Wisdom Healing Arts and Kirby Moore's blog. Join me on my journey through embodied health and dynamic wellness!
Every moment I am with you
a dance of two kind expressions of
universal love; our hands brush,
briefly, I pause
and notice, savor the touch,
both giving
and receiving
your affection and admiration;
No contraction, no defensiveness, just presence;
I would like for your highest qualities to peek out,
bravely revealing their golden hue,
I can show you mine;
I want you to meet me in the space of awareness,
full, vast and empty, and be okay with the way
things are; I truly just want you to be.
feel the pulse ebb… notice it flow…
something deep within is expanding… ten seconds later, contracting…
different trees seem to have differing frequencies and depths…
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it (as a Craniosacral Therapist) is to go out and feel the fluid rhythm is one or more trees.
My friend and I had our hands on trees, and as we are both experienced with listening to the deeper rhythms of the cerebral-spinal fluid with Craniosacral Therapy, we were listening to the rhythms of the Earth, to the fluid dynamics of the oaks, pines and beeches in a local Wilderness Preserve. It was a very beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky, the sun was starting to warm up the little meadows and forest, making the bark on the pine trees smell like sunshine.
We did a short hike, only 2 miles. At one point, we stopped as a doe had just gotten up, not 15 feet in front of us, we both spoke reassuring words to her, and she stayed still, like us. Who was watching who? Who was more surprised? It was obvious she was used to humans, as this little stand off lasted a minute or two. Then a blue jay landed right above me with a strong pull of air and wings. A fellow hiker came along behind us, either indifferent or oblivious to why we were standing still in the middle of the trail. He walked right up next to the doe who took off, and he kept hiking like this was a normal event. Then my friend’s phone rang – a voice from New York, checking in. Hello! Who is in nature? Did you think you could escape? 🙂
The conversation ranged from Radionics, to Craniosacral Therapy, Core Dynamics and Polarity Therapy. All the way back to life in New York City (where he is from) and the happenings around C’ville. We spoke of birth trauma and the possibilities around reversing its affects. I am hoping to spend time with him again soon. Perhaps a trip to New York is in my future. Maybe I can seem like a crazy outsider as I have my hands on some trees in Central Park.
To emulate the subtle mytho-poetic essence of this day, here are some suggestions:
Go out in nature. Slow down. Check in with your body – if you want to walk, do that. If you want to lie in the grassy sunshine, then do that. Or go sit by a body of water. Now, slow down some more. Notice what is around you – everything from the feel of the soft, wispy autumn weeds/seeds; take a moment to really smell the air – not just a quick snort, but really embracing what you notice; watch for little changes in terrain, wildlife, leaf color, etc; listen to the various sounds of nature – the guardian crows above, the symphony of bird calls from within the fringe, the gurgling of a little stream… Take it all in, oh – and slow down some more so you can truly listen.
If you have been keeping close track of my previous posts then some of this information is going to be a review, however, there is also novel material. I have been riding a strong current of change and transformation over the past few years – as I studied and received much in the way of process oriented bodywork, began and cultivated a regular meditation practice along with becoming an organizer for local Buddha-Dharma events. As you can tell from previous posts, I enjoy sitting on fairly-intense meditation retreats and going on Buddhist pilgrimage whenever possible. All in all, I feel that I am doing pretty well in this lifetime – at least on a psycho-spiritual level.
As I mentioned previously, my astrological birth chart is full of transitioning aspects at the moment. I have multiple progressed planets either changing signs, changing houses or making exact hard aspects with Natal planets over the next year or two. This is in addition to my transiting chart being quite active, along with several hard aspects occurring in my solar arc (directed) chart. I realize that some readers will scratch their heads at what I just mentioned – but these aspects could be a reflection of what I am about to describe (so let us move on).
I feel like I am on an intense roller coaster at times – especially when I skip a day or more of meditation (and therefore do not ground myself in an authentic spiritual path). Recently, I have had ideations of wanting to get away from Charlottesville – where I presently reside, and have lived for over ten years. I have thought about moving to Hawai’i – my birth place and a location where I feel very comfortable and content. Just over the past few days, I have been scheming about how I could do a pilgrimage to the major Buddhist sites in India and Nepal – Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath – where the Buddha was born, attained awakening, taught and passed into parinirvana, etc. I need to complete my Ngondro accumulations (preliminary practices in Tibetan Buddhism which involve accumulating thousands of various mantras and more) and I would love nothing more than to do it at some of the most sacred places (to me) on Earth. Alternatively, the idea of doing a Zapchen retreat in California this winter keeps coming to mind – being with Julie Henderson, one of my heart teachers in person, would be so potent and transformative. These are just the major highlights of possibilities floating around in my mind, the tips of the iceberg so to speak.
I attribute the current higher number of opportunities (or mental distractions) to several factors. I have been practicing a little more Dharma over the past few months – and as I push myself in that direction, my mind or afflictions or ego tries to push back, offering resistance or distractions from my vital intention (of letting go of the ego and realizing the natural state). Another “reason” my mind is so full of distracting ideas could be reflected in transiting Uranus and Jupiter crossing and now flirting with my Natal Sun – possibly meaning expansion, broadening of horizons, increased confidence (Jupiter), swift insight, ingenuous spontaneous ideas, an increase in nervous energy (Uranus). If these two factors are not “it,” then it could just be where I am in life – at 32 years old, I am feeling like my sluggish pace and my not being with a quality romantic partner are indications of failure or deeper issues and I want to move on. However…
Then I ask the I Ching – a divination tool I use to describe the subtleties of choices, situations and decisions. Everything I just mentioned above, the I Ching does not agree with my doing at the moment (leaving home is definitely not recommended at this time). According to its advice, I would be best served by being disciplined, by practicing more Dharma and finding alignment and grounding myself right here and now. In others words, I would be best served by doing what is most difficult – sticking with my process here, sticking with my redundant and insignificant seeming job (of waiting tables) and seeing a few clients on the side. I am best served by letting go of these worries and distractions and simply practicing Dharma. Ouch – the truth hurts sometimes. And of course a voice chimes in with, “but it would be so warm in Hawai’i right about now, and especially over this coming winter.”
