Tag Archives: Gregg Braden

Easter Blessings – Hidden Opportunities

What follows is the script published on April 12th to my Youtube channel, Rethinking Change.

Smiley Mandala sized

Today we’re picking up where we left off in the last video. There I said, the best way to focus our attention now is to look for the hidden opportunities embedded within the COVID-19 pandemic. Because it’s a Law of Nature that in duality, there are two sides to every coin. Wherever great dangers lurk, we can be certain that within them are hidden, opposite and equal opportunities. Blessings in disguise.

So that’s today’s subject. Coming at Easter, it’s especially timely.

Today, I’m asking five related questions.

  • 1. What is the deeper meaning of Easter? And what blessings does it offer us in the year 2020?
  • 2. What is the archetypal Life Wheel? How does it explain the eternal hope of Easter? And how does the Life Wheel which embodies Einstein’s Unified Field Theory connect quantum physics with the healing work which Dr. Joe Dispenza calls “supernatural?”
  • 3. How have our lives become so fractured? Was the COVID-19 shock-to-our-collective-system the 2’x4’ necessary to finally get our attention and motivate us to heal our inner fractures?
  • 4. What are the similarities between today’s COVID-19 situation and the bio-engineered flu die-off in Stephen King’s story, The Stand?
  • 5. How can we use the timeless Book of Change to adapt most wisely to current changes? What advice does it have to offer at Easter about the opportunities hidden within the global shutdown?

By the end, you’ll have my response to these five questions. Here, I can only touch briefly on key points. But hopefully, it’ll be enough to spark your curiosity and motivate you to look further . . . for your own answers. Please stay with me to the end. I promise it will be worth your time. If you have questions feel free to comment below. I’ll do my best to respond.

So, let’s dive in. FIRST. What is the deeper meaning of Easter time? And what blessings does it offer us in the year 2020?

Easter is a perennial time of hope and renewal. It marks the change of seasons, entering in to new life after the dead of winter. It’s a time of rebirth on many levels. It’s not only a time when our gardens come back to life. It’s also a time for resetting our inner clocks and making a fresh start. It’s a time for remembering our values . . . spring cleaning, inside and out.

In 2020, the pending change of historical season brings with it new ways to rejuvenate and deepen our understanding of traditional teachings. Answers to the questions which follow explain what I mean.

SECOND. What is the archetypal Life Wheel, known to meditators?

It’s not so tough. As I said in the last video, I’ve taken the archetypal Life Wheel and plugged into its increasingly deeper levels the three variables of Einstein’s formula. M=mass on the outer surface. E=energy in the middle level. And C=light deeper still. These levels revolve around a stable, unchanging center – the hub of the Wheel. Call it Source. God. Creator. Tao. Or nothing at all, as you wish. The levels are linked in a two-way loop by the figure-eight infinity sign. The result is the Unified Field Theory –consciousness factor included. Einstein already had it, but for lack of yoga training, missed it. Here’s what it looks like:

Unified Field Theory

How does this Life Wheel explain the eternal hope of Easter? Here’s where it gets really interesting and where science has actually come full circle to support biblical wisdom. Science gives us technical terms for what the apostles described in the poetic language of their time.

Today we have not only quantum physics and but also the Life Wheel to explain the meditator’s experience of infinity, giving us a new way to understand “Christ consciousness.”

The quantum field is beyond three-dimensional time and space. In the same way, Jesus told us he existed outside of time, He existed before and will continue to exist after this cycle of time. This is what Peter meant in comparing Christ to the Matrix.

Further, Christ told us he and the Father – the Source at the Center of the Life Wheel – are One. His consciousness flows outwards in all directions from that Center, permeating the quantum field. Here’s a picture of Christ broadcasting blessings from that Center:

Saving the Best

But what’s important to remember today is that Christ said we each have the potential, in fact a responsibility, to follow his example, to become One with the Father. Which leads to the next part of this section.

How does the Life Wheel which embodies Einstein’s Unified Field Theory connect quantum physics with the healing work which Dr. Joe Dispenza calls “supernatural?” His methods give us a way to follow in the healing tradition of Christ. Dr. Joe teaches the age-old, but now science-based practice of healing ourselves and others. Through meditation, his students systematically travel inwards to reconnect with the Center and then to return outwards, enriched by an awareness of this experience to live daily life more fully.

Dr. Joe’s students testify to the healing of crippling injuries and to the total remission of life-threatening illnesses. From his personal experience, as well as that of others, he reports that it is possible to change in this lifetime. We don’t have to die, as Christ did, to be reborn. And this, my friends, is the eternal hope of Easter.

