Connecting with the Wisdom of your Higher Self - Part 5

Fear And Feeling Tones

On the next step in learning how to connect with our Higher Self I thought it would be appropriate to look at fear and what I call our feeling tones.

Fear is such an amazing emotion. In small doses it stops us from walking into situations where we can be harmed. It would have been great for Neanderthal man as it would have stopped him from being eaten by a lion or a poisonous snake, but in those days fear came with a certain amount of inner knowledge. Our ancient ancestors lived in touch with nature and the elements and so when they went into situations where the fear hairs stood up on the back of their neck they had a reason to listen.

Today it is a different story. The fight and flight reactions that were hard wired into us in the past are not needed as much and yet when you look at the people around you, there seem to be more fears today in our safer world than there ever was. Why is this? I believe it is because we are out of touch with nature and the cycles within nature. Those who still live on the land are still in contact with these cycles and for the most part seem to have less fears than us so called civilized people that populate the cities. I am not suggesting that we all pull up stumps and move back to the country or take up a nomadic life, but I am suggesting that we get back in touch with the cycles within ourselves and within nature. Most people seem to have forgotten that we are made up of these cycles. There are our biorhythms, our sleep cycles, women's menstrual cycles and even the greatest cycle of all, our conception, birth, death and rebirth and many more. All of these are natures cycles and yet many of us seem so divorced from nature and our own cycles.

How can getting in touch with these cycles allow us to reduce or move beyond our fears? I believe that once we reconnect with these cycles that an inner or innate knowledge starts to come alive and we begin to see and feel things before they happen. In my books and some of my blogs I talk about using a molecule of your feelings to send into to situations where you are not sure and allow whatever returns to guide your next move. It starts with a stillness and being able to open yourself up to the answer which lies within. This one technique has given me more information than I could ever have received from a mountain of books.

All life is energy; so when you meet someone new or meet a new situation then it will have an energy. Get in the habit of stilling your mind chatter and allow the feelings to come forward; these inner feelings will always steer you in the right direction. These feelings are not emotion like anger, frustration etc, but a feeling tone that comes up from deep within. As I was writing this blog I came to a full stop. I quieted myself for a moment and saw in my minds eyes two roads representing different ways the blog could go. The first road was where I talked about the fear itself and the second where I talked about the energy underneath all things. As I wandered down the first road I could feel an energy that was stuck. I immediately knew that this was not the road to go down. Like many of us I would normally have been inclined to continue down that road not trusting the inner voice, blaming it for being lazy or wanting to take the easy way out. These days my inner voice seems to be louder and more insistent when I ask it these questions.

It is hard to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but let's have a play with it. Let's have a play with the energy in the universe. I want you to look at an area of your life where you have at least two choices on how to move forward. As you begin to practice, probably not such a good idea to look at major changes in your life, something smaller to start with. It could be as simple as looking at a menu and decided what to eat. Start small and don't give up. In the early stages of anything new it will feel weird, silly and uncomfortable, but if you have discipline and a little bit of good old tenacity then your efforts will be worth it.

To begin with have you options metaphorically or physically in front of you. I used the technique this morning when I was deciding what to write. My first thought, not a feeling, but my first thought was to work on my third novel The 33rd Sage and the Ancient Ones. I opened the file and sat there looking at the empty page and there was nothing. I typed a few words but soon deleted them. There was just nothing there. It was then that I sat for a moment and stilled my mind. It helped that I was sitting in the garden surrounded by plants and trees and a beautiful blue sky. Still winter in Melbourne it was a bit chilly but I was in touch with nature and I find it easier to still the thoughts of the mind when I am surrounded by trees. It even seems to keep out the noises of cars, trucks and building projects going on in my street. After a few seconds my mind started to become still. If it takes you longer that is okay as I have been doing this technique for many years. Once my mind was still I allowed the feelings to come up from within. In moments a picture appeared of a blank page. My first reaction was that a blank page was what caused the problem in the first place. Then I sent a molecule of my feelings into the blank page and what returned was a feeling of new life. In the early days of my metaphysical training I would have just pushed the feeling aside, not realizing that it was the answer I was looking for. When these feelings come forward try not to judge them because this engages the ego and blocks these wonderful gifts which come from your higher self.

Once I opened a blank page and allowed the feelings and thoughts to flow I was soon looking at these words now before you.

It really is as is simple as that to engage your real feeling centre and allow the higher self to show you where to go. Practice it. Play with it. Make a fool of yourself. Once you get to the stage when you accept the information that comes forward, something happens and you open up a doorway for your higher self to come through more often. To others you may seem like you are in a dream world, but you are in bliss. My partner notices when I go there and she just smiles and lets me be as she knows that I am in my special place and when I return I will be in very positive state.

As with all these techniques practice makes perfect. Don't spend all day practicing them as this would out of a balance. Don't talk to others about what you are doing until you feel comfortable with the technique as it will dissipate the energy.

Have fun with it. Share your experiences on my blog.

Blessings and Peace and may you higher self whisper to you and share its beauty.

****
I have included the chapter on Fear and Feeling Tones from my upcoming book the Way of the Initiate. Much of what I have written above comes from this book but for some of us the best way to learn is through story. I hope you enjoy the story of Huo the young disabled boy who begins to walk the path of the Initiate.

The Way of the Initiate
Fear and Feeling Tones


The young man's night was filled with dreams of old sages sitting around a table, each one of them coming forward to teach him about their individual aspects of the thirty three. Of course, when he woke in the morning, he would remember none of it other than a queer feeling in his stomach that would stay with him forever, appearing whenever a deep teaching came forward from the Tao or one of the 33 sages.

When he woke, he looked around but could not see the old sage. Something wasn't right; the uneasy feeling he had in his stomach made him feel uncomfortable, and at the same time he began to feel fearful. Had something happened to the old sage? Had he done something to upset him? In a panic, he looked around where they had camped overnight, but there was no sign of him. He looked over to the mountains and could see that the sun was already peeking over the range. He had slept in; it was well past the time they were meant to be on the road. Had his lack of discipline caused the old sage to leave him behind?

He was becoming more anxious and overwhelmed. What if he never saw the old sage again? Almost involuntarily, he took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and immediately began to relax. He took another deep breath and held that for a moment, and his attention moved from the forest around him to a point deep within himself. In the deepness, he could see the old sage in the forest, no more than five hundred meters from where he was now sitting. He put his belongings in his pack, put the long staff through the pack, and tossed it over his shoulder, then he followed the inner feeling, sure that it would lead him to the old sage.

He found the old sage in a clearing, where he was sitting around an open fire. The old sage gave Huo a cup of of tea and motioned for him to sit on a log beside him.

