 |
|
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Astrologer's Notes:
Ask Carrin Martin,
Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Martin Lass,
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Erin Sullivan,
Astrologer
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Stellar Scopes
Daija de Mornay
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
The Weekly Horoscope
By Care
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
The BUT Doctor
Healing America's Real Crack Problem One Person at a Time
by Eddie Conner
Avant-Gardening:
Insights by Frank &
Vicky Giannangelo
Breaking Free:
Anne Brewer
Choices: The Art of Conscious Creation:
by Teri Harris Saa
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Memos From The
First Tabugian
Art Rosengarten, Ph.D.
The Path of Wisdom and Love
Dr. John Demartini,
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care
Feng Shui:
Wind & Water:
Carole J. Hyder
In Practice:
How to Create a Successful Holistic Practice- from Start to Success
by Shaun Brown,
CMT, BA BeWell Publications
Spirit in Work
by John Livesay,
Author
The Business of Tarot
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Soulforest:
Tarot and Spirituality
Rachel Pollack,
Tarot Grand Master
Gateway to Tarot:
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Bonnie Cehovet's
Tarot Interviews
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Crystals, Gemstones & Minerals by Kristi of MoonCave
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Other
Novel Moments
Opinion - Editorial
Interviews:
Watch for Upcoming Announcements
Healing & Alternative
Health:
"The Ancient Way of Chinese Medicine"
by Kevin O'Neil
Flower Essences
by Donna Cunningham
Living in Harmony-Astrology, Yoga & Ayurveda:
Venkat & Christine Machiraju
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Tools for Heartful Living
by Jackie Woods,
Healer & Spiritual Teacher,
Adawehi Institute
Conscious Breathing
for Health and Self Transformation
by Dennis Lewis
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
General Information:
Editorial Submission
Information:
Articles
Columns
Editorial Opinions
"Opinion - Editorial"
General Content
Event Calendars
Graphics & Photos
Editorial Deadlines
Advertising Promotion:
Advertising
Information &
Opportunities
About
The Meta Arts
Magazine
Contact Us
Legal Notices
|
|
|
|
|
|
Creating Bridges: The Spiritual & Philosophical |
|
|
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions:
The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
Unrest: Our Current Human Plight
|
|
|
by Jacquelyn Small
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our whole nature is under undue stimulation these days because of the chaotic world situation, of which we are all an intricate part. Then, add to this that a paradigm shift of major proportions is hitting us both inside and out. For many, inner guidance is warning us to stay alert, that all this chaos carries with it much danger, for we have no experience with this much rapid shifting of the very ground beneath our religio-philosophic feet. We here in the U.S. have never experienced being in a world like this - except for those of you who may have lived in third world countries. And we are as yet scarcely aware of the risks involved.
Now, I don't mean to scare you: I'm just reporting to you what I'm hearing, not only from my own inner guides, but from dozens of you who contact me for validation or guidance concerning situations in your personal lives.
So even though, for many of us, our more transpersonal inner life still glows with a sacred sense of meaning and purpose to all around us, we are each facing the responsibility of living a personal life. And hopefully that life can offer stability and hope to others, as well as keeping us on the mark ourselves.
God knows, our egos detest uncertainty! And people who are not on a path of personal transformation - who wouldn1t even be reading this, of course --will naturally see everything that's happening as outside themselves. And there they will place the blame. You who are on the path, however, cannot get away with this. You know you are participating in a divine Plan, and that we each have our part to play. More likely, you will say instead, "What is the lesson in this, for me and for my world? And what do I need to know to better help us move gracefully forward?" So here1s hoping that some things said in this article will serve to help us all live into this moment with more balance, inner fortitude and grace.
First, all over-reactions must cease. Any kind of fanatical stance is never a balanced view. And even worse, it can be filled with judgment and partial, ill-thought-out beliefs. So any time you hear yourself sounding like an impassioned "true believer," go inward and discover what it is about yourself that you fear. Your over-reaction will always be about you.
Next, there is an educational process involved here. We must study and learn to understand something about the nature of chaos: All potential exists in the implicate order of reality where it appears there is nothing but chaos. This is the giant pool of the yet unknown. The Void. The Cosmic Soup. Big Mind.
Yet, when examined by the subatomic physicists, it1s been found that this apparent chaos is all the unrealized potential spinning Œround and Œround with no formulation of anything - until, that is, we focus on something we desire. Then, whatever we focus on and give our full intention to begins to rise up out of this all-encompassing sea of chaos in its full statement.
