AlsobyAlbertoVilloldo,Ph.D.

DanceoftheFourWinds(withErikJendresen)

TheFirstStoryEverTold(withErikJendresen)

TheFourWinds(withErikJendresen)

HealingStates(withStanleyKrippner,Ph.D.)

IslandoftheSun(withErikJendresen)

MendingthePastandHealingtheFuturewithSoulRetrieval*

MillenniumGlimpsesintothe21stCentury

TheRealmsofHealing(withStanleyKrippner,Ph.D.)

Shaman,Healer,Sage

Yoga,Power,andSpirit*

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Copyright©2006byAlbertoVilloldo

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formoftreatmentforphysical,emotional,ormedicalproblemswithouttheadviceofaphysician,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.Theintentoftheauthorisonlytoofferinformationofageneralnaturetohelpyouinyourquestforemotionalandspiritualwell-being.Intheeventyouuseanyoftheinformationinthisbookforyourself,whichisyourconstitutionalright,theauthorandthepublisherassumenoresponsibilityforyouractions.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Villoldo,Alberto.Thefourinsights:wisdom,power,andgraceoftheearthkeepers/AlbertoVilloldo.

p.cm.ISBN-13:978-1-4019-1045-7(hardcover)ISBN-10:1-4019-1045-9(hardcover)ISBN-13:978-1-4019-1046-4(tradepaper)ISBN-10:1-4019-1046-7(tradepaper)1.Shamanism--SouthAmerica.2.Spiritualhealing.I.Title.BF1622.S63V552006299.8--dc22 2006012656

Hardcover:ISBN13:978-1-4019-1045-7•ISBN10:1-4019-1045-9Tradepaper:ISBN13:978-1-4019-1046-4•ISBN10:1-4019-1046-7

100908076543

1stprinting,September20063rdprinting,August2007

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

ForStanleyKrippner,teacher,mentor,andfriend;anddonAntonio,

Laikaandsonofthesun.

CONTENTS

Introduction:TheWayoftheEarthkeepers

PARTI:UNDERSTANDINGTHEENERGYOFPERCEPTION

TheFourLevelsofPerceptionYourEnergeticAnatomy

PARTII:THEFOURINSIGHTS

Insight1—TheWayoftheHero•ThePracticeofNonjudgment•ThePracticeofNonsuffering•ThePracticeofNonattachment•ThePracticeofBeauty

Insight2—TheWayoftheLuminousWarrior•ThePracticeofFearlessness•ThePracticeofNondoing•ThePracticeofCertainty•ThePracticeofNonengagement

Insight3—TheWayoftheSeer•ThePracticeofBeginner ’sMind•ThePracticeofLivingConsequently•ThePracticeofTransparency•ThePracticeofIntegrity

Insight4—TheWayoftheSage•ThePracticeofMasteringTime•ThePracticeofOwningYourProjections•ThePracticeofNo-mind•ThePracticeofIndigenousAlchemy

AfterwordANotefromtheAuthorAcknowledgmentsAboutAlbertoVilloldo

INTRODUCTION

TheWayoftheEarthkeepers

Formillennia,secretsocietiesofNativeAmericanmedicinemenandwomencarefullyguardedtheirwisdomteachingsandactedasstewardsofnature.These“Earthkeepers”existedinmanynationsandwerecalledseveraldifferentnames;forexample,intheAndesandtheAmazontheywereknownasthe“Laika.”In1950,agroupofLaikafromhighintheAndestraveledtoanannualgatheringofshamansthat

occurredatthefootofoneoftheholymountains.ThelocalnativeslookedattheponchostheLaikawerewearingand instantly recognized themarkingsof thehigh-shamanpriests.They realized thatthiswasagroupofmedicinemenandwomenthoughttohavevanishedafterthetimeoftheConquest.Thesehigh-shamans,knowingthathumankindwasonthevergeofahugeupheaval,hadfinallycomeoutofseclusion toofferallpeople thewisdomthatwouldsustainus throughthegreatchangeswewereabouttoface,whichwouldhelpusalterourrealityandgivebirthtoabetterworld.

ConquistadorsandCover-upsTheEarthkeepersteachthatallofcreation—theearth,humans,whales,rocks,andeventhestars—

ismadeofvibrationandlight.Nothingweperceiveasmaterialandrealexists,otherthanasadreamthat we’re projecting onto the world. This dream is a story, andwe believe it to be real… eventhoughitisn’t.Earthkeeperpracticesandwisdomteachushowtorewriteourstoriesaboutourlives,todowhattheshamanscall“dreamingtheworldintobeing.”These invaluable teachings, known as the four insights,were kept underwraps for a very good

reason.Withthearrivaloftheconquistadors(theEuropeanpilgrimsandimmigrantswhofirstlootedand plundered and then settled the Americas), the Laika were relentlessly persecuted. Many,particularlythewomen,werebrandedwitchesandsorcerers;andtheywereimprisoned,tortured,andkilled. Their knowledgewas considered so dangerous and threatening to theCatholic Church thatevennow,200yearsaftertheSpanishInquisitionshutdowneverywhereelseintheworld,theChurchcontinuestokeepanofficeactiveinLima,Peru.TheOfficefortheExtirpationofIdolatriesisrunbytheDominicanOrder,who,inthe15thcentury,declaredJoanofArcahereticandsentencedhertodeathbyburningatthestake.TheLaika realized that this knowledge about human beings’ capacity tomanifest our dreams is

tremendouslypowerfulandcouldbeeasilyabusedbythoselackingethics.Thus,theyconcealedtheknowledgenotonlyfromtheconquistadors,butevenfrommostoftheirfellowindigenouspeoples.Nevertheless, they recognized that the four insights belong to all—sowhen the Laikamet awhitepersonwhodidn’tpossessthearrogant,hostilemind-setoftheconqueror,theywerewillingtosharetheirwisdomteachings.ShortlyaftertheConquest,forinstance,theytookintotheirfoldaCatholicpriest,aJesuitbythenameofFatherBlasValera,whoalsohappenedtobeamestizo(halfIndianandhalfSpanish).FatherValera became initiated into themysteries of theLaika andwrote four books about their

teachings,butunfortunately,threeofthesetomesmysteriouslydisappearedduringtheInquisition(the

fourthremains inaprivatecollectioninItaly).Valeraclaimedthat theInkawereascivilizedas theEuropeansbecause the Inkawere able towrite byusing a complex systemof colored stringswithknots tied in them known as Quipus. When Valera’s order discovered what he was up to, theyincarceratedhimforsixyearsuntilhisdeath.Whydid theJesuitssilenceoneof theirownpriests?Whywere theysoafraidof thewisdomhewas recordingfor thebenefitofall?Andwhydid theyforbidtheordinationofanymoremestizoorindigenouspriestsafterValerawasdefrocked?

I was another non-Indian taken into the fold of the Laika, initiated into the lineage of the

WisdomkeepersintheAmazonneartheInkacityofCusco.Yetitwasnevermyintentiontobecomepart of this lineage—as a medical anthropologist, I was only interested in studying the healingpracticesof the shamans.As fortuneordestinywouldhave it, I endedupmeetingmymentor,donAntonio.HewasoneofthelastofthelivingLaika,andhetookmeunderhiswingandtrainedmefornearly25years.Hewasamanofmanylives—duringtheday,hewasauniversityprofessor;intheevenings,amastermedicineman.Hewasborninahighmountainvillageandworkedwiththetoolsandpracticesof the15thcentury,yethewasconversant in thewaysof the21st.Althoughhewasadescendantof theInka,hewouldtellmethat theLaikaaremucholder thantheInka,whoseculturewasmasculineandmilitaristic.TheLaika’steachingswerefromanearliertime,whenthefeminineaspectofthedivinewasrecognized.IoncetoldhimthatIfeltluckytohavefoundhim,andhesaid,“Whatmakesyouthinkyoufoundme,iftheChurchcouldnotfindusforthelast500years?”Thisbook is the resultof the seed thatdonAntonioplanted inme—andnow, as anEarthkeeper

myself,Ishareamajorshiftwithyouthatwaspredictedbytheancients,inordertohelpyouprepareforthetimeofevolutionwe’renowentering.

HomoLuminousAccordingtothepropheciesoftheMaya,theHopi,andtheInka,we’reataturningpointinhuman

history. The Maya identified the year 2012 as the culmination of a period of great turmoil andupheaval, one in which a new species of human will give birth to itself. We’re going to take aquantum leap intowhatwe are becoming,moving fromHomosapiens toHomo luminous—that is,beingswiththeabilitytoperceivethevibrationandlightthatmakeupthephysicalworldatamuchhigher level.For the first time, all ofhumanitywillbeable to evolvenotbetween generationsbutwithinageneration,whichcontradictsourbeliefsabouthowevolutionworks.We’lltakeabiologicalquantum leapwithinourown lifetimes; and thephysical, emotional, and spiritual traitsweacquirewillbepassedontoourchildrenandourchildren’schildren.Ifthissoundshardtobelieve,considerthatyoucreateanewcopyofyourbodyabouteveryeight

months,asyourcellsreplacethemselves.Byfollowingthefourinsightscontainedwithinthisbookandimplementingtheirpractices,youcanmanifestaphysicalbodythat’sfreeofthetyrannyofthegenes you inherited from your parents and the medical maladies they bring you. But even moreimportant, you can unchain yourself from the limiting emotional and spiritual stories you’veinheritedorboughtintooverthecourseofyourlife.Thankstothediscoveriesofquantumphysics,we’vecometounderstandthatallmatterisdensely

packedlight.ButtheLaikahaveknownabouttheluminousnatureofrealityformillennia—theyknowthatvibrationand lightcanorganize themselves intoa thousandshapesand forms.First, there is aluminousmatrix, and then thisblueprint givesbirth to life.Vibration and light swirl andcondensearoundtheluminousmatrixandgivebirthtoawhale,forinstance,andthenwhalescangivebirthto

otherwhales.Thehumanbodyalsohasaluminousmatrix:We’reenvelopedbyaluminousenergyfield(LEF)

thatmanifeststheformandhealthofthebody.TheLEForganizesthebodyinthesamewaythattheenergyfieldsofamagnetarrangeironfilingsontopofapieceofglass.Justaswiththeexampleofthewhales,humanscangivebirthtootherhumans,butanewkindofhumanhastocomefromanewluminousmatrix.Overmillennia, theLaika learned to access the biological blueprint of light andassist Spirit in the unfolding of creation. They also learned how to heal disease and createextraordinarystatesofhealth,aswellastocraftandshapetheirpersonaldestinies,bychangingtheLEF.WecanthinkoftheLEFasthesoftwarethatgivesinstructionstoDNA,whichisthehardwarethat

manufactures thebody.Masteryof the insights letsus access the latest versionof the software andallows eachof us to create a newbody that ages, heals, anddiesdifferently.Without the ability toreprogramtheLEF,we’retrappedinthestoriesweinherited;thatis,weage,heal, live,anddiethewayourparentsandgrandparentsdid, reliving theirphysical illsandemotionalailments.Thefourinsights contained in these pages allow us to break free of the tyranny of our familial curses, thestoriesthathauntedourancestors.Masteryof theinsightsevenallowedtheLaikatocreatenewlifeonEarth—tobringforthanew

speciesofbutterfly in theAmazon, forexample. It allowed them tomovegiganticbouldersup thesidesofmountains,aswasrequiredtobuildtheInkacitiesintheclouds.TheBibletellsusthatourfaithcanmovemountains,butwe’vefor-gottenthatwehavetheabilitytodoso.Theinsightsteachusthat the firstmountainwemustmove is the one that blocks our perception of our own luminousnature.InbecomingHomoluminous,we’llgiveupthewaysoftheconquistadoranddiscardthemasculine

theology that values command, control, and dominion over nature, a theology that justifies theexploitation of the earth’s rivers and forests because they’re seenmerely as resources for humanconsumption. Instead, we’ll embrace an oldermythology that has become lost tomost humans, afemininetheologyofcooperationandsustainability.

ReclaimingtheFeminineAspectoftheDivineAndGodblessedthem,andGodsaiduntothem,Befruitful,andmultiply,andreplenishtheearth,

andsubdueit:andhavedominionoverthefishofthesea,andoverthefowloftheair,andovereverylivingthingthatmovethupontheearth.

—Genesis1:28Inreligioustraditionsthatembraceamasculinedivinity,thedivineisseenasaforcethatresidesin

theheavens,farawayfromus.IntheWest,wehavecometobelievethattobeclosetoGod,wehavetoworkhardatourrelationshipwithHim,prayingandsacrificing.Wefeelthatwemustearntheloveand attention of our Creator, Who threw us out of paradise for daring to eat from the tree ofknowledge of good and evil. According to the ancient story, we were supposed to remain likechildren,sointastingthefruitthatGodhadforbiddenus,weshowedourindependence,rousedHiswrath, and doomed ourselves to living a life of hard work andmisery, alleviated only by God’sgrace.However, in themore ancient, feminine theologies,wewere never expelled from the gardenor

separatedfromGod.(Forexample,theAustralianAboriginesweren’tkickedoutofEden,andneitherwerethesub-SaharanAfricansortheNativeAmericans.)Instead,weweregiventhegardeninorder

tobeitsstewardsandcaretakers.Accordingtotheseolderbeliefs,thedivineputsHerlifeforceintotheseedsthatweplantintherich,fertileearth.Weexpressthatpotential,expandingwithdivinityaswe bear the fruit that feeds all of humanity. The Laika,who embrace that old, feminine theology,would say, “We are here not only to grow corn but to grow gods.” In other words, we actuallyparticipatewith the divine in the co-creation of our universe.We recognize that everything in ourworldissacred,includingus,andthatourjobistofosterthefullestexpressionofthatdivinity.

ATheologyMadeManifestOverthecourseofhistory,thesetwoverydifferenttheologieshavehadverydifferenteffectson

howhumanbeingshaveinteractedwitheachotherandourworld.Forexample,whentheEuropeansarrived in theAmericas, theybelieved that theyhad foundavast,unpopulated landwithcrystallineriversandabundantgame,andthatGodhadprovidedthisbountyforthemtouseastheysawfit.Intruth, more than 100 million native people occupied this land, living in balance with theirenvironment. The natives embraced feminine theologies and trusted that as long as they lived inharmonywiththeearth,theGreatMotherwouldprovideforthem.Thefirstsettlersof theAmericashadneverbeenafraid to travel longdistances—fromAsia into

NorthAmerica,andultimately,SouthAmerica—becausetheybelievedthatwherevertheywent,therewould be ample food and shelter. So they hunted and gathered and learned to cultivate crops.TheEarthkeepersbrought thiswisdomwith themas theymade theirgreat trekacross theBeringStraitthousands of years ago and settled the Americas, from the northernmost tip of Alaska to that ofPatagonia. Their wisdom originated in sanctuaries high in the Himalayas and was brought to theAmericasbytheaudacioustravelers.Whenmasculinetheologiesbegantoappearasvillagesgrewintocities,anewmentalitystartedto

dominate. Rather than work with the resources available to them, people began to attack theirneighborsinthehopeofacquiringmorelandandwealth.Nolongerweretheywillingtosettleforenough to sustain them; rather, greedbegan to predominate.Theybelieved that all the food in theworldbelongedtothem,thattheywereatthetopofthefoodchaininsteadofthestewardsofthefoodchain.InEurope,theseideasarrivedwiththeIndo-EuropeanpeoplesfromcentralAsia6,000yearsago.

Theybelievedthattheyhaddivinejustificationfortheirinvasionsandconquests(infact,theswordstheyused tovanquishotherswould laterbe turnedupsidedown tobecome the cross,whichwas asymbol of the Crusades). The invaders felt that they had a sacred right to resources because theyworshippedthe“proper”God,andevenclaimedthattheywerehonoringtheirCreatorbyslayingtheenemyinfidelswhowouldn’tconverttotheirbeliefsystem.TheEuropeans improved the technologyofwarfare somuch thatby the timeFranciscoPizarro

andHernánCortésarrived in theNewWorld in the16thcentury, theywereable tobringdowntheAztecandInkaempireswithfewerthan400men,equippedwithguns,steel,horses…andgerms.TheLaikafledto themountains,where theykept theoldfeminine theologysafelyhidden,knowingthatsomedaythey’dneedtocomedowntothevalleysandremindthepeopleoftheancient,sustainablewayofliving.Wesee thedevastatingresultsof thismasculinemythologyplayedout today.Ourworld isbeing

rapidlydeforested,ourwaterspolluted,ouraircontaminated,andourtopsoileroded.Ourweatherischangingbecauseofglobalwarming,andasa result,Africandroughtshaveworsened;hurricanesare more fierce; and each year, 100 to 1,000 times more species of plants and animals aredisappearingfromtheearththantheydid500yearsago.

TheLaikasaythatlongago,ourplanetwasapoisonousplaceforhumanbeings,butMotherEarthburied these toxins in her belly so that the surface became a hospitable green and blue paradise.Accordingtotheirancientlore,theconquistadorswouldsomedayreleasethesepoisons,causingtheearth to become a toxic wasteland, and we humans wouldn’t know how to contain these venoms.Natureitselfwouldhavetoslowlyrecoverherhealth.Modern science validates this prediction. Two hundred and fifty million years ago, the earth’s

atmosphereprimarilyconsistedofcarbondioxide(CO2),whichisverypoisonoustohumans.Thenwhengreen lifeappeared, theplantsconvertedCO2 intooxygen.Thiscausedmostof theairbornecarbon to became trapped in the vegetation,which ended up in the subsoil and eventually becamefossilfuels,buriedinthedeepstrataoftheearth.Nowwe’retakingthesefossilfuelsfromthegreatstorage pits deep in the planet and burning them, releasing poisonous hydro-carbons into theatmosphere.We’reheaded towardcreating the sameenvironment thatmade it impossible formostcreaturestoexistonEarth,yetwe’redoingverylittletoreversethisdiresituation.Infact,asglobalwarmingmeltsthepolaricecaps,manyindividualsareeagerlypreparingtodrillforoilthere,too.Fortunately, there’s a movement to bring back the old feminine ways and values. For instance,

manypeoplearerejectingthepyramidlikechainofcommandthat’scentraltomasculinetheologies—theexpectation that theymustanswer topriests,whoanswer tohigher-levelpriests,whoanswer topopes,whoanswertoGod.Manyalsorefusetosubscribetothebeliefpropagatedbyscientists,whichclaimsthatanythingthatcan’tbemeasured,perceived,andcontrolledbyusingthefivesensesisn’trealortrue.They’renolongersuspiciousoftheirownhearts,andtheydon’tfeelthattheymustplacetheirtrustindogma,orotherpeople’sinterpretationofthesacred.They’rebeginningtolookwithinandtonatureforguidance.

AnExperientialKnowledgeAndtheLordGodsaid,Behold,themanisbecomeasoneofus,toknowgoodandevil:andnow,lest

heputforthhishand,andtakealsoofthetreeoflife,andeat,andliveforever:ThereforetheLordGodsenthimforthfromthegardenofEden,totillthegroundfromwhencehewastaken.

—Genesis3:22-23Inafemininetheology,thepathtowardenlightenmentisanindividualone.We’reexpectedtotrust

inourownexperiences,awareness,andinterpretations.WhiletheLaikavaluethepathofprayerandmeditationjustasmuchasthosewhobelieveinamasculinetheologydo,theyalsorecognizeathirdpath to spirituality: that of direct knowledge. The Laika have no grand myth about the divinepunishinghumansforeatingfromthetreeofknowledgeofgoodandevil.Instead,theybelievethatwearemeanttoacquirewisdom,andthatourerrorwasinnoteatingenoughofthatfruit!Intheinformationage,wedon’tembraceknowledgethatgoesbeyondmerefactsandthelogical

arrangementofthem.Wehavereligions—alongwithcountlesspractitionersofthosefaiths—buttoooften the spiritual essence of the teachings has been lost. We learn about interpretations ofinterpretationsof thegreat truths,andweanalyzeanddissect those ideas,butwewouldn’t thinkofgoingoutintothedesertfor40days,asJesusdid,orsittinginmeditationundertheBodhitree,likeBuddha.It’sasifwe’respendingourtimeporingoverhundredsofcookbooksfilledwithcomplexrecipesandendlesslydiscussingthenutritionalvalueofcertainfoodsanddiets,yetweneveractuallyeatanything.Manypeoplehavelosttheawarenessofthevalueofdirectlyexperiencingthesacred…but,fortunatelyforus,followingthepracticesofthefourinsightsallowsustodojustthat.

TheFourInsightsThewisdomoftheLaikaconsistsoffourinsights,eachofwhichhasfourpracticeswithinitthat

allow us to move beyondmere understanding to actually experiencing shifts in perception—thus,helpingustotransformourselvesandourworld.Theinsightsandtheirpracticesare:

•Insight1:TheWayoftheHeroPractices:Nonjudgment,Nonsuffering,Nonattachment,Beauty

•Insight2:TheWayoftheLuminousWarriorPractices:Fearlessness,Nondoing,Certainty,Nonengagement

•Insight3:TheWayoftheSeerPractices:Beginner ’sMind,LivingConsequently,Transparency,Integrity

•Insight4:TheWayoftheSagePractices:MasteringTime,OwningYourProjections,No-mind,IndigenousAlchemy

I learned the four insightswhile under the tutelage of donAntonio.Together,we traveled fromLakeTiticaca,the“seaontopoftheworld,”throughtheAmazon,totheruinsofthedesertkingdomsofPeru.Hebelieved,asdoI,thatthenewEarthkeeperswillcomefromthelandoftheeagle—thatis,fromAmerica and Europe. Now is the time for full disclosure of the insights. I believe that donAntoniotrainedmesoIwouldbecomeabridge,bringingthesewisdomteachingsfromtheancientLaikaintothe21stcentury.Forthelast20years,Ihavetaughtmystudentstousetheinsightsfortheirpersonalhealingandto

assist others by working with the luminous blueprint of the body. Many of them have reportedextraordinary results, healing themselves and transforming their lives and the lives of others. Theinsightshaveallowedthemtobecomepeopleofpowerandgrace,andtowalkthewayofstewardshipoftheEarthkeepers.Ifyouwanttobeginlivingyourlifedifferentlyandperceivingyourexperiencesthroughneweyes,

it’s important to go beyondmere understandingof the insights and actually follow their practices.This will allow you to change the core architecture of your luminous energy field. If you don’tfollow thepractices,youmaybe inspiredby the insights,butyouwon’tbeable to truly transformyourself.Masteringtheenergeticpracticesoftheinsightswillfreeyoufromtheconfinesofthestorythathasbeenwrittenforyoubyyourcultureandyourgenes—thestoryofhowyouwill liveyourlife,reacttotheworldaroundyou,anddie.Youcanbecomethestorytellerofyourownlife,defyingtheoldideasaboutcauseandeffectandthelimitsoftime.In the following chapters, you’ll learn about the four levels through which vibration and light

creates all life: those of the serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, and eagle. What’s more, you’ll learnpractical tools that will help you dream a healthy, abundant, and joyous world into being—foryourself,foryourlovedones,andforallpeopleandcreatures.YouwillbecomeanEarthkeeper.

TheFourLevelsofPerception

Inscience,webelievethattheuniverseworksaccordingtoasetofprecepts,orrules,whichallowustopredictwhatwillhappenandrespondappropriatelytosituations.Physicshasitslaws,mathematicshasitstheorems,andbiologyhasitsprinciples.Forexample,thetenetsofmathdictatethattwoplustwowillalwaysequalfour,andthelawsofphysicsassureusthatobjectswillneverfallupward.Perhaps themost important rule in science isknownas the lawofcauseandeffect,orcausality.

Thatis,whenanapplefallsfromatree,weknowitwillhittheground;whenapigeonpoopsaboveourcar,wecanbesurethatitwilllanddirectlyonourwindshield;andwhenweaccidentallyforgetanappointmenttomeetsomeone,weknowthatper-sonwillbeangrywithus.Wealsofeelsecureinbelieving that if we apply ourselves and learn all the rules, as well as live by them, we’ll havemaximumcontroloverourlives,andthatwillmakeusfeelhappyandsafe.When the rules are violated—when two plus two doesn’t seem to add up in our lives—we feel

angryanddisoriented.Wecan’tquitecomprehendthedeathofahealthyyoungpersonbecausewe’vebeentaughtthatifweliveourlivestherightway,wewon’thavetodieforaverylongtime.Althoughweunderstandthatwedon’thavecompletecontroloverevents,webelievethataslongaswedowhatwe’resupposedtodo,wecancountonnothingbadhappeningtous.Becausewetrustthatcausalityisareliablelawofnature,welivebytherulesandrarelyattempttobreakthem.For the Laika, however, synchronicity is the main operant law of life. They believe that while

thingsmayhappenbecauseofsomeearliercause(forexample,plantaseedandcornwillgrow),theyjustasoftenhappenduetocoincidence,serendipity,andcircumstance.Iftwofriendshappentobumpintoeachotheratabusyairport,thenthereisdefinitelyahiddenreasonwhytheyweresupposedtomeet.Thepurposefortheirmeetinghasyettoberevealed,though—itliesintheirfuture.

HowWeChangeOurWorldwithPerceptionAll of uswant to affect theworld for the better.We look around us and see problems—crime,

pollution, child abuse—and because we’re a society of rules, we believe that laws and religiouscommandmentswill help usmake changes. For example,Americans elect legislators to Congresswhopassmoreandmorelawseveryyearinthehopesthattheseruleswillmakecitizens’livesbetter.Bycontrast,theancientGreekswereapeopleoftheconcept—theyknewthattherewasnothingas

powerful as an ideawhose timehas come.Because theymanipulated ideas so elegantly, theywereabletoinventdemocracy,developphilosophy,andsystematizemathematics.TheirRomanneighbors,ontheotherhand,weregreatlawmakers,andRomancodeshaveinfluencedmanymodernWesternlaws. When faced with problems, the Greek philosophers conceptualized new systems, while theRomanscalledontheirarmiestoenforcetheprecepts.TheLaikadon’tlivebyrulesorideas.Iftheywanttochangetheirworld,theydon’tpassnewlaws

orcomeupwithnewtheories. Instead, theychoose tochange theway theyperceiveaproblem.Bychanging theirperception, they transformachallenge intoanopportunity.Asyou’ll learn, thefourinsightsandtheirpracticeswillhelpyouchangeyourperceptionsandallowyoutodreamyourworldintobeing.

FourLevelsofPerceptionEarthkeeperslearntoexperienceeventsinsuchawaythattheynolongertakelifepersonally,and

they do so at the perceptual level of serpent. Here, things no longer hap-pen to you; they simplyhappen. The pigeon doesn’t poop on your car to make you upset; it simply poops, and yourwindshieldgetssmeared.Itdoesn’trainonyoutomakeyouwet;itsimplyrains.When you change your perception of the events you experience, you also alter the way these

situations livewithin you.You are no longer the cause or the effect of anything, and you sense atremendousreliefbecausetheworldisexactlyasitshouldbe—anditdoesn’tneedyoutofixit.In the West, we tend to associate our perception with the dozens of states of awareness we’re

familiarwith.Forexample,we’reinonemodeofawarenesswhenwe’rejustwakingupordriftingoff tosleep,anotherwhenwe’re inreverie,anotherwhenwe’reenraged,andsoon.Ineachone,adifferent part of the brain is active—sowe refer to them as “states of consciousness,” which areproductsofthemind.Perceptual levels,ontheotherhand,exist independentlyofthemind.(Infact,the second level of jaguar, which we’ll cover in a bit, contains the mind and all of its states ofconsciousness.)There are four perceptual levels through which a Laika engages the world. These levels

correspond to the four domains of manifestation of vibration and light: the physical world (ourbody), the realm of thoughts and ideas (mind), the realm of myth (soul), and theworld of spirit(energy). These perceptual levels are associated with the four energetic bodies that make up thehumanenergy field.They’restacked insideeachother likeRussiannestingdolls,with thephysicalbodyinnermost,thementalbodyenvelopingandinformingthephysicalshell,thesoulenvelopingthemental and physical, and the spiritual body outermost, informing and organizing them all like ablueprint.Whenweshiftfromonelevelofperceptionuptothenext,weretainourabilitytofunctionatthe

lowerrealm,butwehaveamuchwiderviewofwhatwe’reexperiencing.I’mremindedhereofanold story about a traveler who comes across two stonecutters. He asks the first, “What are youdoing?”andreceivesthereply,“Squaringthestone.”Hethenwalksovertothesecondstonecutterandasks,“Whatareyoudoing?”andreceivesthereply,“Iambuildingacathedral.”Inotherwords,bothmenareperforming the same task,butoneof them is aware thathehas thechoice tobepartof agreaterdream.AlbertEinstein once said that the problemswe face in life cannot be solved atwhich theywere

created.Tothatend,beingabletoshifttoahigherrealmofperceptioncanhelpusfindsolutionstoourproblems, resolveconflicts,healdisease,andexperienceonenesswithallofcreation,whereasbeforewewereonlyexperiencingdistressandseparation.Inthischapter,you’lllearnthatthere’saspiritualsolutiontoeveryproblemyouencounterinthe

physicalworld,inyourmind,andinyoursoul.You’lllearnthatyoucan’teliminatescarcityinyourlife by getting another job, or heal feelings of abandonment or anger by understanding yourchildhoodwounds.Youcanonlyfixtheseproblemsatthelevelabovetheonetheywerecreatedin.TheLaikaassociateeachperceptual levelwithananimal that represents thepowersandabilities

onemustacquireinordertoinfluencerealityinthatrealm.(Eachlevelalsohasitsownlanguagethatwecanbecomefluentin.)Let’stakeacloserlookateachoftheselevelsnow.

1.TheBodyandPhysicalPerception:TheLevelofSerpent

Theserpentisaninstinctualcreaturewithextraordinarysensesthatitcanrelyupontotellitwherethere’s foodandwhere there’sapredator.Similarly, in thephysical realm,wehumans relyonoursenses togiveusapictureofourselvesand theworld.This isaverymaterial levelofperception,whereeverything is tangible, solid,anddifficult tochange;where reality is1percentspiritand99percentmatter.Fromtheperceptionofserpent,wecansee,touch,andevensmellanobjectinfrontofus,suchasa

loafofbread,andweknowthatit’sthere,physicallypresent.Wedon’timaginethestalksofgoldenwheatinthebread,thekneadingofthebaker,orthefirethattransformeditintoaloafwecaneat—weonlyseeanobjectthatwillsatisfyourhunger.Similarly,wedon’tseesexasanactoflove;weseeitasaphysicallongingthatwillsatisfyourdesire.Atthelevelofserpent,thelanguageweusetodepictrealityismolecularandchemical.Wecould

describebreadscientifically,callingit“afoodsubstancecreatedfromgrain,yeast,andafewotheringredients;onethathasacertainchemicalmakeup.”Wecanalsodescribebreadasafood,andwefollowourinstincttoeatitifwe’rehungry.Everythingisasitseems:Aloafofbreadisjustthat;apigeonpoopingisonlythat.When we see problems through the eyes of the serpent only, we try to come up with physical

solutions.Wewanttochangethejob,tradeinthecar,findanewpartner,orhaveanaffair.Ifwefeelaheadachecomingon,welabelita“migraine”andreachforsomemedication.Ifweseeachildactingoutinclass,jumpingoutofhisseattostartwrestlingwithaschoolmate,welabelhim“naughty”andpunishhim.Sometimesthesesolutionswork,butoftenthey’retoosimplistic.Atserpent,werelytotallyonourinstinctualsensesanddon’treflectmoredeeplyonourproblems.

