July 2019 Bardo Buzz (01-05)

Each issue of The Bardo Buzz comes with an installment of:

The Joy of Sacrifice -- Secrets of the Sufi Way

by E.J. Gold

This is a dangerous path, and one must not take it lightly that there are pitfalls. Through sacrifices and special efforts, one may come to the doorway of the corridor of madness, and once entered, it cannot be escaped by retracing one's steps. Only at the far end is one able to leave it.

To counteract the dangers, one has the chance to work in a school, but even with this help, the danger is present. In order to minimize this danger, one must be self-honest and able to observe oneself impartially. The teacher can warn you of your beginning to love your sacrifices, even if you have trouble seeing this for yourself.

Obligation is a thankless task. Very few individuals in this world will appreciate your efforts, and even after years of striving, you may not be able to impart what you have learned to others for their benefit.

Your devotion, your efforts and your constant and unfailing sacrifices for the common good will go unheeded in Heaven and on Earth.

You must not perform these obligations with the expectation of reward or merit. The Work is its own reward for those with conscience. In the Work, one receives his reward from the moment in which he takes action and is present. Humanity cares nothing for your efforts, and, in fact, will not only do nothing to assist you in carrying them out, but will, through ignorance and fear, try to destroy you and your work. Even this reaction, when and if it occurs, must become food for your being. It must be understood and accepted.

to be continued...

THE WEED ON THE PATH

Today, I was walking from the barn to the house, down a path I traverse many, many times a day. I was very self-absorbed, and buried deep in thought about the cares of my day. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright splash of light. The sunlight was playing on the opened seed pod of a weed. I stopped, astonished and transfixed, and gazed at the weed bathed in the beautiful warm yellow glow. The sight lifted me out of myself and

reminded me of lines from the American Book of the Dead: " . . . I make the effort to release myself from the mind, habits and identity of the human primate . . . " In honor to the service the weed did for me -- lifting me out of myself long enough to remember myself - I took some photos. Before I continued down the path to the house, I thanked the little weed for offering me the opportunity to remember myself. For a moment, that weed on the path was more than "just a weed," it was my path to self-remembering.

Barbara Haynes

FAVORITE QUOTES FROM YANESH

"We have much to gain from manifesting without considering, without fear for self, without desire to protect our vanity and self-love; we must free ourselves from the opinion of others."
~Practical Work on Self, E.J. Gold

MUSINGS OF A LABYRINTH READER

The Godd Particle Effect

The Godd Particle is having an extraordinary effect; I just had not recognized it.

My new computer (around 6 months old) had a psychotic break. The monitor suddenly went psychedelic last week and I couldn't see a thing. I was barely able to turn it off.

These kind of crashing events typically evoke gripping fearful emotional responses. I am suddenly faced with my attachment to my computer, which is the main form of my creative expression. I won't even mention all the deadlines and work that I am depended upon to produce as part of the team in many Institute businesses.

Over 4 days, two very techie computer programmers (who are part of our community) worked synergistically to straighten things out. No one in my surroundings saw the high anxiety and reigned in panic that overwhelmed me.

And that's because it wasn't there. My usual response was replaced with optimism and focus. I even was inspired and empowered to google something that provided technical directions to follow. And I heard myself saying aloud this will be easy, in relation to getting one of my main programs back that had disappeared unexpectedly.

But it wasn't until everything was restored and the last phone call was over that I realized the dramatic change in my response. I didn't feel exhausted from days of cloaked dread, apprehension and worry. I heard myself say, I had help.

And so it dawned upon me -- I'm wearing The Godd Particle. That is really the only thing different. I passed a very big Sufi test. And upon this, I shall build a new pattern, because one thing I do know -- "My habits will carry me through."

Marvette Kort

THE FIVE-MINUTE METHOD FOR OVERCOMING LAZINESS

"This life is the only life you have. You are your life. Your life is you. You don't live your life, you are your life. What creates your identity is the life you live, otherwise, you have no identity. That life can be biological or macro-dimensional. It all depends on you." ToTM #58 Kicking the Banana Habit
https://www.talkofthemonth.com/totm/totm058.html

Five minutes a day is a simple technique we can use to bring changes and wisdom in our life and convert our life from the biological to the micro-dimensional. Habits are sometimes compulsory. New behaviors can become automatic through the process of habit formation. Old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form, because the behavioral patterns which humans repeat become imprinted in neural pathways.

This method can be powerful when we do it consistently, when we do it everyday, then we will form the new habit and it would not be difficult anymore. It's important to overcome the lack of confidence we might have in our own abilities, as well as free ourselves from those feelings of guilt and helplessness, to be able to take baby steps with positive motivation. It is applicable for everybody

I recently picked up, as a new practice, running the Magic Quantum Videos by following the QMV training. Although it might not be at the same time everyday and a little longer than 5 minutes sometimes, I see the results and I am glad. There is a continuous improvement. I am experiencing a sense of victory and success to move forward. I celebrate each step forward and encourage you to do the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyYIi3sYtAU&list=PLlbsguezV4vnbDCDvm9hSjMTrbUzzVCS8

Michele Marie

HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS

October 6, 2015

You arrive in a universe. No matter when or where you pop in, you are assigned, you automatically go to the next nearest fit. So if you can make yourself fit into, let's say, a llama or a monk or whatever it might be, as someone who is a spiritual master -- it's because you fit the lock. No other reason. You can't make yourself into that. You make yourself that by agreement, largely. You agree to serve. And you do it in little bits and pieces and you're tested each time along the way.

