Exploring Consciousness

Good Morning!

When I write, my tendency is to write the second paragraph first, which reveals to me the first paragraph so that I can complete my thought, and this is what I realized I'd done again about expanding Consciousness. So here we go, the first paragraph....

My belief that Consciousness is one body of energy has not changed. But when we talk about expanding Consciousness I believe also that we might try to understand this great unknown by talking about what it is for each of us. I am going to talk about this as if it is the only truth, but want you to understand that I offer what I believe or know about at this time in this place - always exploring what more it might be, always curious about the most curious thing of all.

We are each born in our own stream of Consciousness. In spiritual terms, we might say we are born with our own unique link to God/Creator. As unique beings we are contributing to the expansion of Consciousness simply by being human. As humans who have curiosity and desire to know more of ourselves, we become intentional explorers and fulfill themes of the human condition unique to our personal Plan.

When I took the Avatar course, I thought I would advance in the program to the Masters course so that I could deliver the program to other people. I admired the principles of Avatar, guiding people to living deliberately, recalling self as Source. Then I had a vision of the Avatar stream of Consciousness, parallel to of my own path of exploration and knew that they were both of value, and they were not the same. So I credit Avatar with helping me to expand my personal Consciousness and to accept that my path has equal value.

Another event opened doors in Consciousness. Back in 1995, I was sitting in the Forest Lake Perkins Restaurant one night waiting for my friend, Michael, to arrive. Staring into the night sky, my body suddenly felt like a spoon slipping through Jello and I was in a place so foreign to me I was disoriented. I was sitting on the ground, leaning against a rock and it was soft. A guide was holding my hand, and I realized later it was Christ. He said, "You are safe. Look around. I'm right here." This place is The Garden, a location we find when we die. The colors were unlike any I'd ever seen, multidimensional and I could taste them. Everything was effervescent and so lovely I could not take it all in. I don't know how long I was gone, but suddenly I slipped back and, plunk, I was back in Perkins.

I relate this to consider the many ways we can explore Consciousness, thus expanding our personal stream of Consciousness. This was a trip I took, like a trip you might also take.

It was not a vision. A vision, to me, is a shift in Consciousness; expanding into perceptions that enhance our life experience. My trip was physical. When I have a vision I feel a subtle shift and my attention is on an alternate perception. Taking a trip out-of-body is a physical experience. These trips I have taken move me physically, and I can feel my return as a jolt back into my body, though I have no sense of absence while I am traveling. I always feel disoriented when I return. This is a bit startling when it happens while I am driving, but I am told that I am more competent behind the wheel when I am not conscious!

Another kind of travel is more startling. Being transported from one place to another while driving, suddenly finding oneself in a distant location when no time has elapsed, has happened to me, to my son (thankfully I was on the phone with him when it happened so that we could verify the experience) and to some other people I know. Impossible? No, this kind of expanded Consciousness defies logic but is verifiable.

Another exercise in expanded Consciousness is just as remarkable. I have more than once occupied the same place at the same time as another person, yet neither of us can find the other. The details are too lengthy to report here, but this has been verified as well. Coming back into the 3-dimensional world from such an inter-dimensional journey is startling for the people who happen to be present when I pop back in. When in my car, I am the only observer, but when out walking in the world, others become involved.

All of these expansive experiences are worthy of considering because they illustrate that we are not limited to this body, and the more curious we are, the greater the chance of exploring these examples of expanded Consciousness.

We are becoming inter-dimensional beings. The more of these journeys we take, the more alternate aspects of ourselves we explore, the more expanded the Consciousness. We are all contributing. Each unique being explores his/her own stream and changes the physical world by expanding Consciousness. We can only minimally appreciate the value of all we explore and contribute now. What a trip! I am so glad to be taking it with all of you.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Expanding Consciousness

Hello, Everyone!

Twice in the past week great people have asked me how to expand Consciousness. I realize that we don't have to spend a lifetime learning how to expand Consciousness as it seems I have. We can intentionally accomplish this by using some tools, so I'll offer what I have used over time. Any you can add, please share them with a comment and I will be happy to post them later.

We all know meditation opens us to Consciousness. It is the best known and most used, but I was never a very good meditator on my own. Lots of people I know enjoy amazing personal meditations, so if you can do it on your own or take a class in meditation, it surely achieves your goal. I love group meditation. The Consciousness of the group joined in a common goal helped me to maintain focus and proved an excellent exercise to move inter-dimensionally and taught me that I could prolong a meditative state.

