Hitting the target

Lieh Tzu was studying archery and he hit the target.  He sought advice from Kuan-Yin who asked him,

"Do you know why you hit the target?"

"No."

"It won't do yet."

Lieh Tzu went away to practice and after three years, he reported to Kuan-Yin.

"Do you know why you hit the target?" [asked Kuan-Yin].

"I know."

"It will do.  Hold onto this awareness and do not lose it."

This applies not only to archery, but also to ruling oneself.  Therefore, the sage scrutinizes not the fact of survival  or ruin, but its [underlying] reasons.

The above value tale is taken from Tao: its history & teachings by Osho

Explore reasons for astral fatigue

Hi. I have been Astral Travelling & a vivid dreamer for many years now. I can still recall every detail the next morning, & I travel to lands far away spend a lot of time flying & meeting lots of new faces. My question is why do I feel so exhausted when I wake up? I am also a Spiritual Healer, & I feel my Guides & Angels require me for healing each night. I would like to communicate with them on a higher level, also to know how to bring myself back in the morning, as I feel a bit disconnected.

Thanks! M.

Dear M,

Fatigue after astral travel can indicate we are not mentally prepared for all we encounter.  Our body may take a while to reground in the physical plane when we get deeply engaged in the astral.   Moodiness or daydreams arise as a distraction. As we shift to be less 'in ego' in waking life, we are less taken with the novelty of each trip. Increasing self-awareness makes us less vulnerable to negative entities in astral.   Explore daytime relaxation exercises like mantras and visualisation. 

As we expand consciousness, we may be drawn to specific beings or guides to assist in the astral.  The nature of our communication is based on how open the heart is.  Exploring the astral enables us to explore the psyche.  The more we raise self-awareness in waking life and through dreams, gain insight into our emotions and personality, the more profound and in-depth our astral experiences become.    What we manifest and ways we respond shapes our spiritual evolution. 

Each of us progresses in astral at our own pace.  When out of the astral, the ego may think about how long in 'human time' we sense we have been astral, yet this doesn't affect our progress.  Things like your level of consciousness during astral, ability to focus, dedication, discipline, daytime mindsets and pursuits all affect your astral experiences.  You may benefit from reading How to Perform Astral Projection and Astral projection: dangerous- how to do it safely. 

Chun-Ning Chu & 7 Stages of spiritual grounding

As a child, Chun-Ning Chu saw herself becoming a saint, but insight into balance and applying Asian wisdom guided her instead to redefine entrepreneurship. She urges each of us to turn on power within ourselves, the power we have forgotten we have always had.

Rediscovering yourself will enable you to manifest innate talents, and regain emotional control over your evolution. Chun-Ning Chu reminds us that at any moment, we all have potential to uncover extraordinary gifts. Her own experience reveals that accessing inner peace and realizing dreams occur as we explore 7 stages of spiritual grounding:

1) Awaken your intuition. This means to attune to the power of spirit. In Chinese tradition, this is chi energy.  Christians connect with a Holy Spirit. Hindus describe this power as Kundalini. Masons call it Spirit Fire. Call it what you will.  Through external guidance, meditation, devotion and Divine grace, you will sense consistent, inner vibes.

2) Ignite creative mind power. Tapping into supreme energy brings your hidden negative emotions to the surface. These include the six human enemies of pride, lust, anger jealousy, greed and delusion. To recreate your life, just redirect negative energy. You will discover you  hold the tools you need to face all challenges and obstacles.

3) Explore what it means to be fearless. You realize you are subject to tests of temptation of habits and patterns. As you evolve to prioritize self-correction, it becomes harder for the ego to control you. Spontaneous feelings of love flow for no reason.  Your soul may be restless, but through trials, you grow willing to explore new ways of seeing.  As you struggle to accept yourself, you develop humility, flexibility and inner strength.

4)  Rediscover the wisdom of love.  You notice you can become less judgmental of yourself and others. Anyone you know who is no longer compatible with your life focus disappears.  Meditation and spiritual practice allow you to access the core of your being.  You grow to feel more empathy and compassion for others.  You evolve to serve in your own way.  Whatever you do, your initiatives blossom where grounded in love and respect.

5) Strengthen communication naturally.  The more comfortable and accepting of yourself you are, the more effective communicator you become.  As you willingly give up behaviors and beliefs that aren't compatible with your new self-discoveries, you will draw new and exciting people into your life.  Your actions will be in sync with your intuition.

6)  Sense a surge of inner harmony.  You will know harmony only after experiencing it.  Some people describe stronger connections with something beyond them.  Some even discern intermittent out-of-body experiences (OBEs), moments when they feel united with something greater. This is the state where 'yours' and 'mine' have dissolved. Possession, ownership, 'your' work and the world that defined you before, simply vanish.

7) Become one with the Source. At this stage, the soul no longer experiences a separation from its creator. There is no distinction between states of rapture and normal.  Prior to this stage, you experience various levels of attachment to results and experiences.  This stage is where you experience detachment and accept everything. 

Strategy of the Rainmaker

A village had been experiencing drought for five consecutive years.  Many famous rainmakers had been called, but they all failed to generate rain.  In the villagers' last attempt, they called upon the renowned Rainmaker from afar. 

When he arrived at the village, all he did was set up his tent and disappear inside it for four days.  On the fifth day, the rain started to fall and quenched the thirst of the parched earth.  The people of the village asked the Rainmaker how he had accomplished such a miracle.

 The Rainmaker replied, "I have done nothing."

Astounded at his explanation, the villagers said, "How can that be?  After you came, we had rain for four continuous days."

The Rainmaker explained, "When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was that everything in your village was out-of-harmony with heaven.  So, I spent four days putting myself into harmony with the Divine.  Then, the rains came."

Envelop the emptiness of your true self

As you try to understand events, you are struggling to understand and heal yourself. Events do not happen to us. We create the reality we think we want. Desires emerge from ego, not from your true self. Only within the void does truth appear. Emptiness is like feeling at ease, desireless and discerning the odorless purity of your spirit.

It is useful to remember that when a person refuses to learn a lesson in this life, because of being too busy, because of fear, or because of resisting change like an ingrained habit, the physical body will take over and begin to teach you its own way. We are all in search of our own perfection. To become whole, we must first discover the meaning of "empty."

Some people believe that during this life, each of us is only dreaming based on feelings and sensations we choose. When the spirit awakes in death, a person no longer has things that were collected or a sense of accomplishment based on what was supposedly achieved. The strange and mysterious shape our lives long before our time here is over.

What appears outside your frame of reference or your realm of experience, is not beyond the understanding of the mind. As you grow, you will understand. As you learn to nurture both male and female aspects of yourself, you will evolve to feel complete inside and you will also learn to nurture your innermost soul. Find comfort in its solitude and emptiness.