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Sri Anandamayi Ma: The Perfect, Profound And Mysterious Flower

Sri Anandamayi Ma

Sri Anandamayi Ma, a beautiful, loving master. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

When asked why she was in this world, Sri Anandamayi Ma said, “In this world? I am not anywhere. I am myself reposing within myself.”

An astrologer, Abinush Babu, once had the honor of reading Sri Ma’s palms. He said that her markings were beyond a defined deity or tradition, and “beyond the control of the invisible.” He went on to say that Kali would return to worship her.

Every soul who visited Sri Ma was struck by her sweet but aloof tranquility, and her remarkable depth of presence. It was as if she did not only sway with the wind but was the wind itself.​

There seemed to be no distilling the identity and physical form of Sri Ma from the nature-form of the universe. She appeared to be within all eternal fabrics, and beyond space and time. First-hand accounts state that when seated with Sri Ma, it felt as if you were sitting on the edge of forever.

“Ma Is Here. What Is There To Worry About?”
— Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma: Becoming The Divine

Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982) was an Indian spiritual leader with boundless compassion. She was born as Nirmôla (Nirmala) Shundori (Immaculate Goddess), in Uttrakhand, India. Nirmala’s surrounding village consisted of mostly Muslims who have continued to call her, “Our own Ma.”​

Nirmala’s parents were also euphoric, spiritual initiates, and were known for their kind and lovely natures. Her mother was a devout housewife, loving mother, and generous neighbor. Her father had a beautiful voice and sang the ancient bhajans at local kirtans.

Nirmala’s possibly insane neighbor Harakumar, was the first person to recognize her true divine nature. Morning and night, he would call her “Ma.”

Bhajiji, an early disciple, suggested that her name be Anandamayi Ma, meaning “Joy-Permeated Mother” or “Bliss-Permeated Mother.” In deference to her adoring followers, Nirmala adopted her divine name. Bhajiji would be the first to construct a temple devoted to Andandamayi Ma.​

At age 26, Anandamayi Ma relinquished her human identity and embraced a spontaneous initiation into living sainthood. Describing the late-night ritual, Sri Ma said, “As the master (guru), I revealed the mantra; as the disciple (shishya) I accepted it and immediately began reciting it.”

While many people wanted to package Sri Ma’s ideology and ascribe it to traditional religion, Anandamayi Ma did not allow labels. She would say that she was Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Zoroastrian, and more. She had no limits, especially when it came to religious identities because she resided in a boundless reality.

Anandamayi Ma did not lecture like other teachers and gurus. She never prepared her speeches, nor did she compile or edit them. She was a profound conversationalist and delivered the deepest teachings through speedy discussions, laced with good-natured humor.​

Sri Ma did not subscribe to the idea of being anybody’s guru. She also rejected the idea that being a renunciate was required for a spiritual path. She often said, “All paths are my paths. I have no particular path.” While most of her work was not recorded, it is known that Anandamayi Ma’s speeches were drenched in Bengali wordplay, which is difficult to translate with precision. While most of her teachings and instructions were infused with jokes and songs, she gave many long discourses and encouraged silent meditation.

To inspire her devotees, Anandamayi Ma would also give out little hints which she called “kheyala.” Sri Ma’s kheyalas could be found within her words, mantras, and songs. Sri Ma’s prime initiative was clear, “The supreme calling of every human being is to aspire to self-realization. All other obligations are secondary.”

Anandamayi Ma’s Mantra

The Gayatri (or Savitri) mantra is dedicated to Savitr, a Sun deity and is derived from teachings found in the Rig Veda. The mantra is widely stated in Vedic texts and was praised by the Buddha.

This holy and revered mantra has long been used to initiate devotees into a devotional Hindu life. While it was long believed the mantra was explicitly intended for boys and men, Sri Ma was the first saint in hundreds of years to initiate women utilizing this mantra.

When we chant this mantra, we are asking the divine feminine to fill our lives, minds, bodies and hearts with eternal positive energy and divine bliss.

Here, in Sanskrit, is the Gayatri mantra:

“Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
tatsaviturvareṇyaṃ
bhargo devasyadhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt.”

Swami Vivekananda translated this mantra to mean, “We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may she enlighten our minds.”

Shirram Sharma’s translation is as follows, “Om, the Brahm, the Universal Divine Energy, vital spiritual energy (Pran), the essence of our life existence, Positivity, destroyer of sufferings, the happiness, that is bright, luminous like the Sun, best, destroyer of evil thoughts, the divinity who grants happiness may imbibe its Divinity and Brilliance within us which may purify us and guide our righteous wisdom on the right path.” Regardless of the assumed translation of this holy phrase, when repeatedly chanting this mantra, the seeker’s heart and mind open to an outpouring of divine light.

“The Remembrance Of God Must Be Sustained Under All Conditions And Circumstances.”
— Anandamayi Ma

Anandamayi Ma’s Marriage

At the young age of thirteen, Sri Ma became a bride to a man named Ramani. According to Indian tradition, due to her age, she immediately became a servant to her brother’s wife.​

Even though she was submerged in a challenging situation, which included years of unfair treatment, Sri Ma took care of her brother, his wife, their kids, and the majority of their household chores. Amidst all of the drama in the house, Sri Ma remained joyful.​

​For many years, Sri Ma’s family did not understand her happiness, assuming it was the result of a low level of intelligence. Regardless of the challenges and assumptions swirling around her, Sri Ma remained loving and cheerful.

Sri Anandamayi Ma

Sri Ma also remained loyal to her marriage with Ramani, whom she named Bholanath. The idea that it was a wholly celibate marriage has never been contested.

Bholanath was Sri Ma’s devotee, and the two traveled together for many years. With her husband by her side, Sri Ma held public programs and kirtans where she would go into full-bodied spiritual ecstasies. Because he became somewhat of a gatekeeper and bodyguard, “Bholanathji” was also seen as a religious figure in some circles.
​
After years of love and devotion, Bholanathji died while Sri Ma’s hand rested gently upon his head. His last words were, “Ananda, Ananda, Ananda.” Joy, Joy, Joy. Throughout their marriage, Sri Ma remained a devout and tireless partner to her husband.

Sri Ma’s reaction to her husband’s death was not surprising to her devotees. She said, “Do you start to wail and cry if a person goes to another room in the house? This death is inevitably connected with this life. In the sphere of Immortality, where is the question of death and loss? Nobody is lost to me.”

It was in this way that Sri Ma’s compassion and detachment were in perfect, divine harmony.

Sri Anandamayi Mabook-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner

  • “Whether you worship Christ, Krishna, Kali or Allah, you actually worship the one Light that is also in you, since It pervades all things.”
  • “Without cause or reason, His compassion and His grace are pouring forth at every instant.”
  • “Joys and sorrows are time born and cannot last. Therefore, do not be perturbed by them. The greater the difficulties and obstructions, the more intense will be your endeavor to cling to His feet and the more will your prayer increase from within.”
  • “At every breath try to be in communion with Him [Her] through His/Her Name.”
  • “As you love your own body, so regard everyone as equal to your own body. When the Supreme Experience supervenes, everyone’s service is revealed as one’s own service. Call it a bird, an insect, an animal or a man, call it by any name you please; one serves one’s own Self in every one of them.”
  • “Perfect resignation gives the deepest joy of all. Accept it as your sole resource.”

Anandamayi Ma’s Miracles

Many first-hand reports describe the unique, spiritual qualities and gifts that this divine master shared with her disciples and householder followers.

During public kirtans, early in her sainthood, Sri Ma swayed to the music as if she were perfectly united with its vibrational material. Amid her bliss, and while her body continued to sway, her spirit would often exit and rise above her body. As Sri Ma’s spirit moved around the room, she shed light on all of the attendees, which resulted in revelations, healings, and deeply inspired peace in the receivers.

These types of experiences were frequent and visible to everyone. It was as if Sri Ma wanted her devotees to see how thin a veil exists between here and the other realms.

Thousands of people reported physical, mental and emotional healings simply by attending her programs, imagining her form or chanting her mantras.

“My consciousness has never associated itself with this temporary body. Before I came on this earth, Father, I was the same. As a little girl, I was the same. I grew into womanhood, but still, I was the same. When the family in which I had been born made arrangements to have this body married, I was the same… And, Father, in front of you now, I am the same. Ever afterward, though the dance of creation changes around me in the hall of eternity, I shall be the same.”
— Anandamayi Ma

The Non-Organized, Non-Proclaimed Guru

Because Sri Ma traveled in a haphazard way, she could follow the flow of the light that moved through her. In cities where ashrams were built to honor her divinity, she would often choose to visit a different location within that city, never stepping foot inside the structures that bared her name.

