September 07th 2016 - The heart is our connecting point for all life.
It may seem contradictory, but space, within the heart center is the connective medium. (We are speaking of the heart chakra.)
Within space is the permeable essence, the Akash, or Akasha (Hindi,) the Prajnaparamitra (Tibetan,) the sub-stratum of all life, which is the connective ‘fluid’ and contains the primordial life force for all living things. Akasha is that which gives space to, and makes room for, the existence of all substance. What astrophysicists regard as ‘plasma,’ the charged ‘gas’ which permeates all space, throughout the cosmos, may well be what meta-physicists have regarded as the Akash. Space is not empty, but permeated by the connective ‘tissue’ of life (this sub-stratum,) which, when activated, gives rise to all substance of life.
One can consciously reside within this connective fluidity by meditating on space, on emptiness, or, if easier, resting within a clear sky. This method gives rise to the permeability of space, which softens and expands our perception, and allows us to embrace and encompass greater possibilities within our lives. We will offer such a meditative practice at the end of this dissertation, to help us learn how to abide in space, and discern directly the benefit of residing in mindful spaciousness. We can charge our experience even further, by focusing our awareness on pristine content within that space. I shall explain.
In Tibetan Five Elemental Medicine, the element of space is the first, or primordial, element, which all life is built upon. Space resides, also, in the center of many indigenous cultures’ Medicine Wheel, which represents the Circle of All Life. These typically contain all elements of life, and are oriented toward four gateways, or directions, which are composed of the fundamental essence of the other four elements, of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Together, these create all manifest forms of life.
Space, also, is the antidote for feelings of compressions, stress, and chaos. Try sitting in a felt sense of space in the heart center, and see the outcome. Compression cannot exist where space resides. It is one, or the other. The healing of stress, and all pain and suffering, can come simply by focusing upon this antidote, as well as by letting go, or dissolving, of our awareness and thoughts of stress or other forms of suffering, as they arise. We do this by focusing on a felt sensation of spaciousness, within the heart. And breathing that felt sense of space into other forms of tension, pain, resistance, restriction, discomfort or compression, as they arise. Again, an in depth meditative practice will follow.
Through entering a felt sense of space, one enters the womb of Creation, the web, or, matrix of all life, that sub-stratum which connects us all, all living things, all consciousness, every living cell, every organism, every star, ever galaxy, and gives rise to all forms of life, even to our thoughts and feelings. This is an important understanding to realize, in the process of how our thoughts and feelings arise, and create the world we live in, or our experience of that world.
There, within the permeation of space within our cells and atoms, within all galaxies and star clusters, it has resided, all along, the Akash, that sub-stratum, the Great Mother of Life. All life is composed of 99.9999999999996% space, according to modern science. Whether we are talking about a solid rock, or an atom or cell, there, within it, is this 99.9….% space. And, within that space is this spectrum of Life itself. We simply have not recognized it, or focused upon it, in our living awareness. We have focused upon the 0.0000000000004% that creates matter, and all the ‘stuff’ in our lives, including the stress, the chaos, the hurt, pain, and wounded-ness, the suffering and dissatisfaction, instead of focusing on the primary substance, which is, also, the solution and resolution of our pain and suffering. This comes by breathing into, and from space, resting in it, allowing it to permeate our thoughts, our feelings, and our lives. As well as, by cultivating and nurturing that space, without impediment, to allow joy, insight, wisdom, compassion, and unconditional love, to enter, and arise, of their own inherent nature, wherever there is any diminishing thought or feeling, such as sadness, doubt, attachment, conflict, or fear. It is by giving space to the diminishing thoughts, that the expansive thoughts and life experiences arise, of their own nature.
If we stop dis-empowering ourselves by believing these states of ignorance and oppression have more power over us than we can control, and focus our attention on the solution, the fundamental element of space (or ether, or emptiness,) the dissolution of these impediments occurs. It is by focusing our attention upon the space that allows the inequitable seeds of joy, compassion, and love to spawn within that space. By focusing on the space, or by breathing the solution of space into the feelings of oppression, of sadness or irritation, of loneliness, unworthiness, or isolation, this allows their compression or restriction to become less restrictive, to release, and, eventually, to dissolve, in the infinite spaciousness of our heart. It does not mean we ignore these overwhelming burdens, but that we recognize them, embrace them, then use the power of space to dissolve and release them. In truth, it is the balance of the 5 elements which create complete harmony within us. We, also, need the grounding of Earth, the transformation of Fire, and so forth. But, for many of us, we have overlooked this incredible quality of space. And, as we turn our attention to a felt sense of spaciousness, this allows for the breaking up and discharge of the spell of these burdensome and habitual patterns of wounded-ness, resentment, unworthiness, and disempowerment. Their power cannot hold in the state of space.
