(Consciousness and biology as co-creators of experience)
Crisis ignites evolution. The collective nature of current global crises is a clear sign that humanity is poised on the brink of a radical evolutionary upheaval. Exciting research from the frontiers of science emphasizes that we are, each and all, active participants in what will amount to be the greatest adventure in human history—conscious evolution.
of Belief, discoveries in quantum physics and cell biology now invoke a fundamental role for spirit (referred to as the field in physics) and mind as the creative forces that control behavior and genetics. The newly described biological pathways illuminate the mechanisms by which our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs create the conditions of our body and our experiences in the external world.
Exacerbating the problem is that the much-touted effort of changing one’s life through “positive thinking” (controlling the mind) is rarely successful.
In contrast, the subconscious mind is neither a thinking nor an especially creative mind. Its proficiency is that it is an unimaginably powerful record-playback mechanism, a million times more powerful than the conscious mind. The subconscious mind primarily engages habits, preprogrammed reactive behaviors acquired from genetic instincts and life experiences.
Since the fundamental behavioral patterns in the subconscious mind are primarily derived from others, it becomes clear that we are not living our lives, we are living other people’s lives. Adding insult to injury, we engage these limiting, disempowering behaviors because our conscious minds are not present, and as a consequence we are generally unaware our actions are self-sabotaging.
The primary mechanism to acquire new habits in the subconscious mind after the age of six is through the use of repetitive behaviors, hence the need for a “practice.” Evolution—like Heaven—is not a destination, but a practice.
(The resistance before surrender)
After all, wasn’t I already giving enough time to supporting others through my ministerial calling? A rhetorical question, obviously, a justification for resisting that voice within that kept urging me to surrender, to step out and embrace the calling I allowed myself to acknowledge only for fleeting seconds.
Eventually, I surrendered. And when I did, I became the “yes” to what was seeking to emerge in, through, and as my life. Upon bellowing out this “yes” in front of my meditation altar, what is today known as the Life Visioning Process was birthed.
“What is my life purpose; what is seeking to emerge in, through, and as my life?” My inner tone was adamant. I was determined not to leave my meditation seat without receiving an answer. That may sound like an arrogant gauntlet to throw down before God, but the truth is there was within me a fierce determination to live nothing less than my true calling in life.
I led them into the first step, which is to meditate so that the mind and heart may merge into a feeling tone of unconditional love. With our hearts now opened, I explained the second step, which is to place a question before the intuitive faculty of the Higher Self, which in this case was: “What is the highest expression of a spiritual community devoted to being a beneficial presence on the planet?”
(I recommend you also keep a journal near you when visioning so that you may capture your responses, feelings, and insights.)
universe. We then went to the third step and asked, “What qualities must we cultivate to manifest this vision?” This question is pivotal, because we cannot manifest what we are not willing to embody in consciousness. So, in effect, we were asking what we needed to become in order to be in integrity with the vision. The fourth step was to ask, “What qualities must be let go in order to manifest this vision?” followed by the fifth step, “What qualities do we already possess that will serve this vision?” Before sharing the revelations of steps three through five, we went directly into the sixth step of giving a collective “yes” to what came through, followed by the seventh step of expressing gratitude for the vision and what it would take to bring it into manifestation.
Reminiscing on that incredible evening of catching the vision for what is now the Agape International Spiritual Center, the joy is as tangible today as it was then. It brings a smile to my heart when I recollect the innocence
Whether you are now ready to step into the highest vision for your life or are endeavoring to ready yourself, visioning is a trustworthy guide and ally on your life path.
(Visioning is not a wish-delivery system)
urge you to keep in mind that visioning is not a personal delivery system for dropping at your doorstep the baubles of the world. It’s about the evolution of who and what you are as a unique, individualized emanation of Source and what you have come on the planet to learn, express, and contribute.
It’s about the evolution of who and what you are as a unique, individualized emanation of Source and what you have come on the planet to learn, express, and contribute.
Visioning is an adventure into your own deepest Self to discover there all the gifts, talents, skills, and requisite qualities of consciousness to live a most excellent life, a life of YES.
May each and every one of us say “yes” to accepting our life purpose, which is born out of love, thrives in love, and merges in union with love’s source.