Even meals could not be assumed. Sri Ma would say, “It is not necessary to eat at all to preserve the body. I eat only because a semblance of normal behavior must be kept up so that you should not feel uncomfortable with me.” It was regularly reported that Sri Ma was in excellent health, whether she ate or not.

With less structure, proprieties, and management dictating her life and travels, it appears that Sri Anandamayi Ma invited the winds of the divine to move through her as spontaneous blessings in every moment.​

Many of her devotees might agree with this sentiment, “The knot of the heart is penetrated, all doubts are resolved, all bondages are destroyed upon seeing Her who is here and beyond.” — Mundakopanisad 11.2.8

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Empath Self Care and Protection

Empaths, heart and sunlight

Self-Care and Protection

Empaths often require better self-care and self-protection. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

An Empath is a highly sensitive person, often referred to as HSP, but the HSP label is not entirely correct. HSPs are sensitive to light, sound, experiences, and emotions, while Empaths will embody the emotions, experiences, and relational energy of others. This means that Empaths not only feel what you are feeling, but often have intel on how you can untangle your mess and improve your life. When Empaths heal themselves and get beyond their egos, they can become emotional superheroes.​

Many Empaths must learn how to set clear boundaries with family members and friends. They have to adopt practices, habits, and rituals that help them clear the emotional debris they often collect through everyday experiences. Empaths are big-hearted, intuitive sponges. It’s not complicated; if you feel it, they feel it.​

Because Empaths tend to live with one foot other realms, they sometimes find it difficult living in the real world. To be grounded and happy, Empaths often need:

  • Time to consider, embrace and integrate personal and work relationships
  • Healthy food and helpful supplements
  • Meditation and prayer
  • Leisure activities that don’t involve crowds. For example, most Empaths might avoid shopping at Walmart and wild parties on the 4th of July.

Empaths need space and solitude to allow for careful introspection. Empaths also need to regularly express their emotions, which is most often, sadness. If you’re an Empath, you might be shy, spiritually inclined, a lover of solitude, and clairvoyant. You might also love to write, paint, sculpt or dance more than most artists. The fiercest Empaths will cut a relationship cord in the blink of an eye.​

If you’re like me, you might be so sensitive and attuned to other people’s emotions and lives, you sometimes experience temporary, physical manifestations of other people’s pain and trauma. This, too, shall pass.

When you finally come to terms with being an Empath, life tends to invite some dramatic, yet overall positive changes. You begin to set better boundaries. You learn what is right for you and what is hurtful. You learn what types of people diminish your quality of life, and you learn how to maneuver through society without losing hope.​

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Empaths hoping to become spiritual warriors can process the emotions and experiences of everybody around them at such a rate, they can burn through lifetimes of karma in one thrust of emotional expression.

To help me in this process emotions, I watch movies that center around love, complex and deep relationships, and oppression. Because an Empath will naturally embody the feelings of the main characters in movies, I’ll cry from beginning to end. As strange as that might sound, doing so, I shed lots of emotional and psychological debris, and up-level my vibration and awareness. In every instance, crying produces indescribable feelings of freedom.

How to Protect Yourself

​If you’re an Empath, you most likely have one or two unique gifts. You can use them to serve yourself and those you love, or you can share your gifts with the world. Whether you’re a full-time psychic or healer, or you just want to keep yourself whole and happy, here are a few tips that might help you:

  • Seek ways to nurture your heart every day.
  • Keep things simple in relationships, work, and life in general.
  • Eat less meat, and only if it’s organic.
  • Eat only pasture-raised, non-GMO, happy eggs.
  • Eat lots of organic, non-GMO vegetables.
  • Eat spoonfuls of pure sunlight powder like Spirulina, Chlorella, Barley grass, Wheatgrass, and Moringa
  • Be decisive so that you have flow in your life.
  • Let go of the people and things that consistently burn you or trip you up.
  • Be less impulsive so that you can better serve and heal yourself. If you’re not whole, it’s difficult to help others do the same.
  • Don’t let solitude swallow you whole. Step into the light, often!
  • Don’t allow another person’s momentum or conviction sway you from your truth and peacefulness.
  • When in the throes of conflict, don’t allow yourself to be manipulated or coerced into becoming someone you are not.
  • If you’ve absorbed another person’s energy, dance around the room and try to release it through prayerful movement.
  • Don’t take on too many projects, tasks, or relationships at once. If you have too many pockets of energy swirling around you, you might become confused.
  • Learn to continually love yourself, even amid the worst mistakes and challenges. When you fall short of this, always try to nudge yourself back to self-love.
  • To become resilient, turn to nature, meditation, prayer, and rituals.
  • Stay away from people who tell you that you’re too sensitive. They will never fully understand you, and they might fail you at vital junctures in your life.
  • Be a little less generous, especially when you know your energy is depleted.
  • Seek love and adventures with people who honor your role as an Empath.
  • Set firm boundaries with the people who believe that Empaths and other sensitives are weak.
  • Confide in at least one loving, caring person every day.
  • Dig a little deeper into your faith by seeking the most love-based and light-filled aspects within your religion and spiritual practices.
  • Watch movies that make you feel love and provoke your tears.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask for affection when you need it.
  • Spend lots of time in the water. Whether it’s hot baths, cold showers, lakes, streams or oceans, Empaths tend to revitalize around water.
  • See your heart as a beautiful, fragile, and powerful light-being. Love and protect your heart, and seek to express the feelings that live there.

Remember that you are a bundle of electricity, a complex vibration, a spark born from the eternal consciousness’s love of life. Even amid the worst circumstances, be open to the possibilities, embody hope, and seek light and love. These things are your birthright.​

The world needs healthy, positive Empaths. If you’re so inclined, you can make a living as an intuitive reader, healer, or psychic. With more healers and Empaths serving creation, our planet stands the best chance of infusing itself with light and love.

I love being an Intuitive-Empath and serving others. Over time, I learned to exit stifling situations and protect myself. I also learned to stop apologizing for my gifts. Now, I can wholeheartedly be myself without judgment. I hope you can, too.

In all things, dig deeply to find your clarity, express your emotions, and honor what you know to be true. Being an Empath is a wonderful thing.

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Manly P. Hall: Prolific Teacher

manly p hall book - Paul Wagner

Manly P. Hall

Manly P. Hall – his writings are remarkable and piercing!

Born in Peterborough, Canada to a Rosicrucian-Chiropractor Mom and a dentist Dad, Manly Palmer Hall moved to the United States at a young age. Armed with an obsession for mysticism, Manly became a prolific writer of esoteric books. After launching himself as an ordained minister of The Church of the People in Los Angeles, Manly P. Hall grew to become one of the century’s most active teachers of ancient philosophies and lost traditions.​

In 1928, Hall wrote, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages – An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolic Philosophy.” Weighing over 15 pounds, the volume was often referred to as “The Great Book.” This work, which covers a variety of philosophical, theosophical, and mathematical topics, sold for over $70, which equates to $1043 in today’s money.

“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.”
― Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teaching of All Ages

George Barron, curator of the De Young Museum at the time, said, “Into this volume has been compressed the quintessence of a colossal learning. It is a living human document, pulsating with the mental and spiritual vibrations of a profound thinker who takes knowledge for his province and reduces whole libraries to a single tome.”

Hall wrote his opus because he was dedicated to reporting on, “the proposition that, concealed within the emblematic figures, allegories and rituals of the ancients, is a secret doctrine concerning the inner mysteries of life, which doctrine has been preserved in toto among a small band of initiated minds.”

Who is Manly P. Hall? He’s most likely the reason that esoteric writings and teachings have exponentially grown in popularity over the past 20 years. Without his longstanding commitment to inviting these ancient teachings into public consciousness, we might have lost the most essential truths of the ages.​

With a career that spanned 70 years, Mr. Hall gave over eight thousand lectures, including two at Carnegie Hall in New York City. At Carnegie, Manly P. Hall’s lectures were titled “The Secret Destiny of America” (1942) and “Plato’s Prophecy of Worldwide Democracy” (1945).

Over time, Manly published over 150 esoteric books, essays, treatises, and pamphlets, which covered a wide berth of topics, including:

“Experiences are the chemicals of life with which the philosopher experiments”
— Manly P. Hall

The Philosophical Research Society

In 1934, Manly P. Hall founded the nonprofit organization known as “The Philosophical Research Society” (PRS) in California. Still in existence, PRS is dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult. It houses over 50,000 volumes, including all of the books authored by Hall. In 1995, to keep their unprecedented library afloat, PRS sold their world-leading book collections on alchemy, esoterica, and hermetica to the Getty Research Institute.

