine Consciousness and prayer is acknowledging that my "I" is a construct of the Divine, that "I" am made of divine stuff, and the Divine holds me, and I am networked to the Divine in a thousand different ways. Prayer is not me going on autopilot but in a way it is because when Grace responds to my prayer and the miracle of being carried manifests, then I am allowing my every action to be determined by the Divine. I don't have to work hard anymore. I just have to be, and God does everything.

And when I feel that I feel bliss:

"Oh Supreme Self within me I am in gratitude to You!
My soul bows to You!
I place myself in Your Being as I begin this new day!
Om peace peace peace…
ॐ शान्ति शान्ति शान्"
~ Sri Vausdeva