Yesterday's 32 capacities are very possibly only the beginning of what the potential is within us. Years ago I read a mind expansive book called, The Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda and it talked about the many powers (siddhi's) yogis acquired through their practices. This book was fascinating because it talked about people who could do amazing things that most of us would not think possible.
In athletics, in martial arts, in healing arts and elsewhere there are practices/disciplines that can alter what we might think is reality. The little novel Illusions by Richard Bach is another book worth stopping by your local used bookstore or library to get. Illusions is a story about the human capacity being stretched beyond the ordinary. This topic of human capacities is so interesting because there is so much in us that is not yet tapped into and most of us sense that potential wanting to be explored and expressed.
So you might ask, where do we begin? The answer is to begin within. Nothing needs to be acquired or purchased. No special diets are required, no feats of strength will be needed, no heroic courage is necessary, and no mind-bending skills are essential. You are already fully equipped for this journey.
The way of the breath, mindfulness and self-inquiry is good place to start:
Sit quietly,
Experience your breath more fully than ever before,
Feel yourself expand and contract, open and close,
Allow the relaxation to come naturally from the soothing energy of the breath,
Feel the life force flowing through you,
Enjoy the pleasure of feeling such aliveness,
Open to the peace, love and happiness in the now,
Simply watch what comes up,
Gently quiet the inner critic / the judging mind,
Be mindful of the thoughts, the feelings and sensations,
Inquire into your nature as a human being,
Appreciate all you are, all you experience,
Just be in awareness for the sake of awareness,
Be present to fully appreciate you in the now,
Go with the flow and see where the river of life and consciousness take you.
Peace Letter #82
Dear President Obama,
There were many people armed with guns in Washington DC recently at a gun rally that is made up of dangerously angry misguided people who all seem obsessed about socialism. These people seem to have lost their capacity for critical thinking. The media talking heads on the Right who stir these people up with their lies and misinformation are pushing this nation away from compassion and fairness towards intolerance and hate. Please have someone at a safe distance explain to them that you will not let hate run this country.
Please also move away from the angry act of war and bring our nation toward peace.
Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.
Join me and send President Obama emails of support and encourage the end of war and the other dysfunctional ways of government at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact