Picture: Sacagawea & baby

I have been reading a historical novel about the life of Sacagawea, the Native Agaidika Shoshone woman who was an unlikely member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the North American continent.

Sacagawea was taken as a slave when the Shoshone were raided by another tribal nation. She was passed from owner to owner many times, usually she was lost by her owner when he was gambling. Eventually she became the property of a metis, a french Canadian trader; he already owned two other wives.

Sacagawea’s life was very hard, however wherever she went her character shone through. She was born the daughter of a chief of the Shoshone and she displayed in her many life’s roles bravery, industry, intelligence and resilience.

When Lewis and Clark hired her husband as a translator they met Sacagawea and recognized her intelligence and her usefulness in dealing with the Shoshone when they went up river and would abandon their canoes and need horses. Also, as a woman part of the expedition she was a symbol of peace to new Nations.  

Time and again Sacagawea proved her usefulness and bravery. Today this girl/woman (she was just thirteen years old with a newborn when they took her on) is known far and wide for her role in the expedition.

She is such an unlikely heroine to be known about today. She was treated as property, was oftentimes abused and mistreated, a person of no account. Yet there are places named after her, she is written about and Sacajawea has become a symbol for the superior virtues of a woman.

There are many who live lives of quiet integrity. Perhaps no books will be written about them, they will not have statues in their image and they will not have places named after them, yet Sacagawea remains a symbol for the fact that forming a character of good qualities will win out in the end.

When we leave this life our character, those traits we have built through a lifetime of repeated effort and decision-making is what we take with us. Our position in life, wealth or lack of it, all of those things that seem so important to this world are all left behind when we leave this body. What we do take with us are those habits that make up our character. In that we may take inspiration from one small Shoshone woman whose character shone through difficult life experiences and is known far and wide for the vital role she played in exploring a vast continent.   

I am called to meditate; the messenger is a thrill up the spine, a rarified tingling sensation all around the cranium. I sit and joy bubbles up from deep within; a smile creases itself across my face and love pours out through the eyes. The eyes close—life is lifted up in the spine to the point between the eyebrows. Then, sliding through the ajna like moving through a super soft silken fabric. A tiny fragment of awareness feels Divine Light unfolding in the brain like so many petals of a rounded lotus. That too recedes and awareness is beyond the body, merging into all-space. No thought encroaches into that realm sublime. Pure awareness, slipping the bonds of heaven and earth where only resplendent Self exists. Oh Master, Oh Mother, saints of all religions, this is what you have come to awaken in us. All else is simply stuff of the mind. Oh Lord, You are the moving and motionless Spirit, the author of all that is and so much more. I melt in gratitude. Om Gurus, Om Sri Ram.

Picture: Master with flower bouquet sent by Rose and Bob

It has been interesting to observe how God continues to use this form for His purposes both in the physical body and in the subtle bodies. We sometimes think that we exist only in one form, for instance this physical body, to the exclusion of any other at any one time. The truth is we simultaneously have all bodies available to us at all times; it is just that usually we are focused on the physical form and remain oblivious of the more subtle forms.

In the creation story of the Bible, as many of the myths from around the world, those first expressions of souls in physical forms were warned not to eat of certain fruits in the midst of the garden. Why, we might ask, would God create forbidden fruits in the first place, knowing the dire consequences for its indulgence? We are told in other phases of creation that God looked upon all creation and found it all good, so how could there be evil lurking?

We can look to everyday examples of food reactions to see how this can work. In Genesis God is quoted as saying, “I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29)

But mankind was not satisfied with just gathering seeds and fruits, he chopped pounded and ground the seeds and then baked them; making bread and other creations out of the seeds. He concentrated some forms, combined them and made new creations. So far, we see no great evil. We know some like the taste of sweetness very much. So concoctions concentrated the taste of sugar and those who liked this lost their taste for other foods and wanted only that. Now enters in a lack of balance in the diet which can lead to weight gain and diabetes; health risks. But sugar is found in the cane and the beet, how can it betray the body?

The reason of course is that sugar produces such a powerful pleasure impulse that for some people it so dominates desire nature that balance is thrown out the window and becomes a compulsion or addiction. We can expand our search and find other compulsions and addictions to the human brain that create a blind search for experiences in life that ends up destroying what is good.

Sex impulse must certainly be on that list. The consequences of ungoverned sex impulse are many, from selecting poor partners, social diseases, unwanted pregnancies, rape, jealous murder, addiction to porn or prostitutes. Scantily clad women, sometimes men, are used to sell everything from cars to cigarettes; odd that the form of a woman would have anything to do with the performance of an automobile. These dominant pleasure impulses in the brain are powerful, and for some, it so dominates the brain that all other healthy considerations lose their appeal.

Enter in the addiction of this physical world itself. You are born to this world as a baby. You initially spend perhaps twenty hours a day asleep, reconnecting with the astral world while you gradually adapt to this physical world. As toddlers and small children there can be awareness of subtler realms, but little encouragement is given for these experiences. As the massive sense input of this world rewards and punishes you, you come fully under its grip, forgetting relations, freedom, and awareness from what you were before coming into this world.

