Getting Out Of My Mind

Stillness. Warmth. Peace. Suspended in time and space. This is how I felt last night, receiving Deeksha from three Deeksha Givers at Vie Nouveau in Park City.

Deeksha, also known as the Oneness Blessing or Gift of Grace, is a "a transfer of spiritual energy to the neocortex of the brain. Deeksha initiates a neurobiological change in the brain that when complete enables the senses to be free from the constant interference of the mind. When the senses are unclouded by the mind's interpretations, a natural clarity of perception occurs with accompanying spontaneous feelings of joy, inner calmness and a connection to the Oneness in everything."

Deeksha is transferred by the Deeksha giver by placing his/her hands on the top of the head. Once this occurs, I immediately feel a download of energy enter my crown chakra traveling down through the top of my skull. The energy is intense and it instantly shifts the mind from thinking to being. Often, I become paralyzed or suspended in a state that is filled with love, warmth, and complete acceptance of all that is. It is one of the few times throughout the month where my mind can completely rest from its daily duties of analyzing and understanding.

The mind has served me well. It has helped me analyze information and use its intelligence to make sense of life, people, circumstances, and experiences. It has become my default for understanding why things may happen. The mind has helped me manifest my dreams through the power of intention and visualization. However, the mind has it's limits and I am just beginning to deeply sense them. On my journey to raise my own consciousness and the consciousness of others, I am beginning to realize the importance of getting out of the mind.

Debbie Ford articulates the importance of this life-changing shift in her new book, The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse. "When you allow your intellect to direct you rather than simply inform you, it limits what you can see, what you can do, what you can feel, and what you will experience. This is why contemplative practices are so important; they lift you out of your mind. When you're out of your mind, you're free, you're peaceful, and you can see beyond your current reality. This is the life-changing shift: the ability to let go and open up to new realities over and over again to break out of the illusion that what you see and what you know are right or real."

Meditating, walking in nature, connecting with our breath, yoga, writing in a stream of consciousness, and receiving Deeksha are all ways that can help quite our mind and expand the possibilities for ourselves. The opportunity we collectively share is to begin to use our minds as an informant rather than our master. As we quite the mental chatter and empty ourselves from the limiting beliefs that are stored in our psyches, we open ourselves to the magic of life - a state where we are open to surprises and we become a "vast container into which the divine infinite source can flow through us." (Debbie Ford).
This week I invite you to practice getting out of your mind by:

• Taking a walk in nature and observe your surroundings in gratitude
• Listen to the Moola Prayer in quiet contemplation
• Light a candle and stare at the flame. Bring the image of the flame inside of you as if it is your internal flame. Feel the warmth of light that glows within you. Connect to your Divine Source.
• Purchase Debbie Ford's new book: The 21-Day Conscious Cleanse and dedicate yourself to the practice for next 3 weeks.

Mark your calendar to attend the next Conscious Conversations (with a Full Moon Meditation Circle proceeding it) on Monday, November 2, 2009 at Rikka in Park City.