We’reoperatingfromthatpartofthebrainwesharewithlizardsanddinosaurs—thatis,we’reawareofourphysicalbodies,butwe’renotcognizantofourmental,creative,andspiritualselves. In thisstate,weperceiveouterformandacceptonlytheobvious,remainingblindtoourfeelingsandthoseofothers.We’redevoidof rich,complex thinking,andsimplyactandreact.Thisstatecanbeveryusefulforoperatinginthephysicalworld.Afterall,weneedtopaythebills,mowthelawn,anddrivethekidstoschoolwithoutreadinganymoremeaningintotheseactions.And,asSigmundFreudoncefamouslyremarked,“Sometimesacigarisjustacigar.”Remaining in serpent—that is, putting one foot in front of the other—is especially helpful for

gettingusthroughimmediatecrises.Ourreptilianbrainisincharge,workingfromsurvivalinstincts,andwesimplydowhathastobedonewithoutwastingvaluableenergythinkingaboutit,analyzingit,or getting emotionally distraught about it.We all know howwearying it is tomeet someonewhorefusestofunctionatthislevelevenwhenit’sverypracticaltodoso,choosingtoreaddeepmeaningintoeventhemosttrivialmattersinsteadofjustgettingtheworkdone.The instincts of serpent are also very helpful because they can alert us to danger before we

consciouslyperceiveit—wegeta“badvibe”aboutapersonorplaceandavoiditwithoutknowingwhy,orwesensethatapoliceofficerwitharadargunisuptheroad,sowetakeourfootoffthegaspedal.Serpentisanessentialstatetomaster,aswehavetobeeffectiveinthephysicalworldandtakecare

ofbusinessinapracticalway.Butwhenweallowourneedtosurviveatallcoststodominate,we’renotalwayssopleasanttobearound.Wereachforthemostliteralsignsofsecurity,suchashavingabigbankaccountandmaterialtoys;andwegiveintogreed,stinginess,andsuspicion.Wecoilupandcontract,strikingoutbeforetheotherguycanclobberus;weamassweaponsandbuildfences.Infact,archeologistsexcavatingneolithicsiteshavefoundthattheearliestdefensesbuiltbyhumansweren’tdesigned to protect them from physical enemies but from the invisible ghouls and dangers theyperceivedfromthestateofserpent.Unfortunately,much of humanity has lived at the level of serpent for thousands of years.Many

peoplewhotaketheBibleandtheKoranliterally,withtheirinstructionstoslayinfidels,stillliveinthisrealm.It’simportanttobeabletotakeourperceptionupanotch,forthegoodofourselvesandourworld,becauseserpentisthecold-bloodeddomainof“aneyeforaneyeandatoothforatooth.”

2.TheMindandEmotionalPerception:TheLevelofJaguar

Inthenextperceptualstate,jaguar,themindinterpretsourreality.Werecognizethatthemindcan

create psychosomatic disease or restore health, that repressed anger can cause cancer, and that apositive attitude brings joy and peace to ourselves and others around us. We’re aware that ourexperiencesareinfluencedbyourthoughtsandthateverythingisn’tnecessarilywhatitseemstobeinthephysicalrealm.Nowwhenwelookataloafofbread,weknowthatitcamefromthefieldsofwheatandthebaker,

andwe actually think about itsmany possibilities.Wemay choose to begin eating it, put it in therefrigeratorandsaveitforlater,orwrapitupandgiveitawaytosomeonewhoispoor.Wemayaddbutterandgarlictoitandbakeit,orwemaydosomethingreallyunusual,suchastossingitacrosstheroomat someone and starting a food fight.Butwe’vebeen taught certainbeliefs aboutbread, andthosebeliefsinfluenceourdecisionaboutwhattodowithit.Weknowthatit’snotrighttowastefood,sowequicklybrushasideanytemptationtothrowitacrosstheroomjustforfun.Inshort,weunderstandthatwehavechoices,butwealsoknowthatthosechoicesarelimitedbyour

beliefs about bread. We also comprehend the bread’s symbolic meanings: We understand that itrepresentslife,asin“thebreadoflife”;weusetheexpression“whitebread”todenoteapersonwholacksdimensionorpersonality;andwesay,“Ihavenobread”toexpressalackofmoney.Aloafofbreadrepresentsmore than thesatisfactionofourhunger,andhavingsexrepresentsmore than thesatisfactionofourneed—itcanbeanactofintimacy.The realm of beliefs, ideas, and emotions is associated with the jaguar because this type of

perception can suddenly transform situations, causing them to be seen in a new light, and such acreature is the archetype of sud-den change. The jaguar spots his prey and pounces on it, quicklyextinguishing its life—yet this helps keep down the population of the other animals andmaintainbalanceintherainforest,thusmakingitpossibleforotherlifetothriveintheecosystem.Inthesameway,asingleinsightcanallowustobreakfreefromournegativefeelingsoranoldwayofoperatingthat’spreventingusfrommovingforward.The jaguar ’s instincts are different from those of the serpent, which is solely concerned with

survival and self-preservation. Jaguars are curious and inquisitive—our cat instinct leads us to therightpeopleandsituations(orthewrongones,ifourfelineinstinctisflawed).Jaguarperceptionisassociatedwith themammalianbrain, that of emotion and deep feelings of love, intimacy, family,caring, and compassion. Yet it’s also the brain of aggression, superstition, amulets, charms, andNostradamus andGenghisKhan. The language of the level of jaguar is spoken orwrittenwords,whichweusetoformandexpressideas,beliefs,andfeelings.Hereweunderstandsymbolsandsignsandcanagreethatcertainsoundsarewordsthatmeansomethingspecific.Fromjaguar,werecognizethatwecangiveahungrymanafish,butamorepracticallong-term

solutionistoteachhimhowtofish.Weknowthatwecangiveastarvingchildapieceofbread,butwealsoknowthatonedoesnotliveonbreadalone.Weriseabovetheliterallevelandseeawiderrangeofpossibilitiesinanysituation.Ifwehaveamigraine,weaskourselves,“Whatcouldbethecause?Whatismybodytryingtotellme?”Just as the mental level encases the physical, in jaguar we incorporate what we experience at

serpentstate.Soifwehaveaheadache,we’reawareofourpain,butwealsothinkaboutwhetherwecould have consumed something that might have caused it, such as chocolate or red wine. Weconsider whether themigraine is a symptom of another type of ailment—maybe we’re taking onmoreresponsibilitiesthanwecanhandle,orperhapswe’reworriedaboutourbusinessorafightwithourspouse,andourbodyisrespondingbycreatingaheadache.Throughtheeyesofjaguar,welookatthechildwhoisactingoutinclassandask,“Isheactually

unabletositstillandkeephishandstohimself,andifso,why?”Weconsiderwhetherthechildatealot of sugary treats and has a strong physical urge tomove, if he’s bored bywhat the teacher issaying, and soon.We’re able toperceivemuchmoreabout the situation thanwewouldat serpentstate;consequently,we’reabletothinkofmanymoresolutions.Wedon’tjustpunishthechildwhoactsout,wemakesurethatheeatsahealthybreakfastandhasachancetowalkandrunbeforehehastosettleintohisseatandfocusonlisteningtotheteacher.Wedon’tjustpopapainpill—welearntosaynotoourextraresponsibilitiesandstartexpressingtheangerwe’vebeenrepressing.Becausewehave so many more possibilities, we’re able to make effective changes and solve more complexissues.

3.TheSoulandSacredPerception:TheLevelofHummingbird

Thenextdomainofperception(whichalsoencasestheprevioustwolevels)isthatofthesoul.The

languageofthislevelisimage,music,poetry,anddreams—it’stherealmofmyth,wherethesoulcanexperience itself on a sacred journey, and is thus symbolizedby hummingbird.Although tiny, thisbirdmanagestonavigatethousandsofmilesinitsyearlymigrationfromCanadatoBrazil.Itneverlosesitssenseofdirectionoritsdrivetopressforward,andneverwondersifithasenoughfoodorstrengthforitsvoyage.Inthedomainofthemythic,wearealllikehummingbird,onagrandvoyageandyearningtodrinkonlyfromthenectaroflife.Whenwedon’tperceiveourjourneyassacred,webecomemiredatthelevelofthemindanditscomplicatedanalysisoftheworld.Fromhummingbird,weperceiveallofourexperiencesaspartofanepicjourney.Thehummingbirdperceptualstateisassociatedwiththeneocortex,themostrecentadditiontothe

humanbrain.Theneocortexevolvedaround100,000yearsagoandisresponsibleforourabilitytoreason,visualize,andcreate.ItisthebrainofGalileoandBeethoven,science,art,andmythology.Atthesoullevel,solutionstoproblemsthatwecan’tsolvewiththemindsuddenlybecomeevident.

InPeruafewyearsback,forinstance,thenativepeoplehadbeguntoperceivethattheinexpensive,healthy,homemade,whole-grainbreadthatthey’dbeeneatingforgenerationswasinferiortostore-bought,heavilyprocessedwhiteloavesthattheysawthewealthyeat.Asaresult,theywereeatingthelesswholesomebread,anditwasaffectingthewell-beingofthepopulation.The president of Peru could have tried to resolve this problem at the level of the mind and

attemptedtoconvincepeoplethroughapublic-relationscampaignthatbrownbreadisgoodforyou,orhecouldhaveworkedwiththelegislaturetopassalawraisingthetaxesonwhitebreadtotrytoforce people to buy more affordable loaves. Instead, he chose to address the situation from thehummingbirdlevelofperception.The president recognized that to the village people of his country, white bread had come to

represent success and sophistication, while brown bread symbolized poverty and ordinariness. Heknewhehad to change theirperception thatwhitebread isbetter, sohemadea televisionclip thatshowedhimdiningwithhisfamilyinthepresidentialpal-ace,eatingbrownbread.Heknewthatthiswoulddeliverthemessagethatbrownbreadisthefoodofthesuccessfulandthesophisticated,andit

worked. Indigenous people in Peru returned to eating brown bread because this was the bread ofkings,notpeasants!When I eat at restaurants in Peru, I always load upmy bagwith the extra rolls that are served,

becauseIknowI’llhaveanopportunitytohelpsomeoneoutbygivingthemarollthatmaybetheironlymealoftheday.OncewhenIwastravelingwithaLaikaelder,Ifoundmyself inabusstationsurroundedbyseveralchildrenwhohadgatheredaroundmeinthehopesthatImightgivethemsomecoinsorcandy.Ibegantotaketherollsoutofmybaganddistributethem,buttheeldertoldme,“Thisisnotthebreadthesechildrenneed.Thekindoffoodmypeopleneedisthefoodofthesoul,notthestomach.”Hetooktherollsfrommeanddistributedthemtothechildrenhimself,butashedid,healsobegantellingthemstoriesabouttheirInkaancestors.Afterward, the elder explained, “These stories are the nourishment that they are craving. I gave

themnotthebreadthatwillfeedthemtonight,butthebreadthatwillfeedthemthroughouttheirentirelives.”Hewasperceivingwith theeyesof thehummingbird—tohim, thestorieswerenourishmentforthesoul.Whenhesawmehandingoutrolls,heintervenedatthelevelofthesacredbyofferingthesechildrenthemythologyoftheirpeople.Atthelevelofthesoul,thingsarewhattheytrulyare:anexpressionofthesacred.Ahouseisnot

simplyaroofoveryourhead,it’sahome.Aspouseisnotmerelyapersonyousharehouseholdandchild-rearingdutieswith,butachosenpartner,afellowtraveleronagreatjourney.Inthisstate,youlookatbreadandask,“AmIhungryforbread,oramIhungeringforthenurturingitrepresents?”You’re able to understand the importance of breaking breadwith others, and how your belly canneverbeadequatelyfilledwhenothersgohungryintheworld.At the levelofhummingbird,we listenbelow thesurfaceofconversationsandhear theirhidden

messages.Weoperateinmetaphors,soifwehaveamigraine,weaskourselves,“AmIgoingoutofmy mind? What thoughts are stuck in my head? What is this a sign of?” In Chinese medicine,unexpressedangerissaidtoresideinourliver,soifwehavelivertrouble,weknowitcanbeasignofourrepressedrage.Soifourliverfunctionissluggish,weask,“WhatmedicationcanItake?”butalso,“HowcanIpracticeforgiveness,bothwithmyselfandothers?”Weunderstandillnesstobethewarninglightthattellsusthere’ssomethinggoingonthatneedsourattention,andwedon’ttreatthesymptomalone.Whenwelookthroughtheeyesofhummingbirdandseeanoverlyactivechild,weask,“Howis

thischild’s‘problem’apositiveopportunity?”WerecognizethatgivingRitalintoahyperactivechildmaymakehimstayinhisseatandfocusonwhattheteacherissayingtohim,but it takesawayhisnaturalability tomultitask.Ina jungle, thischild’s“problem”behavioror“learningdeficit”wouldactually be an asset—hewould be able to hear the birds call to each other and the rushing of thewaterfall and still engage in a conversation, all the while remaining alert to possible danger. Inhummingbird,weperceivethechild’sdistractibilityasagiftthat’sinvaluableforhissoul’sjourney.At this level,we sense thatwe’re all in a journeyofgrowth andhealing,making a trekback to

wherewewereborntobe,inaconditionofdivinewell-being.Ifweexperienceamigraine,weaskourselves,“Whatkindofhealingisthisheadachecallingmeto?”Itmightbethatweneedtoeatlesschocolate,takemedication,andstopputtingourselvesthroughstress.Itmightalsobethatthewaytocure our headaches involves a larger journey: Maybe we need to leave an unhappy relationship;perhapsit’stimetomoveawayfromaremoteruralareawherewecan’tfindworkorcreateasenseof community; orwemight need to let go of our disappointment in our parents and our anger atthem,alongwithour fear thatwe’rebecoming just like them.Wefix theheadachebymending thesoul.Weseepathsthatwillleadusbacktohealth,andweundertakeahealingjourney.Hummingbirdisamuchmorecommandingsphereforbringingaboutchangethanjaguaris.This

iswhy visualization is somuchmore powerful than just reciting affirmations.When youwant to

ensure that your future holds a desirable outcome, you need to visualize it only once from theperceptual state of hummingbird. From jaguar, you would need to repeat the verbal affirmationdozens,orperhapsevenhundreds,oftimestoachieveasimilarresult.

4.SpiritualPerception:TheLevelofEagleAstheeaglesoarsabovethevalleys,heisabletovisuallytakeinthetrees,therocks,theriver,and

eventhecurvatureoftheearth…yethe’salsoabletospotamouse2,000feetbelowhim.HisabilitytoseeboththeentirepictureandatinypieceofitatthesametimearerepresentativeofthequalitiesofthelevelofSpirit.Ineagle,realityis99percentconsciousnessand1percentmatter.Thereislittleformorsubstance,

andthelanguageisenergy.Thebrainassociatedwiththislevelistheprefrontalcortex,whichsomeneuroscientistscallthe“God-brain.”Ineagle,thereisnolongerapoorpersonreceivingbreadandarich person handing it to him—there is only Spirit nourishing Spirit. We no longer perceiveourselves as disconnected from the planet or fromother people; the boundariesmelt away as ourindividualsoulsrecognizeouroneness.Icall thisthe“poofstate”becauseatthislevelofperception,mattersimplydisappears.Whenwe

lookatthehyperactivechild,weseenoillnessorproblems—thereissimplyGodexperiencingItselfasthischild.WhenyouaskaLaikawhosheis,she’lltellyou,“ThemountainsamI,theriveramI,theeagleamI,therockamI.”Fromjaguar,shemayperceiveherselfasrecoveringfromthelossofalovedone,butateagle,sheknowsthatsheisGodmasqueradingasherself,sosheendeavorstotakeuppermanentresidenceattheheightsofeagle.Whenwefaceadifficulty,thecloserwecangettothelevelofSpirit, thelessenergyweneedto

effectchange.Downstream,wecanseewar;butupstream,wecansee theunrestamong thepeoplethat will carry us to war, which is a much easier problem to address. Downstream is pollution;upstream is the question of why we’re using plastic and throwing it on the ground. Fromhummingbird, we insist on recycling; from eagle, we question why we don’t eliminate plasticpackagingaltogether.Downstreamisourchildhavingproblemswith thelaworwithrelationships;upstreamisthequestionofhowwe’reteachinghimbyexampletorelatetoandrespectothers.Atthelowerlevelsofperception,wecantrytofigureoutawaytopreventwarorpollution,heal

thosewhofeeldisenfranchised,orchangethosewhoinsistonthrowingawaytheirgarbagewithoutrecycling—but at the very high-est level of eagle,we can actually become peace.We can becomehealingandbeautyandembodythecleanwatersofariver.Westopperceivingaseparationbetweenusandourenvironment,orbetweenusandotherpeople.Onewaytounderstandthishighestlevelofperception,whereourtraditionalideasaboutthenature

ofrealitydissolve,istolookatquantummechanics.Physicistsarediscoveringthatatthesubatomiclevel,matterisfarlesssolidandtangiblethanweoncethoughtitwas.Inotherwords,asolidtableisn’tsolidatall,butabuzzingcollectionofparticlesandwaves.WernerHeisenbergwasthefirsttobefuddlephysicistswiththisnotion,postulatinginhis“uncertaintyprinciple”thatwhenweobserveanelectron tomeasure its speed, this changes its position.So ifwe expect an electron tobehave as aparticle,itobliges;ifwedesignanexperimentwhereitmustbehaveasawaveandstriketwoside-by-side targets simultaneously, it cooperates.Thisdiscoverywasdeeplydisturbing tomany scientists,including Einstein, who exclaimed that “God does not play dice” with the universe. And yet theEarthkeepershavealwaysknownthatourperceptionoftheworlddeterminesitsverynature.Inotherwords,quantumphysicistsandEarthkeepersbothsuggestthattheworldisdreamingitself

intobeing:Thesquirrelsaredreamingit,thefisharedreamingit,andwearedreamingit—eventhe

stones are dreaming it, although their slumber is deep and long.Quantumphysics explains how ithappens;theLaikatellushowtodoit.Physicstellsushowwaterevaporatesintoacloudofvapor,whiletheLaikashowushowtomakeitrain.Ofcourse,wehumansexperiencerealitythroughourownperception,notthatoftheelkorstone.

Some Laika were said to be able to shape-shift and become a jaguar or eagle, able to sense thevegetationbrushingagainstthemastheyslinkedthroughthejungleorthewindrushingthroughtheirwings while soaring down into a valley. They did this to glimpse the world through the eyes ofanother,todiscoverwhethertherewasastreamontheothersideofthemountainorwhythecondorswerebecomingextinct.Inphysics,chaostheoryexplainsthatatropicalstormintheCaribbeancouldactuallybecausedby

abutterfly inBeijingthatflappeditswings.It’sverydifficult tochangeaCategory5hurricane(orlate-stagecancer),butEarthkeepersknowthatfromeagle,wecancrosstimeandfindthathurricanewhile it’s still awhisperofwindon theedgeofabutterfly’swing—that is,wecanheal that stormbeforeit’sevenborn.Thisisthegiftofthisrealm:Thereisnotime,sowecanchangethingsbeforetheycomeintoexistence.Wecandreamtheworld intobeingbeforeenergyeveracquiresphysicalform.

UsingDifferentLevelsofPerceptionWhilewe’realwayscapableofinteractingwithallfourlevelsofperception,we’reusuallybogged

downinthephysicalbody,oratbest,caughtupinthesphereofpsychologyandthemind.Webelievethatwecouldcureourunhappinessifonlywecouldfindasuitablerelationship,orthatthereasonwecan’tstayonadietisthatwedidn’treceivetherightnurturingfromourparents.Occasionally,we’reable tosensefromhummingbirdandhear thecall toourepic journey…but thenserpentdragsusback, and we think that we don’t have enough money or time, or we slip into jaguar and doubtwhetherwe’restrongorsmartenoughtowalkthepath.Ateagle,ourpowertoaffectrealityisatitsgreatest.However,ittakescourageandpracticetoshift

intothishighlevelofperceptionandstaythere.TheyoungLaikawhoarestudyingtobecomehealerslearntodiagnoseandhealatthelevelofhummingbird.Theydon’tworkphysicallyonthebodyorpsychologicallyonthemind;instead,theylearntoworkwithfeathers,fire,andothertoolsthathelpthemchangethematrixofsomeone’sluminousenergyfield.Buttheeldersdon’tneedtouseafeatherfanorherbs—theyareworkingfromeagle,whereobjectsandthoughtsandevenvisualimagesaren’tnecessary.Theycanhealwithoutevenmovingafinger,astheirpresencealonewillsuffice.In our own lives, we can use many tools to shift us into hummingbird perception, including

meditation,prayerwithoutwords,music,andart.Onamoresuperficialnote,wecantrydressinginvividcolorsonagraydaytobringourselvesoutofadepressivemoodandintoabrighterandmoreenthusiastic one; or we can recite prayers, hoping that speaking thewordswill shift us into trulyfeelingthem.Yetateagle,wewon’tneedabrightyellowshirttomakeusfeelenergizedandexcitedabout theday,even though it’sbeenovercastandrainyforweeks.Wewon’tneed thewordsof theprayer because we can easily shift into the experience of sensing the divine in hummingbird andbecomingonewithSpiritineagle.Theshifthappenswithinus.

ShiftingtoaHigherLevelofPerception

When we get stuck in the perceptual landscape of serpent and jaguar, we spend a lot of time

strugglingwithproblems.Ifamanishavinganemotionalconflictwithhiswife,hewilltypicallytrytosolve thecrisisat the literal levelbybuyinghersomethinghe thinkswillmakehersmileagain.Whenadolescentsgetdepressed,theygotothemallorturntodrugstohealtheirpain.Yetthesequickfixesatthephysicallevelneverreallywork.Whenyoushiftyourperceptiontoahigherlevel,youcantransformthemyriadchallengesyou’re

facing in your emotional and physical worlds. You can understand that what you perceive as aproblem in one sphere is actually an opportunity at the level above it. The loss of a job or arelationshipbecomesanopportunity to reinventyourself,whilean illnessoffersyou thechance tonot just try toeliminateyoursymptomsbut toalsobringaboutdeephealingandtransformation.Ifyou’re sick, you can intervene at all four levels of perception: In serpent, you treat yourselfwithmedicine; in jaguar, with psychology; in humming-bird, with meditation or spiritual practice; ineagle,withtheawarenessandwisdomofSpirit.Shiftingtoahigherlevelofperceptionallowsustorecognizethatthereasonwedon’terectadam

thatwillmake thedarter snailextinct,ordestroy thehabitatof thespottedowl, isbecause theyarerepresentative of not just a few thousand animals, but of nature itself,whichwemust nurture andprotect.Wecanthenalsobegintoaskourselveswhetherthehydroelectricpowerthatadamisgoingto produce to light up car dealerships at night is really even important. And at eagle, we canunderstandthehiddeninterconnectednessofthingsandperceivethesynchronisticnatureofreality—werecognizethattherearenoaccidentsandthateverythinghasapurposeandameaning.Alossisn’tasdevastatingbecauseweknowthere’sacontextforit,sowhenlovedonespassaway,weknowthattheydon’tceasetoexist,butaresimplyGodseekinganotherexpressionandform.All four perceptual states are helpful at different times.When you tumble down a ravinewhile

hikinginanisolatedarea,youcangointoserpent,letgoofyourfear,andaccesstheresourcesofthereptilianbraintocontrolthepainofyourbrokenleg.Serpent(whichiscoldandindifferentandoftenassociatedwithmeninourculture)allowsyoutoinstinctivelytendtoyourwounduntilyoucancrawlbacktothetrailandfindhelp.Injaguar(whichweoftenassociatewithwomenbecauseit’sintimateandemotional),youcanprocessyourfeelingsandexperienceyourfearandvulnerability.Moving tohummingbird,youbegin tosee thebigpicture:Youbecomeawareof theconnection

betweenyourbrokenlegandyourheavyburdens,andyourecognizethatinordertohealyourself,youhavetobewillingtoletgoofbeingincontrolallthetime.Andattheperspectiveofeagle,youcanactuallytrackalongyourfuturetimelineandfindabetteroutcomethandyingaloneinthewoods,choosingadestinyinwhichhelpwillfindyou.Ineagleyoucanrecognizethatthehealingyouneedmay not be just the mending of your body but also of your soul, which longs to experience thelessonsitcametolearnonthisearth,includingwhyyouinjuredyourselfatthattimeandplace.I have seenmany students leave the path of theEarth-keeper as soon as they start feeling better

physicallyandemotionally,becausethey’vemettheirneedsatthelevelsofserpentandjaguar.Yetiftheywereperceivingfromhummingbird,they’drecognizethatfeelingbetterisnice,butevolvingtotheirhighestcapabilitiesisevenmoreimportant.Andiftheywereperceivingwiththeeyesofeagle,theywould see thatwhen they step into the fullness of their power, they can begin to dream theirworldintobeing,andthattheirownhealingisdirectlytiedtothehealingoftheentireplanet.Thesestudents are like acorns beginning to sprout and pushing through the earth, and it’s notmuch funmovingasidethosemoundsofdirttogettothelight.Duringthecourseofmyowntraining,thereweretimeswhenIwantedtostopmyworkandjust

take it easy. Iwanted to remainat the levelof jaguar,where Iwasno longerboggeddownbymyproblemsorchallengedorgoadedtobethebestIcouldbe.ButIrecognizedthatindoingso,I’dmiss

theopportunitytogrowmyeaglewings.Anotheradvantagetobeingabletoshiftyourperceptionisthatifyou’refatedtodevelopadeadly

disease because it runs in your family’s genes, you don’t have to engage it in the physical realm,whereyou’llactuallydeveloptheillness.Athummingbird,youcanpreventsicknessbylearningthelessonsthatitcametoteachyou;whileateagle,youcancleartheimprintsinyourluminousenergyfieldthatpredisposeyoutothiscondition.Ifyouhaveabookinsideyouthatyou’vebeenstrugglingtowritefortenyears(“thegreatnovelthatwilltellthestoryofmystruggle,”forexample),youcanbring it from the soul’s domain into the literal realm and actuallymanifest thatmanuscript.Or ifyou’recaughtarguingwithyourromanticpartnerintheperceptuallevelofjaguarandbothofyouarestuckbelievingthatyou’reright,youcangetbeyondblame.Youcanperceivethesituationasanopportunitytoconnectwitheachotherratherthanasachancetoprovethatyou’recorrectandyourpartnerisdeadwrong.Whilewemaybedrawntooneparticularperceptualstate(forexample,wemayengagetheworld

primarily through jaguar and our emotions),we can learn tomaster all four levelswith practice.Doingthefollowingexercisewillhelpyoudevelopyourabilitytoshiftyourperception.Afteryouperformitafewtimes,you’llappreciatehowthefourlevelsarestatesthatwegravitatetonaturally,sincetheyarethewaysof“sensing”eachofourfour“sub-brains.”

EXERCISE:FourPerceptionsoftheFaceThis isa trackingexercise, inwhichyou’ll search forcluesand informationateachof the four

levelsofperception. (It canbedonewithapartneroralone.)Sit inadarkened room in frontofamirror,aboutfourfeetawayfromit,withacandlebyyourside.Practicedeep,slowbreathingasyougazesoftlyintoyourlefteye,butdonotstare.Counteachinhalationuntilyoureachten,andthenstartagainatone.Noticetheplayoflightandshadowonyourface,andkeepfocusedonyourlefteye.Atthefirstlevelofserpent,noticehowyourfaceisasyou’vealwaysseenit.Everythingisexactly

asitappearstobe.Thisisthefaceyou’velookedatinthemirrorathousandtimes.Thesecondphasebeginsafewmomentslater—yourfacewillbegintochangeasyourperception

adjustsfromthatofserpenttothatofjaguar.Youmayseeyourselfshape-shiftintoananimalortakeonthefaceofanotherperson,oryourfacemaydisappearaltogetherexceptforyoureyes.Don’tbealarmedbywhatyouperceive; instead, staywithyourdeep, regularbreathing.Simply register themanyfaces thatappear.…Someof themmaybe tensof thousandsofyearsold; somemaybe thefacesof former lifetimes;othersareofpoweranimals (yourguidesandallies innature);andstillotherfacesarethoseofyourspiritguides.Trackthroughthislevelandnoteallthefacesyoufind.When you reach hummingbird, your face will stop changing and you’ll see just one image.

Carefully observe the face that comes into stillness, for it has a meaning and a message that’simportantforyouatthistime.Holditsteadybyfocusingonyourbreath,andletitrevealitsstorytoyou.Whoisit?Wherediditcomefrom?Whatmessagesdoesithaveforyou?Theluminousenergyfieldholdsthememoriesofallofourformerselves.Oftentheseappeartobefacesfromaformerlifetime,butthey’refrequentlythefacesofwhoweoncewereormighthavebecomeinthislifetime.In the fourth stage, all images disappear, even your own face.When you reach eagle, all form

dissolvesintotheuniversalenergymatrix,leavingonlySpiritandlight.To finish the tracking practice, take three deep breaths to bring yourself back to ordinary

consciousness.

I once performed this exercise with a client who had been diagnosed with a deadly medicalcondition.Aswesatgazingsoftlyintoeachother ’sfaces,weonlysawtheother ’seyesatfirst.Thenas Ientered jaguarperception,his facebegan tomorph:Hestarted to resembleanoldman; thenayoungboy; and then an elderly Indianwomanwith long, flowinghair.Thesemight havebeen thefaces he wore in past lives or those of the stories that lived within him, yet I was looking for aparticularone—thefaceofmyclientinthefutureafterhewashealedfromhisdisease.When I found it, I shifted my perceptual state to hummingbird so that the features would stop

changing.Thiswasthefacewewantedforhim:thatofhimself,healed.Wehadfocusedourintentiononmyfindingthatvisage,andnowthatIhad,Iknewwehadtoinstall it intohisdestinysothathewouldbecomethehealedpersonrepresentedbythatface.ThenIwentintoeagleanddissolvedthatexpressionsothatIsawnothingbutlight.Inmyheart,Isaid,“MayThywillbedone,”soSpirit’swillwould prevail, not my own. (Note that it will require some practice for you to master the art ofshiftingintohigherlevelsofperception,butdon’tworry—youcandoit.)Iaskedmyclienttocontinuethistrackingpracticeonhisowninfrontofthemirror, inorderto

drawhisattentiontohishealedselfandfirmlyinstall thisfaceinhisfuture.Afewmonthslater,hewentintofullremissionfromhiscondition.In the following chapter, youwill learnmore about your own energetic anatomy, including the

luminousenergyfieldandthechakras,andhowtheyrelate to thefour levelsofperceptionandthefourinsights.

