Several weeks ago, as I woke up from sleep, I had a vision. I saw a tunnel about three inches in diameter open up near my forehead (third eye area). I heard a “snap” as it briefly opened up for a second. I saw a ring of light around the circle, and in the center of the circle were white, twinkling stars in a black background.
AI generated from my sketch.
I’ve never had a vision like that before. I wasn’t scared, but I also didn’t feel ready to go “down that rabbit hole.” I even questioned if I was ready to dive deeper into my spirituality.
To calm my nervous system, I practiced Ujjayi Pranayama. Here is the practice:
Start to breathe in and out through your nose, naturally (mouth closed).
Then take a slow, deep breath through both nostrils. The passage of the incoming air is felt on the back of the palate and makes an oceanic sound (sa). The sound is audible and loud enough to be heard.
Exhale slowly, deeply, as the outgoing air is felt on the back of the palate and makes a sound (ha).
Repeat the cycle for five to ten minutes.
Ujjayi breathing sounds like the ebb and flow of the ocean.
Ujjayi Pranayama is also helpful when practicing yoga, especially during pain when stretching. I remember reading years ago that yoga can give the practitioner the skills to work with pain.
One more thing, emotions are very powerful. We can use our emotions to send out our intentions into the universe. If you feel a strong emotion, send out a prayer with that emotion as a catalyst for change.
A week ago, during my deep sleep, I heard a masculine voice say to me, “You only have 10 years left to live.” I woke up a little frightened and disturbed. Immediately, I felt like this dream must be kept as a secret. I didn’t want to tell anyone because I didn’t want it to come true.
Now, as I reflect, I wonder what kind of future there is. Some people are doom spending because they think the world is ending. Others are prepping for the worst. I think everyone can feel a shift or something is on the horizon (and it’s not just political).
A possible prediction is AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). According to ChatGPT (I know, here we go), it is a type of computer intelligence that can think, learn, and solve problems like a human across many different tasks and situations. Many experts say AGI will be in our everyday lives by 2030 – that’s in five years!
Sometimes I wonder if the political landscape is a distraction. I think we probably already have AGI, but it’s not released to the public. Unfortunately, there is so much knowledge and information hidden from the world.
Like everything in life, there are positive and negative consequences. One of the positive aspects of AGI is that it could solve a lot of problems like poverty, housing, food shortages, cures for disease, and many other things. The negative is the doom – extinction of the human race.
So, I may or may not have 10 years left to live. However, recently, I received another message while doing a Reiki treatment with a hospice patient. The message stated that for the rest of my life, I need to devote myself to meditation and sacred texts. It’s a divine message to encourage me to focus on my spiritual life.
I also think all of us need to work on our mental health. We need to get in the right headspace, be in the present moment, and think more positive thoughts. Our spiritual development is in our hands – no one can do it for us.
AGI is in our future – whether we like it or not. Amazingly, a small group of people created something that will change the world forever. We need to prepare for this unpredictable future. The way to prepare is going inward, raising our vibration, and focusing on love.
When I was at the ayahuasca retreat, our shaman teacher gave us the option to see Donna (not her real name), who offered coca leaf readings for $100.00. The coca leaf comes from the cocaine plant, and many Peruvians chew the leaves. I was curious about Donna after one of the retreat attendees said it was worth having the reading done. She also said Donna was very open – she told the retreat attendee that she’s often too tired to have sex – her boyfriend is 20 years younger than her.
On my way to see Donna, a Peruvian woman who spoke perfect English, I walked with a retreat assistant for 10 minutes through the lush jungle, the sun shining through the branches, and heat mixing with the smell of moss. Upon arrival at her home, a large Brazilian Mastiff greeted us. I was a little frightened because I didn’t know if the dog was friendly or not.
Donna’s boyfriend, a tall man with a long black ponytail, took me into their cozy house to wait for Donna. I noticed a small kitchen with a yellow teapot, a fur rug on the floor outlining a small coffee table, and wooden stairs made with deer antlers leading up to the second floor.
When Donna was ready for me, her boyfriend came to pick me up. I followed him outside to meet Donna. Donna was a petite woman with gray hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She had a sleeveless purple shirt, capris, and no shoes. I followed her to a small maloca (a circular building with wooden supports in the shape of a hexagon). She said I could take off my shoes, which I did.
