ESPIRITOdeVIAGEM

The question is should we rise up to divinity or should it ‘just’ come to us. We could say to divinity state “hey, if you are so good and whole, why don’t you come over, from all your pervading sources, and divine me up”. It certainly doesn’t sound so divine of us if we just indolently claim our wish to become more fulfilled in life and acquainted with divine knowledge. It’s lazy and pretentious. Let’s call it state of consciousness, this divinity. It is a state that comes from within us, and is of inner radiance. It demands of us a state of allowance in order to liberate ourselves from mental afflictions that obstruct the light of the state of awareness that sees and feels, that is sensitive and strong and is our truest nature.

On the other hand we could say to ourselves “I am going to get it one way or the other, this divine state of conscious awareness”, as we mine into the outer world, like with hammer on stone for this precious jewel state. It’s greedy and ambitious. And this same fire has turned the world upside down to the point that it is what it is today. Same same. This state of consciousness, this divinity it is a state that comes from within us, and is of inner radiance. It demands of us a state of allowance in order to liberate ourselves from mental afflictions that obstruct the light of a state of awareness that sees and feels deep, that is sensitive and strong and is our truest nature.

Through out my journey I’ve seen quite a few, journeying in the spiritual path with different types of temperaments. Different relationships with it. And we can just notice that the way each one relates to their spiritual path does denote the particular perspective one has on these so called for “spiritual journeys” and theirs goals, that many venture into these days. And I talk from my own experience as well. I’ve felt in my own skin these feelings. Often is part of the path: the lack of spiritual maturity and rushing full with desire towards spiritual accomplishments.

Some might experience themselves on a rush, down a fast track tunneling their way towards a better understanding. Towards a state of mind that is more comfortable, stress free and direction free. A state that is obtained by withdrawing from life’s demands. The worldly life’s demands. Having to deal with money, finances, decisions, family members, friends, spouse/husband, intimacy, even our likes and dislikes. Easy, we run away from all this. If to get what we like we become fanatic and insanely eager like those crazy people running into a mall on “Black Friday”, then yeah of course, maybe its better to just leave all mundane pursuits and find a cave in the Himalayas. Like this “Black Friday” situation, there are tons. To get a new release of iPhone or to even go into yoga led class… I mean its everywhere. To get what we want, we people can get blindsided and violent for any little thing. This of course exists up to a macro scale. In corporative and government schemes, of course. It’s bitter. And yes, to meet a divine state of mind many think leaving it all behind is the solution. Leaving family, money accounts, responsibilities at home and heading out to Rishikesh. Changing business cases and law bibles, for a Bhagavad Guita and other sacred texts might be easier of course. But in the end if all you need is new sweater for Christmas, you don’t need to play one against all rugby style into a shop to get it. It can be easier to just leave it all, go shirtless home to your family, they will probably love you anyway. But from there people go all the way to deny any kind of desire. All you had to do is tone it down a little. A divine state of being can exist in going to get a new sweater, for sure.

I’ve felt like running away before. It’s more peaceful when you are alone. No responsibilities. No one to answer to. Life is just what I see and feel. That is the only truth. And other peoples visions cannot interfere in this peaceful stability. But other people exist. Their visions exist. And just because I might be around them doesn’t mean i have to fight ideologically, feel repressed and oppressed. It’s up to me.

It’s typical. The triggers of being back in a mundane society. A civilized capitalistic urban centre, lets say. Surrounded by your relatives and longstanding friends. News and social media. These triggers place an effect on our minds and our state of being. A divine state of mind, balanced and happy it is not designed to emerge from these fabricated settings of modern life. That’s right! And its probably intended to be that way. But to be fair, people and connection with people is a way to feel balanced and stable. It’s easier to have no one - true at some point. But true human connection is seeked for out there everywhere. And it’s the easiest, simplest, just by allowing others to peek into our heart and by keeping self learning. Keeping connected to society to positively raise the vibrations is a work of strength. And, simultaneously, maintaining connected to ourselves positively, acknowledging shadows and allowing the light to shine brighter, to keep frequencies uplifted is a work of strength, love and of great respect. Acknowledging shadows and allowing light to shine brighter is an effect that happens both within and without.

I thought about writing my reflections about this topic once after an experience at a kirtan in Bali. This devotional chanting practice of kirtans always intrigued and challenged me. Getting to be devotional about some entity I didn’t know about and chanting melodies to tones my voice isn’t used to (any singing) within a group context was never an attraction to me. But the ongoing flow of the repetitive simple chants always ended up affecting my mind into a more meditative, relaxed, enthusiast, spirited self. After this kirtan experience in Bali I considered the affect to be of this spirited self allied with divine state because of all the devas (deities) that are praised along.

Often at kirtans I felt that the calling to engage in out of body experience through a connection to the divine images and sounds. This calling always promoted by the other attendees of the kirtan: dancing ecstatically, swinging while sitting, arms raised, eyes closed, singing enthusiastically, praising all… most of the times that I’ve went to a kirtan I would not just join along. I remember some other kirtan experiences I had in India, where in a daily routine elderly men and women would gather to chant devotionally from the bottom of their heart. It’s rather exceptional to see. Available to any. All could join at the end of their days in a chanting group at their neighborhood temple. It was their meditation and devotional practice. They would come from their home and work daily routines and smoothly integrate this practice into their lives.

In contrast with the other experiences from Bali where mostly westerners would join. I could notice that westerners would use this chanting practice to move away, travel beyond the body or drift to an unknown sense of self, that wether good or bad it would be appreciated due to being some other state. While locals, like the Indians in their neighborhood daily kirtans would rather open themselves to the chant. Nothing exceptional other than being open to chant peacefully in a contemplative state, opening themselves inside out, and vibrate their energy in a chant. There was definitely a more embodied experience of the kirtan. And definitely a practice thinking on a long term practice of it. It can be applied to any spiritual practices.

In Bali after I remembered this from before, I got back and experienced a kirtan in a different way. Instead of chanting to move away with the vibrational frequencies of my voice, I would be present in me, in my body and the vibrations of my voice would just quietly shake my body, like dusting off some inner dense particles, and make way inside for the most divine of the expressions of the universe to come in towards my home, my body and myself. It started in the beginning to be just sitting, being fully present with myself, touching my knees and my face, aware of my breathing, watching the people and the musicians as they come in. The all kirtan I was not letting my self go overly excited or bored to sleep. It was a perfect balance of attention to the words, the melodies, to the feelings that arise in me with such chanted words.

Each chant was vibrating deeply within me. Making ripple effects in my energy body. Instead of me traveling outward. I was doing the opposite, of staying in, with in me. Seeing yoga happen within me, allowing divinity to join me. Happily seeing myself like taking the gods by the hand and showing them, and making a little tour to them into my little humble home, of the mental, emotional, physical home of mine. Not taking myself to a higher vibration but, raising my vibration, not leaving anything behind. In a beautiful way I felt like making space for god within me. To be a channel and a vessel for divinity within me. This only possible with the realization that all is divine. That I am that. We all are. That was the realization that allowed divinity to manifest it self in our dimensional level, bodily level. It was an experience of embodiment of such statement. And an opportunity to seed in my mind the door to this state that is beyond my minds understanding.

