Tag Archives: consciousness

OLD SOUL’S GUIDEBOOK

By Ainslie MacLeod

In this popular book, psychic Ainslie MacLeod outlines a system of soul evolution that fascinates and provides fodder for deeper exploration. In his system, the soul progresses through ten levels or ages on earth. The first stage of existence is lived out in simplicity, isolation, and naivety. We are brand new souls trying to understand the very basics of incarnation. A soul will spend 5000 to 6000 years in each stage reincarnating as necessary until progressing to the next level.

Briefly, here are the levels and their characteristics:

Level 1: isolation, simplicity, naivety                                                                                                         

Level 2: fundamentalism, nationalism, discrimination

Level 3: church, conformity, conservatism

Level 4: morality, aspiration, hypocrisy

Level 5: ambition, materialism, exploration

Level 6: social justice, uncertainty, introspection

Level 7: complexity, creativity, innovation

Level 8: activism, liberalism, sophistication

Level 9: spirituality, self-improvement, healing

Level 10: altruism, inertia, compassion (you will need to read the book for the explanation of inertia here, but is does make sense)

Anyone reading this, no doubt has decided which level they think they are currently have achieved. Our soul’s perspective on life goes through massive shifts about halfway through the process. The way MacLeod uses the term “old souls” is clarified in the book to be associated with qualities representing more peaceful, more empathetic individuals who are more accepting of differences and more open to questioning belief systems. The author goes as far to say that political beliefs are an indicator of someone’s level. (To me that means, I could easily draw a line to define the US red/ blue political split above.)

Exploring MacLeod’s system further, we find that each soul expresses through a personality that was created on the astral plane before incarnation. There are ten soul types. Reading through these, you can choose what resonates with you as a primary. You may also be drawn to a secondary. Some people have several which overlap and influence. You can sign up to take the soul type quiz on the author’s site here: https://ainsliemacleod.com/soul-type-quiz/

Soul Types: (and percentages of the population)

  1. Helper (6 %)
  2. Caregiver (10%)
  3. Educator (9%)
  4. Thinker (16%)
  5. Creator (12%)
  6. Performer (10%)
  7. Hunter (6%)
  8. Leader (12%)
  9. Spiritualist (19%)
  10. Transformer (less than 1%)

Although most of us have no conscious memory of past lives, our past lives form the basis of our daily existence in all kinds of ways. We gravitate toward the familiar. Talents and skills spill over. So do limiting beliefs, phobias, and fears. Unexplained physical ailments from past lives often carry over. Even events in our current life can trigger traumas of the past. A good portion of MacLeod’s book covers this terrain. The cases he presents are intriguing.

Some of the material will sound familiar to those who have read many sources on past lives. There is something to be gained from trying the mediation exercises at the end of the chapters to see what can be gleaned for the individual. This is a book that makes you wonder about your past and what you might be bringing forward. Why you like certain things and not others. Why certain cultures call to you. Why you like such and such music or art. Patterns that you repeat. Why you have an ache or pain, or what about that scar… It will also make you think about that friend or family member who can’t heal or break out of a cycle. It’s about plunging deeper into the unseen and life. Many libraries have the book, go find it. MacLeod has been interviewed by Oprah. The book is great fodder for conversation if you can find a person willingly to dive deep with you. I hope you do!    

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HAUNTED FOREST IN JAPAN

Photo: Ajari

The chill of autumn has arrived along with its spectacular color pallet. Yards are sprouting pumpkins and skeletons; witches hang from brooms. Time to pull sweaters from closets we haven’t seen for a year and sip warm cider from mugs. This time of year calls for the dark and scary (truly, it’s the only socially acceptable time to talk of death).

I’m going to combine two interests here, Japan (because in the spring I’ll be traveling there) and all things creepy because Halloween beckons. Come, we venture to the exotic land of the rising sun. At the base of Mount Fuji, is a forest called innocuously enough the Blue Tree Meadow (Aokigahara), or the Sea of Trees. Lovely, little tourist area of dense forest which flourishes upon a lava bed dating from 864 CE. The forest is known for its profound silence part of which is undoubtedly due to the sound absorbing properties of the area’s volcanic rock. The conifers and cypress trees must also suppress sound. Perhaps it was this uncanny quiet of the forest that first linked Aokigahara with the traditional ghosts of Japan: yūrei. If only it were that innocent…