YourEnergeticAnatomy

Mostofusknowalittleabouthowourphysicalbodieswork,andwemayevenbeawareofhowourthoughtsandemotionscanaffectus,andviceversa.Yetinordertogainaccesstothehigherlevelsofperceptionthatwillallowustodreamourworlddifferently,weneedtolearnmoreabouttheanatomyof the soul and the spirit.We need to understand how our emotions, our beliefs, and the coloredlenses throughwhichweperceive reality are held in the luminous energy field (LEF), the aura ofenergyandlightthatsurroundseachoneofus.TheLEFistheblueprintforourlives,containingthechroniclesofourpainandsufferingandthe

pathways to our healing. In fact, we are able to teach our students at the Healing the Light BodySchoolhowtoreadthestoriesetchedinaclient’sLEF,aswellashowtodeciphertheemotionalandphysicalconditionsthatafflicthimorher.Imagine that you’re surrounded by a bubble of light that extends about the width of your

outstretched arms and down into the earth about a foot. Streams of energy continually circulatethroughyourLEF,sinceitcontainstheacupuncturemeridiansandthechakras(whichI’llexplaininjustabit).Runningthroughthemiddleofthispulsatingorbisaverynarrow,tubelikehole,lessthanamoleculewide,makingtheluminousenergyfieldlikeabigovalbead(or,asit’scalledingeometry,atorus).Whenwedie,theLEFpassesthroughthisnarrowtunnelbacktothespiritworld,likeadoughnut

going through its own hole—this is the dark passageway that people who have had near-deathexperiencesreport traveling throughas they journeybackhome.Wecan learn toaccess thehigherlevelsofperceptionbyworkingwithourLEFanditsstructures:thechakrasandtheassemblagepoint.

TheNineChakras

Weallhaveninechakras,orenergycenters,inourbodies,linedupalongourspine.WhileEastern

traditions recognize seven chakras, theLaika recognize an eighth one,which is like a radiant sunlocatedabovethehead,outsidethephysicalbodybutwithintheLEF.(IntheWest,wecallthiseighth

chakra the “soul.”)The ninth chakra is high above it, existing outside of time in the center of thecosmos,andconnectinguswithalloflife.TheninthchakraisSpirit.Eachchakraisavortexofswirlinglightextendingafewinchesoutsideofourbodyandspinning

in a clockwise direction, and the point of the vortex connects to our spine and to our endocrineglands.OurchakrasinformourneurophysiologydirectlybydownloadinginformationfromtheLEFintothecentralnervoussystem.Becausetheyalsoconnecttoourglands,theyaffectthelevelsofallourhormones,influencingourmoods,ourweight,ourbloodchemistry,andourimmunesystem.Thechakrasaregatewaysthroughwhichyourbrainandnervoussystemcaninteractwiththefour

levelsofmanifestcreation.Throughthefirstchakra,youengagewiththelevelofserpent—thedensephysical and biological energies. The second chakra allows you to engage the level of jaguar—emotionssuchasangerandfear,aswellasthemorerefinedfeelingsofloveandcompassion.Thesixthchakraallowsyou toengage the levelofhumming-bird—thedivineenergies found insacredplacesoraccessedthroughmeditation,prayer,andmysticalexperiences.Theninthchakraallowsyoutoengagethelevelofeagle—theindefinablesourceofallcreation,whereyoucandreamtheworldintobeing.Let’stakeabrieflookateachenergycenternow.

—Thefirstchakraisatthebaseofthespine,nearthetailbone,anditconnectsustoMotherEarth.It’swhereourprimitiveinstinctsareenergeticallylocated,andit’sassociatedwiththeperceptualstateofserpent.(InmanyEasterntraditions,theserpentenergyofthekundaliniisalsosaidtoresideinthischakra.)Whenweclearourfirstenergycenter,we letgoof thefearofscarcityandbecomemoreopentotheabundancethatsurroundsus.

—Thesecondchakraislocatedfourfingersbelowthenavel,andit’stheseatofourpassions.Thisiswhereallofourfeelingsandemotionsliveenergetically,andourself-esteemandsenseofhowweare loved or unloved also reside here. Our anger clogs this chakra, as does our fear of beingphysically or emotionally in danger. When we clear it, we open ourselves up to creativity andromanticintimacy.Thischakraisassociatedwiththeperceptualstateofjaguar,andit’sconnectedtoouradrenalglandsandthefight-or-flightresponse.

—Thethirdchakraisatthesolarplexusandisassociatedwiththebody’sphysicalenergylevel.Clearingitallowsustobesuccessfulintheworld,havegoodrelationshipswithothers,andbeclearaboutwhoweareandhowwewanttoexpressourselves.

—Thefourthchakraisatthecenterofthechest,andit’sassociatedwiththeheart.Itiswhereweexperienceloveforallpeopleandcreatures,forrocksandwaterfalls,andfordesertsandoceans.Theheartchakraisthecentralpointinourphysicalenergysystem,astherearethreechakrasaboveitandthree below.Whenwe clear this area, we rid ourselves of egotism and open ourselves up to ourgreatestcapacityforintimacy.

—Thefifthchakraextendsfromthehollowof the throat,and it’sourpsychiccenter.When thisarea is clogged,we fixate on our owngroup or tribe and our ownopinions.Whenwe cleanse it,however, we recognize our connection to others, become better communicators, and are open togainingknowledgebylisteningtopeopleevenwhenwemaynotagreewiththem.

— The sixth chakra (or “third eye”) is located in the middle of the forehead. It’s where weexperienceourrelationshiptoeverythingandeveryone,alongwithourawarenessthatweareeternalbeings.This is thecenterwhere thedivine resideswithinus,and it’sassociatedwith theperceptual

state of hummingbird.When this chakra is clogged,we can become spiritually arrogant, knowingfactsaboutthesacredbutnotpracticingthem.

—Locatedattheverytopofthehead,theseventhchakraisourdoorwaytoheaven,connectingustothestars.Clearingthisenergycenterallowsustoexperiencetimeasnonlinearandbreakfreeofthe lawsofcauseandeffect.Whentheseventhchakra isclogged,wemistakenlybelieve thatwe’veachievedenlightenment,notrealizingthatwehavefarthertogobeforereachingthategolessstate.

—Theeighthchakra,whichisafewinchesaboveourheads,iswhereweexperienceaunionwithall of creation and its Creator.When this energy center is clogged,we can find ourselves caughtbetween Spirit and matter, living only partially in our bodies, and feeling dissociated anddisconnected fromall.Thischakracorresponds to thesoul—etched in itswallsare the imprintsoftraumathatwebringwithusfromonelifetimetoanotherandthathelpedselecttheparentswewerebornthrough.Theseimprintspredisposeustoliving,learning,aging,anddyinginparticularways,andaremirroredbytheimprintsinourLEF.

—Finally, theninthchakra,whichexistsoutsideof timeandspaceand isalwayscrystallineandpure,iswherewecanexperiencethemagnificentexpanseofcreation.ThisiswhereweresidewithinGod.Toreach thisarea,weascend thesilvercordof light that risesupfromtheeighthchakra—itresidesattheheartoftheuniverse,andisSpirit.Thereisonlyoneninthchakra,forthereisonlyoneofusinSpirit.Thischakraisassociatedwiththeperceptualstateofeagle.

To follow the practices of the four insights, it’s important to first clear the negative energy, or“psychicsludge,”thatcloudsourchakrassothatwenolongerprojectourwoundedselvesintotheworldandconfusethatforreality.Thisisimportantforallthechakras,butespeciallythefirst,wheretheperceptionofserpentislocated;thesecond,wherejaguarlives;andthesixth,themythicalthirdeye, where hummingbird resides. Cleansing your energy centers will allow them to carry newinformation into your body and nervous system. And as you clear the first seven, the eighthwillgradually cleanse itself, erasing the imprints of karma, trauma, and disease that propel youunconsciouslyfromonelifetimetothenext.(Theninthchakracanneverbecomeclogged,becauseitisSpirititself.)Clearingthechakrasislikewipingcleanthelensesofperceptionthatallowyoutoseeandinteract

withthefourlevelsofcreation.Whenyourchakrasareclogged,youremaintrappedinthephysicalandmental,themostcruderealmofexperience.Inthefollowingexercise,youwilllearntocleansethepsychicdebristhathassettledineachofyourenergycenters.

EXERCISE:ClearingtheChakrasBeginbyfindingaquietspot.(Isuggestdoingthisexercisewhilelyingcomfortablyinyourbed.)

Closeyoureyesandtakeafewdeep,focusedbreaths.Letyourthoughtsfloatinfrontofyou,payingnoattentiontothem,asyoucontinuetoinhaleandexhale.Bring your hands together in the prayer position in front of your chest, with your fingertips

touching.Restyourhandsagainstyourchestasyoumaintainthispose.Inhaledeeply…andexhale.Inhale…andexhale.Breathedeeplyseveraltimes.Separateyourhands, shake themvigorously,and then return them to theprayerpose.Notice the

feeling of energy coursing between your fingertips—then separate your hands very slowly,maintaining this feeling.With your eyes closed, try to see if you can perceive the threads of lightbetweenyourfingertips,creatingasensationoftinglingorwarmth.

Moveyourrighthandoveryourfirstchakra,toitswidemouthtwoinchesawayfromyourskin.Feelitsenergyasitspinsclockwise.(Somesaythisfeelslikecottoncandy,whileothersexperienceitas a light, tingling sensation.) Now begin “unwinding” the chakra by slowly spinning your handcounterclockwise ten times, imagining your body as the face of the clock and your fingers as thehands.Explore the insideof this funnelof lightwithyour fingertips,sensing itsenergyandnotingwhether it is cool orwarm, tinglyor sludgy.Feel the streamof toxic energy flowingout of yourchakraandintotheearthasyou“back-wash”thischakra.Nowreturnyourfirstenergycentertoitsnormaldirectionofspinbyslowlyturningyourhandclockwisetentimes.Because every chakra is associated with particular feelings, as you cleanse each one you may

noticethatcertainemotionsormemoriesarisespontaneously.Allowthesesensationstowashthroughyouwithoutanalyzingthem.You’redoingthisworkatthelevelofeagle,ofenergy,sodon’tdistractyourself with psychological stories or explanations for these feelings. For example, the secondchakragovernsthefight-or-flightresponse,andwhenyouclearit,youmightrememberthelasttimeyou felt frightenedor indanger,oryoumight reexperience the feelings themselves. If thisoccurs,allow the sensations to pass through you like a soft breeze. Theywill subside on their own afteryou’vetakenafewdeep,slowbreaths.(Pleasenotethatyoumaynotfeelanysensationsasyoudothispractice. If this is the case, don’t worry—the exercise is effective and powerful, whether youexperienceanyfeelingsornot.)Repeatthisunwindingactionwitheachofthesevenchakrastocleansethemofanypsychicdebris,

and then be sure to rewind them. Now imagine that you are hovering a few inches above yourphysical body.After a fewminutes, cross your hands over your chest and take three deepbreaths.Fullyinhabityourbodyagain.Shakeyourhandsvigorouslyandkneadthemtogether.Rubyourfacewithyourhandsandopenyoureyes.

— Intermediate level:Afteryou’vedone this exercisea few timesandcan senseyour luminousself floatingaboveyourphysicalbody,directyourawareness intoyoureighthchakra.Allowyourconsciousnesstoinhabitthisspacewherethedivineresideswithinyou.Explorethevastnessofthisdomain,andtrytorememberwhatyouwerebeforeyouwerebornandwhatyouwillbeafteryoudie.Rememberthatthischakraexistsoutsideoftime,andhereyoucanrecalleventsthatoccurredinthepastandthefuture.—Advanced: After youmaster the above technique, perform the exercise again; only this time

directyourawarenessintoyourninthchakra.ExperienceyourselfdissolvingandbecomingonewithSpiritandwiththevastexpanseofcreation.Wecall thiscenterachakrafor lackofabettername.Inreality, it’s thedwellingplaceofSpirit,

whichiseverywhere,inthemanifestandunmanifestcreation.

TheAssemblagePointThe assemblage point is an energetic structure within the LEF where we decode all our

supersensory experiences, from déjà vu to precognition, to bliss and love, to having a sense offorebodingaboutsomethingorsomeone,andtoknowingthatthetelephoneisgoingtoringbeforeitactuallydoes.It’stheluminousequivalentofourphysicalbrain(andaboutthesamesize,butshapedlikeanorb),anditisherethatwetakeintheinformationourordinarysensescan’tgrasp.Sowhileour hand can detect the touch of our beloved but can’t feel the love conveyed by that touch, theassemblagepointcan interpret themeaningof this contact, and it builds an internal picture of ourpsychologicalandspiritualreality.

To understand how our assemblage point works, we can compare it to how we process visualinformation.Theeyesreceivephotonsoflightreflectingofftheoceanandthesand.Theseelectricalimpulsestravelthroughtheopticnervetothevisualcortexinthebrain,whichcreatesanimageinsideour heads.We call this image “the beach” and project it onto the outside landscape, but all seeingreallyhappensinsidethebrain.Inasimilarmanner,ourassemblagepointdecodesinformationreceivedthroughourchakrasand

“reads”theworldofenergyandemotionsaroundus.Wecallthisimage“reality”andprojectitontoour surroundings and thepeoplewecome in contactwith.But theLaikaunderstand that all realityonlyactuallyexistsinsideourselves.Theassemblagepoint is locatedwithin theLEF(itsexact locationdiffers foreveryone)—justas

there are centers in the brain that process information fromour senses, this grapefruit-sized torusprocessespsychicandemotionalinformation.Inourassemblagepoint,wehavefiltersforourrealitythatarebasedinourculture,gender,age,andsoon.IntheWest,forinstance,weseethecolorredandthinkDanger!orWarning!orExcitementandrebelliousness,andwebecomemorealert.However,intheEast,redisperceivedasacolorofgoodfortunethatbringsjoyandcontentment.Ourassemblagepointisattunedtointerpretcertainvalencesandfrequencies,whicharedetermined

mostly by our life experiences. Ifwe don’t have those valences programmed into our assemblagepoint,wewon’tperceivethem.Forexample,ifwedwellinacityandtraveltothejungle,eventhoughourearshavethesamestructuralmechanismsoftherain-forestnative,wesimplywouldn’thavethesensitivitytohearcertainbirdsthatalertustothepresenceofsnakesthatthenativedoes.Thoseofuswholiveincitiesbecomesoaccustomedtohearingloudsoundswithintenfeetofusthatwe’renotused to perceiving sounds from far away—it’s almost as if we’re auditorily nearsighted.Neuroscientists believe that these pattern-recognition abilities are wired into pathways inside thebrain.ButthebrainissimplythehardwarefortheLaika;thesoftwarethatdrivesitisprogrammedintotheassemblagepointinsidetheluminousenergyfield.Ifwelivedinperfectcommunionwithnature,ourassemblagepointwouldsitontheeighthchakra

six toeight inchesaboveourheads, inapositionIcall“bridge.”Whenourassemblagepoint is inbridge,allofourinstinctsarerecalibratedtotheiroriginalsettings.Frombridge,wecanmoveourassemblage point to the second chakra to perceivewith the senses of jaguar and actually reset theinstincts of that chakra—for example, we’ll no longer get involved with the wrong people justbecausewe’reattractedtothosewhoaresimilarlywounded.Wecanmoveourassemblagepointtosensefromthelevelofserpentwhenitispracticaltodoso,butwewon’tgetstuckthere,unabletothinkmoredeeplyaboutourchoices.Whateverlevelweareengagedwith,ourvisionandourinstinctwon’tbeclouded.Becausewedon’tliveinnature,andwealsoneedtobefunctionalinaverydysfunctionalworld,

ourassemblagepointendsupbeingskewedtoonedirection.IntheWest,theassemblagepointtendsto be located to one side of the head because we’re very rational, thought-driven people. We’reattractedtootherswhohaveanassemblagepoint that issimilarinvalenceandpositionbecausewefeel in sync with them.We typically perceive someone with a very different assemblage point asstrangeorfoolish,andwemayeventhinkthatthey’restupidbecausetheycan’tperceivewhatwecan,orloonybecausetheysensewhatwedon’t.Wedon’trealizethatourperceptionsarelimitedbyourbeliefs and life experience. Just like theblind Indianmenwhoexaminedanelephant in the ancientstory,oneofusfeelstheelephant’stailandpronouncesthatthecreatureislikearope,anotherfeelsthe tusk and insists that it’s like a sword,while anotherwraps his arms around the beast’s leg andswearsthattheelephantislikeatree.Foreachman,thelimitedrealityheperceivesseemstobetheonlyreality.Yourassemblagepointtypicallyremainsinthesamelocationthroughoutyourlife—aplaceIcall

the“access”position—because this iswhereyouaccessyourordinaryreality.Butyoucanlearntomoveitandalteryourperceptions,andthereforechangeyourexperienceofreality.Intheexercisethatfollows,you’lllearntolocateyourassemblagepointandmoveit,firsttobridge,andthentoeachofthefourchakrasassociatedwiththefourlevelsofperception.Onceyoumoveyourassemblagepointtothebridgeposition,youcancrossovertoanyofthefour

perceptuallevels.Infact,youcanonlychangelevelsbygoingthroughbridge(whichiswhywecallitso).It’shelpfultoimaginebridgeasthecenterofawheel,andthefourperceptuallevelsasthefourcardinal directions of north, south, east, andwest—or youmight think of it as “neutral” in a car,whichyoushifttobetweengears.Attheendoftheexercise,you’llreturntheassemblagepointtoaccess,itsoriginallocation.Ifyou

lefttheassemblagepointatbridge,youwouldexperienceablissfulstate,butyoucouldn’tverywellrespond to the dog that’s barking to go outside, or the ringing telephone.While it’s excellent tomeditate inbridgepositionorstay thereforawhileandresidewithinyourownsoulspace, it’sanimpracticalstatetobeinforlong…unless,ofcourse,you’reinamonasteryanddon’thavetowalkthedogorcommunicatewiththeworld.Thepurposeofthisexerciseistolearnhowtoshiftperceptuallevelsmorereadily.Itwillrequire

practice—but as you master it, you’ll be able to change the energetics of any situation you findyourself in and solve problems from a higher level. The paradox is that you can only change theworldwhenyourealizeit’sperfectexactlyasitisforthatlevel.Thisistheunderstandingyouachievewhenyouperceiveaproblemfromthelevelabovetheoneatwhichitwascreated.Fromthislevel,youwillsenseonlypossibilitiesandhavethefreedomtochangeanything.

EXERCISE:MovingYourAssemblagePointFind a quiet and comfortable spot in which to sit where youwon’t be interrupted. Turn off all

phone ringers, settle into your chair, or find a comfortable position on the couch. Let go of thethoughtsthataretumblingaroundinyourmind.Inhaledeeply,andexhale.Breathein…andexhale.Slowlyinhaleagain,focusingonyourbreath…andexhaleagain.Placebothofyourhandsinaprayerposeatthecenterofyourchest.Takeafewbreathsslowlyand

then raise your hands, still pressed together, up past your face, above your head, pushing themupward as high as you canuntil you enter the eighth chakra, a goldendisk of energy that hovers,spinning,severalinchesaboveyourheadandwithinyourLEF.Thischakraisthesoul,anditexistsoutsideoftimeandiseternal.Pullyourhandsapartandfan themoutward,palmsfacingawayfromeachother, likeapeacock

spreadingitsfan.Setyourintentiontoexpandyoureighthchakratoenvelopyourentirebody.Asyoudoso,you’reexpandingyourLEFfromitscontracted,cocoonlikestate,stretchingyourlightintoabubblethatsurroundsyou.Continuetobreatheslowlyasyoubringyourhandsbacktoprayerpositionatyourchest…then

reachout-wardtoexpandyourluminousenergyfieldtoyoursides.Repeatthismotionatthelevelofyour belly, your chest, and your pelvis, expanding yourLEFby using your imagination and yourhands.Beawareofthisbubbleoflightthatsurroundsyou,pulsatingasitdrawsenergyupfromthegroundandintoyourlegs,spine,chest,arms,andhead.Feeltheenergyasitflowsfromaboveyourheadbacktotheground,andcomesbackupagainthroughyourfeet.Usingyourhands,exploretheinsideofyourLEFuntilyousenseaspotthatfeelsdifferent—itmay

betingly,warmer,orcoolerthantherestofyourenergyfield.Rememberthatyourassemblagepointwillmostlikelybelocatednearyourhead,toonesideortheother,anditwillfeellikeaballabout

thesizeofagrapefruit.Whenyoufindit,bringyourotherhandupwardandfeelitssphericalshape(useyourimagination).Whatsensationsdoyouexperienceasyouholdyourassemblagepoint?Asmystudentssometimes report,youmayencounteranunexpected feelingof joy,orevennauseaordisorientation. This is not uncommon, as you’re about to change the way that you perceive yourworld.(Otherstudentshavereportedfeelingnothing,andtheysimplyimaginewhatitwouldbeliketoholdthisenergysphereintheirhands.Ifthisalsoappliestoyou,that’sabsolutelyfine.)Nowmoveyourassemblagepointbybringingyourhandstoyoureighthchakra,rightaboveyour

head, to thebridgeposition.Takea fewdeepbreaths,holdingyourassemblagepoint in itsnaturalstate, andnote the sensations inyourbody; for example, it’snotunusual to experience feelingsofpeaceandcommunionwhileinthisposition.Itellmystudentswhohaveadifficulttimewhentheytryto meditate to attempt to do so after they’ve moved their assemblage point to bridge, wherecontemplationandmeditationcomenaturally.Inthisposition,themindquiets,andanhourcangobyinwhatseemslikejustfiveminutes.

The8thChakra

Continuetobreatheslowlyanddeeply,andreleaseyourassemblagepoint.Noticeifitremainsat

youreighthchakraorifithoversbacktoitsusualpositioninaccess.(Keepinmindthatitwilltakeseveral attempts before you master holding your assemblage point in bridge.) Next, bring yourassemblagepointdown toyour first chakra, thedomainof serpent,which is locatedat thebaseofyour spine, near your pubic bone. This vortex of energy opens outward, stretching a few inchesoutsideyourbody.Holdyourassemblagepointhere.Becauseserpentislocatedatyourfirstchakra,itisaveryprimordial,instinctualstate—becomeawareofhowyourbreathingchanges,andhoweasilyyoucantuneintoyourheartrate,tothesensationsinyourskin,andtoyourphysiology.Whenyou’reready,raiseyourassemblagepointbackuptothebridgeposition.Resttherebriefly.

Inhaledeeplyandslowly,andthenexhale.Nowbringyourassemblagepointtoyoursecondchakra,thevortexofenergylocatedbelowyournavel.Restitthere,experiencingthesensorylevelofjaguar.Becausetheperceptionofthecatislocatedatyoursecondchakra,itcanarouseemotionsandevensexualfeelings.Becomeawareofwhichemotionsresidehere,andhoweasilyyoucansenseanger,excitement, or fear; as well as kindness, generosity, and passion. Continue breathing deeply andslowly,andreturnyourassemblagepointtothepositionofbridge.Slowlymoveyourassemblagepointtothesixthchakra,inthemiddleofyourforehead,therealm

ofhummingbird.Restinthislevelofperception,awareofthemanypathsthatyourjourneyhastaken

youoninthislife.Hereyoucanobservehoweverythingthat’shappenedtoyou,goodandbad,hashadmeaning andpurpose.Because the sixth chakra is the domain of inner vision, youmay feel asenseofstillness,similartohowahummingbirdhoversinflight.Inthisperceptualstate, telepathicexperiences are common, and an Earthkeeper can sensewhat a loved one is doing or how she isfeeling,evenatadistanceofhundredsofmiles.Whenyou’reready,returnyourassemblagepointtobridge.Takeafewdeepbreaths…nowmove

yourassemblagepointuptotheninthchakra,locatedhighaboveyourheadandoutsideofyourLEF,thedomainofSpirit andeagle.Experienceablissful connection toall that is: to the riversand thetrees,tothepeoplelivingnowandtoyourancestors,totherainandthewind,tothestarsandthesun.Experienceyouronenesswiththedivineandallofcreation,beyondboundariesofspaceandtime.Whenyou’reready,pullyourassemblagepointbacktobridge.Takeadeepbreath,andmoveyour

assemblagepointback toaccess.Here,you reenteryoureveryday realityand return tobeing fullyfunctionalinthisworld.Finishbybringingyourhandsbacktoprayerposeforthreedeepbreaths.

Whenyoumaster theartofmovingyourassemblagepoint,youcan interveneatother levelsof

realitytohealyourselforeventoregaintheextraordinarycreativityyouhadwhenyouwereyoung.IonceworkedwithchildreninaHeadStartprogram,andatthebeginningoftheyear,beforethey’dbecomeaccustomedtotherulesofpreschool,Iaskedthemtosketchahouse.Theirdrawingswereofthemostfantasticstructures—housesfloatingonclouds,entwinedintherootsofatree,orsailingonrivers.Bytheendoftheyear,theseboysandgirlshadlearnedtherulesofordinaryperception,andthey believed that a “proper” house consisted of a big square with little square windows and anangular roof,whichwas toppedwitha little rectangularchimney thathadacurlof smokecomingfromit.Eventhekidswholivedincrowdedhousingprojectsdrewhouseslikethisbecausetheyhadlearned the perceptual filters of the culture. Unconsciously, they were entering the same culturaltrancewe’veallbeeneducatedinto.Theyhadbecomecitizensofthedull,flatlandofordinaryreality.Whenourassemblagepointlocksintoplaceandtunesouttheotherfrequenciesofreality,wecallit

“maturity.”Inotherwords,wenolongerseefairiesfrolickingnearthecreekorperceivemonstersunderthebed—instead,weseeproblemsandnotopportunities.Thisiswhysomeonewhoworksinadvertising, an industry that demands a high level of creativity,will fill her office or cubiclewithwind-uptoysandfoam-rubberbasketballsandhoops,usingsuchplaythings tohelphergetbackintouchwiththecreativechildshewasinsteadofthelogical,sensibleadultshehasbecome.Moving the assemblagepoint to eachof the four perceptual states allowsus to breakout of the

flatlandperspectiveonrealityandtapintoaninfiniterangeofpossibilities.Andwhenweenterthestateofeagle,wecanresolveproblemsattheirsourceandgazewiththeeyesthathaveseenthebirthanddeathofgalaxies.Ihadtheopportunitytoexperiencethisinmyownlife.MyLaikamentor,donAntonio,usedtotell

methatIwasaninteriordecoratorofmypsyche.Oncewhileweweretravelingtoanoxbowlakethatwas fed by theAmazonRiver, he explained that I was like that lagoon—I perceivedmyself to beseparatefromthegreatriveroflife,andIwouldgatherdriftwoodandflotsamtobuilddreamcastleson the shores ofmy lagoon. Hewas trying to teachme that I was caught at the level of serpent,attemptingtochangetheworldatthemostdenseandmateriallevel,andthatthisabsorbed95percentofmyenergy.Whenmycastlescollapsed, I’dhaul thedriftwood to theotherendof thebeachandstartbuildingthemalloveragain,creatinganewrelationship,anewproject,orevenanewcareer,allofwhichtookmanymonthsofeffort.DonAntoniowouldtellme,“Icouldputmyhandatthesourceofthatriverandcreatearipplethat

willchangethecontoursofyourshorelinedownstream.Orifyou’vefallenoutofyourcanoe,that

currentmightwash you ashore and save your life. I could create this powerfulwavewith just thetiniestamountofmyenergy.”WorkingattheliteralleveltoconstructwhatIthoughtwouldbeahappyandfulfillingliferequired

enormousamountsofstrengthandattention.MymentorwastryingtotellmethatIneededtotravelfurther upstream and, from the perceptual state of eagle, affect the flow of the river that fed mylagoonandcaused it tooverflowanddestroymycastles.Theonlyway todo thiswas to raisemylevelofperception.Inadditiontolearningtheperceptualstates,Ihadtomasterthepracticesofeachinsight.Onlythen

did I stop trying to fashion a lifewith just the right job, personal relationships, andprojects, as iftherewereasimplemathematicalequationforhappiness.Instead,Ilearnedtooperatefromahigherperspectiveandopenuptowiderdefinitionsofjoyandsuccess.ThenIdiscoveredthepowertocreateadifferentstoryformyselfandtheworld.OnlythencouldIcreateanewandbetterdream.OnlythencouldIletgoofthestoriesIkeptretellingmyself…whichweretrappingmeinalimitedexistence.

ItisnowtimetomoveontoPartIIofthebookandgettoknoweachofthefourinsightsintimately.

Inthenextchapter,Iwillexplainhowwewalkthroughourlivesunconsciousofthefactthatwe’refollowingold,deadeningscripts,andhowwecanshedourserpentskinandberebornintoamorecreativewayofliving.

INSIGHT1

TheWayoftheHeroTobeaheromeansbeingtheauthorofyourownmyth.Thefirstinsightisthewayoftheherobecausewhenyoufollowitsfourpractices,youturnyour

woundsintoasourceofpower.Whileyouhavecertainlybeenemotionallyhurtinsomeway(asweallhave),whenyouwalkthewayofthehero,thetraumasyouhaveexperiencedcanactuallyhelpyoufindyourstrengthandcompassion.Youcanaccomplishthisbysheddingthestoriesofyourpast,justasasnakeshedsherskin.Inthe

process,youwillceasebeingavictimofwhathappened toyouand insteadbecomeempowered towrite your own valiant tale of strength, healing, and beauty. You no longer have to be themisunderstoodartist,thetoughrebelwiththeheartofgold,theinnocentwho’sbeenbetrayed,orthechildoftheabusiveparent.The first insight shows you that these are merely characters you’ve created to explain what

happenedtoyou.Yourpersonalstoriesarejustyarnsyou’vespun;theyarenotyou.Sufferingoccurswhenyoubelievethemtobetrue—whetheryoucreatedthesestoriesyourselforsomeoneelsediditfor you, you confuse them for reality. The characters in your narrative then become like hungryghostswhoshowupatthedinnertableandfeedoffyourscraps.You may strive to understand and negotiate with these ghosts because you believe that they’re

genuine. But their complaints, demands, and thirst for attention are end-less: The shadow of yourfatherhoversoveryou,seekingforgivenessorretribution;theimageofyourchildrentellsyouthatyoushouldhaveraisedthemdifferently;andthespecterofyouryouthhauntsyou,beratingyouforhavingsquanderedit.Youarebombardedbytheshrillvoicesofall thoseyou’vewrongedorbeenwrongedby…andtheynevershutup.Infact,ifwefeedthesehungryghosts,theywillsuckthelifeforcerightoutofus.(Afterall,how

manypeopleintheir50sdoyouknowwhoarestillstrugglingwiththememoryofaneuroticmotheror distant father?)Wecanpat ourselveson theback for surviving adifficult childhoodorwe canrationalizeourbehaviorpatternsbypointingtotheracismorgenderdiscriminationwesuffered,thewayourparentsneglectedus,ortoanynumberoflogicalreasonsforwhyweactthewaywedo.Aslongasweclingtothebeliefthatthesestoriesarereal,westaystuck,continuallyfeedingthehungryghostsinadrearyprocessthatmimics,yetforestalls,truehealing.Too often we work overtime to meet the requirements of our story. How many family rituals

continuebecauseeveryoneisconvincedthattheyhavetoperformtheminordertoexpresstheirloveandloyalty to theirparents,children,andsiblings?Howmanypeoplespendtheir lives inmeetingsthathavelittlepracticalpurposeexcepttoperpetuatetheideathatproductiveindividualsattendlotsofimportantmeetings?Howmanystudentsforcethemselvestochoosepracticalcoursesofstudyratherthanfol-lowingtheirheart’sinterest?Whenyoubanishtheghostsfromyourtableandletgoofyourstoriesaboutwhatis“proper,”“appropriate,”and“best,”youfreeyourselftoexplorethemysteryofwhoyouandtheotherpeopleinyourlifetrulyare.The first insight is associatedwith serpent—the physical body, thematerial world, and sensory

perception—andasyoumasterit,you’llstarttoseebeyondthemostsimplistic,literallevelofreality.

