What is the role of integral spiritual-personal therapy in the journey of self-realisation these days?
Amadis
A Background Story
I was initially involved with Sannyas from 1976 till 1982, a most significant period in my life. My first ever workshop back in 1976 was an introductory weekend at the newly opened Kalptaru, (the main London Sannyas Centre at that time). Next thing, I had dropped out of college, left the parental home and was living with a bunch of freaks. Fast-forward to March 1979 and I am dancing wildly to Supertramp at the Rajneesh Centre in Florence. After years of ambivalence, I had finally decided to surrender to a master and was intoxicated by the love and energy streaming through me. For a while, Amadis became Deva Amadis.
By 1981, the initial rapture and vitality was being replaced by emerging unresolved psychological issues lurking just under the surface. The spiritual love affair with Bhagwan was never quite the same. Busy looking for work, with few prospects, and confronting the debris left from my childhood, my attention was less and less on the master-disciple relationship and increasingly on personal and physical survival.
So I slowly drifted away, looking outside Sannyas for ways and means to grow and heal. Within another year or so, the mala was off and I was pursuing a different lifestyle and other disciplines. Even though my love for Osho hadn’t died, I had lost faith in my perception of him. Also, by this time, my hippy ways and counter-cultural sentiments no longer had a place in the Sannyasin movement.
However, when Poona II was born I slowly regained my fascination with Osho. I was about to fly out to go check him out again but a few weeks before I was due to, he checked out of his physical domain. Bad timing. Saddened and disappointed, I carried on the trajectory I had been on, believing my Sannyas phase was well and truly over.
One positive that came from this loss was that I looked for growth opportunities wherever I could, including the world of humanistic therapy. Working with different teachers, such as Chan, Irene Tweedie, Zhi Xing Wang, John Pierrakos and Faisal also had a big impact. None being my guru, in a way it was easier for me to benefit from them. Neither were they huge, so I had greater personal access to them and what they had to share. Certain Oriental and Occidental spiritual teachings and philosophical traditions were also important influences.
Then twenty years later I found myself drawn again to Osho’s teachings. The difference from my initial Sannyasin phase is that now I knew myself far better and could bring something, not looking only to receive. This resulted in offering Core Realisation workshops at Osho Celebrations in Croydon Hall, north Devon. Once again I was participating in Sannyasin communality and benefiting from Satsangs. I was getting his words and transmission in an inspiring new way. I ended up running exclusive workshops for many I met or worked with at the Celebrations.
On a formal level, I first trained in Chinese Medicine, then Medical and Internal Alchemy Qigong. Since the nineties, I have explored Humanistic, Somatic and Transpersonal psychology modalities – such as Bioenergetics, Core Energetics, Energetic Integration, Reichian Bodywork, Alchemy of Transformation and Diamond Logos. The above have all become constituents of the integral psychological and spiritual system I now work with.
The topic itself
As many of us do, once the growth bug has bitten, I have attended a multitude of workshops and courses, but what has made a marked difference to me and my work is having hundreds of hours of one-to-one Humanistic therapy sessions. It was this undertaking that has made the difference, this coupled with my ‘alchemical’ and spiritual practices. For the hidden aspects of our woundedness and deep trauma surface only if one gives them plenty of time and attention. Unresolved unconscious childhood fears and tensions contract us in ways that make it impossible for us to relax and let go. In my view, it is essential to focus on healing the personality to resolve our resistance to self-realisation.
This perspective is that to surrender to the absolute/our spirit/a master, we need to own the part of us which will not let go or trust anything or anyone. This defensive part won’t tolerate us being undefended or vulnerable. It is hard to identify as it is well hidden in the shadows of our psyche. Unwittingly, it becomes our greatest obstacle to enlightenment.
That is exactly what Osho tried to convey and why he was so radical for the times. A spiritual guru preaching therapy! This was ground-breaking and revolutionary, hence why it attracted so many pioneering humanistic therapists to him. Forty years later we are more experienced, so a bit wiser about how to integrate spirituality and humanistic psychological therapy, in particular, Reichian approaches. Although mainstream psychology is still resistant, not only to this fusion but even to the notion that Osho contributed something vital and unique to the discussion.
I don’t believe any technique, method or system can miraculously liberate us from our ‘shadow’ with simplistic easy solutions. This view has evolved over years spent working on myself and others, 40 and 30 respectively. We need to go the long haul, to gradually erode our terrors, mistrusts and hatreds; to bring to light how they thwart our attempts to become whole. There aren’t any shortcuts or quick fixes to healing and transmuting ourselves; I know this, as I too looked for the Holy Grail of the ‘miracle method’, never to find one. If there were any, the world would be awash with enlightened souls by now. Basically, it takes patience, hard graft and dogged persistence.
But perseverance is not usually associated with Sannyas. It’s as if there’s a Sannyasin cultural fixation that says unless our life is filled with fun, joy and laughter, we are spiritual failures. The whole thing has been turned on its head – we are shamed for not experiencing pleasure. It is as if being elated or blissed-out are signs of enlightenment. No wonder we lose heart, when life does its thing and we find ourselves in pain and confusion, time and again.
However, endemic in Sannyas has been a commitment to liberate ourselves from insidious social conditioning and a desire to challenge entrenched cultural resistances to true lasting change. Also, there’s often been a willingness to participate in community, and benefit from ongoing communal support to actualise ourselves and the life we envisage. Another useful attitude to embrace is a readiness to accept both our radiance and our shadow, our joy and misery, our ecstasy and agony. Thus, be willing to explore our psychological pain, reach deep into our childhood wounds to heal their enduring impact.
I believe Core Realisation is a response to the needs of the times, a post-modern twenty-first century interpretation of the traditional alchemical project. It is aimed at individuals looking to develop themselves but also to meet others in a place of heart, soul, empathy and altruism. For, without these qualities and sensibilities, we can end up with an immature and narcissistic take on spirituality, which may gratify our ‘spiritual’ persona but does little to transmute our lead into gold.
Integrating a spectrum of spiritual and psychological strands, we forge a synergistic combination of various elements. Grounded and transformational humanistic paradigms can engage us with our personal, transpersonal, relational, communal, eco-social and physical dynamics. By keeping open the door to both classic and cutting-edge human-potential development styles, we can accelerate our growth and sustain the trajectory of our journey.
This may not appeal to everyone but for many it can invigorate their enlightenment project, which Osho was so keen to foster. This project is not about becoming a ‘spiritual expert’ with a cultivated, idealised self-image. Rather, it is creating a forum for individuals who can own their human fallibility and struggle, therefore able to accept the love, guidance and support of others. This whilst also stepping into one’s mature, autonomous, authentic core nature.
