What Does It Mean If A Meditator Is Seeing Spirits During Meditation?
We receive many requests for advice on challenges faced during meditation, prayer or spiritual practice. I cannot comment on these experiences without a person being a student of mine under my supervision. There are too many variables, causes and conditions which can create success or increase obstacles to make generalized comment.
I received this note recently:
“I see many spirits while meditating with my eyes closed but…while doing deeper meditating. While I was reading and learning more…a black cat appeared on my chair in front of me. I thought is was a shadow and looked away. Then it came closer and I saw its yellow eyes. It startled me so I looked away again, when it was right in front of the third time it really startled me. I have no idea what it means? Do you?”
One of the biggest pitfalls of meditation students here in the US is that they learn a huge mish-mash of practices, some of which are dangerous because they overstimulate the etheric centers, aka, chakras. Chakras are like gates or valves in your physical-etheric body.
The etheric body is the electro-magnetic body which matches the physical. It is the cause of the physical body whereas the dense physical body is like the shadow cast by the energy body. When the centers open too far, too fast or too much, then the senses corresponding to those chakras begin to let you see, hear, feel/sense, smell and taste the next dimension. Usually this opens the person to negative forces because of impurities in your consciousness.
All but the most profoundly simple mindfulness practices are unsafe for the most meditation students. Other practices read about in books, or listened to on audio or DVD can be dangerous. It is unwise to engage in energy practices without the supervision of an authentic spiritual teacher. Real spiritual teachers who have authentic training, experience and a long lifetime of insight are hard to find in the US because every Tom, Dick and Harriet who has taken a few classes pretends to be a spiritual teacher.
Remember the phrase, “love many, trust few?” This applies when choosing to listen to a spiritual guide.
My advice is simple: Do not engage spiritual practices out of curiosity or to be able to impress yourself how “advanced spiritually” you are. Remember that insects and most animals can see etheric energy fields or some even lower, dark astral layers of life. This doesn’t mean they are advanced spiritually. Your senses will open when the Solar Angel, aka, Guardian Angel sees your ready to experience more. Many spiritual practices can lead to conditions similar to mental illness, ie, hearing voices, seeing the deceased, smelling the lower strata of the astral plane and so forth. This opens you up to all kinds of chaos.
Do you want to be overwhelmed by negative forces? Of course not!
Practice loving-kindness, compassion, being joyful and serene. These states of heart-mind are far more helpful and “spiritual” than all the practices mentioned in some of the materials offered on the internet, in book stores or in local classes. Cultivation of unconditional love will transform your entire life if engaged with a pure heart.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to read more on encouraging topics, learn about retreats, self-help seminars and discounts for programs, join the mailing list today at the upper right hand side of this page.
Turn the opportunity of this your soul towards the light. Let the God, your inner strengths and good common sense guide you. This is the road to recovery. These truths are the path to a happier life.
With wishes for success in all things good,
PS: Click here to join me on Facebook to stay connected.
Wisdom of The Flowers
Follow the wisdom of the flowers and today turn the petals of your soul upwards. Drink light to nourish you, sustain and enrich your bodies. You are the light. Turn that way.
Your soul doesn’t like to be held down, strung up on struts to train to grow right and left like the vines in vineyard. The strength of your soul comes from self-discipline, striving and modeling yourself after the spiritual teacher. There is wisdom in following a master who has achieved because they are the living proof of how to ascend the treacherous mountain paths of life.
In the Agni Yoga series Master Morya encourages readers to exercise self-determination and the courage to strive.
“Labor is the guarantee of success.
Each of you must endure earthly thorns.
Manifest strength of spirit and approach!
Open your hearts through benevolence.
The Teacher values every pure quest for Higher Knowledge.
The spirit of reason bestows knowledge upon the
seekers of Truth.
It is enough to follow the path of spirit-realization
the rest will come.” – Master Morya, Leaves of Morya’s Garden, verse 61.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to read more on encouraging topics, learn about spiritual retreats, seminars and discounts for programs, join the mailing list today at the upper right hand side of this page.
Turn the flower of your soul towards the light. Let the wisdom of the flowers of the earth be your spiritual teachers. The joyous wisdom of flowers to transform all barren areas of the Earth into a shining reflection of God’s light and love is a sermon for your soul.
With love and compassion,
Christopher Lee May
Four Ways to Increase Love in Your Life
It is easy to write about love. It is easier still to talk about love. You see and read about people speaking about love in articles, on Facebook, Twitter and on TV. But, only when we become love itself through shining from the inside, will the love within us become real Love.