You’llbegintorecognizetheeventsfromyourearlylifethatshapedandmoldedyou,aswellashowyourparentsandcultureaffectedwhoyou’vebecome.Andthenwhenyououtlivethatstory,youcancraftanewonethat’sbettersuitedtoahero’sjourney.Youcanletgoofthetedioustaleofamiddle-agedmanrelivinghisadolescence,orawomaninher40stryingtolookandactasifshewereinher20s,andwriteafarmoreoriginalstoryforyourself.Youwillrecognizethedivinechoreographyofeventsinyourpastthathavepropelledyouonyourjourneyofhealing,learning,anddiscovery.

ThePhysicalManifestationsofOurStoriesOurstoriesaresopowerfulandconvincing that theyget internalizedandbecome lodged inour

muscle tissue as cellularmemories. Sowhenwe “somatize” these tales, thewaywewalk and talkchanges.Wemightforgetthatwe’repoetsandnotjustparents,andfindourselvesspeakinginbabytalk.Wemay convince ourselves that we’re perpetual victims and, instead of striding confidently,shufflealongwitheyescastdownwardandshouldershunched.Actorswhowanttotrulyinhabitarolewilloftenstartbycarefullyobservingthephysicalcharacteristicsandmovementsofanangryyoungman,adepressedmiddle-agedwoman,orawide-eyedinnocent—theyunderstandthatthesepeople’sstoriesmanifestintheirphysicalappearanceandmovement.Whateveryourimageofwhoyouareinyourstory,youwillembodyit,andpeoplewillrespondto

youassuch.Thewayyoulookandactwillsendthemessagethatyou’reunapproachableorfriendly,confident or insecure, powerful or wounded. Also, whether you realize it or not, you’ll beam atotherswhoaresupposed tobe inyourcircleandshun thosewhosebodylanguageor lookssignalthat they don’t belong in your world (because you’re buying into their stories). Think about thepeopleyousitdownnexttoonacrowdedbus—they’reprobablytheoneswhoaremostlikelytobeinyoursocialcircleratherthanthosewholook,dress,andactunlikeyou.I’mremindedofwhenIspentasummerinaseedypartofNewYorkCityseveralyearsago.The

firstfewdays,Iobservedthatthestreetwasfullofmuggersandrapists,yetovertheensuingweeks,Idiscoveredthatthese“sinistercharacters”werejustmyneighbors.Andtheywerethenicestpeople—theyhadsimplyadoptedalookthatensuresthatyoucommandrespectinNewYorkCity.Soonafterthisrealization,Isawamenacingcharacterreflectedinashopwindowandbecamefrightened.That’swhen I understood that I, too, had developed an attitude and a look that demanded respect in thestreets,andIbarelyrecognizedmyownself.

WhyWeClingtoOurStoriesWe cling to our tales becausewederive somebenefit from them, evenwhen they also cause us

suffering.Usu-ally,themainpayoffisthatouregoisabletobeastarifweremainpartofthedrama.We believe that somedaywe’ll overcome our terrible childhood or disaster-prone love life if weworkhardenoughatfixingourselves,butwedon’tconsiderlettinggooftheroleofvictim.Doingsowouldrequireustoreleasetheego’sneedtobeinchargeoftellingthestory.Youregohasavery strongsurvival instinctandwilldo just aboutanything to stayalive. Itwill

fightthelongingtoheal,andinsistonitsneedtoberight.Youmayhaveexperiencedthiswhenyouwerearguingwith someone:Therewasapartofyou thatwanted to stop joustingand instead findcommongroundwithhimorher,butyouregoinsistedthatyouknewmoreorhadthesuperiorpointofview,soitdemandedthatyoukeepfightinguntiltheotherpersonwasvanquished.Youregohasconvincedyouthatifyouletgoofyourstory,youwon’tbeloved,valued,recognized,orseen—you

mightevendisappear.Often, the benefit of clinging to our stories is that they give us a false sense of security and

purpose. After all, who are we if we’re not the wise authority figure, the creative rebel, or thenurturingparent?Inmyearlydays,whenIpracticedpsychology,Iwouldhearpeopletalkabouttheirlife stories, claiming their right to feel victimized by their childhoods, spouses, or finances.Inevitably,theygotsickoftheseunoriginalyarnsthatonlyservedtotrapthemintheirsuffering.Yettheyknewnootherway—theyfoundthemselvesrepeatingthesamedramaoverandoveragain,withdifferentjobs,partners,andfriends.SometimestheywouldevenleavetherapywhenIexplainedthattheyweren’ttheonlyonesboredtoexhaustionwiththeirtales.(Inthosedays,Iwasyounganddidn’tknow how to assist my clients in forging a new story, a heroic myth that would be empoweringinsteadofdeadening.)Inactuality,ourstorybecomesadeathsentence for theherowithin,because itdemandsdenying

whatdoesn’tfitintoitsnarrowlydefinedroles.Ihavechildren,forinstance,butI’mnot“afather.”OfcourseIdofathering,andIbelievethatIdoitwell,butthatdoesn’tdefinewhoIam.Ialsodowritingandhealing,butI’mnotawriterorahealer.WhoIamisamysterythatIuncovermorecluestoeveryday.SomedaysIfeelcompletelybefuddledaboutwhoIam,butIdon’tletthatgetinthewayofmydoinggood, effectiveparenting. It’s just that I recognize that a character like“father,” “writer,”or“healer”isfartoosmalltodescribewhatIam.If you identify yourself as a parent, remember that your childrenwill outgrow their need for a

motherorfatherwhotakescareofthem.Whowillyoubewhenyourchildrenleavehome?Howwillyourroleshift?Manyparentsbecomedepressedwhentheirlastchildmovesaway,astheempty-nestsyndromeforcesthemtofacethefactthattheyarenolongerneededtowashtheirchild’sclothesormakesureheeatsthreesquaremealsaday.Similarly,ifyouidentifyyourselfasanentrepreneur,awriter, a healer, a husband,or awife, you’ll come to the endof that role someday.You’ll have tocreateanewidentityforyourselfat thatpoint,anditcanbefrighteningbecauseyoudon’tknowifyouwillfindanidentitythathasmeaningforyou.Everycharacterinyourstorypresentsfalseevidenceofyourtruenature.Andwhenyouinsiston

onlyseeingothers—whetherit’syourmother,yourfather,yourboss,oryourchild—intheroletheyplay inyour lifestory,yourperceptionwillkeepyoufromexperiencingwho theyreallyare.Thiswillcreateangerinyouandinthem.However,whenyouletgoofyourstory,yourrelationshipswiththoseyouloveandstrugglewithwillbegintoheal,andtheresentmentswilldissolve.

DroppingOurRolesEverystoryhasacastofleadingcharacterswhoplaycertainroles.Whenwepracticethewayof

thehero,wedropthelimitingcharactersweidentifywith,alongwiththebeliefsthatthesecharactersholdtobetrue.Ourcharactersbecomewhatwedo,buttheyarenotwhatweare.Wecancontinuetoperform as a nurse,mother, son, salesperson, real estate agent, or retiree, and can be immenselyeffectiveateachofthesetasks.Wecanbeintheworldbutnotpossessedbythatwhichisultimatelyunimportant.Inotherwords,wearenotthelaundry,thecooking,orthecleaning—wesimplydothesethingswithoutpainorstruggle.IwasalwayspuzzledbythatsectionintheBiblewhereChristasks,“Whoismymother?”ThenI

understood. He was setting himself free of the role of “son of Mary” (with all the issues thataccompanybeingagoodJewishson)totakeonhisgreaterroleof“sonofGod.”Yousee,eachroleweplayisabundleofbeliefsandabagfulofexpectations,andwhenthosebeliefsandexpectationsaren’tmetbyothersortheworld,we’redisappointedandtakeitpersonally.Whenweletgoofour

roles,wecandowhatwe’recalledtodo.Wenolonger taketheworldpersonallyorneedtomakesurethatouregogetsattentionandvalidation.ThefollowingisaverypowerfulexercisethatIdowithmystudentstohelpthemletgooftheir

roles.

EXERCISE:BurningYourRolesYouarereadingthisbookat thelevelof jaguar,usingyourmindtounderstandits languageand

ideas.Thisexercisewillhappenatthelevelofhummingbird—atthelevelofthesacred—andthegoalistounraveltheenergeticcordsthatkeepyouboundtoaparticularrole.Thisexerciseisbestdoneinsilencebyafire,butyoucanalsodoitlightingacandleindoors.You’llalsoneedtoothpicks,apen,andstripsofpaper.First,oneachstripofpaper,writethenameofacharacteryouplayinyourlife.Besuretoinclude

at least 20 roles, includingmother, son, father, provider, nurse, healer, recovering alcoholic, lover,sympathetic friend,poet,personwho is trying toquit smoking, andanyothersyou find.Thenwrapeachpieceofpaperaroundatoothpick,anduseyourbreathto“blow”intoityourintentiontoreleasethatrole.Thenholdthetoothpicktothefireandwatchitburn.Holdeachburningstickinyourfingersaslongasyoupossiblycanwithoutgettingsinged.Aseachwrappedstickisblazing,imaginethatyoureleasethefutureofthatcharacteruntilit’sextinguished,untilyou’renolongermother,son,man,orwoman.Indoingso,you’llunraveltheenergeticcordsthatkeepyouboundtothatcharacter.Ididthisexercisewhenmysonwasinhisearlyteens,andoneofthecharactersIincineratedwas

thatoffather.Asthestickwassmoldering,Isaidtomyself,“IamplacinginthefirewhoIexpectyoutobe,son,sothatyoucanbecomewhoyoucameinthisworldtobe.”Ourrelationshipsincethenhasalwaysbeenthatoffriends,althoughheknowsthatIamalwaysthereforhim.

NewandBetterStoriesThe best reason to shed your stories, like a snake sheds its skin, is because you can never heal

yourselfwithinyourstory.Youcanonlyresignyourselftoacceptthelotinlifeascribedtoyouinthescript,andthendoomyourselftothesufferingwrittenintothedrama.Youragingmotherwillneverstopbeingdevious,andyourungratefulchildrenwillcontinuetoignoreyou.Butwhenyoucraftanepicstoryforyourself,healingand transformationhappenat the levelofhummingbirdand trickledowntoinformyourpsychologicalandphysicalworld.If you’re going to spin yarns about your life journey, you might as well make them grand,

ennoblingones.It’sbettertoseeyourselfasabravetravelerwhomadeaharrowing,narrowescapethattaughthertotrustherinstinctsthantoseeyourselfasavictimofbetrayalwholostevery-thingofvaluetosomecruelpersecutorandnowcannotbringherselftotrustmen.Noneofyourstoriesaretrue—they’rejustscriptsyou’vecreated.Theyarenotyourlife,because

theykeepyoulivinginthepast,stuckinascriptedroleofmisunderstoodson,underappreciatedartist,orvictimofchronicillness.Eventheempoweringtalesyou’lllearntospinandusetoreplacetheold,oppressiveoneswill stillbemere trailmaps.They’llhelpyounavigate through lifeandclimb themountain,butthey’renotthemountainitself.When you understand the first insight and follow its four practices, you’ll gradually shed your

identificationwithegoandfinditeasiertoletgoofyourstories.Insteadofsearchingformeaningand purpose at the literal level, youwill find it at themythic level,where the stories are epic and

sacred.When this happens, youwill die towho you’ve convinced yourself you are and become amystery unto yourself.Youwill no longer ask the question “Who am I?” but insteadwillwonder“What am I?”and realize thatyou’remadeof the stuffof stars, thatyouareGodappearing in theformofyourself.You’resomuchlargerthanyourstories,andyouhavesomuchtodiscoveraboutyourpotential.For example, awoman I know learned thatwhen shewas an infant, hermother (who had been

overwhelmed at times by the burden of raising two young children) had sometimes fed her byproppingabottleinhermouthinsteadofcradlingherandholdingthebottle.Ihadtowonderhowthisfact had changed the woman’s perception of her mother: The day before, she hadn’t known thisinformation,andtoday,sheknewit.Hermomwasthesamepersonshe’dbeenonthepreviousday.Yetthewomanwasconvincedthatthisdiscoveryrevealedthatshe’dbeenharmedinsomeway,soshefeltdepressedandbetrayed.Shedearlywishedshehadn’tlearnedthisfactabouthermother.Althoughshe had no evidence that she’d suffered because of this treatment as an infant, she immediatelyscriptedastoryinwhichhercoldandabusiveparenthadmistreatedher.Whenweshednegative,unoriginalstories,suchas“Mymotherwasselfishandneglectedme,”we

canloveandacceptherassheis.Wecanstopwishingthatourpasthadbeendifferent,obsessingoverhowthingswouldhaveturnedoutifonlyMomandDadhadbeentheparentswewantedthemtobe.Wecanappreciate thegifts theywereable togiveus insteadof focusingon those theydidn’t.Ournew,morepositive story about an absent fathermaybe a tale of a childwho learned the valueofindependence.Wecandiscardtheoldstoryaboutourgrandparentsbeingjudgmentalandcruelandscriptanewoneabouthowtheytaughtusthatwhenyouarejudgmental,youendupcausingyourselfandotherspainandmisery. In thisnew tale,wecancelebrate the fact thatwewere taught tovaluetolerance.Ifwewrotestoriesliketheseforourlives,wecoulddoawaywithmostpsychotherapy.

TheThreeArchetypalCharactersinOurStoriesTobegintransformingyourwoundsintosourcesofpowerandcompassion,youneedtorecognize

thestoriesthatyoutellyourselfaboutwhoyouare.Youmightbecompletelyunawareofhowdeeplyyoubelieveinthesetales.Youmaygetdefensiveandinsistyouhavearighttoholdontoyourtruth—thatyou’vebeenvictimized,misunderstood, abused, abandoned,betrayed, and soon.But if you’reabletoletgoofyournarrativeandyourlimiteddefinitionsofyourself,youcanchangethetrajectoryofyourlife,reinventyourself,andfashionamuchmoreempoweringjourneyforyou,yourfamily,andthehumanraceasawhole.Wheneverwetellastoryaboutourexperienceorthatofsomeoneelse,wecastthecharactersin

threerolesthatformanoppressivetriangleofdisempowerment.Thesecharactersarethevictim, theperpetrator,andtherescuer.IntheNativeAmericanworld,theyaretheIndian,theconquistador,andthepriest.Inanydynamic,theIndianrepresentsthevictim,whoisbulliedbytheconquistador,whoistheperpetrator.Thepriest functionsas thenoble rescuerwho tries tohelp thepoor Indianwith thepromiseofanafterlife.

TriangleofDisempowerment

Whenyoulivewithinthescriptofyourstory,youcreatewhatisknownasatraumabondwiththe

leading actors in your tale because you connectwith them from yourwounded self. In your ownstories, you’re always acting out one of these roles, although you’ll switch characters as the yarnunfolds.Forexample,Iknowasocialworkerwhohelpsdomestic-violencesurvivors.Sheusedtothinkof

herclientsasvictims, and sheworkedovertime toprotect thesewomen from themenwhoabusedthem.Herbehaviorhadsomeverypositiveconsequences,becauseinmanyinstances,shepreventedherclientsfrombeingfurthervictimized.However,thatsuccesscameatagreatpersonalcost:Sinceshehadbecomeenmeshedinherrescuerrole,shefelthurtandvictimizedwhensomeofherclientsbegan to resent her paternalistic attitude toward them. And she directed so much rage toward theabusers that she became a perpetrator herself, determined to see these men suffer instead ofrecognizing that they, too, were in need of healing and may well have been victims of domesticviolencethemselveswhentheywerechildren.Unwittingly,thesocialworkerhadbecomecaughtupinthetriangleofdisempowerment.In any situation, healing for all is most likely to occur when someone is able to break out of

characterandstepoutoftheirstory.Theproblemisthatweexpendsomuchenergyactingoutthesedramas that we become blind to our purpose, unable to achieve any growth. We’re not here tocontinuallyreenacttheunhealedpartofournarrativeanddefineourselvesbywhathappenedinthepast.Wedon’thave tobenobly rescuingvictims,beinghurtwhen they start to resentus, and thenlashingoutat thembecausewe’veshiftedintothebullyrole.Yes, it’swonderful tohelpothers,butwhenwe’re doing it in order to fix the unhealed part of ourselves, we get stuck in this dramatictriangleandpreventtruehealingforall.Eventually,mysocial-worker friendbecameconsciousofbeingstuckplaying therolesofnoble

rescuerandrighteouspersecutor.Instead,shestartedtoseetheabusivepartnersashumanbeingswhowereon theirown journeyofhealingandwasable to letgoofherneed towatch themall endurepunishment.Whenyoustepoutsideyourstory,youletgoofjudgmentstowardothers.Forexample,whenIsay,

“Ifeelmisunderstoodbyyou,”I’mtellingyoumyinterpretationofyourbehaviorandsuggestingthatyou’re doing some-thingwrong tome.This is a judgmentmasquerading as a feeling.Outside thestory,IcouldtellyouthethingsthatIneedinstead,suchastoberespectedandheard.Younolongerneed to keep another in the character scripted by your yarn—blame for yourself and others fallsaway,andyoucanpracticeforgiveness.

OurCulturalMythsandStoriesWhenyourecognizethenarrativethatyou’retrappedinandcolludingwith,youcandecidetolet

goofit.Butfirstyoumustrecognizethestory.Thisiswhythearchetypalmyths—thosetalesofgodsandheroes—aresovaluable.We’reabletoseeourownjourneysinthem,alongwiththelessonswemustlearninordertotranscendthem.Just aswe cling to disempowering personal stories,we also buy into larger culturalmyths that

speaktoourneedtoplaythevictim,rescuer,orperpetrator.Psychologistssaythatweactoutthesecharactersinourdailylives.Werelivethetalesofmenandwomenwhotriumphoveradversity,failbecauseofafatalflawintheircharacter,orarerewardedfortheirsacrifices.WeperceiveourselvesassufferinglikeJoborputtingforthaHerculeaneffort.Even those who are unaware of the archetypal stories unconsciously identify with them. For

example, a few years ago some people grumbled quite publicly about all the media coverage ofPrincess Diana’s sudden, tragic death, which seemed to overshadow the saintly Mother Teresa, awomanwhohadbecometheverysymbolofself-sacrificeandwhohaddiedinthesameweek.Theywonderedwhyweshould focussomuchona troubledyoung royal’s lifewhen theworldhad lostsomeonewhowouldsurelybeputonthefasttracktocanonizationbytheCatholicchurch.TheansweristhatthemediarespondedtothefactthatmorepeopleidentifiedwithPrincessDiana

thantheydidwithMotherTeresa.Inreallife,bothofthesewomenwerecomplicatedpeople,justlikeanyone,butwewereabletoidentifywiththelegendaroundtheirlivesthatmostsuitedourpurposes.WewantedtoseeMotherTeresaasasuperhumanrescuerwhoseactionsweresooutoftheordinarythat we couldn’t possibly measure up. This way, we could be inspired by her without feelingpressuredtofollowherexampleofsacrifice,compassion,andlove,whichseemedtoograndforustograsp(eventhoughMotherTeresaher-selfsaid,“Godhascreatedussowedosmallthingswithgreatlove”).PrincessDiana, on the other hand, seemed all too human: She innocently believed in her older

husband, only to be betrayed by him; she was generous, thoughtful, and compassionate, yet hermother-in-lawdisapprovedofher; and she fell into thedepthsofdespair,bulimia, anddepression.However, she rose from her victimhood like the phoenix and become a wonderful mother and aselflessadvocateforthelessfortunate,suchasland-minevictimsandAIDSpatients.ManypeopleaspiredtobeasresilientasDianaseemedtobe.Thefactsofherlife(anddeath)were

lessimportanttomostthanthegrand,redemptivemythofawomanwhoclaimedherpower,ceasedbeingavictim,andneverbecamebitterorselfish.Themythcreatedaroundher feltmore intimatethantheonecreatedaroundMotherTeresa.Thus,tomany,herlossfeltmorepersonal.Whenwe look at stories in themedia,we see ourselves.We identifywith characters inmovies,

celebritieswhocarefullyhonetheirpublicimages,andordinarypeopleonreality-televisionshowswhosesagashavebeendirectedandeditedbyprofessionalswhoknowhowtoconstructanarrativethread that will attract or repel us. We don’t really want to know that the rock star or TV actorfeatured in theWhereAreTheyNow? documentary is angry and bitter because his glory days arebehindhim.Wewanthimtoparticipateinourcommonbeliefthatwhenthemightyfall,theyreinventthemselves,discoveranewpurpose,andarehappierthantheyeverdreamedpossible.Eventhoughwe’reusuallyunawareofthem,theserepackagedmythshavebecomeaddictiveforus.

The story of Princess Diana is a version of the Greek myth of Psyche and her search forPersephone’sbeautycream(thatis,happiness),whichtakesheronajourneytotheunderworld.ThestoryofDonaldTrumpisapolishedversionofthemythofParsifalandthequestfortheHolyGrail,alongwithhisfailuretoadheretotheadmonitiontoneverseduce,orbeseducedby,afairmaiden.Theproblemisthattheseancientculturalmythsarenolongersupportiveorproductivefortoday’s

world. Rather, they keep us stuck in victimhood, as rescuers, in angry self-righteousness, or inillusionsaboutourselvesthatwe’reafraidtoexaminebecausewefearthatwe’llbeexposedasfraudsorfailures.Whenwe’reunabletorisefromourownashes,wefallintodespair.Ourhealingjourneycan’tprogressifwedon’tdiscardtheseoldmythsandresistthetemptationto

relivethesametiredoldstoriesthatwe’vebeenhearingformillennia.Weneedtowalkawayfromallthatwethoughtweweresupposedtodoorbeinordertobelovedandacceptedbyothers.Wethenbecometheactorinsteadofthereactor,themythmakerinsteadofthemythperpetuator.Webringthesacredtoeverymomentandrenderourexperiencesepic.Youcandothiswhenyourecognizethateverystoryisaself-fulfillingprophecy.Youcantellyour

tale in such away that you reclaim your nobility and power… in away that has never been toldbefore.Thisisthehero’sjourney.

CastOutoftheGardenAllofushaveinternalizedourculture’sJudeo-Christianstoryofbeingcastoutofparadise,when

wewereseparatedfromourdivineCreator.Thisbankruptstorypermeatesourliveswhetherwewereraised in a religious homeor not, causingus a great deal of suffering.So ifwewish to heal ourwoundsoneverylevel,it’scrucialthatwediscardthismythandcomeupwithanewone.Thislegendisthe“originalstory,”featuringtheserpentandEveasperpetrators,Adamasvictim,

andthegraceofGodastheonlypowerthatwillrescuethem(andus).Becausewebuyintothisstory,webaptizebabies,lesttheysufferpunishmentforthestainoforiginalsinthattheyweresupposedlybornwith.Andthesinofouroriginalmothergivesrisetoallofourmothercomplexes:Perhapsifonly Eve had been the right kind ofmother and thoughtmore about us instead of thinking aboutherself,wewouldn’tbeinthepredicamentwe’reintoday.Finally,themythofGodasrescuerkeepsusseparatefromourowndivinity,causingustodependonanoutsideforcetodeliverusfromthecursecastuponusaspunishmentforthesinsofourancestors.Whenwe freeourselves from theoldmythof the fall fromgrace,we’re able to rediscover the

originalEden innature and feel comfortable in that home.We’vebeen conditioned to thinkof thenaturalworldasbeautifulandaweinspiringbutfrightening(unliketheprotected,cultivatedGardenofEden).Aschildrenweweretaughtthattheforestisfilledwithwitchesandtrickywolveswhopreyonlittlegirls.Asadultswebelievethatthegreatoutdoorsispopulatedbyviolentanimalswhowouldtearuslimbfromlimbinaninstant;andthatMotherNatureisfickleandcruel,randomlyattackinguswith tidal waves, lightning storms, earthquakes, and tornados that violently snatch our loved onesaway fromus.Weseenatureas something tobeconqueredand tamed, likeawell-prunedbushormeticulouslymanicuredlawn.Whenwe letgoof this story,wediscover thatwenever left theGardenofEden.Whilewemay

believethatGodcreatednature,wedon’tbelievethatdivinityresideswithinthetrees,theoceans,orthe cliffs.We conceive ofGod as an entity far above us, residing in heaven and coming into ourheartsonlyifweissueaninvitationandtrulyhumbleourselves,admittingtoourmanysins.Orwedon’t believe in the divine at all and can’t imagine that the sacredmight be present in every leaf,sidewalk,anddropofwater.Wescoffatthenotionthatwe’realreadyinparadise.Infact,mostpeopledon’trealizethatdespiteallthoseexquisitepaintingsofacelestialheaventhat

fillourmuseumsand inspire the imagination, Jesusactuallysaid that thekingdomofheaven isallaroundusrightnow.Similarly,theLaikabelievethatthekingdomofheaveniswithinandwithout—inside us, above us, below us, and all around us—it’s our inability to perceive it that makes usoutcasts, and this blindness causes us to suffer. When the missionaries first told the Laika that

underneaththeearthiswherewewillfindhell,theywerebaffled.Tothemtheearthwasthedomainof theGreatMother,whose fertile land andwaters provided food and sustenance to all people, soonlyaderangedpersonwouldembracetheillusionthatwe’redistantfromthesacredgardenwewereborninto.We’restilllivinginthelushgardenofthedivine,butunderstandingthisintellectually,fromjaguar,

isn’tenough.Ifwe’retoexperienceitasaparadise,wehavetofeelthisineverycellandboneinasacredway,fromthelevelofhummingbird.TheLaikacallthisayni,orrightrelation-shiptonature.Whenweareinayni,wedon’thavetofearnature.It’sonlywhenwe’reoutofbalancethatwemaybekilled by a lightning bolt, a panther, or a microbe—in fact, for the Laika, there’s no differencebetweenbeing killed by a panther or by amicrobe. In theWest,we tend to think that one death iscausedbyadiseaseandtheotherbyanaccident,buttheLaikabelievewehavetobeinrightayniwithbothpanthersandmicrobesorthey’llbothbelookingatusaslunch.Whenwe’reinayni,we’renolongerpartoftheirfoodchain.Infact,Earthkeepermedicinepracticesarebasedonthe idea thatwemustrealignourselveswith

natureandcomebackintobalance,andthenournaturalhealthwillreturn.ThisisverydifferentfromtheWestern view of the body as a system that inexplicably goes awry and needs to be fixedwithoperationsandantibioticsthatkillmicrobeswhenitdoesn’tfunctionatanoptimallevel.When we’re in ayni, paradise is our home; and physical, mental, and emotional health is our

birthright. We discover that we never left Eden. Once, many years ago, I was walking near theAmazonRiverwithacoupleofshamans,andwereachedaclearing.Theytoldmetowalkacrossthegrassandintothejungletoseewhatwouldhappen.AsIcrossedthemeadowandsteppedintotherainforest,Ihearditssong:thechatterofthemacaws,theparrots,themonkeys,andtheinsects.Itookthefirststep,thenthesecond,andonthethirdstep,thejunglegrewquiet.Icouldn’tbelieveit.Theshamansexplained,“Thecreaturesknowthatyoudon’tbelonghere,thatyou’vebeenkicked

outofthegar-den.”Ithoughtthatwasabsurd—surelytheanimalsweresmellingtheremnantsofmydeodorantandmyathlete’s-footpowder,eventhoughIhadn’tusedanyoftheseforafewweeks.Ithensawtwonativescookingaboaconstrictoronaspitbytheedgeoftheriver,andIgotanidea.

Iapproachedthem,introducedmyself,andaskedifIcouldhavealittleofthesnakefat,whichthey’dbeencollectinginatincan.Theywerehappytooblige.Ireturnedtomyfriendstheshamans,strippeddowntomyshorts,andsmearedmyselfwiththefat,

convincedthatthebirds,monkeys,andothercreatureswouldsmellitonmeandthinkthatIwasjustanotherserpentslitheringbackintotherainforest,andthuscontinuetheirsong.Reekingofboafat,Iconfidentlytookastepintothejungleandthenanother,yetbythethirdstep,allhadgrownsilentonceagain.TheonlydifferencewasthatthistimeIcouldhearthebuzzofabout600fliesswirlingaroundme,attractedbymystench.Tenyearslater,afterIhadlearnedthewaysoftheEarth-keepers,IfoundthatwhenIwouldstride

into the rain forest, the creatures and insects who sensed my presence would recognize me assomeonewho lived in the garden, and their chattering and squawking and singingwould continueuninterruptedevenasIdelveddeepintotheirrealm.TheyknewthatIwassomeonewhowalkedwithbeautyon theearth,whobelongedwith them. Ihadcome to realize that tobe inharmonywith thegarden, I had to dropmy story, the culturalmyth I’d bought into: that I’d been banished frommyoriginalnature,thatIcouldnolongertalktoGodortheriversandtreesandexpectthemtoanswerme.IstoppedbelievingthatIwasdoomedtoremainanoutcastforever.I’dbecomethestorytellerofmylife.

BecomingtheStoryteller

TheancientLaikahad littleuse fordogma, including theirpeople’s traditional religion,yet they

toleratedtheirnativepriests,whoweretheprotectorsoftheirculture’sstories.Theyunderstoodthatthese stories, likeourown in theBible, served to convey thevalues thatheld the fabricof societytogether.However, theydidn’thold theold tales insuch reverence that theywereafraid toexplorenewones.They recognized that change is apart of thehumanexperience, and that themoresof aparticulartimeandpeoplecanbecomeoutdated.The Laika believe that priests—not just the Spanish priests, but also those of their own native

culture—are retellers of stories they did notwrite, those about anotherman’s experiencewith thedivine.Theyseereligionassimplistic,usingnarrativetoexplainspiritualityandmetaphortoexpresswisdom.Earthkeepersbelievethatthesestorieshelpusunderstandcertainconcepts,butthey’renotasvaluable as experiencing the divine firsthand at the level of eagle perception. They see priests aspracticingakindoftheaterthatmakestheimmensemysteryofcreationpalatabletothehumanmind.This is because religion is based on belief, whereas a spiritual practice is based in a personalexperienceofthedivine.TheLaikaarefiercelyfocusedondevelopingthewisdomofexperienceandbelieve that each one of usmust do this on our own. Then the storieswe forge become our ownsacredtalesofepicadventure.In the following exercise, you’ll practicebecominga storyteller by reframing thekey eventsof

yourlife.