As I entered the maloca, I noticed white sand beneath my feet. In the center of the maloca, a small table and two cushions were placed. Donna invited me to sit. I sat across from her as my feet sank into the sand. Donna said she wanted sand in her maloca because it helps to ground the people who visit her. She continued to say that many times we want to see the ocean, but it’s the sand that makes us feel good. So, she had a vision to put sand in her “office.”
I brought three small bundles of white sage to give to Donna as a gift. She was happy to receive them. My shaman teacher said they don’t have sage in Peru.
Donna asked me to grab a bunch of dried coca leaves from her zippered pouch. Then she instructed me to hold the leaves between my palms and blow on them three times. After I blew on them with my warm air, I opened my palms to let the leaves fall onto the table.
I looked at Donna as she stared at the leaves. She asked me, “Are you a healer?” I said, “Yes, in a Western sense of the word. I work for a hospital helping people who are dying.” Donna shook her head as she understood.
Donna said, “The leaves tell me you take on too much sadness from your patients and their families. But I also see you were born a healer.” I wasn’t expecting her to say I was a healer. But I was pleasantly surprised that she was intuitive. At that moment, I felt a deep connection to Donna. She also told me to look up paintings by Alex Grey. She said he captures the human spirit in his paintings.
I had prepared four questions in my small dollar store notebook. The first one was, “Is there anything I need to work on for my spiritual development?”
Donna said I need to breathe. She said, “Breath is spirit, and you need to connect with your spirit without any concepts.” She continued to say that meditation will help me. In my head, I agreed with her.
Then she looked at me with concern. She asked me, “Why do you doubt yourself so much? You need to stop that!” I agreed with her – I do doubt myself sometimes. I also get into my head way too much. I need to let go more.
My second question was, “Do you have any insights on my marriage?” Donna smiled a little. She said my husband, Jeff, is a good man, and he loves me very much. She also said I should stay married to him, and we were married in a previous past life.
Donna encouraged me to have more fun with my husband and to breathe together. My thoughts went back to when we were dating. I remember Jeff and me lying together in bed, in my newly rented townhouse, with the soft light of the sunset. I felt warm as we held each other and practiced tantric breathing. We would breathe together on the inhale and the exhale, creating a natural rhythm.
The third question was about my job: “Any messages about my job?” Donna encouraged me to think about starting my own business (like a death doula). She also said I have too much education. I need to focus on spirit and not on more education. I have everything I need to work with people who are dying. Instead of seeking more education, I need to work with my intuition, open my heart, and mind. I need to work on staying in the present moment.
My final question was, “How can I become enlightened in this lifetime?” Donna said I must let go and return to spirit. She said we have things backward. We should cry when a baby is born because of the challenging life that awaits, and be happy for people who die because they are done with their journey on earth.
She didn’t answer my question directly – whether I will become enlightened in this lifetime. Instead, she said that this is her last life on earth – she will not be returning. Maybe she has reached enlightenment.
Donna answered all my questions. I gave her $100 in US cash (which I thought was a lot of money for a thirty-minute reading). She placed the cash under her tablecloth. We both stood up, and Donna led me out of the maloca.
I found the coca reading intriguing, and I’m glad I decided to do it. There are some things to consider, especially her comments about my marriage and returning to Spirit. I am working on positive thoughts and letting go of things in the past.
Before I went on the Ayahuasca retreat, I knew it would be a challenging retreat. But that’s what I wanted. It would be different from a typical yoga retreat, offering relaxation, gourmet food, and sightseeing. I remember the quote, “Like tea, you don’t know how strong you are until you’re put in boiling water.”
8 Things I learned from an Ayahuasca retreat:
Trust myself. I trust myself but also ask for help when I need it.
Listen to my intuition – My heart and mind will nudge me to make the best decisions for myself and my family. I want to open my mind even more! I ask, “Spirit, what do you want of me?”
It’s okay to feel “unhinged.” During the retreat, I was an emotional mess. I felt uncomfortable at times. But during the storm, I am learning to take shelter. I also need to prepare for stormy weather. Do I have everything I need to make it through? I continue to learn from life.
Be in the present moment—My breath connects me to the present moment. I can feel the air pass through my nostrils. When I meditate, I focus on the inside of my nose. The nostrils serve as the center of balance and the intersection of yin (left side) and yang (right side) energy. These energies meet and open up the third eye (between the eyebrows).
