Spiritual Holding in the Unfolding Now

Dear Friends,

Today, I pray you are serene amidst the chaos, the news, the hardships that so many are feeling around the globe. My heart goes out to those who are living in deeply difficult situations. My love is sent especially to India, as social distancing is a total privilege there, and in other developing nations.

Someone posted a “joke” on social media the other day wherein Indian police were beating young men (wearing masks) with lathi sticks as they were not “at home.” The truth is, where is home for many of the poor? The person posting the video clip thought it was hilarious, a slapstick approach of what we could (jokingly) do in the U.S. to get folks to mind shelter-in-place. I refrained from commenting, though it made me feel very sad. It is not a joke.

I have also had several dreams the past week about persons in underprivileged or marginalized peoples in the U.S., specifically Latinx and African-American communities. I also am seeing in the dreamtime the impact of overly crowded conditions in the urban poor, as well as the rise of domestic violence. These dreams feel more like visions. I am being shown the pain in the collective - a canary in the coal mine as a channel and empath.

I am deeply aware that I have incredible privilege to be comfortable in a safe and warm home at this time. I have a bank card to order things I need online. I work from home. I am a healthy, educated, able-bodied White female; I even have a car, a smartphone and computer, and plenty of food.

Me and my friend Anita outside my hut, South India (2007)

I’ve also spent several years living out of a backpack among the poorer folks in India, so I know what it means to live in a hut and have very few possessions, though even at that time, I was privileged enough for that to have been a “choice” on my “spiritual journey” of monastic living. So I am used to living without comforts. I have been blessed, and for this I give thanks every single day of my life.

It wasn’t always this way. I grew up poor, on welfare, raised by a single mother in a rural county in a tiny “hamlet” in the remote High Sierra. I know what it means to depend on government programs. And to be scared. To not have food around. Frightened, and lost. Especially when the parents don’t know what is going on either.

Because of intense suffering in my personal history, I was brought to my knees in my 20’s, and again in my 30’s, culminating in an insatiable desire for awakening – the ultimate end of suffering. Realization of What Is, or “enlightenment,” does not bring an end to pain, or grief, or anger. However, there is a peace that permeates and transcends all states and conditions, which are temporary.

I know that this pandemic is temporary. I know that much of this world will go back to “normal” and there will be folks that maintain their old patterns, and desires and cravings and attachments. Yet, I also know that there is incredible opportunity now for a person to be free. To awaken to the truth of who we are – that we are Life Itself Unfolding. Keep in mind that word root "pan" (as in pandemic) comes from the Greek meaning all, every, all-inclusive and whole. Let us realize our wholeness, our true nature, now.

My work as an intuitive consultant and spiritual therapist is to guide others in this understanding. To in fact provide unconditional “holding.” This Presence, transmitted, is the ultimate attachment figure. It is never not here. No matter what conditions are showing themselves in the world, no matter what the horrors. No matter what the bank account says, the body does, the world manifests as – this unshakeable peace is available in you, as you – for it IS you.

If you are in need of this holding, I would be happy to hear from you. I help others to stabilize in embodied understanding – the Peace in the Unfolding Now. Present time is the only space that you have, and everything springs forth from this space. In you, as you. With this realization, limited space during a shelter-in-place is no limitation at all. For Everything is Here. Always. 

May you be at peace, unconditionally.

All my love,

Erin

Satsang Talks and Retreats

I've been offering satsang talks to help alleviate suffering. Lately, the theme has been surrounding the theme of "Peace in Times of Fear and Confusion," as well as The Unfolding Now. This is an unprecedented moment in time to drop into the Present, and discover the ultimate supportive resource of unlimited Being.  Curious? You can click here to listen to the last three talks.

Please RSVP to me here if you wish to join future satsangs. The talks are free; a donation of $15 to $20 is always welcome.

Such talks and meetings are called "satsang," which means "a spiritual discourse or sacred gathering." In Sanskrit, sat means "true essence, or nature" and sang means community or gathering. There is something powerful about gathering together in this manner, witnessing others' inquiries, and receiving transmission of wisdom in a safe, open space where the focus is on true freedom.