The song that you’ve been holding back is the cause of your heartache. Don’t wait! You’ve got to sing your song as if your whole life depends on it.
Realization of this truth alone eliminates the need to imitate, conform, limit, or betray our loyalty to the originality of Self. Imagine the relief of removing your carefully crafted masks fashioned by societal forms of conditioning and instead responding to what comes into your experience directly from your Authentic Self. One of the first principles to honor in your relationship with yourself is to respect and trust your own inner voice. This form of trust is the way of the heart, the epitome of well-being.
Recognizing the spectrum of life’s possibilities and responding to them is where the juice is. Visioning enables you to see the invisible and hear the inaudible—in other words, that which is beneath the surface of the five senses. Visioning is an endogenous practice that sensitizes and utilizes the inner sixth sense of intuition and allows us to evolve into a direct knowing without the process of reasoning.
(Pain as evolutionary messenger)
Many times we must hit bottom and experience great pain, which then becomes the impetus for genuine transformation. In other words, pain pushes us until a larger vision pulls us. When we choose to remain stagnant, pain will be our companion—not to inflict hurt, but to transmit a message that we are living in too small an inner world. We haven’t yet recognized that pain’s message is that we are ready to take the next step in our evolution.
Visioning is for those who are genuinely interested in breaking any agreements they have consciously or unconsciously made with mediocrity and replacing them with stability and excellence in what I refer to as our eight life structures: ego, belief, relationship, health, finances, livelihood, spirituality, and community.
(The eight life structures)
A healthy ego focuses on creativity rather than competition. It drops notions of both superiority and inferiority. It remains confident and teachable.
When we come to the realization that we create the world we believe in, we are ready to work consciously with the laws of co-creation.
Relationships are an opportunity to enter a field of unconditional love and compassion for ourselves and others.
Good health supplies the vibrant energy required for the body’s cells to replicate themselves so that we may function at our creative peak.
Our financial structure becomes stabilized when we realize that money is energy, and that when we circulate energy in the form of money it cycles back to us. It is beneficial to be financially stable because when we are not distracted by financial stress our energy may be channeled to our spiritual practices and creatively living our vision.
For every project, every business endeavor, every invention, every relationship, there is limitless creativity waiting to come into expression through us.
You will stop struggling against yourself; rather, you draw comfort through the openness and receptivity of your own heart’s longing to fully live your unique romance with Life.
It is the ego that tends to obsess over the myth of perfection, not the heart or inner spirit. It’s worth repeating that the main point is to start right where you are, confident that you are not alone in your journey, that you are accompanied by an Ineffable Presence called grace.
(Intention, willingness, and surrender)
The Potency of a Willing Intention In some circles, setting one’s intention has come to be accepted as the means for attracting the people and acquiring the things that we are convinced will make us happy. It is as if intention alone wills our every desire into manifestation. The question is, are we setting into motion a vision that represents our highest good? When we are willing to sit with ourselves long enough to understand the motivation behind our intention—whether it is to impress, satisfy the ego, expand consciousness, stimulate our will, or obtain our right livelihood—then our intention is empowered by this clarity.
Where there is willfulness there is a wall; where there is willingness there is a way. Willingness is about being patient with ourselves during the visioning process until that “aha” moment when we realize, “That’s it! I’ve caught the vision.”
The Sacred “Yes” in Receptivity Receptivity is an open, spacious mind and heart that tills the soil of consciousness into a fertile ground of “yes.”
Whether it’s about surrendering to the God of your understanding, to the Higher Self within you, or simply to the integrity of Existence, the willingness to surrender whatever safety net you have created opens the way for your acceptance of and trust in what is revealed in the Life Visioning Process.
Control involves the fearful ego that doesn’t want its image tarnished so it outwardly expresses a particular set of protective behaviors; discipline applies discernment to the life choices we make and allows us to change direction in mid-course if required. Control is a form of mental bondage, whereas discipline is a form of freedom, which leads to another misunderstood word. Many think that freedom is a license to do anything they want to do, which can lead to destructive habits and addictions.
When it comes to our spiritual practices, discipline is the willingness to do what it takes to wake up because enlightened living is our priority in life.
Discipline ultimately becomes a “blissipline.”