THIRD. How have our lives become so fractured? It’s the result of rejecting wisdom traditions and replacing them with empirical science. According to that belief system, only what is tangible and quantifiable is real. In effect, it rules out the inner levels of the Life Wheel where emotions and intuition are found. It looks like this: (Card #4)

MaterialistAthest

HOWEVER, saying subtle experiences aren’t real doesn’t make it so. It only fractures the levels of the Life Wheel, pushing feelings, intuition and conscience outside of conscious awareness. The results look like this:

Fragmentation

The consequences of fragmenting the Life Wheel in this way are catastrophic. Divine love spins detached outside of daily experience. On the surface, we project good intentions and protect our self-image. But pride, fear, and aggression, prejudice and insecurity, anger, rage and hostility all fester below the surface, outside of conscious awareness and control, as do feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness and suicidal depression. It looks like this:

Consequences

So. What’s the way out of this destructive madness? Was the COVID-19 shock-to-our-collective-system the necessary 2’x4’ to finally get our attention, serious enough to make us change our ways – heal our fractures and restore inner unity? If yes, that would be a blessing on a scale and magnitude comparable to Christ’s sacrifice more than 2,000 years ago. Here’s what the process of restoring unity would look like:

Restore Unity

Which leads to the next related question. FOURTH. What are the similarities between today’s COVID-19 situation and the bio-engineered flu die-off in Stephen King’s apocalyptic story, The Stand?

I’ll touch only briefly on the blame game, because it leads in the opposite direction from where we need to be going. The point of Christ’s sacrifice was to wipe the slate clean. So even if it were proven that the virus was weaponized in a lab for the sake of world-domination, let it go.

You can trust that evil intentions will backfire, of themselves, returning to the sender. If world leaders have separated from timeless wisdom, they will without a doubt reap the rewards of actions that violate Natural Law – the Law of Karma. Intervention isn’t necessary. So don’t even think about rebellion or revenge. That would ruin this golden opportunity for a positive fresh start.

From my point of view, what’s far more interesting is King’s attention to a Yeats poem, “The Second Coming,” where in despair, an officer commits suicide, leaving behind this quote: “The centre does not hold.”

That’s the real issue. Should we follow that example, give in to despair, regard the horrors of a pandemic as proof that the Center does not exist, cannot hold?

Never! No matter what happens on the ever-changing surface, the eternal Center of the Life Wheel remains still and unchanging. In fact, COVID-19 might be just the shock it takes to wake us up, so that like Lambert the sheepish lion, we finally remember who we truly are. Here’s the Lion Lambert, designated protector of the flock:

Lambert

There’s another important similarity. In The Stand, two communities emerge. They represent a choice between good and evil. One group follows Jesus. The other follows a demon. In a similar way, Joe Dispenza and Gregg Braden both agree that today, we’re living in a time of extremes. One side seeks unity and cooperation, to live in harmony with nature. The other is addicted to conflict and has no respect whatsoever for life.

Which leads into the FIFTH question. Because here’s where working with the Book of Change can make a difference in which side you choose. Like meditation, it’s a self-awareness tool. We can use it to repair the fractures that leave us unaware of feelings and intuition . . . helping us line up with the wisest, life-affirming options available. Acting on its advice, we can adapt, turning whatever is going on to best advantage.

Braden tells us that three converging cycles of change are now upon us: changes in weather, in the economy, and in warfare. That’s all interesting. But how do we relate to these cycles in a personal way? The Book of Change brings global ideas home. It lets us tap in to how each of us as an individual can cope wisely with global events at one specific point in time.

For today’s example, I asked, “ What advice does the Book of Change have to offer at Easter about the opportunities hidden within the global shutdown?”

The first answer, which describes the immediate situation, was #23. ADVERSITY. It had one changing line in the 5th place that results in #20. AWARENESS.

This is totally fascinating to me because, in the Introduction to my version, I asked, “What does the Common Sense Book of Change have to offer its readers?” I got the very same answer to that question then as I did again today. #20. AWARENESS. Which happens to be Dr. Joe’s favorite word. As he repeats, “Be aware that you’re aware.”

Hexagram 23 looks like this:

23 Adversity

It seems to me that the opportunities of the 2020 Easter season include quiet time to reconnect with our “inner resources” – with the inner e=energy and c=light levels of the Life Wheel. And we are specifically warned to avoid despair, the choice of the suicidal general in The Stand, who quotes Yeats out of context, believing “The centre does not hold.”

