Legend of Horus the Elder Dr Raven Dolick MsD May 15, 2016

Legend of Horus the Elder

Dr Raven Dolick MsD

May 15, 2016

All rights reserved

... He is Horus who arose as king of Upper and Lower Egypt,

who united the Two Lands in the Nome of the Wall,

the place in which the Two Lands were united.

From the Shabaka Stone, British Museum

This most ancient of deities is most definitely not to be confused with Horus (Hor-sa-Isis or Haroeris), child of Isis and Osiris. In his earliest incarnation, Horus was a sky god whose name was “Hor,” meaning either “face” or “distant,” but he later evolved into a solar deity during the introduction of the Osirian cult.

The usual iconography of this god was of either a falcon or a man with the head of a falcon on his shoulders. However this Neter embodied within himself a multitude of falcon gods in various manifestations and with various names, a few being:

Horus of Behdet (located in the Western Delta) took form as a hawk-headed warrior. His cult moved from the Western Delta to Edfu, in Upper Egypt in later times, and the temple here subsequently became known famously as Edfu. It was known colloquially as Djeba (“Retribution Town”) because of the fact that Set and his followers were brought to justice there.

Harakhti (“Horus of the Two Horizons”). God of the east and the rising sun.

Behdety (“He of [the] behdet”). The hawk-winged sun disk that symbolized the passage of the sun through the sky.

Harpocrates (Har-pa-khered–“Horus the child”). The god manifests as a child sitting on his mother’s knee, wearing the side-lock of hair and occasionally sucking his fingers. This form is of the divine child.

Harisiese (Horus, the Son of Isis). This representation symbolizes the legitimacy of the Osirian line made manifest in the offspring of Isis and Osiris.

Horus or Heru was evident as a Neter of kings from at least predynastic times, with a cult center based in the ancient capital city of Upper Egypt, Nekhen (Greek name Hierakonopolis—“City of the Falcon”). A falcon deity had been preeminent in Nekhen since early times and it was this deity, Nekheny, who was subsequently absorbed into Horus. Nekhen’s crown was lost to Edfu in later times, but it still remained an important cult center for Horus.

Excavations at this site in modern times have revealed an oval, temple-like structure (dating to the early Naqada II) closely resembling temples found in Mesopotamia, perhaps indicating ancient trade links with this culture. The peoples of the ancient world were great explorers; they exchanged not only goods but also ideas. These ideas were like precious seeds that gave rise to important cultural, spiritual, and economic developments, and Egypt’s civilization benefited greatly from the flow of this information.

Remains at this site have revealed a circular stone wall, paved areas, and remnants of column bases. We can only surmise that a pole displaying the image of the Neter may have stood in the center of this space, whilst at its base were ceremonial platforms and around the courtyard were workshops for a variety of craftsmen. The central shrine looks to consist of three rooms, with four huge timber pillars making up the façade and colored mats serving as the walls.

With regard to the relationship between Horus and Set, we need to be aware of the dynamics of the relationship between the Neters and their embodiment of balanced rulership within the Two Lands. There has been great debate about whether there is a historical basis to the Horus-Set struggle enshrined within Egyptian mythology. Some authorities see it as a pre dynastic power struggle between the tribal leaders of Upper Egypt (followers of Horus) and those of Lower Egypt (followers of Set). Once unification had occurred, Horus reigned supreme as national deity, and history was rewritten by the victors many decades later.

We may be familiar with the tales of Horus, son of Isis, and the titanic battle with his uncle Set for the throne of Egypt, so we shall not enter into its recounting here.

Have we come any nearer to even understanding this Neter? Perhaps? Or perhaps not. As an embodiment of divine and human kingship, Horus emanates measured calm, deep wisdom, and immense strength. He is a warrior king embodying the power and beauty of an ancient, ancient civilization, one who is capable of great ferocity in defense, but it is a controlled force, wasting nothing, focused and direct. Equally he is wise in the ways of kingship, one who is utterly trustworthy and speaks words of Truth.

It is to our discredit that our perceptions of this most ancient and august of Neters appears not to shift too far from the image of the Osirian child. That may be so, Pilgrim, but you are blessed with free will; seek the truth behind the illusionary truths that confront you.