"Fear is such an amazing emotion," he said. "In small doses, it stops us from walking into situations where we can be harmed. If we are really in touch with these inner feelings, the fear or energy that comes forward is not a creation of our own subconscious mind, but inner promptings from our higher self, which can truly show us the way. Our ancestors, those who lived in touch with nature and the elements, had a sixth sense; so, when they went into situations where the fear hairs stood up on the back of their neck, they had a reason to listen. Everything in the universe has a feeling or feeling tone, a vibration, if you will, that you can tap into or feel.

"Today it is a different story, as more and more of our people live in villages and cities. The fight-or-flight reactions that were hard-wired into us in the past are not needed as much, and yet when you look at the people around you, there seem to be more fears today in our safer world than there ever was. Why is this? I believe it is because we are out of touch with nature and the cycles within nature. Those who still live on the land are still in contact with these cycles and for the most part seem to have fewer fears than us so-called civilized people that populate the villages and cities. We need to get back in touch with the cycles within ourselves and within nature. Most people seem to have forgotten that we are made up of these cycles. They are our biorhythms, our sleep cycles, women's menstrual cycles, and even the greatest cycle of all, our conception, birth, death, rebirth, and many more. All of these are nature’s cycles, and yet many of us seem so divorced from nature and our own cycles.

"By reconnecting with these cycles, an inner or innate knowledge starts to come alive, and we begin to see and feel things before they happen. Whenever you go into a new situation or meet a new person, send a molecule of your feelings into it or them and allow whatever returns to guide your next move. It starts with a stillness and being able to open yourself up to the answer that lies within.

"All life is energy, so when you meet someone new or meet a new situation, it will have an energy. Get in the habit of stilling your mind chatter and allowing the feelings to come forward; these inner feelings will always steer you in the right direction. These feelings are not emotion like anger, frustration, etc., but rather a feeling tone that comes up from deep within. When you awoke and found that I was not there, your initial reaction was to panic and become fearful; that was just your subconscious mind, your ego reacting to the unknown. When you took a deep breath and began to quiet the mind you were tapping into, the energy of the situation and your higher self allowed you to connect with the feeling of where I was.

"It is hard to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but when you begin to play with the feelings, you will be lead to deeper understandings than your rational mind could give you, for your rational mind is trapped in the matrix created by your ego. I want you to practice using your feeling tones whenever you have a decision to be made. In the early stages of anything new, it will feel weird, silly, and uncomfortable, but if you have discipline, your efforts will be rewarded.

"To begin with, have your options metaphorically or physically in front of you. After a few seconds, take a deep breath as you did earlier and allow the mind to become still. If it takes you longer, then that is okay, as I have been doing this technique for many years. Once your mind is still, allow the feelings to come up from within or simply send a molecule of your own feeling self into the situation. In the early days of my training, I would have just pushed the feeling aside, not realizing that it was the answer I was looking for. When these feelings come forward, try not to judge them because this engages the ego and blocks these wonderful gifts, which come from your higher self.

"It really is as simple as that to engage your real feeling centre and allow the higher self to show you where to go. Practice it. Play with it. Make a fool of yourself. Once you get to the stage where you accept the information that comes forward, something happens and you open up a doorway for your higher self to come through more often. To others, you may seem like you are in a dream world, but you are in bliss.

"As with all these techniques, practice makes perfect. Don't spend all day practicing them, as this would push you out of a balance. Also, don't talk to others about what you are doing until you feel comfortable with the technique, as it will dissipate the energy."


***********

The 33rd Sage and the 33rd Sage and the Initiate are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

The Way of the Initiate will be published mid 2013

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/
Book Websites 'The 33rd Sage,' at www.33rdsage.com
'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' at www.the33rdsage.com

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Become the Observer

The old sage tells Huo they will go for a walk in the forest today rather than do their meditation and martial arts training. The boy is a little confused and out of kilter as he has become accustomed to the training in the morning to start the day. His first thought is to pick up his pack and take it with them, but he falters and puts it next to the old man's pack - and "so it shall be," says the old man.

Huo felt uncomfortable. In the pit of his stomach was a queasy feeling, which he did not listen to, putting it down to the change in routine.

The old sage led him on a walk through the woods in the dark. It was pitch black, the new moon shining no light on their journey. Still feeling queasy Huo banged his head on a low lying branch; the same branch the old sage ducked under. The old man knew that it was going to be a tough day for the young man, but he had chosen it by not listening to his inner feelings. It would be a great lesson in many ways.

"Huo if you not want to get another bang on your head or lose more skin off your arms I would suggest that you walk with your feelings; obviously your eyes aren't much help in the darkness. With that the old sage took out a piece of cloth and tied it around Huo's head. "Now you will have to go with your feelings."

The young man panicked. He tried to remove the blind fold, but the old sage reached across and grabbed his arm. "Relax," was all he said and the young man took a deep breath and began to imagine what it would be like to walk in the forest blindfolded. At first he could not imagine it, but  as he became more relaxed he could actually see the forest in his inner mind. He took a few tentative steps, then a few more, soon he was walking at the same speed as he would be when fully sighted on a bright sunny day. He continued to walk easily through the forest trusting nothing but his inner sight and his feelings.

It was then that the nausea returned. He continued to walk trying to not think about the nausea, but the nausea would not disappear and it was not long before he bumped his head again and started losing bits of skin as he walked into more bushes and trees. Huo stopped and removed the blindfold. It was still dark, although a hint of sun was coming up over the hill. He sat down and closed his eyes and centered his feelings in the nausea. After a couple of minutes a picture began to appear in his mind. It was a picture of their camp and he could clearly see their two packs leaning next to each other. He wondered why he was seeing that when all of a sudden the picture changed and a band of men walked into the camp and they were soon rifling through the packs for anything of value. Huo's heart sank when he realized that the dragonfly pendant, the one that was given to him by his parents before they died in the fire was in the pack and his last physical memory of them was about to disappear. He jumped to his feet, maybe he still had time to get there and fight the men for the pendant, but no sooner had he had those thoughts when he realized in his vision of the men it was still dark; it must have happened hours before and he knew he would never get there in time.

He slumped on the ground in resignation. If he had only brought the pack with him. If he had only tapped into the feeling of nausea earlier then it could have been different. After  a few minutes of self pity he sat upright and centered his awareness. He took a few deep breaths and a picture of the bandits appeared in his mind. He sent them love and forgiveness and all the anger that he was holding towards them drifted away. They obviously needed what was in the pack more than he did. It was unfortunate to lose the pendant but his mother and father were deep in his heart. He had learnt a great lesson in the loss of the pendant and that had made it even more special. The old man had taught him to become the observer, but now he knew it was just as important to observe what was going on on the inside. He thanked the Tao for his great lesson and sent a feeling of love out into the world. It was such an expression of love that anybody who had the awareness would have been bathed in its beauty.

 Huo opened his eyes and there sitting beside him in deep meditation was the old sage. Huo waited while the old man finished his meditation and came back into this time and space. While he waited he reflected on what he had learnt that day. One surprising observation he made was the incredible control he had allowed others to have on his life; whether it was the bandits who robbed him, the village people who had made him who he was today, everywhere he looked he could see others trying to control what he thought and did. He realized that by not reacting to others and what they did to him; by being the silent observer of his own life, forgiving himself and others who trespassed against him he found that he was free to be person that he wanted to be.

