Look upon the world with your spirit eyes today and see how the energy of everyone interacts with the energy all around, how one person’s energy meets another’s, how time flows through everything and everyone, and how all energies mingle throughout the Earth’s sphere. In this manner discover that judgment has no place, for all are one substance, that of vibratory energy and thus there is little difference except in personality, for your personality stays with you no matter your form, but even that is highly refined in your energetic state. Remember this as you go about your day. Use your spirit eyes today and see what a difference it makes.
Buddha sending out the right vibration… – Photo by Chuck Ketchel
At first glance, the title, Extraverted Meditation, would appear to be a contradiction in terms. Typically, extraversion is understood as an individual’s dominant orientation to focus on the outside world, particularly as pertains to relationships and the opinions of others. In contrast, meditation is generally viewed as an introverted practice that deeply withdraws from the sensations and influences of the outer world.
In Jung’s time, when East truly began to meet West, particularly as regards spiritual practice, he warned that the extraverted orientation of the Western psyche was ill-suited for rapid wholesale adoption of Eastern meditation practices. Nonetheless, as he himself encountered the depths of the collective unconscious, in the visions and active imagination he documents in The Red Book, he practiced yogic asanas to ground his ego.
In fact, despite the almost total focus on the brain of modern Western psychological research, the bottomline focus and interventions prescribed by most Western therapists come straight out of Tibetan mindfulness and Yogic meditation practices.
These are the assignments given to ego to still the central nervous system into a state of calm. Nonetheless, the reigning mantra and New Year’s resolution from most people is, “I have to get back to my meditation.”
The power of outer world events, particularly in the time we are in, is impossible and perhaps inadvisable to fully screen from one’s attention. This, coupled with the dominant extraverted orientation of Western civilization, undermines the coveted but under-practiced aspiration to meditate. How can the Western psyche, perhaps even the world psyche, adapt the powerfully beneficial practice of meditation in the flux of such an unsettled outer world?
The key, as in all meditation, is to begin with focus on the body. If the goal of meditation is detachment from the ill effects of outer world sensory impressions upon the sanctity of the self, the body can be seen as the central registry of all sensory inputs.
All of our senses receive input through the physical body. Our thoughts, with their associated emotions, register in the body as well. Thus, active inner attention to the body in outer activity and interaction is a valid playing field for meditation.
Place the index finger of one hand upon the wrist of the other hand. Keep awareness upon the index finger experiencing the sensations within itself as it meets the solid boundary of the wrist. Notice the vibration of touch.
Shift awareness exclusively to the wrist. Notice its sensations of being touched. Feel the vibration of being touched. Alternate awareness slowly from toucher to touched. Now, allow these two distinct perspectives of touch to merge into a single vibratory union of touch, union of self.
Carry awareness of body into the world. Open to an image in the media. Notice its vibration; study its energy. Shift awareness to the body. Notice its impact upon the heart, upon the muscles, upon the breath. With awareness, restore the body’s organs to calm. Release all clenching; intend deep peace. Embrace the integrity of self in calm vibration.
Return gaze to the outer image, notice its vibration, its intent. Return awareness to the body. Notice any impact of image upon inner vibration. Restore the integrity of calm vibration. Repeat dual attention until outer image is completely neutralized, your inner vibration a steady flame.
Interact with the world. Notice the impact on the body in encounter with other. Use awareness to calm the heart, unclench the muscles, and silence the mind. The mind is silenced with awareness focused on body sensation, intended to calm.
Notice the words, the emotional intensity, the intent of the other. See the vibration of the other’s motive. Notice the inner impact of that vibration upon one’s body. Choose to maintain one’s inner vibration of calm. Use the breath to steady the body. Use intent to maintain inner calm, with attention given to where the body feels impacted. Dissolve into love of the oneness of everything.
These are some suggestions for extraverted meditation. Allow every moment, whether innerly or outerly focused, to become a meditative opportunity. Gradually expand the oneness of self with the oneness of everything. “Got to keep those vibrations, vibrations a happening to me…”
Good good good, good vibrations!
Chuck
Check out Brian Wilson’s live enhanced Good Vibrations from his album Smile. Notice the South African insert.
Jan references the archetypal imperative of the cicada’s seventeen year journey in her blog this week, a poignant exposition of nature’s hardwired programming. Our human species has toyed with its own archetypal imperative, seeking to escape from our boring repetition of the same old same old. So far have we strayed from our natural roots that we scurry about daily, reinventing the wheel of survival, while eons of inherited wisdom lies fallow at the intuitive core of our beings.