In this way I inspired myself to see my practices, ultimately, as practices to connect with the divine. As allowing myself to be connected with cosmic influences. On the contrary to using the practices to exit this reality and travel to a divine state. Making a bridge, connecting both worlds the material and the divine is a mission here for all to fulfill in our journey. At some point a mission long discouraged, said to be impossible but the world today is awaken to dispute this false notions. It is up to us alone in the here and now. I say, and this is the purpose of this article. It is up to us to allow ourselves to take god inside. Inhale. “You self take god inside”, K. Pattabhi Jois.

Isn’t resistance a constant in life. Somehow. Resistance is felt as if it is, in a way, as important as the flow, the freedom from resistance. Resistance exists in accordance to a contrast with the sense of flow. And flow it only exists, at some extent, in the contrast to the sense of resistance. To flow in safety through curves, ups and downs, in these entangled ways of life, these interesting ones, Resistance plays an important part. That is, a break, a slow down, a coming together, before ascending up a stage or diving deep down. That sense of stop, resist, let’s center and go is in essence important to flow. In this way it is a managing tool of our energy. Although there is in the raw meaning of the word resistance a sense of stoping, obstruct and getting stuck in a fight, Resistance and Flowing come together and form harmony in life has we know it on earth. Let’s just think about earths valleys, rivers swaying down the mountains, clouds and rain, lakes, waterfalls, seas and oceans, etc… With excess of flowing we might just end up flowing in circles and not be able to recollect, center, gather and move up fully. But I’m in this article here to explore the concept of resistance. In the excess of resistance it is gathered an incredible amount of hidden secrets of our life that hold us back, cuts us off and diminishes our potential. And at the same time the understanding of it and the breakthrough off resistance might set us off in an incredible flow of our essence, and of our creative potential.

Swinging If we think of a swing in which the design is meant to be made for us to feel and enjoy the awesome flow of our weight under the force of gravity. None of this awesome feeling of flowing freely in life, let lose and let go would exist, if it wasn’t, in this case for a swing. For the structure of a seat, a couple of ropes extending for either side upwards towards a strong tree branch. Without this structure that offers a resistance to our fall to the ground, we would just easily fall through to the floor, and there would hardly be any perceivable flow. We can also think of if in that swing there would be other couple of ropes tied to the sides of the seat coming down towards the floor and tightly tied to the ground. It’s a tight structure. A flowless swing. A swing not meant to swing. We can think in this way about tons of different things, like parachutes, surfboards, bicycles, many engineering structures, or natural world structure. That for their success to flow they have to provide a enough firm structure, that offers a resistance to hold its effect, to hold the users/passengers, and just the enough resistance to wind, or water, etc.., to be able to soothe through the changes of the environments. Tall bamboos, and tall tree branches that hold a load of leaves. That hold such a structure that offers a resistance to the passing wind, have to have and enjoy such a light weight and flexible structure at the root of their branches and trunks. We could say that’s just like yoga asanas. At some point, it is said they should be happy, comfortable, relaxed, flexible (flow) and stable, firm, strong (resistance). The perceptible grace of the performance of yoga asana lie in this magical balance between strength and flexibility. A practice that directs itself to manifest and balance this two components is a practice of yoga.

Passive and Active I see the letting the flow of things happen, with or through us, as an action of a passive nature. While I see that the actions that hold us together, firm, and standing resisting to gravity, or owning our own truths amidst other who don’t see it, being an action of an active nature. -The Yin Yang philosophies can be applied now and it fits perfectly-. But this fact being, that they are both extremely important actions and measures within our actions to have us fully embracing life, doesn’t mean that only the active actions, those that need strength and firmness, demand our full awareness, while the passive flow of things that life is so abundant of doesn’t. The passive actions of letting things flow and most importantly the awareness of it, the surrender of active consciousness to it, is of the most precious jewels in life. And it definitely offers more understanding of when and how to apply the active actions. After observing carefully the natural flow of things, within or without, (i.e. own thoughts, people, opportunities we attract, the chances we get, the way the sun runs in the sky, the way shadows move in the ground, the ways birds nest, or how much do the tides move, etc) then more easily we will find it is for us to know when to exercise our active actions, and our active consciousness, the one that rationally puts and links things together. It will be a saver in energy and it is rewarded in savoring life.

Background I understand that in western world, modern world of today, people are mostly taught to look at the active parts of our life and to try embracing life fully through the activity of consciousness. Through the creative force we have within us. Not realizing that the passive way of consciousness, the one we surrender to. The one where ideas flow, where things move accordingly to life itself. That the one where all things have a way of their own needs to be also exercised into full awareness. Not realizing this, we tend to miss out on things that are there for us because of the over exercise of the need for control. We miss out on things that are waiting as gifts of life to ease the living and flow, thrive in it. We have let generations to grow mindlessly to the natural intelligence of life, to think only that they can just count on the intelligence of their own. Creating artificial flows of some sort and structures resistant to it to take us around the egoistic world. Active efforts putted to use because we have lost the connection to surrender and flow. Unaware of our own, the within ones, flow with life, earth and simple pleasures, tastes and laughters in light and love. And simultaneously unaware of earths life cycles and environmental flow, we have denied the practice of passive consciousness. Where active consciousness surrenders to take it all, in this most easy and interesting, broader way of intelligence that has become a stranger and a foreigner to our conscious activity: the Meditative State. And in result our brains have lost the ability to do so engage with reality in a non active controlling way. If our brain is like a muscle we have lost that part of the muscle that creates that state of allowance to letting it flow. We have just exercised the active part of our brains, the male, the yang, the left part, the one that is mostly hyper charged and tensed up. And so the right part of our brain, it is not dead, not asleep or relaxed, but overly tensed up for being constantly judged and rationally questioned, when things in life are just as they are and not to be understood so rationally or put into tangible words. As a yoga instructor in class, and in myself throughout my journey, I can see clearly how more easy it is to expect that we are supposed to be activating a couple of muscles than we are to relax them. Though to hold a meditative state for a long period of time, in a free conscious flow, one needs to develop strength at the core of ones body.

Results All this activity we have been taught to do since early times. All this exercise of the mind. The rational activity on demand and the lack of time and motivation allowed and given to a child for them to sit and connect with themselves, to watch observe and understand life as it is with no labels, or boxes. Has led to create an automatic set reactions in the mind of people throughout their lives, which reflects the initial mentality of the tutors, that is of resistance. An over load of resistance to live and embrace life. Fear is magnetized to everything and everywhere. Lack of confidence to hear instincts and intuition. In this form of so much resistance to flow we laid the perfect bed for fear to set in. We know that is easy to let go, might not be the easiest part, the first step is always defiant but the flow that follows it is incredibly impressive. It’s a non stop of a sense of thriving. Some of us after that, are overwhelmed in going with the flow and cut back into a mode of resistance to get back together and never return flowing because we forgot the fun in going. But there is a balance between that sense of resistant set back and flowing freely that we have to find. That is our awareness in actions and that is also our brain in full activity. So we just need breaks and exercise. Both sides of our brains, resisting and letting go, have to be exercised until perfect balance.

“Simplicity contains truth. (…) The best way to get to simplicity is to stop thinking of best ways and in worst ways of getting there.”, Chuang Tse.

