Overcoming Dark Clouds

Saturday, 19 November 2011 19:53 Written by Nirmala

A friend emailed me to report that after years of spiritual and psychological work that he still often becomes overwhelmed by depression and discouragement. He does have moments where it all falls away and he is in touch with a more joyful and clear perspective, but then it is as if a dark cloud reappears and hides any sense of presence or Being. He ended by asking if there is anything he might be missing that could be helpful.

I replied as follows:

I do have something to offer that may be something you have been missing. But please know that I hold what I am going to share lightly, as I believe it is a small part of the truth. Because it is metaphysical, it is easy to assume that it is something big and important, but it is really just a small thing that happens to be a part of metaphysical (non-physical) reality.

That being said, there are literally dark forces that can affect us. Some people have called them entities, as they appear as individual entities, just as you and I appear as individual entities. They just happen to not be physical. And while they can and do affect us, they are actually not very powerful. Mostly they affect us by inserting negative ideas and creating fear, but they cannot directly harm us. And since they are not very powerful, it is fairly easy to clear them from our energy field. My wife, Gina, has much more of a background in the metaphysical realms and has even written a book that includes information on how to clear these entities. You can read more about this book, Getting Free: How to Move Beyond Conditioning and Be Happy on her website here.

I bring this up because you mention dark forces and dark episodes yourself in your email, and the way you describe what happens is exactly how it feels when an entity is affecting you. There are two things that increase the likelihood that entities will hang around and have an effect. One is if there is a lot of emotional wounding. The wounding is like an opening in your energy field that allows the entity to attach or connect to your energy. And the second thing that attracts them, paradoxically, is if someone is very spiritually advanced and open. This attracts them, as it makes you a more valuable target, although in an actual moment of spiritual connectedness, it also makes it harder for them to affect you. And I would suggest that both of these things are true in your case, so you are both a good target overall and at times you are an easy target because of your emotional wounding.

So check this out if you feel moved to. There is no need to make a big deal out of it, and yet it can be very helpful to know about this dimension of reality and to take the simple measures that can address it.

In a similar vein, I would also suggest you check out a Croatian healer named Braco. He is, in a sense, the opposite of the negative entities and is a powerful way to connect to Essence and Source. I have mentioned him in a recent newsletter, so you may have already read about him there. I will paste the info I sent out below, and here is another link to info about some online gazing events he will be offering on Jan. 13-15, 2012 from Los Angeles:

https://www.bracoamerica.com/Braco_America/Braco_Live_Streaming.html

Many people have noticed definite improvements or complete healing of things like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after having sessions with Braco. It seems incredible, especially when you discover that he just gazes silently at large groups for 5-7 minutes per session, but the testimonials have been pouring in for the last 15 years.

Let me know if any of this info is helpful, my friend, and let me know what you experience if you do check out Braco.

Warmly,

Nirmala

PS: Here is my earlier message about Braco:

I am sending out this brief message to my email list to introduce Braco, a Croatian man who has been offering a gift of healing and transformation for the past 16 years by simply gazing at groups of people in person and over the internet. I personally have experienced an overnight healing of some severe nasal allergies after my second time seeing Braco in person. I am also deeply touched by the love and presence I feel when seeing him in person or through internet gazing sessions.

braco-for-blog

He comes regularly to the US and also many locations across Europe. More info about the US events is here: https://www.bracoamerica.com/Braco_America/Welcome.html

Info about his European schedule is here: http://www.braco-info.com/dcms/?lang=en

Info about the online live streaming events: https://www.bracoamerica.com/Braco_America/Braco_Live_Streaming.html

There is a lot of info and a very large number of testimonials of physical, emotional and spiritual transformations on the bracoamerica.com website. Here is a bit more of an introduction taken from the Braco America website:

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The Sun Still Shines Behind the Clouds

Friday, 04 November 2011 15:24 Written by Nirmala

I received an email with the folowing question:

I have something to ask that has confused me deeply. How are you going to respond if you happen to see a person molesting another person. Is it okay if we just let someone harm others? It seems that if we were enlightened, then we would perceive everything as one, so we would just let someone harm others without attachment.

Here is my response:

This is a common question as it is confusing to the mind when two opposite things are both true. So while it is true that everything is one thing, and there is ultimately nothing that can harm consciousness, it is also true that people can and do harm each other physically and mentally. And it is always possible to act in a situation like you describe also without attachment.

Another simple example of two opposite things being true is how the sun is still shining on a cloudy day. From where you stand, there may be thick clouds and even rain. And yet the bigger truth is that the sun is still shining above the clouds. I say it is a bigger truth as the sun shines on the entire earth, not just the clouds above your head, and the daily rising and setting of the sun is more constant and longer lasting than any particular rainstorm. However, just because it is true that the sun is still shining, that does not mean that you should go out in your bathing suit and some sunscreen to work on your tan! The rain is still real, and you may want to wear a raincoat instead.

When it comes to the hurt and violence in this world, the bigger truth is that the consciousness involved will recover from the pain and suffering. Yet, while the effect of the pain inflicted is temporary, it is still real, and it is still possible sometimes to do something that prevents or stops the violent or hurtful act, or at least to help sooth or even heal the person who has suffered after the fact.

