Guided Meditation: Volunteering to Leave the Garden, Incarnating in Service to the Earth Plane

March 22, 2022 Tuesday Evening, The Eden Project Class

Guided Meditation: Volunteering to Leave the Garden, Incarnating in Service to the Earth Plane

Barbara: Good evening. I’ve had an interesting experience the past few weeks. Through many years, in meditation, I sometimes see past lives when there’s a use for that. When I see a past life, it’s usually quite challenging, and I work with it for days or weeks, exploring and resolving karma.

Recently, I’ve been seeing into that interval between lives, which is a very different perspective. It’s more like, get off the stage and hang out with my backstage pals. Laugh and sing, plan. Look back at what’s going on in the lifetime. Look at what’s going well and what’s not. This is what we do at the end of a life, but I seem to be getting to do it just here and now in meditation. It grounds me.

I’ve been, I would not say unhinged, but definitely uncomfortable with what’s going on in Ukraine. Sad, and feeling helpless and frustrated. This getting-off-the-stage-and-looking -out perspective, and feeling the power and love of all those beings who are backstage with me, has been very helpful.

Some of it was spontaneous, and then Aaron has been doing some guided meditations with me to enhance this experience and deepen it for me.

So, when I asked him what we will be doing tonight, he said let’s do some of what I’ve been doing with you. So, are you ready to get off-stage for a little R&R? We’ll hang with our buddies. And then, at 9 o’clock, you’re going to have to get back on stage again.

Aaron is just going to come in…

Aaron: My blessings and love to you all. I am Aaron. It is good to see you all out here tonight. Barbara gave you some background, what she has been working with, with me.

You all came into this incarnation willingly; not always joyfully, but willingly, and with a very clear intention both to resolve some personal karma and to help support the earth’s movement into a higher frequency, into the light.

Of course, within a few weeks or months you forgot why you had come, and so you’ve been spinning around here on this plane doing the best you can. Cultivating some spiritual practices that have been helpful. Learning to live more fully in your open hearts.

I’d like you to put the dharma practice aside for the beginning of this evening’s program and just come with me on a journey.

Please take three deep breaths. Breathing in… and releasing. And again, breathing in… and releasing. Breathing in with an awareness of any tension in the body. Exhale and release. Inhaling, present with light and spaciousness; in a sense, allowing the personality self to dissolve into the light….

Breathing in, releasing all the structures of the self. No identification with the aggregates. Breathing in and out…

Become aware of the increase of light, of space, of ease, of joy. If you do not feel these, don’t worry about it. Simply know that space, light, joy, ease, and connection are here…

In your meditation, know yourself sitting in a large garden. There are flowers. The scent fills the air. Over the low wall of this garden, you hear the sounds of waves breaking on the beach. When you look behind you, you see the dunes, and behind them, mountains in the distance, a range of high mountains, peaks catching the late evening sunlight…

There is soft music, beautiful instrumental music, and voices chanting…

Your eyes are closed again, just listening. And now becoming aware of the energy around you—very high, bright energy…

Everything within you that has been on guard, trying to armor the self in any way, dissolves into the deep sense of connection…

Eyes closed, you do not see the others in the many gardens, but you know that there are thousands of beings here with you. Think for the moment of one very dear friend, one or two, and picture them seated beside you. Feel the joy at their presence…

It’s a vast gathering. Your garden is just one of many, all connected. Within this garden where you sit are your not yet fully awakened comrades, and behind you, a circle of great masters gathered and holding space around the perimeter of the circle. They are the ones who have been chanting. Feel their energy. Let your heart hear their song.

This garden is home to you. It is a place of peace, a place where you know you are always beloved and welcome. A place where there is no sense of separation.

Let all the sorrow from the idea of separation dissolve, so that you may truly come home here and rest for a bit. Relax, smile. Music has started. Beings reach out to dance—not as partners so much as in movement, moving circles. Folk dancing, as it were. Just movement, one partner after another, looking into eyes and feeling yourself being loved and loving as each set of eyes goes past, until all sense of separation dissolves. No self-consciousness, “Am I dancing well?” Just movement and joy. Feel the high energy building up…

Abandon the self and join into the dance. Sway and move to the music of the ocean waves, the music of the singing and instruments, carried on waves of love. You are home.