Manly felt strongly about his organization, saying, “Education at any age is a lifelong dedication to the improvement of character, and the enlargement of understanding. There is no reason why PRS should not be remembered like Plato’s Academy, but if it is to continue, the society must make use of the most advanced technology available. I now envision a university of the mind, and think that through proper organization we can bring this message of enlightened living to a much greater audience throughout the world.”

The Philosophical Research Society has influenced many of today’s thinkers and teachers, including several U.S. Presidents and other world leaders.

Manly P. Hall Quotes

Here is a handful of quotes from one of the most prolific writers of all time:​

  • “Though the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew one – and that was greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow, selfishness, lust, and avarice, but the one secret confers life, light, and truth.”
  • “Wisdom fears no thing, but still bows humbly to its own source, with its deeper understanding, loves all things, for it has seen the beauty, the tenderness, and the sweetness which underlie Life’s mystery.”
  • “Fascinated by the glitter of gain, man gazes at the Medusa-like face of greed and stands petrified.”
  • “Plato defined good as threefold in character: good in the soul, expressed through the virtues; good in the body, expressed through the symmetry and endurance of the parts; and good in the external world, expressed through social position and companionship.”book-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner
  • “A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.”
  • “The pineal gland is a link between the consciousness of man and the invisible worlds of Nature. Whenever the arc of the pituitary body contacts this gland there are flashes of temporary clairvoyance, but the process of making these two work together consistently is one requiring not only years bur lives of consecration and special physiological and biological training. This third eye is the Cyclopean eye of the ancients, for it was an organ of conscious vision long before the physical eyes were formed, although vision was a sense of cognition rather than sight in those ancient days.”
  • “It was apparent that materialism was in complete control of the economic structure, the final objective of which was for the individual to become part of a system providing an economic security at the expense of the human soul, mind, and body.”
  • “When the human race learns to read the language of symbolism, a great veil will fall from the eyes of men. They shall then know truth and, more than that, they shall realize that from the beginning truth has been in the world unrecognized, save by a small but gradually increasing number appointed by the Lords of the Dawn as ministers to the needs of human creatures struggling co regain their consciousness of divinity.”
  • “Ignorance fears all things, falling, terror-stricken before the passing wind. Superstition stands as the monument to ignorance, and before it kneel all who realize their own weakness who see in all things the strength they do not possess.”

Manly P. Hall Books

Manly was prolific, not only in his lectures but also in the writing of books. As his publications became more popular, Manly was able to enroll key benefactors Carolyn Lloyd and her daughter Estelle, whose family controlled oil fields in California. Carolyn funded Hall’s travels so that he could acquire ancient literature from around the world and begin sharing it with his followers.

At the start of his writing journey, Manly published a handful of small pamphlets including, “The Breastplate of the High Priest” and “Wands and Serpents.”

Here is a handful of quotes from one of the most prolific writers of all time:​

  • The Lost Keys of Freemasonry
  • The Ways of the Lonely Ones
  • Nordic, Gothic, and Finnish Rites
  • The Sages of China
  • Pythagorean Mathematics
  • The Zodiac and its Symbols
  • Mystic Christianity
  • How to Understand Your Bible
  • Venerated Teachers of the Jains, Sikhs, and Parsis
  • Black and White Magic
  • The Mystical Christ
  • Rosicrucians and Magister Christoph Schlegel
  • First Principles of Philosophy
  • Francis Bacon: The Concealed Poet
  • Initiation of Plato
  • The Inner Life of Minerals, Plants, and Animals
  • Koyasan: Sanctuary of Esoteric Buddhism
  • Krishna and the Battle of Kurukshetra
  • Neoplatonism: Theology for Wanderers in the New Millennium
  • The Symbolism of Light and Color
  • The White Bird of Tao
  • Visions and Metaphysical Experiences

​“The esoteric system is all based upon the ultimate motive. Ultimate motive is the service of truth itself, a complete dedication to the service of the realities of existence.”
— Manly P. Hall

Teachers, Wives, And Death

Manly had few known teachers, although he loved reading the works of H. P. Blavatsky. Madame Helena Blavatsky’s work centered around theosophy, a mystical, philosophical system. With regard for Miss Blavatsky,

Manly once said, “The original work of H.P Blavatsky stands unique, even within the field of related literature; and as a result of the years, which have passed, since 1888, when the Volumes were first published, we are aware that her own peculiar and particular insight, still makes these works unique, remarkable and valuable.”

While Manly’s first marriage was with Fay B. deRavenne, who later committed suicide, his second wife, Marie Bauer Hall, was born in Germany and lived a full life from 1904-2005. At an early age, Marie joined the convent to learn how to be a teacher. At 18, she ventured to the United States and married George Bauer. After raising two children with George, in 1950, she married Manly P. Hall.

“It is for this reason that the candidate assumes the vows of celibacy, for the close connection existing in the advanced disciple between the brain and the reproductive system necessitates an absolute conservation of all life energies.”
— Manly P. Hall

Marie Bauer Hall’s life work, which she was known to defend, was loving and supporting Manly P. Hall, and excavating the grounds of the Bruton Church and the elusive Bruton Vault in Williamsburg, VA. She hoped to unearth the secrets of Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, the Illuminati, and The Seventh Seal.

In 1938, the Rockefeller Foundation funded her excavation to unearth the original foundation of the 1676 Bruton Church. Despite her team’s worthy attempt and others throughout her life, Marie never found her treasure.​

Manly P. Hall died in 1990 at the age of 89. He succumbed to the hands of his greedy, thieving assistant, Daniel Fritz. While the evil conman did not abscond with Manly’s vast riches and library, he also did not serve prison time. It was an unkind and unjust conclusion to one of the most generous teachers of our time.

Manly P. Hall’s work inspired millions of people to seek their inner truths and expand their understandings of the universe. His work continues to be a beacon of light for those who seek it. When Manly died, he was a 33° Mason, the highest honor bestowed by The Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite.

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We Can Heal our Minds, Hearts, Relationships, and Lives Through Meditation

Meditation - Paul Wagner

Meditation

Heal and evolve through meditation. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

In the midst of chaos, we often allow our minds to create projections, plans, excuses, and defenses. Rather than take deep breaths and allow storms to pass, we tend to build imaginary constructs, temporary fantasies, and complex webs of justifications to distract us from our simplest truths. While all of these things are born from obsessing within the mind, we always have opportunities to advance beyond the mind, and into the realms of the eternal Self. This is where we can source the most enduring and durable peacefulness.

While there are many types of healing meditations, they need not be complicated. To meditate, we don’t need to join a club, yoga center or spiritual organization. We do not need intense instructions or a key to the executive bathroom. With one simple, inward turn, we can access the most divine gems and the most expansive senses of ourselves.

“Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.”
— Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

 

There are many healing meditation methods, from breath meditation for emotional healing to daily meditation to work through grief. As spiritual Beings in pursuit of deep clarity, we might want to utilize all of the sounds and colors available to us, or we might simply want to chant a sacred syllable. We can connect with all the realms and access downloads of our ancient destinies or we can humbly bow in the direction of our divine gurus and masters. The options for our healing, liberation and expansion are endless.

Healing Meditation Methods

There are many healing meditation methods, some of which have been passed through generations of oracles, healers and enlightened masters. When it comes to meditation, there are no secrets or exclusivity. If you have a sincere desire and the ability to commit to practicing them, these methods will help you establish pathways to healing and lasting peace.

Light & Sound

The universe is comprised of light and sound, both of which can be broken down into vibrations and electromagnetic fields. Sound and light exist and travel as waves, with light moving much faster than sound. Light waves have tiny wavelengths, which is why you might hear something but not see it.

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As a living-Being in a three-dimensional reality, you comprise an overall vibration, assembled from collections of vibrations and electromagnetic fields, all derived from lights and sounds. In essence, you are the embodiment of light and sound. When we focus on a color or sound, which are already within us, we can improve our emotional and physical bodies, and we can achieve higher states of consciousness.

By silently focusing on the sound “Om” within your mind, you can improve all aspects of your life. By meditating on the colors white, purple, or pink, you can improve your clarity, sense of Being, and heal yourself. While not all meditations will produce tangible or obvious healings, all healings are born from our alignment with the purest lights and sounds.

