Western Baul Podcast Series

The Only Grace Is Loving God (Mary Angelon Young)

The book, The Only Grace Is Loving God, written in twilight language or ecstatic speech by Lee Lozowick in 1982, was inspired by Answer to Job, CG Jung’s discussion of the human struggle with an image we have of God and the suffering we experience. The Divine image has to include the feminine aspect of existence in order for Christ consciousness, a God of love and mercy, to be born in us. Conscious participation in our individuation is needed for the image that we have of God to grow. Lee refers to God and the Great Process of Divine Evolution as one and the same in his writings. The truth of existence is nondual reality; there is only God. Realizing the masculine polarity of being, fulfillment of the Law or surrender to the Will of God, is divine destiny and the same for everyone in all forms. The only gateway to God is the feminine, which is not about gender but qualities of being that exist in each of us. Realizing the perfection of the feminine is different for every form of existence. Loving God is not a destiny but the ultimate human possibility, a gift of Grace which cannot be earned. To love God is whimsical, illogical, wild, spontaneous, unpredictable, paradoxical, useless and foolish. The only hope for the world is for individuals to stay in the heartbreak and take responsibility for inner work that has to be done. We have to find our own way and revelation. Trusting in the benevolence of the universe and imagination are key. Wisdom communicates through presence. The Great Process just keeps going; there is no top end. We can live into the consideration of loving God. Mary Angelon Young is a workshop leader with a background in Jungian psychology, an editor and author of As It Is, Under the Punnai Tree, The Baul Tradition, Caught in the Beloved’s Petticoats, Enlightened Duality (with Lee Lozowick), The Art of Contemplation, and other books.

S’agenouiller et embrasser le sol – Présence et Objectif, une approche poétique (Mary Angelon Young)

French audio version, original talk released July 14, 2022.

Rumi termine l’un de ses poèmes en disant : « Il y a mille façons de s'agenouiller et d'embrasser le sol ». Quand on regarde le monde tel qu'il est aujourd’hui, il est normal d’avoir peur, d’être anxieux, de ressentir du chagrin. Notre monde est à la fois bourré de toxines et débordant de nectar. Il y a trois façons de traiter ces toxines : soit nous les rejetons, soit nous nous en gavons sans aucun discernement, soit nous en prenons des doses mesurées. La troisième option est cette « voie du milieu » dont parlent les taoïstes. Lorsque nous sommes à un carrefour et faisons face à l'inconnu, nous devons être fluides, capables de changer de forme. Il s’agit de maintenir une tension juste entre l'esprit du temps et ce que Jung appelait l'esprit des profondeurs, d’entrer dans un processus alchimique. A suivre un régime trop pur, on prend le risque de devenir rigide et de s’affaiblir. Si nous refusons de vivre avec la réalité telle qu’elle est, c’est elle qui viendra nous demander des comptes. Plus nous nous exerçons à être présents à la réalité, plus notre puissance de vie augmente et plus nous devenons un facteur de guérison dans le monde. Notre émerveillement devant l’inconnu nous grandit, nous élève, nous met dans un état de réceptivité. Il y a six facettes à cet émerveillement : l'ouverture d’esprit et de cœur, la curiosité, l’étonnement, l'espoir, la capacité à être en connexion et la vénération. Le terme communitas fait référence à un niveau profond de communauté typiquement associé à la présence du divin. Nous pouvons être inspirés par les points forts d’autrui. Si nous voulons être sûrs que le chemin sur lequel nous sommes est le bon, nous devons être disposés à nous perdre de temps en temps. Et si rester avec notre chagrin était une preuve de sagesse ? Et si cela nous travaillait de l’intérieur et nous aidait à voir, réfléchir et embrasser autrui différemment ? Parfois, oui, la seule chose à faire est de s’agenouiller et d'embrasser le sol. Praticienne en psychologie jungienne, auteur de nombreux ouvrages (As It Is, Under the Punnai Tree, The Baul Tradition, Caught in the Beloved's Petticoats, The Art of Contemplation, La dualité illuminée), Angelon Young écrit également des romans historiques et mène des ateliers d’écriture. Elle pratique la méditation dans la tradition baûle occidentale et vit dans la communauté de Lee Lozowick depuis 40 ans.