I sit on my deck as I write, the vibratory energy of infinity flowing into my ears and coursing through my veins. The sound of the cicadas lifts me into my energy body. If I allowed myself, and fully followed the call, I think I could leave now. I know the sound of the cicadas from my earliest youth, from my first encounter with infinity when I was certain that I would disintegrate if I didn’t find a casing to hold myself together. I remember my young boy self settling on the structure of a race car traveling at great speed, navigating the racecourse with me at the wheel and in control. Today, the call of infinity makes me calm and joyous.
So, what about 17, the limited cycle impervious to change? If you add 1 and 7 together you get 8—the symbol of infinity! 17 may signal limitation, but it houses infinity.
I am reminded here of the hexagram of Limitation in the I Ching that cautions us humans to respect the limitations of our own life cycle. We are beings who are going to die! At least in our human form! This archetypal program of living and dying is not likely to change anytime soon. The I Ching counsels that if we are wise, we will accept our limited time, acquiesce to our mortality. It is through acquiescence to our mortality that we, in fact, open the door to infinity. If we live the illusion that we have forever, we never take life seriously enough—in fact, we get caught in the spins of toying with the archetypes—creating some new fountains of youth for our eternal carcasses. In accepting limitation, we protect our energy and direct it toward our true task of fulfilling our lives as fully conscious beings, preparing to lift off into infinity with the cicadas in full awareness when it’s our time to leave.
Even with broken wing, the journey is the same… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
In her message on Monday, Jeanne spoke of birth being the hardest challenge. From there we are provided our own archetypal wings to complete our human journey. Like the cicadas, many of us are bruised at the starting gate and our subsequent journey must first detour to find and repair our lost wings. But, even then, the archetypes of the dream world and synchronous waking world are provided to guide the way. Jeanne’s guidance was to keep it simple; follow the direct knowledge of the archetypes. So difficult to hear sometimes, in a world that generates new guide books for profit each day.
As I finish writing my blog, my attention is drawn back to 17 again, to the vibrant and stirring song of the cicadas that drowns out even the loudest of manmade motors. Keep it simple, I think, how perfect that guidance is. Keeping it simple is listening to the knowing voice within, following its program, deepening the preparations to take that final journey in infinity with eager, joyful abandon.
Welcome Cicadas! Thank you for sharing the journey of your seventeen-year itch. All around us now, we witness you slowly step outside your casings, head for the trees and open your wings to perform the vibrant sound of infinity. As I sit and write, I hear your song blaring in my ears. It stirs my vibrational core, ever-loosening the casings of rigid definition.
We too are beings encased in the hard crust of our human form. Our casings are comprised of the definitions, descriptions, judgments, and incessant internal dialogue that molds us daily into the encased beings that we cling to. Yet, we too are beings slowly releasing our own casings as we move through the life cycle and energetically open to the song of infinity.
All of our cravings in this world are stirrings to loosen our rigid encasements and release our own wings of freedom. Drugs, sugar, caffeine, passions are agents that offer to stir our vibratory energy to shake loose the bindings of our human form. No wonder they are so addictive; we are bored to death with the limitations of our crusty encasements. Unfortunately, all these supposed roads to freedom lead to bindings—bondage and limitation of another kind.
True freedom lies in freedom from the interpretations of our internal dialogue—that which establishes the definition of our world, but most especially the definition of who we are as individual beings, as unlovable, undervalued, and inadequate. We are creatures obsessed with self-importance, the greatest casing to our true energetic nature. The truth is, we are infinite beings filled with infinite possibility.
This week, I offer the sound of the cicada as the song to obtain inner silence. We needn’t wait for the cicada to sing; its vibratory song can be heard at any moment by merely turning our awareness to the vibratory music inside our ears.
Call your intent to hear the vibratory song inside your ears. Then let it vibrate throughout your entire body. This is the song of energy, of your energy body. Allow it to dull the monotonous encasement of the internal dialogue. Hear it; gently allow it to vibrate as it loosens the attachment to the bindings and limitations of the human form.
Find your wings… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
These limitations are the encrusted beliefs, socializations, interpretations, internalizations that have defined our solid, habitual selves. However, within this encasement lies our true energetic body, which we will all encounter when we leave this world. But we needn’t wait! Our human form can become permeable to our energetic selves to allow deeper fulfillment—NOW!