Oh yes, and I did not yet mention that I am sticking around until I am absolutely clear about finishing my undergraduate degree. At present, it brings up untold amounts of irritation and my body keeps indicating this is not the time, plus I hate being in debt – I don’t want further loans – I know I “should” finish, everyone has echoed that sentiment (therefore no need for anyone to mention it any more). But I want the motivation to finish to be clear and to come from within. Or I want the green light to get the hell out of dodge. 🙂 Actually I would prefer to move on – yet another source of inner friction. Don’t worry though – I am sticking it out; grinding and grounding in my present experience, here, in Charlottesville.
Therefore, at present, I am doing a little bit of daily practice, loosening up with daily Zapchen exercises and trying to enjoy life, no matter how mundane and no matter how little it seems I am advancing (in the world – remember, on a deep level, I am very happy and content spiritually, which is all that seems to matter to me at present). I am extraordinarily blessed to be surrounded by wisdom beings, a few quality friends and spiritual teachers who want me to check in with them about my process. So now I need to notice that, to rest in that, supported and blessed, and not worry about the distracting possibilities which keep bubbling to the surface.
May all beings be clear about their path and have the courage to walk it.
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
In this post: Happy Birthday Blog! An update on my current psycho-spiritual process and upcoming retreats and opportunities.
The blog is now two years old and I wish it many happy solar returns! In the past month, we crossed the 6,500 views mark – Yay! And there was much rejoicing… Hopefully these posts are providing some form of benefit or information for people – entertainment at the very least.
As for my update, I am still incubating (more on this in a second) and presently working at the Boar’s Head – a beautiful, quiet, traditional golf resort / club in Charlottesville. According to the guidance I am receiving, I am to maintain a low profile – humility is the essence of the time for me. Very few people at work know much of what I am “into.”
As for the internal shifts and transformations that I am witnessing and experiencing, the incubation from above, some days it feels like I am being torn apart from within. Julie Henderson, one of my heart teachers, mentions that there are several potent shifts we can make as human beings – from “easiest” to most challenging these are 1) changing our mental outlook and attitudes, even though this still requires a powerful intention and dedication to it; 2) changing our behavior toward regular, spontaneous compassion, wisdom and generosity; 3) transforming our body (heart) such that old reactions and stored cellular memories (traumas, frozen tissue, etc) are re-organized and brought into loving light. I am now very confident that my process falls into the last category.
Since 2006, the year I started Ngondro practice (Buddhist preliminaries – challenging yet basic in the Vajrayana path – they include prostrations, refuge, purification, mandala offering accumulations, etc), I have been letting go of ego structures and holding patterns at what, to most people, might be an alarming rate. And yet it seems like I have just begun the process of embodiment and extricating the subtle afflictions lurking in the deep shadows. Therefore I have no idea how long this transformation will take, or what I will look like when the “I” I knew ceases to exist. But I am curious. (Yay!)
As I am now working full time, I would like to attend many more retreats than I am able. However I plan to attend a few days of the TMC’s Mani Drupchen in December and I am about to start arrangements to go to California to attend a Zapchen workshop with Julie in March. Muy Bueno!! I’m excited about this possibility. I am planning to skip the Kalachakra Initiation in Washington D.C. in July with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, despite it being so close to home. I am not able to keep up with my present assignments (from Tibetan Lamas and other spiritual teachers) so why add another more potent practice to the list? There is always Spring Retreat at the TMC as well. So good good good.
If I don’t write as often, just know that I am discovering alignment in novel places (at work) and seeking sincere spiritual nurturing to constantly be with me. Yum. May you know the same.
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
In this post, I continue the thread from my recent article on avoiding getting sick. Here I mention more subtle techniques for combating illness as well as what to do if you find yourself run down and getting sick. As I mention in my first article, I am not in any way shape or form a doctor, a dietitian or a licensed health practitioner, so do not take my words very seriously. And do not act on them without speaking with your health professional. Okay, with that little disclaimer out of the way, on with the show.
Readers might be wondering why I spend so much time on this subject or have so many various remedies or suggestions for combating illness. Several reasons: I consider my constitution to be on the poorer side, and when I get sick, like most people, I am miserable. And previously as an impoverished, part-time-self-employed college student, I did not have the luxury of health insurance benefits from a job (I do now) and I could not afford to be down and out for very long. Plus, as a healing facilitator I need to model the practice of good self care for my clients. And finally, I tend to get cold sores when my immune system is compromised, which I detest, so staying well has the added benefit of appearing healthy. All the reasons to attempt to stay well.
I want to mention for the record that I am an unusually sensitive Pisces. And this sensitivity extends to nearly all facets of my life, including extreme sensitivity to pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals of any sort. Therefore, I tend toward the subtler homeopathic / holistic / flower essence / essential oil remedies first, and then, only as a last resort would I take antibiotics or another prescription drug. Prescription / pain medicines / chemicals tend to have the opposite affect on me, hence my alternative perspective. Okay, now back to the combating illness story.
Two things are of utmost importance when you discover you are sick. One is obvious – rest! Your body needs time to integrate new changes as well as to adjust to changes in the environment – both within and without. Second, which *seems* obvious to most, but you’d be surprised, is to avoid that which is making one sick. For instance, if you are the type of person who typically has a strong constitution, and then you start a new romantic relationship and things start to go downhill health-wise… well then you might want to reconsider that relationship. Or if you have the option of pushing really hard for a promotion, which might entail working through some colds, maybe you can re-analyze – is it really necessary? It is important to know the signs that your body is depleted or overwhelmed and not push too hard. Otherwise the opportunity cost of not slowing down may be enormous.
