Into the Mystery

As we enter the solstice, there is a quality of breakdown, a quality by which the shadow elements of our Being can emerge to be cleared, making way for that day represented by the solstice and by Christmas where the light returns … something within us re-emerges out of the dark. This episode is an encouragement to discover that inner luminosity again.

What does it mean to live from the heart rather than the head? As we clear away the residue of past conditioning, traumas, desires, and resistance, it becomes increasingly possible to embrace and even love those aspects of our existence that we might otherwise avoid. And in doing so, we unlock the secret to experiencing a love we may have sought for a lifetime, and indeed one more powerful than we imagined possible.

In the second half of our masculine/feminine discussion, we dive deeper into the dynamics of Shiva and Shakti, clarify some concepts from episode 1 such as the “chaotic” nature of feminine/yin energy, and throw around the word “phallocentric.”

Although society traditionally associates “masculine” with male biology and “feminine” with female biology, in truth every individual possesses and expresses aspects of both. When we look at the movement of Divine masculine and feminine energies independent of one’s sex, we begin to see the beautiful dance they create together.

Humans need access to the full spectrum of masculine and feminine energies in order to enjoy a full, creative life, and trouble can arise when we overemphasize one side at the expense of the other. The beauty, as always, is found in the balance — whether in an individual or between two Beings in relationship.

In spiritual work, we sometimes refer to “the Longing.” We can think of it as an inner sense of something we desperately want but can’t quite define; for many people it is this unspecified sense of craving that brings us to practice in the first place.

In this episode, we explore: What is it? What does it want? How do we satisfy it? Can it be satisfied? As we dive deeper, we discover that this capital-L Longing isn’t about fulfilling the common desires of life for possessions, connection or status (though it is most often mistaken for that). Instead, our experience of this Longing can reveal to us the deepest truths of Creation.

Our defense mechanisms help protect us from experiencing our original existential wound, which is our sense of separation from our Divinity. If we are to overcome them, we must begin to allow ourselves to be vulnerable — to embrace those parts of our personalities we’ve split off and rejected, to stand calmly in the face of attack, and to grow more comfortable with uncertainty. Doing so will reveal our inherent inner peace, strength, and ultimate invulnerability as Spirit.

In one sense, what we commonly refer to as “ego” is simply a collection of defense mechanisms — the habits of seeing, interpreting, and behaving in the world that help us to preserve a feeling of security and well-being. These can be as simple as needing to be “right” or as complex as highly structured fantasies we maintain about the world we live in. We are usually unaware of our defense mechanisms, and if they remain unrecognized they can prolong unnecessary suffering. 

 

In this episode, prompted by a listener request, we talk about different kinds of defense mechanisms, what we use them to defend against, and how tools such as the Enneagram can help us uncover our unique defensive patterning so that we can begin to dissolve it.

Krishnamurti reportedly said, ”It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society,” and as we go deeper into our practice, the accuracy of that statement becomes ever more apparent. As our devotion to Truth grows, it reveals how fiercely the default world remains slavishly committed to upholding delusion and untruth. 

 

So: If we are to be “in the world but not of it,” we need strategies for remaining centered in our Awareness as outside forces pressure us to adapt to every new development. Discernment, commitment, and boundary setting are key. In this episode, we discuss what that means.

One of the strongest compulsions of the ego is to try to make itself “bigger” and “better” in comparison to others. But why? If we inquire more deeply into this process, we find that our drive toward the grandiose is actually a distortion of a deeper, natural instinct toward expressing the grandeur of our Being. How do we tell the difference?…and more important, how do we decrease the operation of ego and increase the embodiment of grandeur? We discuss in this episode.

In this episode: At some point in our practice we must address the inevitable question that has confounded human beings since the beginning of time: Who am I? — or, more accurately, What am I? Having long conceptualized ourselves in terms of a particular collection of egoic structures, we sense something more spacious, stable, and omnipresent calling, and we long to know ourselves as It.

The question feels unsolvable at first, but as yogis we can learn to discern between the movements of ego and exquisite attributes of our Divine true nature. In this episode we explore the transition from egoic identification to Self-embodiment. We hope this speaks to you deeply.