Each moment is new and holds great opportunity. The opportunity to pause and take a gentle breath. The opportunity to offer yourself kindness. The opportunity to offer kindness to another. The next moment holds the opportunity to tap into the goodness in your heart, to be present with your feelings, to create space for … More Practicing Living Awareness
Sparks initiate. They bring each new moment to light. Sparks reveal. They bring forward the possibilities that each one of these moments hold: creativity and peace, truth and insight, or goodness and beauty. Meditation could be likened to a spark that leads us through the doorway of “now” and into the field of … More And Begin Again
Yet another round of The Practice has begun. Hi, Welcome or welcome back! The Intermediate level of training in meditation is focused on energy: how to notice it through a sitting and through one’s day, as well as how to focus oneself as a being of energy, thereby as an agent of betterment or transformation … More Intermediate: the focus is energy
Exploration is a direct experience of something or somewhere. To explore Venice, one goes to Venice. To explore different spices, one uses them in cooking. To explore meditation, one experiments with meditation. In this sitting, we explore the qualities of poise that are experienced in our emotions, mind, and body during the sitting. Experiencing them … More 8b: Poise on and off the cushion
It is estimated that one quarter of US citizens who will vote in this election have already done so. Early voting and absentee ballots are well underway. Several states have referendums on the ballot, the majority of which are progressive in nature. The citizenry is moving agendas forward on their own. Go vote on Tuesday … More The night before the US election: a meditation for the highest light
We continue with evening number five of meditations focused on the upcoming election. May the light generated from our hearts and minds serve to foster positivity, kindness, tolerance, and unity. Included below are slides from the dialogue preceding 15 minutes of silent meditation. Enjoy and let your light shine.
We will continue to meditate daily for a lighted election process and outcome through Thursday, Nov. 10. Please add your light! If you want to join live at 8 pm ET, please register here.
In Buddhism there is a phrase, “There is one ground.” The statement refers to the one ground of Awareness. Realizing that Awareness is the only true ground, one realizes the source of one’s reality, and realizes the foundation for all conditioned or non-conditioned states of being. This precious image of a young meditator levitating is … More Intermediate: Levitation and the One Ground
This meditation was sublime. There are few words to type. Alignment provides integration. Integration of all of our aspects and dimensions of consciousness, mind, awareness, and sentient response ensure that our fullness can be experienced and lived from. As we live from more of our fullness, the feelings of lack, or pride, or the desire … More Intermediate: Perfect
As said in the introduction, alignment gives one access to the range of dimensions of pure Being. Every aspect of a human being is constantly emanating quality into the surrounding fields. Meditation trains one in quiescence, harmony, peace, and understanding. As such, one’s fields refine, purify, and seek a harmonious congruent state as a whole. … More Intermediate: Dimensions
Tantric meditation training reveals, and then works with, sets of two which are one and that also produce a new one. For example, two factors within the process of alignment are the quality of penetration and the quality of receptivity. Penetrating is another word for the reach or stretch of consciousness that brings two points … More Intermediate: Two factors in Alignment
Awareness as it is experiences each moment as a miracle, a miraculous experience of the normalcy of the extraordinary. Awareness is the clarity and transparency of understanding that there is more here than meets the eye, the ego, or the usual frames of reference. Awareness is the sparkle and the tickle of “Ah,” and the … More Intermediate: Miracles
Children live from natural awareness. Every moment is inquisitive, wonder-full, and new. The textures are fresh, sounds are interesting, words are gaining meaning. Children live the already-present awareness of Presence, and adults can too. Doing so is called meditation. True meditation has one goal: Presence. The word Presence signifies a combination of qualities: Aware, freed, … More 5b: Like a child
True meditation is the experience of resting in the natural state of Awareness, the natural condition of awareness-mind. Over and over again, a practitioner experiences that with a smile, a brightness and ease is present, with an in-breath and attention on the top of it, a clarity and limitlessness naturally is experienced, with one-pointedness that … More Intermediate: How high is the sky, how deep is Being?
