Divine Bridges

Well I had a glorious 6 week journey through Mexico and Guatemala. It was an an incredible experience, and held such variety. Beautiful beaches, ancient temples, fun company, profound ceremonies, and extremes in natural environment. I was even able to push personal boundaries and overcome some 0fears. I went from being stressed and out of balance before the journey, to a feeling of groundedness and joy. Hopefully this reflects in my work I do with others.

As for planned events, I have to admit I am still in holiday mode and so are the dragons! Although nothing is set up as of yet, I think there will be a larger Winnipeg event at the end of August/start of September. I will keep everyone updated as I transition back into this reality. It will probably be October before we are back to a regular schedule. Every time I check in for guidance on this I get the image of the dragon napping. So I too shall be like the dragon. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Note: Special thanks to Michael Waters for cleaning up our Divine Bridges logo! And yes Michael, it has taken me this long to upload it. Sometimes dragons move very slowly. Check out Michael's music in the links section of this newsletter.

Thought I would include a pic of me chillin' at Tikal, in the jungles of Guatemala (actually I was sweatin'!)

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Karma, in my opinion, is poorly understood in the western mindset. In the west, we tend to see it as a system of reward and punishment. "I did something good so I am rewarded; I did something bad so in turn bad things follow me". This brings up issues of judgment and fairness, both of which have no true place in spiritual teachings, or in our world in general. These are not the original teachings that are found in the east though. Karma is simply a tool to bring about your Awakening and Enlightenment. Yes, reward and punishment may happen as a result of your actions, but that is more of an egocentric interpreted view, than what is actually happening. For example, I punch one of those inflatable, bottom weighted Bobo the clown toys. The clown goes reeling back, but then because it is weighted with sand in its base, it changes direction and swings back hitting me square in the stomach with its rebound force. Now, was that a personal vengeful attack on the part of Bobo? Was it some type of punishment for being mean to clowns? No of course not, it was simply an awareness that my action creates a consequence. My past experience just created my present circumstance. A pebble thrown into a pond creates ripples that spread out from that initial action. Karma makes you aware of your intentions and behaviors. Awareness is the first step into your spiritual awakening.

Congruency is the act of what you do, and what you say and believe, being one and the same. We could look at Karma as being the enforcer of congruency. Again not in a punishment reward type way, but as a tool to bring about awareness. Part of Awakening (and Enlightenment) is the awareness of all your actions and the resulting consequences. What will generally happen around this time, is that it will become more obvious when your actions are not congruent to your principles. For example, in the Red Road tradition, which is the main spiritual path of aboriginal Canada and the United States, you earn the right to carry a prayer pipe. It is not only big honour, but an even bigger responsibility. Now around the time you earn this pipe, your life will often fall apart around you. This is not punishment, but an act of congruency. I have always said, a pipe make your life congruent. When you carry one, what you say and do better be the same. Anything that is not serving your higher path will get stripped away. Any actions that are odds to what you are preaching will come crashing down around you. This is true in many spiritual traditions. As you evolve further down the path the consequences of karma become more immediate and more intense; you have less wiggle room. Of course free will means that you have the choice whether you listen to these lessons. When God wants to get our attention he touches us on the shoulder with a feather, if we ignore it, then prepare to get hit with a brick. Like pipes, bricks create congruency real quick. For some of course, it may take a truck load of bricks; karma is nothing if not patient and persistent.

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann which in its simplicity and common sense I find the Buddhist teachings mirrored.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and

Remember what peace there may be in silence .

As far as possible, without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,

even to the dull and ignorant: they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,

always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble,

it is a real possession and the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign to affection.

Neither be cynical about Love; for in the face all aridity

and disenchantment, in is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the Council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are borne of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, what ever you conceive him to be.

And what ever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world, be careful.

Strive to be happy.

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This channeling seemed to take its own sweet time in coming through. In fact, it was waiting on this message that has delayed this newsletter from getting sent out. but in the end "they" said it was ready and Aaron once again came though with this month's message.

