A Necessary Balance

What is manifesting is an unlimited “space” in consciousness that is beginning to digest within the hearts and minds of the “whole.” I say this in respect to the life that exists beyond our mind’s capability to understand when not in the moment - here, now.
Part of the concern of this planet is the emptiness that creates stagnation in the developmental patterns of form and formlessness. There is a link here and this link can only be identified when the mind is not a part of any particular system of thought. Thinking hinders growth, in this case. The necessary “release” of such patterns in ordinary states brings a change or “shift” in perspective. “Perspective” takes on a form of its own reflected in the manner of approval you allow into your BEING.
Therefore, when balance is present – the form and formless touch heart (so to speak) and bridge the perceptive details of the dream-world and the world in which we dream as “reality.” The margins are thin – a penetrable veil of measure that is only accessible in states of total and pure acceptance. This “acceptance” extends beyond the limitation of mind as well – it is not about the acceptance of plenty but the trust that you (or I) will accept the full embodiment of who we really are inside the eyes we see through daily. That means searching through a sight unseen to pull out the uncovered aspects of Self. When we define this unity of soul connection through embodied practice, we are creating a place of discovery for all to experience. Shared feelings and moments of Truth are only revealed from a heart that is pure in its original, true “form” – a form that is timeless yet moving, embedded yet undertaken by the pure “need” to become a speaker of Truth.
This being said, it is important to recognize that we are ALL speakers of Truth if we choose to access the full potential of our BEING and CREATING. Creators first – manifesting the illuminated Truth of power that exists within each of us – and then sharing that creation with the plenty.
Letting go right now, right here – expecting nothing but the Truth to be revealed. This is all we need ask for, say YES! To and allow into our BEING. This is the key to the balancing forces of ego and love that will bring forth the necessary changes within.

Moving "beyond the mask" with Transpersonal Psychology: Take 1

Transpersonal psychology is a multicultural bridge into the unknown - allowing for unity and an integrative balance of duality and non-duality between all people, all species, and all levels of awareness. As a field of study, it blends psychology and spirituality - giving it a holistic approach that can be translated to “human consciousness studying itself” (Drury, 1989).
Personally, spirituality remains to be a sacred experience, a visceral initiation into the mysterious, and a portal to the wisdom of our inherent “truth” within and beyond understanding. To describe this truth, this sense of self that transcends self, seems paradoxical to language. However, transpersonal psychology extends itself to reaching a framework of conception that constitutes a universal understanding that we, as a western culture, can relate to. For this reason, transpersonal psychology is able to address issues that arise from the comparisons of religious, spiritual, and scientific views (to include psychology).
A core principle of transpersonal psychology is practice. Through meditation, shamanic journeys, ritual, wilderness rites of passages, psychedelics, visionary work, and other contemplative practices, transpersonal psychology pushes the envelope in terms of what is “real” or not - and applies reason to what is not, necessarily, reasonable. Although the roots of such practices stem from various world religions, spiritual, and wisdom traditions, when taken into a scientific account, desires and what is “attainable” become a logo for who we are and who we are becoming as a whole. Looking at life and human consciousness through a non-linear and non-dualistic lens and “digesting” experience as a part of a larger world-view brings a new perspective, a perspective that reaches beyond the personal, to the field of psychology and science.
I will say that my full embodiment of the subject is qualitatively limited. Without the research of such experiences that “rise above” our limited perceptions in this world, what is perceived as “real” will be summoned by the scientific realms of quantitative “control.” Thus, an innovative approach of methodological pluralism, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, introduces a new way of thinking to our culture - and what manifests from the research, dialogue, and practice presented becomes an avenue for self-discovery and, ultimately, self-transcendence.
Since transpersonal psychology is still in its evolutionary process of unfolding, there are still questions, perhaps even disagreements, as to whether it is a science, philosophical pursuit, or a new way of “being” in this world (or at least in our western culture). I look at it as an exploration and path to our pursuit of happiness, to our deepest desires extending beyond desire itself, yet honoring human necessity in the process. Although there is still work to be done, my hope is that transpersonal psychology will, one day, support human consciousness to rise above the study of itself and transcend into a collective way of living “beyond the mask.”

References
Davis, J. (2003). An overview of transpersonal psychology. The Humanistic Psychologist, 31(2-
3), 6-21.
Davis, J. (2009). Complementary research methods in humanistic and transpersonal
psychology: A case for methodological pluralism. The Humanistic Psychologist, 37, 4-23.
Drury, N. (1989). Vision quest: A personal Journey through magic and shamanism (pp.
19-24). Bridport, Great Britain: Prism Press.

