by Angela Blaha | Jul 18, 2014 | Spiritual
by: Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Without taking a poll, it’s safe to say that people who believe in God also believe that he answers prayers. If he didn’t, one would be left with an indifferent, distant deity who pays no attention to human affairs. This alternative is hard to reconcile with faith, and so believers are left with a God who seems to answer prayers selectively. It’s as if there’s an invisible telephone line to Heaven, and when you call, sometimes God picks up and sometimes he doesn’t.
I’ve simplified the scheme—the theology of prayer gets very complicated—because for most believers, praying is simple. You entreat God to do something special for you, and you take your chances. For every answered prayer, millions go unanswered. God must be a selective listener, or else there’s something wrong with the person who is praying.
Despite this frustrating and irrational setup, who hasn’t turned to prayer in times of greatest need?
To get to the heart of this question, we should start with a blank slate. Set aside your image of God as a father sitting on his throne somewhere above the clouds. Such images differ from one religion to the next and are clearly projections of the human mind validated only by cultural myths and traditions. Second, lose the notion of the invisible telephone line. If God is omnipresent, there is no distance between you and the one you pray to. Finally, strip God of all human attributes, including gender. Whatever God is, the reality must be superhuman, however you define the term.
Mundane Intentions Versus Deep Desires
In the Indian spiritual tradition, these first steps were taken thousands of years go. The slate was completely clean, and therefore one could ask the most basic question: Why does any desire come true? For a prayer is essentially a desire or intention. It differs from mundane intentions like wanting a candy bar or intending to do a good job in one thing only: the desired object seems out of reach. We invoke a superhuman power when human powers fail.
This is where the Indian sages had a brilliant thought. What if mundane intentions are not different from prayers? This possibility defies the logic of prayers if you think you are telephoning God. What links all intentions, no matter how extraordinary, is that they happen in consciousness. So the mystery of prayer turns into a more fundamental investigation into how consciousness actually works. Clearly the intention to eat a candy bar or to do a good job at work brings the mind into contact with reality in such a way that intention is connected to outcome. So why isn’t this true when you pray for a friend to recover from cancer or for peace in the Middle East?
Samyama
The answer, according to the Vedic rishis, who explored consciousness more deeply than anyone else, comes down to three aspects that enter into any intention, indeed into any thought.
- How deep into the mind is the intention coming from?
- How steady is your focus?
- How fluid is your intention?
In Sanskrit these three elements are known as Samadhi, Dharana, and Dhyana, and when all three are fused, the entire mechanism is called Samyama. There’s no need to dwell on these terms, only to point out that the success or failure of an intention depends on the effective use of one’s awareness, not on a request to a deity who may or may not be listening. Samyama basically means to bind or hold together, and when all three of these components are unified, that’s what makes for the strongest intentions. You have gone deep enough into your own self-awareness that you can affect what happens in the outer world; your intention is one-pointed rather than scattered; and your mind is steady while remaining fluid and flexible.
The Obstacles in Prayer
If this explanation is correct, it describes unanswered prayers as the product of a mind that is restless, shallow, conflicted, or unable to focus. All of us suffer from these obstacles.
Answered prayers, on the other hand, represent a kind of total clarity that may come at any moment, like the sudden parting of the clouds, and at such a moment the mechanism that fulfills intentions works smoothly. Although Samyama is identified in the tradition of Yoga as a high attainment, it seems reasonable to say that the same mechanism exists in everyday consciousness. After all, to live is to carry out intentions.
Once you understand how the mechanism works, you have a choice. You can meditate or pursue other spiritual techniques that bring the three elements of intentionality together. The results will not be the same on every path. Some people will experience a prayer coming true, others will be able to live in the present moment, and others still may feel that they are connected to God.
As straightforward as this description of intentions is, it gives rise to its own questions, which we’ll explore in the next post. To be continued …
by Angela Blaha | Mar 25, 2014 | Spiritual
My family has been touched by death yet again. Within the last year and a half I have lost three parents. Both of my parents and now my husband’s father. Each time death has been so different. One death totally unexpected and two we knew were coming, yet one is never really prepared for the final breath.
With each death I ask, what am I to learn? I am not afraid of death, in fact I am somewhat excited for their rebirth and the freeing of this body. It is very hard to watch people suffer, and it really doesn’t matter if it is their body suffering or mental pain, watching suffering takes a toll on the living as well as the dying.
I have witnessed the soul rising from the body several times and there is definitely a visual (the soul moving out of the body) when the soul leaves. I accompanied my father-in-law on a shamanic journey just a few days prior to his souls passing and he was very surprised about all the options we have. How death is so negotiable. There isn’t just a heaven or hell, it’s not black or white. He asked several times why we are not taught about the different worlds. I really did not have an answer for him, and his question has been on my mind ever since.
What I have learned about life recently is that we do not live our purpose. Many keep themselves caged, fear of being our authentic selves. We need to do the following:
- To celebrate, celebrate each moment.
- To live your souls path, allowing your soul to shine.
- To love, yourself and others like you have never loved before.
- Live in the present moment, because you are not living this life if you are constantly worried (living in the future) or living in depression (living in the past).
- To find peace now and death will be peaceful.
The soul has been my main focus for some time now. I do many soul readings for people and I have found it very intriguing yet sad how many souls are kept captive or hidden, not allowed to shine, to love unconditionally. As people we need to start living, learning our lessons along the way, enjoying every moment. Death is a gift, no matter how hard. Death is a new birth yet we treat it like a plague. My final words are to celebrate life, death and all the lessons along the way, because life really is a gift.
by Angela Blaha | Dec 23, 2013 | Spiritual
About a year ago my family was forced to clean out the belonging of my Mom and Dad, while doing so I came across my Dad’s metal water witching rods. I immediately grabbed them and asked if anyone else was interested in them, no one wanted the rusty old things so I took them home. Not knowing why I would even want such rusted old things, I placed them on a ledge in the sunroom of my house. I am not a collector of old items, but for some reason these rods called out to me and I just had to have them. I remember my Dad bringing them out of the shed once in a while to find water and to show off his unbelievable talent in using them, they were very intriguing to me.
Recently, I saw a class on dowsing and immediately signed up. This is a year of exploring and learning (or rather remembering) for me. I went to class expecting to learn how to clear a house of energies that do not belong to the owners of the home. What I learned went way beyond a simple clearing.
Dowsing is really about getting in touch with the energies that not only live all around us but the divine energy that lives within us. It is so much more than using rods to find energy, it is about understanding your thoughts and actions and how everything works together to create the lives we want to live. When we allow stress to come into our lives we fill and surround ourselves with weakening energies. When we fill and surround ourselves with positive thoughts and actions we fill our lives with healing, joyful energies.
My first dowsing I did for my husband’s parents, they are both very ill and I wanted to make sure that they were living in a positive energy filled area. I must admit I did find energies that did not belong to them, which I healed, cleared and sent to the light. What I really found was beautiful angel energy waiting to transition my father-in-law to the ether world. It was such a beautiful experience.
It was very comforting to me to find such a peaceful and joyous presence in their home. I have talked with my father-in-law a few times about death and dying and it was almost overwhelming to know that an angel is there to help in the process.
I find it ironic that I would be writing this piece at Christmas, the time of birth and only a few days after the winter solstice. I’m sure there is a bigger understanding waiting for my family and I, but for now I will just rejoice in the knowing that there is always an angelic energy with us when we transition.
I am so grateful for learning all about dowsing and am ready to share the benefits of energy finding with all of you. I will be adding it to the many energy healings I do, if you are interested in having your home dowsed please send an e-mail to angelablaha005@gmail.com
Blessings to you all!