If You Don’t Act Right, You Don’t Feel Right” (Matthew Files)

There is a rightness to how we feel because of how we act when we provide what is wanted and needed in any given moment. This may be considered as the trademark of a revolutionist. Fresh insights and revelations come from use of a different language. Jan Cox was a teacher, in the mystical and philosophical sense, whose language was unique. Maxims from his “Revolutionist Code of Conduct” are discussed in this talk. Be judicious with euphemisms, without speaking in metaphors when we intend the literal. There is hesitation to be literal about death. Stealing, being deceitful, is one of the worst things we can do. It is not about morality but about not poisoning our involvement in “this,” which could be a way to describe work on self without the conceptual limitations of what “this” is. A reality beyond words can be transmitted via language. Being a revolutionist is to struggle against “sleep,” but the best approach is to relax rather than to make knotted-up efforts. This is not special, but it is uncommon. We see we are asleep, unconscious and mechanical, in hindsight. The tendency is to chase after what voices in our heads say rather than to investigate the voices themselves. We can say the opposite of what we chemically feel and work with not taking feelings seriously. Our feelings make us feel right. We can take our experiences when we get angry as a test to see if we can still be “thrown to the ground” by the same influences, while having human feelings. Man takes his “weaknesses” and creates heroes out of those parts. Embracing or at least being OK with our weaknesses alleviates the need to create heroes. The real revolutionist has no allegiance. We may engage in “this” if we don’t want to be a slave to our genes. Matthew Files facilitates groups that support people to look deeper into their process, formulate their own questions, and become responsible for their choices.

Walking the Razor’s Edge: A Talk on Attention (Juanita Violini)

There are two sides to the metaphor of a razor’s edge. On one side is duality and on the other side is non-duality. When we’re born, we’re in a state of relaxed well-being and can see clearly for a period of time. Then we discover that we can fall off the razor’s edge. This occurs when our attention is taken from us through identification, attachment, comparison, and our stories. Prior to losing our attention, we are thrust into survival and lose trust. We are conditioned not to look at ourselves but are trained to focus on our faults. Self-hatred starts as children when we think we’re the center of the universe and that we're at fault when things go wrong. When our attention is stolen, we cannot access our intuition. But if we begin to look inside ourselves, we see power and clarity. The clearer we see ourselves, the more we can trust ourselves. We can be trustworthy if we know ways that we are untrustworthy. If we know our boundaries and who we are, we know who others are as well and can accept them as they are. There are a lot of reasons why we might feel badly. If we can keep our attention on the sensations of the body, we will get the information we need. To get back on the razor’s edge, we have to relax, let go of what weighs us down, and trust that we will be looked after even if what life provides may not always be what we want. The journey of self-discovery is akin to a razor’s edge. The fact that the razor’s edge is narrow means that we have to pay attention when walking on it. It is dangerous when our attention is taken since then we are not in touch with reality. We need to reclaim our attention which is all we have or the most important thing we have. The distinction between self-observation and self-remembering is explored. Juanita Violini is an artist and writer/producer of interactive mystery entertainment who has been a student of the spiritual path for over 35 years.

Teachings of Dune: Clues for Living Like a Human from the Writings of Frank Herbert (Bandhu Dunham)

This talk emphasizes what we can use from Dune for our own personal evolution or transformation. Science fiction explores archetypes and mythic structures and can help us consider what it means to be human. Twilight language, which permeates Dune, is the way that mystics and shamans speak, which requires a different state of consciousness to understand. Frank Herbert creates a world that leaves out a lot of details so that our imagination is engaged to fill in the gaps in spinning the Dune universe for ourselves. There are major themes threaded through the series of books that can be of spiritual value to reflect upon: the complex relationship we have with human heroes and saviors, how power corrupts and attracts the corruptible, taking what is good in religion but avoiding what is deleterious, being careful when the need for religion becomes fanatical, trusting the guidance of someone who is more advanced without giving over all our critical faculties, differences in human and animal nature, learning how to learn, sacrificing the comfort of the worldview we’ve been given and raised with to enter a path of conscious evolution, the value in training awareness and attention, how the stasis of dogmatic fixed ideas can lead to manipulation and death, respect for resources, gathering energies that can be used for higher purposes and transformation, how self-indulgence is at the core of much evil in the world, restraint as a virtue that is based on self-observation, warriorship as the readiness to respond when necessity arises regardless of mood, the tension between the moral law we live under and the necessity of circumstance, how each experience carries its lesson, the convergence of choice and destiny, and the ultimate responsibility we have for ourselves. Bandhu Dunham is the author of Creative Life and an internationally recognized glass artist and teacher.