“Ghost of Oyuki” (1750) by Maruyama Okyo – first ex. of traditional yurei in art

In Japanese culture, the spirit or reikon, leaves the body when someone dies and goes to an in-between state awaiting funeral rites in order to be reunited with the ancestors in the afterlife. If everything is done correctly, the reikon journeys to the afterlife and becomes a guardian of the family it left behind. Sometimes, however, things don’t go well for the reikon. If the proper rites are not carried out, or if sudden or violent death occurs, the reikon’s journey is disrupted. Even strong negative emotions (revenge, jealousy, hatred, etc.) around the time of death can act to pull the reikon back to the physical world as a yūrei.  The yūrei continues to haunt until the appropriate rituals are completed or the emotions that fuel the ghost are resolved. By legend, Aokigahara is full of these persistent spirits. A likely reason for this is that ubasute, or the practice of leaving the elderly, sick or infirm out in mountain or remote locations especially during famine conditions may have been practiced here as late as the 19th century.

In more recent times, Aokigahara has become associated with suicide. The 1961 novel, Tower of Waves by Seicho Matsumoto popularized the area when he became Japan’s best-selling and highest earning author of the 1960s. In 2010, 200 suicide attempts were recorded with 54 suicides. To curb the association with this grim activity, the police no longer release data regarding suicides. Signs have been posted to discourage it. However, every year searches are made, and bodies are recovered.

Yurei (1800s) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

The two Hollywood movies that have been made about the forest are The Sea of Trees (Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts) and The Forest. Both are good and might deserve another viewing. Happy Halloween!


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BLOG INDEX

The index of articles from this blog are now posted as a page. Find the listing here:

ASTROLOGY SERVICES:

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REINCARNATION ASTROLOGY:

Evolutionary Astrology is where the past becomes a steppingstone, not a millstone.

So, what is it exactly?

Many seekers over millennia have sought out and used the tools of astrology. In modern times, a birth chart reading provides insight into the personality or psychology of the individual. But behind that chart lies another chart, hidden from all but the most ardent of explorers. This is what evolutionary astrology endeavors to parse, the blending of the psychological with the metaphysical to produce a kind of elevated psychology. Perhaps this could be viewed as a sacred level of psychology–the psychology of our evolving consciousness.

Whether as a literal reality or metaphor, evolutionary astrology uses the idea that we have all lived before. Through those lives, we faced lessons and challenges. We learned and grew, and we continue to confront challenges in this incarnation. This is an astrology that honors the individual and individual difference. As a sacred esoteric tool, it empowers each one of us with the free will of choice. Throughout life, an individual makes choices amongst a vast field of archetypal astrological possibilities and always an individual retains free will. We evolve through incarnations based on our choices.

What evolves lifetime to lifetime is consciousness. Exploring the evolutionary chart will reveal past-life situations and dynamics but the focus of evolutionary astrology is to evolve consciousness through understanding, healing, and releasing. The seeker enters the realm of the sacred—the deep, the mystical, the past. Together, astrologer and client go in search of pattern and archetype. We uncover triumph and failure revealing both treasure and wound.

It is important to remember that this analysis employs a symbolic system and is not literal. It is not possible to tell if someone lived in the 14th Cent. Florence or fought in the Boer War. The chart will not reveal personal past-life connections to people in our current lives. These areas may be best explored with psychics or mediums. An analysis using evolutionary astrology will uncover situations and experiences an individual has likely faced many times in the past and these are the issues that are active in this incarnation. The proof of evolutionary astrology is borne out by the presence of these issues in one’s life today.

Are you ready to find out about your past and get a taste of what your soul yearns for in this life?

For the cost of $50, payable through PayPal, you will receive your own personalized 12–15-page report along with your birth chart. This is NOT a computer-generated report but a detailed, specific analysis uniquely for you, written by me.

Contact me through himalayaspencerellis@yahoo.com for more details and scheduling information.  

Feb. 18, 2022: Thanks to everyone who has contacted for more info and to schedule. I’m working to accommodate all the requests! Looking forward to working with all of you! Thanks for trusting me with this sacred task. Ellis

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The Mystical Minute:

The premier episode of The Mystical Minute. Join Ellis for brief videos on all things mystical or spiritual. The first up is a look at what we know about NDEs (near death experiences) from the book After by Bruce Greyson.

