The Lotus Mind Workshop, June 9-10, 2007
I love to fly, whether it’s a jet or in my dreams, because I get this incredible sense of freedom and perspective. Joanne and I recently flew to Toronto to participate in a Kris workshop. I had a window seat and spent a lot of time looking at the amazing aerial views while my MP3 player provided a custom soundtrack. Leaving Los Angeles, we flew over the ocean for about ten minutes. The water was clear, still, deep and dotted with boats. I could see Catalina Island before we turned inland. Then came desert, mountains, all very brown, but in time a couple lakes appeared and eventually gave way to the snow-capped Rockies, green Mid-Western plains, the Great Lakes, and finally Canada. Oh Canada! What a beautiful place this time of year.
During our flight I marveled at the amazing diversity in my life; oceans, mountains, deserts, lakes, lush plains all seen in a couple of hours. From the sky I can see no boundaries, no lines to indicate where cities, states, or countries begin and end. From my bird’s-eye view, it’s all one big incredible planet, and I felt blessed.
Joanne and I took a limo from the airport, and the driver was one of those break-neck butt-in-line drivers that made the ride interesting. Still, I was struck at how lush the grass and trees were in stark contrast to the drought starved browns of Castaic and Los Angeles. Toronto is a really beautiful city because it’s by water, and in June it’s chock full of life.
We checked into the Ramada Inn downtown, unpacked and had a great dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant. The pumpkin soup was amazing, and when asked about our business by our waiter, it turned out he’s the owner and this wife, the chef, is a channeler! That started off our first night in Toronto with a big smile.
Right after dinner we ran into Serge, Mark, Ellen, Emmy, Ester, Allan, and John who were walking from the Kris Radio show to our hotel, where the workshop would be held, to meet us. We all converged outside at the same time. That was another interesting sync and a good omen that the weekend would be a lot of fun.
The next day we met Sarah and Mookie at Serge and Mark’s apartment, and see the living room where the Kris sessions take place. A bunch of us then took a Kris Walk (really a Kris four mile “Hike,” don’t ever let them fool you that it’s just a walk ;-) at Tyler Creek Park, a lovely place in the midst of the city. Later that evening we attended a Meet’n’Greet at a wonderful pub where workshop participants and local friends began to assemble.
Check out a photo gallery for more pictures.
Saturday and Sunday were workshop days from 10-4; we covered a lot of ground and met old and new friends, including the mysterious Lotus Mind.
Read John Hawkin’s excellent summary of those two intense, yet engaging days.
Watch a video clip of the opening 24 minutes of the workshop Saturday morning.
Check out some Saturday evening fun:
Watch Emmy and Defrene speak.
Watch Ella sing the Eagle Chant.
The group was simply amazing, Kris and Brahm were excellent teachers, and Serge and Mark were gracious hosts!
After the workshop some folks didn’t remember many details. I have to add myself to that list as Kris now uses Serge’s hypnotherapy skills quite well! We did a practice in each morning and afternoon session. As the workshop progressed, I relaxed more and more and went deeper and deeper. The group co-created a safe and nurturing environment in which to explore the Lotus Mind.
Speaking of which, the Lotus Mind is a beautiful metaphor for the entire “you who creates all your reality.” In a nutshell, Kris focused mostly on what he called “second mind” (or essence) in relation to the “first mind” (or waking egoic self).
To translate into Elias-speak, he’d call it subjective and objective awareness. However, Brahm made an interesting distinction and pointed out “third mind” (to which my rational mind went into an infinite regressive loop into fourth, fifth, sixth mind… until I just speed-slapped myself, metaphorically, out of it! :-). Thus, Kris/Brahm makes a distinction that subjective awareness is far from a singular quality, but consists of further nests of conscious awareness that we can all learn to tap into.
Interestingly, what Kris/Brahm calls first, second, and third mind parallels what I call I-I-I, what Ken Wilber calls gross, subtle, and causal, and on and on.
Once I understood Kris/Brahm’s definition, I was able to let go and allow those subtle, inner energies ripple through me and open to them as best I could throughout the weekend. Kris mentioned that we would process and assimilate our weekend experiences in our dreams and he was right on. My weekend dreams included two nagging personal issues that I needed to address. An added benefit was that Rose/Joanne helped me interpret those dreams by providing extra insights I had not yet understood in the mornings. So it was a double-whammy, but very helpful.
Others have begun to share some of their workshop and post-workshop dreams on the Kris Chronicles forum as well.
Monday we went to the beaches with Mark, Serge, Emmy, and Ester (we also ran into Anya!) and got a scenic tour of downtown and lake front Toronto before flying back home to our two very grateful kitties.
We had a wonderful time, and if you can visit Toronto next year for the June workshop, start making plans today!