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The People In The Shadow Being Romani In America

The People In The Shadow

Being Romani In America

Dr Raven Dolick MsD/Chovihano

May 10, 2016

All rights reserved

Due both to the size of the American Romani population and the absence of a historical and cultural presence, such as the Romani have in Europe, Americans are largely unaware of the existence of the Romani as a people, associating the term "gypsies" with a trade or profession more than a cultural and ethnic heritage.

Roma: The “Other” Americans

Many Roma as I have made the US their home, and their cultural expression!

Shannon Rose Hill Cemetery off Highway 180 on the east side of Fort Worth is a typical rolling plot of grey tombstones strewn about in the dry, yellow grass characteristic of Texas winters.

Most of the graves are standard, except the distinct raised tombs which bear embedded photos of the deceased, dressed in their finest and smiling with cigarettes and their loved ones at their sides. These tombs are tagged with blooming pots of scarlet red poinsettias and empty Coke and Dr Pepper soda cans in place of candle adornments.

Evans is the name inscribed on each of these opulent tombs - the Roma clan that has made Fort Worth it's home for more than a hundred years. Up the hill, closer to the Shannon Rose Hill Funeral Home, an Evans is having his tomb installed, while nearby members of the clan - or familia, a social structure comprising 20 to 200 members related by blood or marriage - rest on the stone benches of another's grave.

Two elders, a younger woman, and a middle-aged man named Tom Evans - who looks like a typical businessman on his day off - sip cans of soda and joke about their dead relatives who, as they say, might be "listening in" on their conversation.

They talk over one another, sometimes in English, other times in Romani, a language that is one of the healthiest immigrant dialects in the United States, carried throughout the generations with little threat of endangerment, according to Ian F Hancock, Romani activist and professor of linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin.

When asked about the Roma population in Fort Worth, the eldest woman enunciates, "We are gypsies", peering out from a headscarf to take another sip of Coke.

"We are the same people as the gypsies in Europe. There is no difference," finishes the eldest man.

It's a family routine, explains Tom, as another relative drives up in an SUV and begins to unpack a picnic in the middle of the cemetery. He pulls out bags of potato chips, sandwich materials, sweet treats and more soda. On days off, Tom says his family likes to enjoy a soft drink amongst their dead, leaving the soda can behind as a momento.

For decades, the Evans were chronicled in the Dallas newspaper. Droves of clan members were reported at local hospitals, once in 1954 when their 75-year-old elder, Rosie Evans, suffered an injury, and again in 1970 for another clan member's cancer operation.

The Evans clan has long been known for leadership and literacy. In 1976, "lieutenant" Sam Evans, an advocate for the education of Roma children, told the Dallas Morning News: "People in the United States treat us pretty right ... I'm as American as I can be."

Texas Roma

Not far from the cemetery is the suburban neighbourhood of White Settlement, Fort Worth. Flat, generic and strewn with fuel stations, odd shops and intersecting residential streets, the region appears untouched by the gentrification of big box stores just beyond the overpass.

Parks of mobile homes are a frequent sight, some of which have been bought by Roma families. White Settlement is also home to the Greenhorns, a group of "Irish Travellers" - nomadic clans that, similar to the Roma reputation, move about the country doing house repairs and other odd jobs.

Along with Houston, the city of Fort Worth holds the largest population of Roma in the state of Texas, which is home to about 20,000 Romani Americans - most of which are Romanichal and Vlax - out of a national population of around one million.

The Vlax are typically Eastern Orthodox and celebrate both Christmas and Easter, while the Romanichals remain predominantly Protestant.

A fair number of Roma from both groups have also become "born-again" Christians, a choice that has been met with disdain from those who consider the new faith an impedance on the cultural behaviour of the Roma, such as fortune telling and arranged marriages.

Although the United States is home to several other Romani populations, Hancock's prognosis is that differences in dialects keep the groups separate with very little social interaction.

Segregation breeds marginalisation

Revelry among clans has been reported by the Dallas Morning News as far back as 1951, when six Roma clans swarmed into Dallas, threatening warfare after the shooting of a 15-year-old boy belonging to the Green tribe, allegedly shot by a member of the Evans.

Since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, however, along with a subsequent rise of ethnic nationalism and race-related violence, an increasing number of Roma have migrated to the United States, but are still largely the least integrated ethnic group in America, along with Native Americans.

