The Serene Way

Each of us has our own path when walking towards the light of self-realization. It is expressed through all that connects us to our spirit, whether it is through words, music, energy work, art or dance, to name just a few. No matter what form it takes, our purpose is to follow that expression which brings us to a union of body, mind and spirit—to One.

Living an authentic life; as prescribed by the 5 principles of Reiki, the Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga or the ‘basic’ truths of any religion i.e., acceptance, love, understanding, compassion or any emotion of lighter vibration, should be at the fore of our thoughts. It is the authenticity of our lives no matter the dogma or ritual we adhere to, which is important. It is with these intentions that we can release the barriers that keep us from seeing beyond illusion or what in Yoga is called Maya. This is often referred to as the veil, though more appropriately, it is all that is nature manifested.

Once authentic connection to this energy is made, messages are received depending on one’s abilities and interests; forms of perception. When we connect to that energy how it works through us, is as individual as are each of us. We all have a unique way of relating to this cosmic/universal/god/void/absolute energy. Some prefer to personalize it defining it as spiritual guides or angels, others see light, others sound or smell or taste or feeling or touch sensation—each of them are real and valid. We are all different, yet the same, how the mind translates the message is based on our own experience. So the journey to understand the “self” is perhaps the jumping point for how it is to fall into place; commencing within.

Meditation calms and quiets the mind, providing clarity and connection to the energy of the universe. That which comes within this state is a gift; sleep and dreams provide another avenue of an alternate awareness which opens this connection. An intention placed upon the mind prior to meditating or sleep can assist in allowing the mind to step out of the way so that the answer may be received. It is pertinent however, to understand that forcing the process can impede the progress. Sometimes the harder we force and grasp the further the goal retreats. Letting go or allowance prepare us to receive all that we seek. In my experience, when we are ready then all things come of their own accord. There is an ease.

When I was teaching and studying dancing I was moved to choreograph, the music moved me and I had visualizations of specific movements within space. Music stimulated a visual response as I ‘saw’ movement, so sight/vision and sound were at play.

Since returning to more spiritual pursuits and energy work this visual inclination led, in dream state or what I consider an alternate reality, to complete information sessions and simple knowing. Following this path also opened other channels of reception, as it was within a dream state that sound manifested in the form of musical notes to be a used in my energy work. In another dream it was light that manifested. I perceived beings of light and a name that was sounded upon emptiness; I observed an exchange between ‘God’ and the Archangel Michael.

Now, I am ‘moved’ to write, again this is just another form of creative expression, a flow from one area of interest or concentration to another. The manner of the messages has changed or at least the imagery has modified to suit the current situation. Entering yet another altered or heightened state of awareness/consciousness in meditation, I observed a discourse on material for a training manual and an attunement process to assist others and help them pass along this information, guiding the inner journey.

Whether physical or spiritual, the experiences were felt to be real. The persons or light beings or sound or movement or words appeared in dream or meditative state. The information was as real, and some even more powerful, as those I received in physical reality through traditional hands on methods.

Any creative expression opens channels to Oneness, with music I sing and my body responds with dance, I think and my mind creates words and I write. We can all connect to all the information that is, was and will be; no matter the name we call it. As we grow along a path to light we reach and move towards our fullest potential, developing abilities which are indeed just manifestations of One.

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved.

www.TheSereneWay.com

“Societal choices, more often than not, are the result of expediency, statistical fallacy, sentiment, political or media pressure, or personal prejudice and vested interest.”

David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.

Power vs. Force

As stated in Part I of this discussion concerning Ahimsa, Wikipedia states, “Jains go out of their way so as not to hurt even small insects and other minuscule animals and make considerable efforts not to injure plants in everyday life as far as possible. In accordance to this policy, eating of some foods, whose cultivation harms small insects and worms as well as agriculture itself, is to be abstained from.”

It has been written that a butterfly fluttering its wings can be the catalyst for a hurricane on the opposite side of the ocean. Every action has a reaction; it is only from our singular standpoint that we judge it to be right or wrong. The following response illustrates how our choices have this effect.