By releasing the Divine Radiance within at the core of your heart, Love truly becomes aligned with who you are at every level. The rest is just babbling, rehearsing and practice. Acting like you know love when there is an imbalance between thoughts, words and actions which contradict love, creates a wall between real Divine love and make believe love. Deeper connections with your core Self bring one closer to the Presence of God in every other person which is when the energy flows naturally. This is when the miracle of love becomes abundant. These moments of true connection unite you with others rather than divide you from within.
With real love the knots of anger, mistrust, hatred, jealousy and competitiveness inside you become loser, softer and unravel more naturally. This is a gradual process, thus don’t stress about the time table. Simply allow Divine Love to do it’s work in your life because in the final analysis it’s the only journey each of us is on anyway.
What are the signs you are become aligned with real Divine Love within your heart?
There are four ways to increase love in your life:
1. You become accepting of the differences in other cultures, races, sexes, religions and nations. You understand how God’s glory manifests in wondrous, limitless ways adapting the rainbow of life into each plant, animal, person, family, nation, religion and culture. This is the “all roads lead to Rome” experience where you affirm all good roads of love lead back to God. You gradually stop judging by affirming, “God works in many ways to reveal the splendor of life.”
2. You become harmless in through your speech, thoughts and actions. Only through harmlessness can love manifest in your life. Love can be strong, tough and even challenge others to be their best but it does not reject people nor harm them. But, your speech becomes less and less harsh, less judgmental and increasingly supportive of the good within each person.
You begin to affirm, “Live and let live, each is on their own journey of love to find their way home to the heart of Love.”
3. Love makes you willing to serve others because their needs are your needs. In some way, you allow all you do to be a source of service even if it’s just dedicating the merit or positive karma from daily actions to the welfare of everyone. This motivation does not diminish the quality of your life, rather is enhances it tremendously. Service becomes the act of naturally, effortlessly just connecting with another human being by expressing your true goodness.
In the spirit of service you begin to affirm, “The welfare of another is my concern. I will do what I can within my means to serve in the most appropriate way possible.”
4. Love releases a spirit of generosity within you. When you love others there is an intrinsic desire to give, share and offer something to those who need your kindness. It doesn’t mean giving money necessarily. But, you want to help with acts of kindness, sharing a hug, encouraging words and supportive thoughts. Generosity is often feeding a friend who comes to visit, offering them a cup of tea or sharing supportive words. Your time given is a gift in addition to anything else you offer. When you give of yourself, you are being generous.
To stay in touch with events, sales and up to date news, Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep in touch with events as they happen.
My colleague Wayne Dyer is teaching a workshop on Divine Love in Maui this coming January 26-27th, 2013. If you are interested, and feel so moved read on, and then click on the banner below to learn more and get tickets.
During this workshop, Wayne will teach you one of the most powerful meditation tools in the history of the world—the beautiful I AM Meditation—a chanting of the exact sounds associated with the name of God found in the Old Testament—that has truly become our gateway to Divine Love.
Wayne Dyer has put together a series where he teaches how to cleanse the connecting link between what you have come to believe about yourself and who you really are. You are Divine; step into the Divine Love. This is your true Self, true core identity. We have learned by living in world that we are many roles, titles, images, our possessions, homes, and status symbols. But, in truth this is not who you are, rather these are the way you’ve dressed yourself in modern life to fit into society.
Divine Love—Life’s Ultimate Experience Reclaiming Your Divinity retreat details -
Date: January 26-27, 2013
Location: The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Maui
Sponsor: Hay House events, and promoted by FourGates.com meditation supplies department.
Tickets to Divine Love—Life’s Ultimate Experience Reclaiming Your Divinity are selling fast. Wayne Dyer’s events always sell out, so act quickly to reserve a couple of seats at this New Year retreat.
With love and compassion,
Christopher Lee May
The Secret To Happiness Is To Ask Less, and Allow For More Balance
The secret to friendship with one another, the Angelic Kingdom, the Masters and God is to ask less, and give more in a natural way. As we expect things from others, we eventually become discouraged or hurt; often feeling ignored or abandoned.
It is better to ask, “I how can I support my beloved ones through generosity and giving?”, or, “how can just radiate myself with love more naturally?”, then you allow the happiness of life to come into focus with a more balanced approach all by itself. In giving we find more balance.
Can you live without intense attachment? Can you have friends or loved ones without being emotionally enmeshed with them?
Can you love without so much attachment?