Soon you settle down, as food is being passed, wonderful trays of delicious food of every sort, including things you have never tasted before. Some of the ones serving you are ones you think of as the great masters—Yeshua, the Buddha, Mother Mary, Kwan Yin; they all come through, smiling at you and offering you food. Divine nourishment, prasad, offering it. It soothes your body and your soul.

Hours pass, and we do not have hours of this class period, so I’m simply going to invite you to relax in this wonderful gathering. Gradually feeling the separation dissolve. Truly feeling yourself home, connected, loved and loving. The flowers seemed to have gained in intensity of scent and color; the food also…

Turn now, as food is served to you, to the one who serves it, one who you deeply love, and look into that being’s eyes. All androgynous; you are not male or female, and the one who serves the food is not male or female but energy and love connecting. Feel your heart open.

With the love in your heart, speak to this being. “I am so filled with light and with delight and love. And I know that beings in this universe are suffering. What may I do to help alleviate such suffering? How can I be of service?”

You do not have to offer; you can stay in this garden of delight for as long as you need, until you feel restored. But gradually, you begin to hear sounds—cries in the distance, clashing of weapons. This beautiful home, some people have not learned how to rest in this home, and they are suffering.

Feel the arising of intention to join those who will move from this garden into the heavier density realms to be of service.

As you offer to go, think also of what you know of as your most habitual unwholesome tendencies, the heavy karma that you still carry, and ask, “As I move to serve others, I choose situations in which my own unwholesome karma may be revealed, and I will have the opportunity to release it. I hold that intention.”

But if you need to stay in this garden for now, that is fine. As we move off into the next portion of the meditation, it’s okay to listen with half an ear and know, “I will come back to this step when I am ready.” You will have the recording and can revisit it at any time.

A circle is forming. The great masters of love and light stand behind you, and you who are third density, or are aspiring into higher density, you are in the center. These beings behind you can offer support energetically, but they cannot come into this heavy density planet unless they take new incarnation. You, you can come into this planet, serve directly on this plane.

So, if it be your intention—and it’s fine if you’re not ready to make this intention. Of course, you already have, or you would not be here as human. But this is on a hypothetical and meditation level. If you feel that you need more time in this garden, it’s good to stay. But if you feel ready, turn around to whatever great master is behind you and hear that being say to you, “Will you serve as my hands and my voice on this world of suffering?”

There is no shame in saying, “Not yet; I’m not ready.” The awakened one is asking, “If you are ready, will you serve as my voice and my hands and my heart on this heavy plane of suffering?” Don’t just jump into, “Oh yes, I should.” Examine carefully what leads you to go forth in this way… All will sit and contemplate the choice offered.

Time passes. The sun has set. The moon and stars come out. A soft breeze flows in over the sea. The moon flows across the sky and sets…

Each being who will serve as a guide to some portion of the gathered group makes its presence known, as I make mine known now. Those who feel that they would like to come with me, it will be a challenging journey. It is vital that you intend to remember this home of love, to remember who and what you truly are, so you don’t lose yourself when you move into more darkness and lower vibration.

All of you who wish to come with me gather here with me now in this area of the garden where the scent of roses fills the air. Any who do not feel ready, that’s fine. There will be plenty of opportunities. You may stay here and hold us in your loving hearts.

We are gathered. You don’t have to open your eyes for this, but inwardly, think of the group gathered here and know they are your companions on this journey.

The garden gate swings open. We walk over the dunes and toward the mountains. You see others climbing on ships to go across the sea. All these loving beings, willing to give of their energy and hearts to heal the earth.

Thank you, my loved ones. Let us walk across the dunes, up through the foothills and into the mountains…

Climbing, climbing…

We gather just at dawn on a plateau on the high mountain peak, looking out. The first light of dawn is striking the gardens far below—a vast array of gardens as far as the eye can see; some filled with beings, others somewhat empty.

Look upon this home and know that you can never truly leave it. It remains waiting for your return.

As you have climbed, there has been a sense of invisible beings climbing with you. It was not just the third density beings who said, “I wish to serve,” but the great Brothers and Sisters of Light, also walking with you, climbing.

We gather around a large bonfire and warm ourselves. A simple but delicious meal is served.

