The Quickening. Gregg Unterberger

the next time you go camping.

      I am asking you to consider with an open mind that there might be specific pathways, modalities, and technologies that allow us to move toward these quickenings more directly, without years of spiritual practice. And yes, maybe a sincere willingness to engage in these new approaches is the faith as big as a mustard seed, that yields these beatific, life-changing experiences. I have seen countless clients and workshop participants without backgrounds in metaphysics or spiritual practice have transformative spiritual experiences using these modalities. These gifts from God are yours for the opening. We might call them intentional quickenings.

      And for Christ’s sake, keep doing your yoga or Om Sweet Om, if that works for you. Let’s get beyond an “either/or” dichotomy and embrace an “also/and” approach.

      Imagine for a moment, that the next step on your spiritual journey is an old dead tree you have to cut down. If you want to take on the task with a nail file, you can do that. It will take a lot of time, perspiration and, if you are like me, maybe a bit of profanity. When you are done with all the angst, you can be very proud of yourself—your sweaty shirt, bloody knuckles, and all the effort you put into it. But, if that’s not fast enough for you, get an ax and a good pair of leather gloves, and you can fell that sucker in a matter of minutes and save money on Band-Aids. Or, if you like, get a crosscut saw and a friend, and you can take it down even faster.

      But I’m from Texas, y’all.

      I’m gonna give you a chainsaw.

       3

       Binaural Beat Frequencies: Enlightenment on Demand

      “Tones and sounds will be the channel through which the coordinating of forces for the body may make for the first of the perfect reactions . . .”

      Edgar Cayce reading 758-38

      Eckhart Tolle likes to tell the story of J. Krishnamurti, the Hindu philosopher who was instrumental, among others, in bringing metaphysical concepts to the Western world in the twentieth century. Reportedly, after an extensive tour of America, at one of his lectures, the enlightened teacher leaned forward conspiratorially towards the microphone and said, “Do you really want to know my secret?” A hush fell over the audience members. Here was the ultimate spiritual truth. Were they ready? Could they grasp it?

      Krishnamurti said, “I don’t mind what happens.”

      At first blush, that hardly sounds like a revelation, from the man who had a reputation as a “world teacher” and hobnobbed with physicist David Bohm and author Auldous Huxley. In fact, it sounds like someone who is apathetic. But Krishnamurti was hardly that. He was often truly at peace with whatever was happening around him.

      Can you imagine what that would be like in your life? Your partner is angry with you, and you can keep your peace. You lose your job, and you can keep your peace. You win the lottery . . . and yes, you can keep your peace. You can even keep only about half the lottery money after taxes, and after hearing that . . . you can still keep your peace. Sound like some kind of esoteric Eastern skill? What about the Serenity Prayer that asks God for “the serenity to accept the things that we cannot change,” as prayed by millions in the Western tradition known as the Twelve Steps?

      But usually, we are anything but serene in the face of things we cannot change. We furiously demand that life and world affairs be different. Our friends and families are expected to become what we “need” them to be. We even attack ourselves: We are not skinny enough, not smart enough, not responsible enough, not spiritual enough, and then we condemn ourselves for being too hard on ourselves!

      Our righteous judgments not only interfere with our peace, they often separate us from the people we would want to love most. We are angry that our children or grandchildren have purple hair, got a tattoo, or worse, listen to Justin Bieber. We are angry that our spouses dare to notice someone of the opposite sex. We are angry that our friends did not remember our birthdays. So, we proceed to shut them out of our lives and then wonder why we feel so hurt and alone.

      So much of the time, we see peace as something that is dictated by circumstances beyond ourselves. I will feel peaceful when I get out of high school; when I finish college; when I get married; when I get divorced; when I get remarried; when I have children of my own . . . no, wait a minute, make that when the kids move out, oops, they’re already gone; I mean, when I see the grandkids again . . . and on and on it goes.

      The Bible talks about “the peace that passeth all understanding.” To me that speaks of two aspects of the quality of this peace. First, that peace is so intense or so deep that it transcends our normal sense of peace. It is beyond the everyday two-margaritas-and-it’s-all-good experience. Second, that particular sense of peace is apparently beyond rationality. By definition, it doesn’t make sense. What do I mean by that? Well, given that we believe that outer circumstances must dictate our moods, then, we believe if circumstances are perfect, then we experience peace. But this kind of peace occurs outside of that domain, when life hands us bologna sandwiches, not surf and turf. Or, for my readers who are vegan, tofu and kale.

      Imagine you are sitting on your favorite Caribbean Island with a frosty adult beverage in your hand and your favorite romantic partner by your side. Your retirement is set, you have millions in the bank, you are healthy and vital, your children are successful in school or at work, you have the best friends in the world, and you feel . . . well, pretty freakin’ good! Satisfied, maybe even peaceful! And most everyone would say, “That’s understandable.” That is the peace that is understood by all.

      But what about a peace that is beyond understanding, when things are bad? How could we possibly have peace? Wouldn’t we just be repressing our feelings? Isn’t that denial? Or just plain Pollyanna?

      My dear friend Kathy, I often joke, is the most spiritual atheist I have ever met. She was diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer and, understandably, her feelings leading up to her surgery and chemotherapy were a mix of terror, anxiety, depression, and confusion. Simultaneously, her mother was on hospice, death lurking around the corner. There was no guarantee her surgery could save Kathy’s life. Like most of us, she had some difficult family relationships. Financial stability was an issue; her inability to work due to illness and the medical costs were a one-two punch in the purse. Her life was a perfect storm of bad news and tough circumstances. We would talk at length about how life would still continue, even while the crisis would move toward some resolution and her life was still right there in front of her. While I encouraged her not to avoid her painful emotions, I also reminded her that even in the worst of times, there were things to be grateful for.

      One day, she called me excitedly. “I was at Whole Foods Market today,” she told me. “And I was looking at all the beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables and enjoying all the people around me shopping, and the music they were playing was just incredible, some of my favorites from the eighties. I was literally dancing down the aisles. And suddenly it dawned on me that I was happy, genuinely happy. I was amazed. How is that possible? For probably fifteen minutes, I “forgot” that my Mom had just died a month ago and that I was about to have major surgery and one of my best friends is getting a divorce. How is this possible? And even when those things came back to me, I still felt good!”

      Kathy “did not mind” her life circumstances in that moment.

      It was the peace that was beyond all understanding. Yet here it was. “My peace I give to you . . . not as the world knows it.” And it was happening to a “godless atheist!”

      By the way, Kathy did live through her surgery and continues trying to be grateful for her every moment. She has good days and she has bad days, but without question, learning to think this way has made all of her days better days.

      These experiences should throw a steel wrench into the gears of our typical