Why the state of Resistance Decided to write this to reflect and acknowledge what is right. What is the need of resistance? Why is there so much resistance to flow? Is it necessary? Why is there so much of it that covers the flow of life? How often is fear dressed in resistance and vice versa? As I started writing, as you can read, I realized there is probably a right amount of the quality of resistance we can use for the benefit of our lives. But sadly we are in a over flow of it. Resistance rules it all. Confined paths to thick walls on each side diminishes the horizons of one and leads to an illusion of freedom. A false sense of freedom often plagued with fear. Once I was doing a job picking grapes in south France, near Bordeaux, and as the farm owner was driving to the next crop we were to harvest in we were passing next to these woods deep in those valleys by the side of the road. She was from there and lived all her life there since little girl. The vineyards were inherited. She told us in that moment that when she was a little girl she was told there were ferocious violent wolves living in those woods, and she never got near them, the wolves nor the woods. I asked if there are really wolves there, in a tone of awe, and she said that she actually never saw one, maybe was not true but just what elders used to tell her. I felt this fear in her, restrained her from enjoying those woods and wondering in the forest. A tale to hold and control.

Who/ what performs it Overuse of resistance and self restraint can only come from a place of Ego. Only an unbalanced ego can create such an action of individualization and marking the territory of one. Because the abundant flow of universe and life is a natural flow that touches all with no restraints. It’s though, the individual self that has to allow to be touched by the Flow. Resistance unbalanced use creates more the sense of Ego within the crowd scenario. A balanced Ego resists and recognizes itself, while it allows the cosmic flow in.

Resistance of an Ego to embrace the whole absolute cosmos promotes self withdrawal. We can observe self withdrawal from two perspectives: self withdrawal within a group context and self withdrawal from meeting our potential. Both are interconnected. Self withdrawal within a group context, happens with a enormous resistance to engaging with our environment. From connecting with nature’s elements to any societal relationship demands, family, partners, teachers or students. Withdrawal from connection, in the name of fear of the unknown and believe that aloneness is enough. Self withdrawal from meeting our potential has to do with within us abstaining ourselves from inner depth and worth. Too proud in learning new things. Often I see it as a form of denial of inner challenges that self development demands, in front of which one freezes and sits back from owning its potential.

This kind of self withdrawal, this resistance to life and living is filled with force and strength channeled towards an independent stream of self, an ego. Force is used to build thick walls of isolation, instead of forming strong webs of inner and outer connection. One in such resistance creates of this isolation act a shelter to its own self. Sheltering its ego in pride resistance and suiting it in comfortable domes that only limitedly can quench ones thirst for life. This leads to further confusion and disconnection. One in this resistant mode, applying such a force, promotes fatigue, and harder it gets to move away from the shelter. Frozen in the shelter of the mind. Lacking energy eventually all is left is to see the shelter cracking down, naturally occurring. We can observe this happening from the scale of a being to a group, such as corporations or whole nations. The conventional tendency to attempt to heal from this is the taking of outsourced artificial supplements to try fill ones inner void. And we can imagine how unsustainable it is. How much damages it can do to our beings environment, from the scale of our body to that of natures ecosystem… Physically it manifests as loss of control of our own flow. Meaning the loss of the control, even if it was happening subconsciously, of breath and blood circulation, etc… leading to many other illnesses. Illnesses preventing the flow of our bodies and their thriving in life.

Erosion Visualizing the over used resistance. I see a foot on the floor sinking in the ground, eroding the soil and going underground. The lack of awareness towards the balance between Resistance and Flow in ones life leads us to an unfulfilled life, and is a proof of lack of sensitivity into our own living. Too much flow can just lead us astray in a the wrong direction, stubborn and falsely positively self assured, just knocking things down and not listening nor learning. Too much resistance in life might let us in fatigue, lazy, falsely negatively self assured, giving space for fear and undermining our growth and potential.

*** The universe is Divine balance and whatever we do, we act from it, if we find it within ourselves. And we find it in ourselves, we see the presence of its balance all around us. Relaxed and firm. Being the channeled and the channel. In Flow and Resistance, we promote forever pure resilience, to spring us back into our ever blissful shape even if through tumultuous changes.

It has been my greatest joy to have found you, attracted you and meeting you since the first bit. It my biggest joy to hold you and be hugged by you so tightly. I feel so much Love. You are a shining star. Your presence in my life makes me feel I am in the good way of way. That I am in alignment with my purpose, coming together with it and supported to it. We have so much to share and give together. Simple things. But yet so intense, pure and bright. So fulfilling and source of true happiness. I’m here with you. We are together.

“SAMASTHITIH EVERYWHERE”

1- 4,3 & 1

2- Two Sided Art; Brains despair

3- J. Krishnamurthi (portrait)

4- Self Love

5- Gods Touch (Meditation)

6- Past Life Envisioned (and release)

7- Connectedness

Lichia (imagem em cima) é o nome comum dado ao fruto da espécie litchi chinensis, do gênero botânico litchi, que pertence à família Sapindaceae, à qual pertence o guaraná (Pualinia cupana), que muitos já devem ter ouvido falar. É uma árvore frutífera e os nomes comuns dados ao fruto também se aplicam à árvore, popularmente chamada de lecheira, licheira, lichia ou uravaia. É uma planta natural das regiões quentes da Ásia sendo principalmente encontrada na China, de onde origina o nome lichia, Índia, Nepal, Blangladesh, Paquistão, Sul e centro do Taiwan, a Norte do Vietnam, Indonesia, Tailândia, mas também encontrada no México, Madagascar e África do Sul.

Uma planta internacional, dos trópicos. Eu fui levado a consumir lichia da forma apaixonada que faço agora, desde os meus primeiros encontros no mercado, no mês de dezembro, em que a fruta estava no pico da época. Isto foi no Norte da Austrália, em Cairns, na Austrália tropical, ou como costumo dizer a Inglaterra tropical. As bancas do mercado enchem-se de lichias, e os mercadores debruçados sobre a banca, organizando a disposição dos frutos, anunciam efusivamente o mais actualizado custo do fruto. Curiosamente os mercadores são geralmente de origem asiática, Tailândia ou Indonésia. Assim vendem a fruto que é comum nas suas terras. A cidade de Cairns avizinhada pela Floresta Daintree e as planícies de Tablelands, apresenta o clima e espaço para a difusão e cultivo desta cultura, que tanto os agricultures e consumidores servem-se dela.

A árvore eu ainda não a vi. É uma árvore de dimensão média, chegando a atingir entre os 20 e 25 metros de altura (sem controlo artificial), com folhas compostas alternadas de 20cm em média, com 2 a 8 folíolos laterais. Quando jovens a folhas apresentam um tom avermelhado cor de cobre, que se tornam verdes assim que atingem a sua dimensão final. As flores são pequenas de cor verde-amareladas ou brancas. Sendo uma árvore ecologicamente adaptada ao clima tropical e subtropical, embora algumas variedades resistem, a espécie sofre com geadas e verões. Aprecia solos profundos, silico-argilosos e férteis são ideais, preferindo solos ácidos a calcários.

Os frutos, hmm saborosos! Vistos de fora aparentam-se a morangos ou ao rambutan. Do tamanho do morango, o fruto é uma baga e apresentam-se em cachos. É fácil de descascar, com apenas uma semente castanha de forma oblíqua, como uma amêndoa, e polpa não aderente. A polpa, a única parte comestível, é translúcida, suculenta, cheia de sumo hidratante fresco e doce.