Recently, I noticed symptoms of sickness arising, which made some sense – I had eaten a lot of dairy the previous evening plus I had been pushing myself hard at work, etc – but the desire to just lie in bed for hours on end was unusual. So I asked the I Ching about the situation, and it came back with Kua 28 – Ta Kuo – Pressure on Structure, Braced against Collapse, Under Pressure, “Too Much.” In other words, I was depleted and I had not recognized it. So I lay in bed for nearly two days straight, toward the end of which time I felt much more lively and enthusiastic – I got my lemony laughter back. So rest when you need to!
If you must push through something, as many of us feel the need to do, then you can try Chinese Herbs. In Whole Foods or another health food store, you can find the herbal mixture of Cold Snap. This beautiful little product raises what is known as the royal chi (prana) and you will have several hours of feel good time. You may notice feeling more energetically full and alive, but I would not recommend pushing it for multiple days on end. For instance, if you take the recommended dose on the first day and then go through a full day, later you will need to rest. The next day, if you are still feeling yucky, then listen to your body. In other words, if cold snap kicks the cold initially great! (It did its job.) If not, then don’t become reliant on it. **Many doctors will warn you, appropriately so, about the dangers of chinese herbs – so make sure you do some research and make sure the brand is a good one or the herbalist selling you the herbs is very trustworthy and experienced. And of course listen to your doctor.
You may also want to experiment with a homeopathic flu remedy. I have a friend in herb school who mixes a brilliant flower essence / flu remedy for me which works wonders. You might want to consider speaking with a Homeopathic Physician (a doctor who specializes in homeopathic medicine). They are few and far between but quite worth your time when you find a good one. In Charlottesville, we have George Guess, Md. who is a proficient practitioner.
Use a neti pot – but avoid the “dangers.” For everyone who might not know, a neti pot is a device from India, which is simple to use and very practical, in addition to being a great tool for staying healthy. A neti pot is a little container which holds warm saline water which you use to wash out your nasal cavities and sinuses. Basically you run the warm water through your nose for several minutes. Of course avoid the dangers of using it wrong (the worst thing you can do with it is to get some fluid in your inner ear possibly causing an infection, but otherwise, it is harmless) and make sure you know what you are doing ahead of time, which reminds me of a story…
A friend of mine is a Tibetan Buddhist monk (from Puerto Rico). He told me of the first time he used a neti pot, which I will never forget. He said that he did not know what he was doing, and that the sounds of his gurgling and sputtering (drowning) in the bathroom were so intense that his roommate called the ambulance thinking he was in serious trouble. Moral of the story is to not breath through your nose as you are using the neti pot. (And let your housemates know that you are using it…) You definitely want to avoid that!
If you feel yourself becoming worn down or notice flu-like symptoms coming on, you can steam using essential oils. Again, just as a reminder, I am not a doctor or in any way licensed to dispense advice, so please check with your health professional before trying any of these techniques. However, this one really helps you feel better (and the worst thing that can happen is that you use too much oil and getting slight heated / flushed sensation on your skin)! The way this works is to buy a quality essential oil (you don’t need much – see below). Then boil a sauce pan full of water – filtered / purified water is best but tap water works just fine. Put down a towel on the table where you plan to steam, making sure you have the space to lean over the pot, which will go on the towel. Then put in two or three drops of your oil – the Young Living Oil blend of Thieves works best, but peppermint, rosemary, basil, thyme, clove or cinnamon oils work fine (any oil that is an antiseptic *** see end of article for a complete list). Put a towel over your head which will also cover the pot of steaming essential oils (to trap the vapors for you to breathe in) and now lean over your pot of healthy vapors and breathe deeply for 5 – 10 minutes. If you put in too much oil, then, depending on the oil, your skin might burn a little – no problem (just add less in the future).
I found another great tool for recharging / rejuvenating about five years ago. Now you might laugh at this, but if you are still reading by this point, then you will enjoy this suggestion: lie down on an amethyst bio mat. Seriously. Nothing improves my health faster than lying on my mat. It uses the contemporary technology of far infrared waves to penetrate deeper into the body, it is heated in a completely safe fashion and it produces negative ions which are very health promoting. I purchased the mat initially for my clients to lie on, considering I offer professional bodywork, but then I found myself lying on it whenever I felt run down or coming down with something. During the first couple years of owning it, I would occasionally sleep on my mat. Nowadays, it starts to fill me with energy pretty quick, such that I am not able to lie on it for more than two hours tops. I am a distributor of these incredible health tools (they are expensive but well worth it). You might be able to find a used one on Ebay but they go quick and even in this case they still run about a $1000. I think I will publish a short post on this topic soon, as this little blurb does not do the mat justice.
Attend a doctor who understands alternative theory / practice. In other words, attend a doctor who understands that there is a strong reciprocal connection between physical health and mental health and that there are numerous treatment options. If you talk to your physician about an alternative option which you are seriously considering, and you simply get a blank stare, as in you just lost him / her, then you may want to consider looking around for a second opinion. That might not be a bad idea anyway. 🙂
Last but certainly not least, everyone would do well to speak with a Professional Astrologer who is skilled in working with the intricacies of Medical Astrology. This way you can determine what type of person you are (Saturnian, Jovial, Mercurial, etc) – as in what are the major aspects in your birth chart and what, if any, affect do they have on your health? You can determine much from your astrology chart, just in the realm of health and wellness.
Okay! Thank you for reading and sticking with me. Again, if you have gotten to this point, that means that you are open minded and that you care about your health enough to hear all my alternative ideas. Let me know if you have any comments and I hope one or more of these provides benefit!