"In America it's more of a bureaucratic marginalisation. It's kind of a Kafka-esque process of racism on paper," says Sani Rifati, president of the California-based non-profit organisation Voice of Roma (VoR), which promotes and presents Romani cultural arts and traditions to contribute to the preservation and education of Romani identity and culture. "A Liberal Democrat will pitch tolerance, which is just really words in the air. In Europe, the racism is more out in the open."

In Hancock's opinion, segregation between Roma and the rest of America can be attributed to both sides. Though Roma do associate with the gadje (non-Roma) for basic economic needs, most of their traditions kept today in the United States - such as kris, or Romani tribunal, a custom of the Vlax that serves as a type of court within the community held several times a year in either Fort Worth or Houston - work to keep them on the fringe of society for fear that interference from non-Roma could potentially "taint" the Roma way.

"There is a good reason why Roma separate themselves from non-Roma, it's a form of protection," says Rifati. "If you look at the non-Roma communities throughout the world, they're not so kind to Roma," Rifati continues. "You have this form of protection with other groups like the Amish, who don't live with any Western values, or Orthodox Jews. In Roma culture the most important value is the family and the clan. If you don't protect that then you are completely lost."

But Hancock is concerned that if Romani Americans continue to dismiss the mainstream from accepting their lifestyle and identity, they will further disappear into the ethnic ambiguity and threaten the longevity of their culture.

Stereotypes and "untouchability"

Roma who reside in the United States have been unofficially coined "the hidden Americans", on account of their "invisibility" among other ethnic groups, due to their dark skin and hair, which can often be mistaken for Hispanic, southern European or American Indian.

The promotion of racism and the peripheral lifestyle of many Romani Americans is further encouraged "by adhering to the Hollywood 'Gypsy' stereotype and not understanding actual Roma", says Hancock. Of a similar opinion, Voice of Roma (VoR) makes nation-wide efforts to de-bunk the fairytale image of caravans, spirits, kings and queens.

Originally from Kosovo, Sani Rifati came to the United States in 1993 and found a country that, in his opinion, was based on individuals and lacked community involvement. Says Rifati: "In general, Americans are really ignorant about Roma."

"Everybody can be a Gypsy expert in America," he continues, "because they feel it's their freedom to speak on my behalf. And I say, let me take the first shot and I'll tell you who I am. But before we dance, let's have a dialogue. So that's another part of what we do here in America. We fight very tirelessly to have Gypsy art recognised, and not just as a circus."

Promoting "untouchability" even extends as far as education, as some Roma in Texas and the rest of the United States pull their children from schools once they've reached puberty. Most of the younger generations of American Roma do not use the Romani language, speaking more English and even Spanish in states such as Texas and California.

"In general, Roma are not fit for the educational system because of prejudices," says Rifati. "We have a very familiar phenomenon with Native Americans in the United States." Young and uneducated American Roma face high rates of suicide, with the outside world seemingly having little to offer.

"I had to fight the Serbian establishment because they didn't want to educate a 'gypsy' in their classroom," recalls Rifati. "I had to work five times harder than other Serbian students in order to get good grades."

RADOC and Voice of Roma

Apart from being a Romani-born activist, international spokesperson and scholar Ian F Hancock is an official ambassador to the United Nations and UNICEF, representing the world's 15 million Romanies. Having been raised in a traditional Romani family in London and experiencing discrimination, alienation and abuse from the law within his community, Hancock was given a unique opportunity to study within the doctoral programme at University College London, as part of then-Prime Minister Harold Wilson's dedication to affirmative action.

Hancock launched the first Romani Studies programme at the University of Texas at Austin, which has become the leading US centre for studies on Romani history, language and culture. As an extension of the programme, Hancock established the Romani Archives and Documentation Center (RADOC) at the university, which is the largest collection of Romani materials in the world, consisting of over 10,000 books, monographs, bound articles, prints, photos and documents.

Contrary to a popular belief that all Roma in Europe are uneducated, Sani Rifati holds a Masters in Chemistry and comes from a generation in former Yugoslavia that was allowed certain educational privileges. Finding work, however, was another battle.

When Rifati moved to the United States, he says he was quite ignorant about his own culture. But he thanks Hancock for helping him not only to better understand his culture, but to feel good about it too.