A nível nutricional a Lichia é uma boa fonte de vitamina C, mas também contém as vitaminas do complexo B, sódio, cálcio e potássio. Por possuir propriedades antioxidantes, o fruto é usado também no fabrico de produtos cosméticos. Há no entanto um conjunto de aminoácidos incomuns nas propriedades da lichia que interferem na produção de glucose no corpo. Há registos de causas de morte devido ao consumo exagerado de lichias em estômago vazio após longos períodos de fomes, de corpo fraco e vulnerável. A substância hipoglicina que contém a lichia, que é o que vai diminuir a produção metabólica de glicose do corpo. O consumo pode ser problemático apenas se os níveis de açúcar no sangue já estiverem muito baixos. Caso contrário, não há razões para evitar o consumo desta fruta fresca!

Devo dizer que talvez a primeira vez que provei Lichia deve ter sido um fruto importado num supermercado em Portugal. E talvez para meu azar, a impressão com que fiquei dum sabor ácido, hoje sei não natural da lichia, deixou-me muito reticente a provar novamente a lichia num mercado de produção local em Cairns. Incrível a associação que a memória faz para toda a eternidade. Digo isto não para não provarem o fruto exótico que têm coriusidade de provar, que na verdade podem ter mais sorte que eu, mas para consumirem sempre os frutos na sua natureza geográfica e em sua época natural. Só assim o fruto poderá revelar o seu maior potencial para o nosso corpo, mente e espírito.

Longans

É também da família botânica Sapindaceae, bem conhecida pelos seus frutos comestíveis. O seu nome científico é Dimocarpus longan e tem varias subespécies e variedades naturais da Indo-China e Malásia, Vietnam, Filipinas e Borneo, ilha da Malásia. É nativa do sudoeste asiático e dos mais bem conhecidos frutos desta família. Semelhante aos outros frutos comestíveis da família mas bem menos interessante em sabor comparativamente com a lichia.

O nome comum, dado ao fruto mas também à sua árvore, Logan vem do cantonês e significa “olho de dragão” porque depois de a baga ser descascada a sua forma esférica lembra um globo ocular e a única semente redonda, dura e negra, no seu interior lembra a íris. O fruto frutifica em cacho. Quando amadurecido e colhido a casca, cor de cortiça, fina e firme é faicil se quebrar e de espremer e separar (e do carpo não aderente) da parte comestível, o “olho de dragão”.

A sua árvore pode atingir a altura máxima de 30m, mas tem um tamanho comum médio de 10-12m, variando no tipo e condição do solos. A copa é redonda e o tronco, rico em lenhina dando origem a uma cortiça porosa, pode chegar aos 80cm de largura. As folhas são oblongas e pontiagudas, entre 10cm e 20cm, compostas em forma de pena e alternadas. Cada folha compostos por 6-8 folíolos. Os longans produzem inflorescências, arranjo tipo paniculas, de pequenas flores amarelo claro. As influrescencias incluem flores estaminais, pistilias e hermafróditas (M, F e F/M). A árvore não suporta geadas e não prefere temperaturas inferiores a 4graus Celsius. Longans preferem solos arenosos.

Os longans são frutos redondos de cerca de 2cm de diâmetro. E por muito pequenos que pareçam a sua árvore pode ser grande e de uma imponência aparente no seu espaço. O seu sabor é intrigante, sobre o qual se podia dizer que se demora a saber desgostar. O seu sabor maturo tem algo de elemental, lembra qualquer fruto seco, e a sua qualidade enche bem o estômago. Aconselho a procurarem e provarem, assim que tiverem oportunidade!

Soursop

Soursop é o nome comum em inglês. Em português dá-se o nome de graviola, ou até coração-da-Índia. Embora não se sabia a sua origem exacta, graviola, sua árvore com o nome científico de Annona muricata, é uma espécie nativa das Américas e Caraíbas, mas está vastamente cultivadas pelo globo fora, em climas tropicais e sub-tropicais, por vezes assumindo um papel de invasora. Eu pessoalmente tive o primeiro contacto com a com este fruto no Nordeste da Austrália, em Queensland.

Annona muricata é uma espécie que pertence à família botânica Annonaceae. Em Portugal, na ilha da Madeira é cultivado e produzido outro fruto comestível parente da graviola, a anona, Annona squamosa. Outro fruto comestível parente é a maçã-doce, Annona cherimoya, em inglês com o nome comum de ‘custard Apple’, sobre a qual Mark Twain disse ser “o fruto mais delicioso conhecido à humanidade”, enfatizando a sua adoração.

Annona muricata é uma árvore de folhas persistentes, oblongas e de ponta arredondada. Adaptada a alta humidade e a invernos quentes, temperaturas abaixo de 5grausC podem afetar as suas folhas e os seus pequenos ramos, e temperatura inferiores a 3grausC podem ser fatais. Portanto demonstra ser uma planta bem tropical, o seu calor é o seu conforto e climas temperados não são de todo a sua onda. Em condições favoráveis demonstra ser uma árvore pequena atingindo um máximo registado de 9,1m. Resistente a solos pobres e capaz de suportar altitudes de 0 a 1300m, clara sempre em função da variante à qual é mais sensível a humildade e temperatura.

E claro o seu sabor, incrível e delicioso é toda a razão pela qual se tornou vastamente cultivada. Na Indonésia a sua polpa cozida em água dá origem, a dodol sirsak, a uma espécie de carne doce. Mas é fresca que a soursop (graviola) mexeu comigo. Para mim, a polpa branca tem um sabor a iogurte com sabor e a textura embora cremosa é fibrosa também, que lembra as fibras do bacalhau cozido. Assim foi que consegui descrever este pela primeira vez. Uma delicia surpreendente mesmo! Com o seu aroma similar ao ananás, varias descrições falam de que o seu sabor é como uma combinação dos aromas de morango e maçã, com pequenos toques de citrino, e a sua textura cremosa (o iogurte! Vegan hey! Directamente da árvore!) lembra a de coco ou banana. Hmmm imaginem que é verdade! Um presente do cosmos plantado na terra! De adorar.

A época do soursop, FNQ Australia, é de Julho a Decembro. É cultivada mais em pequenas quintas de características mais familiar e local. O bom gosto local preserva o seu cultivo. No mercado é bem valorizado e aparece assim em pequenas quantidades. E quem não acorda cedo para ir ao mercado acaba por deixar escapar esta delícia.

Além de um sabor divinal esta maravilha tem a fama de ser uma alternativa à cura do cancro. Embora haja bastante debate no tema devido à falta de provas científicas, ainda assim o seu uso aparece em algumas listas de tratamento de cancro, como é no Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. O Cancer Research UK também alega que os seus estudos comprova que extractors de graviola destroem células de cancro da mama e do figado, células até resistentes a quimioterapia.

Soursop (ou graviola) possui quantidades significativas de Vitamina C, B1 e B2. No entanto as suas, quen sementes do tamanha de amêndoas, lisas e castanhas escuras, contém o composto anonacina que é uma neurotoxina com efeitos bem nefastos, descritos como veneno.

É no entanto um fruto que tem de belo tanto quanto tem de ameaçador. A saborear, simplesmente não coloquem o fruto todo numa trituradora sem retirar as sementes, talvez não tornarão um belo pequeno almoço em algo degenerativo. Intrigante e algo tão cheio de dualidade num só fruto!

Everyone has their own guardian angels and spirit guides. Everyone has their own archangels watching over us.

And there I was in the circle of the Rite. Me and 5 others, one of which is the facilitator of the Rite. A lot going on. Many of our own little stories that we only tell ourselves and that have a dictator string over our lives, hidden and safe. These stories were being mined for, literally hammer on stone. Looking out for them. Revealing them and how they did, in the dark, conduct the course of our lives. There I was questioning myself, going through the stories that evade me from responsibility over my life. Stories, agreements, contracts, promises. Everyone pouring out cries and crying. And I, in the middle of all this, thinking and imagining the fun all of our angels must be having. I imagined that all of our angels would be all just floating and catching up around the circle we were sitting in, mostly at the garden. I imagined their capes and curly hairs, holding flowers and enjoying their scents. They were catching up with each other and exchanging ideas.

As we were pouring out our stories and flaws that stops us on our tracks, the angels were merely watching and observing us as we went. It was like watching a game of sports for them. It was not their match. They had done their part. We had to come clean. We had to say the words. We had to let go and realize it ourselves. They watched like they cared for our well-being. We wanted this. We asked them for this. They knew all about ourselves, more than us. They were there watching with the words of self realization, the ones we would have to say, in the tip of their tongues. When we would cry inside, confused and lost, they’d give us strength to pursue, like cheering at a stadium. When we would self realize and give it speech they would celebrate excited and proud. Like a “goooooooaaaal!”. “Amazing” I was thinking as I imagined this and all made sense.

The angels of our facilitator were almost at work but not compromised, as that was what the facilitator had asked. They would give her clues on where to dig in us to help us find truth and they would give her strength. But most of the work was being done by us all, while the angels were partying. The archangels of the facilitator were finding out about us, going through the process of opening and hesitating, through getting to know our personal guides and angels. The angels of all of us were openly talking about us. All of the rumors, hidden secrets, subconscious beliefs and acts that keeps us from progression. And the facilitators angels finding out clues and giving the facilitator these hints and clues. All angels. All of our guides, angels, natures energies, all supporting and inviting a flow of energies to help elevate ourselves into the present moment. Into our potential and gifts. Freedom from our chains, that was our work in this circle. All of us involved were going through the fire of the circle at work. The angels “partied”, cheered and felt moved by us in this circle, like if they were watching a kind of match and wishing for the result. The angels, archangels, spirit guides, soul guardians, akaschic records keepers were in the garden part of the house, that was also at the start of the forest. In touch with the wild energies, with the untouched nature of the home to our beings. Even floating they were grounded at high levels. At their own center. No longer embodied earthlings, their center in life was all embracing. Getting to be in touch with both worlds, they are the union of it in it self. And their guidances are of a life of its own, as they moved in accordance to the flights of the butterflies, the crawls of the geckos, at night, the irritating flies and through the day, they were the suns touch and its shadow, the trees dance and the winds flow. We were lucky to have them and I was happy to even be thinking of feeling them. They danced and partied to the songs of life’s living breath. They were there in their upright stance with palms together, their eyes closed and focused to the deep inside their head, mind to the universe. They saw all and they were witnessing their expressed work embraced invitingly in the embodied beings we are.

Now I keep gracefully knowing their presence and trusting my path and knowing that I will be here receiving watchful, present to the tips, guides and messages in whichever form the helping hands of the angels might mightily manifest. Just yesterday Caroline brought four small wooden, hand carved statues of angels, with wings and palms together. She had picked them up at the house of the facilitator. A gift for us to carry (or maybe for Caroline only, not sure exactly) and to paint in gold color. There we are creating these golden angel statues, to fulfill the Rite.

22 May 2019

—————————

Feed back - ABOuT - Write of Passage with Jade Richardson, Bali, Indonesia May 2019

Is there a seed? There is. Is it sprouting? Does it need water, sun? It will all be fine. The universe has the way for it to thrive. The hardest part was to be open to receive and to contemplate what stops me, and to witness the others stopping them selves. Coming and going through the Rite was that part. I wonder if I have ingrained the lessons, the stories and profound meanings of the words I use. I come to the Rite fishing for the stories that make us a mere character under their spell. We unveil their power over us to shift our perception on how we hold on to life. Our true purpose is covered by fake notes in our mind. We tend to use these when trying to express what we are doing here. With Jade we learn to catch these morbid fearful stuck in the past stories, and replace them with the current vivid creative powers of our life. Learning to be and trust my creative authority, that it takes willingness and vulnerability to be receptive and channel my truth, and that there is a responsibility and accountability when engaging with it, were a few of the lessons for me. There should be a Me, knowing and holding the powers of my creativity, with sovereignty, in service of the voice within and in service to the greater good. Hard and tough is, at first, the greater love, and space, acceptance and will power to take on the creative adventure that is our lives is what’s needed to soothe it out! And I have come now to more carefully listen to my stories, my limiting ideas and more easily be there when they come; to face these gatekeepers right into their heart as I cross over them to the generous lands of creation!

The idea of altars to me, where I was born and raised in Portugal, was only present in a church, in a very conventional way. Setting up a cross, lighting candles and worshiping whatever that is, how ever that meant. And I would more often see it in chapels and churches, cemeteries even, in a very strict, structured and formal way. Almost like you had to have permission to set up an altar in such formal way. And I was raised in this society, although very open to other religions, it was mostly Catholic. I never practiced it. My parents never really did. The reason why they never baptized me was to let me choose my belief systems or practice my own beliefs, in the way that I wanted. Later I saw myself seeking truth more than hollow beliefs. That led me to become more aware of life’s mysteries, life’s most hermetic and mysterious vibes of nature, and within ourselves, us, holding the power of the mind or /and under the powers of the mind. The powers that make our mind oscilate between diferent states. In the phenomenons of nature and chemistry there is a lot we don’t know and it is to that ‘unknown’ that I give the same strength of faith or belief that a god believer would give in his prayer. So it’s in that void. It’s in that so vast and unknown space within our knowledge that I concede, to myself, that idea of god, as in the root and direction of our belief. For me that idea of worshiping something that is unknown, is not just for the sake of being unknown. I realized that everything else under our sense-scope is under our physical perception, but all these things are under the influence of something greater, something that we can call the ‘unknown’. Many sciences have labeled it, when coming to confront these facts in their research, as space or ether. 99.9% of an atom is space, it is web of energy fields. And from that, we include all our physical life forms under this realization. All is atom based: properties, elements, compounds, substances, and 99.9% of it is just space. And what are all these substances based on? So that’s where on a rational level I started to embrace the idea of god. Also throughout my readings and studies, I think I came to terms of naming the idea of god, the absolute, the supreme or the supreme-self… Which is great. I think it gives space for the acceptance of different forms of that which is formless. My rational self allowed other more subconscious parts to have importance, and allowed the more intuitive parts of myself to being supported and engage and participate in my life. After awhile, slowly, gradually my understanding faded into and went through different forms of acknowledgement. I used to think more about it in a meditation. Taking it to the day-to-day life, used to talk to people and try to see what is between us in that Space. See what is there beyond the words they speak, and the words I perceive. In an attempt to expand my senses to a broader spectrum of understanding.

Later in life there was a practice of yoga, that In me at the beginning, as I started to practice more consistently, it showed me different aspects of myself both in the physical and mental realms. I changed a little bit. Became more assertive, more concerned about myself and also more attuned with the changes I could go through on a regular basis, being daily, weekly, monthly, seasonly,… As time passed I saw myself becoming more devoted within the context of the practice and in touch with that side of Yoga that is very devoted, and of a worshiping nature, towards something. Devoted to something that I could say is the Absolute, and in the yoga terminology called Ishvara, or in one syllable OM. And in my studies as well I came into terms with that, learning what does that mean. It’s not alone Hindu or of the Vedic culture. It is yoga knowledge and a concept pretty much across many religions and practices around the world. This to say that when I first started to practice, my devotion it was to the body and the myself, to listen to me, to make myself healthy, and make myself function right. And who knew that this would lead me to a bigger all pervasive and inclusive consciousness of self, hey! In my first trip to Mysore, India in the shala of Ashtanga there is a big altar, there a big devotional part to it, towards depicted deities, you can see it. It is practiced in a way that is not imposing it to any one of the students, but it is there. It took me awhile to know how to embrace that. It is, at the start, beginning and end, an individual path to anyone.

There is this side of the practice that is spiritually devoted, and just going on the mat, for the body’s sake, for my own thing wasn’t enough most of the days. I would end up over exploiting myself, taking myself to points of exhaustion. You know, there is a all circuit of energies around us and our body is within those circuits. Using our body, with our mind, we shouldn’t just cut loose from using those available circuits. We could integrate them inside these inner circuits, inside these cycles, and at least have these paths open for us. And Ashtanga Yoga practice really does this, the practice really helps. I started to practice with this connection, as in the devotion to something beyond myself. One time I remember being on the mat, this was in the Mysore Main Shala, and to practice with the concept of Ishwara and OM and what this ended up meaning to me after the classes, studies and individual reflection. Focusing on this I noticed it was taking the attention way from me and into something that is me as well (and ‘me’ here I mean ego, personality, idea of individual self, body) but also everything else. I felt supported, like I was sharing responsibilities and concerns I was holding alone, felt watched over, while at the same time I was extra conscious of my actions, and with this energetically refreshed. That’s how I became a bit more devoted and into practice of devotion on this journey. And it was the right way for me of becoming devoted, finding expansion beyond limited ideas of self, through practices of understanding, adoration and surrender. “Yoga is a physical discipline with a spiritual intention”, few years after this event, this quote by Kino McGregor really culminated these thoughts in one sentence quite well. Satsangs also help, where you absorve and surrender what is being said and the all meanings invade and uplift yourself. Along this first experiences, I learned that bringing this devotional intention into our earthly, daily, actions has the same benefits mentioned above. Even if there are clashes of energies, dense emotions and conflicts, in doing so. It is all brought forth to be observed, integrated and resolved. Blessings!

This article is called ‘altars’ because at some point at this stage I started to set up little altars everywhere I stay. I’ve been traveling for a bit, moving around, and now I carry this self-made incense holder in which I drew some sacred geometry patterns and symbols, that I’ve also came to terms with as symbols of something meaningful, that serves as a base for my ambulant altar. On top of it I place a few items: totems, talismans, gemstones, blessed items, sacred idols or symbols. In my case I do place among a few other items: a japa mala that I use to meditate the 108x OM, but when I’m not using I leave it there; have a small yantra sculpture, they say it is the three dimensional form of OM; and then I have a little sculpture of Ganesha, a more figurative form to worship, a symbol for me of the removal of obstacles. These items remind me and support me to be connected and keep me in the right path. We can always do something like putting a picture of someone who has attained their center, someone who is a guide, a light in this foggy path, a monk, a teacher, a guru… “…in many forms you can represent the formless…”. Many have a statue of Buddha. Buddha is the representation of one that has attained enlightenment, so you can see serenity expressed in the statue. You can look at it and be transported into that state of mind for a little bit and try to settle it in you. It could be anyone, anything that transmits to you this integrity of life. Guru means darkness removal, the one who promotes the removal of darkness in our lives. For all I care, a teddy bear can be a guru. If the little kid owning it feels safe, that darkness is removed in his life or during his night, just by the being in its presence or gazing at it. The teddy bear is the little ones guru. In Ashtanga Yoga shalas, altars often show a respect to the lineage. Pictures of teachers, gurus, and their gurus, and the gurus gurus, until the one that is in charge of that space now. It recognizes steps of generational evolution while they were all seeking the same and ended up passing on that flame of knowledge to the next in the lineage. If you are a beginner to Ashtanga practice and you take a look at these altars, you can think “ok, if I take this seriously I will be stepping into this circle, I wanna be genuine and be in it in the right way”. And students practice and just visualize that. Visualize the chain of knowledge and learn in first hand with their immediate teacher.

There is also along with all the set up, the very active part of altars, (in Hindu tradition they really know how to take it seriously, abiding all scriptural rules) being at the home temple, or streets, gardens, shops... ritually lighting up incense and candles, bringing fresh flowers, scents and some offers of fruits, spices or any food or treats to their altar. It’s interesting. You are kind of bringing all these things that are so much like, symbolically, bridges from the material world to the immaterial world. From an incense stick comes the smoke and aroma; from the flower also, emanation of pleasant aromas; from the candle, you can see is clearly something material, fuel burning, forming fire, it’s light and heat, and then disappearing; the gemstones, know for being emanating constant energy frequencies; the chants, from the voice comes the vibrations. So it’s these bridges, of what seems to be, between two worlds that altars are suppose to be. Joining the world within and the world outside, micro and macro-cosmos. Like a gateway, a portal, a secret passage. We all have this within. So when I set up my altar, and from day to day I bring flower, light up incenses and candles, and do my practice in front of it. It really reminds me of the center of life I want to be connected to, what I want to recognize, be and do, and to keep me reminded of the bigger picture. That there is always a finer scale to look to and a larger one to look from. All this is my journey. Anyone can have anything in their altar to create that space for awareness, bringing us back to a meaningful path, calm, peaceful, strong willed, devoid of anxiety, that some times we forget. I think walks in nature and humbling ourselves towards natures magnificence have that same effect, perhaps even more real and connected than only altars. A big tree, or any plant, a stream, a river, a mountain, a cave, the sea, any natural landscape can brings us to this point. And this is a practice I’d wish everyone to cultivate and not forget. Maybe with altars you can create this gateway very fast, anywhere, but natures is always there bridging life to us, and us to life.

I reminded myself to write about this when one day I was in such a rush in my house, in my room, getting out to go to work. I rushed through my practice very fast, shortened it a bit as well. I was running around, forgetting stuff, ate too fast… when I was coming out of my room close to the door, my little altar sat there and I froze for a bit, and just looked at it and became humble to it, gave in my energy to it, took a deep breath and very fast I acknowledged what all that meant. It meant a leap from that stress to a higher self and calling.

That higher calling we can call it OM. And with in all creative process happens. I normally think of it’s meaning before I chant it or meditate on it. OM – the seed of all knowledge; the guru of the very first gurus; unbound by time and space; omniscient and omnipresent; the self behind all beings; untouched by raga and dwesha (raga attractions; dwesha repulsion); the origin and end of all. These meanings come from studies of the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras.