The old sage just smiled; his apprentice was now free from the emotions and expectations of others. One day he might even give him back the pendant that he removed from the pack when they left the camp that morning.

************

My new book the 33rd Sage and the Initiate is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and many other wonderful bookstores and online sellers. If you want to read more about 'The 33rd Sage and the Initiate,' have a look at my website on www.the33rdsage.com or my translatable blog at http://33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Fear and Feeling Tones

The young man's night was filled with dreams of old sages sitting around a table; each one of them coming forward to teach him about their individual aspect of the thirty three. Of course when he woke in the morning he would remember none of it other than a queer feeling in his stomach that would stay with him forever; appearing when a deep teaching came forward from the Tao or one of the 33 sages.

When he woke he looked around but could not see the old sage. Something wasn't right; the uneasy feeling he had in the stomach made him feel uncomfortable and at the same time he began to feel fearful. Had something happened to the old sage? Had he done something to upset him? In panic, he looked around where they had camped over night but there was no sign of him. He looked over to the mountains and he could see the sun was already peeking over the range. He had slept in; it was well past the time they were meant to be on the road. Had his lack of discipline caused the old sage to leave him behind.

He was becoming more anxious and overwhelmed. What if he never saw the old sage again. Almost voluntarily he took a deal breath, held it for a moment and immediately he began to relax. He took another deep breath and held that for a moment and his attention moved from forest around him to a point deep within himself. In the deepness he could the old sage in the forest, no more than five hundred meters from where he was now sitting. He put his belongings in his pack, put the long staff through the pack and tossed it over his shoulder and then followed the inner feelings, sure that it would lead him to the old sage.

He found the old sage in a clearing where he was sitting around an open fire. The old sage gave Huo a cup of of tea and motioned for him to sit on a log beside him.
"Fear is such an amazing emotion," he said. "In small doses it stops us from walking into situations where we can be harmed. If we are really in touch with these inner feelings the fear or energy that comes forward are not creations of our own subconscious mind but inner promptings from our higher self which can truly can show us the way. Our ancestors, those who lived in touch with nature and the elements, had a sixth sense and so when they went into situations where the fear hairs stood up on the back of their neck they had a reason to listen. Everything in the universe has a feeling or feeling tone, a vibration if you will, that you can tap into or feel.

"Today it is a different story as more and more of our people live in villages and cities. The fight and flight reactions that were hard wired into us in the past are not needed as much and yet when you look at the people around you there seem to be more fears today in our safer world than there ever was. Why is this? I believe it is because we are out of touch with nature and the cycles within nature. Those who still live on the land are still in contact with these cycles and for the most part seem to have less fears than us so called civilized people that populate the villages and cities. We need to get back in touch with the cycles within ourselves and within nature. Most people seem to have forgotten that we are made up of these cycles. There are our biorhythms, our sleep cycles, women's menstrual cycles and even the greatest cycle of all, our conception, birth, death and rebirth and many more. All of these are natures cycles and yet many of us seem so divorced from nature and our own cycles.

"By reconnecting with these cycles an inner or innate knowledge starts to come alive and we begin to see and feel things before they happen. Whenever you go into a new situation or meet a new person send a molecule of your feelings into it or them and allow whatever returns to guide your next move. It starts with a stillness and being able to open yourself up to the answer which lies within.

"All life is energy; so when you meet someone new or meet a new situation then it will have an energy. Get in the habit of stilling your mind chatter and allow the feelings to come forward; these inner feelings will always steer you in the right direction. These feelings are not emotion like anger, frustration etc, but a feeling tone that comes up from deep within. When you woke and found I was not there your initial reaction was to panic and become fearful; that was just your subconscious mind, your ego reacting to the unknown. When you took a deep breath and began to quite the mind you were tapping into the energy of the situation and your higher self allowed you to connect with the feeling of where I was.

"It is hard to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but when you begin to play with the feelings you will be lead to deeper understandings than your rational mind could give you; for your rational mind is trapped in the matrix created by your ego. I want you to practice using your feeling tones whenever you have a decision to be made. In the early stages of anything new it will feel weird, silly and uncomfortable, but if you have discipline your efforts will be worth it.

"To begin with have your options metaphorically or physically in front of you. After a few seconds take a deep breath as you did earlier and allow the mind to become still. If it takes you longer then that is okay as I have been doing this technique for many years. Once your mind is still allow the feelings to come up from within or simply send a molecule of your own feeling into the situation. In the early days of my training I would have just pushed the feeling aside, not realizing that it was the answer I was looking for. When these feelings come forward try not to judge them because this engages the ego and blocks these wonderful gifts which come from your higher self.

"It really is as is simple as that to engage your real feeling centre and allow the higher self to show you where to go. Practice it. Play with it. Make a fool of yourself. Once you get to the stage when you accept the information that comes forward, something happens and you open up a doorway for your higher self to come through more often. To others you may seem like you are in a dream world, but you are in bliss.

"As with all these techniques practice makes perfect. Don't spend all day practicing them as this would out of a balance. Don't talk to others about what you are doing until you feel comfortable with the technique as it will dissipate the energy."

**********

A special for all my followers, friends and blog readers. My publisher has offered a special either through my website or amazon of the ebook version of The 33rd Sage at $3.99. Take advantage of the offer. Apart from being a modern fable it is filled with teachings that you or your family can use for the rest of your life. Who knows if you are open to the possibilities an old Chinese Sage might just wander into your life?

Go to my website http://www.33rdsage.com/index.html and click on buy the book for this special offer to my friends or go to Amazon.

Take a look at my Book Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNMGhfwtdg

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

Website www.33rdsage.com

The Legend of the 33rd Sage - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Flow

The boy woke after sleeping for eighteen hours, with little or no memory of what had happened the day before. After waking he stretched both arms above his head as if to welcome in the day; little realizing that his partially paralyzed left arm was no longer paralyzed, there was still some scarring but during the night it was as if the withered muscle in his shoulder had come back to life. The healing had begun; there was no need for the old sage to acknowledge the changes, for that would be living in the past and there was only the now. He would one day teach Huo about the reality of time, but for the moment he would just allow him to exist in this point and time. The healing had occurred because he had begun to release the pain from the fire; a pain that he had caused himself but there was time enough later for revelations.