I'll be offering more satsang talks and retreats in the future; we just had our first online retreat last weekend ("Freedom in the NOW"). I was very pleased with the way it worked out on Zoom after all!

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering.

The Big Top and the Bhagavad Gita

Mumbai seems more decrepit, dusty and disgruntled with itself than ever. And just as beautiful. The swirling sea of humanity, the gorgeous color and chaos mesmerize as I bumble through Bombay. Kerplunk! Straight into heart of the Big Top. Nothing compares to India, the Greatest Show on Earth.

The participants are not actors. You know that saying from that old TV show, The People's Court with grumpy, endearing Judge Wapner. Here in India, the veil of illusion (maya) is so thin, it is clear that life IS the play (lila) of the Divine. The timing is impeccable, the staging beyond brilliant. Who is acting in this cosmic joke? The thespians are playing parts perfectly, with no idea they're delivering Oscar-winning performances. For years, this was the biggest high for me, the most intense rush of being here for long periods of time. It is one of the key points that kept me coming back for more.

India was my greatest guru. It is here I learned to surrender to the play of life, from moment to moment. Here, it is plain to see how powerless we really here. One has a snowball’s chance in hell of controlling anything. The Mind must lay down its sword and shield and admit surrender. Swimming amidst the incomparable pandemonium of India, it is crystal clear: we don’t make the rules.

Thing is, this is exactly the same back in the U.S. and everywhere else on the planet. It is only our cultural conditioning, the glaze resting lightly on everyday events making us forget that we are powerless. The world is a stage, and we are merely players. We walk out onto the street in the morning, or even prior, we wake up in our bedroom next to our beloved, and it is as if life has been scripted perfectly, just for us. Down to the first bird chirping and the fresh-squeezed orange juice, down to the first text or email message of the day. Down to the first happening.

Why is it a good idea to see the theater of life as a play? Doesn’t it numb us to life’s unfolding, giving it a sense of detachment that impersonalizes the experience? Oh, no. It gives us the freedom to dive in deeper into our parts, enjoying and embodying our roles as lover, mother, child, friend, worker, artist, rebel, you name it. We stop resisting the play, which may relieve us from a great heap of suffering. The suffering that comes from Mind which tells us things should be different than the way they are.

Now, I can hear some of you saying, but wait! I am power-full! Dr. Phil says so and Louise Hay tell me I Can Heal My Life! The Secret proclaims I manifest my own reality! Gandhi and Obama implore us to be the change!  I’m responsible for my own happiness! Aren’t I?

Yes, and no. If it is your character, temperament and design to affect change, to grow spiritually or intellectually, to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, YOU WILL. If you’re money motivated, you’ll climb that career ladder with all your might. If you’re a freewheeling hipster who’s happy to live off Top Ramen and write poetry, you’ll make it day to day. If you are meant to marry, you will have that inkling and take the leap when a partner shows up. If you are in a miserable marriage or job, whether or not you are inclined to leave it is up to your hard-wiring, current psychological conditioning and conglomerate life circumstances. How much of that is in your control?

This is where an understanding, however rudimentary, of the Baghavad Gita comes in handy. In the Gita, Lord Krishna is the charioteer for the warrior Arjuna. Krishna represents God, the Divine, in the driver’s seat. Arjuna, your everyday mortal (albeit a world-class fighter), has entered battle, and he sees that, up in the distance, the enemies on the field are his friends and family. He tells Krishna, how could I possibly fight these people? They are my kin!

Krishna tells Arjuna: I have already killed them. It is written. You have no choice. You can only be that which you cannot not be. You are a warrior. Be as you are. Fight, and be happy

Now, perhaps this is a bit politically incorrect. Even worse (or better): it may come across as spiritually incorrect – for shame! (Claps hands together with glee.) How can it be that warring and fighting could be part of something holy? That is because holy is wholly perfect, and it makes no difference whether we are talking good or bad, it is all Divine. Therein lies peace. Be what you are. Be as you are.