PT

A dor é um tema que tido vontade de escrever sobre há já algum tempo. Tenho vindo a tentar juntar algumas ideias sobre o tema, a experiência, as histórias partilhadas e o que testemunho, para agora tentar transmitir algo de relevante para todos nós, senão, apenas para comigo mesmo. Este processo é no entanto incrívelmente desafiante e é também por esse motivo que me tenho aproximado desta vontade de reflectir e escrever sobre a Dor, e espero que se torne evidente, nos primeiros instantes do texto que se segue, a razão de tal dificuldade.

A sensação física e emocional de dor traduz-se muitas vezes, principalmente quando uma é dor nova, em uma agonia deseperante. Perante esta sensação reagimos com aversão. Fugimos e tentamos nos tornar distantes desta sensação que nos preenche a mente e perturba o corpo. No entanto, eu sinto que o quanto mais fugimos e nos afastamos, mais esta sensação nos vem rodear e presseguir como se servisse da nossa aversão apática para se espalhar. Não acredito que a dor se sirva desta reação apática para se espandir, antes acredito que nós ao dispensarmos esta sensação e conferimos a esta sensação uma etiqueta de “indesejada”, “não apreciada”, a deixamos no corpo, na mente e no espírito como um lixo tóxico e assim inadvertidamente não procuramos a sua intenção e propósito e, num sentido lato, a forma de a usar, reciclar e reduzir.

É claro que fugimos e dispensamos a dor que sentimos como automatismo mecânico. Mas não é da dor que fugimos realmente, mas do que a causa. A dor é uma sensação que nos avisa e antecipa piores efeitos da sua possível causa. Mas é no momento da dor que temos de agir, não a dispensar e mover-nos em comunicação com ela. Num exemplo grosseiro: se estamos com a água quente a correr sobre a nossa mão, poucos momentos antes de a água começar a ferver e começar a danificar os tecidos da nossa pele sentimos um dor imensa, que será suficiente para nos fazer automaticamente mover a mão para fora da água a correr. Neste caso, o nosso subconsciente toma a reação saudável de evitar o pior. Noutros casos de dores induzidas ou mais crônicas acredito que o trabalho tem ser feito a um nível mais consciente. Sejam dores internas, externas, emocionais ou físicas, de dias ou semanas ou meses ou mais, tem que haver um trabalho de descobrir a forma de criarmos subconscientemente padrões para evitar a dor. Podendo as estratégias presentes de fugir das causas da dor ser vícios clínicos, alimentares, emocionais, comportamentais, etc... Trazeriamos assim à superficie do nosso consciente tais padrões comportamentais para nos ajudar a avançar, identificando e realmente ultrapassar as reincidentes dores. Não digo que devemos de imediato abolir tais vícios que nos tornam dormentes da verdadeira cura, (ou secalhar estou) mas sim pelo menos saber e descobrir como nos servem a longo prazo.

Sentimos aversão e nos criamos distantes desta sensação agoniante. Criamos uma rotina de escape. Mas talvez esta sensação que sentimos, que nos impossibilita de desfrutar da vida seja a chave que nos vai permitir voltar a desfrutar a vida, a um maior potencial. Claro que é natural não querermos atrair a dor, mas quando a temos, talvez não fugindo, encontramos um limite para pararmos. Paramos. E no devido tempo voltamos e redescobrirmos o nosso caminho novamente, restaurados, mais fortes e resilientes. Eu estou de acordo com o verso dos Yoga Sutras de Patanjali que abordando a prática de asanas se refere à dor: 2:16 Heyam Durham Anagatam, traduzindo, a dor que virá é para ser evitada. A dor não é para ser promovida, não é para ser procurada, não é para ser extendida para o futuro. Tem a sua importância no presente. Quando a encontramos ou nos encontramos com dor, tão dificil como é descarta-lá, pode ter um serviço de equivalente importância . E talvez será a dor do presente um aviso para evitar a dor no futuro. E nosso corpo, mente e espírito ficará mais forte, resistente, imune e conhecedor. Sim, conhece a tua dor!

Eu convido a conhecer a dor, a nossa e a dos outros até. Assim teremos mais compreensão das suas causas, com raiz no passado, e consequências para aquilo que hoje somos. Praticamos compaixão com a mágoa, a ferida e com o sujeito que está intimamente ligado à sensação. Muitas dores surgem porque queremos alcançar um ideal que projetamos para o futuro, agora. Escapando o presente, por vezes cobertos de mágoas que necessitam de reflexão, ou outras causas com raizes no nosso passado distante ou próximo. São projeções sobre nós (alimentadas por nós, seja qual for a sua fonte) que decidimos tentar escapar, saltar desse momento de necessária aceitação de estar presente com o nosso estado e assim permitir que a dor se instale. Geralmente acontece após um evento infortúnio, perpetuando-se. Como se num acto precipitado um corredor, que corre em direção a um obstáculo a saltar, se precipita e antes de estar no alcance correto, num timing errado, se impulsiona colocando mal o seu pé no piso. O sujeito magoa o seu tornozelo e cai contra o obstáculo, parando de imediato. Por querer estar para lá do obstáculo, no futuro. No presente o sujeito precipita-se. E ao invés de estar descansado do outro lado do obstáculo, caiu magoado deste lado.

Sei que todos temos acidentes e quedas na vida. Assim aprendemos e evoluímos, chorando ou não todos caímos magoados uma vez ou outra. Basta pensarmos de nós em criança. Mas é por nos apercebermos destas questões que evoluímos para lá dos nossos obstáculos, mesmo que subconscientemente, ou em outro nível. É através de uma ligação empática que descobrimos na Dor a sua ferramenta e função nas nossas vidas. Por isso aconselho, na medida do possível, não fugir e não anestesiar a dor. Em muitos casos, e especialmente quando a dor é recente, parece que vem de todas as direções e torna-se difícil saber de onde parte esta dor. A dor é nova e não familiar e parece que é maior que nós. Assim generalizamos a dor e não a conseguimos localizar em um ponto, para daí partirmos a tratar o pânico de sensações do corpo e trabalhar na sua origem. Com discernimento podemos procurar especificar a sua localização. Um par de respirações profundas e trazer a mente ao presente pode ser suficiente para encontrar o ponto que mais necessita de atenção, empatia e de energia de um modo consciente. O que parecia ser uma dor imensa no tornozelo inteiro reduz-se a um ponto, a uns ligamentos rasgados por exemplo, e assim muito mais fácil de lidar e de ter em conta.

Uma vez que li “A Décima Revelação”, de James Redfield, algo que antes tinha pensado ajudar a compreender a origem e a causa da dor veio se a confirmar. Tratava-se de descobrir quais os pensamentos que corriam na nossa mente no momento antes do acidente. Num excerto do livro o protagonista magoa-se e a personagem que veio a seu auxílio pede-lhe para localizar o ponto e especificar, para si mesmo, o local da dor. E depois pede-lhe para reflectir e descobrir o que corria no seu pensamento no momento exactamente antes de acidente. Claro que só após um esforço que ver além da nébula frenética de pensamentos e de sensações traumáticas físico-emocionais que qualquer acidente pode ter, o protagonista pode identificar a causa e razão de tal acidente, de tal dor. Tornando-se consciente da causa, os protagonistas desta cena que é a nossa vida podem vir a curar hábitos nefastos, perdoar e resolver conflitos no passado e evitar acidentes no futuro.