The old sage greeted this young apprentice, "From this time forward Huo we will rise at 4 a.m. and walk in the dark and allow our energy to go forth in the day before the animals in the forest or the people in the villages wake and fill the day with their energy. Each day we will let our feelings lead the way. We will rise in silence and stay silent for the first hour of our walk. As part of this exercise I would like you to silently ask the Tao a question you want answered in that day. If you are open to it the answer will come to you in any one of a hundred different ways. It could be a word or vision that comes around your subconscious mind, an answer from nature or someone we meet along the path; be open and the answer will come. Having the courage to give yourself over to the beauty of the higher self allows your life to enter into the dynamic spontaneity of the flow of the universe. It is about taking life as you find it rather than force it into you preconceived notion of the world. By giving the infinity within you credence you empower that same infinity to come into and be a part of your life. Let's now be silent for the next hour while we let spirit be our guide."

The young boy packed up his pack, put the long staff through it and tossed it over his shoulder. There was much he did not understand about the old sage. If there was one thing he was sure about, it was that his life would never be the same again. Until this journey with the old sage much of his time was spent talking to the elders of the village because they were the only one's that did not seem to be scared of his looks. He would sit and talk with them for hours. Most of them were uneducated and simple people, but if you delved deep enough you would find that they had a deep understanding of the cycles within nature and a knowledge of human nature that could not be found in the few books the village possessed. Each of the elders was like their own little library of information and Huo had consumed whatever they taught him. Even as a young boy he was well versed in the art of fishing and carpentry and his understanding of farming was not too shabby either. 'Not too shabby,' he laughed at that last thought because if he had a mirror he would have looked pretty shabby in his worn out clothes.

What question would he ask the Tao to answer? He mulled over that for about an hour, although for the most part it was at the back of his mind while he enjoyed the bounties of nature. It was cold when they first started out, but he loved the cold; in many ways it allowed him to bring forth his own nature. Even as a very young child he had a way of bringing up the fire from within his own being. He was never cold, even on the coldest winter night. All he had to do was imagine a fire and then he could draw the heat of the fire to himself. It was as if at will he could heat himself from within. Of course the ability was a two edge sword and this ability had been at the heart of the fire that had killed his parents. He had learnt early on that the element of Fire was either a boon or a curse depending on how you used it; he wondered momentarily about the other elements, but that soon passed and the element of fire; his element returned. For the first two years after the fire he stopped using the techniques until he realized that it was not the Fire that was the problem and that he would need to be careful when he used the element because he never wanted anybody to suffer at his hands again.

While walking silently and looking back on his life to date, he felt a gentle wind come around him; she caressed him with her icy fingers, not yet touched by the morning sun. He stopped for a moment to fully experience the wind when he realized that the wind was coming from within him. He reached out his hand and watched as the feeling of the wind, from within, wrapped itself around his fingers and then up his arm, until it came all the way up to his head and gently caressed his face. He looked deeply into the energy which surrounded him and knew at that moment that he was the wind. He was not sure yet whether he had created the wind or if he had become one with the wind. It did not matter for in that moment he realized that the illusion of separation no longer held him in her grasp. He had only been with a the sage a few days but in many ways he seemed years older than the young boy who left the village. He had seen the energy behind the form and no longer would he feel separate from anyone.

He took a moment to sit by himself and experience the connection with all things. First it was the Elements dancing around and through him, then it was the forest and the animals who were becoming active, not only could he seem them all he could feel them all and he had become them. It was then that it struck him. Tears began to escape from his eyes as he realized; if he were connected to everything then he was still connected to his parents and he began to understand what the old man had meant when he said "Nothing ever dies."

With tears streaming down his face he realized that the Tao had not only given him the answer to his question, it had done more than that and allowed him to see a deeper connection;  a connection he had with everyone and every thing that had existed or will exist. The concept was too much for his young mind which was being stretched in a thousand different directions.

He looked across at the old sage who was watching the young man with an enigmatic smile on his face. "Welcome to the flow, it is something you will never be able to describe, for to describe it puts barriers around something that is infinite. It is like trying to hold an ocean in a tea cup. The beauty of the flow is to experience it and to know that you are always connected. Now let's take 24 minutes to meditate and reflect on the lessons we have both received this morning."
The young man and the old sage put aside their packs and sat with their backs touching an old tree as they reflected quietly on what they had experienced that morning. Each in their own world, but both connected in ways they were yet to understand.

**********

A special for all my followers, friends and blog readers. My publisher has offered a special either through my website or amazon of the ebook version of The 33rd Sage at $3.99. Take advantage of the offer. Apart from being a modern fable it is filled with teachings that you or your family can use for the rest of your life. Who knows if you are open to the possibilities an old Chinese Sage might just wander into your life?

Go to my website http://www.33rdsage.com/index.html and click on buy the book for this special offer to my friends or go to Amazon.

Take a look at my Book Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNMGhfwtdg

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

Website www.33rdsage.com

The Legend of the 33rd Sage Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Illusion of Separation

After a restful night sleep the old sage and the young boy enjoyed breakfast of rice as they hung their feet in the winter chill of the stream. The moment they put their feet in the water an icy spike shot up both their bodies. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling because they both felt truly alive. As their feet become acclimatized to the chill of the water, the sun had risen higher enough in the sky to warm their bodies. It was early winter but the element of Fire from the sun was very much alive and giving its gift to them both. A whisp of air caressed them as they filled their bellies with the rice flavored with miso.

The young boy was not aware of it but the old sage was having him experience the elements through his five senses. It was to be the beginning of another teaching, which on some level was being guided by the young boy's higher self; a teaching that the old sage had the ability to tap into. After so many years of training it was just as easy for him to tap into the higher self of another as it was to tap into his own higher self. There was never any thought of judgement or manipulation when he tapped into the mind of another. His days had taught him that we are all connected and to do something to someone else was really only doing to yourself.

After breakfast he took Huo over to a plum tree and told him that today they were going to practice mindful meditation. When the young man gave him a weird look, he just smiled, "Don't worry my boy, it as easy as holding this plum in your hand." With that he gave Huo a plum and asked him to sit under the plum tree. "I want you to close your eyes and focus all your attention on the plum. Think of nothing else; the key to this exercise is to learn all you can about the plum."

Huo closed his eyes and started to put his attention into the plum. 'This is ridiculous,' he thought to himself as mind began to wander. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees, the river babbling in the background, the warm of the sun on his skin. In fact the only thing that he could not focus on was the plum in his hand. He opened his eyes only a little bit to see firstly if the old man was watching him and secondly to see if the plum was still in his hand.

The old sage grinned back at the young boy and mouthed the word 'focus.'
Huo closed his eyes again and tried to focus on the plum. It was still not working, so this time he held the plum in his left hand, while he explored it with his right. He knew what the plum tasted like but being a child he had never held a plum long enough to understand what it felt like. At first it felt shiny, no that was how he expected it to feel. He explored it again, this time pushing out any of his expectations. The skin was tight, but underneath he could feel the liquid, the softness. He began to explore with his feelings rather than his fingers, for he realized that his fingers were showing him what he expected to see. The first feeling which came back was the word refreshing; he went deeper into that feeling and saw a picture of himself in the future as a young man enjoying the juice of the plum as it ran into his mouth. Then his feelings changed and so did the picture in his mind. The feelings had now taken him to the orchard where the plums were grown and he could, see, no it was more than that he could feel the orchard existing in this one plum. Then his feelings went deeper into the plum and he experienced all the elements that went into making the plum; their was the Fire of the Sun, the Water of the stream, the warmth and coldness at the right time of the Air and this all took place in the minerals of the Earth.