Also, during the next International session, last Sunday June 24th, several people commented on feeling disoriented, spacey, and even unsettled in some ways for days after the workshop. As I digested my experiences, and listened, I made an important connection to what Joseph Campbell calls The Hero’s Journey, something featured in the Star Wars movies by George Lucas. It always begins with “The Call” to the journey. The next stage is called “Resisting the Call,” because the hero (us!) knows that to engage the journey (of remembrance in this case) will result in unimagined perils (something has to die) and rewards (so that something new can be born).
In other words, we all resist change when it comes to The Call, and yet change always calls! This could be why Kris and Elias remind us to “strap ourselves in for the ride” as we engage this shift in consciousness. No one said it would all be a bed of roses!
So this workshop was The Call to the journey of personal transformation for many. And many in the group were ready. For instance, I was struck by how quiet the room got during our first meditation. This indicated that many are used to doing some kind of introspective work, whether it’s meditation, dreaming, journaling, NIRAAing, etc. There was very little coughing, and fidgeting. In other words, this group was ready to dive in and see what Kris’ Lotus Mind dredged up. It dredged up many issues for many people, and that’s the whole point of the workshop! There were several very touching and emotional moments throughout the weekend as people opened and peeled away various masks within first mind, a necessary step to open more fully to second mind.
What many experienced post-partum was a kind of resistance to that kind of continued introspective practice, which functions like a ground level psychotherapy that clears accumulated scars and debris acquired through life’s journey. It takes time to assimilate things, but it also requires consistent and persistent effort to take it to the next level, to really begin to open to second mind (forget third mind for now!).
Elias’ avenues of communication are another useful way to orient to what Lotus Mind is all about, connecting directly with second mind (or essence). In other words, we all connect with essence all the time, but most have learned to ignore, not pay attention to the “language of essence” which according to Elias includes dream imagery, emotions, physical senses (vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell), inner senses (empathic, conceptual, differential time), impulses, impressions, physical body expressions (symptoms of dis-ease and healing), language, intuitions (another term for inner senses and dreams), and imagination.
So there are many, many ways to connect with second mind directly! Pick what works for you, answer the call, and pursue the journey. This was the challenge of the Lotus Mind workshop. Kris cautioned beforehand that it was not for the faint of heart, soul, and spirit.
After the workshop, as we all return to our everyday situations and assimilate what we learned, one thing that can help continue is to have a group of like-minded folks to share experiences, insights, and what works and doesn’t work as you go along. This is what Caroline Myss calls “soul companions,” not a soul-mate to have great sex with, though that may occur, but someone who can understand the trials and vicissitudes of the spiritual journey toward widening awareness and more fully engaging second mind. This is exactly what the forums on NewWorldView are designed for.
Finally, I’d like to share a meditation practice that I adapted from my very Catholic mother-in-law (Esohna), a practice based on Kris’ teaching that is useful to connect with I-I-I, or first, second, and third mind directly.
It’s based on a line from the Bible, Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God…,” but updated to include Kris’ information. (Note: emphasize the word in CAPS, but don’t use what’s in the parentheses. They’re just point out different Aspects of I-I-I.)
Now, make yourself comfortable, sit in a chair and allow both feet to touch the floor. Let your arms and hands relax. Allow your body to settle down and relax…. Take a couple of deeps breaths and continue to relax. Allow your body, heart, and mind to calm down and rest, but maintain enough concentration to begin direct communion with Lotus Mind. Repeat:
“Be still and know that I am UGUUR” (Third Mind)
“Be still and know that I am TAAJ” (Second Mind)
“Be still and know that I am ORODIN” (First Mind)
“Be still and know that I-I-I AM” (Lotus Mind =all three)
“Be still and KNOW” (as Lotus Mind)
“Be STILL” (as Lotus Mind)
“BE….” (Lotus Mind)
This practice may be used in two complementary ways: active/masculine, and passive/feminine.
First (active), as a mantra; slowly repeat over and over while engaging your conceptual inner (or empathic depending on which you gravitate more easily to).
Second (passive), as an invocation for deep SILENCE, or Witnessing meditation, in which case repeat the words only 2-3 times to settle and focus the Monkey Mind. Then, just Witness everything that arises. Identify not with your thoughts, nor with your feelings, nor as your sensations, though fully allowing them (that is, don’t repress and deny anything, let it all flow, just notice and don’t hold on to it). Instead, identify as the thinker of the thought, as the feeler of the feeling, as the sensor of the sensations, and rest-in-just-that.
This practice may last several hours, but can also be done for just fifteen minutes. The key is to commit to the practice when you start, so fifteen minutes is the minimum time. Be consistent and persistent, and try it for a trial period of three weeks, every day.
For more information on this and other practices, and a new way to organize them, please check out the NWV Toolbox just added to this website. It’s a kind of spiritual cross-training the touches on all aspects of our being: body, mind, spirit, and shadow. The above would count as a spiritual module.
Enjoy your Lotus Mind!