Spiritual Practice in a Human Body (Myosho Ginny Matthews)

Zazen is a practice that involves the body in ways such as working with the breath. Joshu Sasaki Roshi came up with the phrase, “Buddha is the center of gravity.” Rooting ourselves to the earth through the hara, the abdominal area, is an aspect of Chan or Chinese Buddhism that came to be known as Zen in Japan. We unconsciously absorb negativity that denigrates the body in our culture. There is a symbiotic relationship between spirit and the body in ancient systems like yoga, tai chi, and qigong. There is a traditional analogy of a chariot (the body), horses (our will and energy), driver (the ego that is in connection with the world), and passenger (the Self or witness). The ego needs direction from the Self. When we get beyond busy-ness we can hear the messages of the Self and the body. In Buddhism, it is not desire but unexamined desire that is suffering. The vessel has been referred to as the receptacle of the soul. Do we relate to the vessel with tenderness or judgment? Judgment pops up over and over; it is ingrained and patterned in our bodies. With deep meditation experience we understand that we’re not just the human body. In spiritual practice, relationship to the body is often ignored. The Middle Way does not deny or punish the body with ascetic practice and does not indulge the body. This way has got to look different today than when Buddha lived in 500 B.C. The focus on the evolution of consciousness can last right up to the end of our lives. A koan is a practice of a dying activity meant to dissolve the sense of a separate self. When we have compassion for ourselves, it spills out to other people. Myosho Ginny Matthews was a student of Joshu Sasaki Roshi for 40 years. She took lay ordination in 2000, leads retreats on practice, is a dance teacher and choreographer, and is featured in the book, The Unknown She: Eight Faces of an Emerging Consciousness.

The Power of Identification (Red Hawk)

Identification is the great law that governs all human life. We are enslaved and quickly swept away by it as it captures and consumes our attention, which is what we are in essence. Yet, we are blind to it and believe we are free. All human problems are caused by identification. Imagination and identification are identical twins that work together. We are powerless to hold attention for long before being captured by imagination. We are identified with the body and ego structure and by attachment to objects, people, ideas, belief systems. A root of identification is self-importance when we see ourselves as the center of the universe. Identification is fear, which blocks love. It has one aim only—the survival of the false self/ego structure. One of the primary tools of identification is judgment, which can become a reminding factor. The mark of a person who is willing to work is self-honesty. Freedom is freedom from identification. There is only ever one problem: an unwillingness to confront the need to cease all identification. We can loosen the hold of identification with the practice of presence by self-observation and self-remembering. The body is an objective feedback mechanism to help orient the attention in the present. If we’re not conscious of the body, we’re not conscious. Conscience can be seen as the Will of God, or Love. In saying and doing things that violate conscience, we suffer remorse and our hearts can change. Beauty is everywhere but we don’t see it due to fear or identification. We can come to be grateful to those who offend us. Intuition can be distinguished from imagination. Love is the standard by which we can compare and come to disbelieve reactions and feelings. Red Hawk is an acclaimed poet and the author of 13 books, including Self Observation, Self Remembering, The Way of the Wise Woman, Return to the Mother, and Book of Lamentations.