“The Very Humans That The Sweet Precious Innocent Animal Grows To Trust And Love With All Their Beautiful Innocent Hearts As Family… These Very Humans Turn Around And Mercilessly Slaughter Them In Bloody Murder ??? Such Humans Are Diabolical Demons. Humans Were Not Created To Eat Meat! ALL Beings And ALL Creatures Were Vegans And Never Harmed Any Living Being ~ Until The Human Species Fell Into The Demonic Behaviour Of Murder Blood~Lust And Greed. MANY Animal And Bird Species Are Still Entirely Vegan. Some Animal Species Biology Changed To Require Flesh Foods Due To Horrible Low Vibrational Change And Karmic Sufferings That Humans Evoked Upon Mother Earth.

GOOD Humans Are Vowing To Live Their Original Divine Blueprint. There Are Many Millions Of Organic Vegan Humans Now Upon Mother Earth ~ Living Loving~Kindness AHIMSA! ~~~ Looking Upon Sister And Brother Animals As A *Food Chain* Is Evil And Diabolical ~ Barbaric! Such Humans Are FAR Below ALL Animals And Creatures In Spiritual Evolution! Tim… We Do Not Share Resonating Vibes Nor Spiritual Ideals About What Is GOODNESS. SEE Who My Friends Are ~ They Are Organic Vegans For *Animal Liberation!* Absolute LOVING~KINDNESS!

(Final closing has been edited from this discourse)

The animals, including sheep and cows, that grow to love and trust have been bred to domesticity, in accordance with society’s need for providing for its members. We have indeed made them what they are, for the purpose of our physical sustenance. Whether there are more or fewer meat-eaters is debatable. Even chickens will eat their own, although we automatically envision them pecking at the ground eating seed. Chickens, roaming free upon the range, eat everything from seeds to worms and insects. I don’t believe this qualifies them as vegan. Animals existed long before humans made their appearance upon the earth; they have evolved according to their individual natures, as have we.

“All that you see is the manifestation of God’s Power. No one can do anything without this Power. … God exists in all beings as the All-pervasive Power; but the manifestation of His Power are different in different beings”

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna

There is a food chain, whether physical or energetic in form. In most instances it is the larger animal that consumes the smaller (although there are exceptions to every rule), and they, in turn, are consumed by the earth so that herbivores have healthy plant material to consume. A small fish is consumed by a larger fish, which is then consumed by a still larger fish, until the largest dies and is returned to the ocean floor, where it nourishes and supports other organisms that feed the smallest fish, which is consumed by a larger fish, and so on. This is the cycle of life. That which lives, dies, and is returned to the earth. In terms of physicality, this return to the earth remains a form of energy and matter that continues to support the lives that follow; it is the food chain in utter simplicity. In the simple food chain the entire object is returned to the fold of universal balance, complete in its makeup of matter.

In the simple food chain, all matter is returned to the earth, providing the substance to continue the cycle of life. Commercial farming methods provide only three main minerals—nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium—to replenish the soil. We have seen a 50% reduction in the nutritional value of our food over the past 50 years, and it continues to decline. With this knowledge, are we treating others with kindness in continuing this practice? In the end, are we not massacring humankind? We cannot remove one part of the chain and not expect it to have an adverse effect upon our lives or the life of the planet.

Commercial farming has also fostered overuse of pesticides and insecticides to protect produce. The animals necessary for soil viability—worms and insects—are destroyed. This has also created many health issues; these chemicals are environmental toxins, which are carcinogenic. The main ingredient in these pesticides and insecticides is petroleum-based—a synthetic compound. We are therefore not only getting less nutritional value from our produce, we are also affecting and changing our innate cellular structure.

Not only do we use petroleum as a means to ‘protect’ produce, it is used to operate machinery in the fields and move the produce to central markets, where more petroleum is used in the transport delivery system. Petroleum is used to heat the store where we buy the produce, and then again to get us to the store and back home, where more petroleum and energy is used to keep the produce fresh or frozen. In moving away from small-scale, natural and organic farming, we are indeed killing our selves with pollution from factories, commercial farms, and the use of gas-powered vehicles. This is not what I consider a cycle that promotes or protects life; it is a sure road to its total demise.