Chanting

When we verbally chant a mantra or spiritual sound, we are inviting our bodies, hearts and minds to align with the vibrations of the tones that are coming out of our voice-boxes and mouths. When we chant “Om,” the sound of the universe, we are asking our physical and spiritual bodies to vibrate at the same levels and resonance as the universe. Chanting longer prayers and sutrasexposes us to a host of improved vibrations, each of which adds a measure of value to our physical forms and light-bodies.

A simple, Sanskrit mantra is: “Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu,” which translates roughly to: “May all beings in all the worlds, and in all the realms, be happy and free. May I embody that happiness and freedom, and reflect these things with every fibre of my being, in all that I do.” Chanting this for some time will bring you closer to being the embodiment of its vibration.

Although it’s usually chanted in Sanskrit, here is the English translation of “The Heart Sutra,” impeccably translated by the Buddhist Text Translation Society. This beautiful and healing sutra can induce a deep state of meditation, and it is one of the most profound and vibrationally advanced prayers available to us:

“Translated by Tang Dharma Master of the Tripitaka Hsüan-Tsang on imperial command.

When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So, too, are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness. Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced. Not destroyed, not defiled, not pure, and they neither increase nor diminish.

Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or dharmas; no field of the eyes, up to and including no field of mind-consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, no way, and no understanding and no attaining. Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva, through reliance on prajna paramita, is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana!​

All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi through reliance on prajna paramita. Therefore, know that prajna paramita is a great spiritual mantra, a great bright mantra, a supreme mantra, an unequalled mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the mantra of prajna paramita was spoken. Recite it like this: Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!”

Kundalini​

The Kundalini is the life-force that travels throughout your body, upward through you scalp, and onward to the heavens. This force is never-ending and it is connected to everything. Within your body, the Kundalini is a river that is connected to all Kundalini rivers through spacetime. You can invite the awakening of your Kundalini by breathing through your nose, and activating your diaphragm with each inhale and exhale.

As you breathe inward and outward, thrust the Kundalini upward from your root chakra, then out of your body, and then back into your body, again through your root chakra. This circular meditation has the ability to improve your immune system and heal any part of your body, mind, and heart.

Divine Intervention, Celestial Beings, Cosmic Masters

If you would like to meditate with angels, you can do so by sitting quietly in a comfortable position and gently requesting their presence. If you remain in a peaceful, loving, and open state-of-mind, you can attract assistance from the divine and communicate with celestial light-Beings. If you know that you want to connect with a specific angel or master, you can simply recite their name over and over again.

Depending on your religion or deity, consider repeating one or more of the following invitations:

  • Archangel Michael, I am in communion with you, awaiting your light, love and guidance.
  • I invite the sacred heart of Jesus to open my heart and mind to eternal love and light.
  • Mighty and beautiful Ariel, I am open to your love and light. Please guide me.
  • My Beloved Guru, I pray for your light and love. Inspire me to awaken.
  • Cosmic and Ascended Masters, I welcome you into my heart. Liberate me and infuse my physical and etheric bodies with light and love.

The Other Realms and Worlds

As you project yourself into these other realms, wrap yourself in protective white or pink light. Rest quietly within this light and invite energetic healings from all of the Beings in your projected reality. You might consider silently whispering a simple request within your mind, similar to, “I invite the most beautiful and sacred embodiments of light, in this realm and others, so they may up-level my vibrations and understandings.”

If you wish to traverse the universe and experience the light and vibrations of other realities, all you need to do is speak to the heavenly bodies within your mind’s eye. Ask your guides and angels to open your awareness to all living-Beings throughout all of the universes. Ask the Cosmic Masters and Ascended Light-Beings to help you project into other realms and worlds.

Pranic Healing Meditations (Breath)

Prana means “breath.” Each of us is born from, and sustained, by breath. While pranic healing involves a non-touch style of energetic massage, pranic healing meditation involves focusing on our own breath, infusing it with light and love, and directing it throughout our physical and emotional bodies.

A simple pranic meditation might be to focus on your inhale and exhale. As you inhale, infuse your breath with white light. As it enters your body through your heart or another point, imagine it flowing through your skin, bones, and veins. Use the light to heal every part of you. As you exhale, imagine that any negative energy exits with the breath. Whenever you are stressed or confused, close your eyes and invite your breath to heal you, and improve your vibration. You can use this same technique to heal others.

Visualizations

When we focus our minds on a specific reality, whether it involves a healed physical body, the birth of a healthy child, or a specific lifestyle, the universe conspires to co-create this vision with us. Allow your visions to be detailed. Keep in mind that even the slightest negative intention can negatively impact the foundation of your vision. Focus on the light in all things related to your life path and vision. Holding the vision and then breathing light and loving into it, we are inviting all light-Beings to join us in its co-creation.

Guided Meditations

We can listen to others as they guide us into our most profound Selves. Guided meditations can take the pressure off of our distracted minds, making it easier for us to access the purest nature. Consider the many talented healers who have recorded thousands of guided meditations, or you can choose your favorite from the web and record it yourself. With repetition, your mind will learn to absorb these recorded journeys and their related pathways, and you’ll eventually have no need for them.

“Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.”
— Paramahansa Yogananda

Written Meditations

Even though the mind can be distracting, some people find it helpful to write their meditations. This gives their bodies something to do while their hearts and spirits traverse the various stages of clarity and peacefulness.

If writing brings you peace, use positive and beautiful language to inspire your most illuminated states of mind and heart. The activity called, “Dreamer and the Scribe,” allows you and a partner to connect with your most peaceful and poetic selves. By tapping into the bounty of the heart, this exercise acts as a healing meditation.

After choosing a topic, one person lays horizontally on a couch and verbally describes their dreams related to the topic. The scribe writes what they hear from the dreamer, continually editing and shaping the dreamer’s words into the most poetic form possible.

When the dreamer is done dreaming, and the scribe has completed her writing and shaping, the two switch places. Afterward, they each read their dreams aloud to each other. This experience can be extremely enjoyable and enlightening, especially when the topics chosen are related to love, light, and liberation.

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Kundalini Meditation & Yogi Bhajan

kundalini meditation - Paul Wagner

Kundalini Meditation

Kundalini Meditation can clear your chi and mind. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, I spent time with Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, often known as Siri Singh Sahib to his followers. To the world, he was most prominently known as Yogi Bhajan (1929-2004). A deeply devoted Sikh, healer, vegan, intuitive master, entrepreneur, founder of the Kundalini meditation and yoga movement, and executive director of a global economic foundation There may never be another Yogi Bhajan. He was remarkable.

When we visited together, I would affectionately call him, “Yogi.” In my heart, I felt him to be akin to Yogi Bear, a big, playful, cuddly, and protective friend.I loved his warmth and intensity. After he would lovingly calculate the numerology of my birth, Yogi would say, “Paul, you love to play a foot beneath your potential. Why is that?” I am still unable to answer that question.

When wandering within spiritual circles, seeking the master within, it’s not always obvious how important a particular experience or person might become to us. It might be said that I took Yogi Bhajan for granted, never fully understanding that his generosity and friendship were some of the loveliest and most essential gifts to my life.

Yogi Bhajan was the founder of 3HO (the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization), and the first spiritual master to openly teach Kundalini meditation and yoga in the United States. Yogi was a stunning and powerful gem, and his gift of Kundalini meditation and yoga has touched millions of lives.

“When you don’t go within, you go without.”
— Yogi Bhajan

What Is The Purpose Of Kundalini Meditation?

The purpose of Kundalini Meditation and other forms of meditation and yoga is to help us release the false identities that enslave us into projection, instability, anxiety, and attachment.

By reducing our attachments to our public identities, inflamed egos, troubled minds, and contrived masks, we move deeper into spirit and become more attuned to our original selves. Through regulated breathing patterns (pranayama) and specific postures (body and hands) known as mudras, we increase our vibrations and align with divine frequencies. Think of meditation as a spiritual, chiropractic adjustment.

Our vibrations and frequencies are vital to our pursuit of awakening and liberation. When our vibrations are hampered, we pursue and magnetize toward people, places, events, intentions, thoughts, and actions that disconnect us from the light and our highest potentialities. If we can be single-minded and heart-centered in our spiritual intentions, we will inch toward liberation. Meditation and yoga are beneficial in this pursuit.

“You owe it to yourself to be yourself.”
— Yogi Bhajan

How Do I Do Kundalini Meditation?