But genuine, spontaneous gratitude is much deeper. It is a feeling that arises when we realize the immense gift, the preciousness, that is Life.
Gratitude is a prayer that acknowledges the gift of Existence, that we can laugh, dance, sing, love, eat, create, celebrate, heal, transform, and that we have been fully equipped to become self-realized beings.
For example, when you awaken in the morning, instead of immediately running your day’s agenda through your mind, pause, take a breath, and offer gratitude that you are on the planet another day to enjoy those who love you and whom you love. Before leaving for your workplace, even if just for a short period of time, discipline yourself to meditate, bless your day, and send out blessings to the world.
As you walk through the day’s activities, instead of taking things and people for granted, be receptive to the hand of the grace easing the way for you through them. Place reminders of these practices on your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, calendar, in your car, on your desk. Get creative. Include your family members and make it fun. Everyone will benefit and you will realize how even the most mundane activities are rich material to work with and contain their own magic.
I’m ready to leap into what is real I got a sweet invitation, a mandate of ecstasy It’s time to be free.
Ultimately, genuine spiritual practice is for the purpose of getting free from the limitations of the ego, including worry, fear, doubt, lack, and other neurotic causes of human suffering. To be alive is to desire, consciously or unconsciously, authentic freedom.
The freedom to do whatever we want to do is not genuine freedom, it is license. Getting free from what is imposed upon us by societal structures is an inside job, for even if we join a monastery we can’t live completely outside of society’s influence. Freeing ourselves from self-imposed limitations is informed by our level of psychological and spiritual maturity, which determines the methods we choose for this purpose. Freedom is not license. When an individual is free it leads to what I call living a life of “spontaneous goodness,” which is about not insisting that something happen, not manipulating circumstances so that they conform to one’s desired outcome. You will learn more about the deeper aspects of surrender related to LVP in later chapters.
No person or thing outside of yourself can make you free or unfree. Both are do-it-yourself enterprises.
Freedom From versus Freedom For
Action, not Reaction
If we don’t begin to question our conditioning, our reactionary habit patterns will remain lifelong companions.
We must be disciplined in order to accept the responsibility that comes with authentic freedom. When we are self-disciplined, we tend to more consistently make wisdom-guided choices. Wisdom is a form of self-remembrance, for when we discipline ourselves to pause and turn within before we act, the Self reminds us to make choices that are in integrity with universal principles, to choose actions that anchor us in the ways of freedom.
true adventure heightens awareness, because when we venture into new terrain our senses are on high alert and our consciousness is open, receptive, sensitive, and flexible. The efficacy of your work within the stages is dependent upon how willing you are to be honest with yourself. How open are you to questioning the answers you’ve come up with in order to create solid ground under your feet? I ask this because when introspecting on the first two stages, your ego may have to endure a few unexpected blows.
Once you enter the process, you will notice that you are simultaneously working on various aspects within each of the Stages. The Four Stages are like taking an ultrasound of your consciousness so that you may identify where energy has coagulated or stagnated, created an inflated or deflated ego or a more evolved state of consciousness and expanded sense of freedom.
If judgment arises, put down your gavel and gently bring yourself back to being the observer. Loving-kindness toward yourself is essential, along with not developing an attitude of inferiority or superiority (should you find yourself scoring highly in some aspects of the stages).
(The four stages of consciousness development)
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Stage Four To Me To It Through Me As Me Victim Consciousness Manifester Consciousness Channel Consciousness Being Consciousness In general, no transformative spiritual practice Spiritual practices: affirmation and visualization Spiritual practices: meditation, visioning, affirmative prayer Meditation or any other spiritual practices are by choice Victims believe their life is controlled by external sources rather than by self-choice or self-responsibility. Manifesters make effective use of the law of manifestation and thus feel a sense of control over their life. Channelers are aware of being a vehicle of the Spirit and live from this sense of ultimate surrender. These self-realized beings sense their absolute Oneness with Source and have no sense of an egoic self. “Why does this always happen to me?” “I can use the law of manifestation to attract everything want into my life.” “God expresses in, through, and as me.” (small sense of separation) “I am one with God.” (no sense of separation) The opportunity to give up blame and shame The opportunity to give up control and a false sense of power The opportunity to give up ego and a sense of separation The opportunity to experience limitless awareness
By excusing, rationalizing, or justifying their chosen behavior, they refuse to take self-responsibility and then plead and bargain to be rescued, often using words such as, “Dear God, I promise I’ll never drink again if You just get me out of this mess.”