Even synthetic fibres made from acrylics, such as faux fur or fleece, are petroleum-based products: the production, transportation and use of this material continues to pollute the earth from which our sustenance and life is received. How can we consider this Ahimsa, when even natural fibres are bleached and chemically altered, increasing the harm to our selves, animals, and the ecology of the entire planet?

The very act of breathing is necessary and beneficial for humans, yet bacteria and viruses are destroyed within the physical system. As we exhale we add to the carbon dioxide within the atmosphere, currently regarded as the primary cause of greenhouse gases and global warming.

In spiritual pursuits it is recommended that vegetarianism be followed, and in doing so it is with more ease that self-realization or Samadhi is attained. But Narendra, better known as Swami Vivekananda, in his complete works suggests that each individual follow that which is conditioned by their unique nature. On his travels, he ate what he was given, and in his epistles he wrote that he looked forward to meals more in keeping with his cultural background.

In my own attempt at vegetarianism, I discovered that I have sensitivities to some plant foods that provide necessary nutrients. My change of diet was a factor in serious health issues. So, I considered my genetic predispositions and returned to my cultural heritage in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We live upon this earth, and no matter what we consume we are part of the continuing cycle of creation and destruction; one does not exist without the other. It is only from our individual perspective that we judge one to be a higher vibration than another.

It is with respect that I consume food, with full awareness that I, too, on a Path to Light, will return to the earth, providing the necessary support for the continuation of cycles within the infinite balance that is universal energy.

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

I.L.C (Integrative Life Coaching) session conversation

 

PART III

 

Identify patterns from your life and how they can be used to your best advantage

Achieve balance between work, home and play

Create personal tools to maintain and enhance a healthy lifestyle

 

 

P.:  ah…the infamous turtle…

 
Tim W.:  hahahah…there are many parables that we take for granted and pay lip service to, yet there are tremendous simplicities within them

P.:  are they not written for children…hmmm…

P.:  you do know that the originals were written for adults oftentimes?

Tim W.:  we are children…with active minds…we

P.:  oh…I love that…

P.:  yes we are all children…

Tim W.:  we lose that aspect of our selves

Tim W.:  the most important this is to play…enjoy all that we do

P.:  I tell my students that I am almost as young as them when they ask my age…

Tim W.:  find that within and you find truth

Tim W.:  I say I’m as old as my shoe size and will stay that way

P.:  perhaps this truth is why I enjoy beeing with children so much…

Tim W.:  society makes us think we have to act in a certain manner…at least children are authentic

P.:  lol…I haven’t tried that one

P.:  yes, children are gems in the universe

Tim W.:  yes, and we forget that this is part of who we are

P.:  so many do forget Tim, but I’m with you..play is important

P.:  and think about it…young children learn through their play…

P.:  adults do too…

P.:  how we interact with our environment can give us varied experiences, yes?

Tim W.:  exactly…laughter is the greatest way to get someone to remember something

Tim W.:  absolutely

Tim W.:  make it fun

Tim W.:  why make it any other way when it causes pain

Tim W.:  enjoy…be…totally

P.:  yes! and Tim?

P.:  you’re welcome to come to my classroom anytime…smiles… we do have lots of fun

Tim W.:  hahahaha….that’s too sweet@!!

P.:  shhh…just don’t tell the grownups

Tim W.:  they wouldn’t understand…though they should!!

P.:  lol…

Tim W.:  see you have this wonderful circumstance to see how to be…real…total..authentic…look to the children and you can find it in them…the let it all go…you only have to do the same

Tim W.:  all lovely creatures of creation

P.:  its funny you say that because I am most at peace when i am with them

P.:  I forget myself in a sense…I know you’ll understand that statement

P.:  if i could carry that over…sigh

P.:  animals are…

Tim W.:  then you only have to bring that with you…in this sense taking your work home is a good thing…hahaha

P.:  I see them, watch them and try to learn from their existence…

Tim W.:  you can…it is in your mind…if it is in your mind…quiet the merry go round and bring it to that point

Tim W.:  that is all they do, exist!