List of essential oils with antiseptic properties (what I mention above plus):
basil
bergamot
clary sage
clove
eucalyptus
fennel
lavender (???)
lemon
pine needle
rosemary
Spanish sage
tea tree
thyme
Hello readers! Hopefully some of you will read this… har har har. I am looking to see who you readers are and what you are interested in hearing about. So please let me know a little about yourselves if you’d like – where are you writing from? Do you practice meditation or bodywork or astrology or other forms of alternative health modalities, etc? And also let me know if you are understanding most posts – sometimes the language can be technical. Then comes the fun part – you get to choose what I write about next! (this is a picture of me from 2008 with a picture of a “Creative Mind” hat on 🙂
Okay, please let me know which of these topics you are most interested in hearing about. Generally I spend several days working on a post – several drafts plus whatever research might be necessary. Now that I am working full time, it might take a little while to get your requests out, but I will do my best! In my drafts directory, I have started the following stories (as in they are in various stages of completion or arising):
Flu season – tips to avoid the plague
Change what goes into your body
I am not sick, I am angry! (this will take a while to finish, I’m planning to incorporate some medical astrology info and more)
Bodywork as meditation in action
Practicing Dharma in the midst of busy lives
Post on Mercury Retrograde (in depth details)
Post on Venus Retrograde (more in depth)
Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you. Many blessings.
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
You may also want to take this post in sections – I wrote a long one…
Ever spoken with a mentor or teacher or someone you respect and hold dear, and then a few days (weeks, months) later had another teacher recommend what seems like a relatively opposite direction from the first? Let me explain..
I mentioned in my previous post how blessed I feel, having multiple mentors and elders in my life who are often called spiritual teachers. And it is true, I have met some incredible teachers. But if we seek advice from multiple spiritual teachers, and if these teachers come from different lineages and traditions, is it possible that their advice might start to (seem to) pull us in multiple, difficult-to-follow-all-at-once directions? Oh, and if we have a strong intuition, or a body that we have developed a stable and kind relationship with, then we might start to feel that our intuition is also throwing some additional, separate advice into the cauldron… At present, this seems to be going on for me.
One Tibetan Lama recommends, do as much of the preliminary practices as you possibly can. If pain arises, then stop or do another practice which might help mitigate the discomfort. Push push push! But kindly… Another highly respected Lama suggested a couple of practices for me to add into my daily routine, which seem appropriate (but might be difficult to put into practice because they require extra time). And then a third teacher says that I should be gentle and kind first and no matter what happens, I should enjoy the practice I am doing. This advice has also been woven into the recommendations from Tibetan Lamas, but it stills seems a precariously tight rope to walk – push but only so hard, rest but only for so long, be kind yet diligent… In reflecting on the above material, I am struck by the importance of knowing myself – am I using one teachers advice in a lazy fashion to avoid or put off doing what another recommends? Am I actually pushing too hard and needing a slight reprieve?
Here is a list of advice from my teachers, which you might say, is a spiritual Bucket List (linking this to my recent posts):
1) Finish School
2) Learn (to speak) the Tibetan language
3) Push through the Preliminary Practices (and complete them)
4) Do a couple of (additional) brief practices, daily if possible
5) Get a job so that finishing school is easier (no brainer)
6) No matter what, enjoy what you are doing, and if not, then rest and practice quality self care
7) Choose one or two Zapchen exercises that I enjoy and do them for a few minutes a day
8) Practice restraint, stop ingesting poison
And now a bit of commentary on these suggestions:
1) If you have read many of my previous posts, you may recognize that I bring an astrological perspective along with me wherever I go. So to throw in an astrological wrinkle: At times, I often feel that being a Pisces with Neptune square my natal Sun (8th house of other people’s money and values) from the 5th house (creative expression, fun-loving-spontaneity, children), along with having Saturn in my natal 2nd house of material possessions and values, creates the phenomena for myself where I don’t have much in the way of material ambition or attachment to valuable “things.” Yes you just read that correctly – I have gone through life, at least on the material level, living quite below the poverty level, however perhaps reflected in my being a Leo Rising, I hide my impoverished nature behind a proud, refined public front. And I am actually quite content living below my means, or at least I was… Therefore I feel that going through school and pushing myself in a “worldly” direction works to counter my natural tendency of meditating first (naturally transcending material / bodily needs, whether for good or bad). Of course there needs to be balance in this regard too.
Also, being the type of person whose “right brain” (hemisphere) is more dominant – intuitive, creative, abstract orientation quite refined, etc, I believe 1) has to do with discovering inner mental balance for myself and not to mention developing marketable skills in the world so I can become financially stable and therefore be of more benefit to others.
2) When I study the Tibetan language for many hours on end, I push through some enormous resistance and I hate the process as it is unfolding – seriously, it can be excruciating. After I push through the resistance and complete a big project however, I feel complete, unconditional bliss arise, sometimes lasting several hours. So I know that whenever I learn Tibetan, whether it is in this lifetime or the next, I will be a happier individual. I also know that the Geshe who recommended this to me was extremely skillful and clairvoyant (when he died or dissolved back into the mandala, he exhibited signs of accomplishment). As a result, I am looking forward to putting his advice into practice.
3) Nearly every Tibetan Lama I have attended teachings from, has said that the Preliminary Practices (the Ngondro) are the most important practices of all. And if I understand these Lamas and their teachings correctly, I believe that in the beginning we have to prepare our body and mind to be able to receive and grok the higher teachings / practices and without doing so, we can cause harm and dangerous confusion to arise if we push through the advanced practices without being ready. So the preliminaries are very important.
5) is pretty obvious – if you are in debt, then get a job to get yourself out of debt and back on the moving forward track! (I skipped four on purpose.)
6) But the dilemma arises when we come to number six… I am trying to discover a good balance between practice, work, self care and if there is any time left over, play. Okay, so I work 40 plus hours a week and then I need a few hours a week to unwind, massage my aching legs and feet, so that time is taken care of. When I am at work, I try to maintain right view and if I have some down time, I will recite a few mantras or remember contemplations on emptiness, but work has been very busy as of late (waiting tables) and trying to keep a spiritual mentality in a bar setting is challenging for me.
My body, due to several little health problems, can only take but so much (I know what you might say, “Kirby you are young, so just push through these complaints!” and I would respond by getting very perturbed at your suggestion and mentally blocking anything else you say out, because you don’t understand my situation and are ignorant if you think you do, while saying what you just said). Therefore, with what little time and energy I have left, how much Zapchen do I practice, how much meditation, how much time do I spend going for a brief hike? That is where I am lingering these days, but thankfully, in addition to receiving clear messages from my heart (intuition), I work with the I Ching, so I am also receiving confirmation of the choices I make.
7) For anyone who does not know what Zapchen is, I would highly recommend experiencing it first, before trying to “figure it out” and certainly before judging it. However, in a nutshell, Zapchen exercises are little things we can do (with proper motivation and intention) to move toward lasting well-being, resting in alignment and moving to a state of spontaneous re-orientation toward a relaxed yet alert state. Julie Henderson is the creator of Zapchen Somatics, and she has done an exquisite job blending light-hearted exercises with empirical science to produce a complete toolbox of vital exercises for well-being. One of her teachers, His Holiness the Drukpa Kyabgon has gone so far as to say that the Zapchen exercises, when done under the supervision of a qualified teacher, can be as potent as the Ngondro practices. Anyway, now that my sales pitch is over, back to my spiritual bucket list.
I tend to do some stretching and some light Zapchen exercises when I wake up. This does several things for me – it clears my head (eliminating the need for coffee), it awakens and enlivens the chi / life-force energy – allowing me to feel full and charged in very little time, and it inspires joy. Sure, there might be one or two mornings where I have celebrated a little too hard the night before, when resistance and irritation will arise, but more often than not, this brief obstinacy does not last long. So this is an easy one to check off my list.
8) Finally, last but not least, and actually, the item on the list which should come first (seriously!). I say it should come first because in the basic teachings of Buddhism, throughout all schools and all traditions, we need to eliminate the causes of suffering in order to create the causes for lasting happiness. Therefore, we need to discern where we venture off the path, practice restraint and get our butts back on the path as soon as possible – in other words, figure out where and how we are ingesting poison and put a stop to that first. Then we can walk the path with more ease.
Well, those words sure sound good, clear and easy to (mentally) understand. But when you have some bad habits as deeply ingrained as I do, walking the talk is very challenging. Therefore, I am only able to talk the talk at the moment. I am still eliminating the sources of poison in my life. I am tired to swinging between the extremes of blissful elation and angry depression – so having vacillated for some time now, I am finally practicing restraint. In the past, when I really pushed hard, and did hundreds of prostrations (virtuous activity), I would notice an equally potent move in the opposite direction (away from virtue). So now I am doing less, but my pendulum is almost done with its annoying swinging. So that is all good!
So I guess the answer might lie in seeking out ONE teacher and then following their advice over the advice of others once you are sure you want to work with them. Or, you can bounce ideas off several, which is what I seem to be doing, all the while trying to follow the advice of one root lama / teacher. If you are intelligent and discerning, then you will notice that your authentic teachers’ advice all leads to the same place. I hope this sheds light on a curious topic.
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
Thank goodness for spiritual teachers. In this post, I discuss my personal struggle with my afflictions, and how, through fortunate karma, I can avoid certain pitfalls due to cultivating sincere heart relationship with spiritual mentors.
If it were not for a qualified spiritual path, which I have been blundering down or attempting to tread for several dedicated years now, I fear I might be a blubbering mass, curled up in the fetal position; or, more realistically, I might be going through life as I was a decade ago – knowing something better was “out there,” feeling that my lifestyle was off somehow but not knowing how to possibly go about resolving those looming inner dilemmas. 
Thanks to my positive karma however, or as Julie Henderson would say, thanks to the momentum which is coming forward through the force of all my past lives and bodies and habits (I’m paraphrasing), I actually have a standard to measure myself against and a worthwhile goal to constantly hold and strive for – that is attaining clarity, compassion and altruistic wisdom awareness for the benefit of all sentient beings – known and unknown, seen and unseen.
I know, I can be hard on myself (primary pitfall at the moment). But that is not all that I find myself continuously falling back on to cause myself more routine misery. Yes, when I am stretched and stressed, I resort to glass-is-half-empty type thinking, for instance, what is the worst case scenario and how can I prepare for it (because it is obviously about to happen)? Ouch! In addition to this bad and erroneous habit (once you begin to realize, both on a mental attitudinal and psycho-somatic level, that there are many beings who sincerely care about you, then things become easier – less to defend against and less to icily hold on to), I have other afflicted reactions to life’s incessant obstacles: in the past, and somewhat in the now, I tend to obsess – my mind can out-worry anybody, I am certain. Oh – and I am very good at deluding myself, and then projecting that delusion outward and affecting others (ever get the feeling that delusion and confusion just follow you around no matter where you go? well then the cause might actually be YOU). Finally, for the sake of brevity, I am still working through expression of anger issues and coming out of my pleaser / placation / shape shifter roles.
