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Monthly Archives: June 2008
While retreats can be many things, and can provide many different benefits to people, I often find that it is the little comments by the guy up front that really makes or break my experience. One simple change in wording of an oft repeated phrase or instruction can make all the difference.
While Hale Dwoskin, the head honcho of the Sedona Method and heir to Sedona Method creator Lester Levenson, is many things to many people, one thing he is for certain is a master at training and teaching. He can often find just that perfect turn of phrase that really makes a difference. I think the following items from Hale that made it into my notebook will suffice for almost everyone’s spiritual development:
- Can you let the body-mind
This retreat has been amazing. While the Sedona Method in general seems more like a personal growth, self-help course with some spirituality tossed in, the “advanced” retreat is completely focused on what Hale refers to as “the realization of what you are” but in other spiritual circles would be called awakening. Personally, I love the term awakening, as it captures the flavor of the experiential side of things. It feels as if one is awakening from a dream. The dream of a separate self called “me.”
Let me share with you a few gems from the past 2 days:
- If there is no separate individual, then there is no one who can or has done anything. No doer. Just bodies in motion. Therefore, I’ve never done anything, and no
Tagged with: knowing, spiritual awakening
While talking with one of my roommates this morning, the following words came quite spontaneously out of my mouth:
The whole point of spirituality is to clear out the garbage that keeps you from knowing the truth of what you are so that beingness, which is what you are and synonymous with love, can express itself fully in the world through you.
He liked it so much that it seemed a bit obvious to share it with you. I’m quite certain there is more that could be said on the subject, but the above works well for me right now. It seems to be the real bottom line to all of the things we do that we call spirituality. And that pretty much sums up day 3 at the… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Spirituality
What a day! I started the morning feeling incredibly resistant and, well, basically angry at everything. I have no clue where that came from, but there it was. It was a wonderful experience, because I have talked to many people at retreats who have gotten angry, had wild fits of rage hit them, etc., but I’ve never felt that myself.
What did I do with that, you might ask? Well, basically nothing. Just let it run its course. And as I did so, I was gifted with some great insights. One was how much Hale was annoying me. And as I looked into it, I discovered why: he is so different from Adyashanti.
Yes, I was guilty of comparing gurus! I had gotten so used to Adya’s style, his gentleness,… Read the rest →
Greetings from Sedona, Arizona. It is beautiful, it is hot, the hiking is superb and the food excellent. Yes, I am here to attend a 9 day Sedona Method retreat, but being in Sedona is part of the experience. I came early this time, so I had a day and a half to enjoy this marvelous town. I’ve been to Sedona 14 times in 12 years, both for retreats and pleasure. One of my favorite places in the world.
Last night the retreat began. The supposedly “advanced” 9 day retreat is a mixture of Advaita-style non-duality teachings (think Nisargadatta Maharaj and Adyashanti) with a touch of personal development and a pinch of basic Sedona Method. It is very different, though, from what other teachers do for a non-dual… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Advaita, Adyashanti
I’m sitting at the “luxurious” Springfield-Branson National Airport (what a “national” airport is, I don’t really know) waiting on my delayed flight to Dallas and then on to Phoenix. Hopefully, I will be relaxing in gorgeous Sedona, Arizona by the time the sun goes down. It will be toasty warm in Sedona, 102ºF (39ºC), but dry as a bone. Phoenix is a lung searing 112ºF (44ºC) today. Ouch!
Why am I going to Sedona, you ask? To attend my 7th Sedona Method retreat. This one is 9 days long and supposedly “advanced.” There will be lots of good spiritual inquiry involved, which is always nice. Following this 9 day retreat will be the first “Level 2 Coaching Training” that Hale (Mr. Sedona Method) has offered, which I will of course… Read the rest →
Tagged with: Sedona Method
My friend Davidya reminded me about my favorite guru, Puppetji, in a response to my article on the Law of Attraction. I love Puppetji.
The following video is Puppetji on The Secret. Always remember to take time to laugh. God always laughs at us. It’s her job. Enjoy, and watch some other Puppetji videos when you have time.
Tagged with: Puppetji, The Secret
We always want someone else to change so that we will feel good. But has it ever struck you that even if your wife changes or your husband changes, what does that do to you? You’re just as vulnerable as before; you’re just as idiotic as before; you’re just as asleep as before. You are the one who needs to change, who needs to take medicine. You keep insisting, “I feel good because the world is right.” Wrong! The world is right because I feel good. That’s what all the mystics are saying.
When I ride on a roller coaster, I love to ride in the front seat. Everything seems to happen right now when you sit in the front. I put my arms up, of course, no holding on, no matter what the coaster does. Upside down, slammed to the side, you name it. It’s just more fun to be on the leading edge of the experience, arms up, come what may.
I realized recently that this same attitude is very important to take with life in general. Especially with thoughts and feelings. We usually “ride” our thoughts and feelings, especially our unpleasant feelings, in the back seat, as far from the leading edge as possible. We hope that… Read the rest →
Tagged with: now, spiritual awakening
Leo over at Zen Habits wrote a post yesterday on the Law of Attraction, basically giving it a big thumbs down. Leo took a very interesting position: a very rational, western scientific perspective on accomplishing things in life.
My first response was to smile and laugh. I mean, for a site called Zen Habits, you would think there would be a little, well, Zen in his response. But no matter. I left a longish comment for him, kind of an off-the-cuff assortment of thoughts and ideas. Here it is:
“Very cool post. Interesting, too, coming as it does on a site called ZEN Habits. No, Zen doesn’t really have much to do with the Law of… Read the rest →
Tagged with: law of attraction, miracles, Zen
I recently re-discovered a fantastic book edited by Marcus Borg entitled Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings
My intent for this article is less to do a book review and more to share some of the sayings that Marcus Borg highlights… Read the rest →
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind.
If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows him as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart.
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind.
If a man speaks or acts with a pure mind, joy follows him as his own shadow.
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