P.:  yes, i think meditation is beginning to help me with that…

Tim W.:  we put all the other stuff on them and ourselves..expectations, cultural taboos, etc

P.:  yes, you understand my meaning about animals

P.:  to be as they are…

Tim W.:  find what works for you…meditation is not just sitting and being silent or stilling the mind…for you when you reach that state in the classroom that is your meditation…the natural way for you

P.:  it is…

P.:  yes?

Tim W.:  it would seem so from what you have said…

Tim W.:  it is there you feel at one…the best you feel

P.:  it is also different from my meditation….when i am with them…I can just be

P.:  meditation goes through steps

Tim W.:  then you have just reached your own answer

Tim W.:  yes, and those steps are there as a method, if it cannot be attained in another way

 

P.:  so, i need to be with children all the time…grins

Tim W.:  hahahah….that depends on you…too much of a good thing

Tim W.:  lol

P.:  you have just given me a gift Tim…thank you

P.:  moderation, eh?

P.:  nature hikes bring me to me as well…that stillness I mean

Tim W.:  remember just being with them is the same as having the mind calmed in thinking like when you are with them

Tim W.:  there that is another place of meditation for you

P.:  now you have me searching for those moments

Tim W.:  the stillness, peace or whatever you wish to call it can manifest in many different ways…the thing is to bring that with you in all things and be that way in all things

Tim W.:  and you will find them…the too are part of your experience and patterns…being consciously aware of them will bring them into other situations where they bring this sense of just being

P.:  I am learning to let things be…to find that inner place

P.:  to let go of judgement

Tim W.:  you have found that inner place…it is only to remember that it is always there

Tim W.:  when you have that sense of being is there any judgement?

P.:  no need for judgement

Tim W.:  Is there a force to let things be?

P.:  no force

Tim W.:  ahhh…

P.:  things just are and all is okay

P.:  no fear even

Tim W.:  again you have found your answers…they are there…it is to remember just the being at those times…bring those situations to the conscious mind and all else no longer exists

Tim W.:  even fear

Tim W.:  the pratical becomes theory which can be again used in practical application

P.:  hmmm.

Tim W.:  the shift is only in the mind, conscious thought

P.:  thinking of outside influences…

P.:  everything is connected

Tim W.:  are they really outside?

P.:  ha

P.:  thinking same thoughts?

Tim W.:  yes, and yes

Tim W.:  so if you have fear…think of the hike…what happens to the fear…gone - yes?

P.:  yes…

Tim W.:  when you are judging…think of the children (being) what happens to the judgement…gone - yes?

P.:  definitely

Tim W.:  now you are using your own experience to lift your energy and to work through any turmoil that the mind creates…

P.:  I like that, yes, i feel the positive energy in that

Tim W.:  you have found your centre in different places…just bring that to all places that you are

P.:  it is so simple

Tim W.:  only when we are off that centre does the other stuff come about…yet we know the (absolutely) the simplicity of it

Tim W.:  good on ya!

P.:  yes, and…it’s okay to just be

P.:  confession

P.:  ?

Tim W.:  yeppers…we learn there…we exist there…we can experience all

P.:  any situation

P.:  is okay now

Tim W.:  it is all connected it is all part of who we are as emotional, physical and energetic beings

P.:  acceptance of self  of all

Tim W.:  it can be ok if we get to that centre…the mind doesn’t want us to get there because then it doesn’t have control or life

Tim W.:  exactly

P.:  silly…

P.:  emotions….

P.:  experiencing a silly tear…argh

Tim W.:  they are beautiful…they are the colour of our lives…just not to control us

Tim W.:  tears are beautiful, they are water and water is life

Tim W.:  the cleanse, they give life

P.:  water is…a tear is… I am…

P.:  how do i thank you…

|Tim W.:  no more need be said

Tim W.:  for what?

