#pinnacle of ecstasy my beloved

[scorporia]

I love how some poison ruïn songs make me feel like I where in a church

[tawakkull]

Spirituality in: Salik (Initiate)

A salik (initiate) is a traveler who follows a way to a goal and makes efforts to meet with God. The way of traveling differs according to the capacity, abilities and gifts with which each individual has been favored. Some are extraordinarily attracted and taken by God Himself to the ranks of loving and being loved by God and being pleased with Him and His being pleased with them, without having to observe some of the rules that must be observed during journeying. Such are mentioned as those who are attracted by God. They can reach, through the blessings of the Prophet’s Ascension, in a few minutes, hours or days the states and stations that others can reach after many periods of suffering, and become purified of carnal dirt. Their hearts are refined in the shortest way possible and, reaching their Beloved and Desired One at a speed that is not possible through other efforts, they are able to feel all the spiritual pleasures of being favored with His company. They have reached the horizon of “a perfect human being,” which is regarded as the point where the outward and inward have been united.

These perfect ones, who are attracted by God toward Him, are the hidden treasures of the Divine mysteries, the centers on which the lights of the Divine Knowledge and Existence are focused, and those who offer the water of life to believers for the health of their spiritual life, a water with which they will quench their thirst for eternity. They revive dead hearts with their speeches, open blind eyes with their glance and attentions, and cure the spiritual wounds of those who are in their aura. They live intoxicated with ever new gifts and favors, and cause those around them to experience the most dazzling of observations. With their seeing directed by their insight, and their speaking dependent on their hearts, they are enraptured with the colors and lines which pertain to Him, and which they see in everything they look at, and they scatter pearls and coral whenever they open their mouths to speak. Since they are dazzled and enchanted by even a half-seeing of Him, those who do not know them think that they are insane or intoxicated. Ruhi of Baghdad describes their state very well:

Do not think that we are intoxicated with the wine of the grape;

We are among the intoxicated from eternity in the past.

If some temporarily go into ecstasies with the initial signs of Him, they immediately come to their senses because of their nature, and they take refuge in wakefulness and self-possession, continuing on their way to meeting God in wakefulness. There is nothing in their feelings, thoughts or acts which causes people confusion; nor are there utterances of pride incompatible with the rules of Shari'a, nor any affectations, nor relaxed behavior. They advance toward being pleased with Him and His being pleased with them in reliance on Him in the atmosphere of The eye did not swerve, nor did it stray(53:17).

Some others complete their spiritual journey by observing its heavenly rules, reaching the horizon of attraction toward God with the support of Divine help and feeling as if their will-power has been connected to a sacred center of attraction. They continue their future life connected to that center in the manner of those who have let themselves go in the current. You can find in such people, who have taken off toward nothingness and carnal non-existence, neither anxieties, worries, nor grief. They are occupied with the Eternal Friend, they feel His intimacy, and live free from uneasiness and troubles because of the peace they find in His presence. The following verses of Niyazi Misri indicate this horizon in one respect:

Having renounced the worldly worries,

And taken off to carnal non-existence;

Zealously flying without ceasing,

I call, “O Friend, O Friend!”

There are still some others who constantly make an effort, from the beginning to the end, and, without expecting any return, sincerely fulfill their duties of servanthood. They neither feel attraction nor are attracted toward God, nor do they display any affectations, nor have any superiority or inferiority complexes or fancies and fantasies. They show great will-power and patience, observing even the least important rules of devotion without any show and being extraordinarily steadfast in His way. They prefer living an Islamic life over wonder-working and pleasures, and never adopt Paradise and what lies beyond it as a goal of their devotion. Regarding believing and devotion as the greatest blessing of the Lord, they live in thankfulness for such gifts in utmost humility and modesty. With his particular style, Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi describes being favored with this blessing as follows:

Happiness has come and held us by the skirt,

And set up our tent in the heaven.

Yesterday the Beloved asked me:

“How do you do with this unfaithful world?”

I answered: “How can one be who,

Has seen the fortune of the fortunate state?

Thanks that I have found in the bottom of my teeth

The sugar that Egypt cannot see even in her dreams.”

The first thing an initiate must do is to turn to God in repentance and contrition, in determination to emigrate to what God is pleased with from what He is not, to what He asks us to do from what He does not, and to a life in the heart and the spirit from a carnal life. So long as their efforts are supported by such a high degree of refinement of the carnal self, purification of heart, and good morals, initiates feel that they change both inwardly and outwardly while their horizons become gradually enlightened. To the extent of their sincerity and purity of intention, they begin to present an example of straightforwardness in acting, with the mechanism of their consciousness becoming gradually radiant. With belief developing into conviction, and conviction deepening with increasing knowledge of God, and knowledge of God being transformed into love, and love growing into burning passion, and passion ending in constant wonder, a human being, who has been created of dust, of wet clay, becomes the focus of attention for the inhabitants of the heavens. Those dwelling in the pure realm of the Divine dominion regard it an honor to follow the example of such humans. Whoever turns to them for guidance intends to be guided to the truth, and whoever holds fast to them intends to grasp a strong rope.

This “greatest copy and pattern of creation”, who has become a source of radiance in the inner depth of his or her self, turns into a center of Divine gifts and a storeroom of favors, becomes a blessed one who offers everyone the water of life. Each of the different mansions which such a traveler passes through during the journey upward is called a “state,” and the relatively stable point to which his or her abilities develop, and which we may describe as the “arch of perfections” of a traveler, is called a “station.” “The gifts and radiance of everyone is in proportion to his or her capacity.”