Can you have possessions and obligations without intense fear, greed and attachment controlling your every decision?
Yes, it is possible. There is a middle path of living in the world but not of the world.
Milarepa described it this way:
“I am Milarepa, the yogi from Tibet. There is a great purpose to not having possessions.” He then explained this in a spiritual song: “I have no desire for wealth or possessions, and so I have nothing. I do not experience the initial suffering of having to accumulate possessions, the intermediate suffering of having to guard and keep up possessions, nor the final suffering of loosing the possessions. This is a wonderful thing.
“I have no desire for friends or relations. I do not experience the initial suffering of forming an attachment, the intermediate suffering of having disagreements with friends and family, nor the final suffering of parting with them. Therefore it is good to be without friends and relations.
“I have no desire for pleasant conversation. I do not experience the initial suffering of beginning conversation, the intermediate suffering of wondering whether to continue the conversation, nor the final suffering of the conversation deteriorating. Therefore I do not delight in pleasant conversation.
“I have no desire for a home land and have no fixed residence. I do not experience the initial suffering of partiality of thinking that ‘this is my land and that place isn’t.’ I do not experience the intermediate suffering of yearning for my land. And I do not experience the final suffering of having to protect my land. Therefore I do not have a fixed abode.”
Jetsun Milarepa, translated under the guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, by Ari Goldfield, July 13, 2002, Dechen Chöling, France.
The question is this, as lay person’s who have jobs, rent or mortgage payments, relationships to attend to and other obligations how can you find the middle path in applying the wisdom of Milarepa?
The answer is to cultivate the Bodhisattva mind in daily life. You don’t have to be a monk, nun or solitary saint living in the high mountainous wildness to apply these principles. However, you do need to master the wildness of your own mind. The unenlightened mind is just like a wild elephant, the distracted mind causes emotions to escalate. But if the mind is trained to be steady and open, no matter what comes at you, you will remain solid in the immediacy of your experience.
On Bodhisattva Mind, Pema Chodron discusses this elegantly. Bodhisattva Mind, gives you a series of practices inspired by Shantideva to help you tether or relate to your thoughts and emotions, not as a limiting force, but as a means to restore yourself in the freedom of the present moment. This gives you freedom to chose.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to hear more reading on encouraging topics, learn about upcoming spiritual retreats, seminars and discounts for programs, join the mailing list today at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Three Ways to Make a Difference, Creating a Breakthrough
Which virtue will you activate today?
We have plenty of inspiring words shared on Facebook, on Twitter, in books, poems, sermons and songs. What is needed now is the courage to act. Action is the basis of real change. Take action to engage simply one virtue today. Plant the seeds and tend to them each day.
My activation step is the determination to express my creativity. Creativity is how I feel empowered to express the thoughts, words and actions which help others. For me, it means taking three steps:
1. Getting outside my comfort zone,
2. Identifying the next most logical step to make a difference and 3. Taking this step consistently each day
Big change takes place from taking small, successive steps on a regular basis. Make 1″ steps each day adds up to 30′ in one year. What if your steps were just 2″, 4″ or 6″? It doesn’t sound huge, but this is the point. Just begin on your intention to make a difference, then measure your progress over time. Don’t underestimate the power of compounding your progress over time.
When you hold back it is because there is fear of success, fear of failure or fear that you cannot make a difference. You can make a difference in your life. Who knows what ripples are caused by your taking whatever step you need to in order to work through an energy block, financial block, relationship block, career obstacle or other challenge being faced now. Don’t wait for your church leader, neighbor, life partner or government to help you. Self-reliance is powerful.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to hear more comforting words, read encouraging topics, be notified regarding spiritual retreats, Hay House seminars, courses and discounts for programs, please join the mailing list at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Heaven and Hell Are Within Your Midst
People speak of heaven and hell without realizing it is right within your midst. When your heart overflows with loving-kindness, joy and a sense of unity with all beings, then you are in heaven. And, when your heart is filled with contempt, arrogance, superiority, hatred and greed you are in hell.
Love is healing because it brings us closer to the true heart of Love within us all. Any sense of separatism leads to disconnection from your source of happiness, health and well-being. Start and end your day with thoughts of love.
You can chose heaven or hell with each thought, word and action. If you want more happiness chose love while casting off whatever is out of unison with the beauty and splendor of loving-kindness.