P.:  this conversation

Tim W.:  you have seen yourself

P.:  for being

Tim W.:  hahahah

P.:  smiles

Tim W.:  and that is returned…many fold!!

Tim W.:  we learn from interaction…all is…

P.:  yes, but what has Tim learned from this?

Tim W.:  Tim has connected with another beautiful soul that is on a wonderful journey to light

Tim W.:  we have shared our experience our thoughts and created a connection that is full of light

P.:  as has P…

P.:  reconnected…grins

Tim W.:  he has seen that light comes from shadow and has learned love is and as P. says “I am”

 

P.:  we are

Tim W.:  ONE~

 

 

 

©T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All Rights reserved. 

www.TheSereneWay.com

 

 

 

 

I.L.C – Part I

I.L.C – Part II

 

 

For more information about I.L.C - Integrative Life Coaching, please feel free to contact Tim at tsw@TheSereneWay.com

 

 

“Societal choices, more often than not, are the result of expediency, statistical fallacy, sentiment, political or media pressure, or personal prejudice and vested interest.”

David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.

Power vs. Force

 

I received a comment after posting a blog titled ‘Acceptance, Compassion & Tolerance Out of Anger & Resentment”, which was the catalyst for this entry.

 

“I (Also) Noticed On The Front Page Of Your Website That You Are Selling SHEEP SKIN Mats! That Is Not AHIMSA And It Certainly Is Not Peaceful And Serene For The Sweet Innocent Slaughtered SHEEP! :/ ~::~”

 

Why use meditation mats that are made from sweet innocent loving slaughtered sheep??? That is bloody bad karma and just mean. It is ahimsa for me to point this out to you. Why seek to make money from industries of horrid cruelty?You are a spiritually intelligent being. You seek to embody goodness and loving-kindness towards all beings…I believe. To do so we must wake up from participating in cruelty towards other beings… right? We must have an empathetic loving awakened conscience of loving-kindness towards ALL Life as Divine Spirit.

Why participate in blood money of cruelty? I know you are basically a sweet and loving spiritual person ~ I am just hoping that you will try to embody the higher Pure Consciousness and Loving-Kindness towards ALL LIFE. Precious Animals are not less than or lower than humans.”

 

 

In order to fully discuss this position, let’s look at a definition of ahimsa. Wikipedia describes ahimsa as follows: “the principle of non-violence can or should be applied to different life forms…”

 

This resource (Wikipedia) continues, “Jains go out of their way so as not to hurt even small insects and other minuscule animals and make considerable efforts not to injure plants in everyday life as far as possible. In accordance to this policy, eating of some foods, whose cultivation harms small insects and worms, as well as agriculture itself, is to be abstained from.”

 

Research and information gathered from texts such as ‘The Gospel According to Rama Krishna’, books by Swami Vivekananda, and other volumes of spiritual writings state that ahimsa—a yama of Yoga— is the practice of non-violence or harmlessness in action, word, thought, deed or emotion. All we do creates a karmic affect, no matter its desired intention.

 

It is evident that this ‘practice’ has different meanings and applications depending on the environmental/cultural experience and religious belief of the individual. There are levels of adherence to this practice. This is true for all ideologies; it is the depth of conviction to the belief, whether individual or group, that plays a fundamental role in their actions and reactions. We need look no further than organized religion to see how extremes in the attachment to dogma have created tension and segregation, leading to struggle, suppression and war.

Traditionally, meditation was performed on natural animal skin such as tiger or deer, as I have seen in pictures of gurus and swamis. This provided a softer cushion for a more comfortable way to maintain a meditative posture; it also created a synergy with the meditative process by providing a deeper, natural connection to earth energies, thereby intensifying the benefits of meditation. I have not read that these pelts materialized out of cosmic energy; the animals’ lives did end in some manner.