Every traveler to the Truth ends the journey at a certain peak and observes all the worlds, materially and spiritually, from this summit or pinnacle. The final point which every traveler reaches according to his or her capacity is the peak particular to that individual, and therefore each peak is of a relative height. The highest, the only real peak, which separates the mortal from the Eternal or the contingent from the absolutely necessary, which is mentioned in the Qur'an in “or nearer” in the statement a distance between the strings of two bows adjacent each other or even less (53:9), which describes the nearness of God’s Messenger to God, is the one belonging to the master of creation, upon him be the most perfect of blessings. All other heights are defined, in comparison with one another, with such expressions as “lower” or higher" or “greater” or “less” and belong to those whom God has made near to Him, and the godly are relative and in proportion to the capacity-capital of everyone and the Divine gifts with which they are favored.

When the initiates step on their individual horizon of perfection and make their heart into a polished mirror to the sacred Divine gifts, that heart becomes familiar with the Divine look and the breezes of Divine inspiration, and they begin to feel and view creation differently, according to the individual’s level. They burn with the excitement of demonstrating to others what each sees and feels.

Those initiates always think of Him and mention Him as “The One to be worshipped is He-God”, breathing the truth of “The One to be sought is He-God”, pondering their inner world and the outer world, respiring with “The One to be known is He-God” and relating everything to the truth of the Divine Being around the axis of Names and Attributes, developing their belief, first based on acceptance without seeing what is believed in, into a conviction based on a seeing by the heart, supported by a state of spiritual pleasures. They experience verbal and physical devotion with such delight that it is as if they have entered Paradise and been favored with a vision of God. Haqani says:

What behoves an initiate is to proclaim: We worship but God alone.

They hold back from everything which they think is not approvable in His sight, and think of Him only. They reflect deeply on a profound understanding of the fields that He allows.

Initiates who have come to the end of their journey think only of Him, consider Him, know and concentrate on Him with His of “He.” They consider and concentrate on Him because of Him and because they must do so, and they consider all else than Him-whether relating to this world or the next-only in accordance with and in proportion to His permission. For one who has focused on Him only and considers all else save Him because of Him, the only thing to be sought and desired is He and His good pleasure. Let us listen to Mawlana once more:

O you who are seeking the world; you are like a day laborer in this world;

And you, lover of Paradise, are also far distant from truth.

O you, who are unaware of the truth and pleased with the two worlds,

You are excused, for you have not felt the pleasure of suffering for the Beloved’ sake.

In short, initiates who have determined their goal well and who are aware of the horizon where they are, leave both their bodies and souls, with which others are most concerned, on the bench where corpses are washed for burial, and scatter all their capital of being before the door of their heart. Freed from all concerns of everything save Him that may keep them from their way, they turn to their heart and try to understand its voice. They put their eyes and ears under the command of their insight, they plunge into the pure world of metaphysical considerations. It sometimes occurs that they can transcend space in one attempt, and make their voices heard by the inhabitants of heavens in another.

This point, where the heart turns completely to the invisible speaker in it, is like a launch pad from which initiates can rise to the door of eternity in one leap. A step forward, with their head and feet having met at the same point, the heroes of ascension (to God) and descent (to return to being amidst the people) become like a ring. In such state, where the “bird of petition” should be sent to God, lips and voice fall silent, and only the warm sounds of the heart are heard. The head bends itself down to lean ever increasingly on the heart, and whispers to itself: Worship your Lord until certainty comes to you (by death) (15:99).

O God! I ask You for Your love and the love for him who loves You, and for the deeds which will cause me to get near to You.

O God, bestow Your blessings and peace on Your beloved one and the Messenger, Mustafa, and on his family and Companions, who were appreciative and faithful.

[sablelab]

Three Days in the Highlands Chapter 39

DISCLAIMER:

This is a complete work of fiction and as such is an entirely fabricated tale created in my imagination.  I appreciate you taking the time to read my story. Many thanks xox

SYNOPSIS:

All that was left now was their complete capitulation and submission to each other.

*Warning. This chapter is NC-17, NSFW

Chapter 39

Caitriona felt Sam’s expressive hands on her shivering hips propelling her forward, aligning her with his aroused, throbbing body.  His legs captured hers and they locked their feet, caressing each other with gentle teasing of toe to toe. She was impatient for those wonderful, powerful thrusts she knew her man would give her and consequently she tried to rock her hips back and forth against him in a demand for his movement into her depths. Her desire for her love was escalating out of control, and Cait’s keening whimpers were nearly his undoing. She was already beyond frenzied pleasure, she wanted total possession, full submission and she needed to give herself completely to him. 

The person of her desire placed his soft lips to her velvet breasts lathing her distended nipples then possessively started kissing her, up towards her neck. The pulse there was beating a rhythm in synch with his and Sam felt the throb of Caitriona’s heart as his chest fell against hers. Crying out in bliss she moaned quietly as her silky thighs rubbed seductively against him.

“Pllll-eeease,” she begged.