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
― Rumi
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to know about spiritual retreats, Hay House seminars, courses and discounts for programs, please join the mailing list at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Don’t Grieve Too Long, New Dreams Will Awaken You
As you learn to let go of the past, while welcoming future opportunities, you become happier and freer of burdens. Most of your suffering comes from clinging to that which needs to change in your life. Letting go of past attachments to an old job, a past marriage partner, a dream which died, a loved one who passed only leads to constant suffering. There attachments once relinquished open the door to new joys, new loves, new dreams and opportunities.
Consider this thought from Master Morya…
“The misery and grief of those who are carried away from Earth binds them thereto. The best instance of this is found in the Biblical legend about Lot. For a new life they walked out of the city, and only one condition was imposed upon them not to look back. But the wife of Lot looked back, and bound herself to Earth.” – Master Morya, verse 16. Illumination, 1925.
To enjoy the uplifting messages from Master Morya, click here to pick up your copy of Hierarchy, one of my favorite in the Agni Yoga series.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, simply known in the English-speaking world simply as Rumi (born September 30th, 1207 and passed away on December 17th, 1273), was a 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi shared a similar thought when he wrote this passage:
“Don’t grieve (too long). Anything you lose comes round in another form.”
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to hear more comforting words, read encouraging topics, be notified regarding spiritual retreats, Hay House seminars, courses and discounts for programs, please join the mailing list at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Quote on Gratitude from Master Morya
A quote for you from Master Morya.
“Quality of thinking must be realized as healing. Gratitude is likewise the finest purifier of the organism. He who has found the seed and realized the care of the Sender can project gratitude into space. Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude. One must transform everything abstract into reality.” Master Morya, Agni Yoga.
In this message, Master Morya is providing some insights into the power of gratitude as an agent for purifying our mind, emotions and body from negative forces which lead to dis-ease, illness and suffering. Gratitude is often mentioned as one of the primary sources of riding the mind of burdensome thoughts. With this clear piece of advise He urges you to use gratitude as a purifier not only of your own personality, but to heal space and your relationships with others.
Gratitude creates balance in the human psyche. Illness is imbalance while healing is the core meaning of health. Try this, and let me know how it works for you.
Wishing You All Happiness and Words of Comfort
Wishing You All Happiness.
May the coming year bring you increased prosperity, happiness and health.
May your heart and soul take flight.
May your spiritual life deepen.
May you transform suffering into a joyful discovery of happiness.
And, may you bring benefit to all beings.
As Shantideva said:
“Suffering also has its worth.
Through sorrow, pride is driven out
And pity felt for those who wander in samsara;
Evil is avoided, goodness seems delightful.” – Shantideva
Source: The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara, Pages: 81
To learn more about Shantideva heart-based wisdom teachings, Bodhisattva Mind, by Pema Chodron go here.
On Bodhisattva Mind, Pema Chodron explores timeless insights and practices from the teachings of an eighth-century Buddhist classic, Shantideva’s The Way of the Bodhisattva, to reveal a powerful core truth that can move us all closer to the bodhisattva ideal.
Take Refuge within your heart and the source of the Great Wisdom of the Buddhas…
SANG GYÉ CHÖ DANG TSOK KYI CHOK NAM LA
Until I reach enlightenment, I take refuge in all the Buddhas,
JANG CHUB BAR DU DAK NI KYAB SU CHI
And in the dharma, and all the noble sangha.
DAK GI JIN SOK GYI PAY SÖ NAM KYI
By the merit of accomplishing the six perfections
DRO LA PHEN CHIR SANG GYÉ DRUB PAR SHOK
May I achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
(Repeat 3 times)
You are a precious soul.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to hear more comforting words, read encouraging topics, be notified regarding spiritual retreats, Hay House seminars, courses and discounts for programs, please join the mailing list at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Christopher Lee May
What Happens After Death, and Life Beyond the Physical Body?
What happens after you leave the physical body?
What should be your intentions about moving into the higher planes of existence or heavenly realms? Normally, human beings tend to cling for a time to the habitual physical plane life because of attachment to the memories of the physical plane, as so often happens. This can even include concerns about family, economic or business stability after departing the physical life.
During every period of death, there is often great deal of attachment to the physical habits. Perhaps you have favorite foods, memorable places, people you are close to and favorite activities which were engaged in during the time on earth. If these habits aren’t left behind then they cause a clinging to the earth plane even though a physical body no longer exists. The result of these strong attachments is a natural desire to experience some semblance of these, so through the power of imagination you might find yourself building “castles in the air” as the saying goes. In other words, the tendency to protect an image of a home, a car, a job, food, alcohol and so forth is strong in some individuals. This robs the person of experiencing higher realms filled with bliss, unconditional love, deep joy and serenity.