We then have the power of choice of where we wish to focus our attention, and build the abundant states of satisfaction and wellness within us. This is where our focus on ‘pristine awareness’ shall build the seeds of joy, light, clarity, union, or, whatever quality we choose to focus upon.
Our science has mistakenly theorized that space is empty. But science now knows that all space is filled with charged gas, plasma. I suspect this plasma is the infinite source of life force within us, and within the universe. The proponents of the Electric Sky theory might agree with this. While not appreciated by most supporters of the more accepted but unproven model of the ‘Big Bang theory,’ the Electric Sky theory has remarkable science to back up its postulates. In another quadrant of science, while looking at the vast energy in ‘space,’ at least one physicist theorizes that one cubic meter of ‘space’ has enough energy to boil all of the waters of the oceans on Earth. While others consider this speculative, science is debating the nature of this “vacuum energy density,” and even considering that it is the force creating the ‘unexpected’ expansion of our universe, when prevailing time/space theories based on gravitational laws would suggest contraction. This ‘force of expansion,’ is what we would like you to focus upon in entering a felt sense of spaciousness within your heart center. Allow the ‘space’ to grow, focus on its felt sense, and feelings of compression and unworthy will dissolve, as we connect through the element of space.
This space is a constant, which exists between all cells, atoms, elements of all form. It is a permeable space, which can breathe new life into those very tissues and cells of your body, which hold discomfort, pain, and disease. Its potential as a healing element are infinite, with right intention and awareness.
By focusing on infinite space, our awareness expands, becomes vast, and we connect to something much larger than ourselves. We become part of the vastness of life, of the Cosmos.
Our pristine awareness becomes the next key to this understanding. Our pristine awareness is like a diamond in the sky of spaciousness. We can bring any jewel of light into that space, and breathe the intention and awareness of that pristine jewel into our creative matrix, for well-being, insight, wisdom, and growth. That pristine light permeates the space we have held within us. Like a star in a clear blue sky, we ignite the principle of our True Essence and presence, and we feel ourselves luminous in space, connected to all life, expanding and growing in our infinite potential.
It is that contra-indication of spaciousness, that through the emptiness of space we connect to all life, we enter the web, the matrix, the underlying sub-stratum which permeates and connects all life, the conscious fabric of life, of Creation. This ‘star’ principle of consciousness, pristine awareness, illuminates our life, permeates our awareness, and dissolves and transforms, further, any impediments, encumbrances or entanglements we may have had, or that may be dormant and arise when given space to consider. It is our own power, our knowing, our focus of attention and awareness, which creates no doubt in the luminosity of the heart, of pure innocence, pure wisdom, pure brilliance, of any quality we then choose to bring into that Star of Light. This Light of Consciousness will dissolve any encumbrances which enter our field of existence, our thoughts, feelings, or experience, if we but focus our attention upon its star like essence. It holds the Diamond Light quality of pristine awareness, which means just that, it will dissolve any restriction, nothing has power over it. So, choose its quality wisely.
This very simple method follows the teachings and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, and Bon shamanism, that by joining the nature of spaciousness, or emptiness, in the heart, with brilliance, bliss, or the light of wisdom, one creates a great leap in the road to enlightenment. Here, we have such an opportunity.
Many think it cannot be so simple.
The reality is, as most great teachers have shown us, the simple path is the most effective. And, the solution can only come from focusing upon a higher ideal, not upon the level of the problem from which it manifests.
But, it, also, becomes a matter of practice, as well as, what we choose to focus our attention upon; whether that is the light of wisdom, and our own profound abilities to heal and self-navigate the universe of creation, or the heart of sorrow, pain, regret, discomfort, disconnection, or suffering as a victim of the forces in life.
What do you choose?
We have the power.
Within the great teachings of the Law of Karma, comes the wisdom that everything arises in our reality from seeds we have planted in former times in this life or others. Though I understand this may be very hard to consider or accept, for some of the apparent harsh injustices in the world today, whether those we have suffered, or others we see in the world around us, if we can understand this, and take responsibility for it, at least as how karma unfolds in our own lives, we can loosen future ripening seeds of karma by planting good thoughts, good deeds in every moment we are able. When we find we are not being compassionate or mindful in this moment, or the next, the practice comes back to giving space, and letting that clear nature of spaciousness, or the Light of Consciousness dissolve the next seed, and the next, until we find ourselves in a higher dimensional state of freedom and pristine awareness and liberation, according to that state of awareness we have chosen to fix our attention upon.
Once again, what do you choose?
We wish many, many blessings upon you in the path you choose, and the life that awaits you.
Zacciah,
And,
Those who walk with him.
©2015 Zacciah Blackburn, PhD
www.TheCenterOfLight.net
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For other practices, see also Zacciah’s “Sound Healing” CD’s, at this link, just below. The Light of Creation CD has a sacred sound meditation practice on it, which will follow similar patterns to this practice below the link.