Raising himself up on his arms, Sam pulled his face away from his love’s and looked at her with eyes that showed clearly the full force of lust he was feeling at the moment.  He stared at his beloved’s glorious body underneath him in wonder wanting the same thing as she did. He wanted to merge with her so deeply in her body that he could already feel the slick sensation of her walls embracing him as he entered her depths. Sam’s desire was to satisfy his Cait in every way possible and then more.  He wasn't sure he could wait any longer either, for his engorged erection was throbbing and seeking the comfort of its home.  He longed to consummate their love and the vision of Caitriona’s shapely curved, beautiful hips made him part her legs hurriedly. They parted invitingly for the man she loved, and wrapped around Sam’s hips until she caged him against her whilst unconsciously grinding provocatively against him. His hands cupped her buttocks and Cait clenched in need, desperate to feel his swollen length pulsing inside her body. Sam’s strong elbows held his weight up where they rested on either side of her head as his lips claimed hers.  His tongue possessively stroked inside her mouth making Caitriona writhe wantonly against him while her hands rubbed up and down his torso.  Uncontrollably, she moaned out his name, inaudibly tottering on the brink of surrender, ready for his entrance into her as Sam pushed powerfully against her.

"Cai-triona," was his guttural groan against her mouth as he slowly eased himself into her warm femininity.

Desire flooded her body so intensely that she trembled with the force of her want. His knowing hand slid familiarly between their bodies, stroking over her flesh. How he managed to go slowly, when he wanted to mate fast and furious, nearly brutally with her, he didn’t know. He only knew that he loved this woman beyond reason and he would do nothing to hurt her in this most sacred of acts.  Sam held back because he respected her, loved her, and wanted Cait to know that every time they came together it would be a new and wonderful experience for them both to cherish.

Passion filled eyes found hers, locking with her gaze, with such tenderness that it made Caitriona’s chest tighten almost painfully with overwhelming emotion. Holding himself still Sam hungrily devoured her mouth with a searing kiss. She answered him with a yielding whimper and wrapped her legs tighter around his buttocks arching her luscious body toward him with a look of contented pleasure on her face. Sighing in complete exhilaration, Cait felt her love slide into her body like a sword into a scarab, so smooth and quick, that she was panting in her joy. Sam was savouring the satisfaction of his erection’s homecoming, the acceptance of her welcoming walls, and the complete acknowledgement that this is where he belonged. They completed each other and he was overcome with how this connection with his love always felt so right. 

As his powerful erection plunged further into her welcoming depths, her body clenched around him flexing her inner muscles to hold her love tightly and prevent him from withdrawing from her.  She adored the feel of his erection and she felt him swelling more as her whole body shuddered in delirium. So close to toppling over into an abyss Caitriona couldn’t think straight … only feel. The intense, erotic sensitization of their massage had comprehensively primed her for this moment and combined with his sensual skills were almost too much for her to bear.  Her senses were heightened beyond words and she was tingling all over as a tsunami of feelings washed over her.

His hips pumped, creating a slow rhythm that had Cait moaning with each thrust. It felt so good ... it was beyond good. Every one of her senses was in tune with his movements, overwhelming her and she started to move with him, rolling her hips and clenching her thighs to bring him closer. Sam smiled knowing this and thrust his throbbing member into her deeper and deeper until he felt her walls exquisitely caress him. Lowering his lips to his beloved’s neck, he nipped her skin, biting her flesh and then kissed away the tell-tale marks he’d left with his soft lips. Repeated movements of his body were so sexual that every muscle flexed as he drove inside the woman he adored.  Moaning loudly, Caitriona closed her eyes in the sheer joy of Sam’s body in hers and she threw her head backwards arching her neck and giving him greater access to her erogenous skin as he stroked into her again and again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

His sustained gyrations into her welcoming flesh uncontrollably stimulated her and Cait's guttural moans echoed in their room in abandoned pleasure. Imprisoned within her warmth, he too felt overwhelmed by her responses to him. Sam groaned as his kisses to her neck and his hardness sliding within her, made her lose herself again, lost in the aura of their coupling. Caitriona began to moan continuously uttering wordless syllables as her man relentlessly stroked within her, bringing her closer and closer to an orgasmic capitulation. Her arms circled back around Sam’s body, her fingers dug into his shoulders. The force of his thrusts became stronger, more insistent driving into his love and one of his hands cupped her breast, caressing the soft mound before he stroked her nipple with the pad of his thumb.

“Oh God,” she cried out arching her neck back and digging her fingers harder into his shoulders as her man thrust his hips.

The intense friction of his movements in and out of her body was amazing. Sam moaned out Caitriona’s name as he wanted to spin out of control too, especially when his sustained thrusting went deeper and deeper into her body. He stroked repeatedly into his love, withdrawing and entering into her erogenous depths of home knowing they were nearing the zenith of sensation.  However, he was struggling to contain his climax, as he selflessly wanted to guide his Cait to experience her own orgasm before he sought his own release. A strangled moan tore from her lips as Caitriona grabbed the back of Sam’s head, grasping the strands of his hair in her hands while holding him tightly against her body. Growling deep in his throat, he quickened his pace.

“Oh God, please,” she begged as she started to grind against him too.

Resting his weight on his knees, Sam thrust again and again into her body, his buttocks flexing with each forward movement. With rhythmic strokes, he continued to bring his angel to the pinnacle of desire. The slither of his member against her walls was overpowering her rational thought. She simply felt.  She breathed … but just. Caitriona was consumed by the total joy wracking her body. Sam’s tormenting forays deep inside her where he belonged felt wonderful. At last he was where she wanted him, merged within her, and giving her such cataclysmic feelings that she raised her hips to help deepen his thrusts. Temporally slowing his rhythm, he watched his Cait writhing on the bed. He had never seen anything more beautiful than his love in the throes of passion knowing that he was the one responsible for her euphoria. Her hands clenched the sheets twisting the material and thrashing her head from side to side and as he hit her special spot, Caitriona began to yell and arch up against him. She raised her hands from the twisted sheets and her fingers sank deeply into his back leaving pressure welts on his skin.

