2012, My Place in the ascension

Recently there is a huge buzz with this now cliché word ‘2012’ and all that it supposedly brings with it, so much so that mainstream media and prominent organizations like NASA have stepped into either glorify or debunk all the theories that this timeline brings with it. Now, the release of the movie ‘2012’, that too on Friday the 13^th of November, has added to the ‘panic’ and/or ‘expectation.

The initial feel for the movie is one of awe, simply because of the amazing special effects and the undying spirit of the human race to fight against odds in overcoming trying situations and the will to triumph. The 2 and a half hour roller coaster ride brings out the elements of Hollywood in true style, maybe more than that.

Staying with the 2012 phenomenon and dwelling into it a little deeper, what even the movie depicts is the great cleansing that Planet Earth our ‘Gaia’ is currently on. There is now irrefutable evidence of the localized weather changes and the tremendous displacements that it is causing all over the globe.

Planet Earth is on a re-birthing process and right now in the middle of the labor pains. The cleansing that is depicted in the movie is more on the fire and water elements of the physical world; fire burns the present and water cools and cleanses for a new beginning and that is what we are headed for in the times to come.

The pace at which this process is happening is also quickening and that can be observed in our daily lives all around us. In everything that we are setting out to do, there is a innate tension to get it done as of yesterday!

Let us be sure of one aspect, all of us are experiencing the shift, in some way or the other.

At this juncture it is very important to just take a step back and think to ourselves, which is and where is ‘my space’ in this ascension? Where do I fit into, in this higher shift in consciousness as a part of creation on planet Earth?

The answer; How we attune ourselves to the coming transformation defines how we experience the transition to the higher level of consciousness. Those who accept the transition and the ascension will find the prefect set of circumstances to do so, inner intelligence will guide them, while those of us in the denial mode, though deep down aware would find those set of circumstances that influence our thinking at that point in time. What we think is who we are in creating situations in sync with that thinking.

The Mind as No-thing

This morning in the middle of meditation, I found myself immersed in the 'monkey mind' chatter that it is so famous for. There was a feeling that I was in the thought stream for a very long time and in fact gotten immersed in it so much so that it must have been quite a while before the question......what am I thinking about?.

Then it was the subtle request to myself, "If you can be immersed in deep thought for so long, can you also immerse yourself in the here and now.........for so long"?

Suddenly there was nothing rather no-thing to think about and this created a unique situation of uneasiness for a short period of time before the chatter began again! At the same time there was this flooding of emptiness that was so quiet and comforting.

That was the time that it dawned that the mind is totally unemployed when in the 'NOW', I had read about this and at times have felt it' though fleetingly, this time it was in full knowing of the no-thingness that felt overwhelming and then the scare, by which time I was again back to the stream of thoughts.

Ever wondered how scared our 'monkey mind' is when it has no-thing to do? this is because when its very survival is threatened, it tries all that it can to get back into the thinking mode as fast as possible to give itself the comforting factor that it is back in control!

Enquiry versus Inquiry

Very many a time we are at the crossroads of reflection and decisions. We usually end up there and ask the question "Why this and why now". Immediately, we are guided in our misguided wisdom of the 'monkey mind' to look at the external to place the blame. The mind reaches out to find all the reasons and the excuses from its immediate environment and at the same time looks to search for similarities in the past.

We then justify the situation that we are currently in to everything that we possibly can think of and obtain solace as we think that the fault is somewhere 'out there'. We then turn to our religious systems that promise cures by the way of rituals.

This is the mode of 'enquiry' that we are all conditioned to believe, driven by the system that we are a part of.

At times like these the only solace that we need to adapt to finding the 'cause' is to turn within, to look at what part of our being is pushing itself to be expressed, what part of us has been denied the right to express by the 'monkey mind'. When we divert our attention to the inner-self that is a store house of information to handle these situations, the ignored part of our being is given a chance to express itself and begins the process of healing that it has been looking for.

The self is equipped enough to find the options to come out of the situation and express itself in all the glory that it so is. The matrix of creation comes willingly forward to guide and help with no pre-conditions, judgment of either the self or the situation. Creation is so magnanimous that it does not question anything as doing so means questioning itself!

This starts the journey of healing in this plane 'the plane of demonstration' that we have come to call our 'home'.This is the process of 'inquiry' that leads us to dismantle our conditioned and perceptive belief system as it no longer helps the new awareness that we have developed and the new journey that we have chosen to undertake!!

From Ignorance to Light!

The festival of lights is here and the time for celebration surely follows. Can we make a pact with ourselves that we will continue the celebration long after the festival is over? this is the question that we need to answer.

