Perfection or Paradox?

Perfection. What does it mean to you? Is it something beyond what you are now? Is it better, stronger, prettier, smarter? In the pursuit of perfection we can get caught up in the concepts of what we believe perfection is and lose sight of what true perfection encompasses.

In pursuing perfection we create a paradox. We spend our precious energy and resources chasing down and searching for something we already possess. The harder we try to achieve it the more we believe we need it, and the more elusive it becomes. Meditate on this. As we come into the knowing of our perfection...the state we exist in right Now.. we will grow in wisdom and presence to merge in consciousness with the original Oneness. But first we must go through the growing pains before we can acquire freedom from the binds of our constructed delusion of perfection. In fact it is through these growing pains that we become liberated and our first taste of true empowerment can be experienced. 

 We arrived in this world perfect and continue to exist in a state of perfection, whether we are conscious of it or not. Part of our perfection is in our constant evolution, we are always changing, growing, expanding and like the Universe, we are never static. Everything in the Universe is made of stardust, the atoms within us are the same as the atoms in the stars, flowers, trees and animals, even the concrete skyscrapers in our cities, our furniture, clothing and computers all carry within them star stuff. When we look up at the sky, we are looking at our ancestors.

Perhaps the deepest spiritual connection to the vast Universe that science has given us is an awareness that ancestral stars are part of our genealogy. We can now know and feel our connection to the heavens, for stars are among our ancestors. Every atom in our bodies, other than hydrogen, was forged in the fiery belly of a star who lived and died before our own star, the Sun, was born.

We are Stardust, Connie Barlow

Stardust holds all the radiant elements of our cosmic DNA. All things in this Universe are related. Mother Earth, Grandfather Sky, Brother Sun, Sister Moon. The holy fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is as sacred as the fire that lights our barbecues or sparks our car engines to start each day. It is the SAME fire, the same spark and it is ALL Holy. Humans have evolved to the point where matter begins to know and marvel at its own creation. We are the stars, pondering the stars, we are the Universe, trying to figure itself out. Holding within us the awesome power of manifestation, a power that is available to us all and gives us the ability to create our reality. To fully understand this power we need to be aware of this fact.

You can re-create yourself any way you like, but you will never be more perfect than you are right now. 

It's easy to forget our perfection when life presents us with so many hardships. We must not allow these stumbling blocks or impediments to out-manoeuvre us. We can fall, trip and slide as often as it takes before we learn to recognise the pitfalls before us...but we must never allow those pitfalls to keep us down.

Every stage of our personal evolution has it's own unique set of challenges. These challenges leave their impression, sculpt and shape us into new form. Bringing forth the idea that we are divine  artists, creating and crafting an ever changing scintillating tapestry of interwoven rainbow hues and textures, complete with knots and loose threads out of a big beautiful, constantly expanding and evolving Universe of possibilities.

We have arrived perfect, to give form to our ultimate creative expression....Our Self. 

     

Wishing you blessings and that you realise your perfection,

Elfeya

Tears for the Sacred

In Vedic tradition each animal is considered to be sacred. Customs of paying tribute to animals began and were perpetuated through timeless eons. Shamanic cultures observed and learned about themselves and the earth's rhythms through their humble and reverent relationship with animals. They celebrated and honoured the animals, mimicking their movements and appearances which clarified their quest for spiritual unity with the earth. Milk and meat of animals was used with regard for the natural world and with observance for the Creator, Great Spirit, Earth Mother, or Brahma. Today we live in a civilisation which blatantly abuses the other inhabitants and resources of the planet. We have arrived at a time when the consequences of our collective consciousness are becoming more evident.   

In the last two decades many compassionate and humane voices have risen in an attempt to eliminate the cruel brutalities to which cows are subjected to in the dairy and beef industries. These are crimes that affect the natural rhythm of life, for the land and every living being on this planet. Every symptom a cow suffers in it's captivity is directly mirrored in the present condition of the human species. The mental agony and physical torture of the cow is inherited by all those who drink the polluted milk and eat the desecrated meat.  