JOURNALINGEXERCISE:TwoStoriesaboutYourselfIn this exercise, you’llwrite two stories.The first is oneyou’vebeen tellingyourself formany

years that beginswith, “Once upon a time, the stork dropped off a baby at thewrong house.”Goaheadandgiveyourselfpermission towrite thenarrativeofyour life, factoring in theparents, therelationships,themarriage,andthecareerthatdidn’tworkoutright.Writethisasafairytale,asifithad happened to someone in a kingdom long ago, andmake note of the times that you were thevictim,theperpetrator,andtherescuer,andwhomyoucastasthesesamecharacters.Whenyou’re finished,write thestoryagain,only this time,start itwith thewords“Onceupona

time, the storkdroppedoff a baby at the right house.”Remember that healing stories explainwhyeventshappenedexactlyastheyweresupposedtoinordertobringyouvaluablelessonsthatwouldtakeyoufartheralongonyourepicjourney.Perhapsyouwereabusedasachild—butthiswasjustwhatyoursoulneededforyoutolearnthe

lessonsaboutstrengthandcompassionyourequired,andyouchosetheperfecthometobedroppedoffat.(Ofcourseit’sterribletobeabused,butrememberthatwhatyou’rewritinghereisthestoryofanepicjourneyoflessonsandhealing.)Becauseyourparentswereverballyabusive,youmayhavelearned that thosewhoopenlydisparageothers in an attempt to hurt themare deeply insecure andunhappy,andithasnothingtodowithyou.Maybeyouevenfoundagrainoftruthintheirwords.Orperhaps the lessonyougleanedwas thatyoucanaccept thatyou’re imperfect, anddecide justhowmucheffortyouwanttomaketochangewith-outfeelingpressuredto“fix”yourselftomeetanyone’sexpectations.If you feel uncomfortablewriting the story because you haven’t learned your lessons yet, that’s

okay—writeitasifyouhad.Youmayalsowishtocomebacktoitlatertoshapeitfurther.Whenyoubegintobelievethisnewtale,itwillstarttocometrue.Youwillhavebecomethestorytellerofyourownlife;asaresult,theuniverse,recognizingthatyouhavemasteredyourlessons,willstopputtingyoubackintotheclassroom.

In retellingour stories,weuncover thepositive, empowering legacy thatwe’vebeengiven.For

example,theLaikaholdthememoryoftheconquistadornotasadevastatingforcethatdestroyedallthatwaspreciousintheirworld(whichisthepopularview),butasacatalystforanageinwhichtheEarthkeepers would be especially careful to guard and value the insights. Because these wisdomteachingswerehidden, theybecameevenmorepowerfulsince therewouldcomea timewhen theywouldbeexpressedagainandwouldbeabletohelptheentirehumanracesurvive.TheLaikabelievethatwithouttheconquistadors,wemighthavebecomelazyandcomplacentandallowedtheinsightstobeforgotten.Rememberthatwecanonlyrewriteourstoriesatthemythiclevel.Thatis,ifyouhaveteenagers

whomyou’llsoonhavetoputthroughcollege,youhavetoworklonghoursasaflightattendanttofinanceit,andyoucan’tspendyourdaypaintingwatercolors(whichiswhatyou’dliketodo),thosearethefacts.However,atthelevelofthesacred,yourstorymightbethatyouareanartist,thatyourcanvasistheworld,andthateveryoneyoucomeincontactwithinthatairplanearepeopleyoucantouchwithabitmorecolorandlife.Ownyourmythicstory,practiceyourart,anddon’tdefineyourselfasonlyaparentandaflight

attendantwhoisputtingherkidsthroughcollege—youareapainterorpoetwhohappenstohaveadayjob.Asyoudoso,you’llfindthattimewillappearinyourdayforyourart.Acknowledgeyourinnerlife,andallowyourselfpermissiontoexplorewhoyouareinallyourwonderfulcomplexity.Bravelyembraceyourmanycharacters,butdon’tbecomeanyofthem.Instead,surpriseyourselfasyourmanyselvescomeoutfromwherethey’vebeenhiding.Ofcourse,whenyoushedyourstory,thosewhoareinvestedinyourrubber-stampedidentitymay

driftaway,unsureofhowtorelatetothemotherwhohasbecomeanactivistorthesonwhohasquithisjobinthefamilybusinesstobecomeaworldtraveler.Ifyoulooktootherstoencourageyoutoexploreandfosteryourmanyselves,you’llprobablybedisappointed.Wehaveahard timeembracing the idea thatacircuit-court judgecanplaybassguitar ina rock

band, or that a bookkeeper could be a champion dogsled racer. We struggle to accept that oureasygoingpreteenhasbecomeawillfulteenager,orthatouralwaysupbeatspousehasdiscoveredherquiet and introspective side.Butwhenwebreak away fromour limited ideas aboutwhoweare, itbecomeseasiertoacknowledgetheartist,thepoet,andthemythictravelerinothers.

SheddingOurAncestralandKarmicStoriesWhenyouwalkthewayofthehero,youcastoffthenarrativeyou’veinherited,whichcangoback

thousandsofyears.Yourstoryisn’tnew—it’sareplayofwhathappenedtoyouinyourchildhood,which is a retelling of the sameplot you’veplayedout over the course ofmany lifetimes. It’s thesametalethatdrewyoutothefamilyyouwerebornintobecauseitdovetailedsowellwiththeirs.It’salsothesagayouinheritedfromyourmotherandfather,theonetheywereunabletoheal.Youinheritthesewoundsfromyourparentsandthenpassthemontoyourchildren,inthehopesthatthey’llhealthemforyou.IntheAmazon,theycallthese“ancestralcurses.”Ifyouwant toget ridofyourhistoricalbaggage, it’s important tohonoryourancestors; ifyou

don’t,they’llcontinuelivingthroughyouandhauntingeveryendeavorandrelationshipinyourlife.Butifyourespectandcelebratethem,nomatterhowawfultheirlegacy,youcanmoveon…andsocan they. You change your ancestral story and break the curse for them, your children, and yourchildren’schildren.Youwon’tfeelhurtandangryasyourememberthatyourfatherwalkedoutonyour family, or cling to your old story of how that’s the reasonyou feel you can’t trust romantic

partners.Karmarunsinfamilies.Acoldmotherraisesachildwhobecomesasmotheringmom,whoraises

a daughter who, as a result of being smothered, doesn’t even want children. As each generationattemptstoworkthroughthelegacyofthefamilytrauma,someonehastomakeaconsciousdecisiontorewritethestory.Inmyfamily,for instance,mygrandfather lostallhismoneyin theDepressionwhenhewas49.

My father lost his position, his home, and his career and had to fleeCuba during theCommunistrevolutionwhenhewas48.Whenmybrotherwas49,helosthislife.WhenIwas48,theso-calledfamily curse—the karma that my father and grandfather had suffered from—struck me. I wentthroughaverydifficult timeduringwhichmyspouseandIseparatedandshe tookourchildren toliveinanotherstate.Ilostmyhomeandmyfamily;Iwasrelivingthefateofmyfatherandhisfatherbeforehim.Thenoneday,whilehikingalone in theAndes, Iwas startledbya familiarwhisper. Ibelieved I

heardmyfather ’svoicetellingme,“Untilyourealizewhyyouwerebornmyson,youwillcontinueliving my life.” This launched me into a two-year exploration of my family’s history, where Idiscoveredthispatternofcatastrophicloss.ThenIwentbacktomyfather ’smessageandunderstoodthatI’dmadeapunctuationerror.Whathewastryingtotellmewas,“Untilyourealizewhyyouwereborn,myson,youwillcontinuelivingmylife.”Iwasthenabletothankhimforhiswisecounselandnolongerholdhimresponsibleformyfate.MytaskwastorealizewhatIcametolearninthislife—intheprocess,Ibecametheauthorofmyownstory.Inolongerhadtounknowinglylivemyfather ’slifealloveragainandcontinuemakingthesamemistakesheandhisfatherhadmade.Moreover,myownsonhadbeenfreedfromthe“familycurse”altogether.When we rewrite our story, we elevate our ancestors from the gutter, no longer holding them

responsibleforourlives,andwebreakthenegativelegaciesthey’vehandeddowntous.Weletgoofstoriessuchas“I’maneuroticmessbecausemymotherwascompletelycrazy”or“I’mangryandmisunderstood,justlikemyfatherandhisfatherbeforehim.”We’renolongervictimsofthefollyofourancestors—instead,wecanhonor themand thank themfor theirgifts,nomatterhowpainful itwastoreceivethem.

EXERCISE:BuildingYourAncestralAltarMostanthropologistsstillbelievethattheancestralaltarsfoundineverytraditionalcultureareused

for“worship.”Thetruthisthatthesesocietiesunderstandthatwhenyoucelebrateyourancestors,nomatter how terribly theymighthavebehaved,you find forgiveness and compassion and canbreakfreeoftheirkarmaandstories.TheLaikasaythatifyoudon’thonortheancestorswithanaltaryoubuildforthem,theywillrunamokinyourhouse.Thatis,it’sbettertoknowwheretheyarethantoignoretheirlegacy,kickthemintothepsychologicalgutter,andclingtothestoryofbeingavictimoftheiractions.The following exercise can spare you from spending years in psychotherapy working through

yourmotherandfatherissues:

Findaspotinyourhome(suchasashelf,windowsill,orfireplacemantel)whereyoucanmakeasmallaltar,andthenplaceaclothonit.Next,arrangephotographsorsymbolsofyourancestorsontop.Forexample, ifyoudon’thaveapictureofyourgreat-grandfather,youmightputhis ringorsomeotherobjectheownedonthealtar.Youcanalsouseslipsofpaperwithyourancestors’namesorphotographsofhomeswhereyourparents,grandparents,orgreat-grandparentswereraised.

Ihaveafriendwhocreatedanaltarwitharunnerhergreat-grandmotherembroidered,onwhichshe set a photograph of her grandmother, who was always her inspiration. She also wanted torecognize and honor the ancestors who taught her lessons that caused her pain, but it was verydifficultforhertogazeatphotographsofthem.Soshediscoveredthatitwaseasiertohonorthemwhensheplacedonheraltarphotographsofthemtakenwhentheywerechildren.Seeingherfamilymembers in their youth reminded her of the goodnesswithin them,which had not always been soobvioustoherwhentheywereadults.Tohonoryourancestors,place fresh flowers inavaseonyouraltar,or light incense.Youmay

alsowanttobringyourfamilymembersofferingsfromnatureastheseasonschange,suchasshellsorstonesyoupickupfromthebeachinsummer,pineconesanddriedleavesinthefall,andsoon.Everytimeyouchangetheofferings,thankyourancestorsforthegiftstheygaveyou,nomatterhowharshitwasforyoutoexperiencereceivingthemorhowdifficultitwastoperceivethemasgiftsatall.Rememberthathistoryisnotwhatactuallyhappenedbuthowyouchoosetorememberit—thatis,how it liveswithinyou.Workingwith this ancestral altar,youcanchangeyour family storyat themythic level,where tales are epic journeys, not the sameold tired sagas of emotional ormaterialsuccessorfailure.Makeahabitofstoppingatyouraltar toreflectuponthegiftsofyourancestors.Rememberthat

you’ve chosen to rewrite your story, and in your revised version, your family members are notvillainsandyou’renotavictim.Keepinmind,too,thatthisaltarmustbearepresentationoftheoneyoubuildinsideofyou.That

is,whatyoucreateinyourhomeshouldserveasasortofspiritualPost-itnote,remindingyoutofeelgratitudeforthelegacyyou’vebeengivenandthelessonsyourancestorstaughtyou.

AttainingAyniWhenwedropourdrearystoriesofvictim,rescuer,andperpetrator,webecomestorytellersand

mythmakersandareprovidedforineveryway.Wenolongerhavetoliveinfearbecausewe’renolonger the victim of our ancestral or cultural stories about scarcity, intimacy, aging, or creativity.Regardlessofwhatweown,wegofromscarcitytoabundance,fromhavingbeencastoutofEdentowalkingwithbeautyontheearth.Weseewhateveryoneelseseesbutthinksomethingdifferentaboutit.Webecomeliketheliliesofthefield,whoneithertoilnorspinbuthaveallthattheyneed.Wemaystill have to punch a time card, but we can live the life of the artist or poet, with many creativeresourcesavailabletous.Many of the indigenous Americans I’ve met only have a bowl of corn soup on their table for

dinner, but they’re deeply generous and aware of the abundance in their lives. Once I asked myEarthkeepermentor,“Howcanyouliveinsuchpoverty?”Afterall,heresidedonamountaintopfarfromtheamenitiesofcity life,andhispossessionscouldhavefit inasmallcloset inaU.S.home.DonAntoniolookedatme,puzzled,andthenswepthishandoverthelandscape,at thesnowcappedmountainsandtheriversbelow,asiftosay,“Thesearemyriches.Whichoneofusisthepoorone?”Ontheotherhand,Iknowaverywealthymanwhoisdeeplyfearfuloflosinghismoney,doesn’t

havegoodrelationshipsandisestrangedfromhischildren,andtrustsnoonebecauseheassumesthatpeopleonlywanttobewithhimsothattheycanaccesshismoney.He’scaughtupintryingtoprotecthis wealth. He’ll offer money to some people in order to feel good about himself, then becomeoffendedandfeelvictimizediftheydon’ttakeit—oreveniftheydo,butchoosetouseitdifferentlyfromhowhewantedthemtouseit.He’sresentfulandsuspiciousandlivesinastateofscarcity,neverexperiencingpeaceorabundance.

Thefourkeypracticesthatfollowmakeupthewayoftheheroandbringyoufreedomfromyourstory.Theyarethepracticesofnonjudgment,nonsuffering,nonattachment,andbeauty.

ThePracticeofNonjudgmentTopracticenonjudgment,wemusttranscendourlimitedbeliefs,eventheonesaboutwhatwethink

isrightandwrong.Wemake sense of ourworld by judging situations as “right” or “wrong” or “good” or “bad,”

accordingtorulesdefinedbyourculture,whichweknowasourmoralcode.ButanEarthkeeperisamoral—note that she is not immoral, she is simply not ruled by mores. She believes that it’simportanttoletgoofthesesortsofjudgmentsandmaintainherabilitytodiscern.You see, when you practice nonjudgment, you refuse to automatically go along with others’

opinionsofanysituation.Indoingso,youbegintoacquireasenseofethicsthattranscendsthemoresofour times.This is important todaywhentheimagesof themediahavebecomemoreconvincingthan reality, and our values—liberty, freedom, love, and the like—are reduced to sound bites andemptyplatitudes.Whenyourefuse tocolludewith theconsensual,youhaveadifferentperspective.Youfindwhat

freedommeansforyoupersonally,notwhatwasdeliveredtoyoubyapoliticianinawell-rehearsedspeech.YoudiscoverthatfreedomismorethanbeingabletochooseaparticularSUVoritemfromamenu.Ourjudgmentsareassumptionsthatarebasedinwhatwe’velearnedandbeentold.Forexample,

mostofuscolludeinthebeliefthatcancerisalwaysadeadlydisease,soifourdoctorsayswehaveit,weimmediatelybecometerrifiedofthat“cword.”Yetwhenwepracticenonjudgment,werejecttheautomaticbeliefthatthismeanswe’regoingtohavetobattleforlife.Wemayagreetoundergothetreatmentourphysicianrecommends,butwedon’taccept thatwehavea99or1percentchanceofrecovery. We don’t label our chances of survival “good” or “bad” or place a number on them,becausethatwouldbeturningourfateovertostatistics.Instead,wedealwiththeproblemathand,notjust from the literal level of our body, but from the highest level of perceptionwe can.We allowourselvestoembracetheunknown,alongwithitsunlimitedpossibilities.Afewyearsago,forinstance,afriendofminewasdiagnosedwithprostatecancer.Fortunately,he

was livingwithahealerat the time,whotoldhim,“Youdon’thavecancer—yourx-ray justshowsunusualspotsthatwewillheal.”Withinamonth,theywereindeedabletohealthoseunusualspots.Hadmyfriendlabeledthosespotsas“cancerous”andwovenastoryaroundthem,hewouldhave

becomea“cancerpatient.”Ifhehadcolludedwiththisliteralstoryabouthisillness,hewouldhavebeendoomedtobecomeastatistic—inhiscase,oneofthe40percentwhohealorthe60percentwhodon’t.Hispossibilitieswouldhavecol-lapsed intoprobabilities, forhewouldn’thavebeenable toimaginehimselfinthe40percentwhohealbecausehewouldhavebeensoawareoftheoddsagainsthim.ThisiswhyIteachmystudentstotrytoworkwithclientsbefore theyget theirbiopsyresults,beforethespotsonthex-raygetlabeledandthe“deadlycancer”storycanbewrittenintheclient’smindandbecomeaself-fulfillingprophecy.Recently,awomannamedAlycecalledtoscheduleapersonalconsultationwithMarcela,whoison

our healing staff. Alyce’s doctor had performed a mammogram and found a lump in her breast.Marcelaaskedherifshewantedtoworkbeforethebiopsytotrytoinfluencetheresults,orlater,inwhichcase theywouldworkwith the resultsof thebiopsy.Alycedecided togo foroptionnumberone.Thefollowingweek,shereceivedacallfromherdoctor ’soffice:Shewastoldthatthey’dmadeamistake andhadconfusedhermammogram for someoneelse’s, and that shehadnothingwrong

withherbreast!Soourstoriesnotonlyinfluencehowwefeelaboutthings,butthe“real”worldoutthereaswell—inthiscase,healinganeventthathadalreadyhappened!

Wecanalwayscraftamythicstoryaroundourjourney,onethatwillhelpusgrow,learn,andheal.

Ultimately,wemaynotbeable toalter thespotsonthex-ray,butwejustmighthealoursoulsandfinallystartlearningthelessonswecameintothisworldtoget.Ourlessonmaybetoslowdownandappreciate thepeoplewehavearoundus; to letgoofanexistence thatwe’resleepwalking throughbecausewe’vebecomeconvinced thatwe’re supposed to liveour livesacertainway;or, from theperspectiveofhummingbird, thesespotsmayserveasourwake-upcall tomakethechangeswe’vebeenavoiding.We’ve created big stories around cancer, HIV, and other diseases, whereas we don’t have these

storiesaroundotherillnesses.Ifthedoctortellsuswehaveaparasite,forinstance,mostofusdon’tthinkofthemillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldwhodieofparasiticinfectionsandimmediatelystartworryingthatwe,too,aregoingtoperish.Wedon’thaveastorybuiltuparoundsuchamalady,eventhough it is often deadly. This is partly because there’s little commercial or monetary interest inperpetuating these stories.Treatingparasites, although they affect nearly twobillion people on theplanet, isnotbigbusinesswithbigdrugs—whereascancer,cholesterol,andheartdiseaseare.Fearstoriessellmedications.Whenyoudon’tjudgetheillnessorletyourselfgetstuckinmortalfearthatyou’lldie,you’llfind

iteasiertoperceiveitfromahigherlevelandwriteamythicstory.Soifyouhaveaparasite,youmayrecognize it as the literalmanifestation of other people’s toxic anger that you’ve internalized andpersonalized.Alternately,youcouldrealizethatyou’vewanderedoffyourpathandarelivingalifethatispoisonoustoyou.Whenwepracticenonjudgment,wenolongerhave illnesses—wehaveopportunitiesforhealing

andgrowth.Wenolongerhavepast traumas—wehaveevents thatsharpenedouredgesandshapedwhowe are today.We don’t reject the facts—we reject the negative interpretation of them and thetraumatic story we’re tempted to weave around them. We then create a story of strength andcompassionbasedonthesefacts.Insight1iscalledthewayoftheherobecausethemosteffectivehealersrecognizethattheywere

oncedeeplywoundedthemselves,andasaresultoftheirownhealing,they’vedevelopedcompassionforotherswhoarehurting.Eventually,theirwoundsweretransformedintogiftsthatallowedthemtofeelmoredeeplyandshowmorecompassion.Inotherwords,whobettertohelpanalcoholicbreakthroughhisdenialthansomeoneinrecoverywhorecognizestheliesthatasubstanceabuserwilltellhimself,andwhoknowsthecourageittakestoovercomeanaddiction?Whobettertohelpasullen,angryteenagerthananadultwhoseownadolescencewasmarkedbyrebelliousness,resentment,andinsecurity,butwhohassincehealedhimself?Whensomeonehas“beenthere,donethat,”it’seasierforhertoletgoofjudgmentsandlabelsandfocusonhealing.

ThePracticeofNonsufferingThenextpracticeisthatofnonsuffering,whichmeansnotwritingstoriesaboutourpain.Herewe

makeourselvesavailable to learndirectlyfromthe infinitewisdomof theuniverse—weno longerhavetoendurethesamemisfortunesagainandagain.However,it’simperativethatwedolearnourlessons,orwe’llendupperpetuatingourownmisery.IntheEast,thisisknownasbreakingthecycleofkarmaandsteppingintodharma,whiletheLaikacallitpracticing“bliss.”

Sufferinghappenswhenyouwrapastoryaroundthefacts.Atsomepoint,you’regoingtoloseaparent,aroman-ticpartner,orajob,soyoucanspinthisfactintoasdramaticayarnasyouwish.Forexample,youcan tellyourself,“NowI’mleftmotherless,withnoone to lookafterme.”Thiswillbecomeahugetale,andotherswillseeyouaswalkingunderthesignofthemotherlesschild.Oftenwedecidehowbigour story shouldbeby takingacue fromothers, in the sameway that

whenasmallchildfallsdown,heinstantlylooksupathismother,asiftoask,“HowupsetshouldIbe?Was thisabad fall?”He thencreatesa story that fits the intensityofher reaction.By thesametoken,we surroundourselveswith friendswhowill sympathizewithus; however, in doing so,weallowthemtocolludeinourstoryofvictimhood,andevenenhanceit.Theymaytellusthatweoughttobemorethanjustirritatedatoursituation,weshouldbefurious!Ortheymightsaythatwedeserveto feel absolutely awful or deeply resentful. Either way, with their encouragement, we script adramaticstoryofbeingtakenadvantageof,mistreated,andmisunderstood.Buddhacametoteachusthatwhilesufferingisauniversalhumancondition,itisn’tnecessary.That

doesn’tmeanthatpaindoesn’texist—it’sinevitablebecauseweallhaveanervoussystemthatfeelsfire and loss. As I tell my students, if you want to understand the difference between pain andsuffering, try thefollowing:Whileyou’restandingunderanicehotshower, turn thefaucet towardcold, but do it in two steps. First, lay your hand on the faucet and notice your body recoiling inanticipation—thisissuffering.Thenwhenyousuddenlyturnthefaucettocold,whatyouexperienceispain.Yousee,miseryandanguishhappenwhenyouthinkabouthowcoldthewaterisgoingtobeandhowmuchit’sgoingtohurtwhenyoufeelithittingyourskin.Whenadentistadministersa localanesthetic,hecanremovea toothandwewon’tfeelanypain.

However,we’llstillexperienceasensationofpullingorpressure.Weshouldbeabletocompletelyrelax,knowingthatwearen’taching,butourmindwantstostartthinkingabouttheexperience:That’sthe sound of the drill, andHe’s actually removing my tooth from my mouth! We get nervous anduncomfortablebecausewe’recreatingastoryaroundpainthatwearen’tevenfeeling.Whenyoupracticenonsuffering,youembracethefactsofyourlifeandthelessonstheyarethere

to teach you. If the facts are hurtful, of course you will feel that pain, but don’t build it up byescalatingthestoryandtellingyourself,Thisisdevastating.Ican’tbearthegriefoflivingwithoutmypartnerbecauseit’sfartoogreat.Itwilldestroyme.After losing someone you love, it’s only natural that your feelings of sadnesswill be triggered

now and again. You can experience this sorrow and write a heroic tale that makes the pain animportantpartofyourhealing,oryoucanwriteastorythatresultsinyourremainingtrappedasavictimanddoomsyoutoevengreatermisfortune.Youcanthink,Ilovedhimsomuch.Hebroughtsomuch tomy life, and I’m grateful for that. I really enjoyed having that kind of a relationshipwithanother human being, and I’d like to have a relationship like that again. Or you can keep tellingyourself,Ican’tbelievehedied.It’ssounfair.I’llnevergetoverthis.Asyou’velearned,everystoryisaself-fulfillingprophecy.Thefirststorypromoteshealing,whilethesecondpromotessuffering.Onceyouletgoofsuffering,youcanstoplearningyourlessonsthroughtraumas,conflicts,andbadluck—andyoucanbegintolearndirectlyfromknowledgeitself.

ThePracticeofNonattachmentTopracticenonattachment,weletgooftheroleswe’veboughtintoandthelabelswe’vestuckto

ourselves.Whileournewstoriescanbefarmoreinterestingandproductiveforusthantheoldoneswere,ourgoalistostopidentifyingwithanystorywhatsoever.Wethenbecomeself-referencing—thatis,wenolongerneedafabletodefineordiscoverwhoweare.Eventhearchetypaltalesofthe

godsandgoddessesofoldnolongerapplytous,forintheend,theirlegendsaretragic,too.Whenweshedallofourstories,with their limitingrolesandconfining identities,andbecomeamysteryuntoourselves,we’repracticingnonattachment.For many years, my identity in the world has been “shaman-healer-anthropologist.” That’s a

convenientwayfortheworldtoperceiveme,butthat’snotwhoIreallyam—I’mmuchbiggerandbroaderthanthat.AsWaltWhitmanoncewrote:“Verywellthen,Icontradictmyself/(Iamlarge,Icontainmultitudes).”Afewyearsago,Ibecameattachedtoacharacterizationofmyselfthatappearedinmyearlierbooks,thatoftheexplorer.Inabookreview,TheNewYorkTimeshadevenreferredtome as the “Indiana Jones of anthropology.” I so identifiedwith this character that it became verylimitingandone-dimensional.When I turned 40, the young-anthropologist typecasting became ridiculous, and the rugged

adventurerinmewasquiteexhausted.Byrejectingthisdefinitionofmyself,Iwasabletoopenuptoother sides ofwho Iwas. I discovered thatwhile I’ll always be learning, for instance, I’m also ateacher,andnowItrainothersinthemedicineway.TheadventuresIpursuetodayareofthespiritandarenolongerinthedeepAmazon.We all have convenient labels that the world attaches to us to describe how we’re primarily

perceived:soccermom,socialactivist,recoveringalcoholic,vicepresident,assistant,andsoon.Thetroublestartswhenwebelievethatthelabelencompassesallthatweareanddictateshowwemustbe.Wethinkthatwe’resupposedtohaveacertainsetofinterests,beliefs,andbehaviorsifwe’retobeIndianaJones;andwebecomeconfused,embarrassed,orfrustratedwhenwefindourselvesthinking,feeling,andoperatinginacompletelydifferentway.In many spiritual traditions, in order to become a monk or a nun you have to shed your nice

clothes,shaveyourhead,anddonasimpleandcheaprobesothatyouwon’tbeperceivedbyanyoneas a person of any importance. You’re forced to find your reference point internally instead ofexternally.Nooneknowswhoyourparentswere,whatyou’veaccomplished,orwhatyourchildhoodfriendsthinkofyou.Yougetpasttheego,orpersonality,anddiscovertheselfthatcan’tbesoeasilydefined.Youletgoofyourattachmenttothematerialandthepsychological—andeventhespiritual,if you were really devoted to dogma—and your reference point is no longer your ego but yourdivinity.Youdetachfromthelabelsyou’vecreatedforyourselforthatyouallowedtobecreatedforyou.Nonattachmentrequiresyounotonlytoletgoofyourrolesandyourstories,buttoalsoletgoof

thepartofyourselfthatidentifieswiththesedramas.Whenyoustopattachingyouregotothesmallidentity of a spouse, child, student, teacher, and the like, you let go of your preconceived notionsaboutwhoyouare,andyoustopfrettingaboutwhetheryou’repleasingordispleasingothers.Youstopneedingvalidation frompeople andbecomingupsetor sadwhenyoudon’t receive it.You’refreetosimplybewhoeveryouwanttobe.

ThePracticeofBeautyTopractice beauty is to perceive loveliness evenwhen there’s ugliness.For example, insteadof

thinking of a co-worker as an endless complainer who makes the workplace unbearable, we canperceivehimfromthelevelofhummingbirdandrecognizethathe’saperfectsymbolofourneedtolearnhownottopersonalizeotherpeople’sunhappiness.Whenhecomesintoourcubicletotellusthatweleftoutadetailinareport,insistingthatthedocumentisadisasterandhe’llhavetorewriteit,we recognize that he’s our teacher. And while our minds will always tell us, What a jerk, weremember what we’re meant to learn: not to overreact to criticism, not to become defensive, to

remaincenteredinsteadofgettingourselvesupsetjustbecausesomeoneelseisfuming—andthatwenolongerneedtolearnfromjerks.Thenwecanbringbeautytothemomentbysmiling…andafterthat,wecanexaminewhywe’reinaclassroomwiththeslowlearners!“Beautybeforeme,beautybehindme,beautyallaroundme”—thesewordscomefromaNavaho

prayerofgratitude,fromapersonwhoseesonlybeautyintheworld.Inotherwords,wemustnoticewhat is pleasant in unexpected places, and bring gorgeousness to where there is hideousness andugliness.Forexample,Irecentlywenttoanexhibitandsawpaintingsbyanartistwhowasfascinatedbydarkalleyways.Hispaintingsofplacesweusuallyassociatewithfear,danger,dirt,andlonelinesswerealivewithenergy,burstingwithcolorandpattern.Whenhepainted,heclearlywaspracticingbeauty.Instead of looking for ugliness and poverty, perceive the beauty all around you. Bring flowers

homefromwork.Sayagraciouswordtoacolleague.Upliftafriend.Whenyoucheckthedeparturelistat theairportandsee thatall flights toyourdestinationhavebeencanceleddue tobadweather,resultinginyourspendingThanksgivingintheairport,youcangetangryoryoucanraiseyourlevelof perception and perceive the beauty of the moment. The people you’re going to spend time,commiserate,andlaughwithattheairportaregoingtohelpyoucreateamemorableThanks-givingifyouallowittobeso.Soperceivethebeautyinthat(andany)situation,andfindthegiftfromSpirit.When you see beauty all around you, beautywill seek and find you, even in themost unexpectedplaces…andyou’llbewellonyourwaytobecomingahero.

