Karma, Ground Consciousness, Habituation and Meditation – mindfulness can create happiness

Karmic imprints.  They accumulate and are latent in ground consciousness or base mind.

This area of psyche gathers up or collects  (through the many layers of it’s nature)   all the karmic latencies that are gathered over eons of lifetimes.

And the responses to those tendencies create more imprints and here in this reality, on the earth,  they are able to be stimulated.

I used to think that we were completely in control of moods via our thoughts–and while that is partially true, the karmic imprints that settle into consciousness awaken in us as experiences of suffering or experiences of happiness which sometimes are seemingly out of our control.  I’ve been thinking about  karmic latency and habitual tendencies.  Do we say something like, ‘Oh that’s just how I am an I can’t help that‘ or what?  Just how does it all work anyway?   These thoughts that follow are influenced by Buddhist views by the way and they make perfect sense (to me).

Positive or negative karma ,it is said, does not always  immediately express itself. These karmic latencies resting within ground consciousness can arise later, even in future lifetimes.

Sometimes I can correlate karmic events to the Nodes of the Moon (North Node, South Node)  in an astrology chart–imprints remain in ground consciousness to ripen under the appropriate circumstances.  And we can correlate that to aspects to the birth Nodes and the transiting Lunar Nodes.  Anyway…

Negative and positive qualities increase due to habitual patterns–if a person tends to be angry again and again then becomes habituated to anger, it creates an increase of anger-latency in the mind.   The same is true with positive qualities such as love and compassion.  These qualities (either positive or negative) creates the foundation for the mind–ground consciousness.   Even in remembering some experience of the past, the remembering of it strengthens the latency.

For these reasons, we should be ever-aware and mindful–otherwise our disturbing emotions gradually increase from day-to-day and lifetime-to-lifetime.

We can create mindfulness latencies in the ground conspicuousness (habitual pattern of mindfulness).

Through meditation we can create positive latencies of love, wisdom and compassion which does overcome negative imprints when meditation is increased to focus on that love, wisdom and compassion.

We are born with a particular proclivities or latent tendencies developed in previous lifetimes.  We see this within seconds, minutes, hours of a baby’s birth.  Not all babies have the same newborn tendencies—some are restless, some are peaceful, etc.  Some children are naturally very kind due to positive latencies developed and imprinted in previous lifetimes into their ground consciousness.  Other children are very aggressive due to their own latent tendencies.

Some people are unable to deny themselves their desires and cannot say no to themselves–others can deny themselves but have difficulty saying no to others. Yet, we can change through cultivation of mindfulness or being aware of our tendencies and developing positive virtues where needed.

It seems like another lifetime ago when I asked higher mind/spirit guides [_____ fill in your own preferred word (s) here] a question. (Divination)

I really wanted to know why we were here and what we’re doing here and what the whole bottom-line point to our lives here were about.

And I was told that we are here to develop virtue.  And now, many years later, I see how true that answer was; although at the time I wasn’t satisfied with it.

With the correct understanding and with mindfulness in life and developing good qualities through  meditation we will be able to develop new latencies, new habitual  patterns, new tendencies.

Is that easy?  Is being mindful and conscious of our latent habitual tendencies at all times easy?  It’s as easy as that — or as difficult.  It depends on us.

We can develop positive or negative tendencies throughout life!  They come and they go depending upon our own awareness and contribution to the habitual patterns.

Our experience of happiness is based upon ground consciousness no matter which realm we are in.  Creating karmic imprints in the present reality results in experiencing their results in the future.

Just like a child who goes to school and studies hard creates an imprint in the mind that allows the child to later on do something with the imprint like become a teacher or a doctor.  If there was no type of imprint to start with (no schooling, no education) there would be no possibility of becoming the teacher in the future.

Well, this is all I have time to write on the topic for the moment.  I hope some of these words will find their way to the right person at the right time out there in cyber world and in doing so be helpful to that other.  

 

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Blowing Your Spiritual Cover and Personal Integrity September 5, 2013 Daily Divination

Awareness—it’s awesome realizations; yet, because we are aware and realize something about ourselves doesn’t mean we have reached full enlightenment—it means we are aware of the path.  And excuse me if you are already fully enlightened but most of us go day-by-day doing the best we can, often reacting to life before, knowing we’re reacting.  But that’s okay or at least Pema Chodron says so.

Her recommendation is to say, “May this person who is driving me crazy enjoy happiness and be free of suffering” even though at the time what we are experiencing is genuine anger.  It always makes me feel sheepish when I remind myself that it is self-cherishing that is the root of my problem—that usually puts the fires of anger and frustration out easily.  And then I want to kick myself for reacting to a strong aversion in the first place.