In the business of dairy and beef farming, the cattle are rarely provided with shelter, they are left out to wallow in freezing conditions in mud and excrement, while others are held in permanent darkness without mobility or space This increases body fat by inhibiting energy output produced from normal exercise, producing a “fatter” cow for the butcher's block. They live their lives in pain and torment and die in fully conscious, screaming terror when it comes time for the slaughter. Beef cows are pumped with over two thousand known chemicals, antibiotics and hormones. The diet of milk cows consist highly of moldy, roughage-less feed containing pesticides, nitrite fertilizers and herbicides. A baby cow destined to end up as veal is torn from it's mother within a week of being born (just enough time to bond). It is placed in a dark stall where it cannot lie down or turn around. It wails for it's mother while it is force fed iron deficient gruel, it cannot turn around to prevent it from licking it's urine, which it would do instinctively to supplement it's iron needs. If it survives it's confinement of sixteen weeks of living hell, it is then slaughtered. 

A couple of years ago I lived in a 200 year old farmhouse that backed onto 150 acres of pasture land for a small head of 40 Brahman cattle in northern New South Wales, Australia. I know from experience the deep sorrow felt by a mother cow who has had her baby taken from her. She wails constantly, it is a panicked, fearful wail that lasts for well over 24 hours. She continues to call for her baby for over a week. Her cries of misery not only affect the other cows, but induce pangs of grief and sorrow in anyone who possesses a heart within earshot.

Subjecting these sacred lives to pain and fear does not bode well for humanity. The degree of each animals suffering is paralleled by the agony of our own pain and that of our Earth Mother. We cannot wait for scientific research to unfold the facts one at a time that commercial milk and beef consumption is contributing to a miasma of diseases and dysfunctions including, allergies, infertility, poor absorption of nutrients, liver abscesses, cancer, hives, fever, ulcerations,digestive disorders, heart disease, hyperactivity, bloating, constipation, respiratory ailments, obesity and asthma. We need to look at the beef and dairy industry, at it's profiteering system of exploitation to realise that the cruel victimization of animals is not the only concern we should be having. The natural balance of the land, our health, our communities are all deeply afflicted as a result of this insidious crime against the natural world.

It is time for every human on the planet to raise his or her consciousness. To sit quietly within ourselves and and observe that which goes against the grain of nature is seeping into our bodies and psyches and preventing us from reaching our potential. It is time to acknowledge that we can no longer continue to drink from this well or repast from this meat. Cows milk is the milk of the eternal mother, their flesh is our flesh. For us to continue as love embodied in a life form we need to remember that if we allow the abuse, we are also guilty. Unless we organically farm for milk and observe the natural order of killing animals for their meat as practiced by the native peoples we will not be able to continue our present occupation on this planet as a species seeking enlightenment.  

It is all too easy to dismiss information because of it's disrupting effect to our comfortable way of life or to deny the truth on the grounds that we cannot see it with our own eyes. 

Blessings on your road to self-realisation,

Elfeya

I wish to acknowledge Maya Tiwari and her book A life of Balance for the inspiration behind this blog

There Is Hope

Deep within us is an impulse which once sparked drives us to seek out answers to sacred questions that will bring deeper meaning to our lives. Something is calling us. Something wonderful and beautiful is stirring, slowly but surely we are each awakening, unfolding, transforming. We are like butterflies who, knowing it is time to break free of the safety of our chrysalis, spread our velvety, soft new born wings, ready to fly into our destiny. This flight however does not always come easy, sometimes it is difficult to let go of the past and the identities we have imprinted on ourselves. It is as though, tucked away in our invisible cocoons, we have forgotten our true-selves, how to trust in the here and now and open our hearts to the love and song of the Universe. We're too busy being distracted by our so called civilized way of life, with all it's eye catching, glittering baubles, while over population is wearing down the planet. With the atrocities caused by the greed for our earth's natural resources to sustain this way of life, the unstable economy, declining job and housing markets, wars, and not to mention our own everyday situations to deal with, all giving rise to profound questions which prompt us to reassess our lifestyle and beliefs. It is not surprising that a feeling of tremendous fear and uncertainty for our future is spreading, not just for ourselves, but for our children and the future of our Earth Mother. 