Now, in this last of the light, before we enter the cave, look into each other’s eyes, and feel the loving presence of your beautiful comrades. Look in the eyes of the master whose heart is closest to yours, the one with whom you feel such deep resonance and love. Feel their promise, “I will be with you. I am walking right behind you.” And that master says, “I thank you for your willingness to enter this heavy world of sorrow, to bring light where there has only been darkness, to help awaken the vibration of this earth with love. I thank you for your courage and your light. Much help will be with you, although at times you may feel alone. But you are never alone.”

Then I, Aaron, speak up. “I am your guide for this journey. Those who are coming, we are ready to enter the cave. You may hold hands.”

As you move away from the entrance, it becomes dark. There are no obstacles on the path; it is safe to walk.

But I know that fear may come up. Let us pause here near the entrance to the cave, before it’s fully dark, and work with the Four Empowerments, each doing this for yourself.

Turning to the being who represents love for you, asking to be guided and be held in love. Stating your own deepest commitment.

I’m going to be quiet for a few minutes so you may do this…

(sitting)

Remembering the stages:

Finding the support.

pause

Compassionate regret for whatever feels most appropriate here. But we’re not so much working with personal karma but regret for the heavy density of this earth, where there is so much fear, hatred, beings that have not yet awakened.

pause

The resolve not to repeat your own personal karma now takes on a more universal aspect: the resolve not to be carriers of fear and negativity, but to bear forth light and love.

pause

And the applying of the antidotes would be more of an application of metta or karuna to the self. Opening the heart to the self, and from the self to all beings who do get caught in negativity.

pause

Again, I’ll be quiet a few minutes…

(pause, sitting)

Now we’re ready to proceed. Walking further into the cave, into the darkness. Here and there, a few candles bring some light. It’s not pitch black. There is no danger in this cave. There is space to sit, space, even, to turn around if that is your will. This is the entrance to the portal of transition.

As you move forward, you come to a place where the cave narrows. I offer the invitation: You are about to step through the veil of forgetting. Basically, to climb onto what seems like a path through a narrow tunnel in which your plan and your purpose will be forgotten.

Why? Why can’t you slide down into the earth remembering? What you bring to the earth is light and compassion. The strong power of “I will do it” is not what’s most important but the lightness, the openhearted compassion. The primary work is planting that seed of love into the earth; deepening the power of that seed and helping it expand.

So this is not an effort of “I will do it, no matter what.” But “I choose, and I soften. I open my heart to the suffering that I see on this heavier density plane, and I choose to bring love and light with me to greet that suffering, to hold space for that suffering. Love.”

Remember that beautiful chant, that I know you’ve all sung with us: “All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you… All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you…” This is the heart of what you bring to the earth plane, this kind of love.

When you are ready, you may pass through the veil. Sit down on what’s like an enormous sliding board. It is safe; you will not be physically injured, but you’ll feel the walls close in on you as you move from this heavenly abode down into this heavier density earth realm. It is almost like a birth canal. Let yourself slide through.

And then feel yourself land—softly, no harm. But there will be bright light and loud noise. Maybe not just heavenly music but also shrill cries and the sounds of bombs blasting away.

Take your time. As you land, stop and just sit for a minute and get your bearings. “Where am I? Why am I here?” Ahh…. Hear my voice and that of your own guides reminding you: You offered to come to serve this earth and all who suffer here. You offered to come not just for the good of the earth but for the whole universe, to bring into this heavy density plane the reminder of love, light, and compassion, that these are ultimate realities, and that one need not get caught and lost in relative realities.

Allow yourself to sit there on the grass where you have landed with the veil of forgetting. Beginning to penetrate the veil, “Oh yes, I remember… And I offered to serve as hands and voice for love on the plane from which I came, the plane that is my home, and to which I will return. I offered to do my best to bring love here where there is fear, hatred, greed, and darkness. Only to do my best.”

Remember your own personal intentions, the karma that you saw, as you worked with the Four Empowerments, and give thanks for this opportunity to help to release and balance that karma too.

“May everything I do here on this plane of sorrow and darkness bring forth light and love in service to others. And may it also show me the places where I have repeatedly been caught in misunderstanding, negativity, and fear. And especially where I have moved into the idea of separation. I invite it to teach me. I may be afraid, but I will not become lost in that fear. I will remember that I am love and I am light.”

When you feel ready, see what calls to you.

It may be just a child—when I say ‘just’, I’m not minimizing this; it’s just as important as anything else. But it may be only a child calling out, “I’m lonely. I’m afraid.” See how you can move to comfort the child.