There are several types of Kundalini meditation, some of which can enliven a variety of aspects within our bodies and spirits. Consider being careful with this type of meditation. Many trendy, new-age derivatives may or may not be helpful in your pursuit of light and love.

Kundalini meditation is an ancient practice and should be engaged with the highest standards in mind.
Here is Yogi Bhajan’s original Kundalini Meditation, which he began teaching in the United States in the late 1960s. I’ve infused Yogi’s original form of meditation with a few suggestions for a gentler experience.

“I do not believe in miracles, I rely on them.”
— Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan’s Original Kundalini Meditation

  1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight: It’s okay to rest on a chair or couch, but sitting on a meditation pillow on the floor will strengthen your spine, deepen the effects of your breath, and improve your breathing patterns.
  2. Form a mudra: Use your hands to create an open-fingered (pointed upward) chalice or lotus flower. Your pinkies and thumbs should be pressed together, while the other fingers are spread out to form an open cavity. Hold this flower in front of your heart, remembering to keep your spine straight. Specific hand formations like these are known as mudras. Mudras are most often aligned with Buddhist and Hindu principles and inspire energetic flow and an uprising of vibration.
  3. Eyes: If possible, close your eyes and then open them ever so slightly. If you can also roll your eyes upward, it will be of benefit to the experience. You can also look down or toward the light through the open slit.
  4. Settle-in: To relax into a pre-meditative state, inhale deeply and exhale three times. Pause, breathe regularly, then repeat. Amidst this breathing, release tension, fear, masks, and preconceived notions.
  5. Fifteen minutes of breathing: To begin partial pranayama breathing, inhale one-third of a full breath and hold for 15 seconds. Inhale another one-third for 15 seconds. Inhale the final 15 seconds, then exhale. Repeat this pattern of breathing for 5 to 15 minutes, preferably as near to 15 minutes as possible. If you need to start with 10 seconds of holding the breath at each interval, that’s okay, too. If you’d prefer, consider increasing the ranges up to 20 seconds in length.
  6. Eleven minutes of chanting mantra. The original mantra for this meditation is Har Jee Har Har Har Har Har Jee. The mantra translates roughly to: “O, my soul, (the creative) God is, God is, God is, God is, O, my soul.” You may also chant the simpler mantra, “Sat Nam,” which means, “Truth or True (Sat) identity (Nam).” If your faith falls under a different tradition, you may simply repeat the name of your desired deity.
  7. Repeat the initial pranayama breathing pattern.

“You are very powerful, providing you know how powerful you are.”
— Yogi Bhajan

How Does Kundalini Meditation Relate To Kundalini Yoga?

Kundalini meditation is built into Kundalini yoga, and meditation is a form of yoga. Yoga and meditation practices are aligned, in that they arebook-live-intuitive-reading-with-paul-wagner often designed to remove the mental chatter and obstacles that prevent us from seeing ourselves clearly. Meditation is focused on the breath and resting posture and does not traditionally include physical movement. Meanwhile, traditional yoga involves specific breathing patterns, structured physical movements and positions, and basic meditation.

Without Kundalini meditation, there would be no Kundalini yoga, yet the inverse is not necessarily true. According to many enlightened spiritual masters, meditation is the most beneficial modality for spiritual advancement. It deepens our connection to our most authentic selves, expands our spirits, and broadens our capacity for compassion and awareness. Meanwhile, the physical components found in yoga are not essential for every initiate and might not enhance every person’s spiritual path.

 

Many of the derivative and hipster forms of yoga in the market today are nothing more than exercise. Depending upon its lineage and quality, and the intentions and depth of the teacher, yoga can be self-centered, and, therefore, antithetical to the pursuit of a spiritual awakening. New-age yoga has become an integral part of pop-culture. This has had positive and negative effects. While some of the forms of the new yoga are inching people closer to peace and liberation, other types are indulgent and might inspire self-gratification.

According to ancient principles, this type of egocentric validation can quickly placate and stifle an individual’s ability to achieve a divinely inspired clarity. When choosing a yogic path, be discerning. Seek clear, loving, and dedicated instructors who embody the principles of the original Hindu and Buddhist teachings. You can learn more about Yogi Bhajan’s teachings at 3HO and Library of Teachings.

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Sufism and The Sufi Saints

Sufism and the Sufi Saints

Sufism and the Sufi Saints – so lovely! A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

Sufism has produced some of the most profound writers and teachers in our planet’s history. The writings of Rumi and Hafiz have opened more hearts than most religions can claim throughout their existence. Sufism opens hearts and clears the pathways to the sweetest depths of the divine.

Sufism, or Tasawwuf, the mystical arm of Islam, is practiced in a variety of forms by millions of people around the world. The root, Sufi, means “pure.” Students and practitioners of Sufism are known as Sufis and believe themselves to be the “people of true beingness.”

“Wherever You Are, And Whatever You Do, Be In Love.”
– Rumi

While traditional Islamic and Sufi scholars will defend Sufism’s connection to Islam, many practitioners of its tenets do not identify as Muslim. They identify as open, forgiving, explorative, poetic and eternal lovers of the divine. It is in this way that Sufism might be considered distinct from Islam.

Sufism teaches us about the inward and deepest dimensions of the Self and how life is lived. It is characterized by beautiful rituals, dances, practices, values, and doctrines that were initiated long ago. The source of Sufi doctrine and meditations were born from manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry between the 8th and 10th centuries.

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While modern psychology focuses on the personality, esoteric traditions like Sufism focus on the unknowable eternal aspect within each of us, the eternal Self that is in harmony with all that exists and all that has ever existed. It is in this way that Sufism cannot be categorized as an organization or solely Islamic. In fact, Sufism is not limited to any religion, historical period, culture, society, or language. The tenets of Sufism are born from the essence of the world’s purest teachings.

“Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All.”
— Jesus

One of the loveliest Sufi tenets is “God is the Lover and the Beloved”. Through this phrase, we can see that the most loving Sufis seek submersion in the bosom of the Divine Creator, thereby dissolving into their most Beloved.

While traditional Sufis belong to organizations referred to as an order or turuq, many modern Sufis gather and practice in casual and community groups or practice alone. The most traditional Sufi gatherings are formed under a Wali or grandmaster. An authentic Wali’s training can be traced through a direct line of successive Walis all the way back to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

Traditional Sufi orders strive for perfection in worship and refer to Muhammad as the perfect man or the one who exemplifies the ultimate divine morality. The more casual lovers of Sufism, which is popular today, are focused on the divine, eternal consciousness, rather than Muhammad and the traditional teachings of Islam.

“Awake, dear one, awake!
At long last, open your eyes.
Awake! Abandon your sleep of illusion.
It is foolish to sleep all the time.”
— Swami Muktananda

While it sounds mysterious and other-worldly, Sufism has many things in common with Christianity, Judaism, Paganism, and other spiritual disciplines. The common themes include love, forgiveness, transcendence and divinely inspired rituals. Because of the heart-centered nature of Sufism, many Sufis are drawn to the poetry of Sanai, Rumi, Hafiz, Jami, Nezami and many others whose writings transcend all religious doctrine, as well as time itself.

The Realms Of Reality

Many Sufis believe there are Seven Planes of Existence, each with a specific purpose. They are as follows:

  • Zat: The Plane of the Unmanifested
  • Ahadiyat: The Plane of Eternal Consciousness
  • Wahdat: The Plane of Consciousness as Sound
  • Wahdaniyat: The Plane of Abstract ideas
  • Arwah: The Spiritual Plane
  • Ajsam: The Astral and Mental Plane
  • Insan: The Physical and Material Plane

“I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul.”
— Rumi

The Teachings Of Sufism

While this list is just a sprinkling of ideas from the deep well of Sufism, here are some of the relatable and most profound teachings:

  • Surrender: Surrender to love and allow the heart to be the instrument of connection and exploration.
  • Be Devotional: Open your heart when praying so that you can absorb the light of the divine to its fullest extent.
  • Chant: Recite aloud or silently within the mind the names of the divine using prayer beads or written prayers. In Islam, the repetitive utterances of short sentences glorifying God is known as Dhikr. When someone prays in this way, they are known as a dakir.
  • Ritualistic Dance: Dance prayerfully in pursuit of divine light so that your body can forget itself, and so that your soul can burst through your physical form to connect with the divine reality. Initiates to Sufism are called Dervishes. The whirling part of the sacred Sama ceremony is where the phrase Whirling Dervish originated.
  • Selfless Service: Practice loving kindness and selfless service so that you can ease the pain of others. When we serve others in this way, we elevate humankind and we expand our empathy and awareness.
  • Honor the Divine Feminine: Through the healing arts and the expression of feelings, we cleanse our hearts. Honoring the feminine in all living beings and in all of our actions allows us to be in harmony with creation.
  • Dreamwork: Be aware of and derive lessons from your dreams. Practice being awake within your dreams so that you can infuse each moment and every character with the purest intentions, trajectories, and outcomes.
  • Die Before You Die: Learn to relinquish your self-identity and worldly position prior to your death. This involves detaching from material and sense objects and placing a deeper focus on the eternal aspects of our nature.
  • Embrace Divine Writings: Relish the writings of Rumi and all the Sufi poets and masters. Their special writings have the power to unlock the most stubborn doors and connect us with the mysteries of the universe.
  • Return to Innocence: Given the complexities of this life and other lives, we continue to accumulate energetic attachments and emotional binds. As children are within the sphere of enlightenment, when we return to innocence, we experience the same.