Find ways to calm my nervous system – I need to feel embodied. I’ve learned that I must start with my body to calm my nervous system, such as through yoga and qigong. I also need divine meditation to purify my mind – it’s the only way to clear my mind.
It’s okay to be alone – Even though I have family and friends in my life, the truth is that I journey in this life solo. I was born solo, and I will die solo. The truth is that I am responsible for my spiritual development. No one can do it for me. I must realize I am alone.
Make my husband and family a priority – During the retreat, I realized that I take my husband for granted. Now, with clear eyes, I see how much he loves me, and I love him. I am so grateful to my husband and family.
Let go – Wow! I didn’t realize that I have way too many thoughts. It’s time for me to LET GO. The more I let go, the more I can be in the present moment. Also, I want to let go of my external world. I don’t want to worry about how many friends I have or what I say to people. I know that I am working with good intentions. After I let go of my external world, I will let go of my internal world (attachment to thoughts).
I am grateful to have learned these lessons. I have renewed intentions to deepen my yoga and meditation practice as well. My focus is on balancing the connection between my body and mind. I want to redesign myself into a brave, intuitive, loving, and mindful person.
To love fully, we must remove fear and pride. - Angeles Arrien
The Buddhist Metta Sutta tells a story about 500 monks who went into the jungle to practice meditation:
Approximately 500 monks who had gone into the jungle to practice meditation were disturbed and frightened by certain spirits. Whereupon they returned and reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha then advised the monks to return to the same place, armed with the sword of Metta (loving-kindness) for their protection.
The monks returned to the jungle and radiated their lovingkindness to the jungle and those spirits. Thereafter, they continued with their meditation without any hindrance. These same spirits who had earlier created disturbances later repented and paid their respects to the monks.
This is, therefore, an important Sutta to recite and radiate your loving-kindness to every living being. By doing so, you can overcome any disturbances, find peace and happiness, and help others live peacefully by practicing this great virtue. (From the book, “Daily Buddhist Devotions, by Venerable K Sri Dhammananda.)
Lately, I’ve been practicing a loving-kindness meditation at night, before I go to sleep, or in the morning before I get up. Here is the meditation: Loving-Kindness Meditation: To begin, you can sit or lie down. When you are comfortable, take a deep breath. Feel your breath expand the body, and then relax. Focus on the words “loving-kindness” in your heart (chest area). At first, do not think about sending loving-kindness to anyone – just feel the love in your heart. Let there be space in your mind. After a few minutes of focus, you can expand the loving-kindness to yourself, your family and friends, pets, and all living beings. You can close the meditation by bringing your palms together, creating a sense of balance in the body. Or you can rest your hands on your chest.
In this turbulent world, how do you keep calm and loving? How do you protect yourself from outside energy and influences? Please leave a comment (see above near the title).
I am starting to understand the Buddhist terms of “impermanence” and “openness.” I recall telling my Buddhist teacher, during tea time, that I exist and I don’t exist, and that there is a lot of freedom because I don’t exist. My teacher said, “No, that’s not correct. You do exist.” I felt a little embarrassed being corrected in front of everyone in the group.
I went home telling myself, “I am right – I don’t exist.” I held onto my opinion firmly for many months. Now I realize that my teacher wanted me to go beyond dualist thinking. I know the correct answer to the riddle of this problem: I am open-minded. I am space.
According to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, upon physical death, the body dissolves from earth to water, water to fire, fire to air, and air to space. I believe one of the secrets to life is to cultivate an open and spacious mind while living in a physical body. How can my mind become like space? How would I live differently?
Another word in Buddhism is “impermanence.” We are transient beings. Many grasping and attachments develop when we fail to let go of our attachments. Fear also holds us back.
I recently read a book titled “In Love with the World” by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. In this book, he says that life is a dream and we live in dream worlds – the day and night dream. Mingyur even learns to realize he is dreaming during his nighttime dreams. He also said that when we sleep, it is similar to the dream state of physical death.
I had a realistic dream last night. I recall being in a house, but it wasn’t my childhood home, except for the presence of a piano and a piano bench. I was looking for my mother’s shoes, which I found on the floor and under the piano bench. Then, I remember being outside the house, where I saw my mom and dad standing together. However, in the dream, my dad was physically present, and my mom was more like a hologram. My mom did not talk. I gave my dad a big hug and said I missed mom with tears in my eyes. I started to cry as he held me.
My dad hugged me back and asked if everything was okay. I told him I was okay. My mom stood nearby like a witness. Somehow, I knew she wasn’t really there. Then I woke up. I cried a little again, because it was Mother’s Day and I missed my mom.
The dream gave me a lot of comfort because I know my parents are okay. My mom passed away just a few months ago, which could explain why she was present in a hologram. I am trying not to make judgments about the dream. However, there’s a lot to reflect upon.
The point of this blog post is that we can all develop a spacious mind. We can work on the transitional stages in our present lives, rather than waiting until physical death to achieve the spaciousness of our mind. Can we learn to hold onto nothing?
I know I can be in this world and be okay, despite the ups and downs of life. I see each person as a Buddha, just like Mingyur does. Each person has all the elements within them, just as I do. Each person has the ability to “wake up” in the dream.
My Buddhist teacher wanted to teach me a lesson. I needed to learn to let go of my opinions. Also, when I say, “I am right,” I limit myself. Making strong judgments creates a box around me, so where is the sky now?
Meditation and self-reflection create mental and spiritual space. We need to return to our self-development and alone time, free from distractions. By doing so, we can reclaim our spacious minds and cultivate a more profound sense of inner peace.
There will be challenges as technology continues to merge with the human mind. The main challenge is energy. Everything is energy! Unfortunately, the energy from computers is mostly negative. Computers also emit UV light radiation (blue light), X-ray radiation, and EMF radiation.
Last night, I had a message come into my mind. The message said that our world has different energies – positive and negative. If someone is on the yogi path, aware, and has a higher consciousness, the negative energies may try to disrupt the path. I could feel these energies last night.
Therefore, we must increase everything – meditation, yoga, mantras, pranayama, prayers, and positive affirmations. We need to eat from the Earth (fruits, vegetables, and organic foods – if possible). No Bioengineered Food Ingredients! Also, do not be a corpse/carcass eater.
We need to limit our time on all screens. We must find ways to purify and beautify the mind (for example, spend more time in nature).
I also received the message that we must take the yogi path seriously. The opposing forces feel strong – and it’s because we are at a crossroads with the truth about humanity. The history books are not correct. The veil is thinning. We have a past – because we are the past.
We must shine our light bright and replace fear with LOVE. If we have negative thoughts, we will replace them with positive thoughts and affirmations.
Affirmation Examples:
I have a beautiful mind.
I feel love in my heart.
The people around me (say names) are beautiful.
I have a strong mind.
I have a strong heart.
I love myself.
I love my family and friends (say names).
I practice yoga and meditation every day.
I am brave.
I have the power to change my thoughts.
Thoughts are things – so I must have positive thoughts.
I stay in the present moment (here and now).
I am healthy.
I am creative.
I am an eternal being with loving light.
Only loving light may enter my body and mind.
I am thankful for my life.
The Path, by GG through a candle the light flickers the past merges with the present the path illuminated
My patient, Joan, who thought she was going to die during the full moon, died today. I felt a sense of relief. She was a kind and considerate woman. I think she had a conscious death. According to Buddhism, it’s beneficial to have a conscious death. Then you are “awake” to the transition and not in delusion.
After finding out Joan died, I thought about my life as I walked my dog around the fairgrounds. The warm breeze reminded me of the summer weather that is slowly fading. The stars blinked, and the sky was calm.
As I walked, I said, “I’m not ready to die. I have too much work to do.” Every day, I feel the importance of a spiritual life—my yogi life. I must continue meditating and practicing yoga, use my time wisely, and read spiritual books in my free time. I can create a life with awareness and higher consciousness.
I also understand that the journey is solo. No one told me this when I was younger! I was told to go to church—everything was about the church. But when I think about it, everything is solo. We are born solo, think solo, live solo, and die solo. Even Buddha asked, “One is one’s own refuge, who else could be the refuge?”
I wish human beings would take their lives more seriously. Just thinking about it makes my heart swell. We all need to wake up from our delusions and put away our phones. It’s a spiritual battle!
It’s time to wake up and understand we are golden – so precious. We cannot take our time for granted. We need to examine all earthly things that keep us trapped. We are so valuable that everything in the world wants our attention. Now, we need to decide what will help us grow spiritually.
Thank you for taking the time to read this! I’m sending you words of love, appreciation, and bright guiding light.
Spirit, by GG spiritual message from beyond a signal to be me
Tunnel Vision 8 