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Chuck’s Place: Sense And Circumstance

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We are multidimensional energetic beings…
-Artwork © 2024 Jan Ketchel

We are multidimensional beings. At the purely physical level of existence, we perceive our world through the five senses of our physical body.

Our ego, though actually a Spirit consciousness separate from the physical body, is largely identified with the body’s sensory inputs and the physical body itself.

Sensory data provide the building blocks and proving ground for the rational mind’s determination of what is real. Scientific method insists upon physical outcomes to substantiate truth and determine fact. If you can’t see, hear, touch, taste or smell it, it simply doesn’t exist.

Desire operates at another plane of existence. Although within a certain range it reflects the instincts and needs of the physical self, it can extend beyond the physical into emotional experiences, such as love and contentment.

Desire is also associated with the imagination, which, independent of physical reality, constructs illusions and dreams, alternative realities that preoccupy us, in addition to the desires of daily life in a physical body.

At the mental plane of existence, we can enjoy a level of detachment from the limits of both the physical senses and desire. The mind is freed to abstraction where it can study, analyze and play with the facts and illusions of both physical and nonphysical reality, as it seeks to understand the deeper principles of reality.

At the intuitive level of reality, the mind becomes a receiver rather than a doer. Thoughts, visions and circumstances reveal truths directly, without the necessity of thinking. At this level, ego accepts the existence of a Higher Self that knows and has wisdom that can deeply guide the self. This is the level where the ego truly transcends its narcissistic worldview, as it recognizes and has experiences with a being greater than itself.

The intuitive level also has access to our Soul’s more comprehensive journey through eternity. This includes past lives and an understanding of the karmic intent of its current incarnation in physical form.

These various dimensions of being are simultaneously present in every moment, though our consciousness may be largely limited to one dimension, as the other dimensions function without awareness and attention. These various dimensions of self generally interact and challenge each other at subconscious levels of existence. This is the stuff of dreams, which, through analysis, can shed great light upon the fuller state of the self.

Waking dreams are the circumstances of our daily lives. At the physical dimension, we understand outer events as the consequence of our physical actions. Thus, if I were to trip over a branch and fall, I would understand it as a failure to see the fallen branch on the path I walked.

At the desire dimension, I might judge the fall to be a confirmation of my unworthiness to be loved, or even to take up space in the physical world. In this instance, my imagination has spun an illusory story that constantly casts its shadow upon the physical events I encounter.

At the mental level, I might conclude that, yes, my attention was drawn inward and I did not see the branch, but, additionally, it might shed light upon the negative belief of the desire body and its impact upon my ability to be mindfully present. Understanding would also extend to the prejudice of the desire body and how it obscures interpretation of circumstances.

At the intuitive level, I might grasp the action of the High Self to distract my attention from the branch, causing me to fall, so that I might wake up to the veil and spiritual block generated from my frustrated desire body.

From this intuitive perspective, I feel gratitude and love for the support I am provided in all circumstances to go deeper into the truth of my Soul’s eternal journey. The shamans of ancient Mexico recommend highly that we suspend all judgments to arrive at the clarity and breadth of the intuitive dimension.

When I focus my awareness on the circumstances of the world at this time, I am impacted at all the dimensions of my being. At the physical dimension, I cannot deny the threat not only to democracy but to civilization itself, in addition to the fragile state of health of our planetary being, Mother Earth herself.

This perspective generates fear and sets up a conflict for me. As a therapist, I should do no harm by not sharing my apocalyptic forebodings. And yet, am I not remiss in my duty to validate to those who ask about the true state of things?

At the level of desire, I am well aware of the power of suggestion and its ability to attract the circumstances of its intent. From this level, I encourage the use of intent, in alignment with the greater good, to heal and change the world. I also strongly encourage that a healing intent be offered privately, canceling out the negative attractive power of self-importance.

At the mental level, I can take in the physical facts of climate change, as well as the season of Kali Yuga, a time when human civilization must live through a disintegrative state of possession by its collective shadow in order to not only survive but to also advance its evolution. This perspective affords me great detachment and objectivity.