“Ohhh ...Sam, don’t stop!” she voiced in husky explosive ecstasy. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sucking in a quick breath, her eyes opened wide at the feeling of her love slowly sliding out of her body. Clenching her inner muscles Cait tried to prevent him from withdrawing completely from her depths and she cried out in anguish as Sam nearly withdrew.  Her hands moved around his neck grasping tightly at the strands of his hair in her need.  However, he merely paused for a brief moment before immediately thrusting forward with one powerful stroke, plunging back into her body but a little harder this time which sent copious shivers ricocheting through her being.

Caitriona was delirious with emotion, moaning uncontrollably. Sam repeatedly entered and withdrew and each thrust was quicker, deeper and harder than the last. Incredible pleasure ripped through her body as it moved with his, then rolling slightly on the bed she tilted her hips to bring her love more fully against her. Cait soon cried out in pleasure as his powerful thrusts hit her G spot sending an electric current shooting through her body from the tip of her toes to the top of her head.  Caitriona whimpered and Sam looked down at her loving the way his angel was coming apart at the seams.  A sublime orgasm vibrated within her body but before it had reached its pinnacle, her love once again thrust into her, this time feeling her capture his length as her tremors exploded around him.

Panting erratically, she was unable to speak as she looked up at the man she adored lost in his essence suffocating her senses.

“Sss-am …” she managed to mew out desperately bucking against him as her arms tightened around his body holding him to her heart.  Burying her face in his neck, Cait’s lips scattered open mouth kisses and caresses along her man’s feverish skin then delicately licked a bead of sweat that had formed on his neck, ravenous for a taste of his skin. Her nipples ached against his skin burning his flesh as surely as if they were alight. She held her man closer to her, biting his shoulder, whimpering in her delight.

"Ohhh," she moaned huskily. "Oh God, Sam … I love you so."

The primal motion was so erotic that her entire body exploded in tingles of pleasure, a shiver racing down her spine. With her legs entwined with his and feet twisted together, Caitriona held Sam closer grabbing his backside. She dug her nails into his taut flesh as her body was rocked with a powerful orgasm; spasms ripped through her making her shudder and whimper uncontrollably. Her hands gripped his back as her orgasm exploded inside of her and her legs quivered in delirious abandon. Everything inside her had turned to molten liquid as if she were dissolving before his very eyes.  Her senses were overloaded, satiated as were his for her. Suddenly, Sam’s body felt the rippling effect of his Cait’s pleasure as she still shuddered in sublime ecstasy.  Her inner muscles clenched around his member as he took her over the edge into total oblivion.

Caitriona was indeed melting in a pleasure so profound it overwhelmed her and overwhelmed him too. He nuzzled her neck, as her pleasure became his pleasure. Sam felt as though they had merged together, fused, moulded to each other as close as possible to being under each other’s skin. His Cait smelt wonderful, she tasted divine, she felt amazing and she was so beautiful in her passion and her moans, that her keening utterances touched his heart. Caitriona raised her hips preventing his escape as he too trembled within her depths.  He had a frantic primitive need within him for his beloved so intense that it was sending him to his own Nirvana.  Sam felt his body swell with his impending release. Unable to wait a moment longer, he stroked wildly against her once more as he too capitulated to her body.  Reaching a mind-blowing climax the erotic energy of their simultaneous orgasms vibrated through every fibre of their beings.

"Ahhhh! Yes … oh God, yes!" he roared.  

His head fell back beside Cait’s on the pillow his lips hovering over her shoulder as his entire body tensed and jerked. Sam buried his face into Caitriona’s neck as they both cried out their release breathing harshly beside her ear and with hearts pounding wildly beneath their chests in matching syncopation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spent, they lay back together side by side in the bed resting their heads on the pillow and with their faces mere inches apart, both satiated from their intense intimate joining and totally exhausted. Wondrous of the powerful euphoria their coming together had given them; the lovers were cocooned in intimate connectedness skin to skin in quiet thought and enjoying the sensations that flooded their bodies. This was a time of profound peace and contentment for them, as they let the astonishing experiences they had shared together relax them.

Turning his head towards Caitriona, Sam captured her passion laced eyes in his gaze. Gently, he drew her to his side and tenderly wrapped his arms around her protectively enclosing her in the warmth of his embrace.  Cait felt cherished and rested her head in the crook of his neck her breathing in synch with his. This intimate time spent cuddling was so precious, for it was in the afterglow of their lovemaking that they felt so connected. Everything that had transpired today had been monumental in some way and Sam couldn’t help but reflect on the day’s and night’s events.  

Their coupling especially, had completely amazed him for it was just so natural and it felt so right to join with his angel so perfectly.  He had put all of his feelings on the line this weekend for Caitriona and he would do it many times over again to show her how he really felt.  He would risk everything; do anything for the woman he loved, for a love that risked nothing was worth nothing.  He had no idea how The Powers That Be would take the knowledge of their involvement and how it would affect the show, but it was a chance he was willing to take.  

Sam leisurely ran his hand down his Cait’s soft skin caressing her body almost absentmindedly over and over.  