Voice of Roma has devoted 2011 to festivals that will raise funds to protect Roma refugees of former Yugoslavia. Rifati says: "We also have written expert testimony to stop the deportation from France, Germany and Italy. We're doing a lot of actions, while at the same time trying to preserve the Roma culture."

YOU Are The Creator! Dr Raven Dolick MsD

YOU Are The Creator!

Dr Raven Dolick MsD

All rights reserved

The future is never written in stone; every decision we make and every action we perform creates it. There are an infinite number of probable futures, but all of them are the outcomes of actions taken in the present. Live in the now, take steps today and reap rewards in the future!

This may sound like the plot of a science fiction story, but it’s a common theory about how the future can be predicted and engineered. In fact, there are certain models of Quantum Mechanics that suggest future events may actually send bits of information into the past that act as “attractors” that increase the probability of their occurrence.

Ideals, Beliefs, Motivations and Influences of the Cycles

We cannot deny that we attract certain results of our actions because of our beliefs, values, ideals and motivations. In Numerology, the various chart components describe these qualities, and their relative strengths and weaknesses over time.

As you embark on the study of your Numerology Chart, you’ll learn about arithmetic methods of finding various time cycles based on your Total Name Number and your Life Path number. All of these cycles have a certain “periods of influence.” Some of these periods will cover a number of years, while others have much shorter time spans. Each of these periods has its own quality, defined by the numeric (or alphabet) symbol of its vibrational pattern and its relation to other key numbers in your chart.

These time cycles also come with challenges – patterns that can be worked with so that the life runs more smoothly. These challenges are computed in many ways, and are prominent during certain cycles, and less emphasized in others.

Through understanding these time cycles and their meanings, predictions about their nature can be made and often with stunning accuracy. But predicting the future is only a small part of working with Numerology. What’s infinitely more important is what to do with the information you gather from the art.

Action Breeds Success

If you learn that a certain time could feature a financially successful event or transaction, a big boost for your love-life or an abundance of blissful feelings and healing, would it make sense to wait for it to happen? Luck and success follow action; only opportunity can precede it. If you have knowledge that a certain period of time in the future could result in failure, loneliness or illness, would you resign yourself to accepting it and not do anything about it? Misfortune is only certain when you do nothing to avert it.

When positive vibrational patterns manifest, they can do one of two things. They can bring forth the good gifts of this abundant Universe, or they can act to protect you from the difficulties that you may encounter in daily life. With a little self-knowledge and determination, most difficulties can be channeled into useful actions, so that the positive aspects of these vibrational complexes can manifest.

Consciously Create the Best Outcomes

All of the numbers contain the seeds of good or ill fortune within them. If you are acting consciously to attain the best possible expression of the numbers, you’ll find that the more difficult ones are supporting you in their own way. You are expressing all of the qualities of the numbers all of the time, and unless you’re consciously working with your chart, the various energies will express themselves randomly through the unconscious, bringing uncontrolled, unexpected and usually uncomfortable results.

http://www.ravenstarenchantments.com/raven-dolick-doctor-of-metaphysics.php

The Metaphysics of Synchronicities Explained Dr. Raven Dolick M.s.D. April 20, 2016

The Metaphysics of Synchronicities Explained

Dr. Raven Dolick M.s.D.

April 20, 2016

All rights reserved

2016 RavenStar Enchantments

This article's objective is to explain synchronicity and how everything is falling into place and why. I did feel this is a good time write it since I've not seen much yet covering this topic but do see synchronicity accelerating like other collective energy today. It will also help those who're just starting the awakening process and are coming to a state of accepting more information.

A synchronicity for someone on the spiritual path is that moment in the fabric of time when we suddenly and briefly become consciously aware that we have made a deeper connection with the universe or that which is greater than our individual self. Those not yet familiar with the concept of synchronicity would most likely pass off these moments as mere coincidence. The theory was first presented by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung.