From the intuitive dimension, I see the interconnectedness of all circumstances with equanimity. I feel blessed that my soul incarnated in human form at this magical time, as we collectively have the opportunity to intend a future that transcends the potential karma of current world circumstance.

Join that intent without announcing it. Send that suggestion to the world’s subconscious. See what happens.

With sense and circumstance,
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

CHUCK’S PLACE: WHO AM I REALLY?

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Dreaming the dream…
Art by Jan Ketchel © 2004

At a Tensegrity gathering in Barcelona, 16 years ago, an assignment was given to answer the question, “Who am I?”  A deadline was assigned by which answers were to be submitted via email. No suggestions were given as to how to navigate locating an internet cafe—there was no Wi-Fi in those days—nor how to communicate if you didn’t speak Spanish.

As I recapitulate the experience today, I know what my honest answer should have been, “I’m a terrified little chicken, reticent to assert myself, to be imperfect, to not be on time.” I believe my ‘enlightened’ answer at the time was more like, “I’m an energetic being who is going to die,” taken directly from the Shamanism Catechism 101 crib sheet!

The truth is that though the more honest answer reflects both my survival fears associated with the first chakra, as well as my ego Soul assertiveness issues at the solar plexus chakra, the answer I gave also reflected a center of who I am at the third eye chakra, though at the time this was not a place I could volitionally rest in.

We are beings with several dimensions of awareness. We may habitually occupy but one or two of those centers, but even A Failed Christian, as Nick Lowe sings of himself, can be stirred to a higher spirit center when the choir sings in harmony.

The chakra system of ancient Hinduism is a useful structure to identify the various centers of consciousness in the human body. More precisely, they refer to energy centers in the etheric body, a subtle body that energizes the physical body through the activity of kundalini, the active force in human life. I refer to this subtle body as the Soul, which is comprised of the little soul of the subconscious, the ego Soul, and the high SOUL who resides in infinity.

At the levels of the first and second chakras, we are purely animal instinctive beings, almost exclusively controlled by our DNA, ancestral history, and the archetypes of the collective unconscious. This is the domain of the dweller I have referred to in recent blogs, the conservative autocrat only focused on the rules of survival.

At the level of the third chakra, we have the birth of consciousness where the will and the ability to choose over nature’s dictates are discovered. Nonetheless, ego Soul at this level has a very narrow narcissistic worldview: ME!

At the level of the  heart chakra, ego Soul comes in contact with high SOUL, the love and truth of infinity, which expands its horizons to include itself as only a part of a greater interconnected reality.
The divisiveness of the solar plexus warrior is supplanted by a greater love for all beings as part of a greater wholeness.

The chakras above the heart center are increasingly associated with the high SOUL dimension of our whole Soul being. Consciousness at the third eye or crown chakra offers direct access to interactions with beings in infinity, such as in channeling, as well as provides the respite of deep detachment from the affairs of time and space, as one rests in the perspective of heightened awareness.

Meanwhile, back in time and space, we have Western thinking, which  is obsessed with progress. Goals are broken down into smaller logical objectives, successive stepping stones that culminate in achievement of the established goal. This linear ascent model dominates our definition of progress. We constantly judge ourselves and are judged by others by the quality and status of our ‘progress.’ Perfection is reaching the completion of the goal with maximum efficiency.

The truth is that this measure of progress is only relevant for a part of our multidimensional being, who we really are. Our root chakra is obsessed with survival. Our solar plexus may be obsessed with winning. Our heart may be concerned with doing the right thing with compassion. Our third eye might view the multidimensional synchronicities of this current wave of energy. Our crown chakra might be dreaming the dream we are currently living.

Progress or growth clearly involves an integration and blending of all of these dimensions of awareness to realize the fullness of Self. Furthermore, kundalini herself directs where and how our journey will unfold to discover the fullness of who we really are. The way of kundalini is not simply one of vertical assent or of logic.