INSIGHT2

TheWayoftheLuminousWarrior

Tobealuminouswarrioristodiscoverthepoweroffearlessness.During the timeof theConquest, therewasagroupofLaikawarriorswhoweredreadedby the

Spanish.Legendhasitthattheycouldnotbekilled—evenwhentheconquistadorsfiredtheirmusketsatthematcloserange,thebulletswouldsimplymisstheirmark.TheseLaikawarriorswerethesamuraioftheAmericas,andtheybelievedthatiffearlivedwithin

you,thenyouwerealreadyasgoodasdead.Thebulletyoudreadedwouldfindyou.However,ifyoubecame a luminous warrior, you could go into battle and avoid defeat. You wouldn’t have anyenemieswhohatedandwereouttokillyou;you’donlyhaveadversarieswho,forreasonsthathadnothingtodowithyou,mayhavebeenaimingaguninyourdirection.When theseLaikawould slay a particularly honorable opponent, theywould shed someof their

ownbloodontheearthbecausetheyrecognizedthatatanyothertimeinhistory,theyandtheonetheykilled might be sharing stories around a fire. It’s not that these warriors didn’t experience beingscared,but theyweren’tmovedbyfear.Their loveradiatedsostrongly that therewasnoplacefordarkness within them, nor for dwelling on what might happen. They lived free in the light offearlessness,andbecauseofthat,theycouldnotbefoundbydeath.When we become luminous warriors, we recognize that our job is to use love to vanquish its

opposite—and its opposite is not hate, but fear. Fear is the absence of love in the same way thatdarkness is the absence of light. Fear disconnects us fromSpirit, from nature, and from our owninnerselves.Ourchallengeistoexorcisethefearanditsdarknesswithinbyembracingloveanditslight.Thesecondinsightteachesustowieldaswordoflightanddispelfearforever.Iliketothinkoffearasanacronymforfalseevidenceappearingasreal—thatis,whenwefocus

onwhatwedread,wegivepowertofalseevidenceandmakeitreality.Weforgetthatfearcan’tberemediedbyunderstandingwhywe’reafraid,justashungercan’tberemediedbyunderstandingwhywefeelfamished.Thisiswhymosttherapiesthatfocusonhelpingusunderstandtheoriginsofourfeararesoineffectiveatgettingustoletgoofthatfearforeverandhealourselves.Weoftenconfuseloveforawarmglowwesenseinourbelliesandassomethingwecanofferand

withdraw,likeacatwhocomesandgoesatitspleasure.It’seasyforustoextendlovetowardthosewhoarelovable,butlovingpeopleandsituationsthatarenottoourlikingisn’tsoeasy.Wegiveourlove“unconditionally,”butwhenwedon’treceivewhatwefeelwedeserve,wewithdrawit.Wethenreinvestourloveinanewpersonorsituationthatwethinkwillgiveusabetterreturn,butwefinditdifficult tomaintainwhenwedon’t feel recognizedor acknowledged. If thingsdon’tworkout thewaywewant them to,we too readilyexchangeour loving feelings forhatredand resentment.Ourinitialexcitementoveranewjob,forinstance,maysourandbecomedisappointmentandbitterness.When we’ve been jilted by a lover, the intense, starry-eyed passion of infatuation can turn intoloathingsogreatthatitconsumesus.ToanEarthkeeper,loveisnotafeelingorsomethingyoubarterwith.Loveistheessenceofwho

you are, and it radiates from you as a brilliant aura:You become love, practice fearlessness, and

attainenlightenment.

FromDarknesstoLightBuddhashowedusthewayofilluminationandtaughtustofollowourlightsothatwemayattain

freedomfromsuffering.ChristwassurroundedbyablindingradiancewhenhewasbaptizedintheJordanRiver.AndAndeanstorytellersrecalltheInkaPachacuti,consideredtobeachildofthesun,whosparkledwiththelightofthedawn.Theseteachersleftuswiththemessagethatwe’recapableofevengreaterthingsthanthey—we,too,canaccessthislightandbanishthedarknessinourlives.Whilethelightofloveversusthedarknessoffearmaysimplysoundlikeametaphororthestuff

ofmythology, there actually is a scientific basis to this universal idea. Scientists know that everyliving thing on Earth ismade of light: Plants receive light from the sun and turn it into life, andanimalseatgreenplantsthatfeedonlight.Lightisthefundamentalbuildingblockoflife,andwearemadeupoflightthatisboundintolivingmatter.Moreover,biologistshavediscoveredthatalllivingcellsemitphotonsoflightattherateof100flashespersecond.ThesourceofthisphotonemissionisDNA.Justasthelightofloveisreal,soisthedarknessoffearthatisstoredineverycellofourbodies,

perhapsevenclouding the lightofourDNA.The false evidence thatweperceiveas real is strongenough to obscure our every thought and affect our every interaction. It feeds upon itself and canbegintodefyrationality,asweworryendlesslyaboutwhatmishapsmightbefallus.Fear creates a dark reality. As we learned earlier, every prophecy is self-fulfilling—whatever

scares us the most will be waiting for us around the corner. There’s nothing wrong with beingcautious, but fearfulness holds us back from growing and keeps us repeating our lessons throughsufferingandtraumainsteadofthroughtheexperienceofourownradiance.Fear denies and distorts our luminous nature. Fearlessness, which is the core practice of the

luminouswarrior,allowsustoexperienceourlightandourillumination.

StuckintheFearResponseFright, or the startle response, is part of a system that allowsus to react instinctively todanger.

Frightisdifferentfromfearanddoesserveapurposetoensureoursurvival,ideallywashingrightthroughusoncethedangerhaspassed.Ourinstinctsaredesignedsothatinastateofextremestress,ourfight-or-flightresponsekicksin:Ourglandspumpadrenalineintoourbloodstream,makingourblood-sugarlevelsrisesothatwehavetheenergytoputupourdukesorfleethedanger.I’mremindedofthetimeIsawanantelopeinagamereserveinAfricaasshewasbeingchasedby

alioness.Inherattempttoflee,shecametoapond,hesitatedforamoment,andthendartedovertheshallows.Iturnedtoseeacrocodileleapoutofthewaterlikeatorpedo,justmissingthedoe.Oncesafelyontheotherside,sheshookfromheadtotailforafewmomentsandthenwentbacktograzingcalmly. Animals naturally readjust their nervous system to its normal calm-but-alert state after astressful event; unfortunately, humans lose our ability to quickly pull ourselves out of the startleresponse.TheMororeflex,which is found in newborn infants, showshow this natural ability to shakeoff

frightworks.Thisreflexisbestobservedwhenthebabyisfaceuponacushion,andherheadisgentlylifted.Ifyousuddenlyreleaseherheadandallowit toflopbackwardforamomentbeforequicklysupportingitagain,theinfantwillflingherarmsoutsidewayswithherpalmsup.Asthereflexends,

theinfantwilldrawherarmsbacktowardherbodyandthenrelaxandquiverslightly.Unfortunately,theMororeflexdiminishesinhumansafterthefirstfewmonthsoflife.Frightisinstinctual,whereasfearisalearnedresponse.Welearnthat“menaredangerous”orthat

“relationshipsareunsafe.”Ourfeelingstriggerourfight-or-flightinstinct—yetatthesametime,wetrytoinhibititbecausewelongforintimacy.It’slikeflooringtheacceleratorwhileslammingonthebrakes.Theproblemisthatweliveinaconstantstateofparalyzedfight-or-flight.We’restuckinatraffic

jam,frustratedthatwecanneithermovenortakeoutouraggressionontheidiotinfrontofus.Wecome home from a long day atwork and a harried commute and snap at our partner or the kidsbecauseofsomethingthathappenedattheoffice.We’recontinuallyonredalert,adrenalinecoursingthrough us, because of our nonstop stress.We no longer have the ability to shake it off, like theantelopeorthenewborn.Asaresult,cortisolisreleasedintoourbloodstreamandwreakshavoconourorgansandcells.There’snothing as lethal toourorgans ashigh levelsof cortisol, a substance that’s toxic to the

brain.Besidesdestroyingneurons,thissteroidhormoneupholdstheneuralpathwaysthat“replaythetapes”ofpasteventsthatcausedusdistress.Oncetheantelopeisoutofdangerandhasshakenoffitsfright,itgoesbacktograzingpeacefully.Butonceweareoutofdanger,wecontinuererunningtheevents in ourmind, thinking about how theymight have turned out differently if we’d only beenstronger,tougher,ormoreaggressive;orifwe’donlyheldourground.Thisisbecausethehumanbrainisunabletodifferentiatebetweenarealstressor(suchassomeonesayingsomethingoffensivetoyou)andarecalledone(suchasreplayingthetapeofthelast timeyouwereverballyassaulted).Thebrainrespondstobothrealandimaginedstressorsbytriggeringthefight-or-flightresponse.

IrememberthefirsttimeIdidavisionquestaloneinthejungle.Iwasupallnight,convincedthat

everysoundIheard,eachsnappingofabranch,wasevidencethatajaguarwasstalkingme.Now,Iknewinmyheadthatjaguarsintherainforestareabsolutelysilent,andIwouldn’thaveheardoneevenif ithadbeenrightnext tome.Butmyfearwonthebestofme,andIwasunabletoenjoythebeautyofthatfirstnightaloneunderthestarsbytheMotherofGodRiver.IwastooyoungthentorecognizethatallmyfearwasjustthefalseevidenceIconfusedforreality.Evenwhenyoudoyourbesttomanagestress,youtendtoclickintothatfight-or-flightstatefartoo

often. Think of how your heart races and your breath becomes shallow as you look for yourtemporarily misplaced wallet or keys. Or consider how anxious you feel when watching a localinvestigative-newsstoryonhowanearbynuclear-powerplantisaneasytargetforaterroristattack,orhowsomenewandespeciallyhorribleanddeadlyvirusiscertaintobediagnosedanydaynow.Allofusaresousedtotakinginthiskindofanxiety-provokinginformationoverthecourseofsortingthe mail or eating dinner that we don’t realize that we’re having a chemical and physiologicalreactiontoit.Medically,thisisknownasanexaggeratedstartleresponse:Oursympatheticnervoussystemkicks

in,triggeringthedumpingofadrenaline,cortisol,andsugarintotheblood-stream,buttherelaxationresponsedoesn’tfollow.Wecan’tshakeofftheperceiveddanger,andevenaftertheinitialstresshassubsidedsomewhat,weremaininastateofalert.Infact,thisisoneofthesymptomsofpost-traumaticstressdisorder(PTSD).PTSDisusuallylonglasting;infact,manyWorldWarIIveteransintheir80sstillexperienceit.InourHealingtheLightBodySchool,Iteachstudentshowtodisengagethefight-or-flight system,whichmayhavebeen turnedon40yearsagowhen theywerenearlyhitbyacarwhileridingabicycle.Yousee,whenourwarningsystemislockedintheonposition,itcreatesanenergeticbandoverthe

secondchakra,speedingitupandoverworkingouradrenalglands(thesecondchakraisassociatedwith the adrenals and adrenaline production).Whenwe release this energy band,we can reset thesecondchakrasothatinsteadofspinningat100milesanhour,itpulsatestothegentlerhythmoftheheartbeat.I remember helping one of our students, a physician who worked in an emergency room, to

decouplethisenergyband.Afterward,hetoldmethathewasabletorelaxdeeplyforthefirsttimeinyears,buthewasconcernedaboutwhetherornothe’dbeabletoperformunderthehighpressureoftheER.He’dbecomesousedtobeinginaperpetualfight-or-flightresponsethathecouldn’timaginefunctioninginarelaxedstate—yetwhenhereturnedtothatemergencyroom,hefoundhewasmorefocusedandproductivethanhehadbeenwhenhewasfueledbystress.

TheNumberOneFearDespite all of our other worries—from losing our money or our job to being rejected by the

peoplewecareabout—ourstrongestfearisofannihilation,whichisevengreaterthanthatofdeath.In fact, it’s sopowerful thatwehold it inour luminousenergy fieldover the courseofourmanyincarnations.Although we’ve experienced birth and death many times, the end of life scares us because we

consideritaterminalexperience.Yes,we’reconcernedthatitwillprobablyinvolvephysicalpainandemotionallossasweleaveourlovedones,butwhatwemostdreadistheannihilationofourego.Theegowillalwaysfightdesperatelyforitsexistence,asit’sterrifiedofbeingabsorbedintosomethinglargerthanitself.Whenweidentifywiththeego,we’reconcernedaboutitsdemise,whichwilloccurwhenwedie.

Butwhenweidentifywithoursoul—whichisnotconstrainedbyorsubjecttothelawsoftime,andthereforeeternal—ourfeardissolves.Werecognizethattherealdeathiswhathappenstouswhenwebegintosleepwalkthroughlife,losttoourdestiny,simplyexistingwithoutreallyliving.Physicaldeathisinevitable,althoughtheLaikabelievethatwecaninfluenceitscircumstancesand

evendeter-minewhenandwherewe’lldie.However,spiritualdeath,orbecomingthewalkingdead,is somethingwe can andmust avoid. I believe that this type of “living death” dulls our light andinhibits our DNA’s ability to repair the body, causing us to eventually succumb to emotional andphysicaldisease.Sowhilewebelievethattherearemanycausesthatleadtodeath,theLaikabelievethatthereisonlyonecauseofourdemise—thedarknessoffear,whichsettlesinourcellsandtissues.EveryyearItakeafewofmystudentsonanexpeditiontoamountainintheAndeswheretheLaika

traditionally gather for their rites of initiation.Whenweget to the base,we each select a stone tocarry in our pocket andmeditate with while we hike. I askmy students to stop along the way to“breathe” into thestone thememoriesofhowtheirparentsorgrandparentsdied,andIask themtoremember the times in their lives when they personally felt devoid of life. When we reach ourdestination, a clear and beautiful pool known to the shamans as the JaguarLagoon,we perform aceremonyduringwhichwealltakeourstonesandthrowthemintothewater.Wedothisatthelevelofhummingbird, to shed thedeath that’s been selected for us byour genes, parents, or lifestyles.Wesevertheenergeticstrandsthatbindustorelivingthewayourancestorslivedordied.Ilaterexplaintoourexpeditionmembersthatifwewereinaroomof100people,statisticsshow

that31ofuswouldeventuallydieofheartdisease,24ofuswoulddieofcancer,andonly1ofuswouldgothewaywe’dprefer—perhapsin thearmsofourbelovedat theageof110afterhavinggreatsex!Ofcourseweallwantthatdeath,butbellcurvesandprobabilitytellusnottogetourhopesup.

Ourbeliefisthatweliveinahostile,predatoryuniverseandthatdeathisstalkingusateveryturn,from invisiblemicrobes to cancers to poisoned food andwater.Yes,we’ll all experience physicaldeath,andwewonderhowandwhenitwillcomeabout.Althoughwemaybeunawareofit,eachofushasvolunteeredtoexpireinaparticularway,bychoosingtobebornintothefamilieswewereborninto,thegenesweinheritedwhenweselectedthatfamily,andthelifestylesthatwewouldcreateforourselves.Whilestatisticianliketopointouthoweveryonearounduswilldie,thegoodnewsisthatwecanbreakfreeofprobabilityandthedeathpreselectedforusbyourgenesandourkarma.Whenwefeelthatwe’rebeingstalkedbydeath,weliveinscarcityinsteadofabundance,andour

glassisalwayshalfempty.Operatingfromaplaceoffear,webuyintothebeliefthatI’vegottolookoutformeandminebecausenooneelsewill.WeloseourfaithandstoptrustingthatSpiritwilllookafterus.Webecomedisconnectedfromotherpeople,fromourselves,andfromthesacred;andweperceive thatwe’reonourown.Weforget thegreat resourcesavailable touswhenwe’re in touchwith the divine. Perceiving every-thing from the level of serpent or jaguar, never from that ofhummingbird or eagle, we get trapped in our stories—we’re either always living in the past andwishingthingshadbeendifferentorfocusingonthefutureandwishingwecouldcontrol it.We’reneverfullypresentinthemoment.Whenwelivethisway,webecomethewalkingdead.

SheddingtheDeathThatStalksYouOnceyou’vecastoffthedeaththat’sbeenselectedforyou,youcanletgoofthemanystoriesthat

havebeenassignedtoyoubyyourculture,race,gender,andeducation.Becauseyouchangetheendpoint,alltheintermediatestepsfallaway.Forexample,whenyoushedthedeaththatawaitsatypeAoverachieverwhosmokes,drinks,andneverexercises,followingthroughwithwhatyouneedtodoinorder tobehealthywill comenaturallybecauseyouareno longerheaded toward the inevitableheartattack.You’llactuallychangetheendofyourlife(asyou’lllearntodobyusingtheexerciseslater in thischapter),andthiswillalter thepathyou’reon.Yourfuturewill reachback-wardlikeagreathandandpullyouinadifferent,healthierdirection.No longerwill youhave to struggleunsuccessfullywithdieting, exercising,ormanaging stress

(although you’ll still have to deal with these issues) because your entire lifeline will have beenredirected.Ifyoulearntoliveasaluminouswarrior,you’llknowthatafterdeath,there’sonlylife.You’llbeabletoletgoofyourfearofdeathandexorcisethelifelessnessthathassettledintoyourjoints,tissues,andmuscles.Yourbodywillbemoresupple,andvitalitywillreturn.Wemayknowanolderpersonwhoseems tobe in lovewith life,appearingmuchyounger than

someoftheworld-weary,cynicalyouthswe’vemet.Andweallknowpeoplewhohavebeenclaimedby death little by little so that they’re walking aroundmore dead than alive—they are living in ahostile, predatory universe that has to be guarded against and kept at bay all the time.When werecognizethatweliveinparadiseandendeavortobeinayni,wediscoverthattheuniverseisnotonlybenign,butthatitwillactuallygooutofitswaytoconspireonourbehalf.Wefeelfullyaliveandareamazedathowtheuniverseprovidesforus.Thechallenge,then,istoshedyourfearandembracelove.Thewaytodosoistoconfrontyour

preselecteddeathattheenergeticlevelinsteadoftheliteralone—inotherwords,atthelevelofeagle,notatthatofserpent.Youwanttofacethisdeathasasacredpassage,notasacatastrophiceventintheER.Youcanexperienceitandletitgosothatitnolongerstalksyou;andlaterinthischapter,you’lllearnaboutthepracticesoffearlessness,nondoing,certainty,andnonengagement,whichwillallowyoutobefullyalive,soyoucanneveragainbestalkedbydeath.

FacingInfinityfromtheLevelofEagleDeathataphysical(serpent)levelmeansthatyourheartstopsandyourbrainwavescease.Atthe

levelofmind(jaguar),theresultisthatyouloseyoursenseofselfandrealizethisistheonlytimearoundas“you.”Atthelevelofthesoul(hummingbird),thedeathofthebodymeansthebeginningofajourneytoanotherfamily,anotherbody,andanotherlifetime.When physical death occurs, there’s hardly a disruption: At the level of Spirit, you continue to

experienceyourselfasabeingofconsciousenergy thatdwellsoutsideof time.Yourecognize thatyou’re infiniteandthatdeathissimplyachangeofskin—atransitionfromoneformto thenext,anewadventure.Asaresult,deathceasestobeaterminalexperienceandlosesitsmenace.Afterphysicalexpiration,youleavethevisibleworldandentertheinvisibleone.Yoursoulreturns

to the riverof thegreater consciousness, ofSpirit.You retainyourmemories, but they’re inyoursubconscious soyou’re unawareof them.Thesememories are encoded in your eighth chakra andbecomelodgedinyourLEFandyourbody’scellsandtissueswhenyoureincarnate.We can revisit thesememories whenwe do a past-life regression, which the next exercise will

accomplish.Butwe shouldn’t get caught up in the stories of our past lives because they’re simplymoretales,andnotsointerestingonesatthat.Instead,ourgoalistohelpthepeopleweonceweretodieconsciouslyso thatwecanrelease thefearandbreak thekarmaof thoseformer lives.Wethenshedthewaythatdeathhascontinuedtofesterandlingerwithinusacrossmanyincarnations.The following exercise will allow you to heal the marks these previous deaths left in your

luminousmatrix, freeing yourself from themistakes youmade back then and from theway deathclaimedyou.You’llaccomplishthisbyjourneyingtothreespecificlifetimestohelptheselfthatwasonce you experience these deaths peacefully.You’ll forgive yourself and those aroundyou; coachyourselftotakeafinal,deep,cleansingbreath;andfollowyoursoulasitreturnsbackhometotheworldofSpirit,intact.You’llcometoclosurewiththatlifetimebyhealingthelastfiveminutesofthatexistence.Whenyoucantransitconsciouslyandwithoutfearthroughthedoorwayofdeathandrealizethat

there’s only life, love, and forgiveness on the other side… then you don’t bring any karma orunfinishedbusinesswithyou.Pleasekeepinmindthatwhileyou’velivedmanylivesbeforethisone,youdon’tneedtogobackoneatatimetoclearalloftheirmemories—youonlyneedtoworkwiththethreelivesthatholdthemostpotentrecollections.Therestofyourpast-lifeexperienceswillpeelaway by themselves, as you no longer have the receptor sites of fear to bind them to you. Thelifetimesyou’llbeworkingwitharetheoneinwhichyousufferedthemost,theoneinwhichyouhadthegreatestpowerandknowledgebutabusedit,andtheoneinwhichyouhadthegreatestpowerandknowledgeandusedittoserveothers.FortheLaika,thisisnotjustanexerciseinactiveimagination,fortheyunderstandthatwecanall

journeybackalongourtimelinestohealeventsthatoccurredinthepast.Yourformerselveswillhearanangelicvoicetellingthemthatallisforgiven,allowingthemtoreturnhomeinpeace.Theangelisyoureachingbackintothepast,healingyourself.

EXERCISE:BurningtheKarmaofThreeFormerLifetimes

(Note:Please read through thisexercisea few timesbeforeyou follow it,or record itona tape

recordersothatyoucanuseitanytimeyouwish.)

Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and bring your hands into a prayer pose at your heart. Veryslowlyextendyourhandsupyourcenterline,pastyourforehead,soyourpalmsarepressedtogetheraboveyourhead.Thenreachuptoyoureighthchakraandexpandthisradiant“sun”toenvelopyourentirebody,sweepingyourarmsouttoyoursideslikeapeacockunfurlingitsfeathers.Youhavenowopenedsacredspace.Bringyourhandstorestatyourlap.Performthe“little-deathexercise,”whichisdonebyinhaling

to a count of seven, holding your breath for a count of seven, exhaling to a count of seven, andholdingyourbreathoutforacountofseven.Dothelittledeathtentimes.Feelingfullyrelaxed,andcontinuingtobreathedeeplyandslowly,imagineyourselfinasmallbox

canyoninthedesert,surroundedbyhighred-rockwalls.You’resittingonaboulderaboveashallowcrystallinepoolandcansee thesandybottom.Next toyouare threecoloredpebbles:ablackstonethatwill call forth the lifetime inwhich you suffered themost, a red stone thatwill allow you towitnessthelifetimeinwhichyouhadthegreatestknowledgeandpowerbutmisusedit,andayellowstonethatwillrevealthelifetimeinwhichyouhadthegreatestwisdomandpowerandusedittoserveothers.Reachdownandholdtheblackstonefirmlyinyourhand.Squeezeittightlyandthenreleaseitinto

thepool.Observe as it strikes thewater, creating ripples in the surfaceof thepond.Look into theripplesandinvite the imagesof that lifetimetoappear.Areyouamanorawoman?Whatcolor isyourskin?Whatyearisthis?Areyouwearingshoesorsandals,orareyourunningbarefoot?Areyouwalking on grass or cobblestones?Where do you live?Who is your family?Where is yourfamily?Allow this lifetime to unfold before you, observing it but not engaging any of its drama.Spendafewmomentsvisitingthisselffromlongago.Breathe deeply and allowyourself to reexperience the last fiveminutes of that lifetime thatwas

yoursbutisnolonger.Speaktoyourformerselfandhelphimorhertodiepeacefully.Say,“It’sallright,mylove.All isforgiven.It’s timetocomehome.Takeafinaldeepbreathandsetyourspiritfree.”Observeasa lookofpeaceandserenitycomesoverthefaceof thatself thatwasonceyou,as it

releasesitsfinalbreathandsetsitssoulfree.Followtheluminousorbofyoursoulasitleavesthatbodyandrisesabovetheroomandthehouseorfieldyou’rein,andgoesthroughadarktunnelbacktowardthe lightof theworldofSpirit.Asyouemergeinto the light,sensehowyouarewelcomedbackhomebyyourluminousparents.Nowobservetheseimagesbreakingupanddissolvingbackintothesandsoftimeatthebottomof

thispool,untilthesurfaceisstillandcrystallineonceagain.Takeadeepbreathandreachfortheredstone,whichwillsummonthelifetimeinwhichyouhadthegreatestknowledgeandpowerbutuseditwrongly.Squeezeyourhandaroundtheredstone,releaseitintothepool,andobserveasitstrikesthewater.Lookintothepool’sripplesastheimagesofyourpreviouslifebegintoform.Areyouamanorawoman?Whatcolorisyourskin?Areyouwalkingongrassorsandorcobblestones?Doyouliveinavillageoratown?Whereisyourfamily?Whatyearisit?Continueyourobservation:Howdidyougrowup?Whatwereyourgiftsandtalents?Whotrained

you?Howdidyouuseyourknowledge?Howdidyouabuseyourpower?Whathappened toyourlovedones?Howdidyougrowold?Whomdidyoumarry?Whowereyourchildren?Howdidyoudie?Whowasbyyoursideandheldyourhandatyourdeathbed?Whomdidyounotforgive?Whodidnotforgiveyou?Nowletyourselfreexperiencethelastfiveminutesofthatlifetimethatwasyoursbutisnolonger,

speaktoyourformerself,andhelphimorhertodiepeacefully.Again,say,“It’sallright,mylove,it’sokay.Allisforgiven.It’stimetocomehome.Takeafinalbreathandsetyourspiritfree.”Observehowalookofpeaceandserenitycomesoverthefaceofthatselfthatwasonceyou,asit

releasesitsfinalbreathandsetsitssoulfree.Followtheluminousorbofyoursoulasitleavesthatbodyandrisesabovetheroomyou’rein,andgoesthroughadarktunnelbacktowardthelightoftheworldofSpirit,tobewelcomedbackhomebyyourluminousparents.Nowobservetheseimagesbreakingupanddissolvingbackintothesandsoftimeatthebottomof

this pool, until the surface is crystalline once again. Take a deep breath, and reach for the yellowstone, theone thatwillcall forth the lifetime inwhichyouhad thegreatestwisdomandpoweranduseditcorrectly.Observeas thisstonestrikes thewater,creatingripples in thesurfaceof thepool,andlookintotheripplesastheimagesbegintotakeshape.Areyouamanorawoman?Whatcolorisyourskin?Areyouwearingshoesorsandals,orareyourunningbarefoot?Wheredoyoulive?Whatyearisit?Howdidyougrowup?Whatwereyourgifts?Whotaughtandtrainedyou?Whomdidyouserve?Howdidyouserve?Whomdidyou love?Whatwereyour talents?Howdidyougrowold?Howwereyouhonored?Howdidyoudie?Whowasbyyoursidewhenyoudied?Nowletyourselfreexperiencethelastfiveminutesofthatlifetimethatwasyoursbutisnolonger,

speaktoyourformerself,andhelphimorhertodiepeacefully.Tellthisself,“It’sallright,mylove,it’sokay.Allisforgiven.It’stimetocomehome.Takeafinalbreathandsetyourspiritfree.”Observe a lookof peace and serenity comingover the face of that self thatwasonceyou, as it

releasesitsfinalbreathandsetsitssoulfree.Followtheluminousorbofyoursoulasitleavesthatbody, riseshigh into thesky,andgoes throughadark tunnelback toward the lightof theworldofSpirit,tobewelcomedbackhomebyyourluminousparents.Nowobservetheseimagesbreakingupanddissolvingbackintothesandsoftimeatthebottomof

thispool,untilthesurfaceiscrystallineonceagain.Crossyourhandsoveryourchestandtakethreedeep breaths. Come back into the room and fully inhabit your body again. Shake your handsvigorouslyandkneadthemtogether.Nowrubyourfacewithyourhandsandopenyoureyes.Closesacredspacebysweepingyourarmsandgatheringyoureighthchakraagainatthetopofyourhead.Bringyourhandsbacktoprayerpose.

JOURNALINGEXERCISE:HowYouWishtoBeRemembered

Nowthatyou’veclearedthelingeringdeathsoftheseformerlifetimes,youcanchartahealedand

empoweredcourseforthenextlegofyourjourneyhereonEarth.Imaginethatyou’velivedalongandrichlife,andnowyou’reonyourdeathbed.Writeyourown

eulogy,featuringrichdetailabouthowyoulived,howyouloved,whatadventuresyouwenton,howyouwereofservice,andhowyouwishtoberemembered.Howdidyoutouchotherpeople?Whatdidyoulearn?Whatdidyouovercome?Whatmeantthemosttoyou?Whenyou’vefinishedwritingthiseulogy,youmightwanttoshareitwiththoseyoulove,asit’sa

roadmapforthelifeyouarecalledtolivebutmaynotbeliving.Thinkaboutwhetheryou’reactuallyontheroadtolivingthislifethatyou’vedescribed;ifnot,askyourselfwhatneedstochangetoday.

DivineWillAfterwe exorcise the deaths that livedwithin us,we understand thatwe’re capable of changing

anything in our lives.No risk is too great, and no endeavor too daunting.Whenwe’re no longermotivatedby fear,wealsounder-stand that everymoment isperfect in itsownway.Weno longerdreadthatwhichwecan’tcontrol,andwelearntorespectthewisdomofSpiritratherthanimposeour

willonsituations.Thisisthepathofgenuinepower.WhenourrelationshiptoSpiritisnolongercoloredbyfear,wedon’tneedintermediariestohelp

us contact the divine.We can actually sit across the table fromGod at dinnertime and boldly yetrespectfullyaskforwhatwewouldlike,adding,“andmayThywillbedone.”Ifthisdirectencounterwiththesacredsoundstoobrash,it’sbecausewe’restillcaughtinthevictim

triangle,perceivingGodtobeourultimaterescuer.Manyofushaveforgotten thatourmythologyprovides uswith examples of thosewho lovedGod enough to be honest and forthrightwithHimaboutwhattheywanted.Forexample,intheBible,GodtoldAbrahamthatHispeoplehadlosttheirway.HetoldAbrahamtolookatSodomandGomorrah,citiesofsinthatHewasgoingtodestroy.Abraham askedGod, if he could find 50 righteousmen,wouldHe then spare these cities?God

considered this request, thenagreed that ifAbrahamcould find these righteousmen inSodomandGomorrah,Hewould not destroy the cities.However,Abraham couldn’t find these 50men, so hewentbacktoGodandrenegotiated,askingifHewouldbewillingtoaccept30righteousmen.Godagreed,butagain,Abrahamwasunabletofindthemenhewaslookingfor.Thisrenegotiationwenton,withGodagreeingtosparethecitiesaslongasAbrahamwouldbring

tohimjusttenrighteousmen.Intheend,Godsparedtheonlyrighteouspeopleinthecity:Lotandhiswifeanddaughters.NowAbrahamcould have said toGod, “I am a righteousman—will that be enough for you to

sparethesecitiesandtheirinhabitants?”BecauseSpiritisendlesslyforgiving,wecannegotiatewithItagain and again, yet wemust also respect divine will because there’s a sacred plan that we don’talwaysknowabout.We can’t possibly see thewhole picture aswell asSpirit can.Wemight not realize that there is

tremendous growth and learning in store for us if we actually take a course different from thecomfortableonewewouldselectfromthelevelofserpentorjaguar.Whilewemaylongformaterialwealthandcomfort,oursoulwasdrawntoafamilywherewemighthavelackedthesethings.Whilewemayhavewanted lovingandcaringparents,wemayhaveendedupwith thosewhodidn’tgiveaffectioneasily.Yettheperceptionfromthelevelofhummingbirdisthateverythingisperfectasitis,thatnothingneedstobechanged.Fromthelevelofeagle,weknowthat“theFatherandIareOne.”Thereisnolongeran“I,”thereisonlySpirit,andthereisnowillotherthanthatofSpirit.ThereisalsonoDoerotherthanGod,andnoeffortrequiredtoaccomplishanything.(Thisisthepracticeofnondoing,whichwewilldiscusslater.)Forluminouswarriors,therealbattleistotranscendthekarmiclineagewe’veinherited.Thenwe

canstoprepeatingthesamemistakesthatwemadeinthepastandsetusonapredeterminedcourseinthislife.Thegreatestchallengewefaceisinsideus,anditismythical.Ifwewinthebattle,we’llwakeupfromthenightmareofourpersonalandcollectivehistory,andthenwecandreamourexistenceintobeing.Inthesamewaythathealingyourpastrelationshipwoundsdoesnotautomaticallybringyouintoa

goodrelationship,healingyourkarmiclineageonlymakesyoureadyforthepath—youthenhavetowalk it. The way to do so is to practice the four practices: fearlessness, nondoing, certainty, andnonengagement.