So what happens when I speak with my spiritual teachers? Just thinking about hearing the sound of my root lama’s voice (Drupon Thinley Ningpo) or the loving, melodious (if occasionally direct and semi-wrathfully compassionate) sound of Julie Henderson’s voice, moves me toward a relaxed, don’t-worry-be-happy state. As I mentioned above, knowing that there are at least a dozen (whom I have met in this lifetime) men and women who care about me unconditionally makes a huge difference – and then when I am able to mention what I am going through, whether in my mental habits, or my meditation practice or really life in general – it feels very good to be contained and witnessed and held.
Often times, my teachers know what I am going through even as I work through the words to articulate the process. Khenchen Rinpoche, Konchog Gyaltsen, has startled me on several occasions now as he read my mind, yes I am sure of this – I had not mentioned that I was contemplating escaping to India (to pursue a young woman) but clear as daylight, without much provocation he just blurted out, “you should finish school. Usually girlfriends get in the way of finishing school.” My jaw would have dropped if I had realized how far ahead of me he was thinking in MY process. Whoa!!! There was also the time, when I first attended retreat with Khenchen, having asked him at multiple opportunities what I should do with my life, he finally replied with, “you should go back and finish school.” Okay – this is bordering on the extraordinary! First of all, this implies he knew I was taking a break and that I had previously completed some school. And now he sees that I should finish… Uhhhh… Yes, he is simply amazing. As are other teachers.
Drupon knew, without my telling him, that I was doing guru devotion wrong. He pointed out that I needed to see the guru (for me that would be him) as the great, primordial guru Vajradhara (Dharmakaya) rather than any ordinary human form. Although he did mention that it would be okay to visualize His Holiness on the crown of my head. I’m not sure if he was just being self-effacing or serious. Either way, I put his advice into practice directly – no need to over-analyze it. Just do it. (Drupon Thinley Ningpo is one of the spiritual directors of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, Maryland and he is one of the retreat masters for the North American Centers of the Drikung Kagyu.)
Julie Henderson, who I have the good fortune of checking in with several times a year, is an example of a Western teacher with similar extraordinary intuitive skills. I think she has gotten a whiff of my habitual harsh-toward-self tendencies, but that does not explain how she knew another piece of my process. There was a time when I was deliberating about telling a young woman how I felt about her (long story shorter, this young woman is from the U.S. but is presently spending most of her time in Southeast Asia, so I preferred to have this conversation with young woman in person, but I was still trying to back out of that, internally) and Julie somehow sensed this and came right out with, “Kirby, if you love someone, you have got to tell them! You must tell her how your heart expands with joy and warmth when you spend time with her.” She went on to communicate that if I was on the path of opening my heart, then that meant opening my heart to someone else. And that there was no time to waste. Basically she was articulating a primal essence which was hidden deep within my heart, hidden because I had never had the courage or the warm-loving-support required to unlock it. Wow! (Julie Henderson is the creator and primary teacher of Zapchen Somatics – Embodying Well-being, she holds advanced degrees in German, Theater, Psychotherapy and Somatic Therapies. She has been recognized as an authentic spiritual teacher – a Khandroma – by many Tibetan lamas in the Nyingma and Drukpa lineages, and one of her teachers is His Holiness the Drukpa Kyabgon.)
Just to reiterate, without loving gurus and heart teachers, I would probably be out hiking somewhere, seeking outer serenity (and isolated solitude) because I did not have the tools to properly pursue inner peace and happiness. Meditation without guidance, to me is like being lost, adrift on a vast ocean without directional tools. We might paddle for years, only to discover that we have been going in circles, circles of perpetual dissatisfaction…
Thankfully I have connected with authentic lineages of healing wisdom and hopefully in this lifetime I will make a little bit of forward progress. I have become more active in the world, mixing it up with many different types of people and developing inner resources to be comfortable where I am. And I would say this is due to the kindness of my teachers.
May all beings seek out qualified teachers who can show them a legitimate path to lasting happiness. And then may all beings repay that kindness by sincerely practicing those precious instructions.
In other words, if we feel ourselves swaying in the breeze as it were, waffling between various meditation traditions or spiritual paths, primarily staying on the fringe of the crowd or simply reading books on the subject, then we should start investigating spiritual teachers. Get up close sometimes (when appropriate). Try to find someone we resonate with, who has been recognized as an authentic teacher and who practices what they preach (and preferably whose students do the same). Then we have much more to discover. We can change our mind with proper guidance and dedication and kindness. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
On my way back from Ladakh, on the plane, I had the good fortune to watch the movie “Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman – where Morgan Freeman’s character (who is reserved, family-oriented and modest) meets Jack’s character (who is entitled, wealthy and spoiled) in the hospital when the two of them are ill. What follows is a comical adventure as these aging characters realize life is short and you have to do what is on your dream list – which one of them calls their Bucket List. I have heard some people say they did not like this movie, but I feel that with the right perspective, one can glean something productive from many movies – even large budget Hollywood types. So I got to writing my own Bucket List. Keep in mind this was written in July 2008, so I will add some hindsight-oriented commentary to the list items. (By the way, I recommend this movie, at least slightly.)
1) Circumambulate Mount Kailash (Kang Rinpoche)
2) See and Tour and Make a Pilgrimage to the Potala Palace
3) Make a Pilgrimage to Drikung Til Monastery in Tibet (the Drikung lineage “Mother Ship”)
4) Visit and Pilgrimage to Dehra Duhn India to see His Holiness, Songtsen Library and Chang Chub Ling
5) Take Dance Lessons (Salsa / Ballroom)
6) Go to a World Cup Soccer Match
7) Have child(ren) and be as good a father / coach as possible
8) Take classes in Ayurvedic / Tibetan Medicine
9) Hike the Appalachian Trail
10) Enter a Co-creating, Dynamic, Growth-oriented Relationship (Marriage)
11) See the Amazon Rainforest
12) Take a nature retreat in Banff Canada
13) Visit Alaska, do some hiking
14) Practice the Buddhist Preliminaries Daily (Ngondro) until complete
15) Earn money so as to practice Generosity
16) Go traveling with Family
17) Explore France, Paris / Alps
18) Buy Land, Build a Green Home, Garden
19) Practice Giving (Dharma, loving-kindness) until my Heart “breaks Open”
20) Visit Mountains and spend time Listening
21) Rest my Body as Mountain
22) Breathe like the Ocean
23) Practice Quality Self Care, Alignment, Zapchen
24) Laugh Often!
25) Lighten Up!
26) Practice Yoga (Svaroopa, Deity, Guru, Breath, etc)
27) Rest Heart As the Sky
So that is my list, at least from 2 years ago. Just a tiny bit of commentary or reflections and therefore changes that I would make today. You can tell I was on a pilgrimage with the first few items. I’m no longer sure I need to do sassy / fast-paced dancing, but it might be fun to stretch myself. I think number 7 and number 10 go well together. I used to do a lot of hiking and outdoors activities. I still enjoy it but it is no longer so mandatory – I am finding peace within, so less need to seek urgently for it without. When I see pictures of Banff I am just blown away by its majesty, so I would like to visit there before I go on to new discoveries (transition in the Bardo realms).
Alaska is the only United State that I have not visited – and of course it is probably the state that is chock full of raw incredible natural sights and wilderness (more reasons to explore). My mother would love to go traveling to Europe with family members, so of course I need to take her up on that! For me, presently, being in a solid relationship is of higher priority than buying land, building home and growing my own food – however that is still in the back of my mind. In Zapchen, Julie Henderson, one of my heart teachers, says that we should rest our Body as Mountain, Breath like the Sea and Heart like the Sky. Yay!
This material is copyrighted by Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. To support my business and blogging efforts, please visit my website. More recently, I have begun teaching Astrology classes on Trauma-Informed Astrology, see http://www.traumainformedastrology.com for more! Thank you for visiting!
Okay – wow! I have done a lot of describing 2008 Drikung pilgrimage to Ladakh (our group was from the TMC in Maryland). In this post, I will describe my itinerary back from India, discuss the highlights from the Pilgrimage to Ladakh and go through (attempting brevity) the list of monasteries we saw in Ladakh. Please bear with the lengthy post – it is worth the read – maybe two sittings would be good?
I am so very thankful to have a father who flies a lot for his job, and therefore can occasionally gift me a frequent-flier ticket somewhere in the world as a result. On this occasion, I received “free” tickets to India and back, with just one catch. Uh oh!! The fly-ee (me) must be okay with the itinerary. The trek home was definitely more colorful than the bounces to Delhi. I did planes from Delhi to Frankfurt, to Toronto, to Montreal (yes, my final destination was intended to be Virginia but this was as close as United could get me) then train to NYC, switch trains to Washington DC to meet my sister, spend a night with family and then drive home to Charlottesville.
Actually it worked out very splendidly. Had some pleasant conversations with people on the way to Toronto and then to Montreal. It was very serendipitous – when I exchanged my India rupees for Canadian dollars (to spend the night in Montreal), I had the exact amount needed to stay in the hotel. This blew my mind – when one is practicing the Dharma diligently, very fortunate things can happen. Yay! I think downtown Montreal has suffered quite a bit of urban decay (perhaps as the suburbs improve?). Otherwise it was very enjoyable.
Oh and I was amazed that the thangkas made it back with me (sort of). They were delivered the next day to my hotel and I had to be very persistent as the front desk clerk was “entirely certain!” that there was no such package. I said, look again – but this time look for an unusually-shaped, plastic-wrapped, long-dowels-protruding package. And he came back with it in time for me to make my train! Good good.
Then the rest of the trip was uneventful. Now, on to the highlights from the Pilgrimage! These are not in any particular order. Because you can go back and view the previous posts, I will just say a little about each of these here:
1) meeting His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon at Phyang Monastery – major highlight, only it took time for it to dawn on me how fortunate we were to have tea and cookies with His Holiness – just he and our group. Wow! A Buddha and a King all bundled up into a spontaneously aware, present, skillful and awakened-wise being.
2) attending the Cham dances (Tibetan Buddhist ceremonial monastic dances which occur once a year at major monasteries) at Lama Yuru Gompa. I am glad we spent several days at Lama Yuru – it has an incredible history involving Naropa and other great past masters. And more recently, it has served as a retreat center as the Drikung Kagyu lineage was re-building in exile. His Holiness the Chetsang Rinpoche, Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen, Drupon Samten and many more did retreats under excellent masters like Kyunga Rinpoche – and one who we attended, Lama (Drupon) Jorphel. Met Togden Rinpoche (a Mahasiddha) and Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche (a Lama Yuru Tulku) – great teachers and practitioners.
3) being present for an authentic Ladakhi Oracle as she went into trance (with her apprentice), answered questions and did healings on locals. Whoa – very intense, potent, unexpected. A pleasant surprise which came of being with the right guide at the right time (Namgyal of Yama Treks).
4) a glimpse behind the scene looks into Ladakhi lifestyles – we were shown into the private quarters of several guest houses, including Bakula Rangdrol Nyima Rinpoche’s house in Leh. Sampling authentic Ladakhi food was unusual and an added surprise.
5) crashing a huge Ladakhi wedding! Awesome – the hosts’ generosity when they did not know us (the only Westerners present amid hundreds of Ladakhis) was truly incredible and touching.
6) touring His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Ladakhi Palace. This was a nice bonus to be in Ladakh for the celebration of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s birthday. And then to spend it with Tibetans was special.
7) spending half a day in the less-than-obvious Drikung Kagyu Institute bookstore in Manjukatilla (north Delhi) India. Tsondu Senge and Yeshe (Senge?) were very generous hosts.