A synchronicity for someone on the spiritual path is that moment in the fabric of time when we suddenly and briefly become consciously aware that we have made a deeper connection with the universe or that which is greater than our individual self. Those not yet familiar with the concept of synchronicity would most likely pass off these moments as mere coincidence. The theory was first presented by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. He proposed the idea that when multiple, meaningful occurrences happen, it is not coincidence but a type of psychological and spiritual experience intended to guide your soul force into motion. A synchronicity is designed to give us a push in a general direction. In what direction may not be initially revealed but with a trusting connection to our intuition the path can sometimes be obvious but it is up to us as individuals to make the decision to follow

Synchronicities are responsible for bringing people and events into our lives seemingly at just the right time. This is why they are considered by many to be nothing more than coincidence, however there is no such thing as coincidence if you believe in synchronicity. Although synchronicity has never been scientifically proven it certainly doesn’t mean it does not exist. Intuition cannot be scientifically proven, neither can many spiritual concepts but most if not all people have at some stage in their lives seen how their intuition has guided them in some way. They may not know how it could have possibly happened but known for sure that something unexplained scientifically most definitely took place. Synchronicity is like gravity in a way, you can’t see it but it is definitely there and the more you open yourself to becoming aware of synchronicities as they appear in your life, the more of them you will notice.

Carl Jung believed as many others do today that you are responsible for your own synchronicities. Your habitual thoughts on both a conscious and subconscious level combined with your day to day actions cause you to manifest synchronicities into your life in a manner directly related to the law of attraction. Subconsciously you know what you want and through your subconscious beliefs you attract events or synchronicities which if followed will lead you to places where you will learn the important life lessons you need for your journey.

It is important to remember that not all synchronicities will lead you to a place that you consciously want to be. However, by following those synchronicities you learn new lessons that are beneficial to you in the long run although at first it may seem you have made an unwise move. For example, you have been pondering the idea of opening your own business but feel you don’t have the experience or the resources to make it work so you don’t make any plans to move ahead with your idea. At the same time you are not happy in your current job and desperately want to leave. All of a sudden a synchronicity occurs, so you follow it into a new job that you believe will make you happy and you will gain more experience that may help you to open your own business later on. At first everything seems to be going along just fine when one day your boss comes in and tells you he is closing down the company and you no longer have a job. This causes you all manner of stress as you can’t find another job and you wish you had never quit your old job. However, since you have the time anyway, you begin to work towards setting up your own business while you continue to look for a new job but eventually you manage to start up your own business and after a lot of hard work, it pays off and you realize if it wasn’t for that initial synchronicity you wouldn’t be in the position you are today. This is one example of a synchronicity leading you to a negative place before a positive one but in my experience I believe most synchronicities if followed intuitively tend to improve your position in life sooner rather than later.

Synchronicities are happening for most people on a daily basis but most of us are so tuned in to our problems and worried about the past or the future that we don’t recognize the synchronicities when they appear. Synchronicities are not only related to the law of attraction, they are also directly linked with the law of vibration. Each individual vibrates at a certain level, the more positive and happy the person, the higher their level of vibration. Negative, unhappy or angry people usually reside on a lower vibrational frequency. With a positive outlook and an open mind your higher rate of vibration serves to manifest positive opportunities or synchronicities much faster than those vibrating on the lower frequencies.

Not all synchronicities are going to lead to a change that will transform your life. Often they are just a guide or like a warning bell to keep you on the right path and stop you from wandering into the abyss through a lack of focus. Dreams and premonitions which precede a synchronistic occurrence are usually positive examples of when you should take notice and follow them intuitively. At the moment a synchronicity occurs it is like the merging of a persons subjective and objective realities or in other words, when what had previously only been seen from inside your mind’s eye actually appears on the outside or in your physical reality.

Albert Einstein discovered with the law of relativity that everything in the universe is made of energy vibrating at different rates, the more dense the matter the slower the vibration. He equated and it has been proven scientifically that if everything in the universe is made up of energy, everything must in some way be connected. Synchronicity reveals how we are intrinsically connected to our seemingly dense material world through our conscious and subconscious thought patterns. Our thoughts control our reality and the collective consciousness which we are all part of is like an organizing principle that brings us together through synchronistic experiences which help us all to evolve on both our physical and spiritual journey through eternity.

The bottom line here is, keep an eye out on a daily basis for even the tiniest of coincidences and know that what may seem insignificant at first glance could be a wonderful opportunity just waiting for you to take action. It could be the synchronicity that leads you to the place you’ve always wanted to be. So maybe dreams really do come true.