Contudo esta reflexão e teoria sobre a dor serve para nos guiar. E na prática resta nos apenas perguntar e responder com confiança, honestidade positiva e com caráter de explorador: se é grave? se vou melhorar? se está aqui para me guiar, e para onde? para me curar?... e ouvir, cuidadosamente, a Dor falar.

EN

Pain has been a theme I’ve been wanting to write about for a long time now. I’ve been trying to gather some ideas about the theme, the experience, the shared stories and those I witness, so that now I can transmit something relevant for all of us, if not, only for myself. This process is meanwhile incredibly challenging and is also for that motive that I’ve been getting closer to this willness of reflecting and writing about Pain, and I hope that it becomes clear, in the first instants of the paragraph that follows, the reason for such difficulty.

The phisical and emotional sensation of pain often translates, specially when a pain is new, in a desperate agony. Behond this sensation we react with aversion. We run away and try to become distant of this sensation that fills up the mind and disturbs the body. Meanwhile, I feel that the more we escape and run away, the more this sensation comes to surround us and chase us like if it was serving itself from our apathic aversion to spread. I don’t believe that pain serves itself of this apathic reaction to expand, I rather believe that as we dispense this sensation and confer to this sensation a label of “unwanted”, “unappreciated”, leaving it in the body, in the mind and in the spirit like a toxic waste, and so inadvertently we don’t seek its intention and purpose and, in a broad sense, a way to use, recicle and reduce it.

Of course we run away from and dismiss the pain we feel as a mechanic automatism. But it isn’t from pain that we really run away from, but from what it is causing it. Pain is a sensation that lets us know the coming of worst effects of it’s possible cause. But it is in the moment of pain that we have to act, not dismiss it and move in communication with it. In a gross example: if we are with hot water running over our hand, just before the water starts boiling and starts to damage our skin tissues we feel an immense pain, that is enough to make us automatically move our hand out of the running water. In this case, our subconscious takes the healthy reaction of avoiding the worst. In other cases of induced or more chronic pains, I believe that the work has to be done at a more conscient level. Being internal, external, emotional or physical, of days or weeks or months or more, there has to be a work of discovering a way to create subconsciously patterns to avoid pain. May the current strategies of escaping the causes of pain be clinical, eating, emotional, behavioral addictions or disorders, etc... We would bring in this way to the surface of our conscience such patterned behaviors to help us move onwards, by identifying and to surpass the recidivist pains. I’m not saying we should immediately abolish such addictions that make us numb from true cure, (or maybe I am) but yes, to at least know and learn how these are serving us in a long term.

We feel aversion and we create ourselves distant of this sensation of agony. We create an escape routine. But maybe this sensation we feel, that keeps us from enjoying life, is the key that will allow us to return to enjoy life, to a bigger potencial. Of course we don’t want to attract pain, but when we have it, maybe not running away, we’ll find a limit to stop. We stop. And in the right time we return and rediscover our way again, restored, more strong and resilient. I am in agreement with the verse of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that approaching the asana practice referes to pain: 2:16 Heyam Durham Anagatam, translating, the pain that is yet to come is to be avoided. The pain is not to be promoted, is not to be searched, it is not to be extended to the future. It has its importance in the present. When we find it or we find ourselves with pain, as hard as it is to let go of it, it can have a service of an equivalent importance. And maybe it will be the pain of the present a warning for future pain to avoid in the future. And our body, mind and spirit will stay stronger, resistent, imune and knowledgeable. Yes, know your pain!

I invite you to know pain, yours and of the others even. In this way we’ll have more understanding of their causes, with root in the past, and the consequences to that which we are today. We practice compassion towards the hurtful, the wound and towards the subject that is intimately connected to the sensation. Many of the pains come up because we want to reach an ideal we project to the future, now. Escaping the present, occasionally covered in hurtful feelings that need reflection, or other causes with roots in our past, distant or close by. They are projections about us (fed by us, whatever may their source be) that we decide to escape, leap from that moment of needed acceptance to be present with our state and in this way allow that the pain settles. Generally it happens after an infortunate event, extending it. Like in a precipitated act a runner, that runs in the direction of an obstacle to jump, rushes and before being in the correct range, in wrong timing, impulses it self wrongly with his foot badly placed in the floor. The subject hurts it’s ankle and falls against the obstacle, stopping immediately. Because of wanting to be behond his obstacle, in the future. In the present the subject rushes. And instead of being rested on the other side of the obstacle, he fell hurt on this side.

I know we all have accidents and falls in life. It’s like this we learn and evolve, crying or not, all of us have fallen and got hurt once or twice. Only need to think of us as a child. But it is because we realize about these questions that we evolve behond our obstacles, even if subsconsciously or on another level. It is through an empathic connection that we discover in Pain it’s tool and function in our lives. And so I advise, in a way that is possible, not run away or numb Pain. In many cases, and specially if the pain is recent, it seems like it’s coming from all directions and it becomes difficult to know where does this pain starts. The pain is new and non-familiar and seems to be bigger than us. In this way we generalize pain and we cannot localize it in one point, so that from there we can treat the panic of sensations of the body and work at its source. With discernment we can search to specify its location. A couple of deep breaths and bringing the mental activity to the present might be enough to find the point that most needs attention, empathy and energy in a more conscious mode. What felt like being an immense pain in the whole ankle reduced itself to a single point, to a few torned ligaments for example, and in this way more easy to deal with and be aware of.

Once I’ve red “The Tenth Revelation”, by James Redfeild, something I had before thought of to be helpful to come to understand the origin and cause of pain came to confirm. It was about discovering which of the thoughts were running through our mind in the moment right before the accident. In a part of the book the protagonist hurts himself and the character that comes to his aid asks him to localize the point and specify, for himself, the location of the pain. And then asks him to reflect and discover what was running through his mind in the exact moment before the acident. Of course that only after an effort of seeing behond the frenetic cloud of thought and traumatic physical/emotional sensations that any accident can have, the protagonist did identify the cause and root for such an accident, for such a pain. Becoming conscient of the cause, the protagonists of this scene that is our life can come to cure nefarious habits, forgive and resolve conflicts in the past and avoid accidents in the future.

1- flower 2- sideless sides in-between shapes

1- I found your naked body out in the woods

2- you had blood on hands

“ You’re a dolphin. Queen of the ocean. Mind of mystery. A soul that is free, that in one day, while you were at play they took you and put you far far away, where they trained you for people’s entertainment.

You said: I hope you are entertained by my containment. In your dreams you were flying through the sea. But when you woke up, you were behind the lock and key.

You said: why am I here listening to your cheers? I am dolphin from the ocean and that’s where I’m meant to be. Why am I here listening to your cheers? I’m a dolphin from the ocean you should be entertaining me.”

“You’re a tiger, walking through worlds of bu4ning fire. They put in a zoo. In your dreams you were through the trees, but when you woke, you were behind the lock and key.

So you looked up into th3 faces of the staring at you. You said: what the fuck are you looking at? I’m a tiger. This is no place for my fire, you’re a liar, if you think you care about me.

So you went to dreamland more and more often; cus in dreamland you wer3 the king of the jungle. But in that fucking cage you were angered and afraid that you never ever see the day that you could run away.

You said: who the fuck are you to put me in a zoo? I’m a tiger with the fire and I’ll bite you in your face. Who the fuck are you to put me in a zoo? I’m a tiger with the fire and I’ll bite you in your face.

...”