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AFTER

By Bruce Greyson

Greyson is a psychiatrist who has been studying near death experiences (NDEs) for decades. He brings his research and a plethora of stories together in this book as he walks the reader through his process of discovery. The stories are fascinating (especially the ones where someone learns about someone’s death during an NDE only to return to life and find out that person has died). If you are familiar with NDEs, he will plow well-known ground for much of the book. You must remember that Greyson took up his work when scientists didn’t even agree on what the term NDE even meant. How far we’ve come!

The book suffers (for me) because he refused to date any of his material apparently thinking that it would make the cases sound old and trivial, but it makes it difficult to get a sense of the whole timeline. There is also a grating repeat of his insistence of his scientific perspective throughout. I get it! You’re an MD and want to be accepted by peers. (You told me that! Move on.) It’s hard not to draw a sharp contrast to the mettle of an Ian Stevenson and the constant lack of confidence Greyson reveals. Enough of my personal pet peeves though. Does the book hold value? Of course, it does.

Greyson tackles some difficult and little covered areas. Most NDE stories are positive with positive outcomes. But there are people who have negative NDEs. There are also the lesser-known downsides to NDEs. These effects and stories are covered in the chapter aptly named, Hard Landings. Grayson would also like to shift the focus of the NDE discussion away from what happens after we die to how NDEs can help people live better, more fulfilling lives. Research suggests just learning about NDEs can help people make meaningful changes in how they live. All good points.

I think this is the kind of book where the take-away message is really going to depend on who YOU are. Are you questioning the reality of NDEs? Then the linear approach of Greyson’s scientific method will appeal and do much to answer your questions. Are you already convinced of the legitimacy of the NDEs? Then, maybe, the stories and the way people are forever changed by these events will speak to you. For me, it’s always been more about what NDEs say about our understanding of reality that makes the phenomena not only intriguing- but important. Lessons from NDE research supports the idea that consciousness does not spring from the brain, but rather that the brain acts as a receiver that filters information. Science has a lot of work to do to figure out how the mind and the brain function to explain all the intricacies experienced in NDEs. These understandings will have far reaching consequences on the whole way we structure our paradigm.

Some points to ponder:

*5% (approx..) of the population has experienced an NDE. (They are COMMON!) 1in 20 Americans have had one- means you probably know someone who has.   

*NDEs happen to all genders, ages, religions, ethnic groups.

*Most experiencers are convinced some part of us continues after death.

*Studies of the brain, reveal that memories of NDEs look like memories of real events (NOT like how the brain remembers fantasies or imagined events).   

* NDEs REDUCE the fear of death (overwhelmingly!!) regardless, if the NDE was positive or negative. It also reduces the fear of living allowing more risk taking and enjoyment of life.

*Experiencers who see those who have died when no one knew they had died, may suggest a form of continued consciousness after death. THE BIG QUESTION!!!

*NDEs point out flaws in the current brain-based model of consciousness.

Added Sep 3, 2021

UPDATE: Research published in 2017 on NDEs.

https://www.iands.org/news/news/front-page-news/1060-aware-study-initial-results-are-published.html

“The AWARE study (AWAreness during REsuscitation) is a multi-hospital clinical study of the brain and consciousness during cardiac arrest, including testing the validity of perceptions during the out-of-body part of near-death experiences (NDEs). Dr. Sam Parnia is the principal investigator. The initial results, from the first four years of the study, were published last December in the medical journal Resuscitation (PDF). 

Of the 2,060 cardiac arrests during the study, 140 patients survived and could be interviewed for the study. Of these, 101 patients had detailed interviews, which identified 9 patients who had an NDE. Of the 9 NDErs, two had detailed memories with awareness of the physical environment. One NDEr’s experience was verified as accurate;…”

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The Haunting of Alma Fielding (NF)

By Kate Summerscale

I actually put this book on hold before it was released thinking it was a fictional tale, so I was a bit surprised when it arrived. This is the true story of a Hungarian ghost hunter researching phenomena in England prior to WWII. Nador Fodor worked for the International Institute for Psychical Research, when in 1938, he encountered Alma Fielding, an average, middle-class housewife. Alma’s life had been turned upside down by poltergeist activity including objects flying through the air and various sorts of items appearing as apports. The case became famous in England as multiple papers vied for the story. Fodor had his own suspicions and worked diligently to discover how Alma might be producing some of the happenings. He does catch her doing some things, but others remain completely inexplicable.