His consciousness was expanding too quickly, he had become open to everything, but his mind was not ready to cope with what he was experiencing and he shut down and fell into a deep sleep under the plum tree, with the plum still held in his left hand.
The old man moved over to him and placed his pack under his head. The boy had gone far deeper than he had expected, but he would soon recover and he knew the young boy would never look at a plum in the same way again. Although the young boy may not yet realize it he had learnt that we are not so much we think but are more what we feel. He had begun to experience that the Godforce/Tao was in all things and just as it had been in all things, it was in him and he was just another aspect of the Tao; of course it had all been too much for his young mind; a mind that was not ready to accept that there is only One.

********

A special for all my followers, friends and blog readers. My publisher has offered a special either through my website or amazon of the ebook version of The 33rd Sage at $3.99. Take advantage of the offer. Apart from being a modern fable it is filled with teachings that you or your family can use for the rest of your life. Who knows if you are open to the possibilities an old Chinese Sage might just wander into your life?

Go to my website http://www.33rdsage.com/index.html and click on buy the book for this special offer to my friends or go to Amazon.

Take a look at my Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNMGhfwtdg

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding

Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/

Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

Website www.33rdsage.com

Legend of the 33rd Sage Part 2

The sage made the journey from the Forest of K'an to the village of his birth. It had taken him twenty long days and yet he did not feel tired. There were days when he was offered food by the farmers or those he met on the path and there were days when he either met no one or was offered nothing. It was neither good nor bad for it was just as it was. He slipped into the town in the dead of night and rolled out his sleeping bag in the village square and went to sleep.

During the night without his knowledge he was surrounded by ruffians who were about to attack him and steal what provisions he had. If it had happened it was not good or bad, it just was. I say if it happened because the most amazing thing occurred. As they came closer to him animals came from the forest and surrounded the old sage. The ruffians had never seen the like of it before. The leader ordered his men to attack, but no sooner had they moved forward than the wolves growled and the water buffalo pounded their hooves ready for a charge. It was weird, mortal enemies, the wolf and the water buffalo were standing side by side defending the old sage. The closer they ruffians came the more the animals growled and stamped their feet. In the end it was too much for the ruffians and they ran away leaving their leader to either fight or run. Of course he ran, as something you fear holds no power when you can go beyond it.

The old sage smiled to himself and continued his deep sleep. In his deep sleep he was more aware than when he was fully awake. It was in those moments when he was closer to his higher self and his higher self knew everything and was even connected with the animals in the forest who came to protect him.
The old sage knew there was a child who had been watching him from behind the barn;  a child he would meet in the morning.

As the sun came up over the village the old sage woke to find himself surrounded by many of the villagers. He smiled to himself. How people feared what they did not understand. As he stood all the villagers took a pace back, while at the same time they held out swords, axes, wooden staffs and anything else they could find for protection.
"Why is it that you fear me," the old man asked?

At first there was no reply as the villagers took another step back. Then the crowd separated and from the crowd ventured a young boy. When people looked at the young boy the villagers could only see his disfigurement. When the old sage looked at the boy he did not see the scars on the boy's face or the slight crippling of his left arm; what he saw was the beauty of the spirit in the boys heart.  As the villagers turned their eyes away from the boy he spoke, "Old man they are scared of you because they think that you are a magician who will trick them out of all their money and possessions."

"What about you young man; what do you think?"
The boy looked at the old man for a few seconds. He rubbed his chin as if pondering on the question. "I would think that you would be a traveler, who slept here overnight and are just passing through. You have no carriage or animals so even if you were after our possessions you would have no way of carrying them. Your robes are not those of a great magician but the robes of a monk." The boy smiled and moved closer to the old sage and sat down next to the old man. As he did so two dragon flies flew from the forest and landed on the young boys shoulders.

The old sage looked down at the young boy and smiled. He was the one he had come to find. "How is that you know such things my son?"
"My mother, before she died in the fire," he said a tear escaping from his left eye, "would tell me great stories about travelers like you who wandered from town to town and country to country teaching people the most wondrous things. When I saw you in the square last night surrounded by all the animals I knew it to be true. I was going to come to you then but you looked so peaceful when you slept that I did not want to wake you."
The old sage sat down next to the young boy with the dragon flies on his shoulders and for a few minutes they just stared into each others eyes. The villagers moved closer, still holding their weapons, still not sure whether the old man would harm them or trick them.
It was looking into the young man's eyes that the old sage began to recognize who the young man really was and who he had been in lives long past.  A tear escaped from the old man's eye. The young boy had suffered greatly in his life but it was because of that suffering that the young boy could show such tenderness to people and the animals around him. The old sage felt like he had truly come home and he was blessed by the great Tao to find the student he had been looking for all his life; a student who would eventually take over his teachings and share them with the world. This was not the time to share such a great burden with the young boy, for it it would be the young boy's decision to become his apprentice and follow the way of initiation. We all have free will and it has to be our choice to follow the inner journey of the Initiate. The old sage remembered back to when he was a young boy and how the old sage had come into his village and asked him did he want to be his apprentice. For some reason he did not even need to think about it. He knew even before being asked that he would follow the old sage; for he had seen the old sage in his dreams and he knew when the sage arrived in the village that the dreams were true and he had already packed up his small pack and told his uncle that he would be going with the sage.

What of the young boy? What was he thinking? The old sage looked again into the young boy's eyes. "When do we leave," asked the young boy?
"What about your parents; your family will they not miss you?"
"I have no family, they both died in the fire, which for many years I wish had taken me as well." More tears escaped from the young boys eyes; tears that were half, tears of sadness and yet tears of joy. He was sad to be leaving the village, not because of the villagers who for the most part would be happy to see the end of the little disfigured boy who reminded them of their own pain when the fire had killed many in the village. For many the sight of the young boy and his scars was too hard to bare because it just kept bringing back the grief of that night years ago. He was sad to be leaving the place of his birth for it had good memories as well; memories of his childhood before his parents died when everything had seemed perfect. The tragic loss had taught the young boy many good lessons, but the most important was to live in the moment and things that happened were not good or bad they just happened.

The villagers pretended to fight to keep the young boy in the village but in reality they were happy to see the back of him and so after a few half hearted attempts to talk him out of it, the young boy and the old sage, both with packs on the end of long sticks left the village never to be see again. Well that is not quite true as the young boy returned many years later, but that is a story for another time.

