Monday, January 2, 2012

New States of Awareness

Greetings and Happy New Year. I am excited to share some further insights with you all, which began to percolate into my awareness while I was away on tour with Amma over the Thanksgiving holiday. Like a seed taking time to grow, it took over a month to compose it into the completed article you see below, titled “New States of Awareness.”

In this newsletter:
  • Article: New States of Awareness
  • Medical Qigong Levels 1 & 2
  • Acupuncture & Qigong Sessions
  • Day-long Retreat: Mindfulness of Feelings
  • Facebook & Google+ (Read these updates on Social Media)

New States of Awareness
Awakening Into 2012 and Beyond
By Thomas Leichardt, DMQ (China)

Our consciousness is far more versatile, free, and mobile than we suppose. It is not out of the ordinary, then, to merge with the trees, the flowers, to directly experience the expansiveness of the sky, or the depth of the ocean. We are not locked inside the flesh, though our current and brilliant focus within physical reality depends upon it. Our consciousness is far freer and more expansive than we currently suppose, not bound to the flesh, and yet a portion of it is magnificently and miraculously couched within it at the same time.

To fulfill the extraction of our particular type of focus and technology, however, we had to abandon all notions of expansive merging and oneness. We had to convince ourselves that we are separate beings, separate entities looking out at an objective world. Separated from it, we could then manipulate it from the outside, force it to bend to our will, our mind and intellect. Thus we became rulers of the physical world, gaining mastery over matter in our own unique way, from the outside. To achieve this, feeling ourselves as apart from nature was necessary, for how could we dam the rivers or fell the trees if we felt our oneness with them? It would simply not be possible.

No earth honoring, soul merging culture would allow the industrial revolution to happen. Therefore, the earth honoring, merging qualities had to be subdued, put under, so that our particular ego consciousness could rise to prominence; and manipulation, control, and mastery of earth could be achieved. Thus, the intuitive, merging attributes of human consciousness were subdued, allowing logic and intellect to operate alone without the sustenance of the intuitions (at least on the surface) allowing the rise of a culture and technology that controls, manipulates, and subdues the earth and all of its resources.

However, we’ve reached the pinnacle of that mode of consciousness, such that to persist further in that line of development will lead to our own destruction. We’ve left ourselves a safety valve, an escape hatch, such that the pressure of our own impending doom, resulting from further pursuing that line of development, our separate focus and belief in a separate outside objective world, would literally force us into a new path, a new focus.

Pressures of survival as a species would force an awakening, a re-awakening, then, unto consciousness and awareness of unity, merging, and feeling ourselves as part of nature again. The solutions to all the problems caused by the worldview of separation, then, would lie “hidden” within the worldview of unity, awaiting the most appropriate time to resurface again into human consciousness – like a seed laying dormant underneath the frozen earth, waiting for the first signs of spring to burst forth with new life into our mental and psychological landscape. That time, the springtime of the worldview of unity, would be activated by a mass recognition of the disequilibrium between humans and nature, brought about by the worldview of separation and its attendant earth subduing technology.

We would retain knowledge, however, gained from the worldview of separation, and use that as a springboard into vaster states of awareness that would not otherwise be possible, had the species never explored the world of separation, extracting it’s unique technology based on dominion and control. Additionally, without a historical time period of absolute hard objectivity, the species would not have gained the wisdom which is borne out of the acute pain of separation from nature.
Thus, the homecoming to greater portions of the self would herald a new culture of heart with intense joy and celebration, re-awaking into union and merging awakened consciousness, while also remembering the pain of separation as a contrast from which to choose.

Unity would be a conscious choice then, not biologically hardwired, but consciously chosen by the species, having gained self consciousness and choice via it’s long sojourn through the ego dominated, dominion over nature phase. The species would thus awaken into new states of awareness, previously unknown en masse.

To control something that is basically alive and unpredictable, we cast a net over it. So we cast a net of separation and isolation over our inner and outer landscape, breaking things down into infinitesimal portions, attempting to understand the whole by studying its parts. Again, this is a stage of evolution, a stage we have successfully passed through, and a stage that, at its most appropriate time, pushes forward into new stages of growth and development. Thus, perhaps with some growing pains, but most definitely with great exhilaration, focus and exuberant joy, we press on to our next stage of development, a stage that sees the blending of the so called masculine and feminine, hard logic with intuition, separateness with unity. And what a wild ride its shaping up to be!

If you enjoyed this piece, want to discuss, or have something to add, please post a comment below. I sure do love to hear feedback!

The above article was inspired greatly by Amma, Jane Robert’s books, and a whole variety of spiritual teachers, friends, and life’s experiences. Thank you all!

Medical Qigong Levels 1 & 2

Medical qigong is a fabulous way to increase your energetic sensitivity and projection skills, as well as to build competence, skill, and confidence in energy work of all kinds. The following courses are offered at Five Branches University, San Jose, and are taught by Thomas Leichardt. Levels 1 and 2 will be offered spring semester 2012. All classes are from 9 am – 6 pm, on the following Sundays:
  • Level 1: Jan 15 & 29, Feb 12 & 26; Builds a solid personal cultivation practice for working with one’s own energy.
  • Level 2: March 25, April 1, 15 & 29; Advanced spirit-skill meditations and Daoist alchemy geared towards self cultivation as well as clinical application of energetic healing modalities.
For registration, please contact Phan Goh at sjextension@fivebranches.edu. MTCM students contact Gina Huang.

Acupuncture & Qigong Sessions

As many of you know, I am offering acupuncture treatments at the Five Branches Clinic in San Jose as a way to complete my training for an acupuncture license. I am also incredibly happy to integrate medical qigong into these sessions. This makes them an incredible value to the community, as internship rates are incredibly low! The Five Branches intern rates are less than half of what I used to charge for medical qigong alone!

What is a session like? Find out here.

My clinic shifts for the spring term, beginning January 9th, are:
  • Monday, 1pm – 4pm
  • Wednesday, 9am – 12pm (VETS clinic) & 1:30pm – 4:30pm
  • Friday, 1pm  – 4pm
Five Branches University San Jose Clinic Number: 408-260-8868

Day-long Retreat: Mindfulness of Feelings
Upcoming Day-long retreat with Shaila Catherine & Tom Leichardt

This day-long program will explore the role of concentration for calming the mind, deepening wisdom, enhancing enduring happiness, and ushering attention into a profound state of stillness. We will introduce meditation techniques aimed at strengthening concentration, cultivating skills for freeing the mind from distraction, and developing equanimity to support undistracted awareness.
The retreat will be led by Shaila, while Thomas will lead an hour qigong session from about 10:30 am to 11:30 am.
Saturday, Feb 11, 2011, 9:30 am – 5 pm
Location: St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
More Information

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Thanks so much for reading this far!

May all beings be happy and peaceful.
Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu.

Tom / Yogeshwar


Where there is Love, there is no effort.
Amma


Thomas Leichardt, DMQ (China)
408.772.6009
www.InnerAlchemyCenter.com

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