One step up from Courage on the scale of consciousness created by David Hawkins is Neutrality. I like the word humility better. Here is how Hawkin's describes Neutrality (energy level 250) "Energy becomes very positive as we get to the level that we have termed Neutral, because it is epitomized by release from the positionality that typifies lower levels. Below 250, consciousness tends to see dichotomies and to take on rigid positions, an impediment in a world that is complex and multi-factorial rather than black and white. Taking such positions creates polarization, and polarization in turn creates opposition and division. As in the martial arts, a rigid position becomes a point of vulnerability; that which does not bend is liable to break. Rising above barriers or oppositions that dissipate one's enegies, the Neutral condition allows for flexibility and nonjudgmental, realistic appraisal of problems. To be Neutral means to be relatively unattached to outcomes; not getting one's way is no longer experinced as defeating, frightening, or frustrating..." I guess I am partial to the word humilty, because it seems to be to be more connected to human emotion. It has less of a cold, robotic feel to it. Also, I love the 12 steps, and "Humility" is the foundation of the 12 steps. Also worthy of noting, is that "Anonymity" is the guiding principle of the 12 traditions. These qualities of humility and anonymity are the ego puncturing tools necessary to move out of the negative toroid and start to live in grace. In my experience, addicts are definitely stuck in the negative toroid--without a doubt. The thing about humility is that it is often mistaken for humiliation. This is hardly the case. Humility is not thinking poorly of oneself. That is closer to guilt and shame, the two emotions on the bottom of the consciousness map. Humility is accurate perception. It is seeing things as they are. There is a greater detatchment with the emotion of humility. There is no desire to defend a position in humility. Things just are as they are. Neutral. From the AA 12 & 12: I find it fascinating that these steps align so well with Hawkin's map of consciousness. How amazing to realize that without moving into Neutrality, the first level of the positive toroid, then we have no chance of happiness. This truth has never been more clear than to the addict holding on to the justifications for continuing to use, unwilling to look at the truth of their situation. They must surrender, and get humble, if they are to get free. The book continues: And so it is, that when we step into the energy vibration of Neutrality we free ourselves from the negative pull. This is one reason I am such a fan of Hawkin's work. Since addict and alcoholics tend towards selfishness, this map is a way to reach even the most self-serving individual. With this map everyone can see clearly how their negative attitudes can bring nothing but negative outcomes, then even in the desire for their own happiness and release from suffering, there is the motivation to do this work of becoming humble. Finally, the 12 & 12 makes the connection between steping on the path of humility as taking a step towards God. This is how I see the map of consciousness. Each step up the vibrational ladder, is one step closer to God-Truth-Enlightenment. I have worked with many addicts who become stuck in pride. Once my friend who was struggling with pride asked me, "Shouldn't I feel proud of my successes?" If pride hadn't continued to cause her so much grief, I might have spoken differently, but the truth is, her pride caused her to scoff at everyone around her, and to proclaim her own greatness, causing strife in all of her friendships and usually ending in her isolation and relapse. I told her to instead feel grateful. To take all of that positive feeling and compound it by giving praise to her Higher Power for all the gifts of success she had received. What a different energy than pride. It is so true, when we are grateful, we become graceful. We don't bump up against everyone and everything around us, trying to show our worth. We can let go of other people's judgment (positive and negative), and be at peace in the world. We can trust God. To read all of Step 7 press the black button!
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In the model of human consciousness created by David Hawkins, pride is the highest negative vibrational state. What does it mean? It is at the top of the negative toroid. So interesting the saying "Pride cometh before the fall". In his consciousness model, the negative energies created a field that feeds into itself. At the top of the negative, the only place to go is down.
Pride then is a trap. The associated emotion with pride is scorn, and scorn is so hurtful to those around it. It creates a sense of shame and unworthiness. It pushes people down, or puts them in their place, which is of course, below pride. Pride is competitive. It is from a form of division. It is a form of idenitification with the small self, the ego. In moving up the scale of consciousness, I am becoming more connected to my higher Self, my divine self. I am starting to see my interconnectedness with the whole. It seems to me our collective consciousness is trapped at this level of pride, We are all in this ego game of proving our individual worth. Until we can collectively move past pride and scorn we will never become who we are meant to be. The emotion of pride is only a small element of the problem. The negative judgment, and minimizing others associated with scorn is what really causes the havoc. Holding others down causes all of us to be diminished. I think here of the concept of UBUNTU, and my favorite speech from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ubuntu can be translated: "I am because we are" also "I am because you are" This conecpt is related to the interconnectedness of humanity. Martin Luther King expressed it as: “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be... This is the inter-related structure of reality.”― Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation: Library Edition I have been taking a course with the Transformative Learning Foundation The course provides experiential learning using Rudolf Steiner's 12 sense as the framework. This past week we covered the sense of Movement. We were asked to recollect how we moved as a child, then as a teenager and then as a young adult. We shared our experiences and insights and then were asked to draw our inner experience of moment now. I initially felt this upward movement very light, with the color orange, but it was immediately followed by downward forces, in purple. Then the most crystalized moment was the use of black, first to define a central energy point within myself, indicated by the triangle and the eye, and then a central channel, the desire to move upward and break free from the binds. The black at the bottom represents the feeling of being chained or attached to the negative. The breaking away from the judgment and scorn of others has been a theme in my life. In my expression of moment it went like this... As a child: Shy, timid, hiding, moving away from the group. Moments of bursting forth with enthusiasm, shining, Being pushed down. Return to hiding. As a Teen: Stomping, Pushing, Mosh Pit. Hands On Hips Destruction. As a Young Adult: Steady, head down, determined Resolute, quick, looking over shoulder Leaping forth, joyful expression --unreceived-- Keep moving, independent, dancing by myself alienated...disjointed...missing connection...no partners. What was so revealing is that I have come a far way, but also that I can go back into any of these phases when I am triggered by a life experience, especially the scorn of others. But I realize today, it is all an important part of my souls unfolding. The goal is to move into the higher states. Dr. Hawkins found that those who were spiritually advanced were no longer sensitive to others' negativity. Wow, that would be great! I first was introduced to the work of David Hawkins as a teenager. My mom read the book Power vs Force and was so inspired by it, she bought copies for all of her friends. I hadn't, however, read the book until a month ago, after watching a youtube video of Dr. Hawkins taking about addiction and model presented in the book. This model provides a map of the different levels of consciousness energy.
The basic premis of these levels of consciousness is aligned with what many spiritual science proponents discuss, that of raising the vibration to create the life you desire. Dr. Hawkins creates a kind of dividing line between what he terms positive vibrational states, and negative vibrational states. This is critically important for those who want to use this book as a tool for healing, since it is not just about moving up the scale in vibration, but moving past a critical threshold in order to create the life you desire. Once you hit that threshold you are in the positive stream, whether it be lower or higher on the scale. However, below the threshold you are in the negative stream. I have come to see this division as the central dividing a positive and negative toroid. This idea was inspired by the work of Nassim Haramein. https://youtu.be/JyqBnd3Xwck?si=t8fdoJI92NebEaBj The midline is courage, and this transition point could drop you back down into the negative, or move you to the positive. My ability to describe these concepts is still pretty limited. Here is Dr. Hawkins description of the Courage vibration, which he calibrates at 200. "At the level of Courage, an attainment of true power occurs, therefore, it is also the level of empowerment. This is the zone of exploration, accomplishment, fortitude, and determination. At the lower levels, the world is seen as as hopeless, sad, frightening, or frustratin, but at the level of Courage, life is seen to be exciting, challenging, and stimulating. Courage implies the willingness to try new things and deal with the vicissitudes of life. At this level of empowerment one is able to comple with and effectively handle the opportunities of life. At 200, for instance, there is energy to learn new job skills. Growth and education become attainable goals. There is teh capacity to face fears or character defects and to grow despite them; anxiety also does not cripple endeavor as it would at the lower levels of evolution. Obstacles that defear people whose consciousness is below 200 act as stimulants to those who have evolved into the first level of true power. People at this level put back into the world as much energy as they take; at lower levels, populations as well as individuals drain energy from society without reciprocating. Because accomplishments result in positive feedback, self-reward and esteem become progressively self-reinforcing. This is where productivity begins. " (from Power vs Force, pg 105-106) 13 Corinthians 1-13
The Way of Love 13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. I feel like I just completed a graduate level course in consciousness studies after having listened to a 1 hour interview with Robert Gilbert. I was introduced to the work of Robert Gilbert probably about 6 years ago after attending a retreat in Mount Shasta hosted by Gene Ang. I recently was reintroduced when I started watching the series on GAIA TV on Sacred Geometry. It is an amazing series, with a depth of information followed by practices to help develop the energy body. I highly recommend it.
As for the interview, I can't wait to watch it again. It is such a reminder about what this life is all about. He talks about each of us being on our own journey of remembering who we are. He talks about how we enter into this world of separation out of unity, and need to remember that truth. He speaks of the two core values of humanity's existence as Love and Freedom. How do we find our way out of this mire of hatred, self-destruction, selfishness and greed and find our way back to Love and Freedom? We must develop our consciousness and our spiritual energy body in order to live fully as who we are as spirit. The work of building our energy body (which is connected to our physical being) is something I personally need to work on. As of late we have not been hosting any courses, but with this, I feel a new and renewed desire to open the space to begin again. https://youtu.be/c-62t4OJ8IU youtu.be/c-62t4OJ8IU I am not sure when I really became fascinated with numbers, but they seem to be coming up a lot for me lately. Very often, those who have had OBEs or NDEs are presented with knowledge of sacred geometry and numerology. People who would call numerology a hack or pseudoscience fail to realize that numbers are inherent in nature. Numbers are the immutable language of the Universe.