ThePracticeofFearlessnessTo live fearlessly is to actively practice peace and non-violence, evenwhen it seems likewe’re

beingthreatened.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatwedon’tprotectourselvesandourlovedones—itmeansthatwe don’t respond from a place of anger or violence. Our propensity toward violent solutions is

rooted in our brains,which arewired in a very strangeway. The regionwhere our sensations ofpleasure are experienced is very close to the center where we experience violence, so when westimulateoneoftheseareasinthebrain,weoftenendupstimulatingtheother.Weseemtobetheonlymammalwhosebrainissetupthisway.Thisiswhywe(meninparticular)

so often associate violence with pleasure. We love a good action movie, especially the thrill ofwatching the good guy pump bullets into the bad guy. Most kids’ computer games are all aboutblowingtheenemy’sbrainsout,andso-callederoticmoviesconsistofactsofaggressioncommittedagainst women every five minutes. And the sadomasochism we read about that is so common inwartime happens when these brain centers are overstimulated and develop four-lane high-waysbetween them. No wonder that, when faced with something that appears to be a problem, weenthusiasticallydonarmor,unsheatheoursword,anddeclarewar.However,wedohaveotherchoices.Thepracticeswithineach insightstimulate thebraincenters

associatedwithpleasureandbliss,thusdeactivatingthecentersresponsibleforaggression.Whenwepracticefearlessness,wecanliveinpeaceandpracticenonviolence.Whenweembodypeace,othersinourpresence feelasenseofcalmandserenity.Even in timesofwar,wecan live inanoasisofserenity.Thereasonthatfearlessnessallowsustostepbeyondviolenceisbecauseviolenceisrootedinfear

—ofbeingrejected,takenadvantageof,ridiculed,hurt,andsoon.Practicingfearlessnessrequiresustoapproachpeopleandsituationswithlovesothatotherscanalsoletgooftheirapprehensionandpropensitytowardviolence.In aworld filledwith rape,murder, and assault, thismay seem like a timid response.Whenwe

wieldasword,wefeelasenseofcontrolandpower.Werevelinit,thrivingontheaggressive,activerole we’re taking in changing the world, but we ignore the fact that violence only begets moreviolence.Wethinkofwarasasolution,buttheviolenceweinflictonothersmakesthemevenmorehostile.True,wemaysubduethem,butifwedon’thelpthemrelinquishtheirangerorfear,allwe’vedoneisplanttheseedsforthenextskirmish.Wetalkaboutawaronterror,awarondrugs,andawarondisease—itcanbedifficulttoimagine

how we might solve problems without declaring war on them, but we have to admit that thesecrusadesonlybegetmoreterror,moredruguse,andmoredisease.IntheUnitedStates,thewealthiestcountry in theworld,nearly20percentofourchildrengohungryeveryday,despiteourso-calledwar on poverty. So how do we address these very real problems without resorting to a warlikeresponse?

Fearlessness,NotWarPracticing fearlessness means that we first eliminate the poverty, terrorism, and war that rages

insideofus.Weeliminateouraddictiontobeingrightandfixourperceptionofeveryproblemwithinusbeforeweactuallyattempttheproblemitself.Many years ago, in their struggle to overcome their perceived scarcity, England and France

attackedeachotheragainandagain.Theycutdownsomanyoftheirtreestobuildwarshipsinorderto battle each other for power and riches that, as a result, they deforested their countries, actuallyendingupwithfewerresourcesforeveryone.Hadtheyrecognizedthattheyweretheonescreatingtheir feelingof scarcity, they couldhave found amoreproductiveway tomake sure that theyhadwhattheytrulyneeded.We,too,tendtooverlookthepriceofwagingabattleandinsteadfocusonhowwecangetabigger

chunkof thepie.Wedon’t like to thinkofourselvesasgreedy—we’re justcautious,buildingupa

nest egg so that we will never feel insecure again. Of course we never reach this point becauselooking for security in marriage, the stock market, the workplace, real estate, or anything elsematerialneverquitemanagestomakeusfeelsafe.Luminouswarriorsbuildcollaborativerelationshipswithothersinsteadoftryingtoconquerthem;

consequently,wegetmuchclosertofindingcommongroundandsolutionstoourmutualproblems.Insteadofclingingtoourbelief thatwewon’thaveenoughorthatwe’llbetakenadvantageof,webravelyextendtrustandfindwin-winsolutions.Thisseemsnaive,ofcourse,andpartofussaysthatreal life doesn’t work this way. But the most successful organisms in nature are the result ofcollaborations.Even thehumanbodyis theproductofadozenorgansandmanydifferentkindsoftissuesworkingtogether.Wenolongerhavetobuyintothefalseevidencethatwehaveenemieswemustcontinuallybattle

and subdue. It’s thismentality that leads us to get into shoutingmatcheswith the driverwho takes“our”parkingspace,ortoinsistthatourpartnerdeliberatelydidn’tunloadthedishwasherinordertodriveuscrazy.Nowwedon’thavetoextendtotaltrusttoeverypersonwecomeacrossordenythedangeroflettingcriminalsrunlooseintheworld—butwealsodon’thavetowalkthroughlifewithasworddrawn,readytovanquishtheaccidentallyinconsiderate.Asluminouswarriors,weopenoureyessothatwecanseeinothersthecapacityforpeace,evenif

theyaren’texpressingit.Somepsychologistswouldsaythatweprojectourdarkside(ourshadows)ontoothers,creatingadversariesinordertoavoidlookingintoourownunhealedselves.Yetmakingotherswrongdistractsus fromthepowerwehave toeliminateourownpotential forbeingbulliesand prevents us from accessing our creative, healing energy,whichwe can use to dream a betterworld.Whenwe practice fearlessness,we don’t have to create enemies or obsess about “bad guys” in

order tofeelreassuredthatwe’realwaysrighteousvictims.Itmayseemstrangethatwewouldtalkourselvesintofeelingweak,butthisworksverywellforuspsychologically.Ifweseeourselvesasvictims,weexcuseourselvesfromanyfurthersacrifices.When we perceive at the level of serpent or jaguar instead of hummingbird, we focus on our

adversariesandall theircrimesagainstus, thus forgetting toask thepowerfulquestion,What’s theopportunityforcreatingabundanceandhealinghere?Athummingbird,wetrytofindcreativewaystonegotiatewiththepeoplewedisagreewith,andwedon’tignoreourcommongroundbecausewebecomestuckinthebeliefthatwe’rethegoodguys.Whenwestepbeyondfear,violence,anddeath,wecanembracethewayoftheluminouswarrior;

wecanwagepeace,notwar.MahatmaGandhi isperhaps the fin-est exampleofamanwhowagedpeaceeven in the faceofviolence, andhe changed the courseofhistory foronebillionpeople. Itcannotbesodifficulttopracticethisforourselves.

ThePracticeofNondoingWepracticenondoingbyimmersingourselvesintheflowoftheuniverse,receivingandworking

withtheopportunitiesitpresentstousratherthanstrugglingtogetevery-oneandeverythingtogoalongwithourplans.Theluminouswarrior ’sworldisn’tpoweredbyaggression—herbrilliancealonecanvanquishthe

darkness. Non-doing means that rather than pushing and battling, we live in the light of love,creativity, andpossibility; andweallow things tounfold aswe surrender to the intelligenceof theuniverse,trustinginitsbenevolenceandabundance.Whenwepracticenondoing,wedon’tputenergyintodoing things today thatwill takecareof themselvesby tomorrow.Wedon’tmicromanageour

livesbecauseweknowinourverycorethatwe’reinthehandsofSpirit.In theWest,wemistakenlybelieve that theonlyway tosolveproblemsandget thingsdone is to

workhard.Whenweseesomeonewhoisn’tbeingproductive,wecallhimlazy.TheProtestantethicisaboutstrugglingbecausewe’vebeenejectedfromtheGardenofEdenandaredestinedtotoilandsweat.We’retaughtthat“idlehandsdotheworkofthedevil,”sowedon’ttrustourselveswithleisuretime.There’sastoryofaMexicanmanwhometagroupofAustralianAborigines,andheaskedifthey

hadanotionofmañana.Themanexplainedthattohispeople,mañanameantnotrushingtodotodaywhatwouldtakecareofitselftomorrow.Theoldpeopleconferredamongthemselves,andafteragoodlongwhile,oneofthemresponded,

“Yes,wedo,butwithoutsuchasenseofurgencyaboutit.”Thepracticeofnondoingdoesn’trequireustoturnon,tunein,anddropoutandspendourliveson

topof a remotemountain.There are thingswe all need todo inorder to survive and tokeepourcommunities vibrant.Butwe don’t have to take up residence in the “kingdomof do” and becomepossessedbyourobligations(andouraccomplishments).Evenifwe’reoccupieddoingthisorthat,wedon’thavetoidentifywithbeingbusyandbecomeaddictedtoactivity.Wecanhaveanextremelylongto-dolistandstillgeteverythingimportantdonebysettingprioritiesandlettingthelittlestuffgo,confidentthattheuniversewilltakecareofthedetails.Wecanbefullypresentwhenatwork,atrest, orwith friends or family; andwe can differentiate between the important, the trivial, and theinsignificant.WecansimplyturnovertoGodwhat’scrucialandforgetabouttherest.Weoftengetcaughtupinthehustleandbustlebecausewealllovetofeelourownimportance.We

convinceour-selvesthatifwedon’tstaybusy,somethingawfulwillhap-pen.I’malwaysamusedtowatchpeoplewhoareattendingoneofmylecturesrushtothepayphonesorpullouttheircellulartelephonesassoonasthere’sabreak.Iwouldguessthatmaybe5percentoftheircallsareurgent—mostly they just like feeling that their office needs to hear from them or that there might be animportantvoicemailtellingthemthattheyneedtodosomething.Suchbusynessfosterstheillusionthatwe’lllivefor-ever.Withsomuchtodoandsolittletime,we

believethatwe’resoimportantthatwecan’tpossiblydie.Wetellour-selvesthatthosewhocountonuscan’tpossiblyfunctionifwedon’tdoA,B,andC.Thenwhenwe’redownsizedorourchildtellsus he really doesn’t need our help and asks us to leave him alone,we’re utterly crushed.We hatebeing reminded that just like everyone else, we’re expendable. Well, the world will continue torevolvearoundthesun,andhumankindwillcontinuetoexist,evenifwearen’taround.Fearingthistruthaboutourselves,ouregoconvincesustoclingtoself-importance.Ourconstantbustlealsomakesiteasierforustoavoiddealingwithouremotions.Whenwepause

andsensewhatwe’refeeling,wecanbeopentohowthehandofSpiritmighttouchusinthatveryinstant. Instead,we stuntourgrowthbyavoiding thosepartsofourselves thatneedhealing, tellingourselvesthatwehavetoolittletimeornotenoughmoneytoattendtotheneedsofoursoul.Wedon’tallowourselvestimeinwhichtohealordream.Interestinglyenough,whenwestop thinkingaboutwhatwe“ought to”bedoingandsimplystay

presenttowhatishappening,weendupbeingfarmoreproductiveandcreative.WeactuallywritethatreportinsteadofaimlesslysurfingtheInternetandthenguiltilyreturningtothetaskathand…whichseems to be taking forever because we have trouble staying focused. Remaining in the momentinsteadofworrying aboutwhat has to get done this afternoonor nextweekopensour eyes to thepossibilitieswemissinallourrushtogetthingsaccomplishedandprovehowveryimportantweare.Trycultivatingyourownunimportance.Themostsuccessful,interestingpeoplearetheoneswho

don’t take themselves seriously at all. They’re amused by themselves, recognizing that life is anadventurewithmanyunexpectedtwistsandturnsandcliff-hangers.Likegoodnovelists,theygowith

the flow and see what unfolds as they creatively approach their lives, opening themselves up toopportunities.Thestoriestheycreatearerich,surprising,andsatisfying.Youpracticenondoingby takingup residence in the level of eagle,whereyou cease to exist as

separatefromSpirit.Herethereisnolongeradoer;thingssimplyhappen.

ThePracticeofCertaintyTopracticecertaintyis tohaveanunwaveringcommitmenttothecourseyou’vechosen.Thatis,

youletgoofyourworrythatyou’remakingamistakeorthatyou’renotgoodenough,thinenough,richenough,oryoungenoughforanendeavor.Forexample,Iknowanentrepreneurwhoswitchedcareersattheageof70andbecameaverysuccessfulpainter.Heneveroncedoubtedthathewasanartist,eventhougheveryonearoundhimtookhisnewdirectionwithasmileandagrainofsalt.Certaintymeansthatwedeliberatelychoosenottoleaveourselvesany“escapes”thatwouldallow

us to keep one foot in the new trackwhile keeping the other foot out the door.Whenwe’re in arelationship, for instance, we’re not checking out other potential partners “just in case” there’ssomeonebetteroutthere.When I became a father for the first time inmy late 30s, I was completely unprepared for the

experience.InthebackofmymindItoldmyself,“Well,ifthisparentingthingdoesn’tworkout,Icanalwaystakemytentandreturnto theAmazon.”Afterall, Ihadtraveledto theAmazonmanytimesandfeltcomfortablethere.Parenting,anexperienceI’dneverhadbefore,wasmuchmoreterrifyingthanthethoughtofbeingdeepinthejungleandfarfromcivilization.Theproblemwithmyattitudewas that itkeptmefrombeingfullypresentwithmyfamily,since

deepinmyheartIfeltthatIcouldupandleaveatanypointifthingsdidn’tworkout.Theminuteyouhave a back door, you’re blocked from creating what it is you want because your energies aredivided.Failurebecomes inevitablebecauseyoudon’t fullycommityourself. It’s farbetter toburnyourbridgesbehindyou,lockallthosebackdoors,andbecompletelyengagedinthepathyouhavechosen.Of course you should be very informed about the decision you want to make and weigh the

consequencescare-fully,butonceyou’vemadethechoice,practicecertainty.Thinkingaboutwhetheryour spouse is really the right one after you’ve already gotten married is not productive. Andfocusingonalltheproblemsarisingfromyourdecisionwillblockyoufromseeingtheopportunitiestocreateagreatrelationship.Sobecourageous,butnotfoolish.Recognizeiftherearesharksinthewaterthatyou’regoingto

swimin,andtakethesharkrepellentwithyou.Butonceyou’vejumpedin,don’tstartwonderingwhatyou’redoingthere…becausethenyou’llbecomelunch.Thepracticeofcertaintyensuresthatallyourendeavorswillhaveapositiveoutcome.Uncertainty,

on the other hand, stems from fear, andwill sabotage everymove youmake. So the first step inpracticingcertaintyistobecomefamiliarwithyourbackdoors.Astudentoncetoldmethatifthingsdidn’tworkoutforhertobecomeahealer,shecouldalwaysbecomeabaglady.Whileitcomfortedhertoknowthatshecouldsurviveinthestreets,Iworkedwithhertoshutthisdoorbecauseitwaspreselectingafutureinwhichshewouldfailasahealer.Backdoorsleakenergythatcouldotherwisebeavail-abletofulfillyourdreams.Theyarewhere

fear lurks within you, and they lead to self-fulfilling prophecies of failure and defeat. However,there’sadifferencebetweenabackdoorandanexitstrategy.Inotherwords,it’sgoodtohaveanexitstrategyintheeventthatthebicycleshopyouandyourfriendareopeningdoesn’tmakeit—thenifthingsdon’tworkout, youhaveameans topartwaysamicably,withoutblaming theother for the

businessgoingunder.Rememberthatcertaintyisdrivenbyloveandfearlessness,butabackdoorisdrivenbyfear.Burnyourbridgesbehindyousothatyouhavenooptionbutsuccess.

ThePracticeofNonengagementWhenyoupracticenonengagement,youdeliberatelychoosenottotakepartinbattles,particularly

those where the grounds of engagement are defined by your adversary. Just because someone isitchingfora fight, longing tocreateadrama thatwillallowthemtofeel likeanoble rescueroravictim, that doesn’tmean you have to play along.And the people you’re closest to are experts atpushingallofyourbuttons.Yourspouseandyourchildrenknowhowtobringyou to theedgeofinsanityandfierceskirmishesinseconds.I remember asking a friend ofminewhowas a fighter pilotwhat themilitary taught him about

aerialdogfights,liketheonesthatI’dseenontelevisionasachild.Heexplainedtomethatyouneverengage ina fight in thesky ifyoucanpossiblyhelp it—youwant thefight tobeoverbeforeyouradversaryevenknowsyouwere there.Thegoal is toconserveyourenergyanduse it thewayyouwant to, insteadofwearingyourselfoutengaging inaconfrontation thatsomeoneelse is intentonhaving.Theminuteyouengage,heexplained,you’vealreadylost.Soifyouchoosetoenteranargument,beawarethatyou’redoingitforsport,sparringbecause

youenjoyit,notbecauseitwillallowyoutovanquishyouradversaryofthemomentorwillproveyouright.TheEarthkeeperssaythatifyoubattletheconquistador,you’llneverwin;infact,thebestyoucanhopeforisastalemate.Youcomebacktoyourtentbloodied,sharpenyoursword,andreturnthenextdaytoanutterlyfruitlessbattle.Thequestionis:Doyouwanttoproveyourself“right,”ordoyou want to connect with your opponent and find common ground and win? Do you want toperpetuateandmaintainyourpointofview,ordoyouwanttosolveaproblem?We rarely ask ourselves these questions because we’re unconsciously drawn to battles that are

choreographed by the stories we’ve written about our lives. If our story is one of beingunderappreciatedandmisunderstood,thenouregoiscontinuallyonthelookoutforchancestoprovethat this is the case. If we’re in line at the store and someone cuts in front of us, we jump at theopportunitytoconfrontthemanddemandtherespectwe’redue.Shouldthosewecareaboutforgettodosomethingweaskedthemtodo,weinsistthattheirmotivewaspureselfishnessandconfrontthemabouttheirlackofrespectforus.Meanwhile,therealstorymightbethattheotherpersonwassimplydistractedorpreoccupiedwithhisowntroublesandwouldactuallyfeelbadandapologizeifwesaid,“Whenyoublockedmycarinthedriveway,itwasreallyinconvenientforme.”Ratherthangivehimachancetoexplainhimself,wechoosetoperpetuateourstory.Of course we sometimes find ourselves in situations where people are totally committed to

creatingadramaandplayingaparticularrole.Insuchcases,it’sverydifficultnottogiveintothetemptationofplayingourpartinthebattlethey’veplanned.Butifwemakeapointofbeingluminouswarriors and fighting our true adversary (our wounded self) instead of projecting it out into theworld,itwillbeeasiertodisengage.IfI’mangrywithmypartnerbecauseshedoesn’tagreewithme,Iknowthatit’sbettertoresolvetheconflictwithinmyselfratherthantopickafightwithher,hopingto bring her around to my position. I will sometimes say to my partner, “This sounds like aninvitation for me to defend myself,” and avoid an argument. Engaging in a crusade because I’munhealedsimplyperpetuatesmyownvictim/bully/rescuerdrama.

WhatWe’reWillingtoGiveUp

Topracticenonengagement,wehavetobetotallynegotiableyetcompletelyuncompromising.This

means thatwehave tobewilling tonegotiate,whichmeansgiving somethingup.Wemayhave togiveupourdesiretobeseenassuperiororourneedtomicromanageeverydetailofasituation.Wemay have to give up our rigid notions about how something should be done. In Jonathan Swift’sGulliver’sTravels,twonationsgotowaroveradisagreementaboutwhethersoft-boiledeggsshouldbeeatenfromthelargeendorthesmallend.It’sanabsurdimage,butweoftenbecomeintractableabout our position rather than focusing on the importance of resolving the issues. We get intoquagmires,unable tomove forwardbecausewe’re soattached toour stories thatwecan’t identifyanythingwe’rewillingtosurrender.Ourunwillingnesstobeflexiblecanbeseennotonlyinourpersonallives,butalsoininternational

relations.ThesecondroundofStrategicArmsLimitationsTalks(SALTII) leadtoatreatybetweentheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbackin1979,buttheU.S.neverratifieditbecausetheycouldn’tagreewiththeSovietsonthenumberofinspectionsofSovietnuclearsitestheAmericanswouldbeallowed tomakeandviceversa.Noone talkedabouthowthose inspectionsmightbeconductedorwhat an inspection entailed. Would the Russians go through top secret files at our nuclearinstallations?Wouldtheyonlystopbyfortea?Thesedetailswereneverdiscussed.Instead, the talks became deadlocked on the number of inspections each side would be allowed

every year. Negotiators on both sides became increasingly suspicious of each other and moreentrenched in their ownpositions:For example, theSovietswantedonly five inspectionsper year,whiletheAmericansrequiredseven.Neithercountryhadtoagreetoalackofanyaccountabilityfromtheother,yetbothsidesrefusedtobemorecreativeinnegotiatingcommonground.Evenaswestrivetocometoagreementswithothers,whenwepracticenonengagement,wehaveto

becompletelyuncompromisingwhenitcomestoourintegrityorthethingswedeeplybelievein.Todoso,wehavetobeveryclearaboutwhatourrealvaluesare,sowecannegotiateefficientlyratherthanexhaustingourselvesbybecomingtrappedinanendlesswaroverinsignificantdetails.Asluminouswarriors,westepbeyondfearanddeathandareabletobringloveandbeautytoevery

encounter.Nowwearereadytowalkthewayoftheseer.

INSIGHT3

TheWayoftheSeerTobeaseeristowalksoftlyontheearthanddreamdestiny.Inthismodernworld,thedreamtimehasbeencon-signedtothedomainofsleep.Toexperienceit,

youhavetoliedown,closeyoureyes,andenterthatdeepreveriewhereimagesappeartoyou.YetforanEarthkeeper,there’slittledifferencebetweenthesleepingandthewakingdreamsofeverydaylife,with all of theirmystery and drama.Earthkeepers try to be fully awake evenwhile asleep, incontrast toordinarypeoplewhoare fullyasleepevenwhileawake.Whenawake,Earthkeepersareabletodreamaworldofgraceandbeautyintobeing.Inthischapter,youwilllearnhowtocreatewithyoureyeswideopen,andyou’llunderstandwhyyourdreams(andnightmares)alwayscometrue.Theworddreamoftenhasanegativeconnotationforusbecausewethinkthatit’sawasteoftime

whendone in thedayandmeaningless atnight, or atbest amessage fromour subconscious tobedecoded in themorning.We don’t realize thatwe actually generate the realitywe live in, thatwedreamtheworldintobeing—soourabilitytocraftbeautifulvisionswhileawakeisveryimportant.When you master the art of dreaming with your eyes open, you can stop going through life

unconsciously. You can begin to create a rich life instead of settling for the collective nightmarethoughtupforyoubysociety—thenyouaretheauthoroftheepicpoemofyourlife,ratherthananunwittingparticipant in theeventsoccurringaroundyou.Whenyou learn todream,youno longerhavetoactoutscriptsthatcastyouasthevictim,therescuer,ortheperpetrator.Youcanfreeyourselffromthelimitationsofyourstories,insteadofclingingtotheminordertogiveyourselfafalsesenseofsecurity.Thehummingbird’squalityofstillnessinflightisrequiredhere.Youmustgobeyondinspirational

wordsorjustthinkingabouthowtosolveproblemsandenterintothestillnessofyoursoul,craftingavisionofwhatyouwantyourworld tobe—whether it’san imageofyourown lifeorof thatofeveryoneontheplanet.

BecomingAwareofYourWakingDreamsTo begin crafting your vision, you must become aware of your waking dreams and their

symbolism. Inpsycho-analysis,you learn that every symbol inyournighttime images represents apartofyou:Thescaryghost,thefairdamsel,andtheburninghousecanallbeinterpretedasaspectsofyourself.Forexample,whenIwasingraduateschoolIoncedreamedthatIwasinsideatunnelandtherewasalocomotivespeedingtowardme,itssinglelampglaringmenacinglyasitrushedatme.Iwenttooneofmyprofessors,whowasveryskilledatdreamanalysis,andrelatedmynightmare.Iassumed that Iwasmyself in thedreamand that the locomotive representedmycourse load at theuniversity,which I feltwas overwhelmingme, threatening to squashmebefore I couldmanage tograduate.Myprofessoragreedthatthiscouldbethecase,butitwasonlythesuperficialinterpretationofmy

dream. He then asked me what part of me was the locomotive that was rushing headlong out of

control,unawareofwhatwasonitspath.Thenheaskedwhatpartofmewasthetunnelthatheldalloftheseaspectssafelywithinit.Irecognizedthatpartofmyselffeltoverwhelmed,butthatIalsofeltatremendous sense of purpose and direction represented by the locomotive, and that all of theseelementswereheldinthesafetyofthetunnelinsidetheearth,whichwasmysubconscious.You can apply the same analytical approach to examining your waking dreams. Symbols are

everywhere, andeverything thatyouexperiencemirrors apartofyou—sowhenyoucanperceiverealityinthisway,youunderstandhowyou’realreadydreamingyourworld.OnceIvisitedamedicinewomanintheAmericanSouthwest.Shelivedinawoodenshackabove

thetreelineandhadareputationasonewhocouldhelpyouunderstandthehiddenmessagesinyourdreams.The trail to her homewasn’twellmarked, and several times I had to backtrack and try adifferentpath.Towardtheend,Ibecamelostandhadtoscamperupasteepembankmenttothetopofaravine.Duringmyclimb,Islippedandtwistedmyankle,soIhadtohobbletherestofthewaytoherhut.BythattimeIwasangryandcoveredinsweat,wonderingwhatmademeattemptthisjourneyinthefirstplace.Igreetedtheoldwoman,whosummarilyaskedmewhatIwantedsofarawayfromcivilization.I

explainedthatIhadbeennearbyvisitingarenownedmedicinemanandhadheardaboutherskillatinterpretingdreams.IwantedherhelpinunderstandingaveryunsettlingdreamI’dhadafewnightsearlier. She looked atmewarily, yet after a fewmoments she invitedme to sit down, remarking,“First, let’s interpret your morning. Tell me how it was getting here, and I will tell you aboutyourself.”AsIlookedoutthewindow,Isawherpickuptruckparkedinthedriveway…andaclean,gravel

roadleadinguptohercottage.ItturnsoutthatIhadpickedthemostdifficultwaytogettoher.IthenunderstoodhowmyjourneytoherhomewassymbolicofhowItrompedthroughlife:Iwouldoftentakethewrongpath,becomefrustrated,losemypatience,andendupinadesperatesituationwhereIhadtoscaleup themostdifficultway,andI’dhurtmyself in theprocess.ThiswasexactlyhowI’dgonethroughgraduateschoolandtheearlyyearsofmyresearchin theAmazon,whereIearnedareputationamongfellowanthropologistsforbeingabletogetlostinthemostunlikelyplaces.Inmyeagerness to understand the mysterious symbols in my nighttime dream, I’d been completelyoverlookingthemeaningoftheeventsinmydaytimereverie.

AmericanDreamsWhenwesleep,weusuallyfeelthatwehavelittleornocontroloverwhatunfoldsinourawareness

—andweoftenfeelthesamewaywhenwe’reawake.We’recontinuallytoldthatevents“happen”tous, that thebestwecandotochangeourworldis toworkharderandtrytoinfluenceotherpeopleintoactingthewaywe’dlikethemto.Wemakerulesandtrytostrictlyenforcethem,butit’sneverenough.(It’sinterestingtonotethatfiveoftheTenCommandmentsaimtoregulatetheimpulsesofour primitive reptilian andmammalian brains,which are associatedwith the levels of serpent andjaguar.)We don’t consider that we might envision things differently and come up with far morecreative approaches to solving our dilemmas. This process requires us to shift into the level ofhummingbirdfromthatofserpentandjaguar,whichareprimitiveandself-absorbedstates.Atsuchlowerlevelsofperception,weremainengrossedintheculturaltrancethatwe’vebeeneducatedinto.IntheUnitedStates,there’snowanewschannelthatstrivesnottowidenpeople’sperspectivesbut

toreflectbacktothemwhattheyalreadybelieve.Itsviewersseekcomfortinthereassurancethattheworldisanuntrustworthyplace,filledwithgoodpeoplelikethemwhoareresponsibleneighborsandsharetheirbeliefs,andbadpeoplewhodoterriblethingsandthinkdifferently.

Asaresultofbeingcaughtupinourculturaltrance,weinAmericanolongerliveinademocracy;weliveina“mediacracy.”Themediaissoheavilyinfluencedbyitscorporatesponsorsthateventheworld’seventsareeditorialized intoopinionpieces.Asfarbackas1880,JohnSwinton,awriteratTheNewYorkTimes,wasquotedassaying,“Thebusinessofjournalistsistodestroythetruth.…Weare the tools and vassals of richmen behind the scenes.” This sentiment continues today:Becauseadvertiserswhofinancethenewsareinterestedincreatinggoodconsumerswhobuytheirburgers,theyhavenointerestinhelpinguslookorthinkoutsidethebox.Whenwesimplygulpdownany-andeverythingthat’sservedtousonthemorningnews,welose

ourcreativityand theability tomakeourplanetwhatwewant it tobe.Whilewecan’tdreamupaworldinwhichthere’snocrime,wecanenvisiononeinwhichcrimeandviolencehavenoplaceinourlives—whereweareneitherthevictimsnortheperpetratorsofsuchacts.