Long spaces, the velvet of Presence, and experiences of the extraordinary pervade this meditation. With these, the extraordinary becomes normal, and the profound is increasingly recognized in and as common. Enjoy the experiences Awareness-Being. Downloadable podcast: Intermediate: Limitlessness
Kwan Yin abides in unshakeable serenity and ceaselessly emanates and encourages kindness. Her power lies in the knowing that kindness – simple and consistent – will undo all the suffering of the world. Her serenity stems from the same knowing. Time will tell, and kindness will – one day – eradicate the troubles of the … More Generative: Kwan Yin – Serenity and Kindness
Sitting by a swift flowing river in meditation has been a meditation training for many millennia. Ultimately, the training is not about the roar of the water or its splash but of the river itself. The river is expressing its nature. Meditation, in time, allows one to also experience the inner beingness that one’s outer … More 3c: The flow of Presence and Awareness
“To see the world through vajra eyes” is one way to understand Namaste. Namaste is an honoring of everyone and everything. It is to “be” with that which is presenting itself through whoever is before us. Namaste is a bow, a leaning in to the energy field of the person or tree or animal that … More Intermediate: Namaste
Join us online for a Full Moon meditation tonight that is graced by the coincidence of falling on the Summer Solstice! Register to join live at 8 pm ET, if you are not already registered. Be like a ballet dancer for a minute. Move your arm and hand in a graceful undulating wave from the … More 3a: Like a dancer
Many benefits come with learning to create and then stabilize a meditative type of focus. In classical yogic meditation training, this begins with pratyahara and leads to dharana. These Sanskrit terms are two of the “Eight Means or Limbs of Yoga” as given a long time ago by the great Indian sage and father of … More 2c: The usually not noticed
Having the capacity for calm or open-mindedness or for compromise in order to accomplish a greater goal than one’s individual needs are skills and qualities that serve in a variety of situations. These skills, as well as others that result from meditation training, also serve the collective consciousness of humanity. This week the Intermediate practitioners … More Intermediate: Humanity is One and I am one with them.
Volumes have been written about meditation over centuries and even more has been taught orally. Meditation is one of the oldest skills passed down from one to another. Like women passing on the wisdom of mothering, or the village passing along the skills of weaving or fire making or herbs for health, the wisdom and … More A few articles on aspects of meditation
Namaste is Sanskrit. It means “I honor the presence in you,” or “I see the light in you,” or less dualistic “I bow to presence and being” as one bows to the person one is with. Namaste is an salutation that comes from a spiritual orientation of recognizing all in existence as sacred. Everyone and … More Intermediate: Living Life as Sacred
In truth, a meditation practice simply cleans the window of our self. Doing so, a meditation practice brings forward clarity and transparency. We, then, live increasingly from the inner orientation of light, lightness of being, patience, creative inspiration, ease, and simplicity. Clutter is recognized as clutter and cleaned out. Impatience is recognizes as selfishness and … More 14c: Living from Awareness
No matter what devotional or meditational practice that one might do, if it is refined in caliber it is invoking buddhic qualities of being. Whether Christ, the Divine Mother (in any form), Krishna, Ganesha, Tara, Manjushri, Medicine Buddha, etc., if one is absorbed into the essential qualities of these presentations of the divine, then one … More Generative: Qualities of Buddhi
When a closet is first built, its original state is empty. The natural condition of the closet is not full of stuff, but is instead full of potential. Our natural or original state is like that: empty and limitless in potential. The closet is designed to be used. If it stays empty, it is not … More 14b. Like a closet: the original state
We are trusted by Mother Gaia to BE the light and inspiration that we can be. We are trusted by her and the Sun to bring forward the goodness that is in our heart, the creative solutions that serve all generations to come as well as all living beings now. We are trusted by them … More 14a. Trusted
When one’s meditation practice works, it feels really good. Delicious, blissful, empty, peaceful, inspiring, or vibrant are words that people often use to describe the states and experiences that they “don’t want to come out of” when ending a meditation. That’s understandable. We can experience these experiences because they are the substance and expression of … More Results
In The Practice of Living Awareness, the experience of “settling” leads to everything else. That might seem obvious because it’s the first technique engaged, yet, let’s analyze what’s going on inside that minute or so. A smile brings readiness and contentment to the moment. A long slow deep breath potentially rivets one in Presence. Add … More Effortless Effort
We are dimensional beings. That is to say, we are a composite of many layers of reality and Being. Yet, most people identify themselves as their body which goes to the gym or needs certain food, or as a set of happy emotions or frustrated ones. Yet, our body is dimensional; emotions, mind, awareness, telepathic … More Understanding and building the Antahkarana: Dimensionality