Now, it shows! It becomes real. By our focused intention, we pulled together in one mass all the tiny particles that make up this thing we1ve imaged. The substance it is made of was there all along - just not yet molded into form. This is how we bring order out of chaos. This is how we create our reality.
Another super important thing we need to understand about the nature of chaos is this: It is only by fully entering into it that we can become partners in creation and avoid being overcome by chaos. In this manner chaos cooperates with us as we cooperate with it. When we fear it, we remain outside it. Then chaos has no choice but to tear at us from the outside.In other words, chaos will come upon you like Fate, and your outer life will be a mess and you will feel its victim.
The biggest mistake we make in our decision-making process is trying to solve a problem before we even begin to understand what the problem is! We rarely take the time to enter fully into anything, to know its nature fully. So our choices of action are so often half-baked, or downright mistakes that cause our lives to feel more and more chaotic.
Anything going on in your life right now that feels chaotic, ill-formed, or in any way out of balance must be fully entered into consciously before you can make it whole. Feel your feelings about it, your resistance to it, your ideas or wishes about it all the way through. "It1s not out, but through that we heal," said Carl Jung. And this is a powerful statement with much depth of meaning.
By entering fully into a thing we can know it. And until we know something completely, we cannot expect to accurately counteract it. Patricia Sun once said "When you fear something, open that door and walk right in. Then, you will find there is nothing there." Chaos is merely spinning particles of all the unmade stuff in creation. We have power over what we choose to call up, or invoke, from this "cosmic soup" as our reality.
So today, I have invoked Persephone, not Aphrodite or Psyche, out of this giant collective unconscious mind, to be my guide. If you recall, she was once a young beautiful goddess who lived in the natural sunlit earth with Demeter, her mother, the Goddess of Nature. Kidnapped by Hades and taken to live with him in the underworld, this is the goddess who understands what it means to live in both the heights and depths of the human experience. For six months every year, she reigns in the night world, the wintry cold world of death. Then, to fulfill a bargain between Hades and her mother, Persephone returns to earth, bringing with her the warm breezes of springtime for the other six months of the year. A profusion of butterflies and wild flowers celebrates her annual return to the land of the living.
This divided life gives Persephone deep wisdom. Better than all the other goddesses, she knows that nature moves in cycles of death and rebirth, and that winter always turns to spring. She demonstrates that it is possible to rise above the vicissitudes of life’s misfortunes and cope with eloquence and beauty with its inevitable ups and downs without bitterness toward one’s fate. She models for us the tranquility that comes from mirroring the natural rhythms of life. She teaches us that the mature soul is able to stay present even in the midst of paradox and to ride life’s changes with serenity and grace.
Persephone represents the transition from innocence to wisdom in our psyches. As a young girl she was unaware of her own talents and potency. Are you still living like that? Am I? It was by marrying Death itself and finding she was not destroyed by it that she rose in stature to the full expression of who she truly is, a mature goddess wise to the ways of the world. She reminds us that conscious suffering leads to growth. The dark side of the Divine Feminine Principle has much to offer us, if we can bow to Her grace. Today, more than ever before, it is the mature Divine Feminine that’s so needed to lead us beyond this war-torn world overrun with a Masculine Principle gone wild in beating-the-chest dominance, aggression and arrogant declarations of power over others.
In the teachings about initiation from every spiritual tradition, we’re told that in order to be transformed, we cannot be attached to anything at all, even to our own salvation. We are here to live in the freedom of knowing we are complete within ourselves, just as God made us, and to serve as sons and daughters of God. Before we can mature into our whole selves, we have to die to any held-over child-like innocence that keeps us locked in naivete and unrealistic thinking about how to live in this world. Death must always precede any kind of rebirth into a new and greater form. No matter how clever we are, we can never escape the death part of any death/rebirth cycle. We must sacrifice our lower drives that lead us into insecurity and doubt for a higher good.
The word sacrifice comes from the word sacer which means "to make holy." When we make a sacrifice, we offer up that which we hold dear, not knowing what, if anything, we will gain by our courageous act. We simply wait, as though dead, until some act of grace or new vision arrives. And we go fully into deadness, taking those feelings to the very bottom of ourselves, all the way through.
Life often presents us with situations in which we hang suspended longer than we like between the old that’s gone and the new that has not yet appeared, with nothing to hold on to but faith. No act of will can get us past this place. All we can do is
o make our suffering conscious,
o be aware of what we wish to explicate from the sea of unformed, unconscious creative force,
o remain strong in our intention,
o examine our faith,
o and hold steady in the nothingness.