Fear is your biggest limiter in experiencing deep merging. Whether this is between you and your mate, or you and the Divine Presence. Deep surrender is essential to experience fully the love that is abundantly available to you all the time. Judgment comes out of fear. Am I good enough? Am I worthy to have this? The answer is always going to be "yes". By letting go of what holds you apart you are moving into faith and trust. Beyond form there is only essence. That essence is unconditional love. So what is stopping you from experiencing deep union? Fear of losing your identity? Relax, you don't have an identity that is completely separate from the Oneness; all else is simply illusion. Is it fear you won't be loved back? Divine love is unconditional, you will always be loved; all else is simply illusion.

Fear is just fear. It has no reality beyond what you feed it. Fear takes you out of the moment into what happened before or may happen in the future. In the present moment there is no fear. Relax, let go.

Osho Zen Tarot

67. Rebirth

In Zen you are coming from nowhere and you are going to nowhere. You are just now, here, neither coming nor going. Everything passes by you; your consciousness reflects it but it does not get identified. When a lion roars in front of a mirror, do you think the mirror roars? Or when the lion is gone and a child comes dancing, the mirror completely forgets about the lion and starts dancing with the child--do you think the mirror dances with the child? The mirror does nothing, it simply reflects. Your consciousness is only a mirror. Neither do you come, nor do you go. Things come and go. You become young, you become old; you are alive, you are dead. All these states are simply reflections in an eternal pool of consciousness.

Osho Osho Live Zen, Volume, 2 Chapter 16

This card depicts the evolution of consciousness as it is described by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra. He speaks of the three levels of Camel, Lion and Child. The camel is sleepy, dull, self-satisfied. He lives in delusion, thinking he's a mountain peak, but really he is so concerned with others' opinions that he hardly has any energy of his own. Emerging from the camel is the lion. When we realize we've been missing life, we start saying no to the demands of others. We move out of the crowd, alone and proud, roaring our truth. But this is not the end. Finally the child emerges, neither acquiescent nor rebellious, but innocent and spontaneous and true to his own being. Whatever the space you're in right now--sleepy and depressed, or roaring and rebellious--be aware that it will evolve into something new if you allow it. It is a time of growth and change.

If you wish to sponsor a Divine Bridges event, then contact us. Consider having a Divine Bridges event for your next group gathering. Want us to add a city to our schedule? Then let us know!

So I thought I would take a little space each month to share some links I have come across. They might be teachings, new concepts, businesses I find intriguing, or just something that appeals to my brand of sacred coyote craziness. If you have a link you want me to include then drop me an email!

How about an online Buddhism course? Well Asian Classics Institute offers just that.

My very good friend Ian has started a new business offering meditation/visualization CDs and Mp3s that are encoded with entrainment frequencies. I have listened to a couple of them already, and have to say they definitely deepen the quality of my meditation. Ian also has some great meditation instruction and advice on his website. I highly recommend him as a meditation teacher. Update: Ian has launched a line of Ebooks. Included in the titles are ones on mantras, meditation, and childhood obesity.

Michael Waters is an amazing musical artists living on Vancouver Island. His music has evolved to be a spiritual practice. His site has some free MP3s to download of his music.Update: Michael's summer BC tour. Check out this guitar mystic at:

I can personally attest to how nice these custom mala beads are to use in meditation. I use mine daily. Brian has some good instructional videos on this site on how to use a mala in meditation.

Translation: Because Leconk experiences an almost continuous shower of meteorites, prayers are of necessity short.

Meaning: Do not be afraid. All your questions have been anticipated. On planets where the life span is considerably longer than on Leconk, the notion that God speaks in vague signs and coded indicators, that the meaning of events must be painstakingly raked over, or that one must keep calling in one's request to the Head Switchboard indefinitely, have evolved out of an excess of time. While on Leconk, where there is not enough time to second-guess, it is assumed that the answer is in your heart before you ask.

I thought I would include that for all my friends who like to be long winded in hot sweat lodges ;-)