We have our limits as humans it seems.  We can open to some people, but we remain closed to others—the ones who irritate us.

Awareness is seeing this clearly and realizing firsthand that as humans we are, as Pema says, “…a paradoxical bundle of rich potential that consists of both neurosis and wisdom.”

The thing is that we must acknowledge where we are and what we feel—it is so inauthentic and psychologically damaging (in my humble opinion) to pretend to feel anything that we don’t.

I can seem to feel more love, empathy and compassion for my daughter’s cats than I can for my downstairs neighbors!  I tried to muster up those feelings that I have for those animals and then transfer that same feeling to my irritating neighbors—no can do!  I just can’t seem to put these irritating people in the same place in my heart as the beautiful animals that I so love—I had to toss them right out.  I will keep trying and will let you know how it goes.

I am closed off there and need to keep working at it to open up and resolve my aversions—that’s what awareness can mean.  Oh, yeah, I try to tell myself that they are just like me and like the Dalai Lama says, we are all seeking happiness.  It’s just that their version of happiness and mine are apparently in dire contrast and opposition; perhaps it’s cultural but then again “when in Rome” as the saying goes.

I realize this is more aversion to humans and the epitome of resistance to them but I was thinking that I’ve got to start incorporating flip turns into my swimming routine.  Talk about human in your face!  When I got to the pool yesterday all the lanes were free, but for one.  I selected the last lane and started my swim.  About 20 minutes into my swim as I reached the wall to initiate my turn, there it was!

A man’s face in front of my own, asking to swim in my lane with me; all of the other lanes were filled with men and maybe he felt it was easier to ask a woman—who knows his motives? And who cares? But I felt immediate aversion to having to share my lane—why me?  He didn’t swim long but I realize that I have a lot of work to do in that area also; it’s just that (watch me try to justify my aversion now) when I swim it is like a meditation and one really would rather not be interrupted.  But that’s life—it’s what happens to us while we’re doing our own thing; human interference.  I’ve got to learn to be better at sharing my sacred spaces with other humans I guess…. Well, obviously.  I don’t like feeling irritated and would rather be happy and peaceful—that requires getting over my ego and self-cherishing!

I think to write about it and how these humans get under my skin so-to-speak is blowing my cover!  I’m human too and we all have an ego with aversions and attractions—when I lived in the mountains alone I could, for the most part, pretend that I wasn’t one of them!  Ha ha.

Well, humor is a gift from the Angels that helps us cope here.

Today, I will ask the Angels of Laughter to hang 10 with me through the ocean of life… or at least through my apartment living and my lap swimming at the pool.  I hit my toe on the side of the metal filing cabinet this morning as I made my way to my desk with my first cup of coffee while at the same time feeling resentful for being awakened by neighbor’s voices!

It’s a beautiful sunny day and we started out in the high 60’s, low 70’s this morning.  I made good progress on the project I’m creating for my daughter’s wedding gift and still wish that I could be half as artistic as my middle daughter (not the one getting married).  My middle child draws beautifully freehand and oh how I admire her ability to do that!

I just opened a desk drawer and the fragrance of Nag Champa incense cones (that I forgot I had) greeted me (I love Nag Champa) and may today be filled with such continued pleasant surprised for everyone!

DAILY DIVINATION SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 – TEN OF PENTACLES TAROT CARD

This card makes me think of the 11^th House in Astrology, relating to the community.  I think of it too as “growing roots” in the community and creating a stable and comfortable environment. The 10 of Pentacles deals with the domestic life and living life upon the earth and represents “the good life”.  The deep connection to The Universe exists within the ordinary life—through this card I am reminded that the troubles and miseries that occupy many human minds (my own included) are only a play and the community plays a role for us in presenting that which we must free ourselves.

As I finished that last sentence a hummingbird was flying a holding pattern within a few feet of my laptop just on the other side of the glass door, looking at me directly.  Reminds me to be joyful and to find the nectar of life and drink heartily from that fountain.  Hummingbirds are symbolic for accomplishing that which seems impossible.

May you always feel encouraged!

Getting REAL about Valentine’s Day

Always and in all ways we give when it is not Christmas and love when it is not a valentine day, feel reborn when it is not Easter or spring … every day is a good day to give gifts, to express love, to celebrate spring and new beginnings!

Why does society have to designate a particular day for it?

Bottom Line: “The I AM” in us is Giving and Expressing Love and Celebrating Hope Always in all ways! That’s 365, 24-7.