They were both mature adults in a loving relationship.  They were not teenagers in the first bloom of romance and they would find a way around it if it was problematic.   Anyone with half a brain could see that his actions were the confirmation of his feelings towards the most wonderful woman in the world. Who in their right mind could deny them their happiness? 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Caitriona closed her eyes feeling her body relax and float away. Whatever she was experiencing was nothing she had ever experienced before. Their lovemaking tonight had been on a different level completely. This time it had been so spiritual.  

Snuggling closer to Sam, she breathed in the scent of this wonderful man that knew her so intimately that it was as if he was under her skin. Tonight they had absorbed each other into their psyche until they had merged into one being, the two halves that had now become one. She felt so satisfied that it was difficult to keep her eyes open.  Cait could hear Sam speaking to her, but she was still in a state of Nirvana and the words just floated on the air like a gentle breeze in the grass.  Her mind was so befuddled that any conversation was lost on her.  She was so very sleepy and incognizant of any rational thought and could barely keep her eyes open at all. Even the sound of her lover’s voice seemed so far, far away and closing her eyes, she scummed to the exhaustion that racked her body.

Feeling his love’s limp body against him, Sam carefully leaned down and pulled the covers up over their exhausted bodies providing a warm cocoon in which the lovers nestled.  It felt so good lying like this with his arms holding his love as she began to fall asleep. Sam smiled indulgently at the woman he adored and tenderly eased the hair covering her cheek away from her face.  His eyes gently caressed her features in repose and lovingly placed a kiss to her forehead feeling her steady breathing on his neck.

His warm breath fanned her cheek as he whispered the words in his heart against her ear, “You did say that you would marry me Caitriona?”

Although she automatically responded to the sound of his voice, she was on the cusp of a total, deep slumber and Cait’s reply was barely audible and totally incoherent.  “Yes Sam,” was her muffled, drowsy reply.

Her heartbeat had slowed significantly and was almost at a normal rhythm now as he listened to its steady beat. Smiling beguiling down at the angel in his arms at her reply, Sam gently kissed her cheek.  

“Go to sleep my angel and wait ‘til the morning.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It wasn’t long before Sam too succumbed to an exhaustive but satisfied slumber but not before he had mentally rehearsed his proposal plan to win the lady of his heart.  He had already organised most of how he wanted the day to pan out and Caitriona’s fur baby would also be involved in his tactics. He was quietly confident that there was no way that his love could ever resist his Scottish charm or Eddie’s big wide eyes when he proposed to the love of his life.  He couldn’t wait to see her face in the morning.

With a satisfied smile and with the promise of greater joys for them both in the dawning of a new day, Sam finally let sleep enfold him.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Thanks for reading. xox

[renu-m]