See more of my work here:

http://www.ravenstarenchantments.com/raven-dolick-doctor-of…

Divine Sex Tantra Made Simple Dr Raven Dolick MsD

Divine Sex

Tantra Made Simple

Dr Raven Dolick MsD

Apr 20, 2016

All rights reserved

2016 RavenStar Enchantments

According to what we think is the most reliable scholarly perspective, Tantra emerged as a distinct tradition in South Asia approximately 1,700 years ago, although its symbolism and philosophy partake of traditional beliefs that are far older and that are similar to a cosmology that existed in many other societies. In The Kiss of the Yogini, David Gordon White makes a compelling case that the earliest Tantric practitioners were focused on acquiring power through ritual, and specifically sexual ritual, and that this sets Tantra apart from other traditions. In White's account, as Tantra evolved over the next several hundred years, it became more "spiritual" in focus, absorbing and being absorbed by the dominant cultural-religious models of the region (specifically Hinduism and Buddhism). This evolution meant that "enlightenment" or "liberation," rather than the acquisition of personal power, became the focus.

The quest for power did not disappear completely. Later Tantric practitioners sought both bhukti (enjoyment) and mukti (liberation), and the prevailing belief in Tantra and other related traditions was that powers (siddhis) were a sign of spiritual accomplishment. At the same time, seeking power for its own sake was generally condemned and seen as a pathway to ruin. The powers that are described in some of the texts—omniscience, astral projection, and the ability to make oneself extremely large or small, among others—have a magical quality but are sometimes understood as relating to the entirely subjective experiences that can happen in the context of meditation.

Starting in the late nineteenth century, Tantric texts and ideas began to gain greater exposure in the West. Alice Bunker Stockham's book Karezza: The Ethics of Marriage, which advocated a kind of meditative, non-thrusting, non-orgasmic sex, was quite likely influenced by Tantric and Taoist ideas. Aleister Crowley and even more explicitly Pierre A. Bernard (known as Oom the Omnipotent) gained notoriety in part because they espoused a Tantric approach that encompassed sexuality. Unlike Crowley, who reveled in his bad reputation, Bernard eventually backed away from the sexual element and became both a very wealthy man and one of the most influential popularizers of Hatha Yoga in the United States.

It is well documented that Hatha Yoga as practiced in the modern world is a hybrid that merges ancient traditions, practices, and beliefs with British military calisthenics. Similarly, modern Tantra in both India and the West is hardly a pure reflection of what it was in the medieval era or earlier. In the early part of the twentieth century, Sir John Woodroffe (an English judge and Tantric initiate) and a group of Indian advocates of independence fought, in the face of intense bigotry, to valorize and reclaim Indian philosophy in general and Tantra in particular. Woodroffe wrote several books on Tantric thought and, with the help of his collaborators, translated a number of texts. Woodroffe and his circle sought to downplay the sexual aspects of Tantra, which is not surprising. In the early twentieth century, scandalous accounts of ritual sex had been in circulation for a hundred years, something that Woodroffe and his collaborators were trying to counteract.

This negative attitude about sex was not new and was not solely the result of British colonization and Victorian morality; later but still pre-colonial Indian commentary on Tantric texts often treats references to sex as metaphorical. For example, a passage from the Vijnanabhairava Tantra reads: "At the time of sexual intercourse with a woman, absorption into her is brought about by excitement, and the delight that ensues at orgasm betokens the delight of Brahman. This delight is in reality that of one's own self." An eighteenth century Indian commentator suggested, with what strikes us as somewhat tortured reasoning, that this statement is intended symbolically and that the delight of orgasm is but a poor substitute for the "delight of Brahman."1 (Brahman is not an easy word to define; it refers to the supreme godhead in Hinduism, but the concept of Brahman should not be confused with the anthropomorphic gods of monotheism or polytheism. It is far more esoteric, encompassing a kind of cosmic, blissful consciousness.)

Like Hatha Yoga, modern Tantra is a hybrid. While this is true in the West, it is also the case in India, even though the traces of the ancient tradition are still visible there, and Tantra inspires fear and is associated with village magic in the minds of many. Others in twenty-first century India associate Tantra with Osho and sex, just as many westerners do.

Modern westerners (and most modern Indians, for that matter) cannot possibly inhabit the mental world of a contemporary Tantric Saddhu (holy man), let alone that of the eleventh or sixth century practitioner. We certainly do not claim to be capable of doing so, even though we have been initiated into a traditional and ancient lineage. This fact presents multiple challenges, ones that we strive to meet in all of our work: how can we draw on the wisdom of the tradition and connect with its power in a way that is true to its essence but is also relevant to contemporary western readers and students? How can we write about Tantric sexuality while making it clear that sex is only one aspect of the Tantric tradition, arguably a small one, without lapsing into sex negativity, an attitude that is prevalent in both modern America and modern India? How can we share this knowledge in a way that is at once accessible, cognizant of modern scientific data, and respectful of the tradition and the culture in which it evolved?