When Master Morya speaks about the Subtle World or Astral World, this refers to the field of energy build by the mass emotional desires of human beings which surrounds the planet. It is not a natural and wholesome strata of energy, rather a dim reflection of true, unconditional pure love, bliss filled, joyful love. Thus, in daily life as in the higher aspirations to move into our true heavenly consciousness, we are wise to learn to move with the promptings of our Guardian Angel, to live in service and real love vs attached love.
Live without attachment to people, places or things is the axiom of a true disciple, a true server a soulful human being. This is easier said than accomplished, especially in our materialistic world. In seeking wisdom the limited consciousness will be transformed into a string of virtuous soul pearls. Your virtues, or positive qualities are treasures. In fact, they are the only treasure you leave the physical life with.
How do you overcome these daily habits of mind which block your progress as souls here in the physical life as well as when leaving the body behind?
There are five qualities to cultivate which give you freedom to live a wonderful life without attachment. These positive qualities also increase happiness, freedom and wisdom. Ask your Guardian Angel, aka, Solar Angel for assistance in developing each virtue, which are the antidote to suffering. The Guardian Angel is here to assist in your growth, and It will help you.
1. Instead of greed, encourage the quality of generosity at every level. Becoming generous in listen to others, sharing your support, giving gifts, love and friendship, Each will overcome greed and are effective ways to overcome stinginess.
2. Instead of anger, encourage the quality of compassion coupled with forgiveness. Seeing those who make mistakes, do harm and react as being stuck in their vices. Pray for them, be tolerant and let go of anger towards them. Harm doers, and this includes all of us, do not yet understand the power of suffering being created through anger. If you are angry, find the causes of what makes you angry. Afterwards, anger can be seen as a reaction of hurt, but also will be overcome through compassion for others. If need be, remove harm doers from your life as much as possible when it is appropriate.
3. Instead of pride and arrogance, encourage the quality of acknowledging the value of others. Affirm their good side, or positive qualities as much as your own.
Life is not a competition to see who is best, rather it’s a journey home towards your souls fulfillment with God, or to enlightenment. Affirming others only increases positive energy within yourself. You are never diminished by reflecting the good in another human being.
4. Instead of jealousy, encourage appreciation, gratitude and seeing your own innate value. When there is jealousy it is because you experience a sense of lacking something in life. You have everything you need to be happy. Happiness is your true self, shining like the sun. If there is a cloud blocking the light of the sun, bless the shade it brings.
Celebrate the value of other human beings. Appreciation gives rise to more blessings in life whereas complaining creates more suffering
5. Instead of hatred, encourage your kindness as well as desire to serve others. Hatred is born out of ignorance whereas kindness is born out of love for others. When you hate someone the attachment to them increases which brings them closer to your mind.
If you wish to be a happy person use the mind to find value in everyone, then express respect towards them. If you express hatred it is like building a prison with both parties inside the prison cell. Why not live without a prison?
“We are not lovers of the world of bodily survivals, the lower Subtle World, the Astral World but, like everything else that exists, it cannot be avoided in spiritual development. The world of bodily survivals contains certain elements needed for the intercourse between the worlds. For example, the means of transportation are very little understood by the dwellers of the Subtle World. Although they have the possibility to strive upwards they are busy with the constructing of dark houses, in imitation of the earthly ones. But if still during their lifetime they had broadened their consciousnesses, they would have been able to measure the hem of the garment of the Mother of the World.
The better possibilities can be awakened by those who are able to perceive with a spiritual consciousness. But for the preservation of consciousness it is necessary to sense this during one’s lifetime. Then the state of the contemporary world of physical survivals will be almost erased. Not the prayer rest in peace, but learn in the space of the Light. With all your consciousness remember the problems of evolution. When the striving for repose disappears then are the Gates drawing near.” Master Morya, Community, 21.
Knowing about Master Morya is important because He is actively engaged in working for the welfare of humanity as a disciple of Christ. His writings can be found in the Angi Yoga series which are a great source of wisdom, compassion and guidance. Master Morya’s writings can be used as seed thoughts for reflective meditation, silent prayer and spiritual study.
Follow this link to see the best loved of Master Morya’s writings.
Join me on Facebook to keep in touch.
If you’d like to hear more comforting words, read encouraging topics, be notified regarding spiritual retreats, Hay House seminars, courses and discounts for programs, please join the mailing list at the upper right hand side of this page.
With love and compassion,
Christopher Lee May
Posts