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀 2017 Convocation “Transforming Your Life by the Power of Consciousness and Positive Thought” ~ Brother Satyananda (DISCLAIMER: These notes are our (Devotee2devotee) best attempt to capture the essence of what was said at this class. There is always a degree of human error involved when taking notes and we have transcribed them to the best of our ability.) Brother Chidananda opened Convocation with these words: Let’s open this spiritual week by invoking the presence of God and our great Gurus. We are now entering a sacred space of the living Divine.Ma left this world after many years of serving. Ma expressed how much love and joy she felt being at convocation. Her personal message: “Dear Ones, Warm greetings in the name of our beloved Gurudev. Immerse yourself in the timeless truth of Master’s teachings. Know in my heart and in my thoughts that I am with you. No one is more eager them Master to redeem our divine heritage. He will help us along the way and bless us. Release the cares, disturbances, and busyness of daily life. The blessings of God and Guru are pouring out to you. Think of Guruji walking with you and praying for you. Awareness of the loving presence of God and Guru is the greatest strength we have. Open your heart and consciousness fully and allow their blessings to flow through you. 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀 2017 Convocation “Transforming Your Life by the Power of Consciousness and Positive Thought” ~ Brother Satyananda Tonight we go to the heart and soul of positive thought – the thought of God. Master teaches that thought has unique properties. The essence of thought is vibration and each thought has its own vibration which leads to matter. This is the root cause – the vibrational potency of sacred thought. Brother wanted his very own mantra for life. He was trying out mantras to find the right one. Nothing seemed to be working. He prayed deeply for his own mantra. He was in a Satsanga with Sri Daya Mata. For him, at one point it seemed all the monastics seemed to disappear and he felt her say only to him that you should choose your own mantra like “Om Guru.” He was overjoyed – his prayer had been answered. But the magic wasn’t there and he forgot it. Then he prayed to Master. Next meditation he heard Ma’s voice say, “Om Guru” and he realized she showed him how it should be chanted. So he began to invoke the mantra like Ma and felt a divine vibration. Ma repeated it with a musical intensity. This is cosmic law at work: the vibration of the sacred word. Dynamic from Music: Intonation – the way a note is expressed. Repetition – is a series of notes with intonation. Resonance – is the intonation and repetition combined. Brother gave the example of Christopher Parkening, the classical guitarist. Brother went to a private concert of Parkening. Bach’s music inspired in Parkening the spirit of Jesus. He had a prayerful concentration in the sound of each note. As the repetition continued, Brother fle the waves of the musical resonance and he started to cry. He cried from hearing the beautiful vibration of Bach on Parkenson’s guitar. He felt the love of Jesus on the guitar. In the introduction to Whispers From Eternity, Master talks about the word of God – the Om. In God Talks with Arjuna, Master discusses the Art and Science of Silent, Sacred Chanting. Chapter 10, Verse 25: “Of the Maharishis (mighty sages), I am Bhrigu; among words, I am the one syllable Aum; among yajnas (holy ceremonies), I am japa-yajna (silent, superconscious chanting); among stationary objects, I am the Himalaya.” Master’s Commentary: “As the roar of the ocean is the composite sound of all its waves, so the cosmic sound of Aum is the essence of all differentiated creative vibrations. Aum is the symbol of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” His first manifestation in creation is the cosmic intelligent vibration, the intelligent Holy Ghost vibration, whose sound is Aum or the Word. The spoken word and all languages, the astral lore of the gods, every natural and mechanical sound—all owe their origin to the cosmic sound of Aum. Yogis tune in with this cosmic sound to expand their consciousness into the omnipresent perception of God. Yajna signifies a sacrificial rite for uniting the oblation, or what it symbolizes, with the object of worship—such as offering human desires into the purifying flame of Spirit, or casting the sense mind into the Fire of cosmic consciousness. The ultimate purpose is yoga, the union of soul and Spirit. Japa, in general, is devotional repetition, aloud or mentally, of sacred prayers, words, or names of God. Chanting of any word creates a certain vibration; practice of japa fills the mind with holy vibrations that neutralize vibrations of material consciousness. There are special incantations used in India, called mantras, which have great vibratory force. Repeating them aloud or mentally—with sincere feeling, intelligent understanding, and intense concentration and determination to persevere until divine contact is actually felt—produces distinct results; body and mind are charged with power as their vibratory rate is heightened. Though any kind of japa offered sincerely asyajna is advantageous, chanting or praying aloud has the defect of diluting the attention-diffusing the energy in the outer action of vocalizing. (Overemphasis on devotional paraphernalia or on the external arrangements of the place of worship also tends to divert the soul outward.) Silent worship has greater power; one’s mental energy goes more quickly and directly to the indwelling Spirit. The supreme form of japa yajna is superconscious chanting, divine union through the actual perception of the purifying vibration of holy sound. It does not involve any physical or mental repetition of a word or words. The yogi’s attention is concentrated on listening to the actual cosmic sound of Aum, the Word of God, vibrating within him. Through this superior japa, the yogi expands his life into cosmic energy, his joy into divine ecstasy, his soul consciousness into cosmic consciousness, as he floats in the sphere of the ever-expanding cosmic sound of Aum. Among immobile creations in God’s dream world—those manifestations in which animate life, mind, and intellect have not unfolded—His divine loftiness is most prominently displayed in the massive Himalaya, snow-crowned pinnacle of the earth, abode and guardian of saints.” (GTWA 786-788) ~~~~~~ Mantra – holy word Japa – act of repetition Yajna – Vedic fire rite Yajna – fire is large and chanting has a strength of purpose and intention. Very intense. Ommmmmmmm, Guru… Ommmmmmmm, Guru The difference is in the vibration produced. The chanting of any word is the practice of Japa. Chanting and praying aloud is strong, but silent worship has greater power. Master encourages us to take it within. Internalizing the thought of God. Body and mind are charged with power as the vibrating rate is heightened. The application is quite simple. Do not create mental pictures – just chant the mantra and let the vibrations take you. The practice of Japa as a sacred rite fills the mind with spiritual vibration. Body and mind are charged with power. The supreme form of Japa is superconscious chanting. Concentrate and be intense for a short period of time and you’ll feel the vibrations manifest. Chant and be aware of vibration. Cosmic Om is a vibration we can feel and a sound we can hear. Sound emerges out of the vibration. From Master’s Cosmic Chants – Sound Is the Most Powerful Force in the Universe: “Sound or vibration is the most powerful force in the universe. Music is a divine art, to be used not only for pleasure but as a path to God-realization. Vibrations resulting from devotional singing lead to attunement with the Cosmic Vibration or the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Singers of these songs who want the best results should chant them alone or with true devotees of God, with ever increasing devotion and fervor. After the notes are learned, one’s undivided attention should be given to repeating them with deeper and deeper devotion, striving fully to understand the meaning of the words in the chant, until one is immersed in the bliss of singing. This joyous feeling is the first perception of God. Words that are saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs that have power to remove the rocks of difficulties and to create the change desired. The five states are: chanting aloud—whisper chanting—mental chanting—subconscious chanting—superconscious chanting. Subconscious chanting becomes automatic, with internal consciousness only, when the mind effortlessly repeats a chant in the background of one’s thoughts and activities. Superconscious Chanting Leads to Perception of Aum Superconscious chanting is that in which internal chanting vibrations are converted into realization and are established in the superconscious, subconscious, and conscious minds. Holding the attention unbrokenly on the real Cosmic Vibration, Aum or Om, not on an imaginary or an outward sound, is the beginning of real superconscious chanting.” ~~~~~~~ As we concentrate on vibration as sound, it will expand. God, God, God poem is a sacred mantra that is intoned with sacred voice and feeling. Master is telling us something very important in this poem. As the challenges of maya increase with intensity, the intonation of the God, God, God chant increases in intensity. This is Japa Yajna. ~~~~~~ God God God From the depth of slumber, As I ascend the spiral stairway of wakefulness, I whisper God, God, God! Thou art the food and when I break my fast Of nightly separation from Thee I taste thee and mentally say God, God, God! No matter where I go, the spotlight of my mind Ever keeps turning on Thee; And in the battle dim of activity my silent war cry Is ever; God, God, God! When boisterous storms of trials shriek And worries howl at me, I drown their noises, loudly chanting God, God, God! When my mind weaves dreams With treads of memories, Then on that magic cloth I do emboss; God, God, God! Ever night, in time of deepest sleep, My peace dreams and calls; Joy! Joy! Joy! And my Joy comes singing evermore; God, God, God! In waking, eating, working, dreaming, sleeping, Serving, meditating, chanting, divinely loving, My soul constantly hums, unheard by any; God, God, God! – Paramahansa Yogananda ~~~~~~ In Scientific Healing Vibrations, Master uses highly explosive vibration bombs. Master is being metaphysical and teaches us the power of vibration. Confront and take down the enemy on the mental level using Master’s chants. Throw it into the fire! We don’t have to worry about being weak and afraid if we know the power of Japa Yajna. Then we’re in tune with new possibilities. We must train ourselves to stop the useless conversations in the mind and begin quietly chanting Om Guru. Then as the mind is drawn in, fill the mind with the mantra and you’ll be lifted up. Activate the silent mantra within until it exceeds the conflict around you. You will feel the vibrational shift. The power of Japa yoga will neutralize the worldly maya. Sharpen your sword – work with the mantra. You are creating a sustaining energy of Om and it will be there for you when you need it. It’s a great defense system and it puts you in a higher vibration. We hear the clarity in Mrinalini Ma’s voice in her loving relationship with God. Vibrations of chant will transform. Behind Ma’s prayer is Japa Yoga. They know the power that comes from invocation. This is how we get the vibration of God through the Om vibration. Feel the ocean of God’s love behind your consciousness.