I have an enduring faith in the integral spiritual-therapeutic paradigm. It is a genuine proposition at a time when many of the psychological and spiritual development options on offer are subject to fashions and the forces of the market. We need modes tailored for individuals who want to realise their spiritual potential, access their innate guidance, tap into their core resources and experience deep intimacy with others and their own being
( Amadis runs an ongoing series of Core Realisation weekly evening groups and weekend workshops. The new weekly Monday evening series of groups will be held at:
The Highgate Newtown Community Centre, 25 Bertram Road, Archway, N19 5DQ.
Another evolving community of 6-12 participants will be departing in June 2014.
Individuals who wish to attend a series of evening groups or a weekend workshop can contact Amadis on 07941 665506 or via amadis@core-realisation.com
For details about Core Realisation please refer to www.core-realisation.com )
Look, I don`t want to sound cynical or something, but when someone gives a rundown of their spiritual journey and how necessary therapy is in it and they turn out to be flogging their latest workshop etc
I do tend to kind of wonder whether I am reading, for example, a straightforward account of an independent traveller who has visited and spent time on certain beach
or a marketing brochure promoting a newly built hotel/holiday complex on that beach….
Frank,
You don’t sound even slightly cynical.
Reasoned and objective are the words
that came to me when I read this.
Frank, I completely agree with you, that has been my constant concern with anything I read purporting to deliver this or that spiritual or psychological transformation. What can I say other than yes, of course, on one level I am flogging my wares, on another though I am simply putting out what I love to share and what is true for me.
I often wish I was absolutely loaded so I could share with others what ‘does it for me’ for little or no money. All I can say is ‘spirtual materialism’ is not my bag.
A relatively interesting article, intelligent, sincere. I can relate to it up to a point. I also find Frank’s comment frank and to the point.
Therapy for the spiritual seekers are like boob jobs, skin job, face lifting etc.
Everything has its market. We all have some kind of deficiency somewhere; there will be always professionals to cater for that need.
Osho has made jokes about psycho-analysis. It won´t be a bad thing to analyse long-term or short-term impact of therapies too.
I think Osho people have spent quite reasonable amount of money and time on the various therapies. They have more or less similar style but different names, unless they are dealing with the art of 1st Chakra!
‘We all have some kind of deficiency somewhere.’
Thus spoke the voice of experience.
“They have more or less similar style but different names, unless they are dealing with the art of 1st Chakra!”
How would you know, Shantam, if your personal experience amounts to absolutely nothing?
And check your chakra facts too, by the way.
I’m afraid this post tends to demonstrate the truth of one or two choice words Arpana used about you the other day.
I can see sincere effort here as well as in your fellow-traveller putting the history book of Osho here. But I’ve already put my one- sided effort, reading and commenting on it – without any dialogue. Same seems with groups.
So, do not feel bad about it, but it’s not interesting for me any more. Book authors advertising their books or group leaders advertising their groups – without any dialogue. Why would I be interested in it?
So I would like to take Frank’s question further, people could think what there is for a normal, ordinary sannyasin. What are the issues we all can participate in?
MOD: THERE’S SPACE FOR DIALOGUE, FRESCH. AMADIS CAN AND WILL RESPOND HERE IF HE WISHES.
I believe that in order to be accepted for the core transformation workshop there is a minimum requirement of being able to know your first chakra from your elbow.
If therapy is like a boob job,
then enlightenment is the biggest penis-enlargement scam of all time.
Wow, this the Mystic Frank coming back again.
No, Frank, you are little bit off the target.
In the schools of thought where Enlightenment is discussed, penis and ego are thought to be tumours. Meditation is like chemotherapy.
So Enlightenment is a state of being where craving of the ego and penis cease to exist.
I don´t know whether it is a scam or Ponzi scheme or once-in-a- billion men happening.
That old-time religion was heavy, man,
and India is a poor country and a lot of would-be yogis cannot afford chemo…
so they try to beat the tumour into submission with a stick.
Ouch!
Thank Bog Osho came along and devised a way where you could drop your ego and your pants and still get enlightened…
That was a game changer!
Drop your ego and your pants and still get enlightened…
Swami was telling the reason why he is not enlightened in spite of being disciple from 1975 onwards, “I could not drop my ego, I could not drop my pants, all the time I was taking the robes up. I have no complaints whatsoever.”
The fact is that Osho himself strongly welcomed “therapists” into the old ashram, and encouraged the setting up of psychotherapeutic groups there, so he must have seen that they had benefits for those who were seeking.
When I arrived in 1974 there were no psychotherapy type groups at all. Paul Lowe (Teertha) did appear as the leader of Dynamic Meditation, but I believe it was some months at least before they were set up. The timeline may be better assembled by others who were more interested in “therapy”. Maybe someone wants to write that in this string.
Those who speak for whatever reason against therapy need to consider Osho’s invitation to therapists at that time.
They certainly enriched and could be said to still enrich the ashram (Resort), compared to what passes in the vast bulk of other Indian ashrams!
This account by Amadis (I agree with Lokesh) seems sincere and meaningful. The fact that he runs groups that mirror the old connection that arose in 1975/6 in Pune with self-realisation, gives his orientation a certain validity.
Maybe the advertising for his present workshops should have simply been an ad.
The simple fact is that I really want to put something out for those who haven’t gone through the therapeutic mill. What about the new generation of people interested in Osho who didn’t live through the seventies or later permutations of Sannyas?
For me, working on our personality is the foundation of any spiritual work. If our traumas and our adaptations to them are not addressed then everything built on top of them will also end up skewed.
The notion that we can bypass our childhood legacy solely by transpersonal means just does not cut it. 40-plus years of New Ageism has confirmed that.
Poona One’s therapy groups were amongst the most exciting, adventuous, break on through and beneficial parts of the whole scene. Of my contemporaries who were there and did not participate in the groups I honestly believe they missed out big-time. Decades down the line I still see the difference between my sannyasin friends who did not participate and those who did. The latter are by far the more balanced and psychologically healthy. That is, generally speaking. There will always be exceptions.
My wife also did a lot of groups. It was the therapy groups and active meditations that attracted her to Poona One in the first place. Living together, the skills we learned in the groups have helped us maintain a healthy working relationship and mirror our trips. This was particularly helpful during tough episodes in our relationship. For instance, having other sexual partners. We would never have survived that without having undergone the therapy process in Poona. Any long- term relationship that has not undergone the trial of having other lovers outside of the relationship usually looks suspect to me. We are not always monogamous and the need to roam must be addressed. If you face up to that and come out on the other side together then you will know that it is the real deal.
I found it fantastic that Osho could create such an experimental attitude in his sannyasins, while taking the flak from the media for allowing that to take place at his ashram. Truly radical and the fact that the groups generated money is besides the point.
Participating in extreme therapy groups under the old boy’s watchful eye was a once in a lifetime experience, because he created an environment that was so full of trust it allowed us to garner the courage to take it beyond all limits. If you weren’t there, there is no way on earth that you can understand what happened during that time. I see parallels between that era and the psychedelic revolution of the sixties. We really did break on through to the other side. It was really quite miraculous and I feel truly blessed that I was allowed the opportunity to participate.
Great post, El Loko.
Thanks for putting that out.
(We picked up a lot of info about interpersonal psychology, didn’t we?
But not in a bookish sense. We were learning through doing, trial and error).
Good post, Lokesh,
from the heart and from your own experience.
Of course there were those who ‘only’ went for the groups, and then when they came to the final group – full-time work in the ashram – found it all too much and wandered off back to the personal growth movement in the West. But they are another story.
Amadis,
I have no idea whether you have written this article for Sannyas News or editors have taken this from some other source. In that case, you may not be even aware that your words are being traded at Sannyas News.
Anyhow, if you are reading the comments generated, I would like to know what were the reasons for you to drop out from sannyas after 6 years period(1976-1982).
It is not to judge you but see where after-sale Service was lacking!
MOD: AS INDICATED TO FRESCH YESTERDAY, AMADIS WILL RESPOND (AS HE WROTE THIS FOR SN).
Shantam,
You clearly don’t read any posts other than yours, and those, perhaps, who reply to you.
It has already been mentioned before that this article does not appear anywhere else and Amadis chose SN as a vehicle for his thoughts. If he feels to, he will respond to any posts in the string.
I sort of drifted away rather than dropped out of Sannyas. The primary reason was that I felt too vulnerable at the time to continue with the intensity and uncertainty of the Sannyasin world around me. For a start, I was too young to be able to have the confidence and experience to hold my own in the face of ‘authority’. I got so confused I really had no idea what was true and what was nonsense. I needed space to find myself, basically.
Also, I was not convinced I should devolve my responsibility as to how I lived my life over to a guru or their purported spokesmen. Hence I held onto my version of a hippy traveller lifestyle that increasingly put me at odds with both the political and the sannyasin establishment. I simply did not trust anyone telling me what to do and how to do it, unless I knew it was my truth too.
So by 1981 I found myself barred from Kalptaru (the London Centre) and pretty much every other Sannyasin hub. Even though for a while I wasn’t alone in that stance and had a community of ‘orange renegades’ around me, over time it did dissipate. Basically we got squashed between Thatcher’s Britain and the Rajneeshpuram dictats. So it was time to find new pastures to graze and find myself. Which I did.
I’ve not considered this before, but we were constantly
forced into fight, submit or fuck off mode during those days.
Seems so obvious now.
This excellent post says more to me about you than the original.
I can relate to this. Not 100%, but I definitely get it.
I just did my own thing. Was thunderously defiant. Lol.
Sannyasins. Non-sannyasins. Older . Younger. Men. Women.
I seemed to attract, or unconsciously seek out, people to defy.
By God, we were forced to work on our survival chakra, metaphorically speaking.
It’s so typical Osho putting us in impossible situations, like being vulnerable and strong at the same time. Not fair at all.
Have a beautiful group, Amadis!
Amadis declares, “I got so confused I really had no idea what was true and what was nonsense.”
He says in another comment, “For me, working on our
personality is the foundation of any spiritual work.”
Yet, in my wee book, I reckon the personality is false and has nothing spiritual about it, because it belongs to this world, along with our body. So how on earth can working on the personality be the foundation of any spiritual work?
Amadis, please explain what you mean here, because otherwise you might come across as someone who, to use your own words, has no idea what is true and what is nonsense.
But Lokesh, would you have so confidently declared this before you took part in all those groups in Poona?
Did it not take many years for you to reach such a conclusion? And are you now saying that all that stuff was based on a false premise and therefore fundamentally pointless? That you and everyone else could have ‘made it’ simply through hearing the ‘higher Truth’?
Also, people are different (insight of the day!), and some (clearly including Amadis, also myself – although I’m barely on the beach, let alone the shallows) have needed decades to get anywhere remotely approaching the sort of space you’re alluding to.
SD enquires, ‘would you have so confidently declared this before you took part in all those groups in Poona?’
Yes and no. Due to the many psychedelic experiences I underwent I was already aware of the illusionary nature of personality before I went to Poona in ’74. Truth be told I was confused about the whole thing and in fact was confused about my sense of personal identity in the world. At first in Poona One things got worse, scary, terrifying. I underwent a complete psychological meltdown. This was due in part to toxic matter brain overload and the whole crazy sannyas trip. I reached some sort of peak freak-out and shaved my head. I became a serious meditator.
As my hair grew back so did the personality…a totally different one from what had existed before. Under Osho’s guidance I became what I was to be. In a strange kind of way Poona One was partly used to develop my personality, but I can only say that in retrospect, for such was the intense heat of the forge I was unable to stand back from it as Osho hammered on the rock and thus it happened that I was unable to view what was actually taking place.
For me, meeting Poonjaji was a natural progression in my life after the seven years spent with Osho. I think many sannyasins feel that way. What took place in Lucknow would not have blossomed nearly as much had it not been for the groundwork done with Osho, who often referred to himself as a gardener, preparing the ground and sowing the seeds, pruning, weeding etc.
The journey continues. One thread that ran through both the scene in Poona and Lucknow was the practice of witnessing. Osho laid much emphasis on the watcher in the hills and Poonjaji was asking you to ask who is doing the watching ad infinitum. As it happens, both men helped me move on to the next stage in my life, which is, I suppose, closely aligned with Gurdjieff’s Work. I have my own inner laboratory for this experiment and do not at present feel the need for an external teacher. I have the tools under my belt that I need for the trip. The tools I received through Osho and Poonjaji are my most valued, for they give me a grounding in a field of unified awareness which serves as an anchor when scaling those often difficult ascents that I find myself climbing alone.
Thanks to those two wonderful guys I have a firm base camp which I can always return to during times of inner storm when the fierce wind of reality shreds the personality and leaves it in tatters. No place for the faint-hearted.
What was true for me in 1981 is not necessarily so 33 years later. The confusion then was there because at that time I had experienced 0 hours of one to one personal and transpersonal therapy work. That is the whole point I am making: that it is after many sessions that the confusion dissipates as you come to know yourself. What’s hidden in the psyche and locked in the body as well as what exactly is your numinous radiance, essential nature and core self, all become increasingly apparent.
True, the personality is not the Spirit/Being but it is none-the-less an integral part of it. If not, then how is it in existence? It is has got to be a continuum – the persona, personality, self, spirit, being.
It is by working on and letting go of our personal stuff, issues, belief systems and conditioning that we come to realise who and what our true self is. This work is NOT to the exclusion of the spiritual, numinal and mystical but adjacent to it This is not a transcendent way, rather an immanent one: through the personal to the spiritual and ultimately the divine.
Let’s take the following as something to chew on:
‘True, the personality is not the Spirit/Being but it is none-the-less an integral part of it. If not, then how is it in existence? It is has got to be a continuum – the persona, personality, self, spirit, being.’