A lot were drawn to Tantra because of its sexual aspects, and in this regard, we suspect we are typical of most twenty-first century people of whatever cultural or national background. As we see it, the passage from the Vijnanabhairava suggests that sex is one realm in which people can have access to states that, at a minimum, approximate divine delight. These states also afford the opportunity to know oneself more fully, to be more fully oneself, and simultaneously to lose oneself completely. Great Sex Made Simple is based on this understanding.

There are eight basic principles that are central to our approach:

Honor your partner

Cultivate body awareness, especially of your pelvic floor

Learn to recognize and feel energy

Think of partnered sexual activity as collaboration

Take your time

Build arousal and prolong it

Develop the capacity to be present

Shed your inhibitions

These principles are simple, although applying them can be considerably more complex. We've provided specific, practical techniques for incorporating them into your lovemaking. We are not dogmatic, and we are not suggesting that you should eliminate anything that you already enjoy for the sake of some "Tantric" ideal. Taking your time, for example, doesn't mean that every lovemaking session has to be prolonged, just that you should develop the capacity to slow down when you choose to.

My Ebook “Sexuality and Spirituality” is a Metaphysical look at technique and application of all discussed in my article here and more. If you as a serious practitioner do wish to master this skill I encourage you to take advantage of my modestly priced Ebook by following this quick link:

http://www.ravenstarenchantments.com/online-store.php…

The Missing Puzzle Piece to Evolve Your Soul Dr Raven Dolick MsD Apr 20, 2016

The Missing Puzzle Piece to Evolve Your Soul

Dr Raven Dolick MsD

Apr 20, 2016

All rights reserved

2016 RavenStar Enchantments

Today I'm writing to share another key piece of the puzzle that I've seen trip up many people on a spiritual or personal growth path. And, more importantly, what we can do to move beyond it.

I propose that dramatic and radical change IS possible for human beings.

I know with the right process and approach, we can clear even the most tenacious inner hurdles to become the human beings we want and need to be.

We can take that big of a leap.

I not only believe this. I've seen it. Profound, life-transforming spiritual liberation is accessible. It's not only possible in this lifetime, but is in fact well within reach for anyone of reasonably sound mind and stable character.

But there's an important ingredient needed to crack the old "code" so we can do it: motivation.

Once we've become aware of the most essential roadblocks to personal and cultural change, where do we get the motivation to move beyond them?

One of the crucial reasons that radical evolution beyond ego doesn't happen, even for earnest seekers, is this:

For most of us, the context for our spiritual path is just too small.

In a word, it's still about us--our own fulfillment, our own happiness, even our own enlightenment.

It's not that we're selfish people. Indeed, most spiritual seekers are among the most selfless people on the planet.

The problem is that we've all been steeped in a contemporary spiritual subculture that sees the entire purpose of following a spiritual path as personal. It tells us that the reason for working on spiritual growth is so that we can live happier, more fulfilled more peaceful lives.

Our own comfort and contentment seems like a reasonable enough goal. But as long as our own happiness is all we're seeking, we'll never awaken the depth of spiritual passion and conviction required to propel us into genuine evolution beyond ego.

That impetus only arises powerfully enough when we realize that the spiritual path is not about us, but rather is about participating in something far greater than ourselves.

To get a taste of what I'm talking about, imagine for a moment that the fate of the entire human race rested on your shoulders alone. That humanity's evolution out of brute self-interest depended entirely on your willingness to transform your consciousness.

What if you knew that the human race could advance past its smallness and negative conditioning --if you only became an exemplar of humanity's highest potential for the world?

Imagine that for you, evolving beyond ego became an evolutionary imperative.

Would you approach your path any differently? Would the energy you brought to your spiritual practice intensify? Would the quality of awareness and care with which you approached your interactions with others become more profound?

Would you find yourself reaching with inner muscles you didn't even know you had to actually stay awake to the depth you've tasted in your most profound spiritual moments?

