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Enlightenment Ala
Carte: The Aha! Moment
by Rev. Vic Fuhrman, MSC, RM |
"I had a strange sensation, a tingling that
arose in my feet and traveled up to my head, and I felt
as though I were suddenly released from my body and as
pure spirit, partook of a loveliness I had never
conceived. I had a sense that a knowledge more than
human possessed me, so that everything that had been
confused was clear and everything that had perplexed me
was explained." —Protagonist "Larry
Darrell" explaining his moment of enlightenment
from W. Somerset Maugham’s Classic, The Razor’s
Edge
We’ve all had them; those fleeting moments of total
clarity when the mysteries of the universe unravel for
us and complicated issues and problems become as easy as
A-B-C. It may be something as mundane as the algebra or
geometry that you struggled with and then spontaneously
were able to comprehend or a deep spiritual and
philosophical question that suddenly became so clear, it
felt like you had known the answer forever. They’ve
even been featured in television commercials as the
actor eats or drinks something of questionable
nutritional value, slaps his or her forehead and
exclaims, "I could’ve had a V-8!" (Not a
product endorsement…just an example---and the forehead
slapping is something we will address later.) These are
the Aha! Moments of Enlightenment and you can learn to
seize those moments and the answers they bring to help
you grow professionally, personally and spiritually.
"My whole life has been spent waiting for an
epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of
transcendent, magical experience that lets you see your
place in the big picture. And that is what I had with my
first compost heap."
—Bette Midler, Los Angeles
Times, May 8, 1996
Every major religion and belief system recounts tales of
great sages and mystics and the divine inspiration they
received, but one need not be religious or spiritual to
have these epiphanies. The word epiphany
comes from the ancient Greek word for manifestation and
is defined as a sudden moment of intuitive realization.
The forehead slapping in the commercial may be a rather
crude (and painful) way of physically punctuating the
Aha! Moment, but it actually has an interesting
connection. The area of the forehead between and just
above the eyes is known in eastern mystical systems as
the "third-eye", the center of intuitive
"sight". It has a physical correspondence to
the mysterious little organ in the center of the brain
known as the pineal gland, which philosopher Rene’
Descartes labeled the "seat of the soul." The
ancient Greek word for the pineal gland is epiphysis
which means to "grow on." Even though the root
definitions are different, it’s interesting to note
the subtle similarity between the word expressing the
concept of intuitive inspiration and the name of the
organ thought by ancient mystics to be the source and
communication point for this divinely inspired wisdom.
"I watched an ant climb a blade
of grass this morning. When he reached the top, his
weight bent the blade down to the ground. Then, twisting
his thorax with insectile precision, he grabbed hold of
the next blade. In this manner, He traveled across the
lawn, covering as much distance vertically as he did
horizontally, which amused and delighted me. And then,
all at once, I had what is sometimes called an
"epiphany," a moment of heightened awareness
in which everything becomes clear. Yes, hunched over
that ant on my hands and knees, I suddenly knew what I
had to do.........Quit drinking before noon". —Marilyn
Grey
You don’t have to travel to some exotic and far
away place, find a secluded monastic temple and study
with a guru for 25 years to have these experiences, but
you do need to employ one of the time tested techniques
of the spiritual masters, mindfulness.
These
flashes of inspiration are just that, flashes, and
developing an awareness of how and when they occur and
the content of their message is the secret to enjoying
their benefit. Here are some simple mindfulness (vipassana-"insight")
techniques and exercises that will enhance your epiphany
experience, as well as help you to center yourself,
improve your awareness and reduce stress. They are
designed to help you to become aware of the present
moment without the baggage of yesterday and the worry
about tomorrow. Try them as you go about your day:
• Mindfulness meal: Have a simple, light, meal in a
quiet place without any external distraction. Take a few
deep breaths and let go of anything that may be
bothering you or interfering with your complete and
total enjoyment of the moment. Spend a minute or two in
quiet gratitude for the gift of the food you are about
to eat and acknowledge those responsible for making the
meal possible (from divine source, to the land, the
farmer, the harvesters, processors, delivery people,
markets and yourself for earning the money to buy the
food and prepare it.)
Then, take a deep breath, let it go, and take your
first bite of food.
Chew it slowly and savor the flavors and sensations.
As you swallow, be aware of the way your body responds
to it and how your body will use the nutrients to
nourish and rebuild you. Continue in this way until the
meal is finished and then take a minute or two to
reflect on the enjoyment you’ve had and a final quiet
expression of gratitude.
• Mindfulness walk: Take a walk in a beautiful
place where you feel very comfortable and secure. As you
walk, become aware of the sensations around you—the
feeling of the air against your skin, the warmth of the
sunlight on your face, the fragrances of nature. Be
aware of each step, the sensation of your foot
connecting with the earth and how the earth is there to
support you. Observe the way each breath you take
corresponds to your strides. As you complete your walk,
express gratitude for all of natures gifts that you
received.