[kittypeas]

The Force Awakens and fairytales: part two. Prince Lindworm.

This is the second and (probably) last part or my essay “The Force Awakens and Fairytales”. This time I wanted to describe the Norwegian folktale about Prince Lindworm (which can you read HERE) which, in my opinion, is the most accurate summary of Kylo/Ben & Rey relationship. First, I will discuss a theoretical framework and concepts that I will need to conduct proper analysis of the parallels between TFA and “Prince Lindworm”. But don’t get discouraged! Throughout this essay I will continuously get back to the movie.

Some time ago Pablo Hidalgo tweeted that „long time ago in a galaxy far away” should be read as a begenning of a fairy tale. Surely it means more than just a fact that every movie in Star Wars trilogies is similar to popular tales like Snow White or the Beauty and the Beast. A myth or a folktale is, as Karen Armstrong describes it “in some sense is an occurrence that happened once and happens over and over again”, because it takes place inside each of us when we read, adapt and reenact it. “Mythology, just like poetry and music, should open us to a sense of wonder, even in the face of death or a threat of annihilation.”

This notion reminds me of your posts that I see frequently on my dash: those where you described how reylo helps you in dealing with difficulties, how you find yourself in various traits displayed by the characters, how they can voice your feelings and thoughts. Because every fairytale has also a therapeutic aspect, which manifests itself in the said sense of wonder, described by Rudolf Otto as a numinotic experience. Numinosum is an encounter with Mysterium tremendum et fascinans:

Mysterium which is a source for the English word “mystery” has its roots in Greek “mysterion” which originates from “myein” which can be traced in “mustism”, a condition in which a person is deprived of an ability to speak. Mysterium is a superhuman revelation which we experience in silence because it is both tremendum, as you can guess – tremendous, terrible – and fascinans, fascinating. Igen wrote:

“Our religions and psychotherapies offer frames of reference for processing unbearable agonies, and perhaps, also, unbearable joys. At times, art or literature brings the agony-ecstasy of life together in a pinnacle of momentary triumph. Good poems are time pellets, offering places to live emotional transformations over lifetimes. There are moments of processing, pulsations that make life meaningful, as well as mysterious. But I think these aesthetic and religious products gain part of their power from all the moments of breakdown that went into them.”

There is an intimate relationship between the numinosum and trauma, often conceptualized as a rupture in continuity of personal narrative. On the other hand, experiencing the numinosum –through physically inconsequential process of identfication with fairy – tales characters and participation in their adventures as well as struggles – is a factor that could restore unity to individual’s inner world. To paraphrase Kalsched’s claim: a fairytale describes psyche’s self-portrait of its own archaic defensive operations; in other words, it illustrates a psychological process and even though the events from a fairy tale never took place the material world, they take place inside any of us during the lecture. The Force Awakens, just like the story of a dragon or a snake Lindworm is an example of a type of story about a traumatic event, dissociation or a fissure in personality, and the need for internal integration. In this sense the only hero of the story is Prince Lindworm – or Kylo Ren, whose ego (i.e. self) breaks, or is dissociated.

“I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain”

In TFA it happens when Ben Solo symbolically kills his former self and gives himself a new name. He tells Han that “his son is dead” but you know that it is not true and those two identities are alive and at war with themselves. In the story about Prince Lindworm this division is marked in the moment of his birth. Lindworm was one of the pair of twins. Cirlot writes in his book of symbols: “dual nature of twins has two sides, one light and one dark, one giving life and the other bringing death; […] However, the night craves to become the day, evil admires righteousness, life is heading towards death.” This duality often serves a certain narrative purpose and can, for example, be used to avoid the taboo of parricide, like in “Enchanted doe” where one of the brothers kills their mother. In The Force Awakens it is not Ben Solo, Han’s son who murders him, but alien to him Kylo Ren.