These days I have combined my meditations with a nap. I lie down, breathing deeply and focusing my attention just beyond my third eye. Expecting nothing, and open to anything, I may have an experience, or I may fall into sleep. In any case, because I am intentionally opening to whatever it is that I need, I get it; a message, a physical treatment or a nap or all of them. I was guided to this because I could not stay awake while meditating, and Wisdom said I did not have to choose. Cool.

Breathing is the key to maintaining a meditation, extending the time in a meditative state and maintaining a state of relaxation that allows Consciousness a chance to communicate. I'll outline a breathing visualization that creates a meditative environment at the end of this post.

Intentional dreaming expands Consciousness. The exercise of partially waking and writing down dream images while still relaxed and breathing easily is an expansive process.

Walking and observing while breathing is a wonderful exercise. Breathing and "feeling into" one inanimate object after another; then doing the same with animate beings or things and feeling the difference between the energies of the two is very revealing and expands Consciousness. This one came to me through the Avatar course about 10 years ago.

Changing language to express our most authentic self also expands Consciousness. Listening to myself as objectively as possible and taking a breath to allow Wisdom to express through me, I change from reaction to more inspired expression. When we react before we can breathe, we speak or act from self-consciousness. When we breathe, a more inspired Self responds, thus we exercise expanded Consciousness. This practice is so satisfying that it becomes a habit. Nice.

There are many psychic exercises that expand Consciousness; practicing with a friend to focus on an image, then sharing impressions; psychometry, which is a practice of sensing information from objects; meditation with one or two other people then sharing impressions; taking training in energy work/alternative therapies. There are many books on the subject of psychic development that offer several exercises.

Now, the exercise that prepares for meditation or simply opens us to expanded Consciousness:

Sitting upright with hands open on your knees, begin to breathe deeply until you are relaxed.

Then, visualizing breath as a rod of light, send the rod down through your legs, out your feet and down deeply through all the layers of Earth into the molten core. Anchor yourself there.

Breathing deeply bring breath back up into your body and out through the top of your head and as far up into the heavens as it wants to go. Anchor yourself there.

Breathing deeply again bring that rod of light down through the top of your head and into the deep center of your brain where the hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal glands sit together.

Continuing to breathe, visualize or feel the light massaging each of those glands in turn.

These glands open you to your most primal psychic beginnings and to your most inspired, expanded Self. This technique was taught by the person who introduced so many of us to

Synergy, a group meditation focused on service to the planet. It is the most effective I've found.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Learning Through Grace

Greetings in Gratitude!

Tears are close to the surface today, and the words "surface" and "service" are very close; saying one sounds like saying the other, so I begin there, with what is on the surface.

Service is something I've explored before, but today the word takes on new meaning as I find increasing opportunities for service, sometimes comfortably and sometimes not. As we grow older and, inevitably the people around us do too, and as we are close and able, opportunity and will combine in action. Service is something we choose. Service with grace is something we learn.

Peace results from service performed with grace. Service only out of obligation leaves us cold. Today, David, the intern minister at church related counsel offered by a nun when David was serving in a hospital as chaplain. Touching her forehead and then her heart, she would say, "Climb down the ladder." And when asked what she meant, would again touch first her head then her heart. He learned, he said, that when he left logic out of his visits with patients and came instead from the heart that he connected with them in heart-full (my words) service.

I loved that the very subject I planned to explore here today came in yet another perspective from David's sermon. And I love that from whatever direction we come to service, the message of service with grace is the theme.

Last week I was reminded of an old message that I believe is rooted in Greek mythology - that when a man would pass from this life to the next, the only question the gods would ask of him is is whether he knew passion. My personal intention and desire is that when I review my own life I measure it by the love I gave and received, the difference I made in the lives of others, and that I lived with passion. To make a difference, service must come from grace, not obligation. Grace and passion are cousins. And passion is the result as well as the root of what inspires us.

I've written before about weekends with my cousin, Anita. She was with me this weekend. Because her mother's health has declined, Anita will be moving to a group home, maybe by April 1st, so March will be the last month she spends a weekend here under the current respite care program. I love her. And she is changing, making our time together more challenging. We will continue as we can to take her to church, to lunch, to visit and share our family times. Change is inevitable and I have tears for the changes, all of them.

She continues to teach me so much. This weekend she said the sweetest thing. First she said she is learning all the time. I agreed. Then she said with enthusiasm, "When I come here, I learn a lot." Although she did not respond, I hope she heard me when I told her that I learn a lot from her, too. That does not change.