When I’m hanging suspended between the old and the new, it helps me if I say to myself as often as I need to: "This, too, shall pass." I never doubt that this is the truth.
The essential dignity of the human soul is never denigrated nor forgotten by our Creator. Our essence is not just created by God, it IS God. As one collective whole, humanity is part and parcel of the Divine. Our psyches may be subjected to a lot of muddy consciousness here on this planet. But in the end, our very nature which is so obviously both human and divine -- entitles us to the greatest respect.
What I’m reminding us of right now is this: The best way to overcome any depression, feelings of emptiness, or grave misgivings about yourself or our human plight at any given point along your journey is to remember who you truly are -- who you are here to be; what you've come here to do -- and stand tall in that Identity. And if you don’t feel like doing this, do it anyway! You are not your feelings; you are a precious, unique Spark of the Divine. And your nature is pure consciousness. So where will you place this consciousness that is your essence? Never forget this and all will be well, no matter what. As so beautifully stated in the Gospel of Philip:
"When the pearl is thrown into the mud, it does not
become therefore devalued, nor does it become more
valuable if it is anointed with balsam. Rather, it
possesses the same value in the esteem of its owner.
It is the same with the children of God wherever they
may find themselves, for their value is known by their
Father." (Logion 48)
|
|
|
|
Jacquelin Small,
Spiritualist, Clairvoyant Psychologist
|
 |
JACQUELYN SMALL, LMSW, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in human psychology and clinical social work. She is a licensed non-denominational minister and a licensed psychotherapist who works with both spiritual and psychological concerns.
Jacquelyn is a popular presenter and consultant in academic settings, new-thought churches and new paradigm conferences and mental health settings, known for her easy-going, self-disclosing, humorous style of intimate relating with her audiences.
She has a long history in addiction counselor training, consulting and counseling, and trains all kinds of health professionals in the emerging field of spiritual psychology. She is one of the teachers who has been selected by Unity Church for their national TV ministry. She served as the Director of Training for the Texas Commission on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse for nine years, and served on the adjunct faculty of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Stanford, California for four years.
Jacquelyn has authored eight books about soul-based psychology and the process of personal transformation, some of which have become classics in the counseling and consciousness fields. She is represented by the Tom Grady Agency. She has many audio tapes as well through Eupsychia's publishing company, Eupsychian Press.
Her published books are:
* Becoming Naturally
Therapeutic (Bantam)
* Transformers, the
Artists of Self-Creation
(DeVorss & Co.)
* Awakening in Time
(Eupsychian Press)
* Embodying Spirit (HarperSanFrancisco
/Eupsychian)
* Rising to the Call with
co-author Mary Yovino (DeVorss & Co.)
* Becoming a Practical Mystic (Quest Books)
* Psyche's Seeds-The 12 Sacred Principles of Soul-Based Psychology (Tarcher/Putnam
/Penguin)
Jacquelyn is a regular columnist for Science of Mind Magazine and is featured often in other magazines. Among the many conferences and programs for which Jacquelyn has keynoted or presented programs, include:
* The Association for Humanistic Psychology
* Association for Transpersonal Psychology
* Omega Institute
including their Body &
Soul Conferences
* Tracor and Texaco, Inc.
* Church of Religious Science Annual
Conference
* Great Lakes Addiction Conference
* Whole Life Expo
* The College of William & Mary's Annual Addictions Conference
* Most major universities
in the United States
* U.S. Department of Heath, Education and Welfare
* Omega Institute's
Body & Soul Conferences
* New Age Magazine's Bahama Teaching Cruise
The ConferenceWorks!
She has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, America's Talking, Wisdom Television and Radio, New Dimensions Radio, NPR's People's Pharmacy and a CNN's series on Alternative Healing and continues to make regular guest appearances for radio and television.
Jacquelyn Small serves on the Advisory Board of the International Psychosynthesis Association, the National Council on Codependence, and The Holistic Alliance of Professional Practitioners, Entrepreneurs and Networkers, Inc.
She is the Founding Director of Eupsychia (pronounced u-si'-ki-a) Institute which means "good psyche" or "well being" in Greek, a not-for-profit professional training and healing program in Soul-Based Psychology and Integrative Breathwork. With her staff of dedicated, experienced spiritual therapists, she conducts workshop intensives throughout North America on a regular basis.
Eupsychia Institute
PO Box 151960
Austin, TX 78715-1960
(800) 546-2795
Local (512) 327-2795
Fax (512) 327-6043
eupsychia1@aol.com
Contact Webmistress
www.eupsychia.com
|
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory! |
|
|
|
|
