IN DECEMBER 2012, I was leading a group of students in a Frequencies of Brilliance certification course in the Brazilian jungle. On the final night, we remained the entire time in the workroom, held in a mandala of sacred geometry. It was impossible not to have some expectations, as we all had heard innumerable predictions about what was to take place on 12-21-12.
I sat quietly expectant in the warm darkness. As the hours passed, I experienced a gradual dissolving of structure and a profound simplicity. I was in my place on this Earth plane within a vast Divine order. No thought or emotion. There were no explosions of light. No visitations by beloved ascended masters. The world did not end nor were we raised up to Glory.
I was aware of my breath, the beating of my heart, and the students near me in the candlelight. I was — and that was clearly enough. Just before sunrise, we walked to the beach. I took my place on the sand in front of the ocean and watched the day begin. As the first rays extended from the horizon up through the clouds, I made a commitment to align my path forward with this new simplicity.
After decades of participating in various mystery schools and enjoying books by famous authors — as well as teaching a powerful healing modality — I am aware of how alluring it is to market enlightenment. I recognize the feeling when someone I respect labels me as special and surely marked for enlightenment this lifetime. My ego fairly glows with such news! Those who find interest in metaphysics are probably familiar with the worst of New Age excesses. Therefore, it is vital to frequently review what is important and ask in what way will a particular technique or person serve one’s personal goals.
Wandering without a compass can be a good way to avoid taking responsibility, and following without evaluating each step is not conscious. I am convinced that cultivating consciousness — moment-by-moment — is critical to our creating balance in the present, as well as an essential aspect of our evolution towards whatever may exist beyond the horizon.
There is a well-known tendency of the mind to habitually avoid the present, incessantly projecting our attention into the imagined future or reliving the past. Some scientists estimate that we generate more than 70,000 thoughts per day, the majority of which are completely mundane. Meditation begins with the challenging task of slowly calming this incessant storm. An obsession with the future can manifest as a longing for enlightenment or perhaps a new technique or master who will transmit a magic spark. When I am asked to consider the possibility of new horizons, I am instantly cautious, not wanting to feed this obsession with future another delicious idea. It just feels like more fuel for the engine of the mind.
During that quiet night in Brazil, what dissolved in me is the need to be anywhere other than where I find myself in each moment. I have stepped back from searching for more information in order to progress on what I have claimed as my path. In its place is my commitment to being conscious, whether on the meditation cushion or in the world. Since that morning last December, I have found deeper resources with which to meet myself, in whatever state, moment-by-moment. This inner focus, this spacious presence is, increasingly, allowing my life a richer, more heartfelt, authentic quality.
All the predictions certainly did not prepare me for the experience last December. It was neither loud nor dramatic. Instead, I feel I am living in a state of pure potential. My choice is to not interfere with the natural birth process, although my mind wants to explain and map a final answer. My heart has answered a call to enter deeply into the present and has assumed a humble posture of surrender and openness. The resulting neutrality allows a clear sense of the continuous invitation from the Beloved to live my divine inheritance in the simplest manner.