8) receiving teachings on Tibetan medicine from a Ladakhi (Tibetan) Amchi (doctor). Then receiving very affordable private sessions with her as she dispensed advice and Tibetan medicine. I found this very educational in addition to being helpful.
9) nearly losing my breakfast every time I looked out the car windows as we traveled several hours each way along precarious, enormous-drop-offs-cliffs en route to the Nubra Valley. But you know, I must say that I fully believe this: “the more difficulty you go through to get to your pilgrimage destination, the greater the reward.” Now don’t go and do anything foolish of course – we had professional drivers who played mantra CDs all day for protection (we needed them!). 🙂 The route to the restricted Nubra Valley includes the Kardung-la Pass – the highest motor-able “road” in the world. Oh and we rode camels in the Nubra Valley – two humps.
A list of monasteries we visited. Each monastery though really has its own special twist and novelty. Nearly every monastery we visited had incredible murals, protector shrines and a shrine to Guru Rinpoche and more:
Lama Yuru – large, beautiful, exotic, remote monastery in Western Ladakh. Incredible myths and history – if you can attend the Cham dances and stay in the large, on-grounds guest house, then you are very fortunate. Camping was not bad either. If you are a Drikungpa, this is a big pilgrimage site (outside of Drikung Thil, Tibet and Dehra Dun, India).
Hemis Gompa (Drukpa) – a secret (hidden in the mountains), large, very wealthy monastery that even has its own museum. I heard from many people that they have a massive celebration for their Cham dances. This monastery probably has the largest Guru Rinpoche shrine (and statue) I have ever attended. This monastery was protected from several ransacking attacks as it is well-hidden in the mountains – most monasteries are visible from long distances as they are on top of hills / mountains. Hemis however is well placed deep in a twisting valley – having a hermitage higher up on the mountain.
Tikse Gompa is definitely high on my list because they have one of the largest Buddhist statues of Maitreya in the world. When you see an enormous, friendly picture of a colorful crowned Buddha statue – it is likely to be this one (see photo above). I have seen it all over. When you visit Tikse, you can also visit Stakna (Tiger’s nose) Monastery in the same day – well worth it as Stakna is on a large rise which looks out on 360-degree, vast, snow-mountainous views.
I am putting Chemray Monastery next, as we drove by it on our way to Tak Thog Gompa (the exclusive Ladakh Nyingma monastery) and Chemray looks like it could be its own little Buddhist City. Seriously – its large hill is just covered with monastery buildings. Along with Hemis, Chemray seemed like a very wealthy monastery – many large, beautifully painted shrine rooms and meditation halls. A Guru Rinpoche shrine that is well worth the visit. Tak Thog can be seen in the same day – then you will have a day full of Padmasambhava statues and shrines and potency!
Phyang – one of the monasteries that is close to Leh (Spituk is closer) and worth a little half day trip. We attended His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon here. A beautiful Drikung Kagyu monastery.
On the way to Lama Yuru, we visited the village and monastery of Temisgam. This was very unusual in that the monastery was no longer active – only one monk was “stationed” there year-round to maintain it and accept visitors / tourists. It was still incredibly beautiful and well worth a visit. Walk around on the ancient iron catwalks while you are there which will allow you to see the many prayer wheels which the wind is turning. There is also a Nunnery at Temisgam – a very interesting visit.
We visited two monasteries in the Nubra Valley – Deskit (Diskit) Gompa and Samstanling (Gompa) Monastery. Deskit had the most history of the two, and it has a VERY fascinating story associated with its Protector Shrine – as in don’t make any promises or vows you can’t keep kind of story. Samstanling (Samten) Monastery was very nice as well – it had an enormous amount of intricate carved wood used in its shrines and all over – doorways, balconies, railings, etc. Also, we had the great fortune to meet Bakula Rinpoche’s young present incarnation here in Sumur. Deskit has a beautiful, huge outdoor seated Buddha, I think Maitreya, which was under construction while we were there. It should be finished by now and would be gorgeous – looking out over the Nubra River Valley.
The Likir and Alchi monasteries can be seen on the same day. I was sick unfortunately so I only saw a part of Likir and then missed the Alchi portion. Likir has a huge outdoor Buddha statue – very shiny gold and precious! Alchi has some of the oldest Buddhist artwork in the world and therefore I heard it was a little dark (to preserve the ancient murals). You may want to bring your own flashlight – not too bright though. However its murals are very unique in that they have a distinct Kashmiri influence (Muslim artists painting a Buddhist monastery?) 🙂 Great!
Shey Palace was practically a monastery with an enormous Buddha Shakyamuni Statue and shrine. It is a nice visit with delicious restaurant food down below in the village. The second palace we visited was Basgo – also not active – it housed a huge seated Maitreya statue (I think Maitreya). When you go there, the affect of the weathering is vivid and direct – you cannot miss how fast the rest of the non-maintained sections are melting and crumbling away.
His Holiness’ (the Dalai Lama) palace in Leh is also rather monastic, for obvious reasons! Plus there is the large, one-roomed temple next door. If you are a practitioner and in Ladakh – try to get here. Well worth the trip.
The Head Oracle or Shaman of Ladakh is actually a monk or lama. He is a Sakyapa and he resides at the only Sakya Gompa in Ladakh – the Matho Monastery. I was sick for this day as well, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. I heard that women are not allowed in one shrine room (maybe having to do with divination). Not sure if it is just women on their cycle not being allowed in… (what?!) But I wished I could have seen it nonetheless!
Finally, Spituk monastery, last but not least, was the last monastery I saw before leaving. It is famous for being both a Hindu and Buddhist Monastery – as its Protector Shrine (Gonkhang) has a significant Shiva Statue / presence. A curious, slightly urban monastery as it is just a few miles from Leh.
Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation 