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Welcome to Day 13 of our 40-Day Retreat.
Summary of Previous Day and Introduction
Yesterday we spoke about the ego, but in terms of energy centres or centres of action, and I call them “centres of awareness.”
They are centres of energy and centres of action because we can act from these centres or we can stimulate or initiate action from these centres. So it’s a very interesting way of looking at the ego in action. Though we do not hear about these centres that I speak about, in science or the world of education as we know it, this subject of subtle energy and subtle energy centres is given a lot of attention in the ancient wisdom of the east, especially in yoga.
I speak about this because of my experience of it, and because of the great transformation that took place within me as I became more aware of these centres as I sought to develop them. So it’s a very interesting subject and if you pursue the understanding of it, you can experience a lot positive changes within you. In simple words, you can become a better person.
From the limited to the most expansive
These centres that I described yesterday, or “chakras” as they are called in Sanskrit, extend along the spinal column from the base to the top of the head to the centre of the brain. These centres are associated with different qualities of the human experience and extend from the deeply spiritual to the gross physical. So it spans the range of human experience, from what we may term “the lowest the highest,” or the most limited to the most expansive.
So there seems to be some sort of evolution as you move along the spine and expansion in awareness of the ego as you look at these centres from the base of the spine upwards. As these centres are opened or developed in an upward sequence, there seemed to be a progression of expansion of consciousness or awareness, or energy, and you can see its association with the physical, the vital, the emotional, the mental, and of course, the spiritual. You can see these different qualities as you move upward along the spine. So our very evolution as an ego being depends on the awakening as you move along the spine.
Spiritual evolution is holistic
It is said that in our evolution, spiritual evolution, or human development, there is an awakening movement along the spine in an upward direction. As you can see, evolution in consciousness is in an upward direction. You start with the development of the physical, vital, emotional, mental and then the deeply spiritual if you were to look at this sequence. In the science of yoga, it is like that. They start with the physical and then go to the emotional, then mental to the deeply intellectual, and finally to the spiritual. What is really good about this field of human development is that it’s holistic, it treats the whole being. And not just what is seen in terms of physical, but also what is unseen.
Be your own laboratory
The science of yoga treats the experience of those who’ve gone through the process of development. It treats these revelations, these experiences of these persons with great respect, and we are invited if we want to understand the process to go through a series of exercises, or discipline that can also help us to experience this. That’s the invitation that yoga offers to you when it deals with this subject: to look for yourself, see for yourself, try them out. Because only you can verify the truth of it. We have no instruments to verify this transformation, only you can verify this transformation from your own individual experience. And of course, those around you will observe the transformation.
But we can move from being caught in the bondage of the lower centres, being very physical, being very emotional, being very vital and unable to enjoy the human experience to the fullest. And we may be also caught in the limited experience of these, seeking for happiness, until we realize the folly of staying in limitation and then we seek for more. Somehow innately we know that there is more within us. We know that. There’s a search for happiness and it becomes unceasing as we move through human life searching here and there and everywhere. And finally when these centres are opened us, these higher centres are opened up, we seem to become satisfied as we touch the deeper parts of our being.
How to awaken our spiritual centres more
What I want to speak today about for a few minutes would be, “How can we awaken these centres more?” Before we speak about the specific centres and what we can experience from them, how can we develop these centres more? How can we become more conscious of them? How can we seek to awaken them? And here I’ll share some of my experiences with you because that’s what I can use in guiding you.
The power of presence of the Teacher
The journey of self-discovery, self-development, in a holistic sense become easier when you have a teacher who’s been there, who’s lived there, who lives in the experience of this energy and awareness. And even if you do not meet someone who is fully there, someone who is partially there can also guide you, being humble to admit their limitation and advising you to move on where they can’t help you anymore. Those are good teachers.
If you have a teacher, what is marvellous about human interaction, is that just the presence, (and we’ll deal with this word later on as we deal with energy), of that teacher can stimulate the awakening of those centres within you. And just to say, as I think I should, that even when people are caught in the lower centres, in limitation, and they are expressing a lot of energy, they can also pull you into that kind of experience, if you are vulnerable. So if they have strong lower chakras in expression and you have awakened lower chakras and they are not strong, those who are strong in the lower chakras can influence you – lower energies. That’s how you may get caught up in power plays and pleasure plays that are limited.
It is important to get the company and to associate with those who have these centres awakened and developed and awakened in positive and powerful ways. Those who have the centres strong and who use them positively, those who are centred in goodness. If you have the company of such people, and the guidance of such people, you feel the journey is easier and it’s more than just words, it’s about an energy that holds you and guides you. Just the company of the teacher, just knowing that the teacher is holding you in his sight, or awareness, just seeing the example of the teacher, can be a great, great support on the journey.
Of course, just to say that my own life has been heavily influenced by the association of a teacher, a guide. I felt supported by this presence and I felt led within my own inner journey, my own inner world by the support of this teacher. And when I speak of support, I do not mean just human support, but I could feel the support, beyond the humanness of the teacher.
Associate with positive groups having noble vision
One should seek to associate with those who have these centres developed and established in goodness - that’s a powerful support on the journey, a powerful inspiration. I would say it’s the greatest support. Certainly, if you can have the company of groups of people and you can spend time in that kind of energy field, slowly you will find that changes happen within you. So not only having a guide, but associating with groups that are positively inclined, groups with noble vision and purpose that are seeking to develop themselves and community. When you come into such groups, you can actually feel, based on the collective presence of goodness that there is some kind of invisible shifting within us. I thrive on this. I love to be in the company of groups and people who embrace noble values and qualities. I feel uplifted, just by being there.
And of course, I would say that initially before I even met this teacher in India I would say that it was an environment, a very strong, positive and energized environment that lifted me. I met the environment before I met the teacher. I met a group of people devoted to a noble vision that was inspired by the teacher before I met the teacher. So I can tell you about how powerful a group influence can be.
Self-Discipline
I’ve had the experience of a teacher, of the group, and finally, I needed to have self-discipline. When I got the inspiration, I got the tools, I needed to be disciplined. Nobody could be disciplined for me. I had to be disciplined. And that held me every day in the energy space that I wanted to be in. We human beings need discipline otherwise we fall back into ordinary patterns of behaviour that keeps us at lower levels. If we are not watchful, we stagnate. So we have to always be aspiring to protect ourselves with self-discipline.
Our support on the journey
So I’ll say to you, if you want to develop these centres more, which of course I think that you want to, we need to have a guide who is in a more powerful space than we are. We need to have association with people who are established in goodness and purpose, noble purpose. And we need to have self-discipline. So I’ll leave you with this today. This is extremely important on the journey. And we’ll speak more about this field, this wonderful field of energetics in the human experience, or in human development in the following days.
