An Astronaut's Detour Into Inner Space

As astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, completed his Apollo 14 mission and returned home toward our big blue earth, he experienced a sudden and radical epiphany. Trained in all the disciplines appropriate for space exploration -- physics, engineering, orbital mechanics -- nothing could have prepared him for this life-changing experience:

"On the way home from the moon, looking out at the heavens, this insight - which I now call a transcendent experience - happened. I realized that the molecules of my body had been created or prototyped in an ancient generation of stars - along with the molecules of the spacecraft and my partners and everything else we could see including the Earth out in front of us. Suddenly, it was all very personal. Those were my molecules.

It was an experience of interconnectedness. It was an experience of bliss, of ecstasy...it was so profound. I realized that the story of ourselves as told by science - our cosmology, our religion - was incomplete and likely flawed. I recognized that the Newtonian idea of separate, independent, discreet things in the universe wasn't a fully accurate description."*

Upon his return from space, Edgar founded a research institute called the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) which was born out of his profound unity experience, and his desire to bring scientific inquiry to the frontiers of human consciousness.

I've just spent the weekend with Edgar and a handful of colleagues on the IONS board who inspired me to write this post, although this article is not really about any single individual. It is about our interconnectedness. It is about unity. Oneness. The direct experience of being non-different from all that is.

For some, Edgar's story might seem like merely a touching vignette but, for me, I delight in the connection of similar direct experience which was as life-changing for me as Edgar's epiphany was for him.

My transformational story took place in India (which might as well have been the moon, given its vast distance from my life in Silicon Valley at the time) when enlightened saint Dattatreya Siva Baba offered me an ancient and sacred transmission (called shaktipat) by touching my third eye. As I sat in meditation following the initiation, I felt the power of molten lava erupt up my spine dissolving my entire body into a blinding column of light, more brilliant and luminous than the sun. "I" expanded in wonder and ecstasy as the full array of my perceptual field -- people, objects, the space itself -- merged and exploded into pure, unified radiance. Instantly the sense of individual identity evaporated into vast, unlimited, undifferentiated intelligence and energy. "I" was Pure Being. All knowledge and all power existed in unity with the Self. The illusion of separateness was completely shattered.

I persisted in this state of supreme bliss and cosmic rapture for several days and, while I was not capable of holding this enlightened state indefinitely, it was a profound gift to see beyond the fallacy of separation, if only for a few days or a few hours.

Since that initial experience of universal consciousness, I've asked Dattatreya dozens of times, "Is it not possible to give all of humanity, if even for a moment, a direct experience of Oneness?"

This would be something akin to a spontaneous, collective vaporization of ego. For just one instant we would all understand the illusion of separation under which we toil. For just one instant we would experience our universal Self -- non-different, non-separate, undivided, complete, whole.

After being blasted to bits, our egos could then re-assemble themselves, like in the Terminator or Matrix movies where the villains, surprised and disoriented but not mortally wounded, shake themselves off and resume their trickery. We could resume our identity crises as Palestinian and Israeli, black and white, male and female, Sunni and Shiite and any other divisive orientation that we so pleased.

But I guarantee you, we'd be changed. The ego's ignorance would be irrevocably shaken. Once we saw beyond the wizard's curtain, the illusion of Oz would never hold quite the same appeal.

The metaphor for unity used often in spiritual texts involves the waves of the ocean. There are myriad expressions of a "wave", from gentle ripple to devastating Tsunami, each shaped by wind, tides, currents, salinity and a thousand other factors. But each wave is non-different from the ocean.

We are like these waves. While we express ourselves in 6B unique forms, a limitless bounty of shapes, sizes, personalities, roles, and identities, we are all essentially non-different from the ocean of universal consciousness that animates us. As Edgar Mitchell discovered upon his return to earth, "Seeing things as separate in the universe but experiencing them as one, accompanied by bliss...the more I studied, the more I realized that this type of experience can be found in every culture."

Spiritual teacher Adi Da refers to this principle as "prior unity," emphasizing that "unity is inherently the case - at a deeper level than all the apparent differences and conflicts in our world. Unity, in other words, is senior to all apparent signs of disunity." In his lexicon, the term "prior" does not mean "coming before in time" but something more like "always inherently true."

Our unity is always inherently true.

This inherent truth has deep implications, not the least of which is that nearly all of our current methods of resolving conflict are inherently flawed. We will never fully end conflict through methods predicated on the illusion of separation: dialogue (between two or more parts), negotiation (to divvy up value among the parts), compromise (to show goodwill to the other part), etc. We are still approaching our social, political, environmental and economic crises from a separation and scarcity consciousness. Not that these methods aren't helpful...but we have not yet embodied the truth of unity, so will continue to see schisms reflected in our world.

"Egos will never unify the world," says Adi Da. "Only egolessness (or inherent non-separateness) is the principle of prior unity."

Now, then, back to the question I posed to my dear teacher Dattatreya Siva Baba, "Is it possible for everyone to have a momentary experience of oneness? Can a brief glimpse of the inherent unity be offered to all?"

"No, not yet," was his first response five years ago. "All souls are on their own evolutionary journey, each at their appropriate level. They must continue to abide by the cosmic laws of cause and effect, learning from the impact of their own choices in order to ultimately recognize unity. But there will come a time, not too far off now, when humanity will be ready for the next level of evolution."

As I mentioned, I've asked this question a dozen times, each subsequent inquiry yielding a similar, patient response. "Not just yet." After spending time with Edgar this weekend, however, I felt compelled to ask again.

Today, the answer was different. "Many souls are now preparing to receive the grace of awakened consciousness."

For those of you dedicated to this process, you know who you are. I write these articles for you and salute your courage. I'll write more on this unfolding process in the coming weeks. In the meantime, see if you can tune into the interconnectedness of all things, relax the ego and its many agendas, open to the harmony that underlies apparent disharmony. Unity is always inherently true.

* Excerpt of Edgar Mitchell's experience from Living Deeply: The Art & Science of Transformation in Everyday Life (Schlitz, Vieten, Amorok)

Love The One You're WithLove The One You're With

Have you ever wanted to change someone? A parent, spouse, child, lover, co-worker, or friend? If they just behaved a little differently, or responded to you more lovingly, you could be happier. Their shortcomings are so obvious, you think, there must be a way to change them.

What may be less obvious is that your loved ones are mirrors for you - what you don't like in them is a direct reflection of what you reject or deny in yourself. By trying to change them, you are actually running away from yourself.

Unfortunately, when you reject a part of yourself and push away what "is", you lose the capacity to experience fully. You begin creating compensatory strategies (perhaps subtle or unconscious) to screen, filter, judge, or edit parts of your story line to avoid the things you don't like. In an effort to protect yourself from facing the distasteful parts, you keep your heart closed and your feelings muted. You don't fully embrace the moment, you don't fully smell the rose, you don't fully taste your food, you miss the essence and nuance of your experience.

So how can you keep your heart open? The answer is simple but not easy. Accept yourself no matter who you are. Accept your shortcomings rather than running away from your experience. Accept that you are the wretched, jealous, control freak you despised in your last relationship. Accept that you are the shy, meek person who is always getting used, or you are the cruel bully who manipulates people to get what you want. Accept that you are the greedy, hoarding miser that helps yourself before helping others, and you are desperate, destitute bum who has nothing.

Now take a deep breath and sit with this for a moment. I know many of you will be rejecting this notion outright, but others will find immense freedom in this place. Move your attention into the heart and see if you can expand it wide enough to hold it all. Move into the fullness of experience as-is, without analysis or filtering - there is nothing good or bad that cannot be included. You are the infinite. You are That.

A huge sigh of relief comes when you no longer need to resist all the self-perceived flaws you've been holding at bay. It takes tremendous energy to keep all our imperfections hidden. But let me share a little secret: your flaws are no secret. Despite the Herculean efforts you exert to feign perfection by hiding your flaws, it is actually in accepting imperfection that perfection is ultimately recognized. The Divine created every virtue and every vice. Nothing exists without the complicity of the Divine Will. By humbly acknowledging this, and by accepting ourselves with great love and an open heart, we can merge our individual will with the Divine Will without conflict.