Steadfast and perceptive, you or I will achieve our goals: meditatively, personally, creatively (blue being). Achieving will require skillful and thoughtful activity just as it requires patience and clear-mindedness. Meditation is the same. Tibetan imagery is layered with meaning, but the deeper meanings require that the preliminary understandings be recognized within oneself. Engage Samantabhadra/dri with … More Generative: Samantabhadra
The distinction of the saints and sages of history, of those who inspire humanity to stretch beyond the usual have one quality in common: dedication. Each dedicated him or herself to sorting something out and, then upon doing so within his or her scope and scale, dedicating their life, energy, time, and capacity to that … More pre-Wesak Intermediate: Dedication – the Way of the Heart
Each Sunday in the World Service meditation, a similarity between Mother Earth and ourselves or other beings is highlighted. That is the focus because with greater awareness and appreciation of the oneness and shared livingness (even forms of existence), human beings will live with greater respect, honor, and valuing of Earth and all creatures. The … More 12b. Life current and the fields created
The Wesak energy offers us the opportunity to abide within the cosmic principle of Sameness. The Buddha returns to the Earth, aligns with the Lord of the World, the Christ, as well as with all of Hierarchy, Shamballa, and Humanity: this alignment is one of Sameness. The sameness is the quality of pristine, profound, pure … More Intermediate: pre-Wesak contemplation: Sameness
This graphic well displays the quality of options that one has every moment. The lower part of the image is beautiful but is a repetition of a pattern. It is a replication of itself over and over. This represents our habits, patterned responses, and choices that result in no change or forward movement in consciousness. … More Intermediate: Response: patterned, illumined, or freed?
Several events are coming up through Spirit Fire. Join me for a meditation retreat, an online course, or an in-person meditation class and gathering. Tuesday, March 15: free online presentation: The Archetypes of the Spiritual Path. This brief visual presentation introduces the next online module of classes which explores the evolution of human consciousness. Stages … More Come together!
Day yields to night, night yields to day. The breath that gave us life must be released in order for us to stay alive. That which served us as children, or through tough times or happy ones is now old. And, if we hold onto that which no longer serves as it once did, the … More 5b. Release. Be free.
We ignite the heart. Its radiance spreads in all directions. Its light and vibration render all people and things equal in their preciousness, in their necessity to world well-being. Then, we alight the ajna center. Once again, radiance spreads in all directions. This light and vibrational quality makes appearances transparent, as if the outer form … More Radiating Equanimity
Have you heard? The Practice of Living Awareness is on the air! Each week, hosts Tim Darter and Steve Kramer invite a guest to Spirit Fire’s brand new talk radio show who emulates a particular step of The Practice. We’ve just completed the current round of live meditations which means that we’ve had 14 unique guests whose … More Living Awareness on Spirit Fire Radio!
I woke up this morning thinking about the gifts and results of my meditation practice. Because of it, and its internal experiences, transformations have and continue to take place within me, and because of those I can live the philosophical and spiritual truths that have meaning to me. How about you? I realized that the … More Give thanks for the gifts
Clarity is a natural quality of awareness. Clarity is also involved in the details of life. Clarity includes choosing our words, obeying traffic rules, being mindful of timing and appointments, and when the toothpaste is running low. Profound examples of clarity include illumination, realization, insight, and the sparkle and lightness of being. The first set … More 9b. Clarity and Expanse
All through the day, quality is expressing. Realizing the qualities as they express is an aspect of awakened awareness. Happiness or sadness, jealousy or delight, impatience or ease are the surface noticings of qualities. Registering the karmic feeling in a meeting or relationship, or acknowledging the sensations and intuitions in a location are further examples … More The Inseparable Pervasive Three Qualities of Awareness-Mind
I find myself challenged to write about the current cycle of meditations – simply because the teaching and the meditations attempt to illumine the obvious. Awareness is awareness! Awareness is clear, present, vibrant, and now. Awareness is not something else. It is not the ideas that we have or project about awareness. Awareness is not … More Ordinary Awareness
Breathing in from above, one experiences purpose, intention, and reason for being. Breathing from the front, appearances and circumstances systematically dissolve in the recognition that all is ephemeral and changing. Breathing from behind, one experiences the trail of causes and conditions that have convened to create the present. Breathing from the Earth’s ground, one experiences … More Coming to Awareness
The flow of the breath is the flow of awareness into life. Learning to consciously breathe provides that the deeper flow of one’s being is present to and through daily circumstances and events. This is key to peace of mind, less anxiety, more patience, as well as a clearer mind, calmer emotions, and an overall … More 3a. The flow of it