Nador Fodor

This was the era of Freudian psychology, and the UK was gripped by fears of a second, paralyzing war, no one wanted. The author does a wonderful job centering Alma’s case in its historical setting. Fodor takes up the trail of Alma’s deeper, hidden consciousness. What was hidden behind her everyday appearance? A lot as it turns out. How does a person’s unprocessed trauma, grief, and unacknowledged loss mix in the psyche and materialize in daily life? And what does that mean for all of us?

Kate Summerscale worked with Fodor’s original case notes and interviewed some who knew  Alma. The case is fascinating but what is even more so, is the impact the case had- although not many realize it…

Freud

Eventually, Nador Fordor sought out and received a letter from Sigmund Freud supporting the likelihood of his conclusions about Alma’s case. Fodor went on to practice psychoanalysis in New York. In 1951, he coined the phrase, “poltergeist psychosis”- where  a mental shock can release a poltergeist personality. Fodor felt that the objects leaping into life were caused by Alma’s feelings where the poltergeist acted as her agent. (Hey folks- this is mind over matter…) Fodor’s account of Alma’s case was published in On the Trail of the Poltergeist (1958). Fodor acknowledged that from a clinical point of view, BOTH Alma’s hoaxes and authentic poltergeist activity pointed to a real human who was suffering.

This new understanding of poltergeist phenomena would emerge in the culture through books and movies. Fodor served as a consultant on the movie for Shirley Jackson’s book, The Haunting of Hill House (1959). Jackson was familiar with Fodor’s theories and used them in her portrayal of Eleanor Vance. Eleanor was portrayed as sane, experiencing weird things around her. Modern portrayals of hauntings from Carrie to The Babadook, allow for many interpretations- often combining real and imagined, psychological and supernatural.

Decades after Fodor’s work, his ideas on trauma have become commonplace. Central to Alma’s story, was the idea that a horrific trauma could be wiped from her consciousness.  Today, the recovery of traumatic memory remains problematic, but acknowledged. The book provides an interesting window into the power of the subconscious and the time period Alma’s story emerges.        

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Of Chicks & Robots-

Becoming

The Intention Experiment

I’m reading a book called Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza. In chapter three, he recounts research from an article in Wired (“Mind Over Matter,” Apr. 1995). Now from my perspective, this is not anything out of my understanding of things because this is the world I’ve been reading about and living in for the last couple of decades, but I know some of you are going to drop your jaws over this. Good! We want that kind of response. Your world is about to crack open. Here goes.

chick

photo:CSIRO

Rene Peoc’h is a French researcher who wanted to study the possibility that intention might operate in our world. He started with a computerized robot set up as a random event generator. Set lose in an area, the robot turned right half the time and left half the time, thereby covering the area equally over time. This is perfectly in keeping with the idea of a random generator. Then he allowed some chicks to imprint on the computerized robot as if it were their mother. So the chicks bonded with the robot creating an energetic bond on their part (at least). Once the chicks had imprinted, Peoc’h put them in a cage where they could see the robot but not go to it. What do you think happened?

robot

photo: Thomas Quine (not the robot from the experiment)

If you hold a materialistic view of the world, you would say nothing. The random event generator can’t be affected by the minds of the chicks. It’s ridiculous! But- the pattern of movement of the robot clustered near the chicks’ cage. No longer was the robot moving randomly, but now it had gravitated near the babies. Cool experiment, right? And easily replicated. The larger question becomes if baby chicks can influence objects around them, how much influence do we have? And how do we develop and control it??? That’s what Becoming Supernatural is all about. Interested? Grab the book but be warned, the work is hard and all-consuming. Advanced yogic practices are made accessible to everyone.

Hopefully, I’ll have more to share later but I wanted to share some personal happenings here, too. I am about four months out from returning to the US (YAY! I CANNOT WAIT!!!). My third book is about to be released (FINALLY!!!). The downside is that things are about to get very busy. This blog will probably be interrupted by these major life upheavals.