And yet despite all of this, there is Hope, there is Love, there are everyday miracles occurring all around us, a reminder to hold fast to our faith and to TRUST, whatever religious background or Spirituality you follow, trust in Love, for that is the only thing that is real. Technology, world events and the stresses of everyday living are not the only things trying to capture our attention. There are thousands of Lightworkers, Spirit allies, Angels, Galactic Beings and Intelligences of Nature, all reaching out to us to help us grow and are all working to help raise the vibration of this planet.

At this crucial time for humanity, we have a choice to break away from the mold of limitations we have carved out for ourselves and expand into an uncomfortable and unfamiliar territory. Using our worldly challenges as a conduit to achieve a level of spiritual development which will propel us into higher dimensions of existence and learning. There are many changes occurring in our world that we cannot see. The combined influence of dominant religions, materialism and modern sciences have conspired to narrow down human perception to the degree that very few people of the civilized western world believe in the existence of the spirit world altogether. That is why we must trust. Trust in the unseen workings of the Divine and in the wisdom of our own Higher Self that we can awaken into greater awareness and move forward into a time when we return to the Divine love within us all.

Love & Blessings,

Elfeya

Zen Goddess

Zen Yoga Elf is shooting off in a Brave-New and Wonderously Delicious Direction.

NATURE is my ultimate teacher, this I have always known and lately I have been immersing myself in teachings and practices through book learning. Trying to comprehend the meaning of something I already know in my heart through the words of another "teacher" and getting myself all wound up and well... quite disconcerted at times. Leaving me wondering why things that are so simple in their core become so complicated when we try to "define" them. Don't mistake me, I LOVE books! But where is the wisdom in spending all our time with our eyes riveted on a book (or worse, the computer screen) when Nature is calling us out to play?  All this studying has distracted me from the call of my heart... my connection to the natural world and all the subtle, intuitive teachings of her gentle wisdom. I have been taking life too SERIOUSLY, applying and devoting myself to my Spirituality but forgetting to dance and twirl around in the rain or reach up to touch a rainbow in blissful, childish abandon....until now.

I've had an epiphany, a rainbow hued little wake up call with a super nova Big Bang!

As a Goddess I've been walking unseen in the mists and shadows, sipping from the cup of the Divine Feminine by my self, with the exception of allowing my Sovereign Self to step forward only within the sacred confines of my soul-marriage. The time has come for me to emerge into the bright, shining daylight of the surface world and take up the true calling of my Heart.....

There is a GODDESS in EVERY WOMAN (and every man too...think of the little black dot within the white half of the Yin Yang symbol). She might be sleeping an enchanted sleep, waiting for her prince to wake her with a kiss, she could be locked away in a tower or perhaps she's wandering, caped and all alone in the woods. OR, may be she's reading this right now? Can you feel the awesome amazingness of the Goddess Energy flowing through you? Bringing with it the promise of True Freedom, Peace, Hope and Everlasting Blissful Joy?I am creating a sacred place for sacred Goddess teachings. I have embarked on a soul journey, devoting my self to a mission which will unite and empower women everywhere to awaken, recall, nurture and realise their inherent Sovereign Self.  YOU are a GODDESS. 

Hearken, there are going to be Mysterious, Beautiful & Bountiful things to come...