“If the fire of the love to you wouldn’t dry them the floods of tears for you would sweep me away And if the water from my two eyes wouldn’t come to my aid the fire of the grief over you would burn my heart wailing.”
― Nezami

As human beings, we are multidimensional and emotionally complex. We are collections of debris from prior lives and other realms. We absorb ideas, impressions, attitudes, and projections from religions, societies, schools and our families. In all, we are bundles of temporary characteristics, working to reconnect with our original selves and the Absolute.

“Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace,
Purify yourself of hatred and love of self.
Polish your mirror; and that sublime Beauty
From the regions of mystery
Will flame out in your heart
As it did for the saints and prophets.
Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor,
The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.”
— Jami

By exploring our emotions and desires through our prayers and dreams, we can begin to recognize our temporary self-identities and self-imposed limits. If we can embrace our own secret and subtle innocence, we can relinquish the old and oppressive aspects, and illuminate every part of our powerful hearts. Sufism is unique in how it explores and manifests the feminine aspects of creation, which clearly hold the secrets to the nature of our individual universes. The divine awaits our liberation.

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Meditation vs Mindfulness

Meditation at tree - Paul Wagner

meditation vs mindfulness

The verdict is still out on Mindfulness. A Shutterstock. Licensed Image.

Mindfulness is an essential and useful pathway that leads to peacefulness. It isn’t rocket science, it doesn’t require a trendy workshop, and it doesn’t require that you live in an ashram.

“Each Place Is The Right Place. The Place Where I Now Am Can Be A Sacred Space.”
– Ravi Ravindra

What Is Mindfulness?

The most basic definition of mindfulness might be the act of paying attention to the things that you are experiencing, and then choosing peacefulness in relation to every action, person, thought, feeling, and response.

Mindfulness in its purest form has the following characteristics:

  • Being fully present to what’s happening in this moment
  • Leaving the past in the past
  • Letting fantasies of the future dissolve
  • Refraining from self-judgment and judging others
  • Keeping emotions in check
  • Responding instead of reacting
  • Strengthening our connection to our core selves

While mindfulness might not require you to be warm-fuzzy, spiritually-focused, or heart-centered, it does require a measure of awareness about what you are presenting to others and how you are being received.

The positive net-result of mindfulness might be that the people you engage feel non-threatened, accepted, heard, and relaxed upon interacting with you. Meanwhile, you would most likely be unaffected by interactions with others, remaining fully aware of yourself throughout each experience.

Some say that kindness and love are vital to the experience of being mindful. I don’t agree with this sentiment. Many people are broken, lost, lonely, hurt, and disconnected from their hearts. That’s their business.

Even in their states of broken-ness, I believe these types of people can still create a connection to their clarity and remain aware of how they are affecting others. It’s in this way that almost anyone can represent mindfulness, even if only for a few moments.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is an ancient practice that helps people go beyond their personalities and deeper within themselves so that they can experience a more profound and connected sense of their true Self and their realities.

While many forms and teachers have emerged since its inception, meditation hasn’t changed very much and continues to hold the fascination and respect of a long list of spiritual leaders, traditions, and religions.

Medication techniques can include something as simple as focusing on a flower and welcoming the beauty of that flower into our hearts. It might also involve training the mind and heart to be receptive to the present moment so that our awareness can expand.

The primary goal of meditation is to inspire the superfecta of peacefulness: spiritual connectedness, mental clarity, emotional tranquility, and physical relaxation.

Meditation can occur in any location, and at any time, although early mornings offer the most meditative atmospheres. During early mornings, our bodies are in restful states of self-nurturance This is also when all of the usual societal energies are dormant. Many monks arise at 3 am and meditate until 6 am.

The Difference Between Mindfulness And Meditation

Meditation is mindful by nature, although it might be said that meditation takes us beyond our minds and therefore helps us become more expanded when compared to basic mindfulness.

It might be said that mindfulness is a form of meditation, but the practice of mindfulness might not always be meditative. You might be present to this moment in all its glory, but you might not achieve a meditative state or move beyond the mind.

It might be that mindfulness brings us into the present moment so resolutely that we are present to the activities and behaviors of our minds. Meanwhile, meditation helps us go above, surpass, or supersede our mental processes.

“Concentration Is A Cornerstone Of Mindfulness Practice. Your Mindfulness Will Only Be As Robust As The Capacity Of Your Mind To Be Calm And Stable. Without Calmness, The Mirror Of Mindfulness Will Have An Agitated And Choppy Surface And Will Not Be Able To Reflect Things With Any Accuracy.”
– Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is one of the least complex forms of meditation. The premise goes something like this: choose to peacefully focus on your actions, emotions, and thoughts as you experience them, without thinking of the past or future, and without any preconception, precondition, or judgment.

If you are walking in the park, feel your feet and breath, embrace the trees and flowers, be present to your surroundings, and everything that you see, feel, and hear.

If you are speaking with another person, be fully present to every thought that comes to mind, distilling, and then disregarding all of your emotions, opinions, judgments, and other mental fodder. Be present to and present with your actions, live within your words, and forge a pathway to your core Self.

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One form of mindfulness meditation consists of focusing on an object or idea. This might involve mental imagery, relaxing a part of your body, calming your mind, or gently concentrating on the breath.

When doing mindfulness meditation, be present to your thoughts, words, and responses. Ignore all extraneous distractions and fodder. Enter this peaceful space often, and remain in it for as long as you can.

If you’re interested in learning more about the topic, you might consider searching for mindfulness training in your area.

Useful Meditation Techniques

There are many helpful meditation techniques. You might select a method within a specific tradition like Hinduism or Buddhism, or you might choose to meditate on the image of your deity.

Among many others, you might consider Kundalini, Zen, or Transcendental Meditation. Millions of people throughout the world utilize these forms of meditation to invite peacefulness, open their hearts, and expand their awareness.

Dr. Vasant Lad, one of the most remarkable innovators and leaders in Ayurvedic medicine, and Director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM once said to me, “To become the rose, you must meditate on the rose. That which you meditate on, you become.” I love this quote because it speaks to the core nature of meditation.

Through meditation, we can change our realities. By focusing on the most peaceful sounds, imagery, and aspects within creation, we begin to mirror them. Over time, we can embody the peace found in the loveliest flower and the most gentle wind.

Breath Meditation

    1. Find a quiet place and consider lighting a candle. Sit in a comfortable position, either on a meditation pillow (on the floor) or on a couch or chair. Be sure to have back support so that you are not tempted to slouch.
    2. Chant the sound “OM” three times.
    3. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling freely and deeply.
    4. Imagine that your breath is the key to your peacefulness. Imagine it to be a gentle river that can bring light and love into your body.
    5. For the next five to ten minutes, try to focus solely on your breath. Let go of mental imagery, the past, the future, stressors, and any interruptions emerging from your immediate environment. Be grateful throughout the experience.
    6. Focus on your incoming breath and enjoy it.
    7. Focus on your outgoing breath and enjoy it.
    8. In your mind’s eye, imagine each breath enter your body and exit your body. You might imagine that your breath is akin to white light, or you might want to assign another color to it.
    9. As your breath moves into and throughout your body, imagine that your breath is nurturing every organ.
    10. When you exhale, Imagine that you are releasing stress and toxins.
    11. When you complete your five to ten minutes of focusing and breathing in this way, conclude your experience by chanting, “Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om.”

Open your eyes and thank your heart and lungs for being full of life. Take a few moments to gather your energy and thoughts. Throughout the day, consider the peacefulness you found during this meditation. Try to repeat this process tomorrow and continue from there.