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Synchronicity (yes! again)

Super Synchronicity: Where Science and Spirit Meet by Gary E. Schwartz

synch2

 

 

As soon as this book came out, I knew I had to read it and I’m glad I did. I’ve written about synchronicities before and they are sometimes very active in my life, and at other times- not so much. But always, there is this curiosity. After years of shaking my head (wondering if I was crazy), all the time my close family members laughing and rolling with it far easier than I did, I’ve come to accept them. I value the experiences, I laugh with the Universe (and the Universe has a glorious sense of humor), and I miss those coincidences when they lapse (do they lapse, or am I not observant enough?).

Along comes Harvard educated scientist Gary E. Schwartz, author and professor at the University of Arizona and the Director of its Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health to write a book on his personal experience with synchronicity and start to ask the tough scientific questions.

A huge proportion of the book is devoted to examples of what Schwartz calls supersynchronicities. So, while a rather mundane synchronicity involves the occurrence of two or more events happening close together that don’t seem to have a causal connection but are meaningful to the individual, these super events must be linked six or more times. Most of us have had instances of the lower order and some of us (if we’re observant and lucky?) might have experienced a supersynchronity. Schwartz has had many and has become a sort of expert at spotting them. Chapter upon chapter of delightful tales involving dogs, ravens, movies, bears, and emeralds have us explore the wonderful and wacky ways these synchronicities unfold. Many are captivating, a few pull at the heartstrings, all test our notion of reality and all cry out for an understanding of deeper meaning.

456px-Если_будем_искать_покоя,_то_он_будет_удаляться_от_нас

from: Moscow Art

While being immersed in this world, I realized I view synchronicities as personal experiences. So much so, that when people in my life report MY synchronicities showing up in THEIR lives, I get irritated and dismiss it. From a supersynchronicity point of view, these instances have to be counted and seen in the bigger perspective of our reality. This was my biggest lesson drawn from reading this book. The Universe is not just talking to me (well, maybe sometimes).

Schwarz spends a chapter on the scientific process of running synchronicities through a hierarchical list of explanations. Everything from self-deception to the collective consciousness is briefly examined. He uses a fascinating analogy of a jazz super orchestra to hint at how the universe might operate with billions of people. How would the universe create a meta-score uniting everyone and still allowing individual expression? How, indeed! How do these synchronicities point at our underlying interconnectedness? Again, what does it mean…?

shiva

photo: yumikrum

The book ends in an unsatisfying way for those looking for a better understanding of meaning. Perhaps, Schwartz’s next book will grapple with the new science (quantum synchronicity theory) he proposes. In the meantime, he encourages us to become active in becoming more aware of these instances in our own lives and start chronicling them. Remember to keep an open mind and enjoy the process.

 

 

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THE DIVINE FEMININE FIRE:

Creativity and Your Yearning to Express Yourself by Teri Degler

 divine

“Love, begin the song, and let me hear how well you sing.” Mechthild of Magdeburg

In The Divine Feminine Fire, Teri Degler explores the similarities and differences of the divine feminine expressed in Shakti (Hinduism), Sophia (Christianity), and Shekinah (Kabbalah). She examines ancient and suppressed texts leading to some fascinating insights. The reason to explore these traditions is made plain by the need for understanding in our own time of the awakening going on in us and around us. Degler asserts that it is the divine feminine that is waking up, being ignited and transforming consciousness. The divine feminine is a creative force (not limited to the female gender, in any way) experienced in the human body as a birthright. This experience is one that exists along a continuum.

divine fem

photo: Kinjal bose 78

To get a feel for the extreme of the continuum, Degler examines the lives of a 12th Century Christian Saint (Mechthild of Magdeburg) and a 12th Century Hindu Saint (Mahadevi Akka). She draws some appropriate parallels and calls our attention to the whole of the transformation being rooted in the body. The stories of five modern women are also given to show the other end of the continuum. There was a compelling discussion about Gopi Krishna and how we have no reason to think we have a good handle on understanding what the far extreme of this transformation would look like. Things like where do Christ or Buddha fall on the continuum come to mind.

Shekinah_Glory_Enters_the_Tabernacle

Throughout the book, there are examples of what transformative experiences happen when the divine feminine is awakened. Again, these are on the continuum. The principle signs of transformation include mystical experience, paranormal abilities, and divine inspiration (inspired creativity).

The final chapter of the book is a call to live a balanced life. Whether we know it or like it, all of us are in the body going through transformation somewhere along the continuum. Creativity is the way the divine feminine is expressed and how consciousness is transformed. Many of us feel this call of transformation through our creative work and the whole of life can be viewed as creative expression.

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