I hope you will join me,

Goddess Elfeya

Spiritual Fast-Food

Living and working in a field that is based in spiritual teachings and practice, it is hard to avoid the ever increasing bombardment of commercial new age metaphysical culture. I am talking about the contrived teachings, fads and paraphernalia that has become, ironically, the very antithesis of true spirituality. Spiritual commercialism is a growing industry, no different to the plethora of processed foods that dominate the aisles in our supermarkets, offering a quick and easy alternative to wholesome food which needs to be prepared ourselves. Fast food possesses little to no nutritional value, and can leave the consumer feeling empty, sick and unsatisfied, not mentioning the health risks. The downfalls of fast food consumption are just too similar to new age commercialism to ignore. We can go into a new age store or shop online for hours (wouldn't it be better to spend this time in meditation?) for the latest trends in zero point tech, or if you call yourself a Shaman, why not buy the fab Hyperfolded space tetragrammaton exploration and extrapolation Shamans Energy Light tool, it is an extrapolation of Einstein-ean quantum wave front manifestation Mysteries, Kinsey-ean Neuro-biology and the medial preoptic nucleus MPO and other hypothalamic structures. Wow...I want one! Or we can search through the thousands of talismans, oracle cards, or radionics devices all said to either relieve pain, cure illness, attract love, achieve success; improve memory, increase your physical energy, advance your psychic powers, protect you, guide you, bring joy, abundance (money) and the big prize – Enlightenment.

Placing our faith in an “object” to do all of that for us is a sad measure of our gullibility and lack of belief in our Self and it is not only in “objects” we are deceiving ourselves. The same goes for the promise that attending a “weekend workshop” will make a person a Master energy practitioner, or Shaman healer. Attending a workshop is a wonderful way to explore our spiritual nature, open our minds to ancient teachings and connect with like minded people. If you go to one you may end up with a piece of paper certifying your attendance, but in only one weekend can a person truly gain the necessary experience and ability needed to work with, understand and direct the flow of energy to heal others, contact somebodies spirit allies or grasp and teach ancient wisdom which has been cultivated and learned for thousands of years? The same wisdom that sages and healers devote whole lifetimes to practicing before earning recognition and the title...Master.

You cannot give another what you don't give to your Self. If you are a healer, apply this to your healing practice. If you don't mindfully embody the healer within you and devote your self to the healing arts, are you beneficially healing others or are you just going through the motions you were taught? Do you use healing devices in your practice? It astounds me how many bizarre electronic devices and gadgets are available for the alternative healer today. Allowing yourself to believe that some thing outside of you can do the work for you, you are bypassing the true experience and your client is missing out too. We must look to Ourselves, not to outside sources, no one and no thing can do the work for us. The true enlightened state does not occur because we want it to or because we buy something. If it were that easy then everybody would be doing it and most of us would already be there. Which we know is not the case.

If you desire enlightenment, your desire will bring you no closer to it. The way to enlightenment is not found in new age commercialism, conspiracy theories, gadgets or alien tech. Nor is it found in belief structures surrounding feminism, gay/lesbian rights or fundamentalist religions and cults. It is found within You, beyond concepts, beyond behavioural patterns and thought forms. Take your desire and transmute it into conscious choice. Paramount to an awakened spirit is the manifestation of your higher purpose, your dreams and your health through cultivating a balanced connection of mind, body and spirit.

The physical body is a much neglected aspect of spiritual awakening. I have lately experienced an awareness that many wise and unwise spiritual teachers alike (there are ample of both), spend an excessive amount of time residing in their higher chakras. If such persons are not grounded and by grounded I mean, working with the breath while moving and stretching and nourishing the body with pure food and air, in short, refining their Chi. An imbalance occurs where by experience attained from higher chakra consciousness is obstructed from filtering into our whole Being. It is my belief that this limits our potential to fully integrate with our higher Self.

The work we are doing here all begins with grounding our core, pulling in and rooting down into the Earth/Goddess energy. Practicing Qigong to refine our Chi and energise the body combined with deep stretching and movement, Earth and Heart based ritual and cleansing. The spiraling energy of Kundalini resides in our root chakra until it is awakened and journeys through to the higher chakras and back down again to complete the cycle. We do not climb a ladder by starting at the top, so for the sake of your health, emotional and mental stability, practice grounding techniques, work with your lower chakras and build a strong foundation before seeking out the higher realms of consciousness.