"How you are" is the divine plan. You are part of the supreme consciousness. If you tune into this higher consciousnesses within you, you will recognize yourself as the whole. You become infinite.

With acceptance comes the ability to relate to others with compassion. Everyone you pass by on the street - you are that. Everyone you love and everyone you disdain - you are that. The infinite has differentiated itself into the many forms of this world, but is non-different from them. God is infused in every person, place and thing. You are the infinite.

When your heart can hold it all, then you have merged with the one heart...and you can truly love the one you're with.

Mantra: The Divine Word

Following from last week's post on the role of sacred sound in various spiritual traditions, I'd like to delve deeper into the ancient yogic science of sound and mantra. Capturing the essence of mantra (without oversimplifying) is a worthy undertaking, given the volumes of scriptures and thousands of pages of commentary on this profound and nuanced ancient knowledge.

What is a Mantra?

Often thought of as a sacred word repeated in prayer, "mantra" actually translates from Sanskrit as "protecting the mind." The word mantra derives from two related words: 1) 'manana' or 'manas' which mean thinking or mind, and 2) 'trana' which means protection. A mantra protects the mind by infusing it with potent sacred energies and directing one's thoughts from the profane to the sublime.

In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he says, Yoga Citta Vittri Niroda. Yoga is stopping the modifications of the mind. Mantra is used to control the fluctuations of the mind by fixing it on a single object or energy. Rather than allowing the mind to generate anxiety, stress and fear, jump from thought to thought, or engage in senseless mind chatter, the mantra interrupts these patterns and injects the mind with a powerful sacred sound.

The energy in a mantra is like a mini atom bomb packing explosive power to redirect and elevate the mind. In fact, most mantras derive their power from the name of a god/goddess, archetype or higher state of consciousness. Jesus told his followers to do everything in his name. Jesus' name is a mantra. Similarly, the Quran reveals the 99 names of Allah - all of them are mantras.

Why Use a Mantra?

Those who have explored mantra understand there are many reasons to work with these magical sounds. While I can share a few reasons here, these cannot be fully understood through words. It is only by direct experience that one can truly discover their power.

First, mantra is a divine tool for manifesting our deepest desires. The creative power of the "Word" is an ancient notion. In Genesis, the scriptures say, "God said: let there be Light and there was Light." God speaks and things appear. In the Hebrew scriptures, the divine "Word" is also conceived as having creative powers. The entire manifest universe springs forth from the Word of God. From Unity flows the Many, from the first utterance of God the entire world process is initiated. Mantra is a sacred tool for empowering creation, both at the individual and cosmic level. Through the use of mantra, we can accelerate creation of our desires and consciously shape our reality.

Second, mantra can fundamentally restructure and elevate our consciousness. The mind is made up of sound - sound in the form of language and meaning. Each mind has a conscious and unconscious sound pattern. According to the ancient yogis, if you want to change your mind, change the sounds in your consciousness. You become as you think. By frequently thinking about the Divine, you become divine. By changing the sounds within the system, you can free yourself from limiting patterns of mind. Ultimately, mantra is a tool of one's own liberation.

How does Mantra work?

Whether using mantra for material creation or spiritual liberation, mantra works in a very special way. Mantra holds together mind and matter, word and object, cause and effect. Mantra collects the attentional energy of the mind, which is typically scattered across hundreds of disparate thoughts, and focuses it so intensely on the object at hand that all duality between subject and object dissolves.

In other words, mantras are like seeds. A seed holds the entire tree within it in potential form. If you sow the seed, it sprouts and matures into a full-grown tree on its own accord in due course. The seed and the tree are one and the same -- they exist as one packet of energy. Similarly with mantra, the word and the object exist as a single packet of energy. The mantra is both cause and effect. Why is that? The mantra interrupts the normal modifications of the mind, fixes it on a single target, and collapses the sense of duality (dissolves any distinction between word and object). The mantra is at once both the seed and the tree.

According to the yogis, to gain significant changes in your life, all you need to do is to rearrange the sound patterns of your own consciousness. This is what mantras do. To seek the direct experience of mantra, and to become attuned to the subtle vibration of these sacred sounds, is a profound exploration.