Chapter One - I am that I am

After a long walk the Sage and his new apprentice stopped to make camp by a river. As the sun was beginning to set, the air around them began to cool rapidly, as it was the night before the Winter Solstice. They set about creating a fire to warm themselves. The crackling of the fire was a good sound that highlighted the beauty of the element of Fire. In a balance it could keep you warm and provide life but out of a balance it could destroy as the young boy had already experienced those many years ago. In their time together the old sage would teach the boy many things but the most important teaching would be to understand and work with the power of the Elements.

They had not talked at all during the day both preferring to keep to their own counsel, which for a young boy would normally be very difficult but this young boy was different. On their journey he watched the forest coming to life as they left the village in the morning and how the different animals and insects appeared at different times during the day. Each of the creatures of the forest seem to have their own cycle of when to be active and when to rest. The dragon flies that had landed on his shoulders in the village had seemed to follow him throughout the day and every now and again they would appear in tandem to keep up his spirits. The long walk had been tiring but on an emotional level he had felt a joy he had not felt in years. He did not want to dwell on it as it would have made him remember his parents and the pain of losing them was still very much alive. Better he enjoyed what the day and the forest had to offer.
The old sage prepared them a simple meal of rice and the few vegetables they were given by the people of the village. It was enough food to last them a few days, but the old sage was not worried, nature always seemed to provide what was needed.

They were eating in silence when it was broken by the gentle tones of the young boy's voice. "What do I call you?"

The old man smiled, he was not used to having company and had never really thought about introducing himself. "My Name is Chung Fu, it was the name given by my old master when I was about your age. It is the 61st hexagram of the I Ching and means Inner Truth. I suppose we will have to give you a new name, a name that will represent this new journey that you are on. I have thought long and hard about what we should call you and the same name or picture kept appearing to me all day. It was a picture of a fire; a fire that was here to warm the world. From this day forward you will be known as Huo shi wennuan - 'The Fire that Warms.'

The young boy nodded to the sage as he could not speak as his eyes had filled up with tears. Although it was great honor to be given a name by an old sage; the name itself brought back memories of that fateful day when his parents died in the fire. He sat with his head bowed reliving the horrible event and further tears escaped from his eyes. They came in ever increasing volume and then there were the sighs of grief as he knew he would never see his parents again.

The old sage who had the gift of inner sight understood what the boy was feeling, he could see it in the astral field that surrounded his body. "Nothing ever dies," he said with such gentleness and tenderness that the boy could not help but to look up into the eyes of the old sage who was also crying. He could feel the young boy's pain and he wished he could just wish it away, but as in everything there is and was a teaching.

"What do you mean nothing ever dies," said the young man as we wiped the tears and snot from his face?

"Tell me about you parents; can you describe them?"
The tears flowed again as the young boy described his parents. He described in such detail and with such emotion that the old sage could see that they were still alive in his heart. They were the sort of memories that would never die; memories filled with emotion; memories that lived forever.

"That is good, the memories you have will be with you always, but just like your memories the energy that is your parents will never die. Their physical bodies may no longer exist but their eternal, immortal spirit will live on forever." The boy looked a little confused so the sage changed tack. "Put your hand up in front of your face, now move it away from your face, slowly, so that you are still looking at it as it moves away from your face. Now I won't you to soften your sight, don't look at your hand directly but almost look at it out the corner of your eye. What do you see?"

The boy did as the sage told him. First he held the hand in from of his face and then as he began to move it away from his face, he softened his look and turned his head slightly as if trying to perceive without his direct vision. At first he saw nothing, but then his focus changed to the point where he was not concentrating too hard or too little. Then it happened. At first it scared him and then it disappeared. He tried again, but in the trying nothing appeared. Without really knowing what he was really doing or why he was doing it, he released the need to see and of course the moment he released it was the moment it reappeared. Watching his hand and moving it ever so slightly he could see the aura as it wrapped itself around his hand. Even as he moved his hand the aura changed shaped but stayed with him.

"That is the energy that some called God, others call it the Tao. It is the energy that gives life to all things and when our physical bodies die this energy moves on." He picked up a rock and held it out to the boy. "Even this rock has the same energy running through it. Once you realize that this energy is a part of all things is the moment that you will begin to realize that you are a part of all things. You will realize that the great Tao and you are one. It will also be the moment when you realize that the word Tao is only a pale rendition for the energy itself; for the Tao is unknowable and indescribable. It is everything and again it is nothing; it is the highest and then the lowest. It is the 'I am that I am.'

"Now lift both your hands up and put them in front of your eyes. Put your pointer fingers a couple of inches apart, hold it there for a moment and then move them a little closer. Use the same soft vision that you used when you were looking at your hand. Relax and allow the magic to happen."

They young boy did as he was told. For a moment nothing seemed to happen and then almost voluntarily he took a deep breath, held it for a moment and then breathed out. A smile lit up his face as first he saw the the energy envelop each of his fingers and then the energy shot from the finger on his right hand and connected with the energy in his left hand. For the next couple of minutes he played with the energy, watching it dance between his hands. The more he played with it the stronger the energy became.
The dragon flies that had followed the young boy on his journey moved closer to the light and became part of the game. Seeming to sense the energy passing between Huo's fingers the dragon flies played their own game spiraling in and out of the energy that connected his hands. There was a moment when the aura of the dragon flies connected with Huo's aura. It lasted only a few seconds, but in those seconds Huo felt a strong connection with the dragon flies; so strong was the connection that it not only enveloped the boy and the dragon flies, but the fire, the old sage and everything within a hundred metres.

The old sage smiled to himself; he had chosen well. Huo was the one who would eventually take over his role as the 33rd Sage; already he was connected at a deeper level with the Tao or Godforce than any other child he had ever seen. His biggest challenge was to go beyond the ego and see the death of his parent's for what it really was, but there was plenty of time for that. It would not be easy but there would become a point in the teaching where Huo would be able to pull back from the ego's view of the world and see his and his parent's life from an infinite view; by being able to detach he could allow the healing process to occur.

********

A special for all my followers, friends and blog readers. My publisher has offered a special either through my website or amazon of the ebook version of The 33rd Sage at $3.99. Take advantage of the offer. Apart from being a modern fable it is filled with teachings that you or your family can use for the rest of your life. Who knows if you are open to the possibilities an old Chinese Sage might just wander into your life?

Go to my website http://www.33rdsage.com/index.html and click on buy the book for this special offer to my friends or go to Amazon.

Take a look at my Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNMGhfwtdg

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding

Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/

Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

Website www.33rdsage.com

Travel Changes Your Life - Himalayan Yak Story

I wasn't sure about I would write in this blog; that was until I was telling the following story at a workshop I attended this week. We were sitting around a table discussing how travel can literally change lives. One of the group, a young man who had never travelled stated that he had always wanted to trek the Himlayas. When he found out that I had trekked Nepal, especially the Himalayan region he asked me to talk about it.

Rather than talk about the Himalayas themselves which I told him was impossible to describe because of the size and scale of the mountains. I suggested that I would talk about one episode during my trip that showed the beauty of travel. For me travel has changed my life and I believe it changes everybody who travels.  For the most part these changes have not occurred because of the wonderful sights I have seen but the people and the experiences I have had.