 

Historically speaking and according to evolutionary theory, man was a hunter-gatherer. Being of aboriginal heritage—Native Canadian M’ic M’aq—my family’s heritage and culture dictated that whenever an animal is taken for food, all parts of that animal are used in order to honour a manifestation of gratitude for that which the earth provides. As a child, I remember that after the moose hunt (which my extended family continues) the meat was canned or frozen, the antlers were used for the handles of eating utensils, and the hide for leather garments, snowshoes and various ties and bindings. All was treated as a gift from Mother Earth and what She provided for our sustenance.

 

The sheep in question are from my brother’s farm. He has a small flock, and his intention is to use the entire animal, in keeping with his cultural heritage, in order to provide for his family. The sheep run free in the pastures on 108 acres, eating grass and natural feed. They are tended with love and kindness. They are protected from coyotes by dogs, donkeys and a llama provided by my brother and his family. His wife is the ‘at home’ veterinarian who provides the occasional antibiotic to ensure the sheep’s health, and is doula or mid-wife during lambing season. In the winter, lambs that are born too small or too many at a time for a single ewe to care for are taken into the house, dried with towels, and bottle-fed—one of the great experiences I have had the pleasure to participate in.

 

Indeed, I take issue with commercial farming and the poor treatment of livestock for the gathering of wealth for the few. The treatment of animals on commercial farms is in truth a manifested aspect of profit and greed. I also take issue with the reckless harvest of animals of the sea for a singular use, such as longline net capture of sharks for the sole purpose of obtaining their fins, which some claim are an aphrodisiac. This materialistic approach has caused many problems. Commercial farms have created the need to regulate society’s food channels. Yet, with a single bacterial outbreak in an industrial processing plant, an entire food network delivers health hazards. Recently, an outbreak of listeriosis in a packaging plant in Canada played havoc on the food channel, resulting in a recall of processed, packaged meat. This past summer tomatoes had to be removed from the shelves due to problems at a processing plant in the United States. Both of these incidents also affected fast food outlets, including the corporate giant MacDonald’s.

I often think that we have formulated a hierarchy based on what we perceive as sentient beings. It is only our current perception that dictates these ideas; they continue to change and develop based on scientific research, which increases our understanding. There are many ‘seekers’ who have taken leave of society to live in renunciation in the wilderness. There, they develop the ability to listen to the wisdom of the tree and the messages upon the wind. There is even mention of those who can live on air alone; they receive sustenance from the energy inherent in everything that is, so highly developed is their connection to the divine source.

 

A tree is alive—it has a series of capillaries that carry nutrients throughout its body, similar in function and design to the human lymph and digestive systems. Firstly, in terms of the lymph system, it has circulatory vessels without a central pump which regulate defense mechanisms. Secondly, like the digestive system, fluid is moved by a process of contraction called peristalsis. A tree has life, it exists, it is energy. The same can be said of all plants. They react to external stimuli: lower vibrations limit growth, whereas higher energies accelerate it. If you sing to a plant it will respond positively with growth; if you yell at it, so too will it wilt.

Man, in being a form of compressed energy, is in essence the same as a potato, a carrot, an apple or bacteria, only differing in the form of the expression of that energy. Anything we ingest is an aspect of energy, which is necessary for cellular metabolism and the continuance of a physical form. All life forms must absorb energy in order to sustain their life cycle. The process is consistent and paramount for all life—energy, in some form, is assimilated and then expunged to return into the fold of a universal balance.

 

Our current perspective deems an animal closer to our own existence. It is our own ego-centricity and the rationalization of projecting human characteristics onto other life forms that creates an imposed judgment. Pulling a carrot out of the ground ends the life cycle of that plant, the same as ending the life cycle of any other organism, whether or not we currently consider it to be sentient. If one is sacred, then all is sacred.

 

On a Path to Light, only when we accept all forms of energy as equal will we truly realize that all life is sacrosanct, and to be accepted as a blessing.

 

 

 

© T.S. (Tim) White, 2008

All rights reserved

www.TheSereneWay.com

 

 

 

To be continued…

 

With a further discussion of commercial farming and Ahimsa