Or it may be a city dying amid an enemy’s bombs.

It may be a hospital where people are dying of cancer and other serious illnesses, of Covid.

It may be an orphanage where children feel themselves to be unloved and homeless.

It may be a prison where somebody is still caught in the delusion of, “It’s not fair! Why are they picking on me?” and needs to be held in love.

It may be a forest that is dying from acid rain, or a stream.

It may be an animal species that is losing its life.

I am going to ask you now to go where you feel moved to go, remembering you are love and light, and the power of compassion is your essence. You are not alone. I am with you. Your guides are with you. The great master who took your hands, looked into your eyes and thanked you, they are with you.

We’re going to take 15 minutes just to let you explore this. If it ever gets to feel too much, reach out to me. I am here. I’m going to keep my eyes open on purpose, looking into the camera. Center yourself in my eyes any time you need to do so.

So, 15 minutes, and then I will sound the bell, and then we’ll give you a chance to share your experience and ask questions.

(sitting)

Aaron: Thank you. I am going to briefly share a quote from the Buddha, from the Dhammapada. “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. All experience is preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with corrupted mind and suffering follows, as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox. All experience is preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a peaceful mind and happiness follows, like a never-departing shadow.”

You cannot force the mind into peacefulness. But now, as you’re reaching out to help support others, find that which is truly peaceful within you right there with that which may be agitated, and rest in the peacefulness, rest in the love.

Again, I’ll be quiet for a few minutes…

(sitting)

It’s so easy to begin to view your spiritual practice as something linear, taking you from here to there. But, my dear ones, you are never anywhere but where you started. You are already awake. You are love. You are light. And there is a purpose to this earth plane’s process and the forgetting that comes.

But you are not bound into that forgetting. You have the ability and the right to remember.

I was going to speak at some brief length about access concentration, and into the process of awakening, but I think we’ll save that for next class, not to take away from where you are now, many of you in a deep place. The most useful thing now would simply be to come together and share. I welcome questions, but most especially I’d like to hear from you. What did you experience with this meditation?

Gradually bring yourself back. You’re still on this heavy density earth plane. We didn’t bring you back to the home garden because you have never really left the garden. But right now, you are on this earth plane. You’re perhaps feeling some emotion, some physical sensations, some thoughts. The meditation may have moved you in this way or that way. So feel free to share anything that you wish to share.

(sharing not transcribed)

Aaron: Separation, of course, is an illusion. It is the most powerful illusion of your human incarnation. In being that, it is a power for catalyst for awakening.

(sharing)

Aaron: Yes, being love, rather than doing love. Finding that love that is your essence and just allowing it to shine forth. Because when you are that love, it raises the vibration of everything around you. And in that higher vibration, strong negativity cannot continue to exist. I’m not saying it’s instant; it’s a process. But being love, being the essence of yourself, is truly the key…

(sharing)

Aaron: It sounds so simple, but love, compassion, the open heart, the essence of your being are these, and this is the answer.

But if you came without the veil, there would be just the intention, “No matter what happens, I’m not going to lose hold of love.” And then it would be forceful—”I will do this”— which creates more separation because of the emphasis on “I”, rather than just resting in the love that is your true being.

When you rest there, it grounds that love deeper into the earth plane, and that grounding changes everything. It makes it accessible throughout the whole earth plane.

(sharing)

Aaron: My intention was mostly just to remind you that you were not forced into the incarnation. You volunteered because you are love. Because you held the intention to raise the vibration of this heavy density plane to make it clear throughout the whole universe, and many universes, that heavy material form can express fully as light. That it doesn’t have to be one or the other. That there can be a physicality, a mentality, and still the essence of light and love cannot be lost.

And also the idea of being the hands and the voice of love on this heavy density plane, because it takes someone who is incarnate to do this. And you have allowed yourself to become incarnate. That’s very beautiful, a wonderful gift that you have given, each of you.

(sharing)

John: In following the guided meditation, when I came through the chute, it was kind of like a slide. As I came through the portal out through the chute into the incarnation, I asked myself, “How can I help?”

As I asked myself that question, how can I help in being in the earth plane here, what came was, you can help by inviting people into the light.

So, as I was experiencing the light, as I was experiencing Rigpa or the essence of mind, which I oftentimes experience as light and quite intense energy, that the best way that I can help is to guide others in experiencing the light within themselves.

