Forest through the trees

If we are the tree that falls in the forest, can we hear ourself fall? 

It's not the material, but the experience of the material. 

What is the experience from the other trees point of view?

Can we hear the forest as a tree?

Can we see the forest as a tree?

The bigger the forest, the smaller the tree may seem, yet to the falling tree, it's probably huge. We are all specks that pack a whallop. Unless we are looking at ourselves from space. Then that big fall virtually never happened. 

Stillness is

Stillness is stillness. Nothing more, nothing less. Stillness may or may not take you to the center of your Self, but it probably won't hurt. 

Don't turn stillness into an opportunity to nit-pick yourself. Don't turn stillness into an opportunity to find something that you think needs fixing or changing. Just enjoy it for what it is- stillness. And if you don't enjoy stillness, fair enough. If you want to enjoy stillness, practice. Small bits at a time. But stillness for what it is. 

Just stillness.

Lineage

What is this thing called lineage? We talk about teachers who have come before us, yes. But it's deeper than a bunch of names and forms. We hold ourselves in our own knowlege, our own embodiment, our own experiences, our own lessons. That is the lineage that ultimately holds us. That is our through-line. To tap into the lineage is to tap into our inner knowing of who we really are. 

So what about the teachers then? Those names and forms? They help us remember. They tow the line by holding steady when the journey becomes ridiculous or unbearable. They hold the knowingness as an example of our faith-to-be. That knowingness and example becomes our inspiration and our light until we see it, know it for ourselves. We can lean on their faith, their light, until we can see and know our own. Until we are steady enough to stop worshipping name and form and journey and path, and are able to see ourselves as equal- equal to.

We are all of the same lineage.

Interesting that the lines that help us get steady eventually dissolve into One. 

Truth

Truth is simple. 

If something seems burdened or too complex or hard to understand it's probably art. 

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny. We learned that in Social Studies somewhere along the line. I can't even remember how it was presented. Something about someone or some thing's destiny as being pre-determined I think. Regardless, now those 2 words all all the buzz rage. "Manifest your Destiny!" and the like. Hard to get away from all this destiny and this manifesting. So of course, I jumped on the bandwagon and  tweeted "its a great day for manifesting! come to Transformational Flow tonight at 6:30 etc..."

So I've got a full room. "How to manifest" in 90m minutes? Simple. Navel center - 3rd chakra - manipura chakra. The place where (according to me) "you make your dreams into realities." So a bunch of agni sara later, we're doing some poses. And then the manifest part. It takes the holy trinity of chakras to make the formula work: 3rd eye (6th chakra), heart (4th chakra), and navel (3rd chakra). 1st - you have a heart's desire (4th chakra). 2nd - you zoom out and get a big picture and clarity that this is what you are meant to do (6th chakra). And 3rd - you get in and do the work on the physical plane (3rd step, 3rd chakra). The cycle continues. You may say, "why is this so hard? why am i doing all this work?" and then you remember, "oh, i had a heart's desire." Then you zoom out (6th chakra) and in this bigger picture, see why your heart's desire is important and get inspired to continue. Then back to work - 3rd chakra - apply your will and execute the deeds on the physical plane.

It's a perfect formula. Perfect for manifesting. Perfect for growth. Perfect of overcoming obstacles. Just perfect just cuz.

It's your destiny to manifest. Maybe its your manifest destiny. That's what we do. That's who we are. For now at least.

Results

In yoga we talk about not focussing on results. But looking at results, aka action/reaction, helps us to understand cause and effect and therefore, karma. Once we understand and embody that our actions create reactions, and that we have some semblance of control over those actions and reactions, we more clearly see how we play a part in this big ol thang we call "life's circumstances." As we play with goals, results, cause/effect, action/reaction, we begin to more fully understand how this physical dimension works. We can then layer that into the emotional body and the mind, and begin to master our emotions and move into more conscious thinking and decision making. As we keep laying this foundation of understanding and embodiment, we prepare ourselves to more gracefully move into a dimension that contains cause and effect, but is not run by it.

Value system

What are you wiling to lie for? Cheat for? Steal for? Kill for? Give up your integrity for? Those are the things you value the most. What are they? And what is your system for protecting them?