I’ve seen Youtubers describe what we’re going through collectively in terms of Kubler-Ross’s “Five Stages of Grief.” First comes denial, followed by anger. Next are bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. So here, the advice that the wisest response is ACCEPTANCE” represents the blessing of healing grief over so many losses – of loved ones, jobs, income, and of the familiar lifestyle we took for granted.

But then comes the opposite and equal blessing in disguise. The advice from Line 5 is: “Help from an unexpected source can reverse a difficult situation.”

The result looks like this: 

20 Awareness

So when unexpected blessings, whether in the form of guidance, inspiration or beneficial synchronicities, truly come from SOURCE, they have the potential to reverse the negative consequences of living an unconscious, fragmented life and restoring the AWARENESS of unity and inner peace which no one and nothing can ever take away.

May that deepest, lasting well-being be yours at this sacred time of hope.

Until next time, do continue to take good care of yourself.

book header bird

If this resonates, please like and share to get this badly needed information out to a world that for lack of it is in such deep trouble. THANK YOU!

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Rethinking SURVIVAL

Today’s post is written with a wink and a nod towards the venerable Bruce Lipton, who confirmed through science what the ancients earlier believed about our eternal spirit.

I’m winking because I totally empathize with the frustration you experienced, being ahead of your times, virtually unheard for decades. The good news is, however long it took, the public is finally getting there.

Being in my 74th year, I too have waited a long time, the patient custodian of work with the potential to alter the outcomes of our extreme times. This work augments yours.

I’m nodding towards you here, thinking perhaps getting your attention could make a difference in whether this vitally important work finally sees the light of day.

The stakes could not be higher, so here’s my best shot. But not to worry. I’ll keep it simple and interesting, so the taste of this sample leaves you wanting more.

My point has three parts:

  • Part One describes your discovery and how it validates ancient wisdomin particular, Lao Tze.
  • Part Two looks forward towards the work I could bring to the table. It complements both empirical science and ancient wisdom – in particular, the Life Wheel which embodies Einstein’s Unified Field Theory. (Yes, though unawares, he had, in fact, received it.)
  • Part Three looks at apparently contradictory definitions of “survival.” I place them in the context of the Life Wheel, the better to confirm that part of us which never dies, and, further, to suggest how best to use that knowledge to regenerate ourselves and in the process, create a better future.

Phoenix - sized

Part One. Here, in your own words, transcribed from a 2015 Youtube video, “A Message of Love,” is the story of your transformational discovery:

The most profound teachers I ever sat before . . . were so magnificent that I can’t fully put [their lessons] into words. Who were those teachers? They were the cells that I was working on in a petri dish. Talking to them. Watching them, day-by-day. Seeing how they lived. And then opening to the message.

That message?

They showed me from my point of view and my reference to life, that there was something called “spirituality” that I didn’t know existed. . . . And the moment I saw the mechanics of how a signal from the universe comes into my body-suit, my virtual reality suit. . . There was this instant of recognition. I said, “Oh my God! I can’t die!”

The result:

It was an OWNING of spirit. . . And the moment I owned it, a weight I never even knew I was carrying around . . . whoosh . . . disappeared. Because I became free for the first time to recognize I’m here for something other than my [mundane] life. I’m going to own who I AM. I’m a spirit that has come to this planet to experience and to create and to manifest heaven on earth.. . It’s an understanding that it’s all driven by love.

Now, in the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tze repeatedly confirms what you experienced as our inherent immortality. For example, Passage 16 describes the creative process:

16 quote

Conscious life continues on, rooted in a reality larger than a single lifetime. Passage 54 tells us:

54 quote

Passage 33 urges us to be steadfast in our experience of eternal life:

33 quote

Even further, when meditators intentionally pierce the veil of illusion, traveling back through and beyond time and space, they are, as Dr. Joe Dispenza puts it, “reborn in the same life time.”

Or, in your words:

I now have two lives. I have previous learning life. Struggle, anger, control, trying to fix everything. And I have post experience. A calmness. An understanding that it’s all driven by love. Even if other people can’t see through their filters of criticism, they’re still driven by love. Every one of you is a piece of all that IS. Every one of you!

The first Passage from my version, Two Sides of a Coin, gives words to the way ancients experienced travel beyond time:01

Tai Chi Tu

Part Two. Now, how do we identify and connect with that unchanging source, the “unified center achieved in stillness” of which Lao Tze speaks? Where is it located? Within us? Outside and all around us? Both?

To quote myself:

In working with wisdom traditions, I’ve become certain that each is striving to express a particular aspect of a single, unnameable Truth. Further, each is a mosaic piece of a larger picture. When the pieces are put together, the sum is greater than its parts.