The first part of that day’s journey was all downhill. It was like God put thousands of steps in the side of the mountain. We started the day at eleven thousand feet and would finish it much closer to sea level. It wasn’t a day for enjoying the view, as a false step would see us falling thousands of feet to our death. We’d all heard about the stones that were piled up in recognition of Trekkers who had died along the way. By the end of the trip, we would all realise how many Trekkers had died in the Himalayas; it took just one false step.

After four hours of walking, all downhill, we stopped for a well earned lunch. The bread and peanut butter were eaten with great hunger after the exhausting morning's walk. The Sirdar spoke to the group during the lunch about yaks, expounding on how they were one of the main dangers in the Himalayas and how many Trekkers had been pushed off the mountains by them. The key, he said, was to always take the high side of the mountain when the yak comes towards you. The difficulty was that they were stubborn animals, and if they sense any fear on the Trekkers’ part, they’ll push them out of the way. Some have even gored Trekkers.

I could see that Isaac was getting nervous. He had told me that he was scared of animals, especially dogs and cattle, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to handle the yaks. As we walked through day, we came across a herd of yaks, and Isaac immediately tried to walk around them. The yak herder came towards me and held out the whip in his hand. "He wants you to herd his yaks, "said a local, who was walking with the group this morning. I took the whip, which brought a grin to the yak herder's face. I didn’t have a clue what to do, so I looked to the herder for advice. His only reply was a motion to flick the whip and wave his hands.

One of my fellow Aussie Trekkers, came over to join me. "Why don't you use the trick you showed us last night and imagine you’re the yak or the herder? Then you’ll know what to do." I knew that he was half-joking and half-serious, but why not? I used the technique to understand people's intent or feelings, so why not a yak? I took what I imagined to be two molecules of my feeling self and put one into the herder and one into the lead yak. I quieted his mind and opened up to any impressions that were returned. My first impression came from the lead yak, and I soon learned the yak had been with the herder since he was a calf and had become the family pet. He was always looking to the herder for what to do, and whatever he did, the others normally followed.

When the molecule of the feeling arrived from the herder, it brought with it a great sense of calm. The yaks were his pets. He may have looked like a gruff old man, but he loved his animals. They responded more to the soothing sound of his voice than the whip or the waving of his hands, and the old man knew that; the whip and the waving arms were more a show for the others. I couldn’t understand what words the old man used, but I could hear the tones he used when he wanted them to do something. I walked close to him to show the yaks that the old man and I were friends. Then, while walking with him I started to speak using the tones I’d heard the old man use. The yaks didn’t respond at first; they were confused. Soon, though, the yaks responded to the soothing tones that I was using. I was soon guiding the animals with only the sound of my voice.

Although I may have appeared confident, I was more surprised than anyone. I continued walking with the animals and the old man. When we walked down a narrow path, the old man and I immediately took the high ground, and the animals took the lower ground. The old herder must  have impressed with and he gave me a pat on the back. I walked with the yaks for most of day after which the old man took back the whip, a whip he rarely used, then gave me a hug and continued on the journey with his yaks. This was the one thing that I enjoy most when I travel: the ability to be open to new experiences. It was the reason I met most of my teachers, and it was the reason I could see each day as a new day and always be open to what life had in store for me. It is always harder to have these experiences when I am was back in the so-called “normal life”, but maybe it was because I was not as open in the normal world.
   
I could see that Isaac was a little down, so I went over to join him, taking a hot drink and sitting down beside him. Neither of us spoke for a long time, then Isaac opened up. "I was scared when you started to walk with the yaks. I started to get all hot and sweaty, and I could feel myself go into a panic. How could you just take the whip and start herding his yaks?"
"Not sure, really. It just seemed like something I’d never have the opportunity to do again."
"I could never have done that. I would have been scared that they’d gore me or push me off the mountain. I don't like to do anything when I’m out of control."
"Isaac, I said, "this whole trip is about being out of control. We’re in a third world country, trekking through some of the most dangerous territory in the world. Each day, we come across areas where Trekkers have died. The food, the water, or the altitude could make you sick. I don't quite understand how you can do a trek like this and still feel like you’re in control.”
Isaac replied, "Before coming on this trip, I researched who were the safest companies, the food  they served, and their record of keeping people safe. This group was the best and safest, and that’s why I booked with them."
         
For the next six days, each day of the journey was like the one before: early breakfast of porridge, toast, and peanut butter, washed down with a hot cocoa, followed by a four-hour walk in some of the most beautiful country in the world. Stop for lunch, then four more hours of walking before setting up camp, having dinner, then sitting around the campfire under the stars, drinking rum punch. Of course, the rum punch was now a treat, rather than something that was over-consumed. We didn’t need another reason for a headache; the altitude was starting to have an effect on most of us. It was only minor, but it needed watching.

It was on about the tenth day that things began to change - especially for Isaac. I woke at about 7:00am, and as usual, Isaac was already awake and outside the tent. I put on my gear, and walked out of the tent. Surrounding the tent was a herd of yaks. My first thought was, Where the hell was Isaac? I scoured the campsite; Isaac was nowhere to be seen. Then I saw him cowering in the distance behind one of the tents. Before I could get to him, Isaac had made a run for it, only to be chased by one of the yaks. He tried in vain to get away, and in the end he turned towards the yak and screamed at it. This only stirred the animal up even more, and it ran at him, goring him in the stomach. He fell to the ground, and the yak continued to stand over him, excited by his anxiety and the blood oozing through Isaac's T-shirt.

I moved quickly and stood between Isaac and the animal. One of the other trekkers rushed with her medical kit to the aid of the cowering Isaac. She didn’t give any thought to the animal attacking her – and of course, it didn't. I tried calming the animal down using the same voice I had used with the other yaks, but it wasn’t working. The animal had all its concentration on Isaac. It was fixated and couldn’t see that Isaac was no longer a threat. By this time, all the camp was awake and out of their tents. The yak herder had rounded up all the other animals to ensure that they wouldn’t get out of control, but this one couldn’t hear anything. The herder called out to it, but it didn’t move. It stayed fixated, pawing the ground with its hoof. I knew he had to do something and do it quickly because the animal was getting itself ready to attack. I had no idea what to do. The words didn't work. The feeling tones didn't work. I had to get the yak away from Isaac. I remembered the trick that Crocodile Dundee had used in the movie by the same name. I was certainly grabbing at straws. Then, in a flash of genius I punched it in the head, directly between the horns. Confused, the beast tried to shake off the hit. It had lost focus on Isaac, and now its concentration was all on me, I turned calmly and started talking to the animal in the tone of voice of the yak herder and walked it towards the herder and his herd of yaks. The animal now seemed calmer and was happy to follow me back to the herd. The herder took control of the animal, shrugged his shoulders and led the herd away from the camp.