Any occasion has with it a shelf-life that does not sustaining. As soon as the occasion passes the residue be it of celebration or otherwise lasts for a few days, maybe even a few hours before it regresses into the background of our minds. The 'monkey mind' does not stay with the occasion long enough because of its inherent trait of 'jumping' from occasion to occasion or situation to situation wanting more of the same or falling further into the depths of ignorance.

Ignorance here is the belief of perceived reality based on external stimuli mainly driven by the senses. We are ignorant that this perception is temporary and keeps changing. We refuse to accept this fact and go looking for more from the physical environment that we are all a part of.

Moving from this ignorance or darkness to consciousness and light is the journey to continued celebration.This frees us from the perception of physical reality and establishes a connectedness with the source and keeps us grounded in the face of changing situations.

Connectedness helps us to realize the impermanence of that situation thereby freeing us from the roller-coaster emotions that we experience in this plane of demonstration.

Have a great festival and keep the celebration of connectedness flowing!!!! See you all after Diwali folks

False Self and the Self

The distinction between oneness and separation is created by the false mind or the EGO. Ego feeds the thinking that we are separate giving us a false sense of identity, it also feeds the mind on the past and projects itself into the future. This ensures its survival.

Oneness on the other hand is in the here and now and in unity, looking at all and everything as one, from the source.Oneness dwells in the consciousness of the self, it seeks the wholeness of creation.

The believe in oneness is to seek the self and to feed the false self is to deny the presence of the self thereby denying creation.

Theatre of the Mind

In the theater of the mind are the trailers of life, each jostling for space to show itself. They keep popping up ever so frequently and seek attention. Becoming aware of these trailers and whether they originate from the dead past or the still to happen future prevents us from guilt as well as anxiety. The mind without the past and the future is non-existent.

Realize that this is the trick played by the 'monkey mind' for its own survival! Becoming aware of these trailers and what they portray, defines our response and molding in life situations. Accepting them and inquiring into them helps us gather new path-ways to healing. Resisting and discarding them gives them strength holding us in repetitive behaviour...........

Silence and the breath!!

Breath is silence, Breath is prana or life. Therefore life is silence.Every sound is born out of silence dies back into silence and in its life span is surrounded by silence.From silence arises everything.

To focus on life focus on silence therefore focus on the breath. Find the breathing patterns that affect the silence, affect life.

When the breath is irregular, uneasy, silence is absent. Then life is disturbed uneasy. Focus on the silence and dwell in the silence.

The term 'Spiritual HR' gains all the more relevance in the prevailing times. To understand the term we first need to accept that the term 'Spiritual' has got nothing to do with religion and is based on three factors which are a) Unconditional Acceptance b) Compassion and c) truth

The above 3 in today's context gain that much more relevance than at any other point in time in recent memory. Today we have moved from an era of need to one of 'greed' and hoarding. We casually dismiss greed as saying progress, free market, I work hard etc.

As people in the HR domain it becomes all the more important that we inculcate the elements of unconditional acceptance in the people who work in our organizations and set-ups. The best acceptance of unconditional acceptance in recent memory is Pope John Paul - II who forgave the man who had attempted to assassinate him. In fact this act of forgiveness can be termed 'Love' which in any case encompasses the aspect of unconditional acceptance. As people in HR do we accept the Human assets under us leave alone unconditional acceptance or are we looking at ways and means of getting rid of them at the slightest opportunity!

Secondly, are we compassionate to what is happening with the employee be it personally, career wise, financially and socially? Are we empathetic to the needs of each and every Human asset that we have? Empathy is not only putting oneself in the other person's shoe but also walking a couple of miles with that shoe so that we feel the pain and the sweat! Are we building an emotional connect with the employee or are our relationships purely professional! The reason that in today's society the number of people who take their lives are increasing is simply because of the non-existent emotional connect with their colleagues, bosses, their families and friends. We live in an era where all that matters are results and results yesterday! We hardly spend any time in trying to understand all that is happening in the lives of others

Finally, are we communicating the truth to the people who are instrumental in the success of the Organization or are we building success not on principles of what is fundamentally important but on what is urgently important in most case our balance sheets! We have had enough examples in the recent past that indicate that the later is true! As HR professionals do we talk the truth and more importantly do we walk the talk? Being truthful definitely empowers, because when you do so you don't have to remember anything! We find excuses for not being or wanting to be truthful and we casually dismiss it as 'the situation demands that I should not speak the truth'.

Having said the above we need to align the principles of any organization on the 3 aspects of Spirituality in the right spirit! Not only do we have to talk the talk but also walk the walk.