I have one daughter who says she wears black on Valentine ’s Day and a sister who said she heard dialogue on the radio on the way to work about valentine’s day that brought a tear to her eye because what she heard made her feel alone and sad. I heard someone talk about how in some recent church service some members of the congregation were renewing their wedding vows for the Valentine Day and some members cried because they lost their husbands in the war.

And then I reviewed some generalized astrological teachings recently which emphasized that we all carry within us somewhere the wound or trauma that has to do with being alone and not having our needs met, not receiving comfort. Supposedly, according to that particular teacher’s theory, this wound of separation from “god” (or from the heavens if you prefer that terminology or separation from wholeness if that’s better for your eyes and ears) is carried within us all and becomes re-triggered again sometime in our early years. I’m not certain about all that but if there is an unresolved wound of separation that exists within us, it would make sense that Valentine’s Day would cause us to feel the pain of the wound which still needs healing.

I love what Byron Katie posted on Facebook recently. She wrote, “No two people have ever loved each other.” You know, if you think about it, it’s true. Love is within us and we send it out but it comes back to us—actually, where else would anything go that we send out but back to us?

I see people searching for the mythological twin soul or soul mate without realizing that it is they themselves that they are seeking. Or we could say it this way—they are looking outside of their selves to find the love that is within. We are born alone, we will die alone too—that’s what some would say. Only we can make our own passage to and from one destination to the next, why do we spend so much time confused seeking outside what has always been within—LOVE.

May you find IT this Valentine’s Day or any day—we don’t need society to tell us when to realize Love. Or do we? I’ve got to add what comes to my mind next and that is:

You are never alone if you love the person you are alone with.

PS – Valentine’s Day is the day for people who are trying to fix what they think is broken. And it’s for the bank accounts and balance sheets of greeting card companies, florists, boxed candy makers and anybody else that makes and sells Valentine paraphernalia which will all be reduced for sale tomorrow.  If you don’t get a valentine and box of candy today maybe its life’s way of helping you to remember the Source of Love; but if you aren’t counting calories, love chocolate and you simply must, then I suggest that you pick your self up valentine candy tomorrow–that and everything else valentine-ish will be 50% off then.

I thought twice before I hit the publish this post’ button.  Will readers think I’m sour grapes on love relationships?  I thought about it a second and then turned to the I-CHING for guidance.  Just for the record, I’ve experienced two long-lasting relationships in my life.  In one there were a lot of cards, candy and valentines and in the other, nothing of the sort.  So, I’ve had it both ways you could say.

But let’s see what the I-CHING gives us as wisdom for today and regarding my concern about hitting the publish button on my anti-valentine message.  Its Kua 49 called “REVOLUTION”… well, that’s no surprise– and the first thought I had is that the universe has a sense of humor!  Haven’t I just been writing here about revolting against valentine’s day?

The oracle’s wisdom is about being flexible and having non-attachment.  We could also say, releasing expectations for having those can lead to the suffering of disappointment.

I think that the oracle is telling me not to be attached to whether I should publish this or not — and also to be non-attached to what people may or may not think of me personally.  And looking deeper for valentine’s day guidance, I am recalling my relationships of the past as they correlate with valentine days of the past.

One relationship partner was alway bringing the flowers and cards and candy and the other one not but I did not have much of a care either way, no expectations.  Neither gifts or non-gifts  defined the relationships for me.  Was that because I was carrying the confidence of love within myself?  I don’t know that I’d go as far as to say that, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?   Maybe it was just that we had ‘bigger fish to fry’ in those days if you know what I mean–that’s probably more the truth of it.

Should the goal of a relationship be to carry the confidence of love which comes from within one’s own self?

If we’re looking for something good about valentine’s day, maybe we could see it as an okay day to pause, take inventory of our beliefs about relationships and use the insights gained as an opportunity to grow and evolve.

It may help to recall that we live life without any guarantees.  And since life itself doesn’t offer any guarantee’s anyway, why should we expect those from relationship partners?   Those expectations lead to suffering.

Times change, seasons change and our demands change too.  We are with others but always ultimately alone; and everything we seek exists within us.

That is the revolution and the transformation that a consideration of valentine’s day can offer us–if we’re willing to look.

 By the way… the GET REAL planet, SATURN, is currently RETROGRADE (narrowly focused inward and looking back as well) in the sign of LIBRA which is the relationship sign itself, plus it is at the 29th degree of culminating energy.  No wonder there’s all this get real talk about valentine’s day–look at Saturn@!  I rest my case.