In traumatic recapitulation, kundalini might first take one to an early childhood memory and next to adolescence, and then zigzag back to childhood, then forward to early adulthood. If one expects a logical time progression one is sure to be disappointed and, in fact, one can get caught in a depressed mood through a judgment of failure.

Kundalini has its own internal reasoning, which is impervious to the constraints of logical order. This is also experienced physically. The mercurial path of kundalini might go from a third eye intense headache one day to a pain in the big toe the next.

The path seems more about clearing space at one level and then returning to other levels to trigger and address older issues whose time is due. Perhaps the path is similar to a Rubik’s cube, where progress requires movement at different levels at different times. Guidance here is to suspend judgment and trust the process.

So, who am I really? Seems the current working definition is a multidimensional being, whose centers of awareness are getting to know each other. Good luck with solving the puzzle!

Have fun,

Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: Multidimensional Living

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Here is Chuck’s blog for this week. The dreaming Soulbyte we published this morning on our Facebook page reflects one aspect of aligning with our multidimensional self!

We must strive to bring our multidimensional self together... - Photo by Jan Ketchel
We must strive to bring our multidimensional self together…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

I pause in this moment to connect with my multidimensional self. The sound of energy is steady in my ears. High pitched vibrational tones deepen and intensify as I give it my awareness. I intend it to spread. The vibration begins to radiate throughout my entire body, a unison of sound and vibration.

I reassert my physicality with a deep breath and notice my musculature at rest. The vibrational state recedes from my body at large but intensifies in my inner ears, reminding me of its ever-presence. At night the situation is reversed. The physical body goes increasingly dormant to a state of catalepsy, a temporary paralysis, as the higher vibrational self lifts off to worlds of adventure and discovery.

We are multidimensional beings with a variety of energetic possibilities. The physical world is the outer crust, the densest of our energetic possibilities. In that world our senses govern our experience. This is “in-body experience,” the full presence and sensory awareness of being in our body.

The mind is the energetic experience of abstraction. The mind operates in the field of thought, a non-substantial subtler energy that constructs its own world separate from the physical world. We indeed can find ourselves lost in the stories of our thoughts, worlds apart from the world of our physicality. Even thought completely focused on the physical world is still a mind of abstraction, creating models to approximate the denser physical world it observes.

Emotion is another dimension of our energetic being. Emotion is a magnetic energy that attracts and repels. It draws us to deep union, keeps us in seclusion, or mobilizes us to change. Emotion is a world of energetic intensity, the fuel of rapture. How often the world of emotion can misalign with the physical world! Emotional worlds of extreme intensity are often projected onto others who feel nothing in return. In this case, we are fully enraptured in our own emotionally vibrant world, devoid of actual connection.

Our evolutionary challenge in this life is to align with and deeply realize our multidimensional self. It is our higher vibrational self that journeys into transpersonal realms.

With intent we can extend our dreaming awareness, training it to stay present during those nightly journeys into infinity. When we write down our dreams upon return, we open the door to recapitulating those infinite journeys, good practice for future adventuring.

When we practice mindfulness in the waking state of the physical world we extend our awareness to be fully present in the journey of our physical everyday lives.

When we meditate we teach the mind to be calm, to allow for thoughtful presence that we can extend into other worlds, rather than stay encased in abstract stories.

When we bring our awareness into full alignment with our emotions, we allow ourselves the richest experience of life’s intensities. However, adult presence is required as we must learn to ride the waves with both awareness and detachment. Here detachment means being open to the fullest experience yet separate from it at the same time. We must become the observer who will not get overly attached to anything.

We burn from within... - Photo by Jan Ketchel
We burn from within…
– Photo by Jan Ketchel

The common thread to deepening and aligning our multidimensional self is the intent of awareness. We must intend our awareness to be fully present in our physical body, as well as fully present in our thought body, emotional body, and ethereal body simultaneously. Once in alignment, we are set to fluidly experience the fullness of multidimensional living and we open to being fully present to our evolutionary journey as well, both in this world and beyond.