How is it in existence? That is quite a long story that I don’t have the time to go into right now. I am not sure that persona is an integral part of spirit, more like a ghost in a field of blazing light. It is remarkable how it manages to maintain its foothold, though. Having watched friends undergo the cruel process of senile dementia I can only say that personality does not stand a chance in such a heavyweight fight, which brings into question just how fragile the personality is. During such a process the personality looks about as integrated in being as Scotch mist evaporating quickly over the Holy Loch on a hot summers morning. No, Amadis, your take on things does not cover the whole nine yards.
Just the fact that something exists does not mean that it is reasonable. I mean to say, why do mosquitoes exist or drunk drivers, murderers etc. They are not needed at all and are not part of a continuum. They are simply a nuisance.
Interesting word, ‘persona’. A friend, who speaks several languages, was just telling me over lunch yesterday that the word persona was formed around the idea of an actor’s mask and the sound air made when it passed through the space formed as a mouth. That about sums it up nicely.
Amadis, you conclude, “It is by working on and letting go of our personal stuff, issues, belief systems and conditioning that we come to realise who and what our true self is.” Is that so? Well, you obviously are struggling with something there as what you are presenting is a belief system you have not managed to let go of yet.
And finally, we arrive at the following, “This work is NOT to the exclusion of the spiritual, numinal and mystical but adjacent to it This is not a transcendent way, rather an immanent one: through the personal to the spiritual and ultimately the divine.”
I always wonder why people tend to try and describe what something is by telling you what it is not.
My wife does that a lot and when it gets too much I ask, “Why not simply say what it is, instead of what it is not?”
We all have our ways and it would seem Amadis’s way leads to the divine. I have heard that a lot in the past and all it managed to bring me to was just now.
Thanks, Amadis. Nice reply.
Sometimes it is nice not to find hair in the soup.
Here we go…
the old boys in the Orange Sunshine old peoples home are reminiscing again…
hauling out their Indian Distinguished Service medals…
displaying their war wounds…
a bit of shell-shock from the chemical attacks of the 1960s…
tales of no-holds-barred encounters with the enemy, inner and outer, that went on for days at a time and left many of the troops with their egos blown clean off, and the prospect of having to live the rest of their lives with no mind…
how they watched, horrified, as therapist gorillas and geurillas shagged the arses off their wives an the height of the Sannyas Empire, but lived to tell the tale…
how they kicked down the doors of perception deep behind enemy lines…
the cameraderie of the therapy trenches…
and berating cowards and deserters who deserted the front line and sought refuge in the neutral territory of the human potential movement…
the general, with his gas mask on, exhorting his troops, Patton-esque, to keep going, charaiveti,charaiveti, onto Berlin…London…the New World…
Billeted in their headquarters at southern command, they presided over a spiritual empire on which the sun never set…
Aye, them was the days, right enough…
Next, they`ll be onto their part in the eventual downfall of Ma Anand Kurtz, model officer gone insane, and her brutal kingdom of terror and how only a few made it home from that mission into the heart of darkness
to heroically battle on….
Colonel Kurtz, a personal hero as opposed to a personal Jesus, or Osho, for that matter. Frankie boy, being a Glaswegian I am well versed in cynicism, another way of saying you tend to see the worst in people. What I wrote above was in relation to the article. I am not particularly nostalgic, having cultivated that human quality over the years. When I recall events from Poona One it is like referring to a past life. In my daily life I will rarely indulge in the past, basically because it is gone and I have plenty to keep me going in the present.
There are probably quite a few regular readers on SN that we never hear from and also people who really don’t know much about sannyas history, other than the party line presented through more mainstream sources. I like to remind myself of that once in a while. Not out of any sense of duty or such pompous bullshit but out of the desire to keep a bigger picture in the framework. As it is, I do enjoy a bit of cynicism for a laugh, especially in regards chumps like El Chudo. You are very good at that, Frank, and I do appreciae it.
What you are not so good at is allowing yourself to present a picture of who you are in the world today, other than a bystander on the fence chucking custard pies at the clowns. Personally, I don’t give a shit. Just a candid observation that lets you know that while you watch and observe the virtual SN show somebody is watching you. Don’t you think the Joker laughs at you?
I`d be surprised if he didn`t.
Me too.
I love therapy, but as a longtime ex-lover.
It occurs to me that the word ‘therapy’ is a bit of a catch-all.
Much of what goes on in conventional therapy is ‘rebuilding the ego’ so it can function. Knacks, strategies and even tricks are employed. It serves ‘society’ that way, as it returns those disturbed by life to a certain functionality within society. In the UK, you can even get this on the NHS now if you ask for it. Six sessions of something called something like Cognitive Therapy.
However, if therapy is met on the road to true self-knowledge it can involve dismantling the ego, and certainly challenging it.
Hence the scare stories about it. And also the fear of it.
Big P,
Therapy is certainly a catch-all word.
But so is ‘ego’.
Alan Watts called ego “an image of yourself that doesn’t fit the facts”.
You could say that both the conventional and non-conventional views of therapy agree on this, but disagree about what the facts are.
The facts in conventional therapy are that you are a person in a particular time, place and role, that is to say, ‘consensus reality’, and that you need to be able to deal with that without being waylaid by non-consensus `altered` states, be they depressed, manic, anxious, deluded or even blissful etc. etc.
In reality, this therapy is expensive, time-consuming and doesn’t actually work that well, which is why now the vast majority of so-called therapy is actually chemical with the wildly gung-ho and mushrooming prescription of anti-depressants and all sorts of magic pills etc. etc. by doctors.
Unconventional therapy may be there to show you that you exist beyond that narrow definition of identity which is characterised by the repression and marginalisation of ‘non-consensus reality’ and coming to see that the insistence on only acknowledging consensus reality is a block to realising your true whole and even cosmic nature.
What happened in the sannyas scene (which Amadis’s article alluded to) and all other spiritual scenes is that the group created a new consensus reality out of what had previously been non-consensus reality,
so then another non-consensus reality has to come about in order to loosen and shake up the new consensus…
All in all, both consensus reality and non-consensus reality at any stage of life, probably need to be ‘inhabited’.
Any attempt to live exclusively in one will cause feelings of uncertainty and discomfort that provoke ‘The Tao’, in whatever form it shows, to give us a good boot up the backside….
Some developed egos to do with sannyas,
from which all other egos, or not as the case may be,
were confronted and destroyed (bit more complex than that)
and then some began to shrink the sannyas ego even.
Others just enhanced the ego they arrived with.
(I’m chipping in, by the way. Is all).
“Alan Watts called ego “an image of yourself that doesn’t fit the facts”.”
That definition is perfect.
Ego gets a bad rap. I’ve lost mine on numerous occasions and it was never a problem for me when it came back. Try going to the supermarket without an ego…”Where do you have packets of nothingness, man? Huh?”
Just fallen off the surf tile – by laughter, Frank, and the credit goes all to you.