The Positive Paradigm of Change adapted from the Life Wheel is that larger picture. It draws from wisdom traditions, both East and West. It is consistent with biblical teachings and the essence of I Ching philosophy. It is yoga-compatible. In addition, it’s equally compatible with modern science.

In Rethinking Survival, the Positive Paradigm of Change is described as:

. . . . a new, inclusive reality map, one people worldwide can easily comprehend and agree upon. It is equally compatible with scriptures and science, bridging the gap between them. It fulfills Einstein’s intuited search for the Unified Field Theory, picturing how all parts of creation are related, interwoven and interdependent.

Working with the Positive Paradigm empowers the “substantially new manner of thinking,” which, Einstein said, is necessary “if mankind is to survive.”

It looks like this:

Unified Field Theory

The Positive Paradigm wheels-within-wheels model consists of concentric circles around a common center. It places the three variables of Albert Einstein’s famous formula, e = mc2 (energy, mass and light) in a two-directional, infinite continuum.

This Synthesis Wheel mirrors the microcosmic structure of atoms as well as the macrocosmic structure of planetary systems. On the largest scale of magnitude, it reflects the in- and out-breaths of perpetually expanding and contracting universes.

This familiar structure repeats smallest to largest in the patterns of nature, from snow flakes and intricate flowers to spiders’ webs and sea shells. Similar patterns repeat worldwide in the art of every culture — including the prayer wheels of Native Americans, the colored sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhists, the stained glass windows of European cathedrals and the intricate geometrical patterns covering Muslim mosques. They offer proof of the universal awareness of a central inner reality, of an inner structure common to all humanity, and to a continuity of experience deeper than individual lives or transitory cultures.

Elsewhere, I’ve described its value thusly:

This Wheel of Change is a paradigm, meaning a worldview. It offers a positive alternative to the prevailing, dysfunctional paradigms which cause so much misery. It is an inclusive reality map that accords with the way life truly is, showing the full spectrum of human potentials. It explains how the world works, how the individual fits into it, and what is required to truly survive.

Unlike exclusively materialistic, atheistic, hedonist or religionist paradigms, all levels of experience are present, and in balanced, aligned relationship with each other. Nothing is missing. Nothing is out of place.

This paradigm pictures an elegantly simple yet complete reality map that meets the standard of Occam’s razor: maximum inclusiveness with greatest simplicity.

I explain the levels, with this caveat:

Yoga scriptures correlate the three levels of the Wheel with three different states of consciousness. Most of us experience the states of waking, sleep and dreamless sleep separately. However, it is possible to experience the entire continuum simultaneously while remaining fully conscious.

In the terms of modern brain science, this is accomplished by not only integrating functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, but by simultaneously coordinating the full span of vibrational brain wave frequencies from fastest (beta) to slowest (delta). The fully enlightened sage’s experience of linking the levels is called “turyia.” In that state, a highly accomplished being is said to be “here and there at the same time.”

The concentric circles aren’t literally separate and discrete. Rather, they are a continuum along the infinite spectrum of creation. Within each layer are numerous distinctions verified only by direct experience. For the sake of the following discussion, however, the three levels are described as if discrete, starting from the surface of the Wheel and moving inwards.

And with that said, here are the three states:

m = mass. The outer rim of the circle is the realm of the material, manifested world of creation. This level is the abode of empirical science which measures tangible, measurable things. It is the plane of duality, the fluctuating ebb and flow of mortal life, the ups and downs of daily experience.

It is the realm into which public school education too often squeezes and flattens children. This is the level of which Einstein said, “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”

Those focused excessively here are unduly attached to material possessions as well as to money, social status and institutional power. Here appearances are more important than substance. Saving face replaces authentic virtue.

Paradoxically, out of balance, abundance on the material plane seems to foster an insatiable sense of lack. Limited connection with the center breeds insecurities and greed. The infinite variations on the same eternal forms are misconstrued as grounds for cultural conflict and competition for illusory supremacy.

When people live primarily on the surface, with the middle (primarily “unconscious”) level clogged and in conflict, systems break down. Attempting to fix problems caused by this inner turmoil at the superficial level can not achieve any lasting, qualitative improvement.

e = energy. Much ignorance, misinformation and confusion surrounds the energy level of the Wheel. The state of chaos into which the world has degenerated attests to this deficiency, as well as the urgent need to correct it.

The middle level is the domain of Natural Law mapped in the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Change. These changes are the energetic underpinnings of the dynamic, physical world, experienced as the recurring cycles of seasonal change, as well as humans cycles of birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth.