True multidimensional living is really all about preparing for the definitive journey when all of our energetic bodies consolidate for the last time, at death, and leave the physical realm. Death is the unifier of all those energies. As we take the journey into infinity we “burn from within,” as the Shamans of Ancient Mexico say, all our energy combining in a single energy of fire. On to new life!

Happy Beltane!
Chuck

Chuck's Blog

Chuck’s Place: The Midas Touch of Intent

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I intend a change. Midway through the night, I am suddenly awoken. Outside sounds abound around me. I am captive; they will not let me return to sleep. For hours they exhaust me. All I can do is breathe, breathe into deep relaxation.

The next day, I am present, but a step behind the action. My intuition, ordinarily my guiding light, is shut down. The world moves at its normal pace, but all I can do is watch it unfold as I fumble for words and meaning. I meet extraordinary challenges in the day. I notice an exhausted, detached calm.

The next night, I dream I am at the Grammys. I sit next to Bob Dylan. From his seat he delivers an acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award. He rambles on, monotone, almost incoherent, like he’s talking to himself. Someone from behind, with a long wooden pole, tries to poke Bob, to make him shut up. I protect him by deflecting the pole. He deserves respect.

In another dream, I’m in a large lake at night. I’m swimming. A huge oceanlike wave is approaching. I dive through it, only it doesn’t pass, it engulfs. I realize it’s a tidal wave. I’m now well beneath the surface. I do seem to be able to breathe. I’m not overwhelmed by fear, but it does feel like death is imminent.

More and different challenges appear the next day in waking life. Encounters coalesce around the theme central to my intent. It’s clear I am being softened, made malleable, as intent pulls me forward, pushing me to experience a much deeper level of groundedness and detachment.

The next night, in a dream, a Chinese man translates the soup choices on the menu at a restaurant. I choose the soup called: “A Light Between a Rock and a Hard Place.” Something has shifted; light can now pass through where once I was caught, between a rock and a hard place.

This series of events, which occurred in different states of my multidimensional self—dream body, physical body, social body—were all different ripples of the same intent, synchronistically related. This is the Midas Touch of Intent. Once the universe engages our intent, like Midas with his golden touch, intent turns everything in our path into gold; everything becomes the substance of our intent. You simply can’t get away from it. Everything, indeed, becomes meaningful and is tied to the intent of our intent.

On the first night, after I set my intent, intent awoke me and refused to allow me to sleep. It was as if the Sirens had me under their spell, all I could do was relax my body. This physical experience shut down my intuitive function and rendered me a therapist without vision. In the dream with Bob Dylan, I sought to protect the icon that deserved respect, but the truth is, it was time for new life: change. This is the time of revolution. The old kings must now die to usher in a new era. Jan informed me the next day that an Indie band from Canada called Arcade Fire, had won the Album of the Year Award at the Grammys. Like Bob Dylan, I too had to let go of the old self to make room for the new.

In the next dream, a tidal wave, like Noah’s flood, swept away the old and ushered in the new. There was nothing I could do but breathe and go with the flow, into the unknown. Finally, I experienced a new self, my intent realized, a new life, where once life was frozen between a rock and a hard place.

Jeanne cautions us to be careful of what we ask for when we set an intent. She suggests we be specific, but also be prepared, as the path intent chooses to realize our intent may not be as we expect. Midas might have been wise to choose a more careful intent so that he would have been able to eat his food, rather than have it all turn to gold when he touched it!

Intent will ripple through all the dimensions of the self. At first, the meaning of events may elude us; sometimes we are simply in the grip of the experience and need to allow ourselves to be led along. What choice do we really have, once we are in it?

Suspend judgment. Go with the flow. At some point you will arrive at the shore of a new self, intent realized, and marvel at the magical journey that brought you there.

Bon Voyage!

If you wish to correspond, please feel free to post a comment below.

Until we meet again,
Chuck