The Unification of that which is Beyond and that which is Within

The more I integrate both Ecopsychology and Transpersonal psychology into my body, heart and mind, the more I realize how close both are related to each other and to my life, as a whole. There really is this sense of non-duality that exists. When I am outside and feeling the elements, I recognize the intensity of my own subjective experience within the moment. With this first real snow storm and being in the mountains, my awareness heightens knowing the edge of living in this high of an elevation is both magnificent in its intensity and possibly dangerous, the same. I find the Earth, the weather, the elemental factors of nature, teaching me how to "live" in the moment. This is a bridge I see of TP and EP. I am here...tending the fire - constant, mindful, aware that it brings comfort but that it has the potential to get out of control if my awareness is not centered in this "practice" this "tending" process. There is a primal feature, to me, that exists in hauling, chopping, and creating my own fire. I have the option of turning on the natural gas heater. Easy as one two three. But knowing how this fire tends to me as I to it is a connection that brings reciprocal caring forth. My daughter and I thank the wood before we place it into the wood burning stove - for giving it's life to preserve ours and to keep us warm. This warmth brings a certain feeling of satisfaction and relaxation. I find that I can meditate with greater ease on winter days, with fire burning and cold winds blowing against the windows.
The weather is changing and with each change, a "new" feeling births within me. Winter brings deeper contemplation, going within more, tending my own inner fires and setting intentions of a primal care-taking role. I watch my daughter as a mama deer would with her own young... entering a white landscape - open to the elements, wind blowing fiercely against her young skin. I bundle her and tell her to watch the slippery ground, follow the other kids and to pack her layers. Protection feels primitive in a way during the winter. The summer, I let her run and be free(er) because it (feels) less dangerous. I look at ecopsychology as bringing me closer to my innate feelings, my natural senses and to a deeper place of living within and without of my Self. There is an edge to nature that I am drawn to because it, literally, "wake me up." As the cold wind keeps me awake in the moment so does the warm stove within my heart. I do not believe they are separate, at this point. And I, clearly, see and experience that I, too, am not separate either.

bowing by the fire,
Tatiana

Let Go

You do not need to force anything. Everything has its divine timing. Your love will manifest as love does. Keep all other “answers” at bay. Bring your light into the world – starting with your own breath. Bring your awareness to Center – find us in your “being.” Find your heart in your hands offered to the world as a breathing amulet of Trust.
In moments where there is disgrace in this world it is not a time to forget to love yourself. Pack your mind into your heart, place your heart into your palms, reach your arms to Heaven and find a sacred identity that exists beyond the ego of Self. Here, we serve to serve...selfless and in communication with all that lives. Today exists only for today. Tomorrow is not a common practice. Nor is yesterday. Your practice is to live in the moment – void of self-induced suffering. Leave all of your worries to the Higher Realms, to US, and you will find Peace in your world. You will find Peace in your Self.
Practice letting go of control and then let go completely! Do not look back. Your path moves, freely, in a direction that only your 6th sense can follow. Follow it. Hone your skills and listen to the subtleties in the wind, from all directions and mostly – from within.
Blessings are upon you. Raise your head and breathe the ever-flowing blood of life through your body – through the world.

Crystal Consciousness

I am honored to be here. There is strength in the masks that are cracking before us. This culturally diverse acceptance of a conscious consumerism is breaking ground and allowing new growth to emerge from the battlefield. This “battle” is not one of physical force, but one that has emerged from our inner struggle to find ourselves as something more than what we are in this world. But what do we find when we look outside of ourselves? We find our fears, our pain, our creativity stifled in a world of constructs built upon our “need” to industrialize our sense of power. Thus, we create war within ourselves, each other and the world, at large.
In the meantime, our soul yearns for more. We birth new challenges, children, “dreams” based on illusions. We raise our expectations, our salaries, our kids to dream a dream that has walls with no room to breathe. We begin to drown in our own hope to rise above that which we have created. The walls begin to crumble. And when the walls fall…
What we thought was real can only be seen in the backdrop of our imagination. The Truth begins to surface. And in this Truth, we see in a new way. Our breath is not our own yet it moves through us, stirring the birth of a new understanding, opening the buds of our eyes and cleansing our hearts with the tears of rain that fall from above.
Coming to terms with this new vision is not always easy. We might feel as though we are “losing it.” We might wonder why all that we “worked” for has come crashing down upon us. But just as these turbulent feelings rise like the burning sun, so does the spark of a creativity so real, so full of passion to live beyond the struggle of our past limitations. We are NOT these limitations. We are not our past – not years ago nor seconds before this moment.
When we meet ourselves as a reflection of all that exists, the unknown wraps around us, bathing us in the power of love. Humility fills our hearts with the Truth of compassion…compassion for our Selves, for others and the world in which we live. We “awaken” to our core purpose – a “core” that is a reflection of the core of the earth, the “spine” of our evolution. When we strengthen our spine, our core aligns with the cosmos, presenting possibilities unfathomable to many. But what is unfathomable becomes that which is attainable and thus, creates a bridge to the other side.
We must let go of our mind to find the crystals of our heart. We must not speak of our Selves without losing that which we think we are in the process. It is in this space, this sacred place of identity beyond identity, that we find ourselves. It is when we become our Selves, that we meet others as they Truly ARE, and it is when we all come together – through the power of Love - that the Earth evolves within us as we simultaneously evolve within the Earth - and in this sacred space of union, the craft of crystal consciousness is formed.

