Samadhi

The event of experiencing Samadhi takes place upon the grounds of many things coming together. Many things … have to be right. The effort must be hot, the techniques must right, the environment must be right, the support must be there. The odds are in favor of the experience … not happening. Nevertheless, against all odds it is possible.

To engage in the effort to actually create a situation where OTHER people can also experience this, the odds get even worse for a person who knows the taste of Samadhi.

Now, one has to find the Tongue of Angels. One has to find modes of communication so precise, so engaging and inspiring that one breaks through the audience’s general inability to listen.

This is the first hurdle. People in general are deaf, not physically, but psychologically and spiritually. One can talk about Samadhi, but to find true listening is not easy.

Then, one truly has to turn the listener into a practitioner. When I started my spiritual journey, I reached practice levels of 3 hours a day within 12 months. Throughout the rest of the day, I practiced quietly inside. For that reason, and the above mentioned, the first Samadhi experience took place after 3 years.

If one cannot … first open the mode of soul listening and then also fails to inspire the potential student to start sincere and red-hot practicing, then nothing will happen.

For that reason we find ourselves sifting through high numbers of people, only to end up with the few. Of those that remain, a still smaller number reaches the mode that I am describing. Only a short while I asked myself if it will happen to the people we are working with....

In Paris we are teaching a small group that I consider the core group. That group actually is a closed group, meaning that nobody else is allowed access. In a way, it is like a secret group because we are protecting the process. We have worked with this group for almost 18 months (-while simultaneously working with other, newer groups.) What is special here … is the presence of listening. If I say, practice this technique for such and such time over 40 days, it is done. Nobody in the group argues with the instruction or ignores it.

Now, 18 months later, the first signs of extremely deep openings are arisng. I look at this and find myself experiencing a gratitude that I cannot even express. The work is flowering. I must say THANK YOU to the Universe. THANK YOU.

Back in Menton 2

This thing about stepping out into the garden and picking your breakfast has some heavenly feeling to it and I am still getting used to it. The tangerines are sweet and equally heavenly. The casualness of it seems amazing and I realize that the exoticness of a place has much to do with the feeling of separation and distance from it. If one begins living in a very exotic area, after a while the exotic feeling fades and it becomes ... well, normal.

Here we meet people all the time who feel wowed by the fact that we come from Mount Shasta, California. For them THAT is exotic and of course, after living there for almost 20 years, one hardly shares the feeling.

This morning we took a long walk along the sea and we walked all the way into Italy, which takes about 10 minutes since Menton is the last town at the French riviera before Italy. We are currently in vacation mode and will have time to rejuvenate before the workshops and this feels really lovely.

Back in Menton

We are back in Menton. The oranges in the trees are now in harvest mode. I had some this morning, they taste delicious and sweet. This will be the first Christmas for us with mandarine, grapefruit and lemon trees in the garden.

While Paris is freezing cold, the Riviera ... clearly is not. What is not present is also the tourists who have left months ago.

We are settling in and resting for a while. The workshops are beginning on December 6.

Penny Slinger's Recommendation of BETWEEN THE VISIONS

"Raylene's journey of unfolding awareness holds up a mirror to the awakening currently stirring in our collective consciousness. Painted in the colors of her own direct experience, her revelations and reflections unveil a canvas of life where the mystic and the sensual blend together in a path of spiritual integration.

She opens doorways to the true all-inclusive, multi-dimensional nature of Tantra and to the gifts that the Divine Feminine offers at this time to bring balance to our spirtual understanding.

I feel Raylene's book can help promote these realizations in her readers, which is the ultimate endorsement. Written in a style that is both accessible and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it."

Penny Slinger
February 14, 2006

Penny’s book is a classic that you can buy here.

Recommendation by Penny Slinger, Author of Sexual Secrets

Below is a recommendation for Raylene's book by Penny Slinger, famous author of Sexual Secrets and many other internationally known books. It is in French for now and I will have the English version up and running as soon as I can find it on the computer without having to write it word for word.... L'Emergence de la Femme Divine – Une nouvelle vision du tantra de Raylene Abbot L'Emergence de la Femme Divine est un récit initiatique qui, au-delà des dogmes religieux poussiéreux et des systèmes de pensée obsolètes, saura toucher la femme ou l'homme que vous souhaitez devenir, afin de vivre la plénitude du coeur, la joie des sens, l'harmonie d'un vrai partage, en communion avec le Divin. Cet ouvrage révèle des clés et dévoile un monde fusionnel qui vous prépare à l'Amour sacré. " Le récit de l'ouverture de conscience de Raylene vient refléter, tel un miroir, l'éveil en cours de notre conscience collective. Revêtant les couleurs de son expérience personnelle, ses révélations et ses réflexions tissent la trame d'une vie où mysticisme et sensualité se rejoignent sur la voie de l'intégration spirituelle. L'auteur nous ouvre les portes de la véritable nature du Tantra, universelle et multidimensionnelle, et nous dévoile les cadeaux qu'apporte la Femme Divine à notre époque en terme d'équilibre de notre compréhension spirituelle. Mon sentiment est que le livre de Raylene peut aider le lecteur à révéler en lui son potentiel, ce qui est la fonction ultime du livre. J'ai beaucoup apprécié ce livre écrit dans un style à la fois accessible et séduisant et j'en recommande vivement la lecture. " Penny Slinger, Les secrets de l'extase