• Mindfulness exercise: Hatha Yoga and Tai Chi are
two of the oldest forms of a physical activity designed
to promote mindfulness. If you’ve never taken a class,
now is the time. Both of these practices will deepen
your awareness of your body, reduce stress and clear
your mind. If these ancient eastern forms are not your
cup of ginseng, shoot a few hoops or hit a few golf
balls…but do it mindfully. Become one with the
basketball as it swooshes through the net or sense your
energy extended through your golf club and into the ball
as it takes off the tee and flies through the air.
• Mindfulness hobbies: Ever notice when you engage
in something that you truly love, you "get
lost" in it and time seems to accelerate? Use that
hobby or activity as a mindfulness exercise and rather
than getting lost in the activity, "step
outside" and bear witness to yourself having fun!
Awareness of joy is one of the great gifts of this
practice and an accelerant to getting to that Aha!
Moment.
As with any "meditative" experience, you
may be distracted from time to time while doing these
exercises. Don’t fight the distractions...simply
acknowledge them and let them go. The analogy that many
use is to compare the distractions to clouds in a
beautiful blue sky. They come into your awareness and
then drift away.
Having mastered mindfulness, the next step in working
with enlightenment ala carte is to open the realm of
your imagination.
"Imagination is more important than
knowledge."—Albert Einstein
Imagination is far more than the
"make-believe" games we played as children.
Imagination is the energy of creation…if
we can envision it, we can create it.
Using imagination exercises, you can open up your
intuitive centers and make way for those flashes of
inspiration. The popular buzz phrase of the last couple
of decades was "learning to think outside of the
box." Imagination skills are the key to opening up
to these possibilities. Try these simple ideas:
• Visualization: Open up your third eye (epiphysis)
by visualizing the contents of a sealed package. Have
someone put an item inside a box and seal it without
letting you know the content. Then use your imagination
and intuitive skills to sense what it is. A simpler
experiment is to have someone put small pieces of
colored paper into opaque envelopes and then
"see" the color. You’ll be surprised how
good you get at this after a little practice. You can
also try this with a deck of cards. "Guess"
the color or suit of the card before you turn it over.
• Imaginary conversations: Have a meditation with
the specific goal of visualizing a conversation with
someone whom you trust implicitly for guidance and
advice. Prepare a specific question and pose it in the
course of this "minds-eye" meeting with
your trusted advisor.
• Imaginary places: Create a sacred space in your
mind…an inner sanctum or personal temple to do your
epiphany work. Make this place very comfortable and
secure. Decorate it with items of special or sacred
significance to you. This is the place where you will do
your intuitive work so hang a big sign outside the door
to remind you to leave everything outside except an open
heart and receptive mind!
Many of us who work to develop our insight skills
often fall into the trap of trying to intellectualize
the source of the information rather than deriving
benefit from the information itself. The final
preparation for capturing the Aha! Moment is to learn to appreciate the moment for itself and without
attachment.
"Free your heart from your mind. Embrace wonder for
one moment without the need to consider how that wonder
came to be, without the need to justify if it be real or
not." —Charles de Lint, The Ivory
& the Horn
We are doing all of this work to make ourselves open to
inspiration, insight and clarity. Whether you believe
the source is divine, from a universal consciousness or
springing from the archives within your ancestral DNA,
it is the guidance and information that we receive that’s
important and not where it comes from. Make yourself
ready to receive it, be mindful and open, and let it
flow. Benefit from the messages, don’t hit your
forehead (at least not too hard) and enjoy yourself!
© Copyright
2002 Reverend Vic Fuhrman. All Rights Reserved.
Rev. Vic Fuhrman, MSC, RM is a gifted healer, spiritual
counselor, Reiki Master and Interfaith minister who
heals through words, touch and teaching. He is regularly
called to perform marriages, memorials and blessings of
all kinds, and also offers his healing hands to those
suffering from serious illness, as well as volunteering
as a group leader for the internet-based Distant Healing
Network.
He is creator of EnerVisionä ,
a curriculum designed to teach psychic self-empowerment
and healing with the emphasis on these things being very
natural, rather than supernatural. He was recently
called upon to testify and share his expertise before
the White House Commission on Complementary and
Alternative Medicine. His popular course, "Beyond
9-11: Spiritual Practices To Help You Heal, Find
Security and Feel Peaceful in the New World," will
be available online at www.selfhealingexpressions.com in
June 2002. It is a spiritual survival course inspired by
his disaster relief work as a volunteer Chaplain serving
families and rescue workers affected by the World Trade
Center attacks.
Educated and trained in all the
world’s religions, he is a graduate and former faculty
member of the New Seminary, one of the world’s premier
institutions for the training and ordination of
ministers versed in service to people of all faiths and
backgrounds. He is currently developing curriculums for
World Light Fellowship, a worldwide interfaith ministry.
He is also on WLF board of directors, as well as being
co-founder of the World Light Fellowship-UN Chapter.
His popular columns and
features have been published around the world, in
magazines and on the Internet, and he is hailed for his
ability to write on complex metaphysical and spiritual
topics in a very down to earth way. He is a storyteller
by nature, and an inspiring public speaker. He brings
unconditional love, compassion and humor to his
ministry. Reach Vic at: reikivic@erols.com
and www.enervision.org.
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