Knowing the bigger truth that there is ultimately no lasting harm can actually free you to act in direct response to what is happening. It does not need to imply that you take no action to stop a hurtful act. There is nothing to lose so why not help someone out when you can? The real value of this bigger perspective is that it can allow you to see the hurt and violence that is real, and yet not be traumatized yourself by it or even overwhelmed by it. When we do not see the bigger truth, then our reaction to the pain in the world often is one of avoiding it or denying it because it can seem too horrible to acknowledge. When we see the bigger truth, then we can respond to pain as best we can since we also know it is not that big a deal.

We can keep a complete perspective on the whole situation by realizing that love and peace are still present. Knowing that the bigger truth is that love and joy are always here "behind the clouds" is what gives us the capacity to be compassionate and loving towards the victims of violence and even towards the perpetrators of violence. It is often possible to stop someone from being violent in a loving and compassionate way. In contrast, responding to violence with more violence usually just breeds even more violence.

When it rains that is not the end of the world. The sun is still shining and will eventually come out from behind the clouds. You do not need to overreact to the rain even as you might still take appropriate actions to stay dry. And even when you get wet, it is still no big deal!

I hope this helps.

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What Else Is Here Besides Suffering

Monday, 10 October 2011 03:51 Written by Nirmala

I received a follow up response to my previous blog post about grace which I have paraphrased here:

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my question.

I can see in my life that experiences are neither good or bad unless I judge them either way. So basically I see them as neutral and not even benevolent. Things just happen, not towards any greater good. I can hold the concept that all experiences come because they are benevolent and beneficial, but I'm not sure that this is true from what I see around me.

Is the experience of starving to death bringing a gift that is really benevolent and pushing towards something beneficial for that person? I'm struggling to see the beauty in this. How is famine and starvation benevolent or beneficial? It just leads to a lot of death. I'm not afraid of death and I don't think it's 'wrong' if it happens. If the flowering of enlightenment in a human-being is the sign of the deepest awareness, then I can't see how so much death is actually beneficial.

When I see horrific cruelty to animals I can't see any grace in action or any benevolence. Why does grace hurt itself? There is so much horror. It would be more accurate to say that 'grace' is the horror in the world, because there seems to be so much of it. If 'grace' acts through experiences it sure chooses some pretty horrific ways to get its point across, and this has hardly lead to the mass flowering of enlightenment. If starvation and cruelty were beneficial tools, surely millions would be awakened and awakening by now.

It looks more like life is a mixed bag of tricks and treats without any purpose or meaning. I know I'm looking at this through my little mind, so I struggle to understand what I see and experience using my mind. I try to avoid magical or wishful thinking in favor of what actually is, because I am prone to fantasy and looking for meaning which may in fact not exist.

Here is how I responded:

Everything you share is true. And there is still the question of how true. Is it the whole truth? Is it the biggest truth?

Is it possible that while all of the hurt and pain and suffering in this world is real and is happening, there is still a bigger truth to this existence. You do not have to deny or ignore the suffering, and definitely you can always respond in any way that you can that will relieve or reduce the horror and the tragedy that is a part of life.

And at the same time you can look for and question the possibility of a greater intelligence and Presence that is also operating in this world and beyond it. A bigger truth than the pain and suffering is the truth that our consciousness is affected by everything (that is why we call it consciousness), but it is not harmed by anything. Bodies can be harmed and even die, but is there permanent damage to the consciousness? I am inviting you to hold this as an open question, something to be discovered as life unfolds here on earth and also beyond your time here on earth.

And yet here and now you can directly discover for yourself what the biggest truth is. The truth is what opens your heart and quiets your mind. And a smaller truth contracts your heart and makes your mind very busy. So check for yourself, does believing that life is a mixed bag and has no purpose open your heart right here and now? And what effect does it have on your heart to at least hold the possibility that consciousness cannot be harmed? Which idea gives your heart more room to breath and just be?

I invite you to explore this capacity of your own heart to discriminate how true every idea, hope, dream, fear, worry and intuition is. They all are true because truth is what exists, and so all there is is truth. Yet truth comes in many different sizes from extremely small to infinitely big, so discrimination is needed to determine how true things are. You can explore more about this way of discriminating truth in the free download of part two of my book, Living from the Heart, available here.

So in my view, we are both right, and the truths I share and the truths you shared with me are not even contradictory. They are complimentary and even when we cannot see how they fit together, we can at least recognize that there is room here for both of them. A bigger truth is not better, just bigger. A smaller truth is not worse, just smaller. And you can respond to and include all sizes of truth in your awareness. You can feed the starving, feel the intense grief and sadness of unecessary cruelty and destruction, and also discover the limitless peace and love that is also here in every moment. You can also discover for yourself the depth of your soul that has never been harmed, and never will be harmed. And you can see that same depth in the eyes of a starving child if you look deep enough.

Overcoming Dark Clouds

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The Sun Still Shines Behind the Clouds

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What Else Is Here Besides Suffering

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