The book that will change your life

Raylene's book is available in the US. Click above. It has hit the Japanese market in June and is performing great.

The Dynamics of Anger

The origin of anger is to be found in the gap between life as we want to experience it and life as it unfolds, separate and different from our desire of how it should be.

As this gap grows, so does our frustration. Along with it anger and rage builds. As the anger builds in us, there kicks in a mechanism that seeks to release that anger. That mechanism seeks a situation that gives "justified cause" to release. However, as the anger inside continues to grow, it will take less and less to trigger the anger.

For example, Jack Nicholson had a driver cut in before him several years ago. He had so much rage inside him built up, it just exploded in that second. He stepped out of his car, took his golf club and smashed the window of the car in front. Nowadays this is called "road rage."

Basically, we do not know how to deal with this growing anger inside, so the final collective solution always is war. So, two questions may arise.

1) How do I deal with my own anger building up?

2) How do I protect myself from the outbursts of negativity and rage that people may hand us in our daily lives?Okay, please come to our workshops for the answer!Just kidding :-)

1) It is most interesting to note that many spiritual pathways do not provide for a solution to deal with our emotional realities. Most Asian teachings, most New Age teachings do not provide powerful tools. Innumerable meditation techniques that are perfectly good techniques, Zen, Vipassana, etc, are immensely slowed down because we are sitting on a heap of repressed emotions that prevent those techniques to function efficiently, and most important: speedily. We are in need for a safe environment where we can engage in a catharrsis of our anger and built up negativity. At times we are just the victims of the anger and negativity of others, without recognizing the exchanges properly. Others' anger and negativity can truly be transferred to us.In any case, we need to find an efficient way to release these energies.

There exist techniques such as Osho Dynamic Meditation, or Osho Kundalini Meditation, where you shake your body, where you practice breath of fire, where there is space for emotional catharrsis. After passing through those 10-15 minute periods of catharrsis, there is a tremendous relief. Upon the basis of this relief, then meditation becomes a living, tangible experience.

Most meditators who start with silent meditation, do not really experience the inner reality of silence. They just sit silently on the outside, while the inside is an ongoing stream of processing thoughts of insanity, and looping them like a broken record.

2) Various religions and spiritual avenues do provide techniques to protect and remove negativity and shield from attacks.Tibetan Buddhism will invoke the fierce expressions of Tara, or Mahakala to remove from you the energies that have entered and harmed you.

Judeo-Christian modalities suggest to invoke Archangel Michael to remove the energetic intrusions.There are many Mantras from the Tibetan or Hindu domaines that will clear negativity.

Many solutions exist. And we teach those in our workshops, no kidding!

Paris

We are preparing for a workshop this weekend in Paris. After that we will leave on the 27th for Menton where we will stay through December and probably January, leading more workshops.

The Art of Seeing

To see another person exactly for who s/he is, is extremely difficult without the cultivation of an awareness that goes beyond the fluctuations of your mind.

There are many unconscious programs running our daily reality that will highjack our processess of perception and that will dictate to project an image upon what we see.

The projections are based upon our likes and dislikes, and unless we become conscious of the roots of our likes and dislikes and bring silence and calmness into our being, we will not see clearly.Only when our consciousness becomess still, can we see clearly.

This compares to the waves upon a lake. Whatever you see reflected is distorted by the waves. Only when the water is perfectly still will we see the excact reflection upon its surface.

If we have found the ways and means to cultivate this kind of inner stillness, we have found something more precious than gold and diamonds.
© 2007 Andreas Mamet
http://lamoursacre.tripod.com

Samskaras

Samskaras is a Sanskrit term used in the yogic world to describe tendencies of thought, emotion and consequent behavior. These behavioral programs can be in existence for a long time, hence they may not be easy to uproot.