Breathing into change,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Collapsing Systems

Greetings in Gratitude!

The word, "collapse" has been squarely in my view lately, and this week has brought the meaning forward in a way that I knew I had to share here with all of you.

I was born, I have learned, in a masculine format. First born, Capricorn, and other elements are all part of my birth dynamic and at the core of my Earth assignment. This information dovetails with so many parts of my life, and it's too much to relate here. But this I now know, and this week I am sharply aware of how this affects my current experience.

Happily, I have learned to bring some balance to this severe personal dynamic. My expanding Consciousness supports learning how to integrate the feminine for balance. A note here to explain the Universal feminine and masculine: The Feminine is the primary energy of First Age of Earth. It collapses with the flood/loss of Atlantis, etc., making way for the next several thousand years of a primarily Masculine Second Age of Earth. We have, with the Summer Solstice of June, 2009, moved into Third Age of Earth and we are experiencing the collapse of the Masculine systems to make way for a balance between the Feminine and Masculine. Not immediately, of course, process in releasing the Masculine and integrating the Feminine is the stage we experience now.

When Archangel Michael and others told me about Earth's evolution in this manner, I had no idea how it would affect me personally. I could accept that we would see pressures in Earth changes, weather patterns and human dynamics, but it never occurred to me that my personal energetic patterns would also collapse to make way for the balance.

Happily, I have surrounded myself with people stronger in the Feminine than I am. They have shared and continue to share their generous energy with me. As grateful as I am for them, this week I've run into that energy in some very uncomfortable situations. While my Masculine system is collapsing, I am feeling very vulnerable and did not realize until this morning why this week I feel such a need for solitude. Symptoms include alarming intestinal releases, scattered energy and general fatigue. Breathing surely helps, although I simply and awfully feel bombarded by the Feminine. Our Dream Team and this blog happily have been supportive for this expansion and achieving ease. Who knew?! Perfect always. Isn't it wonderful?

All of this makes sense to me, and the outcome will surely be worth the journey. Having words for it appeals to my Masculine (smile) while the next hour, and who knows how much time later, will be time for me to meditate and open myself (Feminine) to ask for and accept all the support my System has to help me through this.

Until the next chapter,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Still Me, Still Becoming

Good Morning!

For some time now, and reported in this blog, I am living increasingly in the rhythm of my System. What does my System want/need at any moment? Breathing and sensing what it indicates, I choose, thus I live with greater ease. I've reported that although I have not perfected this way of being, I am reassured knowing this rhythm is within us from birth. We have it, always, so living in it is a return to our true Nature. As I type this, I breathe in relief to know it will never disappear. I may, and do from time to time, forget it, forget to breathe and feel the tension again, but my delightful preference is to recall my natural rhythm and surrender to it.

The next chapter is to grow comfortable in the skin of the human experience I have already chosen and now choose. Some of the results of living in the moment contradict what I ever thought would feel "right" for me. Breathing into and loving what I have created in this flow is an extra level of surrender that sneaked up on me. Yes, this tells you how naive I can be.

Now is not the first time I have considered acceptance of self, of course. This is a theme of my life, and I've learned from many lovely people over the years that it is a theme for most of humanity. Accepting myself, not just at a conscious level, but feeling love of myself in each breath, that's another (big) step. Breathing makes it feel less intimidating. Whew!

I have created myself in partnership with my Cosmic Creator. Therefore I am perfect. I believe this, but I do not yet know in every moment, that whatever I see, feel or sense is perfect.

On this note, let me say that believing is related to logic. It is an idea I can accept. Knowing on the other hand is systemic. From believing something, we take the journey to integrating the concept at a cellular level. Breath takes me to that integration. Breath releases feelings of discomfort and self-criticism. In this moment, embracing the whole of me and my life, I am at ease. Practice increases ease in my current creation. I know that progression to the next level of creation depends on this acceptance. Our Systems must hold us to the learning curve inherent to our Plan. What purpose would be served if we leapt ahead before at least some integration?

On another note: Our Dream Team took its second trip in dreamtime last night, visiting Maui, Hawaii, for a recreational trip. I loved this journey and look forward to hearing from other dreamers what their impressions were. If you are interested in joining our team, a group with no expectations, you can call, email, or post a comment to this blog. Collective dreaming expands Consciousness and is a means to serve the Earth while enjoying the trip!

Breathing and Dreaming,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Alarming Thoughts

Greetings on this Valentine's Eve!