To Know Your Soul.

Is there any way to know your soul? I once discovered that diving deeper into the unknown to swallow algae and dig up underwater masks hiding in the darkness of our unconscious was the answer.
Life is a metaphor of meaning. We find our meaning in the metaphors we create.
I took a walk one day to fall in love with a star. The coyotes yipped in the nearby desert. A meteor fell to the ground. My eyes grew weak and changed direction with the moon…strengthened, once again, by the matriarchal glow of unity.
When I saw myself through the mirror of time, a celebration was taking place:
Peonies, mushrooms, dancing fairies flitting from mushroom caps to lily pads... Open your window! Come out and play!
Today, I formed a mischievous union with my soul. We burrowed within a hollow log, conjuring magic through the transparent darkness that threatened to enter. I found a soft spot in my heart and drank from the luminous thread of life.
Fear is not welcome here.
When the time came for the sun to rise, the dancing fairies found sanctuary in the same portal of transcendence as I. What called for such a creation?
The wine glass clinked against the log walls. A toast was made. The cells of creation were birthing something new.
What was it?
An imminent space of light pulsed through my blood, my veins, the images of what was and wasn’t within me. Nothing was the same yet everything was just that... No questions asked. No need to answer.
The party was just beginning. The masks, overturned.
You came to me like a whirlwind streaming clear of the summer breeze. Mixing cold and hot, warm and cool, dark and light, shadow and endless beauty beaming through a third place of sight – the vortex of illumination.
Perhaps this union was a merging of hearts? Perhaps a marriage of superstition? Perhaps a label without a need to label at all?
Love was the answer to all the questions never asked.
I am grateful you celebrated too.

Perceptual Poetics

Perception is primordial. The reciprocity of of our senses - our Self - with what we see and live amongst and within is a continuous, flow of energetic exchange, a non-verbal communion as both Abrams and Sewall would agree with. I believe there are different levels of "sensing" and "experiencing" with the environment and non-human world. When I sense the landscape around me - and I mean, truly OPEN my Self to experiencing a deep sense of "one-ness" with the Earth, I become the Earth. I feel her pain (the Gaian messenger) that allows my sensual body to open the clouds of emotion and pour my longing for a deeper communion and healing through tears. Sometimes these tears release the pain and open up, yet another perceptive place of ritual and dance. I perceive myself sharing sacred space with the elements - honoring the Goddess and God - nurturing unity near water, land, skies and now, FIRE. This fire burns inside of me. It perpetuates a place of creation - a spark of creativity rising from the ashes of my anger - the hurt and pain I feel WITHIN the Earth and the people, animals, etc around me.
Then perception rises again. The unconscious waves crash up against my fears - "grounding" what is "unreal" onto the shore of understanding. Nature Spirit speaks through me and all that I am here with. I catch my Self noticing that I am not here yet there and then here again. The veil bleeds margins of perceptual beauty amidst the painful elements I have created in a lower vibration. These vibrations (seeming polarities) merge and neutralize (a sense of oneness imbues).

There is something clear in this space of interconnection. My fingers dance across the keys of this computer merging with the energy and vitality of creation itself. I am birthing something here and still, something is dying. My perceived reality before this moment is fading into something new. The clock is ticking yet in this moment, a timelessness exists. When Spirit speaks, a transcendental vibration creates stillness yet the fluidity of the moment is like a spinning/whirling dervish - conjuring a portal of awareness that sits still in the spiral dance of life.

Perception is like this for me. Moving yet still. Infinite energetic exchange - even when my "limited perception" views the world as finite - and yet ever changing.