With the commotion of the morning and Isaac's injury, very little ground was covered during the day. After dinner, everyone sat around the campfire with the obligatory cup of rum punch. That even included Isaac, who until this evening had always gone to bed after dinner to get enough rest for the next day’s trek. There were smiles all around when Isaac took his first sip of the nasty concoction. The further we went on their journey, the more the quality of the local bought rum deteriorated - and with it, the quality of the fruits we used in the punch. To be honest, it was bloody horrible. But tonight was a special occasion; it was winter solstice, and it was good that we all came to join in the celebration. The look on Isaac's face was priceless. Everybody laughed;  it was good to have him as part of the group after the day's challenges.

Everyone wanted to know how Isaac was feeling, He replied, "The day has been tough, and I’m still a little sore, but I learned a great lesson. Upon reflection, I realized I wasn’t unluckier than anyone else. I focus on the wrong things; rather than focus on the fear, I’d be better focusing on the experience. In the past, my fears have brought exactly what I feared, and today was the prime example. From this moment on, with your help I would like to be more open to the experiences in life. Forty years of living in fear is long enough. Today is the first day of my new life."
       
We all gave him a cheer and for the rest of the trek Isaac was not the shy introvert who began the journey in Kathmandu.

The beauty of travel is that it forces most of us to live outside our comfort zone; the place where all change can occur.

Blessings and Peace - may travel on any level lead you to a deeper part of yourself

A special for all my followers, friends and blog readers. My publisher has offered a special either through my website or amazon of the ebook version of The 33rd Sage at $3.99. Take advantage of the offer. Apart from being a modern fable it is filled with teachings that you or your family can use for the rest of your life. Who knows if you are open to the possibilities an old Chinese Sage might just wander into your life?

Go to my website http://www.33rdsage.com/index.html and click on buy the book for this special offer to my friends or go to Amazon.

Take a look at my Book Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNMGhfwtdg

The 33rd Sage is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Watersons, Xlibris and a number of online book stores.

Twitter @GeofSpalding
Official Author Blog - the33rdsage.authorsxpress.com/
Translatable Author Blog - 33rdsage.blogspot.com.au/

Website www.33rdsage.com

Fear and Feeling Tones

Fear is such an amazing emotion. In small doses it stops us from walking into situations where we can be harmed. It would have been great for Neanderthal man as it would have stopped him from being eaten by a lion or a poisonous snake, but in those days fear came with a certain amount of inner knowledge. Our ancient ancestors lived in touch with nature and the elements and so when they went into situations where the fear hairs stood up on the back of their neck they had a reason to listen.

Today it is a different story. The fight and flight reactions that were hard wired into us in the past are not needed as much and yet when you look at the people around you there seem to be more fears today in our safer world than there ever was. Why is this? I believe it is because we are out of touch with nature and the cycles within nature. Those who still live on the land are still in contact with these cycles and for the most part seem to have less fears than us so called civilized people that populate the cities. I am not suggesting that we all pull up stumps and move back to the country or take up a nomadic life, but I am suggesting that we get back in touch with the cycles within ourselves and within nature. Most people seem to have forgotten that we are made up of these cycles. There are our biorhythms, our sleep cycles, women's menstrual cycles and even the greatest cycle of all, our conception, birth, death and rebirth and many more. All of these are natures cycles and yet many of us seem so divorced from nature and our own cycles.

How can getting in touch with these cycles allow us to reduce or move beyond our fears? I believe that once we reconnect with these cycles that an inner or innate knowledge starts to come alive and we begin to see and feel things before they happen. In my books and some of my blogs I talk about using a molecule of your feelings to send into to situations where you are not sure and allow whatever returns to guide your next move. It starts with a stillness and being able to open yourself up to the answer which lies within.

All life is energy; so when you meet someone new or meet a new situation then it will have an energy. Get in the habit of stilling your mind chatter and allow the feelings to come forward; these inner feelings will always steer you in the right direction. These feelings are not emotion like anger, frustration etc, but a feeling tone that comes up from deep within. As I was writing this blog I came to a full stop. I quieted myself for a moment and saw in my minds eyes two roads representing different ways the blog could go. The first road was where I talked about the fear itself and the second where I talked about the energy underneath all things. As I wandered down the first road I could feel an energy that was stuck. I immediately knew that this was not the road to go down. Like many of us I would normally have been inclined to continue down that road not trusting the inner voice, blaming it for being lazy or wanting to take the easy way out. These days my inner voice seems to be louder and more insistent when I ask it these questions.

It is hard to describe to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but let's have a play with it. Let's have a play with the energy in the universe. I want you to look at an area of your life where you have at least two choices on how to move forward. As you begin to practice probably not such a good idea to look at major changes in your life, something smaller to start with. It could be as simple as looking at a menu and decided what to eat. Start small and don't give up. In the early stages of anything new it will feel weird, silly and uncomfortable, but if you have discipline and a little bit of good old tenacity then your efforts will be worth it.

To begin with have you options metaphorically or physically in front of you. I used the technique this morning when I was deciding what to write. My first thought, not a feeling, but my first thought was to work on my third novel The 33rd Sage and the Ancient Ones. I opened the file and sat there looking at the empty page and there was nothing. I typed a few words but soon deleted them. There was just nothing there. It was then that I sat for a moment and stilled my mind. It helped that I was sitting in the garden surrounded by plants and trees and a beautiful blue sky. Still winter in Melbourne it was a bit chilly but I was in touch with nature and I find it easier to still the thoughts of the mind when I am surrounded by trees. It even seems to keep out the noises of cars, trucks and building projects going on in my street. After a few seconds my mind started to become still. If it takes you longer that is okay as I have been doing this technique for many years. Once my mind was still I allowed the feelings to come up from within. In moments a picture appeared of a blank page. My first reaction was that a blank page was what caused the problem in the first place. Then I sent a molecule of my feelings into the blank page and what returned was a feeling of new life. In the early days of my metaphysical training I would have just pushed the feeling aside, not realizing that it was the answer I was looking for. When these feelings come forward try not to judge them because this engages the ego and blocks these wonderful gifts which come from your higher self.

Once I opened a blank page and allowed the feelings and thoughts to flow I was soon looking at these words now before you.

It really is as is simple as that to engage your real feeling centre and allow the higher self to show you where to go. Practice it. Play with it. Make a fool of yourself. Once you get to the stage when you accept the information that comes forward, something happens and you open up a doorway for your higher self to come through more often. To others you may seem like you are in a dream world, but you are in bliss. My partner notices when I go there and she just smiles and lets me be as she knows that I am in my special place and when I return I will be in very positive state.

As with all these techniques practice makes perfect. Don't spend all day practicing them as this would out of a balance. Don't talk to others about what you are doing until you feel comfortable with the technique as it will dissipate the energy.

Have fun with it. Share your experiences on my blog.

Blessings and Peace and may you higher self whisper to you and share its beauty.

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