I’d been feeling that at times there’s been a little bit of imbalance between the darkness and the light, especially the last several years, the last 5 or 6 years. At times I’ve felt that there has been somewhat of an imbalance of darkness and the light, and that the best way that I can help now is to center myself in that light within myself, live from that light, the clarity of that light, so that I’m not spewing forth more darkness into the earth. And also, to guide people to connect deeply with that light within themselves, so that there is more of a balance of the light and the darkness as we move forward, here.

Aaron: Thank you, John, and you do that very beautifully, for which we are all grateful.

My friend Q’uo coined the phrase loyal opposition. I think that’s a good phrase for it. As we approach this transition, the loyal opposition becomes more nervous. “Can we hold the world in darkness?”—are driven by that. And so, what you experience as more darkness, I think this is real. Because the light is shining forth brighter, the loyal opposition is becoming more fearful.

But light is the most powerful force, love is the most powerful force, because there is no ultimate darkness. Hatred is not an ultimate experience, only love and light.

So, ultimately, it must go that way. There is no ultimate darkness. But that very fact is what makes negative polarity so frightened. Much like what we’re seeing with Putin, as he steps up the attacks because he’s feeling himself disempowered. He’s not winning as he hoped he would, so he’s sending on more and more deadly weapons.

Love and light are the most powerful.

I would add here somewhere I had intended to go with the class, but I realized this conversation was important and not to bring in more teaching tonight. I want to speak about the whole path, moving through access concentration, the experience of dissolution of the body and the ego, and moving beyond that dissolution experience.

With access concentration, there is still pleasant and unpleasant but no reaction to it, no held mental formations. One begins to see how these experiences of pleasant and unpleasant arose and passed away, and the whole structure collapses.

One may ask, at that point, if everything in the mundane realm is collapsing, what remains? This query leads you to the direct experience of the opening of the lokuttara citta, the citta that are capable of perceiving the Unconditioned.

This is a very quick summary. Perhaps John would like to talk more about it in his meditation class tomorrow night; that’s John’s decision. And I will be talking about it more in next week’s class. As I said, realizing it was useful to separate these areas of teaching for tonight.

(sharing)

Aaron: Please spend some time this week going through this meditation again and see where it takes you. It may be especially useful when you’re feeling helpless in the face of all the suffering or feeling frightened because there is an escalating war and you personally don’t feel you can do anything to stop that escalation.

Remember that you can help. You have a lot of power to stop that escalation by just holding all the world—specific individuals, the whole world—with love.

And also, as John suggested, by the power of resting in pure awareness. Pure awareness brings you back to resting in that precious garden where we started. Resting in that spaciousness of your true being.

Then, just the small reminder to oneself: I have volunteered. I am the hands and voice of love and light on the earth. The way I choose to respond to any specific area of pain is to be this voice and hands of love. And spirit, love, has my back. I’m not alone.

(sharing)

Aaron: Don’t give up on yourself. And don’t hold “I should, I must” kind of expectations. Just listen to it again and take out of it whatever is useful to you.

Many of you are holding the world on your shoulders. Try something with me. Take one finger and press against the middle of your chest. Can you feel your body hunch over? Can you feel that? Press right in the heart center, hard… Can you feel the tension?

Then, breathing in, I am aware of the tension. Breathing out, I hold space for the tension. Whatever is pushing at me, I just gently return it. I do not have to carry it; that is not my job.

If nothing else, just that bit of mindfulness throughout the week. Watching, each of you, the way you contract with whatever the pressure may be, whether it’s about the state of the world, or your leaking roof, or the sadness of a friend. “I hold it in the spaciousness of my heart to the degree I am able. But I am not asked singlehandedly to carry it. And I turn and look over my shoulder at Love, which has my back.”

This reminds me, Barbara was going to read this, but I will… (A request for support from the sangha, a prayer for whatever may be for the highest good for the loved one of a sangha member, and the sangha member. That they may be free of suffering. That they may find the deepest healing that they seek.)

Through our practice here together, may all beings everywhere be free of suffering.

May the whole world come to know its truth as light and evolve further and further into the expression of light.

And in that light, may we all find the healing and love that are each our birthright.

Thank you for being with me tonight. My blessings and love to each of you. I am Aaron.