· See Sound Healing CDs
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Introduction to the Clear Blue Sky and Diamond Light Practice
Here is a special meditation practice, as a gift offering for you. Here, we are using the principle of a clear blue sky as the nature of Spaciousness. It is a typical methodology in some Tibetan schools to experience the pristine nature of emptiness or spaciousness, which pervades all things. We have recently offered this practice with the Diamond Light and Great Mother practices, in our workshops, with beautiful results, that most participants found easy to follow and experience. Here we begin with the great Blue Sky, but by the very nature of the practice, we touch, also, the Sky Beings who reside there, and the Light and Wisdom Gateways of the Sun and Moon. From the honoring of the feminine and masculine principles, which occurs in this practice (Spaciousness or Sky is the Feminine, the Star or Diamond Light is the Masculine,) we, also, enter those states of Perfect Union, from which we come, and through which we are reborn. We welcome you to the work, and share many blessings with all:
Clear Blue Sky, and Diamond Light Meditation Practice
Bring your awareness into your heart, and develop a sense of feeling of spaciousness within the heart. You can do this by breathing into the heart center (chakra) in the center of the chest, and allowing or imaging your breath to rise out from it. Eventually move more and more into a felt sense of space residing or growing within the heart. You can recall a time in which you experienced vast space around you, such as on a mountaintop, by the ocean, in a field at night, to assist you to enter a feeling sense of spaciousness. As you do so, simply let go of any other thoughts or feelings that arise.
Take your time with each stage of the practice.
As you enter a felt sense of spacious, begin to imagine that you are resting somewhere on the Earth, perhaps a place that you enjoy, with a great, clear, blue sky around you.
You may, again, imagine yourself to be on a mountaintop, a high cliff face, or great expansive field, with a distant horizon, but feel the sky above you, and around you; and dream it, more and more, crystalline blue, deep, clear, rich in energy and color. If you are living somewhere where we have been experiencing just such pristine, clear days, this may help you to enter that felt sense of resting in a clear, blue sky.
As you do so, allow yourself to ‘drift’ into space, deep in this rich, blue, clear sky, and rest there.
Again, take your time for each stage of the practice.
Dream nothing else, until you can rest in the infinite wisdom and tranquility of this perfectly clear, rich, blue sky. Know, also, that you are drinking the sustenance of the sky, the air, the vitality, the nutrients of the sun, as well, as you enter this practice.
You can continue resting here for some time. Realize that you are resting in the deep and infinite peace of the sky, and the Ones who sustain it. Realize that any other thoughts or feelings which may arise, can simply be set adrift in the vastness of this vital blue sky, and it will dissolve them, of its own nature. Just let them go here.
After a while, after you have a clear sense of resting in the blue sky, if you choose, you can imagine the sun or moon high upon the horizon, or above you. And, you, also, can connect with, and drink in the nectar and wisdom of the sun or moon. Drink in that infinite wisdom. If you want, you can use the sun or moon as a portal into their realms of wisdom. Follow the dream through the body of the sun or moon, should you choose to, and see what arises there for you, entering the gateway into the infinite wisdom of their care and love, and those who await you there.
After some time, you may come back into this clear, blue sky, which you are resting in, in deep peacefulness, or tranquility. Here you may stay as long as you want. And, you may stop the practice whenever you are ready. But, if you wish to take the practice a little further, bring the sun or moon into your heart, as an emanation of pure diamond light, that you can radiate at any time into the world, with this infinite peace and wisdom, emanating through the whole field of your being. Over time, allow that radiance to stretch further out into the world, simply allowing it to radiate, for the benefit of all.
If you wish to journey further, you may rise higher into space, until you reach the infinite darkness and vastness of empty space. After resting here sometime, realize that all of the stars and galaxies of the Cosmos are above and around you, and you can drink in their diamond radiance, to further illuminate your heart. If you wish, you can illuminate the Earth beneath you, with this diamond heart.
When you are ready, come back to Earth, and into this infinite diamond radiance within your heart, where you are now resting, in your body.
Finish the practice with gratitude for those who brought you this wisdom, and diamond light.
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Again, we wish many, many blessings upon you in the path you choose, and the life that awaits you.
Zacciah,
And,
Those who walk with him.
©2015 Zacciah Blackburn, PhD
www.TheCenterOfLight.net
You are welcome to share this essay and practice, if you include this acknowledgement. Thank you.
For other practices, see also Zacciah’s “Sound Healing” CD’s, at this link, just below. The Light of Creation CD has a sacred sound meditation practice on it, which will follow similar patterns to this practice below the link. ·
See Sound Healing CDs
Zacciah Blackburn, PhD - The Center of Light Institute of Sound Healing and Shamanic Studies
P.O. Box 389 ~ 220 Hidden Glen Rd.
Ascutney, VT 05030
United States