If you are a worker, serve happily. If you are a thief, steal and delight in your conquest. If you are a pious one, pray and share your joy.  If you are a curmudgeon, play your Scrooge or Archie Bunker to the hilt. A parent? Revel in your child’s upbringing. A lover? Shower your Beloved with kisses! xoxoxox

Once we get this "be as you are" deal, even intellectually, a great load of shame and guilt is shed. And once this understanding explodes into the heart and is embodied – well, then, my friends, that could be called a Great Awakening. We are talking nothing less than the yoga of realizing the true self.

Is there space within this relationship? ~ Eckhart Tolle

Is there space within this relationship?

Eckhart Tolle on the transcendental dimension of true love.

Summary and notes from Eckhart TV (YouTube) by Erin Reese

Image: Alex Grey

True love is transcendental (transparent). If the formless is not recognized, there can be no transcendental dimension (shining beyond) and there can be no true love.

Moving out of personal love.

Falling in love with the form [of a person] can only be a personal (subject/object) relationship, which can only change due to the nature of Reality (= impermanence).

There IS only change. If the transcendental dimension is not recognized there can be no impersonal love. If you only have egos interacting, a lot of unhappiness is there without the transcendental shining through. No matter how close the bonds are, it can only be a form of suffering. Sometimes the other dimension of transcendence comes through - a glimpse, e.g. perhaps you are about to break up and there, it becomes apparent.

SPACE is the keyword.

SPACE is the keyword. If all you have is thoughts and emotions, occasionally you are okay but then you just get tired; there is a continuum of stuff, stuff – so much stuff, it never ends!

Personal affinities between two individuals are there, yes, but these are never ultimately fulfilling and more often a source of suffering. The key is space and from there you move into the transcendence [recognition of the formlessness; transparency].

How does the transcendental dimension come into relationships? By being spacious with the other. Access the stillness while you look and experience the other. Any thought or emotion becomes unimportant.

A mantra could be: Is there space within this relationship?

Awareness. Stillness. Aliveness. A space. 

Image: Alex Grey

Ramesh’s Grace: A Simple Story of Waking Up

“You are not the doer!”

~ Ramesh Balsekar

www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGJ24TU

NEWS FLASH: December 1, 2012

Erin Reese releases “Ramesh’s Grace: A Simple Story of Waking Up” today on Amazon Kindle.

Dear friends:

I am releasing my first spiritual ‘single,’ a short story on Amazon Kindle, just in time for the holidays, the Solstice, and the big 2012 To-Do. The single, “Ramesh’s Grace: A Simple Story of Waking Up,” was written in honor of my beloved Teacher Ramesh Balsekar.

Erin Reese is a spiritual travel writer and the author of the #1-rated book, The Adventures of Bindi Girl: Diving Deep Into the Heart of India. In this short six-page piece, Reese shares a tale of awakening based on the grace of her guru, the late advaita sage Ramesh Balsekar (1917-2009). She sat with Ramesh in Mumbai, India during the last two years of his life, receiving transmission and non-dual teachings on the nature of reality.

Awakening Is Timeless

Awakening is an appearance in time and space. It happens, or rather, it appears only in the Now. Perhaps this is one reason why I could not even name the date in which I realized that there was no separate self. It was sometime in mid-February 2011. I woke up and simultaneously ceased to exist, knowing there was no separate ‘me’ operating, no central Erin as a locus in time and space. This realization made me giggle with glee to the tips of my toes – and still does!

With gratitude

To all the teachers

Who helped me see

There is no me. 

You can read more about this in the short story, Ramesh’s Grace, available now on Amazon Kindle.

I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGJ24TU

In honor of the magical city of Mumbai where I met my guru on Thanksgiving Day, 11-22-2007, I’ve reposted my “Love Letter to Bombay” as a fun trailer, which you can watch here:

With love and grace,
Erin

P.S. For those readers wanting to deepen their understanding of awakening and being in the Now, I recommend listening to Eckhart Tolle's "Uncourse" free video series. In my opinion, Tolle is one of the best modern spiritual teachers - clear, funny, and precise. Here is the link:

 http://www.soundstrue.com/tolleuncourse/

It takes no time at all to wake up.

~ Eckhart Tolle