(MOD: SOME EDITING HERE)
And yes, the second or third time, I came too close to the wave Frank is riding
or better said, did ride,
I did burst into so much laughter that all my fine balance is of the past.
That’s why I am able just now to post (little report):
Thank you, all,
especially Frank and Parmartha and Lokesh too,
and thank you, unknowable, unknown issue – ‘triggerer’, ‘wave-inspirer’
with name Amadis.
As I looked again just now to spell your name rightly, I found the setting changed graphically, and if that is really your counterfeit/portrait-photo,
you’re looking charming and as if you know how to celebrate a smile and laughter too, and that’s good (my projection, sure, but…) inviting for maybe more concentration, to write another response,
when the waves in me (I swallowed) are a bit more settled, to look at or to find other wave-length words to come.
It’s early afternoon – now-here.
Rain is lurking in big clouds in the sky, but happily too shy are the clouds
up to now, to open up
and so
after posting
I am going to go
into the greenery zones
because my sick leg needs exercise and is really screaming to be taken care of. My lungs too.
Love,
little wave coming,
yes, a sweet one, also for Frank, even if he is spitting this out.
What to say?
What a beautiful surprise!
Love,
Madhu
Dearest Maddie…
Glad to be of service…
Btw, what is a “surf tile”?
Amadis practises what he calls “Core Realisation” therapy. I wonder how he, or anyone who has done it, or those acquainted with it, see it as fitting within the above discussion. (I would be interested in such a reply).
I am not sure that humanistic psychology in any of its forms is about getting people back to the marketplace. If one’s present way of life disturbs one, then really the wise counsellor has to look at not returning someone to the space which they found disturbing, but changing the space entirely from which one lives.
Within psychotherapy in general the ‘aims’ of therapy do perennially get confused. They thereby confuse the poor punters also!
Love this input, Parmatha. I don’t know if it helps anyone, but below is a synopsis from the manifesto of The Institute for the Development of Human Potential (IDHP), the only ‘organisation’ I ever cared to belong to. For those who don’t know, it grew out the post-sixties Human Potential movement and was populated by later-to-become sannyasins. It became the first validating body for Humanistic Psychology courses from the early seventies to date.
” The IDHP…supports lateral values as opposed to capitalistic values and traditional assessments.
- We meet as equals who support and challenge one another and are therefore in a position to ‘stand by’ each other’s practice as facilitators.
- We acknowledge the validity of Humanistic Psychology as a wellspring of creative ideas and methods for working with human potential; we draw upon it as a value base for our work; and commit to its embodiment in our work.
- We distinguish ourselves from structures of hierarchical control. We rely on the principles and practice of Self and Peer Assessment to honour, validate and stand by a community of peer practitioners.”
I thought of this piece, given that the IDHP considers and promotes itself as ‘not in hoc to the market’. That, on the one hand, would be the mainstream therapy market, which as you so well noted, Parmatha, is dedicated to patching up those with troubled minds and awkward displays of distress and turn them to ‘useful units of production and model consumers’ once more. It also includes the ‘spiritual mall’ where the latest ‘in’ method is sold, typically at a price to reflect its awesomeness, yet conveniently sidesteps any of the unpleasentness of psychological hurt and woe.
As my supervisor keeps saying, any so-called therapy or spirituality that does not fully engage with others in a genuinely empathic and heart-felt way is of little use and value.
Thanks, Amadis for replying. Clearly we see the thing the same way.
A ‘Revolution of the Heart’ is very. very difficult, but it is the only way. It always means ‘taking on’ societal norms and somehow prompting that in those one is trying to help.
I checked Core Realisation therapy in google.
Seems like it is a new term coined by Amadis Cammell.
Is dynamic mediation in the beginning and Kundalini at the end of the day part of the curriculum?
I have always said, Indians develop spiritual paths, western counterparts develop therapies. After seeing the photo of this article´s author, I remembered one face.
The guy is a fully-fledged guru from Lucknow!
http://anantpath.in/
Still, whatever happens or doesn’t happen in Amadis’s Core Realisation sessions wouldn’t concern or be of any significance to you, would it, Shantam, as you’re apparently not into meditation – even in the broadest sense – of any sort (including those methods prescribed, shall we say, by your supposed master), neither do you regard any sort of formal therapy as a practical proposition for yourself, do you?
Which does make me wonder (as I’ve already asked you – predictably, without response), what is ‘spirituality’ for you? And specifically, what is sannyas for you?
These are questions whose answers, despite your very many posts, I have difficulty even guessing at, frankly, beyond a sort of rather vague (albeit for you, rather ‘heady’) cocktail of “I love Osho” mixed with “I loved the sex”, plus a large dose of “Down with Jayesh!”
Please tell us whether there are any other key ingredients to this intoxicating recipe (apart from the occasional Ibuprofen, of course).
‘Ostentatious Devotion’.
Been trying to put my finger on it for a while.
Clicked when he made that pompous remark to Fresch that he wouldn’t lead a meditation until he could at the ashram.
(Not original. Pari uses the phrase in his book, ‘Life of Osho’).
An avoidance strategy.
What a tragedy in the world of meditations, people are still BLIND in spite of claiming to have surgery.
Only the penny-wise and pound-foolish will go on talking about their meditation.
Once again, you, Shantam fail to address the issue.
Imagine trying to get away with that in any worthwhile therapy group…
Never mind, you ‘love’ Osho, ‘hate’ the ashram set-up and, most important, appreciated the sex.
That’s ‘spirituality’ according to you, and that’s pretty well the extent of your ‘sannyas’, is it not?
Unless you condescend to respond, for once, to the point under discussion, then one simply has to assume you agree.
‘Spirituality’ is such a vital and vague word like ‘love’ and ‘God’; if I share my feelings or understanding about it, I will do t as an article but not as passer-by comment.
This much respect and adoration I must show.
Nothing vague about the word spirituality, to me it means the world we live in that is not created by the senses.
When you tell someone that you love them they know what you mean immediately. It is only if you think too much about it that the meaning of the word becomes vague, because love is a feeling.
Sure, ‘ordinary’ human love is usually a feeling – but it seems to be different for the masters, doesn’t it? They say ‘the real thing’ is not a feeling at all, ie not a matter of emotion, attachment etc., something that can come and go and possibly transmute into anger, jealousy and the rest of the problematic stuff.
But I guess until we’re ‘conscious’, ‘awake’, the ‘normal’ kind is what we’re stuck with. And therein lies the most fertile ground for self-enquiry, self-observation, gradual transformation of base matter into gold (as it were) – hopefully – as for the vast majority, ‘awakening’ seems to be a lifelong process.
Interesting to be noted having a face of a guru from Lucknow (?!). Is this perhaps a dig or in fact a compliment? As you probably noted from my website I do at times sign myself off as ‘The Greek Gonzo Guru’, (to my friends aka the Sarth London gooru), a title I’m most proud of and take exceptionally seriously.