And should you, at some point, decide not to serve, you just get dropped off, just as if you dropped out of university class. It's no big deal, you get an incomplete, not an F, and you try again later on when you feel you can do it.

So you want to fit a higher lock, a lock that is not dirty, a lock that is clean. You want to fit in a body that is a clean body, that has a non-greedy mind, that has a non-organic mind, that is still open to higher influences and is willing to serve the higher. Now you have a chance to actually achieve what is called "spiritual evolution," but it is not evolution, which doesn't at all exist in that way. It is meta-programming. You are changing the building blocks around -- that is you -- to be more clean, to be more effective, to be more serving, to be more healing, to be more love, to be more open, to be more concerned for the suffering of others, including, of course, the suffering of the Absolute.

Excerpt by Tabatha Jones

PAST LIFE INFLUENCE DECK READING AND QM VIDEO REVIEW

The other day, my friend Mr. O agreed to let me show him the Quantum Magic video and do a Past Life Influence Deck Reading for him. In the initial reading for No. 10, i.e. "Final Outcome, if things continue as they are now," the card "Cuzco'" came up. But when I showed him the card, he quickly jumped up and asked if he could see the card. I did a basic reading for him and handed him the card. He said, "I remember these houses..." And then he explained how in his childhood, he had issues with his family and how these houses resemble his past situation. Well, he found the reading to be very informative and appropriate, considering his current life scenario.

Next, we moved onto the QM Video Watching as part of the reading. I explained to him the basics about affirmations and background on Urthgame Orbs. When the affirmation to say "200 to resist stupidity" came, he was like, "I can take more - 1000/2000 to resist stupidity!" He found the Orb world to be quite interesting and something new. I showed him the urthgame.com website and the list of Orbs available there. He quickly came up with a list like, "Is there an Orb for Gratitude, Forgiveness, etc.?" I told him yes, there are, and also suggested that if he doesn't find the exact Orb he is looking for, he can have a similar one, which resembles and relates to that problem or issue by which he wishes to work. In the end, he was glad and appreciated this initiative of non-violent video game Orb world and said he would watch the other QM Videos on YouTube, too.

-Nishit Gajjar

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR...

Change is in the air, something is gestating. It started for me with the, unexpected, ending of the Birdie Transformation Program in the beginning of June. A forty week cycle came, ran its course and ended. Something new will begin. It is difficult to fully allow the peace and rest between cycles or even tell this somewhat unsettling period of uncertainty and nowhere-land apart from the general feeling of paralysis from overwhelm in various work areas, this time of year especially in the garden. The thirst of the plants is becoming more obvious and I am forever grateful for the water and electricity for the well, leaking, or altogether non functional, spigots or not. The fruit trees are doing great and I even had a taste of red currants, a first since early childhood. The part that is the most difficult is the deliberate killing of live animals, like what are those red and black bugs on the Russian kale? OK, before we judge and reflexively do anything, look it up, though they are shaped like stink bugs that destroyed a bunch of squash several years ago. It was easy, harlequin bugs -- and kale is actually a trap crop and can prevent them from eating just about everything else you might be growing. Still, action had to be taken. I cringe, no matter how "justified" it seems. In trying to grow food outside and without industrial toxins, it is becoming ever more obvious that next to water, the health and properties of the soil as well as diversity of the growing plant and fungal community are super-important, an all important ingredient, especially in a hot place without rain for 4-5 months. It is like with your soul and body-mind. If you have a good foundation that didn't get twisted or abused, you simply can produce differently, rather than having to spend a fair amount of the time and energy amending and nourish the soil and restore it to some kind of balance and fertility -- IF you wish to produce certain types of results that is, because, there are always plants that thrive in otherwise "useless" soil. I also realize how the local nomadic lifestyle in balance with what naturally was provided by any given environment was actually less problematic and abusive to the other creatures living here with us. What grows here naturally is oak and grasses. Hm, well, there is a clashing of incompatibilities for today's society. That time has passed. Meanwhile, for me, patience is required in the garden as well as awaiting the creative spark that will ignite aligned action. Sometimes it is difficult to stay still. At the same time, obligations are keeping me busy, and my habits will carry me through.
Christiane Wolters

THE ABD GUIDEBOOK AS A SPIRITUAL ANCHOR

The ABD Guidebook has become important to me as a spiritual anchor point. The wisdom it imparts strikes a strong chord of recognition and truth. To say I'm grateful would be a vast understatement. Every Sunday morning at 11 am PST, a number of folks gather in a circle online in the ashram each taking turns reading a verse from the book.

Today I've just come from the gathering. Sitting here musing over what I've heard concerning the six worlds of existence, I begin to see them as actual places with their own atmosphere, focus and milieu. They have a reality. These are worlds where people I know actually reside, come from and act out. Intrigue, gossip, jealousy, and other emotions and compulsions are manifest behaviors of the forces of and in those material worlds. This small insight opens doors for me to view things differently, a more objective way of understanding the situation where I can respond yet remain outside the drama. Being in the world but not of it.

I've found the Sunday ABD Guidebook readings to be a good start to the Work week. I hope you will take the opportunity to join us for this and other ashram activities which support our wish to Work.

Jewel McInroy