It is said in the beginning of the tale that “And this [that they couldn’t have children] often made them both sad, because the Queen wanted a dear little child to play with, and the King wanted an heir to the kingdom”. Then, it is quite possible that the duality of twins is used to illustrate the process in which all unacceptable affects – anger, aggression, defiance – are placed not in the firstborn son but in his shadow, his evil brother. What supports this thesis is the fact that after the happy ending another wedding is prepared but not a word is spoken about Lindworm’s brother. In TFA Kylo Ren represents the same qualities as Lindworm, while Ben Solo is a boy who was born to the light.

This is not the only split visible in the characters of the narratives. The “Prince Lindworm” fairytale belongs to quite popular type which describe the story of monsters which hunt innocent girls, like Bluebeard, the Beauty and The beast and almost all vampire stories.

Their common point is the motive of a malevolent figure, abducting and captivating defenseless woman. What seems most interesting, is that every time a vampire, a sorcerer, or a terrifying creature is both a persecutor and a savior. In the fairy tale of Bluebeard, the protagonist wants to test his wife, but instructs her how she can get out of his jail. Similarly Count Dracula, who in the Coppola’s adaptation allows the woman and the men protecting her to catch him. As Suzy McKee Charnas writes in the "vampire tapestry": the monster is a "predator paralyzed by an unwanted empathy with his prey".

The titular vampire of the story recalls yet another fairy tale, when he accuses the main character that she wants to seduce him. He mocks her, saying: “Unicorn, come lay your head in my lap while the hunters close in. You are a wonder, and for love of wonder I will tame you. You are pursued, but forget your pursuers, rest under my hand till they come and destroy you"  That's where the title of this novel came from, and this is what medieval tapestries and paintings depict.  Nowadays we think a unicorn is a beautiful, enchanting horse. Once upon a time it belonged to the catalog of wild beasts and in many works of art it is depicted as a dangerous predator, tearing animals and people into pieces.

The ‘Hellsing” manga describes vampires as follows:

It seems that in the depths of his heart the creature from a fairytale wants to be killed. The human part of the monster is suffering because of the terrible fate he was condemned to.  It is the girl who impersonates this dissociated, human element of the monster who wants to be defeated and liberated by death.

“You, a scavenger”

Typically, these women are described as virgins or poor peasants – which in the “Prince Lindworm” tale is underlined many times – the narrator often speaks of their bare feet, as in the Snow Queen tales in which Gerda sets out barefoot to the snowy land to save her beloved Kay from Snow Queen. The Lapland shaman says about her: “I can not give her more power than she already has. Can not you see how great she is? You do not see how men and animals are obliged to serve her; How she travels the whole world with bare feet? This power does not come from the magic, it comes from her heart!…”

Still, the bare feet of heroines or their virginity do not symbolize - as we would expect - their innocence. On unicorn tapestries there is often a scene in which a unicorn sleeps in a woman's embrace, and then the hunter's arrows reach him. In this situation, the victim puts her persecutor in a mortal danger. Similarly, Rey is “no one”, lowly scavenger from a desert planet, uncivilized and uneducated. But she is the one who brings the prince to his knees.

At the end of the story, it is said: " No bride was ever so beloved by a King and Queen as this peasant maid from the shepherd’s cottage. There was no end to their love and their kindness towards her: because, by her sense and her calmness and her courage, she had saved their son, Prince Lindworm”. Stories about young men tell about their courage that helped them in the process of becoming a hero; correspondingly, the girl from “Prince Lindworm” is not fearless, but brave when she decides to oppose the hideous snake, or, in case of Rey, to defy someone who might as well be a monster under his mask. When the girl says "Prince Lindworm, slough a skin!" (just like Rey when she wants Kylo to take his helmet off) he replies, " No one has ever dared tell me to do that before". He hissed and showed her teeth, but the girl was not afraid (“you! You are afraid…!”) and persuaded him to do as she commanded. At first we do not know if Lindworm, outraged by her impudence, will not eat her alive, but there is  this part of Lindworm which wants to obey and – by revealing his weakness to the girl – make him mortal, easy to hurt. And indeed, "And there was nothing left of the Lindworm but a huge thick mass, most horrible to see. Then the girl seized the whips, dipped them in the lye, and whipped him as hard as ever she could. Next, she bathed him all over in the fresh milk. Lastly, she dragged him on to the bed and put her arms round him. And she fell fast asleep that very moment. "

As it has been said, girl’s compassion is the key to Lindworm's transformation but before this act is completed, "the girl confronts Lindworm with his violence on his own terms." Only after reflecting and recognizing his - and consequently her own - destructiveness and aggression (just the way Rey did during the duel on Starkiller Base), the prince-monster is bathed in milk – which symbolizes the milk of his mother – and can be born anew – so he can lay in the arms of woman. Bettelheim said: "If we do not want to be ruled and - in extreme cases – torn apart by our ambivalences, we must recognize them, deal with them in a constructive manner and reconcile with ourselves and our personalities."

Her grief is nothing more but the mercy shown to a monster by a man in him. It is then that the integration of his "ego" with the numinosum happens. As Anna Freud wrote, "The most pressing task of man is to resurrect what he has annihilated in a defensive reaction, i.e. recreate what has been repressed, return to the previous place what has been displaced what he moved, to return to the old place, and integrate what he dissociated.”

 It seems that Ben Solo has a lot work to do! ;)