“life basically sucks.” Then they call their friends and talk about the fears, doubts, worries, conspiracy theories, and tragedies occurring in the world without necessarily feeling compassion for the people who are affected by them; they simply need to fulfill their need to complain.
When contemplating lessons, consider this: there is a deeper dimension to your spirit that can create challenging experiences designed to propel you into manifesting your highest potential, to expressing the gifts, talents, and skills that you have come on the planet to deliver.
This is why we cannot oversimplify and judge by appearances, because we cannot see the Great Mystery unfolding behind the scenes, which could be either a Job factor or a blessing in disguise.
With sufficient life experience, we come to the obvious conclusion that only change is changeless.
However, to literally transform impatience into patience is an inside job, because we are going to the bones of the inner cause of impatience and making the shift at the inner level which will manifest in our outer expression.
The practice of visioning supports us in discovering happiness by revealing tendencies that sabotage getting directly in touch with the Essential Self where happiness, joy, and bliss reside. As we grow deeper roots into our inner riches, happiness becomes a way of life. As the teaching of the Hopi encourages, “Know your garden and where is your water,” which is a way of encouraging us to become acquainted with the inner self and what nourishes it.
become inspired to discover it within ourselves, to drop the inhibitions, prohibitions, and exhortations that interrupt the full flowering of our unique expression of excellence. Self-expression is so vital to self-actualization that it caused psychologist and humanistic philosopher Erich Fromm to say, “I feel that the only thing that will save civilization… is a renaissance of the spirit—a rebirth of the belief of man in himself, in his essential creativeness.”
In a society where doingness is more encouraged and awarded than beingness, it can be challenging to grasp that in “inaction” there is a great deal of “action” taking place. The slogan of the restless mind is: “Don’t just sit there; do something”; the slogan of the tranquil mind is: “Don’t just do something; sit there!”
Quite often, the first thing that happens when we give ourselves permission to sit and do nothing is that an avalanche of thoughts spreads mental graffiti across our mind, thoughts we’d rather avoid facing, which is one reason why we keep ourselves obsessively entertained and busy. We don’t stay in our seat long enough for such thoughts to recede into the background so that we can feel the pulse of our own soul. When unwelcome and embarrassing thoughts begin to rudely intrude, an egoic voice masquerading as “inspiration” causes us to jump up and fulfill, at last, our self-promise
Developing the ability to sit and “be” without a mental tug-of-war with “doing” is acquired through the consistent practice of meditation. As Osho aptly put it, “Meditation techniques are doings, because you are advised to do something. But in a deeper way they are not, because if you succeed in them, the doing disappears.”
When first establishing a meditation practice, it is very helpful to meditate in the same location, because every meditation you have in the same spot builds up a vibration. Meditating consistently in a specific place magnetically pulls you back to sit.
Many individuals find it conducive to meditation to create an altar somewhere in their home and place on it devotional items related to their practice. Some persons like to light incense, chant, bow before their altar, and open with a formal prayer to remind themselves of their intention and as a gesture of respect for their practice. Regardless of how you begin your meditation, the practice itself should take up most of your sitting time. For example, you may pray and chant for five minutes, then meditate for twenty minutes.
Things to Remember Visioning right after your meditation practice is ideal because your consciousness and heart are open and receptive, and your intuition is sensitized. There will be times when the effects of meditation will remain with you after you have left the cushion. It is possible to maintain these effects through mindfulness, which is another way of staying present in the now moment and performing activities with focus, precision, and awareness.
Being alert to each stage’s egoic shadow and checking in with ourselves keeps us aware of our motives for seeking to wake up. We don’t become seduced into showing off any acquired siddhis (powers); instead, our joy is to live as a compassionate, loving, wise, grateful, humble, and beneficial presence on the planet.