“By Concentrating On A Form, Sound Or Light, We Learn To Constantly Be In That State Of Inner Aloneness And To Be Joyful In Any Situation.”
— Amma

How Do I Begin?

If you can start by meditating for 2 minutes a day, you’ll be off to a great start. See if you can increase the number of minutes every day. Over time, you’ll establish a healthy habit of rising early and beginning the day with a lovely clarity of mind.

You might also consider reciting Sanskrit mantras. A mantra helps us detach from our monkey-minds and focus on the highest vibrations.

If meditation and mantras are challenging, explore being in the present moment through mindfulness. Being mindful inspires peacefulness, clarity, and relaxation.

As a result of being mindful, you might experience improvements in your relationships, work dynamics, and physical health.

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Empaths: Intuitive, Emotional Warriors

Woman in green looking stern - Paul Wagner

Emotional

Empaths can be warriors – if they choose. A Shutterstock Licensed Image.

As an open-hearted and whimsical little boy, I wish this question had dawned on me sooner, “What is an Empath?” Given all the experiences that sensitive children tend to endure, I wish someone had taught me about my nature during childhood, instead of plopping it into my lap when I was a meandering adult. My boyhood battles were hard fought and rarely won. The lessons throughout the years seemed to point to one thing: I had no idea I was an Empath.

Are You An Empath?

I remember the day someone asked me that question. I was 30 years old, sitting on a beach in California, holding a friend’s hand. I felt so badly for her broken heart that I cried with her. When she asked me that very potent question, my tears turned inward, where I immediately found a beautiful and profound clarity. At that moment, I knew I was an Empath. I was free.

In the years to come, I could not only feel the feelings of others; I could see the possible trajectories in their lives. On several occasions, I took on my client’s physical attributes, including the temporary appearance of track marks on my arms when doing a session for a former heroin addict.

Yes, being an Empath can be intense.

Check out Paul’s EMPATH OATH.

What Is A True Empath?

Over the years, I’ve seen the definition of Empath morph. It used to refer to being able to imagine feeling what other people are feeling. It grew from there to reference people who are deeply and actively compassionate, and in the face of danger or drama, can readily extend warmth and kindness to those in need.

As factions of society became more conscious, the definition of an Empath narrowed and crystalized. It’s clear now. An Empath is someone uniquely open and highly sensitive, to the point of being able to embody and process the emotions that someone else is experiencing. It turns out that Empathy is the older, wiser brother to compassion.

Not only do Empaths grow and heal by processing the emotions of other people, but they can also learn to be inspiring advisors and powerful healers. They can build schools of thought and heal nations. Nelson Mandela was an Empath.

What Does It Mean To Be An Empath?

If you can feel, from head to toe, what others are feeling when they are having a tough day, you might be an Empath. If you feel overwhelmed and personally afflicted when someone else is hurt or broken, there’s a good chance you’re an Empath.

It all starts with a traumatic event for another person and the immediate feeling of being completely overwhelmed, yet unable to describe it. Somehow your voice is shackled, and your energy is restricted. You don’t feel depleted, but you feel limited, maybe oppressed. As your mind fails to land on a clear thought, deep in your heart, you realize something’s wrong. But, what is it?

At first, you try meditation, exercise, therapy, dance, essential oils, crystals, herbs, jogging, sex, tantra, mountaineering and adventure travel, plus every other modality that might help you shed inhibition or come back to life. While some of these things help you find yourself again some of the time, most of them don’t work most of the time. Empaths tend to spend 50-70% of their lives somewhat emotionally restricted, confused, or depressed.

While most now agree that an Empath is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) who feels and absorbs what other people are feeling, there are different degrees of Empathic abilities.

Some Empaths can feel what an object is carrying, and possibly the energy of the person who once held it. The most intensely intuitive Empaths not only feel emotions and energy from most of the people in a room, but they also feel the residual energy and can intuit the personal circumstances surrounding the people who recently inhabited that room. Some Empaths are downright spooky. I’m one of those Empaths, and I love it.

Types Of Empaths

As you can tell, there are varying levels of Empaths. Some can carry collected energy their entire lives, without ever being able to relinquish it. The reason that an Empath might be stuck in this way is that they never learned how to set boundaries, release collected energies, and reinvigorate themselves. This points to one painful fact: most Empaths have no idea how to care for themselves.

An Empath doesn’t have to be a professional clairvoyant, intuitive reader, or life coach. Some Empaths are artists, politicians, or teachers. You can even find Empaths in the military.

We tend to be bright, compassionate, and proactive, although there is also a slight tendency to over-dramatize emotional situations and events. Empaths are not perfect; we’re just open-hearted and absorbent.

Empath Traits

You might be an Emotional, Medical, Intellectual, or Spiritual Empath. Regardless, the traits of an Empath can vary. Here is a list of potential characteristics, according to the newly emerging category of Empath psychology:

  • Often considered a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
  • Materially, energetically and spiritually generous
  • Absorbent to the point of having to shed the emotions collected from others
  • Highly intuitive, telepathic or clairvoyant
  • Sleep is filled with potent dreams that are easily remembered and interpreted
  • Appear to be slightly sad or depressed, more than most
  • Come off as mystical or spiritual
  • Tend to be shy, introverted or avoidant of conversation
  • Able to heal others of physical, intellectual and emotional challenges
  • Easily manipulated or coerced
  • Easily overwhelmed
  • Can quickly become the dumpster for every else’s negativity
  • Energy can be rapidly drained
  • Equally helpful to friends and strangers
  • Often feel better in solitude
  • Feel as though they can deeply and genuinely relate with trees, plants, and animals as if they are kin to human beings
  • Able to pick up the disease and physical symptoms of the sick
  • Able to quickly parse the emotions and thoughts of others
  • Attractive to narcissists and energy vampires
  • Attuned to the moment someone is lies
  • Tend to give far more than is required or necessary
  • Tend to have a tipping point where the individual cuts cords with others
  • Might temporarily hate themselves, and as a result, get stuck for a while
  • Might be seen as a doormat or sucker
  • Sensitive to smells, sounds, and tastes to the point of being immobilized
  • Feel full of love and light when they are surrounded by nature
  • Feel replenished during thunderstorms and snowstorms
  • Shocked by event crowds, cocktail parties, and busy department stores
  • Loves to write, paint, sculpt, color, dance or play music

Empath And Narcissist Romances

If you’re an Empath, you’ve probably spent some time in a relationship with an extremely needy person or a narcissist. The Empath-narcissist pairing is alluring because the Empath is always absorbing something palpable from the emotion-addicted narcissist. With their hearts full of light and love, this can be exciting or energizing for an Empath.

With each projection that extends from the vampire-like partner, the Empath will find ways to reflect healthier versions of the projection, with the hope he or she might save the narcissist from yet one more drastic rise or fall.

It’s the Empaths throughout the world that tend to act as the psychic receptacles of emotional and dramatic events. Yes, Empaths can save the universe.

Are Empaths Real?

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Once in a while, I bump into people who reject the notion that Empaths are different from others. They say things like, “You’re too sensitive” or “Why do you choose to feel that way.” As an Empath, you eventually learn to tolerate these statements, without reacting to them. I will often respond, “If I wasn’t feeling things so deeply, I might never have seen your immense value.” Or “If I wasn’t truly Empathic, how could I have seen that subtle event that broke your heart and told you what it felt like.”

It’s an honor to be an Empath, yet it takes time to learn how to maneuver through all the emotional and energetic fascia throughout the environments and relationships that we encounter.

Famous Empaths

There are millions of Empaths around the world. If you’re on the Meyers-Briggs scale as an INFP or INFJ, you might be one, too.

Here is a list of a few of the more popular Empaths throughout history. There are many more.

Look around at your family and friends. Chances are that 10% of them are empathic in some way. Be gentle with these folks and nurture these relationships. At some point in the future, you might need a deeply loving friend to come to your rescue.

Check out Paul’s EMPATH OATH.

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Tarot Cards: Intuition and Empathy

Tarot Cards

Tarot Cards

Every living being is a spiritual being, and we all have magical abilities and gifts. We can step into the other realms with a simple prayer, and we can invoke light, love, and magic at every turn. We are as powerful and aware as we desire.

The idea behind Tarot and other divination tools is to provide clear reflections of our life, relationships, and patterns in the symbology and images on each card. Upon our glance, if we allow ourselves to see correctly, a card’s image and symbols will open subtle doors in our minds and hearts, ones that lead to the answers to our most pressing questions.