If you knew it all rested on you, would you have any choice but to change?

The Indian sage Ramana Maharshi once said that the spiritual aspirant must want liberation like a drowning person wants air.

Why? Because the challenges of authentic spiritual growth and transformation are so great that most of us will choose to continue suffering in our smallness, rather than feel the pain of allowing that smallness to die forever.

But how many of us would stay there if we realized that it wasn't only our own suffering we were perpetuating? What if our petty indulgences were perpetuating the suffering of the entire human race?

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "That's a nice thought experiment. Sure, it makes me realize I could be more earnest on my path, but what does it really have to do with me? I'm no megalomaniac. I know that my growth and evolution alone isn't enough to liberate the human race.”

And it's here that I would ask you to reconsider.

Modern science has in recent decades been verifying what the ancient traditions intuited long ago: that, in both tangible and mysterious ways, we are all interconnected. Any one of us can have a profound effect on the whole.

Add to that the reality that we are evolving beings living in an evolving universe. We are all part of a grand, cosmic evolutionary process. Then the question of our obligation to the whole starts to cut close to the bone.

To reframe my earlier question: What if you realized that the entire human endeavor, the evolution of consciousness itself, depended on your willingness to evolve your own consciousness?

How would it affect the choices you make every day if you knew that in a very real sense, those choices were either contributing to the evolution of the whole--or holding it back?

At this time when it seems that our very future depends on our willingness to evolve as a species, would you have any choice but to act in alignment with the greatest evolutionary good?

The point I'm trying to make is that when we take a closer look at what spiritual work and growth is actually for, it quickly becomes clear that the path of awakening is not primarily about freeing ourselves from suffering or securing our own happiness.

Sure, that's a nice by-product. But, as long as that's all we're seeking, we probably won't get very far.

Where the spiritual path really begins to get interesting is when we recognize that transforming ourselves in the deepest possible way is in fact an evolutionary imperative, with profound consequences far beyond ourselves.

If we begin to embrace the fact that our lives are not simply our own to do with as we please--that in everything we do, we are in fact accountable to the Whole--something truly miraculous begins to happen.

Faced with the palpable responsibility to evolve for a greater good, we find that we suddenly have access to a seemingly infinite source of energy, intention, passion and courage to confront whatever challenges present them on our path.

What's more, all of the personal issues and problems--all of the fears and doubts and resistances that once seemed so insurmountable--begin to look a lot less significant.

Why? Because our attention is now captivated by something much bigger than ourselves.

This is the power of context. We see our individual concerns, the worries we fret over day to day, from a different vantage point. Held up against this larger picture and greater purpose, those concerns suddenly seem very small indeed.

Realizing "it's not all about me," and ignited by a noble calling to participate in the grand adventure of conscious evolution, we find we no longer even want to give those worries the time of day.

And in this freedom from self-concern, before long we discover that the deep inner peace and joy we were seeking all along has become the very ground we are walking on.

To get a taste of the liberating context I'm pointing to, try the following experiments:

1) Before you meditate or engage in any spiritual practice, take 10 minutes to reflect on the profound significance of your practice. Ask yourself:

-Why do I need to awaken for myself?

-Why do other people need me to awaken?

-Why does God/evolution/humanity (your choice) need me to awaken?

Allow yourself to feel deeply into the most authentic answer you can find. Then, invite that deeper answer to come forward as a clear and present intention to engage your spiritual practice wholeheartedly, as if the universe depended on it. And engage your practice from this deeper intention.

Notice how this exercise impacts the quality of your spiritual practice.

2) When you encounter a challenging and emotionally charged situation in your life, before you respond, take a few minutes to ask yourself:

-What is the most enlightened or evolved response I could have in this situation?

-Why is it important for my own evolution that I respond in the most enlightened, evolved way I can?

-Why does God/evolution/humanity (your choice) need me to respond in the most enlightened, evolved way I can?

Allow yourself to feel into the larger significance of your response to this challenging moment. Ground yourself in an intention to show up as an exemplar of humanity's potential. And then respond from this deeper intention.

Notice how this approach changes your perspective on the situation and your ability to meet it.

There is deep and powerful work that can be done to cultivate this perspective, to truly ground your life in this way of seeing--and even more importantly, acting.

If the possibility of participating in this adventure of conscious evolution inspires you, then I invite you to join me.

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