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   36.   News and Views                                                              11/6/03

Recently I went to the movies to see WINGED MIGRATION. In the words of Jacques Perrin, the films creative force; "This film is the result of 4 years following their (migrating birds) amazing odysseys, in the northern hemisphere and then in the south, species by species, flying over seas and continents." J. Perrin.

The movie house was packed, which generally I have not seen for the normal fair of films that come out of Hollywood. For the town of Oneonta, N.Y. this was a striking turnout for a film. The majority of the audience was over forty. This struck me as a sign that more people are being drawn to the ecologically sane artwork that has spiritual reverberations. Our consciousness, it seems to me, is opening in wave fashion to what is real in life. I also feel that spiritual awakening will grow faster as a result of interneting communities where the wildfires of Divine truth are pressing at every door.

****

I have been feeling that interacting on the internet with others is a special kind of communication where The Four Agreements, a book by Don Miguel Ruiz, gives an excellent road map for interacting with others on the internet.

Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take things personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your Best.

The internet is another form where we can perform an ecological service by following some simple principles that help shape the mental space of the world since this form is potentially accessible to so many.

*****

Sitting In
Sitting at the computer is a golden opportunity for practicing on different levels.
Since the always already is sitting (us) with bare attention looking at a screen we can add the elements for developing permanent traits of Joy, Peace and Happiness.

By applying the principles of Structural Integrity; alignment of the body with Breathing, a process for unfolding, being divinity, is right at hand. We can experience a fuller resonance with naked space by utilizing our moment to moment experience sitting, and doing a Digital Darshan. Starting with awareness of how we are sitting and applying the principles of alignment we prepare the ground for transformation.

These principles are:

Feet relaxed comfortably touching the ground. Both feet are shoulder length apart and there is an awareness of the arches as well as feeling the pads of the feet touching the ground. Sitting with the upper body over the sit bones, which we can feel if we rock from side to side in the chair, keys alignment. The back of the neck is soft and straight while the lower jaw is relaxed with a smile. The hands can be relaxed on the thighs or on the keyboard for navigation.

The breath is taken in to fill and expand the internal spaces of the body. The amount of oxygen (Prana) that we can expand with may surprise some people. The out breath is accomplished by saying, singing, the word HOME. It can be noticed that breath travels up and out of the lower lungs when saying this word. With out letting all of the breath out and starting another breath in we observe the pattern of full diagrammatic breathing.

At the same time as we are sitting in this fashion we could be reading all the words of wisdom that are being presented on the Internet both written and oral. This has the look and feel of a digital Darshan, oral transmission.

Of course the above activity is applicable to all situations at the computer. Once we have grounding we may free form release by following some of the impulses of the intuitive body. This could be moving the body in so many different ways as well as sounding out all manner of noise the body has been holding on to. If it feels like child’s play it is probably right on. The results that we experience after doing this for a period of time are our barometer of the value of this particular exercise.

Peace

Posted by Harmon November 6, 2003

             Comments

Harmon,

Thank you for your Winged Migration comment. It is a truly fine movie, inspiring and uplifting and everyone should flock to it.

As for the four agreements being a way to communicate online, have you seen particular examples where *not* following these has led to particular trouble? Or, rather, what is it about the online environment that you feel makes the 4 Agreements particularly valuable?

Finally, as to sitting at the computer ... my experience has been that I forget to breathe in. (Breathing out tends to take care of itself.) Do you think it would be valuable to just spend 5 minutes a day for a few days practicing nothing but breathing in big, filling the body's spaces, at the computer? I almost wish there was a semi-automatic monitoring device that we could use as we started off with this kind of a practice.

Be well today.

-- Jordan

Posted by: Jordan Gruber on November 7, 2003 

Jordan
I agree people should flock to this film. :)) Especially to see it on the large screen.

The four agreements has helped me in the past and I find that it helps when online to not limit another or complicate what are straight forward communications. The habit patterns that seek to “know another” by what they are presenting is strong and this can cloud our own creative expression. These Four simple encouragements help us in being mindful both online or off.

I am feeling that communication online can be an art-form where we share, open and transform each other through the exchange of ideas and or personal truths. After all, if we can present some helpful advice to another, this needs to be presented without judgments of the audience and a comfortable feeling that the audience will appreciate both our intention and material.

Another view that has been cooking in me is that every thing we present to our own minds has to go through a sorting out process so we are seeing what is true and real. We wouldn’t want others confusions to be added on to our mind, likewise, we wouldn’t want people’s minds to have to handle our half-baked ideas or assumptions. In some crazy way it's all a work on our divine nature and the One Mind.

On any given day in the online environment we have both the opportunity to work on ourselves as well as being kind to others. A new and huge medium in which, as Jean Houston says, we are still in the Wild West days of this experience. Direct tools that can help us navigate this landscape are always welcome.

Working with Breathing and alignment for five minutes would be excellent. By setting up this practice for a period of time we start to become aware of our sitting position and this practice will suggest itself more and more as we come to experience the sense of it. I also feel that this does affect our creative process in writing, painting or playing musical instruments. If we are more fluid and flexible with our breath and body the flow of ideas moves with less solidity.

There is nothing wrong with sitting in any position when you have an alternative understanding for alignment. The objective would be to go through a day with out building up tension and stress because of poor bodily postures.

I have used the notion, if a faker can take a position for 7 years, I should certainly be able to set a time for doing one thing. This led me to discover many things about the body.

Peace my Friend.

Posted by: Harmon on November 7, 2003

Harmon
Thanks for your alerting us to the film. I will make an effort to see it. Really, it sounds like something I would really enjoy!

Posted by: Solstice on November 12, 2003

I found this today in rereading FULL CATASTROPHE LIVING by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Which points out the mindful nature of what is discussed above on sitting.

“It helps a lot to adopt an erect and dignified posture, with your head, neck, and back aligned vertically. This allows the breath to flow most easily. It is also the physical counterpart of the inner attitudes of self-reliance, self-acceptance, and alert attention that we are cultivating.”

Posted by: Harmon on November 13, 2003

Harmon,

Thanks for this teaching on sitting at the computer. When I started reading it I was hunched over my keyboard, which is actually not my usual sitting posture, but, it's been a long day. Needless to say, I straightened up as I read on.

I will look for the film on migration. It's wonderful to me that scientists have not yet discovered how birds do this. They also do not know how dogs who are separated from their owners by hundreds of miles find their way home.

I just finished a book by Larry Dossey on the spiritual component of healing, in which he wrote of several cases of dogs finding their people across hundreds of miles of separation, when their people were no longer in the original house, but rather relocated to a new place.

as for the suggestion from the Four Agreements to "Don’t make assumptions," this is good, but difficult when so many of our assumptions are unconscious. So the work really must be, at least for me in my present state, "find out what your assumptions are."

I have been working on this a long time, and it's difficult. Often the finding out comes only through grace, when I'm in an experience and I can suddenly see that I've erred because of a habitual thought pattern.

All for now, R

Posted by: Ruth on November 14, 2003

Ruth your welcome, glad you found The entry useful. Last night I picked up a book of stories about the interaction between animals and humans, entitled Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul. Each story is about the love that is shared and given by the animal kingdom when we are kind to our animal friends. Reading this constantly touched my heart in large doses. The Authors are Jack Canfield, Mark V. Hansen, Marty Becker, and Carol Kline.

Posted by: Harmon on November 15, 2003

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