What the Heck Is a Guru? (Rick Lewis)

Rick Lewis talks about the mystery of the Guru through telling stories of his experience with his Guru, Lee Lozowick. He discusses circumstances that brought him to his first Guru, Bhagwan Rajneesh (Osho), to meet Lee after Osho’s death, and to search to escape from the anxiety of human separation through spiritual attainment. Altered states that feel incredibly profound can be used to maintain a separate sense of self, as if we are getting closer to enlightenment. Stories are told about how Lee fanned the flames of this spiritual pursuit, which began to unravel after Lee’s death. The inexplicable energetic field around a Guru, who functions outside the usual reference point of a separate individual, is considered. Relationship with a Guru is both unnerving and inviting given the uncanny awareness and connection a Guru has with the moving parts of reality. The content of one’s interactions become irrelevant when introduced to the ground of pure being through receptivity to a master. Rick remembers an experience of driving for hours in silence with Lee, with self-conscious feelings disappearing into the heart. He describes the Guru’s fierceness when asking a question he had previously asked, hoping for a different answer, without feeling any aggression. There is also the fallible human aspect of the Guru which adds to the confusion of the linear mind. To be a human being without putting on an act or mask is a natural thing. The Guru works with each person in a unique way and is completely available after death. If we have not had the experience of a Guru, all of us have the access point of feeling connected beyond our usual frame of reference with who the Guru actually is. Spiritual literature can be an access point. Rick Lewis is a national speaker and author of 7 Rules You Were Born to Break, The Perfection of Nothing, You Have the Right to Remain Silent, and other books.

Calling in Our Angels: Protectors, Friends, Guides and Midwives for Transitions Through Life and Death (Regina Sara Ryan)

It's interesting to consider that there are larger forces at play in creation than we know. Angels are part of the Abrahamic cultures (Moslem, Christian, Hebrew). There are similar entities—dakinis, demigods, spirits—in Buddhist, Hindu, and Native traditions. Einstein’s great question was, “Is this a friendly universe or not?” We can look at the qualities of angels in history, art, and theology and find them in living persons. Calling in our angels has many dimensions to it: a cosmic dimension of finding our rightful place in the universe and welcoming good company that provides help in our lives. Angels in religious traditions are not cute cupids but are often connected with the need to bring justice and peace to the earth. There are demon angels, but angels are most always connected with love. A scientific worldview has triumphed and we look to it to explain how things work. But we can shift the kaleidoscope a bit and see that the marvels of the cosmos are interpenetrated with divinity. If we believe the traditions, we are surrounded by forces set upon helping humanity, which is what angelic forces do. We can call upon these forces. Angel wings may represent an ability to move instantaneously when called upon. Angels are described as powerful, and they often appear as messengers. Praising God, which is what angels do, is a very high spiritual practice. Chanting God’s name is an energetic connection to a higher force. We are fascinated with science fiction in which other entities and dimensions exist. We can look at the night sky and open ourselves to the possibility of living in a divine universe. Who do we want to call upon to help us through transitions, including death? Regina Sara Ryan has just retired as the editor of Hohm Press and is a workshop leader, retreat guide, and author of The Woman Awake, Igniting the Inner Life, Praying Dangerously, Only God, and other books.

Gurdjieff's Aphorisms: Essence of a Teaching (Carl Grimsman)

The aphorisms of G. I. Gurdjieff are an accessible concentration of many of his ideas and basic teaching. Nine of the 38 aphorisms are considered in this presentation on the life of Gurdjieff, who appeared in Moscow in 1912 after a 20 year search for knowledge. His quest produced a system that became known as The Work. Gurdjieff used the tumult of life that presented itself to teach, including world wars. All outer work can be used for inner work. Some students who helped Gurdjieff establish, manifest, and disseminate his teaching are discussed: the Ouspenskys, de Hartmans, de Salzmanns, and Orage. Work ideas, music, and movements were engaged by those who had a need to go beyond the ordinary state of “man.” This required self-observation of the human machine with thinking, feeling and moving centers and intentional suffering, choosing how one wished to be, and trying with directed super-efforts. Gurdjieff established a center for his studies at the Prieure near Paris in the 1920s and the aphorisms were posted in the study hall there which included: “The worse the conditions of life, the more productive the work, always provided you remember the Work.” “Like what it does not like.” “Remember you have come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself—only with yourself. Therefore thank everyone who gives you the opportunity.” There is discussion of Gurdjieff’s trips to America, his writing of Beelzebub’s Tales, and his student Louise March who established a center at a New York farm with children’s groups and where the Work has continued. Carl Grimsman was born into the Gurdjieff Work environment during the first years of the New York Foundation, attending the children’s group there and later working with Mrs. March at East Hill Farm. The first two books in his “The Soul’s Traverse” series are Sun Bridge and The Kindling.