Truly seriously though, Core Realisation is a way of personal spiritual unfoldment, put together to facilitate a deeper connection with the integral reality through spiritual intimacy, internal alchemy and relational integral therapy.
Like many other modalities and formulations it does include meditation, reflection, enquiry, breathwork, movement and spiritual surrender. However, no actual Osho techniques, permutations or meditations.
It is for sannyasins and non-sannyasins alike, for corporate types as well as seekers, for workers and their bosses. It is not a selling of Osho, Reich, Buddha, Lao Tzu, or Amadis for that matter, even though I do love them all. Nor does it purport to be the work of an accomplished, realised, enlightened bod, just somebody who has been working on himself for 40-odd years.
It is specifically adapted for the modern age with all the turmoil, fragmentation, isolation and materialism we face. As I have lived in South London for the last 24 years, it has evolved to meet the needs of urbanites. It is in fact concerned with all the facets of the human condition, not just the spiritual. It is an experiential facilitation, a relational exploration, a progressive integration of spiritual consciousness, love and purpose within our personality. It is an embodment of our authentic nature in a internal alchemical process to actualise our spirit.
The main factor is that it acts as a catalyst for people wanting greater access to their core resources. Essentially, it is about one human being there for another/others, fully present and empathically engaged. This is far more powerful than any technique or transmission. It is both very basic yet quite radical.
It is by sinking into our heart-core we connect to our inner guidance and innate wisdom. Knowing our evolving integral nature, our life becomes both purposeful and meaningful. It becomes a declaration that all we need is our core self: that this is our original guru, our teacher, our spiritual parent, our beloved.
What I called a “surf-tile”, Frank, is that ‘thing’ you stand on, barefoot, when you surf the waves in the ocean or on lakes if there is any wind for support,
keeping the balance – enjoying the ride.
The word is my invention
btw – to be honest I just go for admiring and looking at the water-acrobats
though I am, or used to be, a very good swimmer and I love to dive.
So the surfing – I know more about – is mentally, psychologically and also dream-wise.
Most of the time, when writing, I do not use any dictionary.
Sometimes I use the dictionary when I want to understand you better – so the other way round (but the many idioms you all use are anyway difficult to catch hold of).
Content?
Madhu
Maddie,yes.
The online “urban dictionary” is a good one for
wacky idioms.
For example, try googling it and check the words ‘surf’ and ‘surfboard’.
You will be amazed at where language is going.
(mostly down)
Is it possible that El Chudo has confused masturbation with meditation…at sunset?
Amadis, if you offer therapy, I hope it’s really worth it. It can be at the best.
You know what just happened yesterday? I told you before I did a project about hugging instructions and got a reasonable amount of money for it (= good return on investing on my personal therapy, I am refering to my here and now life). Yet still even my business partner got more than 10 times more. I was totally jealous – about the money.
However, this thing is escalating. Now it happens that I get again the same amount of money – for hugging instructions in similar project. That makes me happy, but it’s not my passion to be a hugging coach. The best part of this project happens to be that my mother will go to old people’s homes and teach them to hug each other because of this project, which was not the original intention, not my idea. And she will get good money for her doing something fun. Incredible, because she is over 70 years old (but in better shape than me).
My family structure and childhood was very difficult indeed. I did four primal groups, my mother and sister have also done primal. But even so, everything has not been exactly easy, more like quite difficult. But now it looks as if perhaps it pays off (= primal groups). So, therapy is an ex-lover – one that I sometimes appreciate.
I just realized that perhaps it’s good for me to just give to the people close to me, even if in my mind I thought they do not deserve it (but not making myself a victim or a helper at the same time). It’s like what Osho says, “another kind of economics”.
And a PS for Frank:
Just a week ago, I stumbled on a short (about 100 pages long) and very precious piece of premium literature, written by an Italian man, Erri De Luca (borne in Naples),
entitled, “Il Peso della Farfalla”.
(A frozen butterfly can make all the difference…Sorry, that`s me…uttering…).
The main character in the book is a poacher, a deer stealer,
living as a hermit deep in Nature. The deer he is after are high mountain climbers.
The clearness and uncompromising sharpness of this fictional male figure´s
comments about humans, about deer and about interrelating reminded me so much of some climate in between your lines, when you are posting, when being sober, so to say.
Just came home after a long walk at the river here,
often going like today,
with my just ‘favourite’ book,
the camera -
and some water to drink.
And when I was sitting in a rose garden, near the river,
I did what I do sometimes (rarely),
I read that book in a whisper to myself, tasting the words like a delicious meal of consciousness in action,
what language CAN be.
I can´t read it to you,
but I want to thouroughly recommend the read to you.
Maybe you have got it in the public library – translated to your mother tongue
(the author was the winner of the Petrarca Prize 2010).
Have a good evening.
Madhu
Dear Fresch,
Thank you for your sharing around 10am yesterday, love…
Reminded me so much of my own life struggles, longings, feelings of gratefulness, as well as the opposites,
imaginings as well as delusions about roles in society I could or would like to take,
being a failure so often, or some rare times imagining I could be successful, useful in the ‘true’ sense.
And it’s true to say, nothing is such a failure like success.
That sounds hard, but it isn´t –
it turned out to show up as just the way it is, as one aspect of an inner documentary about human-growth-processing, never ending, till we pop up, and even then,
w h o knows……?
There are two aspects in your sharing I want to respond to:
One is: LOVE IS NOT FOR SALE
(Not in any of the roles one could attend to: the giving, the taking, the admin-role of a teacher, a preacher, and the multiple other roles in the ‘on stage drama’).
And that
IN SPITE of the huge sex-as-counselling-as-coaching-industry – I say that from my own experience.
Another aspect is:
Who is there to decide if someone is worthy (deserving, in your terms) of being on the receiving end?
It´s neither you, nor me, nor, I would say, anybody,
the way what we call ‘Existence’ nowadays operates,
teaches us lessons in terms of the latter, which – in contact with the pain of these issues –
are much more than mind-blowing, can indeed be called ‘heart-breaking’ lessons, individually as well as collectively.
You also give one of the numerous reports – and I could join you there, for sure, telling some of mine from the closet, past and present ones.
To be able to be part of a caravanserai, to be able to meet others who are outlining their struggle and joys in what Osho once called the “pilgrimage from here-to-here”, to be part of it – more or less consciously – is such a luxury gift;
finding out when we give, we also take, and vice versa.
Being in the utterly luxurious position, even to sit somewhere, more or less well-fed, with water to drink or cappu or tea, pondering what the next meal can be, indulging quite often in social inter-human plays, as if we have nothing better to do…
Quite often since the new millennium, I am kind of haunted by inner pictures of what buddhists call the “karma wheel” seeing it as a carousel turning.
There is every chance that the so-called world and its inhabitants are getting so easily what we call ‘contact’ that there is every danger to miss what that is about.
The world of meditation (and psychology of the Buddha) that Osho introduced us into, is a LIVING processing;
it’s neither you reach somewhere special, nor you can gain a gold medal and stand on a pedestal.
That’s the human fact, I meet you as a sister in this thread (if the meeting is allowed to happen).
Love
Madhu
P.S: I used to have a so-called profession too, earned money by that also, although that was always just a little – and there was a lot of struggling to find a way to do that – many errors, many trials.
Now I am busy (just now, the second I am writing to you, unknown, unknowable women and including unknown as unknowable onlookers, readers)
feeling – in the luxurious way I described a little bit
in a really ‘open space’,
a little space-shuttle,
to send off
n o w !
From ‘The Gift of Therapy’, by Irvin Yalom
It’s strange how certain phrases or events lodge in one’s mind
and offer ongoing guidance or comfort. Decades ago I saw a
patient with breast cancer, who had, throughout adolescence,
been locked in a long, bitter struggle with her nay saying
father. Yearning for some form of reconciliation, for a new, fresh
beginning to their relationship, she looked forward to her
father’s driving her to college — a time when she would be alone
with him for several hours.
But the long-anticipated trip proved a disaster: her father behaved true to form by grousing at length about the ugly, garbage-littered creek by the side of the road. She, on the other hand, saw no litter whatsoever in the beautiful,
rustic, unspoiled stream. She could find no way to respond and eventually, lapsing into silence, they spent the remainder of the trip looking away from each other.
Later, she made the same trip alone and was astounded to
note that there were two streams — one on each side of the road.
“This time I was the driver,” she said sadly, “and the stream I
saw through my window on the driver’s side was just as ugly
and polluted as my father had described it.” But by the time
she had learned to look out her father’s window, it was too
late — her father was dead and buried.
That story has remained with me, and on many occasions I
have reminded myself and my students, “Look out the other’s
window. Try to see the world as your patient sees it.”
The woman who told me this story died a short time later of breast
cancer, and I regret that I cannot tell her how useful her story
has been over the years, to me, my students, and many
patients.
Just in case this isn’t clear to everyone, the following is the part that is most important, for me, in this excerpt.
“Later, she made the same trip alone and was astounded to
note that there were two streams — one on each side of the road.
“This time I was the driver,” she said sadly, “and the stream I saw through my window on the driver’s side was just as ugly and polluted as my father had described it.”
Spiritual therapy – A Role in Self Realisation.
Is Self Realisation not quite a vague term?
Am I self realised, are you self realised, are they self realised?
Are there some common traits which bind one self realised being with another?
Most probably, all this stuff is like the tv commercials from India targeting semi-illiterates with deep pockets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgqiO4sd848
To me, realisation implies making something real, to bring it into being in this three-dimensional universe. It includes understanding something but it’s more than that: it’s a ‘knowing it’, a becoming it and living it. That is the essence of both Gnostic philosophy and classic Daoism. I cite these ‘ways’ as they have made a huge impression on me. (By the way, did Osho ever get into Gnosticism and lecture about it?). Neither propose the dissolution of a so-called ego, rather the realisation of what Jung also recently rediscoverd, The Self.
In a way, realising who/what we are, and let’s call it our Self, automatically clarifies what we are not, call it our egoic identity. If we are constantly focussing on losing something, the very focussing on it keeps it going. Ok, so that insight is not new to anyone; yet we still persist on putting our attention on ‘dropping the Ego’, something that Zen-ophiles would tell us does not exist, rather than stepping into something that is real and already present within. In that sense, the Jungian notion of The Self or the Daoist Authentic Self, are no different to Osho’s description of Buddha nature.
The dialectic of whether you are enlightened or not becomes irrelevant when there isn’t a notion of an absolute duality of egohood and enlightenment. Instead, it is a slow incremental evolution from one state of human sentience to another one. Like caterpillar to buttefly, tadpole to frog and so on.
To me, this perspective is not opposed to classical Buddhistic philosophy, rather a more user-friendly understanding of spiritual evolution. In other words we come to ‘know’/realise our Self in stages throughout our life. (By the way, for those who don’t like the term Self/Core Self/Authentic Self, simply substitute the words with Being/Spirit/Buddha-nature or whatever).
For someone who is no longer pre-occupied with enlightenment, ‘cultivating my self’ and ‘sinking into my heart-core’ and so ‘become a real human’ (thanks to the classical Chinese mystics for all these), is what engages me. And for me at least, that will do.
Although Amadis, isn’t giving up troublesome aspects of our ‘little self’: those things we tend to cling on to and even identify with, eg anger, jealousy, resentment, wanting, hoping, wishing things were different (without taking action), even fear and personal limitations, compulsive thinking of past and future etc. etc., a pre-requisite for “stepping into something that is real and already present within”?
So really, in this sort of enterprise, ‘first things first’ means, at least for most of us, giving up these, or at least, looking at/working on them, before having much realistic chance of ‘going beyond’ them?
Sometimes people are so excited to be good samaritans in the meditation sector that they won´t hesitate to sell shorts in the minus degree winter!
Dear Amadis,
Glad to ‘see your voice’ and maybe, if my ears are merely functioning, also able to listen to you – finally.
Wish you well.
And thank you for your contribution
here.
Madhu
Dear Amadis,
Loved to read today some more from your place inside-out;
loved to see your smile on the page just from the moment I saw it and not because that reminded me of anyone outside, it just has been contagious and I felt myself smiling back and then I laughed, quite aware that I had been sitting here in front of my computer screen. Am curious, do you have some Greek origin?
What I like to respond to today is to a sentence of your post:
“Knowing our evolving integral nature, our life becomes both purposeful and meaningful.”
That is a kind of strong promise and sounds good.
My own experience though, is that even such a promise one has to let go of.
That´s not an easy one to take as a let-go because the longing for a ‘meaning’ and a ‘purpose’ is resistant like anything to be ready to dissolve.
Maybe I am spoiled?
I simply don’t know.
Yours – in friendship – and sincerely,
Madhu
As I already said, Lokesh, you and also Frank are bringing the spices in and thank you both for that.
“Just the fact that something exists does not mean that it is reasonable. I mean to say, why do mosquitoes exist, or drunk drivers, murderers etc. They are not needed at all and are not part of a continuum. They are simply a nuisance….”
Madhu
Well, why shouldn’t they exist? That’s another way of looking at it all. And surely it’s not that difficult to see why human aberrations exist, is it? I mean, we only have to look at our selves!
Where did we get this notion that this existence should somehow be a ‘paradise’? Instead of just seeing it the way it is?
(Answers on a postcard (or at a rather obscure website blog) please).
Couldn´t resist the temptation of responding to your post this Sunday morning, Satyadeva.
Sure enough, my response has been sucked into whatsoever obscurity…corner of net.
Maybe some spider ‘thought’, my response to your contribution is food ?
The net is the net is the net.
Humans are humans are humans.
Some may have been ‘evolving’ into the machine.
Sometimes I am desperate about that.
Please spare me all of one of your very cool answers today.
Madhu
Thank you, Amadis,
bridge-builder
enriching caravanserai – trails
with this.
Madhu
Dear Madhu, thanks for all your input. Nice.
To respond to your query, I am not that focussed on going beyond the need for purpose or meaning, nor love, beauty, kindness and joy for that matter. I feel that the last few years I have moved beyond the need to ‘move beyond’ my basic human needs. If you could see me right now, you would notice my tongue firmly in my cheek! I also mean it though; I am reclaiming and owning, even celebrating my humanity.
It could be I am a simpler soul than many on the spiritual path, however this whole ‘thing’ of transcending my genetic and organismic needs and traits seems pointless. Why? Am I not good enough in the eyes of existence being mortal, flawed, imperfect? Really?
What is love if we can’t embrace and love our flawed human nature? I love my animal nature, my frail, vunerable inner child, my yearning soul. I love them and celebrate them. They are great, for they humanise me, coaxing my heart and belly open. See where I am coming from?
No need to transcend, to love all we are and accept ourselves, warts ‘n all, is enough. Hence the masters I dig are LaoTze, Chuang Tze, Mo Tze and co, who make no big deal in becoming enlightened, rather: ‘first become a true human being, the rest takes care of itself’ or ‘ we are here to be authentic, which is the same as to be our human heart, that is the Way of (hu)man’. Isn’t that great?
However, the one that really ‘does it’ for me is Jesus; because he is SO human. He is not ‘beyond’ suffering, or doubt, fear, passion, anger; he doesn’t need to be. He has found something that can embrace his human nature fully and yet…he shines down the ages with such love, such care, such concern, such empathy. Yeah, and maybe it is because I am half-Greek, emotional and passionate, that it is this open-hearted humanness that speaks to me most.
Most importantly, what I consider to have been my peak spiritual experiences all came through and with love. Love was the vehicle, the messenger, the presence that carried with it all the rest: peace, insight, clarity, courage, compassion, joy, wonder, beauty, ecstasy and much, much more.
Thank you for responding, Amadis,
I can relate to your post.
While reading it, one of the old songs – was it Jonny Cash, about his ‘personal Jesus? – came into play, memory-wise.
You also wrote:
“It could be I am a simpler soul than many on the spiritual path, however this whole ‘thing’ of transcending my genetic and organismic needs and traits seems pointless.”
I would say, you are neither more simple nor more complex than many others on the spiritual path, you are just as unique an expression as anybody else on the whole bumpy roads of human affairs and its pilgrimages from ‘here to there’ and from ‘there to here’ and from ‘here to here’.
In exchange matters though, it’s much easier for me to relate to your expression than to many others, and I feel grateful for that.
The virtual character of communication and chat-exchange sometimes taking the character of a GAME, leaves me (a woman) often desolate.
Then and there, when I am able to, I get my walking-sticks and go out for a long walk,
walk my inner talk and talk my inner walk – like yesterday and the day before, and…
yesterday – as the season allows it – I passed the flavours of the roses and the jasmine and the holler blossoms , and the flavours passed through me.
Deprived of ´natural grown´ communication to a big extent, I need these walks.
Sometimes indeed SILENCE speaks,
even in virtual conditions,
and speaks with the flavour of humanity.
Then it’s reminding me on passing the blossoms while walking,
and for a short while one can gather the courage to take the virtual string of posting a response as so much ´real`as the full-blossomed rose or jasmine or holler – and what not.
So,
grateful again for that.
Love,
Madhu
(MOD: WE’RE NOT SURE WHAT holler IS, MADHU!)
We call it ‘hollunder’, moderators, elder trees.
They grow in bushes which can become quite large.
The (single, cream-white) blossoms are tiny, but the whole blossom crisp with many, many of them in a kind of geometrical order, can fill the whole palm of your hand.
The flavour discreet, sweet and something more in it: you can already feel the fruit (elderberries) that is to come later, with lots of little dark red-aubergine gallons full of juice.
The hollunder is a healing bush – not just beautiful.
The blossoms can be eaten, like when you spread them with a mix of egg and wheat flour and then hold them in hot oil for some seconds.
The juice in autumn time is very good for your lungs and the whole respiratory system.
I love these bushes.
They are dancing the rhythm of the year´s seasons their way with lists of gifts for us (for free)
and there´s old women’s wisdom chat also about these bushes,
but I am not that well-informed about it.
So give it a try in England too,
taste it.
Madhu
PS:
Forgot the juice you can make by just picking a few of the blossoms,
putting them into good water and leave that for a day or two.
That is very delicious too (maybe add a bit of lemon to it, but not much).
Just for clarification, this is best translated as
‘Elderberry’, Madhu.
It grows in profusion on Hampstead Heath, just a mile or two from SN’s office.
Now it looks very beautiful. And yes, just a handful of those berries in later season, eaten raw, snatched from the tree, can give body and spirit a real lift.
Yes, Madhu, I agree.
Maybe we should video-skype anyone wishing to do so; that might make our fragrances more discernible. Regardless of this cold electronic medium, Madhu, I can feel your heart in your postings and get a lovely whiff of sweetness in the virtual breeze. Like honeysuckle (to continue the floral motif!).
Heart resonating,
Amadis
Thank you Amadis,
coming back quite late to the flat I am living in, finding such a beautiful surprise.
-
Concerning the ´outer ´SKY… -
it is so alive these days – moving – moving – moving –
all shades from light grey to up to even anthracite,
leaving almost any moment a gap for the June (strong) sun ; so the grey colour starts to sparkle, looking precious
and you get an insight deep as deep can be,
sometimes a deep blue too…
Just for a moment or even less that that…
It’s the wind in this magic orchestra playing and playing so kindly, yet so strong too…
no rain falling – just changing ´faces´any instant…
So we are all reminded, that we are visitors allowed to be here and not to be crushed by these forces of nature (yet);
a precious gift too, not to be taken for granted, as anybody knows, who wants to stretch awareness just a little bit and gets to know about our fellow-travellers elsewhere.
Some kids just now were to be heard in the courtyard here, their voices as wild as the wind and then – all of a sudden, SILENCE again (they´ve got the wind-virus…) -
same with the birds these days.
“SKYPE”?
Amadis, Skype I don´t manage technically; I am glad that I just manage to write and to read and to do some little research.
And it’s a pity that I am not even able to send (post) one or the other of the many photos I take from unexpected natural surprises, happenings which are an art in itself,
art which I meet in Nature and which is meeting me.
Quite often I have wanted to share this.
The wind is a very good spiritual teacher though,
saying that the moment I write this down, it’s already gone.
But as I said it, the wind these days here is very kind
so I am going to give my lines to you ‘a GO’,
including my best wishes for your WELL-BEING, Amadis -
Madhu