There is nothing wrong with this world per se, rather it is the powerful and dominant force it becomes for your attention that makes you forget the better, purer, and soul awakening forces inside of you; it narrows your attention to such a miniscule aspect of who you really are that makes for the mischief.

You meditate, chant, practice the Presence of God, and read uplifting words that reminds you of your greater nature. You must do this again and again to draw the attention away from this world and give you God-experience. Now you experience the joy, love and light of God as a continuous enlightenment that makes you know your body is but a very small expression of the vast Being, that in truth, you really are. Your body and this world is brought into proper perspective and you excrete the toxins of world-addiction from the pores of your being, leaving you a free soul.

Now you function with full awareness of the various levels of your Being. The world exists for you, but you know it is the result of larger, more perfect forces. The astral/electrical worlds are with you now, operating in your subtle body and giving expression to finer feelings and perceptions. The Causal/idea body is also with you, even more powerful, expanded, vast beyond knowing with ideas streaming straight from pure Consciousness. And there is Spirit itself that is at the center of all these other expressions, a Light of intense beauty that has no comparison and no opposite, no beginning and no end; the Light of your own Being. You are aware of any or all of these expressions at any time, but even while you operate in the lower worlds you never forget who really you are in the greater reality. Thus, you once again become your true Self!

Health Update: Recovery continues to proceed very well. On this day eight I am off all prescribed medications except a daily injection I give myself as a blood thinner, and I am now taking all the supplements from the naturopath temporarily suspended before and after surgery. I walk outdoors three times a day, and up to 15 minutes on the rebounder, and I have had no difficulty with digesting anything eaten. I rest quite a few hours during the day, but feel stronger day by day. I will see the surgeon again on Tuesday, hopefully have the staples removed at that time.

A hearty thank you for your prayers, flowers, cards and notes. It means so much to me to receive your love in all these ways and I know it adds to the rapidity of my recovery.

Picture: Jesus In Perfect Service

Being a patient in a hospital reminds one of the importance of the ideal of service. There are perhaps few situations in life in which you are least able to do for yourself as post-op. Supine in a bed, hooked up to various IVs and electrodes, reliant upon nurses and other healthcare providers for everything the body needs.

I have now had four such hospital experiences in the past eight months. It has been interesting to observe the effects of health care staff upon patients, including myself. Overall, it has been impressive to see the care and expertise that has been evident, however it has not all been equally excellent.

Those nursing staff, the primary caregivers in hospitals, who are positive, friendly, caring, and conscientious have, by far, the best effects. Those who carry into their work the toxicity of their own lives, negative and sharp edged, are a detriment to their patients. Like the famed driving of Mr. Magoo who drives his car when he is almost blind–causing mayhem wherever he goes and is seemingly oblivious of it–these servants of health also seem to be unaware or uncaring of the health effects they deliver with tainted attitudes. Those in this category are relatively few in number, but they leave an impression that lingers far after their interactions.

It is a brisk reminder of the importance of right service in all stations of life. Wherever God has delivered you, you are in His service. It may be the work that you do, the family you raise, the conversations you have with others, or lending an extra helping hand when needed. We have thousands of opportunities for service all through the day. Even if you do not go out at all, your very thoughts act as prayers and are in service to the Infinite.

When I was in the waiting rooms, when I went into surgery, in post-op recovery, I prayed for those around me and all through the hospital. It was a service I could do for Him. In conversation with staff and other patients when walking the corridors I always made it a point to be positive and uplifting, injecting humor when I could to keep things light.   

Master said, “Be a smile millionaire,” Papa said, “See God in everyone you meet,” Mother Hamilton said, “Keep your mind on God,” Mother Teresa said, “Do something beautiful for God,” Swami Satchidananda said, “Expand your circle of love daily,” Jesus said, “What you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” These great one’s in God remind us that every day we can directly do something to improve this world.

In life everyone has cares that can load them down. Living a life of service carries with it built-in Grace; you feel unburdened through your right attitude. Now love and joy glow at the heart of your service and you are sustained by an all-pervading power. In perfect service you discover one of the great secrets in living a truly successful life.

Health Update: On Friday I had a successful operation that removed a tumor on my liver and the gall bladder. The tumor was self contained and so less of the liver was removed than originally planned. The gall bladder had many more gallstones than thought and emphasised the need to have it removed.

Day zero is operation day; Carla asked if I might be released by day 2, Sunday. The head nurse looked at Carla and said skeptically, “We’ll see.” Sure enough by Sunday I had met all the criteria the doctor has set out for release and blessedly went home. The discharge nurse said she had never seen anyone released that early after such an operation. A result, I am sure, in response to your continued prayers.

Recovery is continuing on very well. I thank those who have brought meals and sent flowers and sent messages–I receive all the love that is behind them. It is an unusual sensation to have 10 inches of staples charting a course under my right ribcage, but lends a compliment to the 8 inch vertical line from the previous surgery (that surgeon used super glue, not staples to keep my insides inside!).  I am walking daily and doing some exercises so that I will be fit and fine for performing the wedding for Phyllis and John that I am so looking forward to in a week and a half. Pronams, my deepest love and blessings to you.