It is only when we realize our Oneness with Source that we can wholly appreciate the magic of creation’s kaleidoscope, including the fullest enjoyments that the five senses have to offer, reaching our highest human potential, appreciating the beauties of the natural world, and playing our role full-out on the cosmic stage of life.
with EnlightenNext magazine how “All the heavy elements—carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, and all the way up to uranium—these are made in stars and in supernovae… That’s what we are made of. We’re the rarest stuff in the universe.”
But there is definitely something to say about deliberately allotting time—say, on a yearly retreat—for the sole purpose of leaving behind the clamor of the world and going into silence in order to devote more time to your meditation practice.
Deep soul-work is occurring at a level we are unable to discern with the conscious mind, which can cause us confusion and frustration. Therefore, it supports our overall practice to understand that we are operating on many levels and stages of growth simultaneously, which is something the human mind can’t easily wrap itself around.
It’s important to clarify that a dark night of the soul has nothing to do with the common definitions of psychological depression, melancholy, despair, or sadness about life’s challenging external circumstances, including tragedy or loss. (Certainly such events deserve self-compassion and have their life-changing value.) The significant difference between these experiences and the dark night of the soul is
“Don’t avoid the void,” I like to say and often remind myself.
Individuals living from a Stage Two Manifester Consciousness have discovered the law of manifestation and realize that their thoughts directly impact their life circumstances. Their sense of self-empowerment and self-responsibility have matured, and they enthusiastically enter the world of metaphysics. To move beyond Stage Two, manifesters learn to surrender the ego and not merely manifest on the external level; they also learn to grow deeper roots into their inner being through affirmation, self-reflection, and other spiritual practices.
(Visioning versus visualization)
visualization is a doing process activated by the imagination. Visioning is a knowing and being process arrived at by an inner, direct, intuitive realization.
The second interactive component in visioning is deep listening. While this skill is within everyone, most people don’t use it during everyday conversation, let alone for attuning themselves to the intuitive guidance available within. Deep listening involves reverent alertness, being wholeheartedly present, whether it be listening to another person or to the inner Self.
Deep listening is the heartbeat of meditation. As we become more and more attuned to it, our ear of intuition becomes sensitized and we build trust in our intuitive faculty. The art of listening attentively to the soul’s voice becomes a joy to us.
Each link is forged by the choices we make, the vastness of which is both mind-boggling and awe-inspiring. The point is to choose and act from a consciousness that supports our life purpose and accelerates our evolutionary growth. Visioning has been designed to do just that by setting creative action into play within our life structures. Now you will begin your visioning practice. I suggest you read through the material first, then set aside a block of time to practice. Allocate at least fifteen to twenty minutes to meditate prior to visioning. You may want to turn off your cell phone and any other sounds that may be a distraction. Have your journal at your side, and prepare to enter the sanctuary within and be introduced to your Self.
The point is to avoid as much as possible projecting your own or others’ judgments about yourself into visioning. This will maintain an unbiased, clear, and open field of receptivity. A skillful means for accomplishing this is to develop the quality of nonattachment.
Have you ever considered how attachment holds you hostage to habitual patterns? One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to gently, compassionately work on releasing attachments. Perhaps you may fear that by letting go of attachments your life will take on a dull shade of beige. There’s no need for concern, because nonattachment doesn’t mean giving up your precious morning ritual of drinking organic green tea or moving from a palatial home into a cave just for the sake of being “nonattached.” As the Buddhists teach, if one’s only possession is a begging bowl it is just as easy to become attached to it as to a palace. What nonattachment means is letting go of clinging to cherished desires, opinions, beliefs, and thought and behavior patterns that are the cause of unskillful habits, compulsions, and neuroses.
If we are guided to see that we must first cultivate or release certain qualities in order to fully live our vision, we find within us the surrender, willingness, and commitment to do so. If we have a potent visioning session, we are thankful without getting all caught up in having “done it right.” We are nonattached to the results and are simply grateful for all that has been revealed.
Any effort you invest toward learning more about the benefits of nonattachment will enhance your self-contemplation, visioning practice, and life structures.
