Lately, I am finding comfort in some of the spiritual teachings that I have disagreed with. It leaves me to wonder if I went a little too far at times. My calling was to critically review patriarchal spirituality and to share those views with others. I honored that calling—and have been validated in that by many who had been led astray by dissociated spiritual teachings—and yet I now find myself coming back to a sacred balance of perspectives. Not that I disagree with what I expressed, but I am feeling a pull to enhance it with a vaster perspective. With that intention in mind, I am revisiting some of my work, and also revisiting some of the work of others, particularly around the various realms and dimensions of consciousness. I am left to wonder—Does our consciousness have to be informed by all other dimensions of consciousness if it is going to get this one right? What is the relationship between self-actualization and our ability to access other realms of consciousness? What does it mean to ground our spirituality in ALL dimensions of experience? I’m looking forward to sharing my findings with you.
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Timothy Leary’s Dead
I knew very little about Timothy Leary before watching this documentary about his life. I highly recommend it. What I find so remarkable about him is the depths of his commitment to his callings. It didn’t seem to matter what befell him—being kicked out of most everything, losing his job, being frequently incarcerated. He just kept pushing forward with his message and his mission. In fact, when people would say that he was a victim, he would firmly disagree. Not because he didn’t believe that someone can be victimized, but because he seemed to understand that all he endured came with the territory. He knew what he was up against, and understood that there was no way to bring his message through without pushing up against individuals and systems that were incongruent with it. If you have access to Tubi, you can catch a free view here: Leary Documentary
And, while you are there, take a look at my spiritual documentary, Karmageddon. I didn’t interview Timothy, but I did interview his old friend, Ram Dass...
And here is a piece I wrote about one of my dialogues with Ram Dass...
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On the Guru Trip
Speaking of the guru trip, here is an excerpt from my new book Humanifestations: On Trauma, Truth, and Transformation Does this resonate with your experience?
“The gurus didn’t go to sit in the meditation cave to enlighten their consciousness. They went there to bypass their issues with the world. They didn’t turn to silence to extinguish the monkey mind. They turned to silence to turn down the volume on their pain (the monkey heart). They didn’t nestle into stillness because stillness is THE royal road to the kingdom of God. They nestled into stillness because movement ignited their triggers and traumas. They didn’t dissolve the ego because the ego is the enemy of the sacred. They (allegedly) dissolved the ego because it reminded them of their unresolved humanness. They didn’t purify the body because the body is something less than Divine. They purified the body in an effort to escape their emotional toxicity. They didn’t strive for transcendence because there is a kingdom up there for us. They strove for transcendence because they lacked the courage to live on Mother Earth. They didn’t seek formlessness because it is our most awakened state of being. They sought formlessness because their form hurt too much. They didn’t shun anger because anger is a sub-standard emotion. They shunned anger because it uncovered their mountains of grief. They didn’t practice non-attachment because non-attachment is the essence of self-realization. They practiced it so they could hide from the challenges of human relationship. They didn’t fixate on forgiveness because forgiveness is necessary for a life well-lived. They fixated on forgiveness in order to repress the unforgivable. They didn’t preach non-judgment because they aren’t actually judgmental. They preached non-judgment so that they could get away with anything.
My friends, we have been fooled for centuries. The patriarchy went to a lot of trouble to cloak and camouflage their personal issues behind a wall of faux awakening. A whole spiritual lineage was birthed from their self-avoidance. And it is now time to call it all out. It is now time to bury patriarchal spirituality in a graveyard of its own making, and to co-create a spirituality that is grounded in our humanness, our bodies, our feelings, our relationships with each other and Mother Earth. This is the only way to save our species.”
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“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.”
― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
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WRITING YOUR WAY HOME
My October WRITING course is coming soon! Called 'Writing your Way Home: Answering the Soul’s Call', this affordable 6-week online course begins October 10th and supports your calling to write, and to work through anything that prevents you from honoring it. You can be anywhere in the world and still enjoy this course! If you are not available to listen to the audio classes on the day of class, no worries – they will be available for 6 weeks thereafter, and can also be easily downloaded. And there is lots of feedback on your writing, if you want it.
I look forward to sharing with you some of the lessons I have learned along the way – and some tools and techniques that may make your journey a lot more satisfying. If you struggle with sitting down and putting your heart and soul to paper, this course is for you. If you seek to hone your skills as a writer, this course is for you. If you seek to finally express repressed feelings and memories, this course is for you. If you simply love to write and long for support, this course is for you. I also look forward to sharing my knowledge about the publishing industry, so you can make the right choices if you ever decide to write a book.
When we identify the paths we are here to walk and the gifts we are here to open, we explode into a world of unlimited vitality. If you are born to write, you must write. It’s that simple. It doesn’t matter if you write for the world or for yourself alone. It doesn’t matter if you write epic novels or occasional blogs. It doesn’t matter if you write of soulful matters or practical things. It doesn’t matter if critics applaud or ignore you. All that matters is that you honor your soul’s voice and write! Please join us!
WRITING YOUR WAY HOME COURSE LINK
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The Adoptee’s Journey with Michelle Madrid (Enrealment Hour Podcast)
In this conversation, I speak with Michelle Madrid about her powerful new book: “Let Us Be Greater: A Gentle, Guided Path to Healing for Adoptees.” Michelle shares her own journey, as an adoptee and an adoptive mother, and takes us deep into the challenges and delights of adoption. I highly recommend this dialogue for anyone who has been meaningfully impacted by adoption...
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Blessings to your path, Jeff
Pema’s view of the world. 😍 I gave my FE Ramdass books and records from back in the day to the young gurus I still consider as friends. Well expressed as always.
“Does our consciousness have to be informed by all other dimensions of consciousness if it is going to get this one right? “
Yes, absolutely!
This is MetaConsciousness - aka the Consciousness of Consciousness.
It’s massively important - most of all in this context because the effects of denial upon consciousness - and therefore upon the consciousness of consciousness - have vast and far-reaching impact at this level, including the rapidity of amplification of denials AND how they interact with each other.
Also I just want to say here that my entire understanding of the word ‘guru’ has changed since i recently heard it stated that ‘guru’ is actually the conscience of each person. In context of the fact that the conscience of each person is also massively affected by denial, AND the system of ‘guruship’ is by its very nature carrier of denials, this recognition is a major recognition of both truth itself AND of the infrastructure of truth being upheld as originally intended before the corruption created by denial set in.