My oneness (nondual) practice has increased since the pandemic hit.
Not only am I holding space for Inquiry with others (though my Process PopUps and Visual Satsangs), I’m holding it for me too. Also getting my teacher’s help when I need it too.
The entry point for Conscious Inquiry is always whatever is most up in the now. One ‘sits’ with it and welcomes it. When we do, consciousness reveals itself. What we were afraid of often shifts and moves to something different. The trick is to do one’s best to meet it with an open heart.
Lately I’ve been working through a BIG LAYER around abuse of power including corruption and greed. As a facilitator and coach, one of the things that really gets my goat is unfairness and inequity. At the individual, group or collective level.
Below is an interview with John Perkins. Read his classic, Confessions of an Economic Hitman years ago. And his latter books more focused on the shamanic worldview rather than high finance.
Curious about his take on current events, I stumbled upon this interview. And, as his work usually does, it created a charge, a trigger, in me. To fight and rail against the machine. And, as you’ll see in my notes under this video … within every trigger lies an opportunity to do much needed Inner Work.
After watching, my sense of injustice and outrage was really activated. Thankfully there was a Satsang with my own teacher about to happen. So I brought my ‘frustration with corruption’ to her.
She had me sit with Corruption … as is the way with Self Inquiry. Did my best to welcome it ‘corruption, you are welcome here’.
Somatically my reactivity was located in my shoulders. No coincidence as this is where I carry a lot of my tension. Load.
As I sat with the feeling of load on my shoulders, I became aware of my fuller arms. And the desire to move them. As in pushing against and/or defending.
Then, my arms morphed from my arms into the arms of one of those Indian saints or goddesses. You know, the multi-armed ones. So I just sat there as the multi-armed goddess did her thing in the space above and around me. Whirling around at lightening speed.
Then, a black skull head with flames appeared (I’m not great on my Indian ancient wisdom … but the word “Kali’ flashed in my mind. Goddess of destruction). Then horns appeared. The archetypical devil. Fallen angel.
My teacher encouraged me to sit with the devil. To do my best not to judge and to send love. Its not an intuitive reaction to send love to something with horns. However I did. It smiled back. And then softened … into sadness.
I sat with sadness. Deep waves of sadness and sorrow. An ocean of sorrow.
Eventually a calmness emerged. The storm played itself out. The image of a glassy calm ocean surface appeared … with a sailboat gently bobbing on its surface.
I thought that may be the end of my Inquiry. But no, more imagery flashed from consciousness … Noah’s Arc.
A concern came up about a flood. The old association of a huge flood to take out the wicked. I became concerned about loss of life and chaos. About unnecessary waste. Too much hurt. And a concern and frustration for lone survivors on mountain tops. Surviving yet having to build civilization all over again from scratch. That takes a lot of time. Do we really have to do that again?!
I asked ‘was it necessary’? Was it necessary for humankind to have to have that kind of dramatic overhaul yet again?
The answer came back from the depths. No. Its not necessary.
Across the ocean came the image of a dove flying in. With a sprig of green in her beak. Quintessential symbol of peace.
Then, the image of a sunrise coming up on the horizon. A new dawn on the ocean. A bright new day. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Thank you consciousness. I will end at ‘the dawning a bright new day’. YES PLEASE!
That my friends is what happened when I took the time to sit with corruption. Thank you to these two gentlemen for providing the necessary catalyst.
Take from my Inquiry what you will.
I myself now have a different internal touchstone about corruption. About a larger cycle. A good cycle at work.
Boy I hope consciousness is right! Time will tell.
xo