If you are among those of us having alarming thoughts lately, then this post is on point for you and for me. I've been amazed that such thoughts could arrive, unannounced. Although this is not a new phenomenon, the increased activity lately grabbed my attention and others have mentioned it as well. We are upset by thoughts of violence, of injury to loved ones, etc. Of course we are, and now I've had some insights about it to share with all of you.

We begin with one of my favorite subjects: The Consciousness is one thing; it is a body of energy that contains all of us and is contained in each of us. It is like the ocean containing all aquatic life. It ebbs and flows with the experience of humankind. And it contains all thoughts, all activity, all joy and all stress. We may look distinctly separate walking around in our human costumes, but we are all joined in this single thing - Consciousness.

The greater the pressures on the planet, the more likely we are to feel stress. And if we didn't believe in Consciousness being one thing, we would still have all the media attention and reporting to keep us in the stream of stressful thoughts. We are human and we are empathetic. We intuit the stress of others and that increases our personal stress levels.

The greater the stress on the planet, the more likely we are to react with stressful thoughts; seemingly unbidden thoughts of chaos and horrific events related to the people we most love. This is simply a human reaction and not an indication that we somehow flawed.

The remedy is breath. Breath releases tension and shifts attention, allowing us to gratefully send out a loving energy to offset our stress.

At the risk of misquoting a story sent to me today, I offer this from quotes from young children who were asked what love is.

The best was from a four-year-old boy whose elderly neighbor had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man crying, the boy went into the neighbor's yard, up onto the porch, climbed into the man's lap and just sat there.

When he came home his mother asked him, "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing, the boy said, "I just helped him cry."

Our breath helps Earth cry. Sitting in her lap, her tears are our tears. Her stress is our stress. But if we remember to BREATHE, then we become active participants in what is the most awesome Earth event in thousands of years. We are the Lamaze coaches, the EMTs, the medics placed exactly where we promised to serve when we agreed to birth ourselves into this current human drama.

We have a choice. When we have alarming thoughts, we can stay in the stress and wonder if the thought is a dire prediction or some flaw in our nature, OR we can breathe. We choose the condition is which we live. It is always your choice. It is always my choice.

Continuing to Breathe with you,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming

Making a Difference

Good Morning!

An update is in order, especially since I did not post yesterday, but tended to The Dream Team instead.

An interesting development in our dreamtime: I met a tall blond woman in one of my dreams, hugging her and surprising us both. She was all about Hawaii it turns out, and I realized that Mom was dreaming with us, though she has no memory of doing so. She lived on Maui for nearly 7 years, so I'm assuming she brought the waters from that part of the world to our dreamtime. She had not volunteered to be part of the Team, but I've told her all about it.

Our goal was to go to our sacred water place in dreamtime, support the water and reach out to each other dreamer to connect all around the globe. We've had some very thoughtful reports.

I have slept better and dreamed more vividly the past two nights than I have in a long time.

The point I am making is that Consciousness is not logical nor selective. It simply IS, and once we are aware, our own System will participate at is own discretion. The power we have available to us is beyond anything we can fathom.

Lately I've been acutely aware of seemingly random thoughts that I think we all have. Perhaps the thought is prompted by a news item of some dramatic event, or something painful we see on the road or a comment made about probabilities. Our reaction to the stimulus prompts a thought of what could happen or how it might affect us or someone we love.

My examples lately have been a deer carcass on the street in a residential area; the violence in Egypt; the pain of a friend losing someone they love. In each case I am not simply a bystander. Yet, we feel incapable of making a difference if we dwell in our logic. However, Consciousness is always available to contribute - in ways we find hard to imagine, but powerfully and surely.

The method I use is to take a deep breath and surround the experience in the image of Christ Consciousness; the symbol I wear as a pendant. But each of us can find our own method. Breath, first, shifts attention from the reaction. Then any image of Light or sacred energy can be visualized to contribute to the benefit of that person or situation. One image I dreamed last night might be useful. A golden orb is a sacred symbol of focused power used in Taoist mediation, but certainly having ancient symbolism beyond that. Using the orb as a focal point along with releasing breath may work for you.

We are human and compassionate. We are also subject to reacting, which is natural to us but is not useful to anyone. In these times of transformation, especially, devising a means to shift our attention is powerful and personally healing. We do not need to understand how it works. That we do something to shift from reaction is one benefit. That we intentionally engage in a sacred exchange with that stimulus changes Consciousness. Yes, we are that powerful. Yes, we can and do make a difference.

Until next time,

I am Phyllis, still Becoming