(The seven-step visioning practice)
The Seven Steps of the Life Visioning Process A note to the wise practitioner: don’t be fooled by the seeming simplicity of LVP. Its potency is in the depth of entering a meditative state of consciousness and activating the intuitive faculty. In service to practicality, the seven steps of LVP are given in the order they are to be practiced, followed by a more detailed description of each step. 1.Find a quiet location and, for least fifteen minutes, meditate to calm your thoughts, sensitize your awareness, and activate your intuitive faculty. As you observe your breath entering and leaving your nostrils, focus on opening and softening the heart. (It may be helpful to reread the meditation practice described in chapter 6.) Feel deeply into your heart and open to its atmosphere of unconditional love. 2.Keep in mind that Absolute Love is not the relative, romantic love or sentimentality. It is a total love given without a sense that it has to be earned through some meritorious act. It is love for the sake of who you are, just as you are. Sense this love filling the entire atmosphere around you. When you feel you have reached a state of openness and receptivity, silently or verbally affirm your readiness to enter the Life Visioning Process. 3.Next, mentally place your question before the intuitive faculty of the Higher Self: “What is the highest vision for my life? What seeks to emerge in, through, and as my life?” (Or, in the case of a project or business: What is the highest vision for this project or for this business?) Listen with reverential alertness, as though the greatest mystery of the universe is about to be whispered in your ear. 4.When you feel ready, move to the next question. Ask: “What must I become in order to manifest this vision? What qualities must I cultivate?” Without censorship or judgment, open to what comes through. 5.Ask: “What must I release to manifest this vision?” (This may include habits, mind-sets, compulsive behaviors—things of that nature.) 6.Ask: “What talents, gifts, skills, and qualities do I already possess that will serve this vision?” (This moves you into a state of being and having, rather than trying to “get” something.) 7.In the language of your own heart, no matter how completely or incompletely the vision came through, give a sacred “yes” to it with full trust that more shall be revealed. 8.Enter a state of gratitude, knowing that the vision is already taking form, that it has been vibrating within your being since you came into existence and that you are now ready to allow it full expression in, through, and as you. (This “yes” is your willingness to be and do what is necessary to allow the vision to manifest.) It’s All in the Details
What we “should” be is pumped into us from outside sources. What we are meant to be is already living at our center and is what we are seeking to discover through the Visioning Process.
“No, that vision is too big for me. I don’t really want to do that. That doesn’t sound like me. It’s outside my self-concept.” If you don’t resist, judge, or criticize yourself for such thoughts and continue with your visioning sessions, your resistance will wear itself out.
The truth is that within our core Self we already know what we must become to live our vision, yet because we humans have a tendency to fear change, we avoid or silence this inner voice. After all, we can’t predict the overall effect it will have on our life structures. We may lose friends, mates, jobs, cherished opinions, habits, and behaviors. Our willingness to change allows us to participate in our growth and development with greater ease, with trust in ourselves and confidence in the process.
Step 4 Visioning increases awareness. Awareness changes actions. With awareness, many of our unskillful habit patterns simply fall away. They lose their appeal. Our energies become more focused and the Authentic Self begins to emerge. Much of our inner growth is accomplished by letting go of that which no longer serves us, including habits, points of view, perceptions, opinions—whatever blocks the next stage of our development. Spiritual growth is not about getting, it’s about letting ourselves release whatever hinders clear seeing and right action so that we can enthusiastically move forward into living our highest potential.
Then you will discover that when there is willingness there is a way, but when there is willfulness there is a wall. Buddhists have a term for “yes” that is very beautiful. It is tathata, which means saying “yes” so totally that you become one with your “yes.” There is no separation between you and your “yes.”
I live to be the message that I long to hear I long to be the way that I’m looking for I need to shine the light that I want to see.
Evolutionary progress within our eight fundamental life structures is greatly dependent upon our inner ecology, which is determined by the personal code by which we live. It is proactive to examine whether your code of life is influenced by outside conditioning or by your own inner examination of life’s purpose, who you are and why you are on the planet, the place in your life of spiritual practice, integrity, ethics, a standard of excellence, inner qualities of compassion, love, peace, joy, selflessness, humility—to name a few. Place yourself on the dot and ask: does my code of living make it harmonious to live inside myself? If your answer is yes, visioning will expand this harmony into one of joyous existence. If your answer is no, visioning will introduce harmony and joy into your life.
The eight fundamental life structures are ego, belief, relationship, body temple, finances, livelihood, spirituality, and community.