The healing path of Zen Yoga is a path to health, happiness, longevity and enlightenment. Zen Yoga practice will give you all the tools you need, but the work begins and ends with You. It is a life long process where the level of your progression is dependent on your input. Trust and be guided by your Heart. Learn to recognise your Ego talking and take the higher path. Speak with a soft voice and act with gentle kindness. Allow your body to become supple and flexible, eat pure food and breathe pure air. Love and lead others without imposing your will. When you are able to not react to the words and actions of others, keep your thoughts calm and peaceful and allow events to take their course, you will experience greater happiness and joy.


Whatever you practice, do it perfectly.

Blessed Be,


Elfeya

Opening Words

Welcome to the first Zen Yoga Elf blog entry, the following is a letter to everyone back in Australia. I will be updating this site in future with Musings on Spiritual practices including, Zen Yoga, ayurveda, the natural world, plant and animal spirit healing, shamanism, pagan traditions and all aspects of Life that are not concerned with the superficial, material world.

Deepest and warm greetings mitakuye oyasin,

The new year of the White Tiger is upon us. The Tiger will bring a lot of dramatic upheavals and dynamic changes in 2010, if you cannot see this already occurring, I bid you pay attention. May you all have peace in the days to come.

Here in Vermont Winter is still upon us and here sit I all cozy at my desk while the temperature outside is 14 below zero (Celsius), pretty mild actually. I have been challenged and tempered by this unforgiving and seemingly endless season, times uncounted I have longed for my homeland Australia. I miss Australian birds, we have birds here of course but their songs pale in comparison to my beloved kookaburras, rosellas, currawongs and bower birds. Most all birds leave these parts in Winter except for the crow and little chickadee without whose soft little chirp all else is SILENT. Then a wonderful thing happened, I was drawn outside on an uncommonly sunny day when out of nowhere a great flurry of huge white snowflakes came swirling up and over the snow fields before me and I was caught in the centre of their dance. I was laughing and spinning with my arms out stretched as hundreds of sparkling, soft flakes caressed my face, twirled around me and moved on. I knew I had received a special blessing, which I am calling Winter's Kiss. I realised then that here, is exactly where I need to be. I am like a caterpillar entering it's cocoon stage, I have an extraordinary opportunity to go inside, hibernate and activate my own personal transformation. Winter is the perfect time to do this and ever since I had this realisation, I have experienced a respectful appreciation of Winter in all it's white wonderment and deeply metamorphic stillness. Even the frigid temperature seems more bearable when I venture out to look for animal tracks and pay homage to the sleeping trees.

Backtracking now to Spring 2009, which is when some of you last heard from me. As you are aware, Aaron, who by now you all probably know I call Zin were married at our beachfront apartment on April 7th back in Australia. Then we had another ceremony in our meditation garden here in June before his closest family. Presiding over this ceremony was our dear friend and brother Michael (shaman of the Lakota tradition), the honour of giving me away went to our brother George (Earth spirit walker), who also honoured us with songs of the First Nation's people. It was a beautiful and memorable ceremony that truly reflected our Beings and our Love.                             

Soon after, I had my encounter with Mama black bear in the woods on the weekend of our opening Lakota sweatlodge (you all heard about that right?) and another transformation began, of a different kind. I was becoming a Vermonter. Aaron and I were busy digging the earth, planting and preparing for our Summer Zen Yoga Retreat, which by the way was a very delightful and successful weekend. The glory of Spring with all her apple blossoms and wild strawberries turned into Summer, it was not like the Summers on the Gold Coast however, when it wasn't raining, I was usually wearing a cardi or long pants. But I have since been informed that the Summers in Vermont can be every bit as sultry as my homeland. I did get to experience a few days where we could swim in our pond and dry off lying in hammocks.