Samskaras are both positive and negative, meaning they can lead to positive outcomes devoid of suffering, agreeable experiences, or they can lead to negative, disagreeable experiences of suffering.

What distinguishes our teachings from others is the fact that we invite students to train themselves in observing their thoughts and behavior patterns in order to recognize programs inside that are destructive for themselves and others.

These programs are often hidden and disguised. They never come labeled with, Hi, I am your personal saboteur, run when you see me! They come with labels and justifications that will sound virtuous and self-righteous.

In other words, our spiritual teachings include working with one’s shadow. The shadow is in control when a man jumps out of his car and uses his golf club to bash in another car’s window because the other driver cut in in front of him. Ask Jack Nicholson if this is a true story.

We teach to ask: “What is my shadow? What is my biggest weakness?”

Working with this question is most difficult, because nobody wants to admit to one’s capacity for ignorant and destructive behavior. Yet we all carry this capacity and to actually face this truth requires exceptional commitment. It requires the willingness to perform surgery upon one’s own inner wounds.

Many so-called spiritual people, be they Hindu, Buddhist or … New Age actively emphasize and pursue what they believe to be holy and actively deny or repress the shadow within. The result here is surprisingly often the creation of the “enlightened” ***hole, the man who meditates for hours and hours, has retreats with holy people and then beats his wife at the moment least expected.

This happens because there exist not many spiritual avenues that teach to work directly with the shadow.

When the existence of the shadow is denied, it will build over time, until one day, in a moment of tiredness and stress, the shadow slips past our capacity to keep it in check. In a flash it amplifies its size and becomes an all-consuming presence. It assumes control and a minute can be enough to do great damage, to oneself and to others.

Therefore, I invite you to take a bold step. Ask yourself, “What is my shadow? What is its name?”

Begin to recognize your shadow in your daily life. The sheer fact of you attempting to become conscious of your shadow will weaken its strength and influence.

The shadow’s job is to sabotage your life. Identify it, track it and dissolve it in the clear waters of consciousness.

Press Release Siskiyou College

Please click on the image above to read details

College of the Siskiyous will be sponsoring a Philosophy Travel Course, "In Search of the Divine Feminine in Christianity", June 13-23rd, 2008. The course will be Team Taught by Drs. Sherry L. Ackerman and Daniel A. Kealey, in Paris and Southern France. It is a three (3) credit course: Humanities 10.

The course objectives are:
*To explore the relationship between ancient Goddess traditions and the Virgin Mary
*To study the Virgin Mary cult, as well as other Goddess traditions in ancient Christianity
*To examine the patriarchy's suppression of the divine feminine within later Christianity.

Students will visit many Black Madonna sites, as well as other sites pertinent to the Mary Magdelene mystical tradition. The trip cost is $2,485, exclusive of airfare, which includes all lodging, breakfasts, ground transportation, COS tuition, Webclass pre-and-post-trip participation and all sites. Preliminary deposits are due by January 25th, 2008 and final balances are due no later than March 25th, 2008. Visa, MasterCard and DiscoverCard will be accepted.

Students do not need to be a regular COS student to enroll. Registration is open to anyone, without prerequisite. Out-of-state tuition will be waived and all participants may take advantage of in-state tuition.

For more information, see http://www.shastao.com/page3.html and/or email ackerman@siskiyous.edu
Sherry L. Ackerman, Ph.D.
3609 North Old Stage RoadMount Shasta,
CA 96067
530-926-4154 Phone
530-261-0488 Cellular

The Italian Book

The Italian translation of Raylene's book is gradually nearing completion and we just got the cover from the publisher today. This is the way it looks like and possibly there may still be changes, but this is the cover for now. It looks cool, don't you think?

Impossible to convey

I realize fully that neither the experience of Samadhi nor the actual essence of the work we do every day is possible to convey. Our work sets free actual experience in the receptive participant. Consciousness Presence is experienced in a very deep way, and many times the existential quality is greatly heightened. Obstacles dissolve, new doors open to make life more joyous. Suffering is diminished.

How am I to explain this?

So only the work itself can speak. And it does and it grows.

Antibes: Back With Maria Teresa

We have left Menton to give a 3 day retreat and sessions at Maria Teresa's house here in Antibes and are now getting ready to go to Montpellier to meet Katherine, the cousin of my good friend David. Then on to Lyon, to spend a day with Solange and then back to Paris for a month of working there again.

The time here has been surprisingly fruitful, we saw an increasing number of people and gave an unscheduled evening, by popular demand, literally and were asked to please come and do this every week. So, response to our work was truly wonderful and we are scheduling workshops for the month of December already, since we will be back here for the full month to continue to build and expand the work.