Ever since reading Cosmic Trigger in college, I have loved the number 23. The 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up human DNA. All the greatest sports stars have the number 23! Think Michael Jordan <3 And, of course, not to be forgotten, the obsession over the number by the twisted mind of William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch. So now we enter 2023 and it is not surprising that I am feeling more connected to the spiritual work needed on the planet more than ever. According to Jennifer McLean, this is the year of the Lightworker! I can not wait. Jennifer McLean has been an important part of my own healing journey. She came out of the business world and entered the realm of spirituality and parapsychology years ago. She hosts space for healer, psychics and other gifted individuals to share their light. Every year she hosts Predictions Week at the start of the new year. Dr. Robert Pease is one of her favorites. He gives the numerological forecast for this year. From his intro: Numerology for 2023… it's an extraordinary year. 7 year… 2+0+2+3=7 permeates the year. Personal number is your month+day+2023 = personal year. In Pythagorean 7 is the ultimate number… the philosopher stone, merlin magician energy… the deeper of what is under our standing. It is about digging deeper but not in a burdensome way. It’s a quest year. Time to set an intention for the adventure we desire. It is ultimately a journey year. The themes are: truth, wisdom, inquisitiveness, and the desire to learn and grow. It is a time of study ad exchange of ideas. Expect clearer, transparent conversations. 2023 is a year of introspection introverts will love this year. Extraverts can reflect the inner out through the moment. You can leverage what you learned from the past. We will gain more present awareness to guide us in new thoughts in our daily life. 7 = practical creativity and putting the pieces together. Now we can take what we’ve experienced and know what to do with it. Put the tapestry together and see, “Ah ha, that’s why.” Take the “scratching head moments” and now understand what they are about. 7 will ask you to slow down more and gain a footing in your lives, finding a new rhythm. We can now slow down and bit and breathe. White rabbit year under Chinese numerology. Gain a deeper perspective. An opportunity to gain new ways of thinking and acting. Polishing the edges buff it up. Take the what’s and whys and now apply them. More developed. The illusion of the maze will be revealed in a larger view and not cramped in, isolated, alienated, and alone. Freer movement into divine blessings. 7 is also the “god number,” tapping into the divine is available to us this year. If you would like to see what her lineup of psychics has to say for our upcoming year you can check it out here. https://www.predictionsweek.com/predictions-week-2022-access#section--46874 Buddhism and Christianity represent the head and the heart of spiritual enlightenment. These two beautiful spiritual paths do not conflict, rather they support the growth of individuals in complimentary ways.
Buddhism is a mental path to enlightenment. It is one that is effective for intellectuals since it works with one's mental faculties. Christianity is a heart centered path. It is focused on love and unity. It is most effective for the empath and highly emotionally sensitive type. Ultimately the goal of each will bring the practitioner closer to the image of God. Through the 8 fold path of Buddhism, I become less destructive in my thoughts, words, and actions. I learn to see things without the biases and judgements of my social conditioning. I walk a path of goodness and righteousness. Through Buddha consciousness I see accurately the connection of all things. I become one with everything. Through the Christian path, I strive to become more Christ-like. I learn to love and see my brother as myself. I lean towards goodness and righteousness, and learn the true meaning of forgiveness. Compassion, love and forgiveness are my creed. Through Christ consciousness I see the presence of God in all things. I see myself as a part of this oneness. Both of these paths complement one another. The Buddhist path can benefit from the warmth of love felt on the Christian path, and the Christian path can benefit from the effortful removal of all negative conditioning provided by the 8-fold path. Christian arrogance is one of the most destructive forces in our churches today. Christians often fail to follow the true teachings of Jesus when they begin to see themselves as superior to other religious paths. Instead of loving their brother as the Christian teachings speak of, they condemn them to hell. This is why so many spiritual seekers no longer resonate with the path of Christianity. It has been perverted by the judgmental arrogance of so many of those who would proclaim it to be theirs and theirs alone. Christ consciousness is everyone's birthright. The awakening of the mind, body and spirit is the goal of humanity. It is our goal to work together to uplift and encourage each of our brothers and sisters to discover their light within and shine it out into the world. So no matter what your religious beliefs may be, remember to see within each other the truth of God's eternal light, love and goodness. Seek to find this within yourself, and encourage others to do the same. Love Thy Neighbor! Join Us New Year's Day to get the year started with a clear vision.
Is there something you want to bring into your life in 2023? Is there a new skill you want to develop? What are the creative project you want to delve into? Join us on Zoom and we will do some reflecting together, a short meditation, and then set our intentions for creating our best year. Abigail Larrison is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: New Year's Intention Setting Time: Jan 1, 2023 02:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81779593973?pwd=d3lsYVRkS2VYRStaRm01T2QzVVZuUT09 Meeting ID: 817 7959 3973 Passcode: 2023 One tap mobile +13126266799,,81779593973#,,,,*2023# US (Chicago) +13092053325,,81779593973#,,,,*2023# US Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 309 205 3325 US +1 646 931 3860 US +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 305 224 1968 US +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 564 217 2000 US +1 669 444 9171 US +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 689 278 1000 US +1 719 359 4580 US +1 253 205 0468 US +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 360 209 5623 US +1 386 347 5053 US +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) +1 507 473 4847 US Meeting ID: 817 7959 3973 Passcode: 2023 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/ku2m6oIU7 We will set intentions If anyone has followed our New Year's programming we have offered up the opportunity to take advantage of the energy of the new year through the creating of a 30 day challenge (or more). Personally, I find the power of the new irrepressible. To harness this energy to build towards something seems obvious.
Today is a powerful date 11-11-22. It seems to be beaconing to take on a new challenge. This year has been hard for the Community House Network. It was necessary for financial reasons to let go of our paid staff and move towards an entirely volunteer organizational structure. Even with our staff, we have yet to create the real and meaningful connections with our neighbors that will help us become what we intend to be. One question is why? Starting a community project in the middle of Covid didn't help, but also, in our community, like many around us, trust is hard to come by. So we are working on it, one family at a time. In the meantime, why not increase our online presence. It is so much easier for people to enter into the online space than the 3-D. So, that is the goal and that is the challenge. Through our Consciousness Explorations programming we have created quite a bit of content already. The challenge is to get this content available to our local and online community. To let people join the conversation, online, and then perhaps eventually in person. Challenge: Post one new video a day for the next 100 days. Since I have not posted much, and have not done much (almost none) video editing, this challenge will also represent a new learning experience. Learning is natural. It takes focus of our interest towards something, continued curiosity and effort, exploration and discovery. Learning is fun! When we reach those new levels of competency and understanding we get a natural dopamine boost! So why not take on your own new challenge? Ask yourself what you want to learn? What do you want to improve on? What do you want to share with the world, or just for you alone? And watch as we take the steps to share what we have been doing over the last year, while learning how to use video editing software and youtube. Check out our new youtube channel - Consciousness Explorations - or check it out sometime soon, since today there won't be much to see. Happy Creating! You know the old saying GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out), well it is true for our conscious mind as well. When we fill up on junk food we are sluggish and muddled in our thoughts. I have long ago stopped watching the news. Not that I don't care about what is going on in the world, but the mainstream media does not portray an understanding that will bring us together. The mainstream media typically fosters divisiveness, and fear. Both of these create a state of consciousness that further separates us. If one of the most significant goals for humanity is to recognize our interconnected oneness, then the mainstream media is actually an incredibly destructive force in the evolution of our consciousness. And what about social media, or other sources of information? I haven't been on Facebook in about 15 years, until just recently when I was nudged back into the scene out of the need to make the activities at the Community House Network more public. I don't typically spend much time on it, partly because I don't know how to use it. However, I am what you might call a "Youtube junkie". I can find myself getting lost in videos on Youtube, and although I start off with meditation and consciousness uplifting content, I often find myself watching murder podcasts, or even just those mind-numbing videos of shorts of cooking or crafts. Those time wasters that hold my attention like glue. Youtube has obviously recognized the power of these shorts and now has a feature where very shorts 30 second to 1 minute videos pop-up and start moving on your screen. A highlight of a full video and very attention grabbing. All of these things are vying for my attention, and I have to remember my consciousness is more precious than gold. What do I really want to spend it on? More importantly, what do I want to bring into my field of consciousness? Probably because of Halloween, but nonetheless perturbing, I opened up Youtube the other day and I had nothing by witchcraft, and "evil" and murder videos show up. I started going through one by one and selecting the command "Don't recommend this channel again". I did this for about a day, and then I started to increase my critera for what was not acceptable. I decided anything that could be considered click-bait. Something with a sensational title. Another day of clean-up, and then finally day 3 I decided to block anything that was truly a waste of time and did not serve my personal growth or interests. Three days of cleaning my input, and now I have the most amazing video feeds. I have been exposed to some new meditation sites, and I am not spending time falling for the click-bait. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to improve their screentime experience. So what will be your criterion for cleaning up your input? |
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