Summer was all green splendour with days spent blackberry picking, baking bread and eating fresh corn on the cob. Aaron and I spent a lot of time training outdoors while he also became very proficient at Fire Spinning. Fall (Autumn) came quickly, everybody was telling me how magnificent Fall was and that it was going to take my breath away. The change was slow and there was an unprecedented and supposedly unremarkable Fall. Not in MY opinion however. I absolutely fell in love with Fall, everywhere I looked I saw a land clothed in unspeakable beauty. We had our first snow early in October, the pristine white snow was dazzling against a backdrop of red, pink, orange and gold. But change came again, the leaves began to fall and we spent our days, harvesting crops, covering garden beds with hay, cutting, splitting and stacking fire wood. Renovations on what was once a lofted barn and which is now our dojo/yoga/sacred space/therapy room and sleeping quarters called the Zen Room began in September also.

At this point I feel I should mention that we share our idyllic lifestyle and 200 year old farmhouse with Aaron's parents Kay and David. They accepted me into their home so freely when I arrived here in early May of last year and we have been enjoying each others company ever since. They are easy, affectionate, intelligent people who share a love of nature and enjoy a good joke. I feel blessed to have them as part of my family. Each year they move to Florida for the Winter and the family home in Vermont gets shut down completely. Not this year, Aaron and I decided to stay here over Winter and experience this season in it's entirety. Comfortably surviving Winter in this house the way it is currently set up is dependent on a number of factors, primarily, insulation and having enough wood to burn, not to mention money for the furnace! The furnace doesn't keep us warm but it keeps the pipes from freezing and the cost of the oil is ridiculously high. We have made many discoveries and know what we need to do to make habitation more viable in future.

We said good bye to Kay and David in early November and nestled into our “cornered off” living environment where we will continue to live until we share the house again with Aaron's parents in 2 months time. The Zen Room is still under construction with the help of our dear friend Tom, without which, the Zen Room would still be a barn. We met Tom and his wife Kathleen at our opening sweatlodge and we have all been close friends ever since. They run a studio in a town called Springfield over an hours drive South of here and we have been teaching regular Zen Yoga classes and Qi Gong workshops there since last November.

An Extraordinary Being came into our lives in the shape of a cat the night before Thanksgiving. His name is Zen Master Katana, his wisdom and talents are to many to list here, there is talk of creating a blog especially for him, more about Katana later.

For Christmas we took Katana on a road trip where we were reunited with Aaron's parents at his sister's family home in Maine. Where we were overdosed by his two young nephew's constant need for stimulation and Wii video game. We socialised, observed and had a great day out in Portland before making our way back to our peaceful abode in Vermont.

January was a quiet month of reflection, honouring the sacred and shifts in perception. I was also invited to join a local group of women who meet regularly to honour the lunar phases in traditional Celtic pagan/wiccan ritual and I am happy to have made a few good friends there, one of the women operates a permaculture farm and centre for Essential Arts only 5 minutes away and supplies us with fresh cows milk, Mmmm. I have made a good friend who lives on our street and another who operates the local riding school and there is Kathleen, who I mentioned earlier, she is taking part in our instructor program with her husband Tom. I am learning and practicing the ways of Ayurveda and continuing to study and practice Shamanism, especially animal spirit healing which has been my main devotion for the last 3 years. Aaron continues my warrior training with karate, sword and stick. I lead the Zen Yoga online course for spiritual deepening, which involves a one on one dialogue which each student, facilitating a deeper understanding of the course's content. The course has grown quite popular of late.

February has almost passed and I am inflamed to set in motion the many ventures and projects that have been manifesting these past few months. We have plans to produce another Zen Yoga DVD, publish a new book and completely transform the Zen Yoga website on Ostara (Spring Equinox).

Until we meet again, Blessed Be

Elfeya

Migrating to Elf

The Zen Yoga New and Events page will soon be Zen Yoga Elf. It will have thoughts and musings from Elfeya at the Zen Yoga Meditation and Healing Center.

Please check back soon.