“Magical practice offers everyone the opportunity to reinvent themselves from the inside out. Why? Because you are a sorceress who has already created the world you inhabit, whether you realize it or not. Magical practice and tarot give you the tools and opportunities to cultivate, explore, and expand that world, and its boundaries are infinite. Just like you.”
― Sasha Graham

What Is A Tarot Card Reading?

When it first arrived on the scene in the 1500s, Tarot became a favorite playing card game. By the mid-1800s, it developed into a profound divination tool that was used by seers, readers, Kings, Queens, leaders, and families throughout Europe. Today, 3×5” Tarot cards are a standard tool in every healer’s toolkit.

While there are many ways to use Tarot cards, a Tarot Card Reading is one of the most effective pathways to clarity. The process goes something like this:

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  • Pray over your Tarot deck. Bring your emotions, projections, and questions to the forefront of your mind and heart.
  • Keeping these thoughts and feelings in mind, shuffle the cards.
  • When you feel you have infused the cards with your vibration and intentions, select between one and seven cards and lay them out in front of you.
  • When doing a Tarot card reading for yourself, examine each card and read its description (there’s usually a booklet). This will help you derive helpful hints about your life, patterns, paradigms, and dynamics.
  • In Tarot, each card has a unique meaning and value. Try to see the card as a representation of something that you are projecting, embodying, feeling, emanating, or desiring. Specific cards might also represent how other people are influencing your life.
  • Do your best to evaluate the emotional, psychological, and spiritual nature of each card so that you can glean the most value from it.

If an Intuitive Tarot Reader, Empath, or Medium is reading for you, he or she will use the cards to open doorways into your spiritual and emotional pathologies. Each symbol in each image will represent a unique piece of information about you.

As the Intuitive Card Reader shares information, you’ll feel seen, heard, alive, and awakened. As your anxiety is dissolved and debris is cleared, you’ll make more harmonious, clear, and specific decisions that will lead to improving your conditions, realities, and relationships.

The best readers are also good at sensing, feeling, and reading the energies of people, groups, locations, and events. Knowing the quality of an overall energy can be a little confronting, but it can help us improve our vibrations, which leads to improved experiences.

What Is A Tarot Card Reading?

An Intuitive Reading is when an Intuitive, Empath, Medium, Psychic or Clairvoyant healer looks into the nature of your soul and compares each aspect of the deeper-you to the physical life that you are living. The best readers and Empaths tend to infuse light and love into every reading, hoping to help you shift negative thinking and patterns into positive ones.

Intuitive readings are AWESOME.

When I do intuitive readings for my clients, I see them as the embodiment of light and love. I desire to help them see that all of the fodder, challenges, emotions, and desires resting atop their souls are temporary. My sincere wish is to help my clients clear debris, change negating patterns and live abundantly in every area of their lives.

In trying to help you clear debris, I sense your feelings, often feeling exactly what you are feeling. This helps me see your patterns, choices, relationships, and potential, all at the same time. Doing so, I can offer advice on a variety of topics and guide you to a loving, proactive, empowered life.

Tarot cards can help Intuitive Readers, Mediums, and Clairvoyant healers like me to step into your sphere and clear the energies so that you can experience rejuvenation and rebirth.

“Fear is dangerous, not the tarot. The Tarot represents the spectrum of the human condition, the good, the evil, the light, and the dark. Do not fear the darker aspects of the human condition. Understand them. The tarot is a storybook about life, about the greatness of human accomplishment, and also the ugliness we are each capable of.”
― Benebell Wen

The Imagery & Symbols Of Tarot

The most helpful question we can ask about Tarot is not “what is this specific Tarot card’s meaning,” rather, it’s “What is this card saying about me and my life and how can it help me improve my ability to love myself, forgive others, and live in abundance?”

Every Tarot card image has obvious and hidden symbols embedded in the artwork. The art of Tarot can be deeply moving and inspiring. With one glance, we might shift a lifetime of emotions and negative patterning.

By meditating on specific symbols and their related attributes, we can improve our understanding of ourselves and free ourselves from habits, attachments, projections, and assumptions.

Tarot card symbols are unique to each deck. Every Tarot card deck is a unique system with exclusive images and symbols, yet there are similarities across many decks.

There are several ways to interpret every image and symbol. Always listen to your gut to determine the most helpful message for your growth and transformation.

Here is a sampling of the most potent symbols and personas found within a few of the Tarot decks available today:

  • Fire: Dissolve the old Self, Release negativity, Cautiousness
  • Light: Awareness, Potential, Healthy passion
  • Sword/Hammer/Tool: Forthcoming changes or confrontations, Courage, Decision time, Completion
  • Blood: Family, deception, unruly passion, untempered masculinity, bonds
  • Chalice, Cup or Fountain: Ambition, Purpose, Drive, Desire, Love, Potential
  • Pentacle: Earth, Money, Health, Land, Business, Ambition, Career
  • Water/Moon/Ocean/Rain: Unexpressed feelings and emotions, Love and relationships, Creativity, Intimacy, Femininity, Reflection, Possibilities, Relaxed
  • Ice: Separation, Closed heart, and mind, Completion of lessons, Solitude
  • Tree: Rebirth, Healing, Expansion, Connectedness
  • Knight: Courage, Loyalty, Maturation, Bold action, Relentless commitment
  • King, Emperor, Empress: Sovereignty, Leadership, Decisiveness, Achievement, Success
  • Queen: Love, Light, Compassion, Empathy, Active care of others
  • Fool: Naive, Youthful, Trusting, Vulnerable
  • Angels: Listening to the Divine, Be careful and critical, Meditate, Find your inspiration

Colors have an equally important influence on our lives. Here are a few colors with their corresponding spiritual significance:

  • Black: Protection, Something is missing in the equation, Illness, Stay alert, Death of materialistic tendencies
  • Red: Power, Groundedness, Passion, Anger, Security
  • Pink: Love, Femininity, Forgiveness, Generosity, Compassion
  • Green: Healing, Union, Harmony, Commitment, Empathy
  • Orange: Self Esteem, Joyfulness, Optimism, Abundance, Creativity
  • Gold: Spiritual Achievement, Spiritual Gifts, Protection, Mastery, Divine blessings
  • Blue: Spoken and inner communication, Self-expressiveness, Trust, Sadness, Peacefulness, Lightness of being
  • Purple: Psychic gifts, Passion, Intuition, Spiritual devotion, Reason, Spirituality
  • White: Purity, Connection to the Higher Self, Rebirth, Divine aspirations, Death of the ego

The numbers in Tarot cards can point to something helpful or unique about us. Here is how you might interpret the numbers one to ten in your next Tarot card reading:

  • One: Completion, Oneness, Togetherness, Relationship to Self, Non-duality
  • Two: Partnership, Duality, Equanimity, Balance, Choices
  • Three: Sacredness, Creativity, Expansiveness
  • Four: Growth, Stability, Constructs, Structure, Longevity
  • Five: Growth, Complexity, Time for patience
  • Six: Humanity, Being grounded, Harmony, Physical pleasure
  • Seven: Spiritual growth, Self-realization, Manifestation
  • Eight: Fulfillment, Accomplishment, Subtle understandings
  • Nine: Spiritual gifts, Rebirth, Rejuvenation, Humility
  • Ten: Conclusion, Enlightenment, Temperance

It might be helpful to know that every large number boils down to a number between one and nine. Even 123,456 can be boiled down by adding the separate digits together like this: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 = 21 = 3. Keep this in mind for birthdays, home addresses and phone numbers. Being aware of the vibration of specific digits can help us make more vibrationally evolved decisions.

In all things Tarot, make sure that your reading concludes with a positive set of ideas and actions. Ideally, each reading you experience, either from yourself or another, will provide you with something specific to consider. Whatever you choose to focus on from your reading, always select at least one image or concept that is vibrationally uplifting. When we meditate on the rose, we become the rose.

“Here is one reason I think we always need new tarot decks being created. I think of tarot decks as similar to myths, and so I think this quote applies: ‘Myths are so intimately bound to culture, time, and place that unless the symbols, the metaphors, are kept alive by constant recreation through the arts, the life just slips away from them.’ – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth.”
― Barbara Moore

Personal Empowerment Through Tarot

The more we use Tarot to reveal our authenticity and secrets, the more we can create free-flowing, authentic, and empowered lives. Even the subtlest assumption or secret can have an impact on our lives. Use Tarot to clear the negating abstractions and confusion in your life, relationships, and business. Doing so, you can make room for more light. Paul’s cards are awesome – check em out HERE.

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