The middle layer is the realm of less tangible but still measurable states of energy, including electricity. More subtly, it is the chi, ki or prana described in Asian traditions as the life force which animates all living beings. In Greek and Christian contexts it correlates with the breath, the psyche.

These subtle energies influence internal [most often ‘unconscious’] psychological states and drive external human behavior, which in turn affects social relationships. A clear understanding of these dynamics is essential to personal survival.

Now, as you’ll recall, I earlier asked, “How do we identify and connect with that unchanging source, the “unified center achieved in stillness” of which Lao Tze speaks? Where is it located?”

The answer rests deep within the levels of “Light” and “Source of Light” at the central hub of the Wheel:

c = light. The hub of the wheel, the Source of Light, is innermost state of being. It is silent yet fertile, that from which all forms emanate and to which all return. It is the alpha and omega, the ultimate and exclusive source of infinite light and power.

Merging with this all-encompassing source of consciousness is what scriptures refer to, quite literally, as “enlightenment.”

The deepest center is the original seed of life from which creative solutions and new beginnings emerge in answer to the prayers and sincere efforts of those who hear and do. It’s the unfailing source, deeper than ephemeral fears, which gives survivors the inner strength to withstand the sudden shocks and catastrophic changes of Titanic times.

The experience of light is described with worlds like inspiration, intuition or guidance.

Unlike the levels of mass and energy, which can be described at length from experience, the center of light is best honored in silence. Or at least as few words as possible.

0 Hush

Here’s just one example of the myriad ways the Life Wheel is adapted to picture deep understanding. It plugs Passage One into the levels of the Wheel, depicting Lao Tze’s travel away from previous life learning – struggle, anger and control on the outer rim of the Life Wheel – towards the innermost, post-experience of supreme calm.

Inward-pointing arrows trace the path of release; outward-pointing arrows point towards physical manifestation. In the words of the biblical God of Moses, this repetitive, full-circle dynamic is spoken as a command: “Return unto me and I return unto you.”

II-8 rev

Way cool, huh!

Part Three. At the outset, I promised to look at apparently contradictory definitions of “survival” by placing them in Life Wheel context. Briefly, it’s important to rescue the word from the negative context of stress. Survival emotions are counterproductive. However, survival also means to continue to exist through dangerous situations, to live when death seemed imminent. It can be associated with being alive and enduring. Viable ancient customs and beliefs, for example, are said to survive through the ages.

The ongoing concern of this website, RethinkingSurvival.com is based on this premise:

Human survival, Einstein warned us, can no longer be taken for granted. Tipping the scales of history in favor of survival depends on freeing ourselves from the mental prison of limited, delusional thinking.

Again, quoting myself:

Chances of success in life are slim to none without an accurate reality map. It’s imperative to have a complete picture of your potentials along with a correct understanding of the world around you, and what’s required to survive in that world. Basing decisions on a worldview that’s distorted, incomplete or otherwise out of synch with the way things really are seriously diminishes chances of survival. In times as dangerous as these, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re operating on complete and correct information.

To the point, just briefly, I’ll introduce the Fifth Axiom derived from the Positive Paradigm. “History Is Neither Progressive or Linear, Nor can Human Survival Be Taken for Granted.”

The final Corollary E: An apparent death sentence makes time remaining all the more precious. In biblical terms, awareness of impending disaster is motive and opportunity to repent (meaning to change one’s heart and ways), and to atone (meaning to realign – be ‘at one’ – with the center), using the gift of whatever time is left gratefully, wisely and well.

Some will actually defy medical/historical prognosis and survive to carry on, whether it be here, in other dimensions or even different universes. (Science fiction fans of TV’s two-hearted, regenerating time traveler Dr. Who are well-acquainted with these possibilities.)

CONCLUSION

Bruce, your time has arrived. You get to travel the world, sharing your insights. I’d love to do the same. But mine has yet to come. The I Ching, the super-ancient foundation of Lao Tze’s wisdom, has yet to be reintroduced, refurbished, for survivors who urgently need access to the cosmic clock. Its 64 hexagrams (does that non-coincidental number make you think of DNA?! ), and each of the six-level AC-DC, binary-digital constructs are a short-hand representing the dynamic interactions amongst the six primary energy centers. . . tons of information is stored here like buried treasure to be recovered through diligent re-search. (Understatement.)

But, just maybe, my reaching out to a fellow early-adaptive thinker might change that. After all, within the quantum field of God, all things are possible!

N.B. I’ve already written a post for your compadre, Gregg Braden. On the drawing board is another, on Creativity and Genius, favorite words of another amigo, Joe Dispenza. So is a final one, The Universal Pattern.

Ripples in Time