OurPowertoCreateaBetterLifeLet’sgetrightdowntoit:Realityisn’tsohotformostofus.Ifitwere,therewouldbefewerofus

takingdrugsordrinkingalcoholtoescapeourmisery.Formostpeople,realityisanightmare,notapleasantdream.Now, it’s very politically charged to say that all individuals have the ability to create or change

their reality. Are the 300 million living in poverty in India simply not doing the right kind ofdreaming?Whatabout thosewhowerekilled in the tsunami thathitSoutheastAsia in2004or lefthomelessbyHurricaneKatrinathefollowingyearintheU.S.?Inthefaceofsuchhumanmisery,it’seasytodismissthenotionthatwedreamourworldintobeingasNewAgefluff.Itmayseemmoresensibletoblamesuchcatastrophesontheforcesofpoverty,whichputpeopleinharm’sway.Manythink that ifweeliminatedpoverty, therewouldbeno suffering—butwealthdoesnot curemisery.Some of the unhappiest individuals I have ever met live in the lap of luxury, while many of thehappiestI’vebeenwithcountfewmaterialcomforts.The notion that we dream our world into being mustn’t be used as an apology for staying

uninvolved socially or avoiding those in need.Rather, such tragedies need tomove us to do evenmoretoassistotherssothatwedon’twaitforlarge-scaledisasterstowakeusuptotheneedtoshareourresourcesandstopthedestructionoftheenvironment.Andwecandreamaworldinwhichthesetragediesdon’thappentous.Ifmanyofusholdadreamofhopeandpossibility,wecanmakeahugedifference.Oneof the

reasonsIpublishmybookswithHayHouse,forinstance,isthatthey’recommittedtochangingtheworldforthebetter.MyaccountantwasbaffledwhenIturneddownabigNewYorkpublisherwhoofferedmemoremoneytopublishmybookswiththem.ButHayHousedonatesallprofitsfromtheirSouthAfrican book sales to childrenwithAIDSwhohave been left parentless, and I love thatmybooksarehelpingtosupporttheseefforts.What’smore,IknowthatI’mpartofateam—fromthoseinshippingandreceivingtothesalespeople—thatsharesacommonvisionofthekindofworldwecoulddreamtogether.As a seer, you can choose to reject the nightmare that’s presented to you by themedia and the

peoplearoundyou.Youdon’thavetoparticipateinthedreamthatsaysthatthepurposeofeveryone’slifeistobeacompletelyobedientchildandexcellentstudentandthengraduatetomarriage,family,asteady job,ahouse inaniceneighborhood,anda televisionwith200channels…afterwhichyouretiretoacomfortablegatedcommunity.WhilethismaybetheAmericandream,itdoesn’thavetobeyours.(It’scertainlynotmine!)Therearesomanymoreinterestingdreamsyoucancreate.Too often we take for granted what our collective dream tells us is possible or impossible,

acceptable or unacceptable. Recently, someone I know moved from New York City to a smallermetropolitan area.Despite themany bus routes, bike trails, and transport services in her new city,alongwith her proximity to a business district,many of her new neighborswere shocked by herdecisionnottobuyacar.Theyinsistedthatshecouldn’tpossiblybeartheinconvenienceofwalkingseveralblockstothegrocerystoreincoldweather,eventhoughshe’ddonejustthatforyearswhenshewaslivinginManhattan.Becausetheseindividualsweresousedtohoppingintotheircarstodochores,theyperceivedmyfriend’sdecisionasradical.Theyweren’tusedtodreamingoutsidetheboxandbeingopentonewpossibilities.In fact,mostofusareunaware thatwe’rebeingdreamedand thatwemightenvision something

elsethat’suniquelyours.Weonlyrecognizethiswhenweescapefromourverylimitedexperienceandareexposedtosomethingnew—forexample,whenayoungpersonfromtheBibleBeltgoesofftocollege,theArmy,orthebigcity,andheorsheisshockedtofindthattherearepeoplewhoareagnosticandyetverydecentandethical.I had an experience inmy early dayswhile trainingwithmyLaikamentor that showedme the

limitationsofmybeliefs.DonAntonioandIwerewalkingon theAltiplano—anarid,mountainousplateauthatstretchesfromCuscotoLakeTiticacainPeru—andIexplainedthattheChristiantraditioninstructsustoturntoheavenwheneverweneedhelporguidance.HesmiledandsaidthattheLaikaaskourMotherEarthforhelp,nottheheavens.Iwas obstinately holding on tomy position that the divinewas abovewhenwe entered a small

village,immediatelyspyingthreehorsestoourright.DonAntoniopointedtothefreshhorsemanureandaskedmetobringascoopovertowherewewere.Ifoundapieceofcardboardtouseasashovel,andwhenIreturnedtowherehestood,Isawthathehaddugashallowholeintheearth.“Puthalfofitinhere,”hesaid.Ididso,andhecovereditupwithsoil.Thenhepointedtoalargebouldernearbyandaskedmetoplacetherestofthemanureontopoftherock.Wethenwalkedaway,andherefusedtosayanotherwordaboutthesubject.Twoweekslaterwecamebacktothesamevillage.BynowI’dforgottentheconversationandmy

mentor ’s mysterious instructions about the horse manure … but he hadn’t. Don Antonio walkedstraighttowheretheholehadbeenandsaid,“Dig.”WhenI’dgoneafewinchesbelowthesurface,hesaid, “See? It’s already turning back into fertilizer.” He then walked me over to the boulder andpointedtothedrydung,explaining,“See?Itstilllookslikeshit,doesn’tit?Stillsmellslikeshit,no?Our Mother mulches everything back into life: all of our pain, our sorrow, our grief, even ourwaste.”Allmy life, I had believed that the divine resides above us. Even the Lord’s Prayer says, “Our

Father,Whoartinheaven…”Iwasn’treadytoentertainthenotionthatthedivineisdark,rich,andmoist—likethefeminineearth—orthatthesacredispresentinoureverydaylife, inthegroundwewalkupon,notinsomepure,clean,celestialdwelling,farremovedfromallour“crap.”EventhoughasananthropologistI’dbeentrainedtorespectotherpeople’sbeliefs,Istillheldmy

owntobesuperiortothoseoftheprimitivepeoplesIwasstudying—afterall,IhadaPh.D.Ididn’tevenknowthatIwastrappedinthedreamthathadbeenenvisionedformebymyculture,religion,andeducation.Ilearnedthenthatthecollectivedreammostofusarelivingisthegarishfairytaleweconfuse for reality. It’s invisible to us because we’re not conscious of the fact that it is merely adream.TheotherlessonIlearnedthatdaywasthatwhatI’dperceivedasfilthyexcrementwasactuallyon

itswaytobecomingfertilizerandfoodforotherlife.Inpsychology,I’dbeentrainedtoputtheshituponthestone,dissectit,examineitunderthemicroscopetodetermineitsoriginandcomposition,andthenponderhowsuchfinefoodcouldhaveturnedintothis.It’sthesamewaythatwewonder,Howcouldsuchapromisingrelationshiphaveturnedintocrap?

Well, once we start perceiving things from a higher perspective, we can see beyond problems toopportunitiesandpotential forgrowth.AsdonAntonioused to tellme,“Alberto,you’reaweeder.You’reconstantlypullinguptheweedsinyourlife—thechildhoodtraumasandyourearlylostloves.Yourgardenisweedfree,butyou’veplantednoflowersorfruits.Letyourselfhavesomeweedssothatyoucancultivatethingsofbeauty.”Mytrainingasapsychologisthadmewrappedupinthebeliefthatlifeisfullofproblems,andifI

justworkedhardenoughIcouldcomeupwithallthesolutions.Iwasn’tdreamingapeaceful,fruitfulexistence,butaproblem-riddenone,andthat’swhattheuniverseprovidedtome.

HowWeDreamtheWorldintoBeingWhatweseeandexperience is theworldwe’redreamingintobeing—ifwedon’t like it,wecan

openour eyes, be conscious, and create somethingdifferent.Oneway to do so is throughprayer,whichcanhaveapowerfuleffectoncertainsituations.Oneofmyfavoriteexamplescomesfromastudy of 400 patients in the coronary care unit at San Francisco General Hospital in the 1980s.Researcher RandolphByrd set up an experiment inwhich half of the patientswere prayed for, inadditiontoreceivingtheroutinemedicalcarethatallpatientsreceived.Thedoctorsandnursesdidn’tknow which of the patients were being prayed for. While none of those who were prayed forexperienced cardiac arrest or died, 12 of those in the control group suffered cardiac arrest, and3died.We’reusedtoprayingbymakingspecificrequestsofthedivine,butit’smorepowerfultoallow

Spirit to take care of the outcome of any situation. Researchers for an organization called theSpindriftFoundationhavestudiedthepowerofprayer tohealsimpleorganisms,suchassproutingseeds.(Whennotingtheeffectsofprayer,plantsareeasytoworkwith—afterall,theydon’texercise,eatdifferently,takevitaminsupplements,orhavepeopleoutsideofthestudyprayingforthem.)Twotypesweretested:(1)directedprayer,inwhichthesupplicanttellsthedivinewhattheproblemisandwhatoutcomehedesires, suchashavinghis aunt fully recover froma stroke; and (2)nondirectedprayer, in which the person praying tells the divine the name of the recipient but doesn’t seek aspecific outcome, requesting only that “Thywill be done.” The Spindrift Foundation plant studiesshowed that both strategieswork, but that nondirectedprayer is four times as effective as directedprayerbecausewedon’tneedtotellSpiritwhattodo.As a form of prayer, visualization works at the level of hummingbird, using the language of

images. We may form a clear picture of living in a big house on the ocean, for instance. As Iexplainedearlier,visualizationismuchmorepowerfulthanaffirmations,whichworkatthelevelofthemind (jaguar) and employ the language ofwords.Weknow that a picture isworth a thousandwords,sototrulycreateworldpeace,weneedtoprayapeacefulworldintobeingfromthelevelofhummingbird.Otherwise,howcanasinglevisualizationofworldpeacecounteractthe100imagesofwarandterrorweseeinanaverage30-minutenewsprogram?

TheRealityWeCreateTheuniversealwaysmirrorsback tous theconditionsofourdreaming.So ifwe’re fearful that

moneywon’tcome tous, itwon’t.However, ifweexperienceabundancewithwhatwehave today,even ifwedon’t actually havemoney right now,wewill have abundance, andwe canbe sure thatfurtherrichesareontheirwaytous.

So when our life isn’t working for us, the most effective solution isn’t to change our career,spouse,exerciseroutine,orcommunity,buttoworkonthepurityofourdreaming.Wechangeourdreamandour relationshipor career comes intobalance.This doesn’tmean thatwe remain in anabusive relationship or terrible job, but it does mean that we don’t leave the relationship or jobwounded,blamingitforvictimizingus.Weridourselvesoftheunproductivestoriesandenvisiontheexperienceswe’dliketohaveinstead.There’s an old story about a travelerwhomeets another voyager on the road coming from the

otherdirection.Thefirstmansays,“I’mheadedforthetownyoujustcamefrom.Tellme,what’sitlike? Are the people good, honest, and trustworthy?” The second traveler says, “Well, what waseveryonelikeinthetownyoujustleft?”Thefirsttravelersays,“Oh,theywereterrible!Iwasrobbed,denied lodgings, andovercharged for food.There isn’t a decent person in that town.”The secondtravelersays,“Well,then,that’sexactlywhatyou’llfindinthetownyou’reheadedtoward.”What the second traveler recognizes,which the first traveler does not, is thatwherever you go,

thereyouare.Youbringtheenergyofyourbeliefs,yourmentalstate,andyouremotionsintoeverycircumstance,andtheuniverserespondsbymeetingyourexpectations.Thereisnoobjectivereality,becauseyourpropheciesareallself-fulfilling.Thisisdreaming.We can achieve anything we want by truly believing in the dreamwe’d like to experience and

following the way of the seer. We do this through the practices of beginner ’s mind, livingconsequently,transparency,andintegrity.

ThePracticeofBeginner’sMindPracticing beginner ’s mind requires us to let go of our preconceived notions. As Jesus said,

“Except ye… become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” In otherwords,ourlivesbecomemuchsimplerwhenwearen’tweigheddownbythebaggageofourstoriesand expectations. TheLaika say that this iswhenwe are able towalk in the snowwithout leavingtracks. We stop being jaded, and instead open ourselves up to the opportunities presented to us.Innocenceandspontaneityinfuseourlivesagain,andwelosetheattitudeof“beenthere,donethat.”Webecomechildlike,experiencingthingsasifforthefirsttime.Zenpractitionersstrivetoachievewhat’sknownas“emptymind.”There’sastoryaboutamaster

andhisstudent,who’sbecomingquiteimpressedwithhimselfandall thathe’slearned.Theteacherinviteshisstudent to teaandfillshiscupuntil itbegins tooverflow.Shocked, thestudentcriesout,“Butmaster,thecupisalreadyfull!”Towhichtheteacherreplies,“HowcanIteachyouifyourmindisalsotoofull?”ContrastthistotheWest,wherethemoreyouknowwithyour“full”mind,themoreyou’reworth.

Thepracticeofbeginner ’smindrequiresustoletgoofthisbeliefandbecomeamateurs.Infact,thewordamateurcomesfromaFrenchwordmeaning“lover.”Amateursareloversoflife,enthralledbyhowdifferent each day and experience is.To be amateurs,we have to let go of our expertise.Yetunder-standthatwhenwepracticebeginner ’smind,wedon’tforgetaboutouryearsofexperience—wesimplydon’tcon-fusewhatwelearnedyesterdaywithwhatwe’rediscoveringtoday.Wehave to say to ourselves, “This iswhat I believemight be true, but letme test it out against

reality.”Wedevelopahypotheticalrelationshipwithlifeinsteadofafixedone.Thenifweencounterasituationwe’vebeen inbefore,wedon’tassume theoutcome,becausewhenwedo, itbecomesaself-fulfillingprophecy.Wesay,“Thislookslikeanargumentwithmyspouse.Infact,itseemstobethe same one aboutmoney thatwe get into all the time.Butmaybe it isn’t—maybe it’s somethingelse.”

Suddenly,wefindthatwe’renotinamaritalspat;rather,we’rebeingpresentedwiththechancetoseeasituationfromourspouse’spointofview.Insteadofhearing,“Youshouldgobacktothatjobyouhatebecauseyou’renotcarryingyourhalfoftheload,”wehear,“I’mscared.”Wenoticethisasanopportunitytoofferoursupportandfindawaytoreconnectinalovingway,furthercementingourrelationship.Recently,Iwaspulledoverbyapoliceofficerforspeeding.Iimmediatelybecameangryatmyself

forbeingsostupidastodrive70milesperhour(mph)ina50mphzone,thenIwasresentfulthatIwas caught…and then I decided to practice beginner ’smind.When the officer reachedmy car, Iopenedmywindow,smiled,andsaid,“IknowthatIwasspeeding,andIdeservetogetaticket.Idon’thaveanexcuse.How’syourdaygoing?”Heendeduptalkingtomeabouthisstrugglewithchronicfatigue,didn’tgivemea ticket,andwasdelightedwhenIofferedhimacopyofmybookShaman,Healer,Sage.Forthistowork,ofcourse,ithadtobeauthentic,withoutanyulteriormotiveofgettingoutofaticket.Anditdidwork—boththeofficerandIhadanewexperience.

LettingGoofWhatYouKnowPracticing beginner ’s mind has a lot in common with scientific theory. In science, we form a

hypothesisbasedonwhatwe’veobserved,andthenwetestitagainstthefacts.Iftheevidencedoesn’tfit the theory, we throw out the hypothesis. This is very different from religion, in which thehypothesisisconsideredholy.Inreligion,wetestoutourhypothesisagainstthefacts,andifthefactsdon’t fit,wekeep the theoryand throwoutanycontradictoryevidence.This iswhyoverwhelmingscientific data of human evolution over millions of years doesn’t change the thinking of afundamentalistwhobelievesthatGodcreatedtheworldinsixdays,andthatallthedinosaurslivedinharmonywithAdamandEveintheGardenofEden.(ArecentGallupPollindicatesthatcloseto47percentofthepopulationintheUnitedStatesbelievesthatGodcreatedhumanbeingsprettymuchintheirpresentformatonetimewithinthelast10,000years.)Practicing beginner ’smind requires us to give up our dogma,whatever it is. Of course this is

easiersaidthandonewhenthatdogmaseemstohaveserveduswell.Iremembertryingtoexplaintomygrandmotherabout thevirginbirthofChrist.Shehadnoreason togiveupher life-longbeliefthatthemotherofJesuswasliterallyavirgin,somyargumentthatthisdescriptionwasmeanttobetakenfiguratively—thatJesuswasbornofamotherwhowaspureinheartanduncorrupted—didn’tswayherintheleast.Alldogmaisdangerous.Whilemygrandmother ’sbeliefsmayseembenignonthesurface,countlesspeoplehavegonetowartoprotectthisandsimilarbeliefs.Andwhilewethinkofreligionasbeingrigid,sciencecanbecomerigidlyideologicalaswell,asif

it were a body of knowledge instead of a way of acquiring knowledge. In the early days of myresearch,forinstance,IfoundthatmanyscientistsrejectedoutofhandtheresearchthatIwasdoingbecauseitdidn’tfitintotheassumptionstheyheld.Thenasquantumphysicsandchaostheorybecamemorepopularlyaccepted,myworkbecameincreasinglyrecognizedbyscientistsandphysicians.Thedogmaofscienceisthatweoftenresistaskingbiggerquestionsthatmightresultinenormousstridesinourabilitytohealourselvesandtheplanet.Whileweexpectchildrentosayunusualandillogical things,andwe’reamusedbytheircreative

questionsandideas,adultswhobreakawayfromideologyandwonderaboutpossibilitiesareoftenwrittenoffas lunaticsorconsideredhalfcrazy.In1899, theSerbianinventorNikolaTeslaclaimedthatwhilehewasworkinginhisColoradoSpringslaboratory,hereceivedenergysignalsfromMarsin the form of clicks. Tesla was much ridiculed, but about a hundred years later, researchersdiscovered that he hadn’t been imagining things: They realized that he’d probably picked up on

naturalradiowavesthatarecommonlytransmittedbygascloudsandothercosmicmaterials.Teslawasavisionarywhosetechnologicalinventionsincludealternatingcurrent;wirelesstelegraphy;thepowerplantatNiagaraFalls;and,mostfamously,theTeslacoilusedinradios(whichgenerateshighvoltage).Allofthesemusthaveseemedcompletelypreposterouswhenhefirstspokeaboutthem.There’sgreatdangerincollapsingtruthsintobeliefsthatlimitus,becausewe’llalwaysbetakenby

surprise in the future.Weknowthat thecuttingedgeofmedical treatment20yearsago isoutdatedtoday, for instance, and that the discoveries of avantgarde physicists that were accepted by thepreviousgenerationhavebeenprovenerroneous.Ourchallengeistomovebeyondoursensethatthere’sonlywhatistrueandwhatisnottrue,and

thatthere’sonlyrealandunreal,withnothinginbetween.Inthesamewaythatwhenwewerechildrenwe believed that communicating long distances through the air, walking on themoon, or cloningwere “impossible”—strict beliefs aboutwhat can and can’t be done prevent us from dreaming theworldwedesire.

AchievingBeginner’sMindWecanreturntoamorecreative,open,childlikewayofbeingbymakingsimplechangesinour

routinesandhabits,suchaseatingwiththeoppositehand,takingadifferentroutehome,andsmilinginsteadoffumingwhenwe’reupset.Wecanshatterourcomplicitywiththemediocrityaroundusandopenourselvesuptoamuchwiderrangeofpossibilities.Nowit’simportantnottogetstuckintheliteralinterpretationofthispractice.TherewasaCEOof

amajorcorporationwhowastoldbyaconsultantthathewouldbecomemorecreativeifhetookhisshoesoffwhileattendingbusinessmeetings.Itmayhavemadesomedifferenceinhisabilitytobreakoutofhisusualwayof thinking,but thisgestureonitsownwasn’tenoughtomakeadifferenceinhowhe ranhisbusiness.He thoughthe’d foundamagicbullet, a shortcut tocreativity,buthewasonlybreakingoutof theconfinesofhis shoeson themost literal level.Heneeded to letgoof thebeliefsthatwereholdinghiminplace—inotherwords,thesoulheneededtosetfreewasnotthesoleofhisfoot.The following exercisewill help you open yourself up to the new by getting rid ofwhat’s not

workingforyou.

EXERCISE:CleartheJunkOutofYourLifeTopracticebeginner ’smind,youmustclearthedebrisoutofyourlife.Atthelevelofserpent,this

means emptyingyour closets of all the junk and “collectibles” youknowyoudon’t needbut havebeenreluctanttogetridof.(Afteryoudie,yourchildrenwillthrowitallawayanyway.)Thisclutterkeeps you tied to the past—that stuffed animal youwon at the county fair, that college sweatshirtyou’ve out-grown and have no occasion to wear anyway, and so on. You’ll still remember thepleasuresofthoseexperiences,butwithoutthetangiblesymbolsthatarestuffingyourclosets.Throwawaythat lava lampyounever liked,whichrepresents the lifestyleyou thoughtyouwere

supposedtohavebackinyourbacheloryears.Letgoofthebooksyoufeelyoureallyoughttoreadsomedayand thecraftprojectsyou feel compelled tocompleteeven thoughyou’ve lost interest inthem.Allowyourself to release the expectationsyouhadofyourself, andaccept that you’vemadedifferentchoices.Clearoutyourattic,yourbasement,andyourover-loadedbookshelvesandCDracks.Letgoofthe

beliefthatyouhavetocontinuetopossessanyobjectthatmightbe“worthsomething.”Giveittothelessfortunate,ratherthanclingingtotheillusionthatthemoreobjectsyoupossess,themoresecurityandprosperityyouhave.Makeyourhome,desk,car,closet,andmindminimalistspaces.

At the level of jaguar,we practice beginner ’smind by chucking limiting beliefs about scarcity,

abundance,intimacy,andself-worth.Ultimately,werealizethateverybelief is limiting,andwetossthemall into the recyclingbin.We thendevelop ahypothetical relationshipwith theworld, testingevery notion we have for its usefulness. We under-stand that “believing is seeing,” and that theuniversewillvalidateeverybeliefweholdaboutthenatureofreality.At the level of the sacred, beginner ’s mind means not identifying with our thoughts. From the

perspective of hummingbird,weunderstand that every thought is an affirmation that reinforces anunconsciousmentalmodelaboutthenatureofreality.Whenwestopidentifyingwithourthoughts,theego dissolves, because it stems from the belief that I think, therefore I am.We need to take everysingle belief we have about the nature of our reality and fling it in the fire. After they’ve beenincinerated,we’refreetoreinventourselvesandourworld.Andthen,fromtheperspectiveofeagle,theamateurwithinusfindsthetruebeloved—Spirit.

ThePracticeofLivingConsequentlyThesecondpractice in thewayof theseerentails thatyou recognize the impacteachactionyou

takehasonfuturegenerations.ManyNativeAmericansbelievethattheireveryactaffectsthedestinyofsevengenerations into the future;Earthkeepersunderstand thateven thoughtshavean impactontomorrow,sothey’remindfulofeveryimageandfeelingtheyexperience.Theexceptioniswhenyouactfromthelevelofeagle.Heretherearenoulteriormotivesforyour

actions, since thereareno thoughtsor images.Youdon’t seekpersonalgain; rather,youuseyourpersonal power for the good of all. When you do so, your actions don’t disturb the ripples oftomorrowbecauseyou’reinperfectharmonywiththematrixofcreation.Youractionsarelikeburntseedsthatnolongerbearanyfruit,andyouaren’taccruingkarma—you’reinperfectayni.On a practical level, as Earthkeeperswe don’t become so self-involved thatwe leave a trail of

destructionbehindusaswenoisilytrompapathinthewoods.Whenwe’reawareoftheeffectsofouractionssevengenerationsdowntheroad,wedon’t try tocalculate justhowmuchpollutionwecandumpintotheenvironmentandstillprotectourprofitmargin;instead,werecognizethetruecostofpoisoningour resources.We’reaware thatourchildren’schildrenwillbedrinking thesamewaterandbreathingthesameairthatweare.I clearly remember one summerwhen I was a teenager. I was riding in a car with four ofmy

friends,andIpulledacartonofmilkoutofourcooler.IwasabouttotakeaswigwhenIrealizedthatithadturnedsour;indisgust,Ithrewitoutthewindow.Immediately,Isawthecartonlyinginnakedcontrasttothebeautifulgreenforestalongsidetheroad,anditsuglinessmadeapowerfulimpressiononme.NowwheneverI’mhiking,IpickupanygarbageIsee.It’ssoeasytodo,andIknowthatbyremovingthe litter, I’mbeautifyingtheforest,notonlyformyselfandforotherswhomightcomealong,butforgenerationstocome.Livingconsequentlymeansthatwithouthavingtoagonizeoverit,youselltheSUVandchooseto

limityourburningof fossil fuelsbecauseyouknow that suchavehicle’s exhaustwill cut a largerhole in the ozone layer. It means that when you purchase something, you recognize that you’re

supportingthatstoreorcompanyanditspolicies,soyouspendalittlemoremoneytobuytheitemfrom one whose ethics you subscribe to, one who respects the environment and compensates itsworkerswell.When you practice living consequently, you’re fully conscious of the impact of each thought,

intention,andactionyouhave,andyoutakecaretomakethempositiveandhealinginsteadofselfishanddestructive.Yourecognizewhenyou’reactingoutoffear,andyoudeliberatelychoosetoactoutofloveinstead.Youtakefullresponsibilityforallyouractions,andtheuniversenoticesthis,makingyourgood(aswellasyourbad)karmaimmediate.Sinceyougetinstantfeedbackandsupportforallofyouractions,youwon’tleavethegrocerystorewhentheclerkhasgivenyoutoomuchchange—you’llfeelcompelledtoreturnit.Thenyou’llgettherewardbacktenfold.

EmotionalandGenerationalCursesInthispractice,wealsobecomeawareoftheconsequencesofourbehavior.Theemotionalwounds

we cause to others can be so powerful that they can be felt not only over a lifetime, but forgenerations. In theAmazon, they refer to these as generational curses: The terror that a troubledmother inflicts on her daughters is felt by their daughters and their daughters’ daughters, and theharshpunishmentafatherexactsonhissonisfeltbymanygenerations.Thisoperatesonacollectivelevelaswell.Forexample,thelegacyofcolonialismandslaverydidn’tdisappearwhentheoriginalslavesdied—theirexperiencesaffectedthewaytheyraisedtheirchildrenandthewaythosechildrenraisedtheirchildren.Thisisalsotrueinfamilieswherethere’salcoholism,mentalillness,orabuse.EventhegrandkidsofpeoplewholosteverythingduringtheGreatDepressionstilldealwithissuesofscarcity.Generationalcursesareofteninvisibletous,sincewe’rebornwiththemandconsiderthempartof

our“skin.”It’simportanttobeawareofsuchlegaciessothatwecanhealtheminsteadofdamningour children to living in reaction to awound thatwas inflictedonourgrandmother 75years ago.Living consequently means healing this wound rather than passing it on as an inheritance to ourchildren.Whenyoubelievethatsomeoneyou’reclosetoiscaughtinthegripofastorythatisnotherown,

you can offer wisdom, guidance, and support. But please keep in mind that if you become self-righteous andplay the roleofnoble rescuer, youcast her in the roleofhaplessvictimwhoneedssome“tough love,” andyou start to imposeyourdogmaonher.There’snothingmore frustratingthanhearingsomeonesmuglysay,“Dropyourstoryalreadyandgetoverit.”

ThePracticeofTransparencyYoupracticetransparencywhenyoustophidingthepartsofyourselfthatmakeyouuncomfortable.Oncewhen Iwas getting on a bus in the Inka highlandswith donAntonio, he chose to become

invisible to everyone butme. I could see him, but I soon realized that no one else could.We hadseveralbusestotakeonourjourney,andtomyamazement,everytimewelinedupandboarded,thebusdriversaskedfortheticketsofeverytravelerexceptmymentor—itwasasiftheylookedrightthroughhim.Atonepoint,aheavysetwomancarryingasmallchildandachickencameonboard,andIwouldn’thavebeensurprisedifshe’dsatdownondonAntonio’slap,unabletoseethathewasrighttherenexttome.Whenwepracticetransparency,however,wedon’thavetodoit literally.Itsimplymeansthatwe

allowothers toseeusand thatwehavenothing tohide.Afterall, it’swhatwe’re trying toconcealthat’s actually the most visible to other people. When we see an arrogant man bossing someonearoundorbraggingabouthimself,weclearlyseethatunderneathallthatbluster,he’sinsecureabouthispowerandimportance.Whenweseealovelyyoungwomandressedinbaggyclothingwithherhairhidingherface,weknowthatshe’sfeelingunattractiveandfearfulofrejection.Butwehidemorethanourinsecurities.Oftentimeswehideourbeautyandpoweraswellbecause

we’re uncomfortable with them or fear the consequences of letting our light shine. One of mystudents, for instance, was a very smart young woman who was married to an older man. Shecontinuallymaskedher intelligencebecauseherhusbandfoundit threatening.Aftercompletinghertraining, she realized that she could no longer pretend to be a trophywife—so she persuaded herspousetojoinherbookclubandengageinactivitieswithherthatshefoundintellectuallystimulating.Practicingtransparencydoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetobecomeatarget.Ifyou’vechosentowalka

spiritualpath,youdon’thavetohideitforfearofridicule.Anotherofmystudentsisanurseandfeltthe need to conceal the fact that shewas a healer and practiced energymedicinewith her hospitalpatients(aswellasperformingherconventionalmedicalduties,ofcourse).Shewasafraidthatatanytimeshemightbediscoveredandfired,andperhapsloseherlicense.Butasherpatientskeptgettingbetteranddoctorscontinuedtotrytoplacetheirpatientsonherfloor,sherealizedthatshewastryingtohidehergreatestasset.Shedidn’tneedtoexplaintoanyonewhatshedidorbelievedin—sheonlyhad to reveal herself, at the level of the sacred, which is beyond words and explanation, andacknowledgewhatotherscouldalreadysee.Whenwehavenothinglefttohide,webecometransparent.Inmypreviousbooks,whichwerequite

autobiographical,Irevealedalotaboutmyself.PeopleaskedmeifIwasconcernedthatstrangersaswellasfriendsnowknewsomuchaboutme,andIexplainedthatIwasactuallyhappythatInowhadnothinglefttoconceal.Allofmyfailingsandfoibleswereoutthereintheopen,andIdidn’thavetoexpendenergytocoverthemup.Hidingourtrueselvesattracttousthosewhoembodythatwhichwekeepsecret.Itexternalizesour

healingprocess,entanglingusinanotherperson’sdramaandleavingusmorevulnerableandfragilethanwewerebefore. It also causesus tobecome identifiedwith a story, such as “I’measily takenadvantageof,soIneedtoacttoughandabrasiveinthisnegotiation,”or“I’measilyhurt,soI’dbetternotattractalover.”Weburytheunhealedpartofourselvesdeepinside,andthewoundremainsthereuntilsomeonecomesalongtorubalittlesaltonittoremindusofourneedforgrowth.Whenwepractice fulldisclosureaboutwhoweareandstop trying tohidepartsofourselves in

ordertopleaseothers,fitin,orpreventourselvesfromexperiencingpain,otherpeoplecanbecomeconfused because they, too, have bought into our old story. It’s okay if those around us don’tunderstandorembraceourmanyfacets—it’shumannaturetotrytocategorizeandpigeonholeeachother,eventhoughwe’reallabundleofcontradictions.Soatthelevelofserpent,ItellpeoplethatI’mananthropologist.Injaguar,IletthemknowthatIstudyhowwemakeourselvesillandhowwecanmakeourselveswell,and that Ialso trainWesternshamans. Inhummingbird, I look into theireyesandsaynothingbecausewordscannotdescribemybeing.Ineagle,IinvitethemtotastetheOneSpiritthatweshare.MoststrangersIsitnext toonairplanesarecontent tolearnthatI’mateacheroranthropologist.

Theyhaveawaytotagme,andthenwecangoontotalkabouttheweather.Idon’tneedtoexplaintothem that there are realms beyondwhatwe can see or hear.But I don’t hidewho I am—if Imeetsomeonewho’strulycuriousandIbelieveitcanmakeadifference,Italktohimorheronaspirituallevelandwediscussthingsofrealsubstance.Transparencymeans establishing congruence betweenwhoyou say you are andwhoyou really

are.Itmeans“walkingyourtalk.”Butyoucan’tshowyourtrueselftootherswhenyoudon’tknow

who you are. In an earlier exercise, you learned that you’re not your roles: You’re not mother,executive, son, or daughter, but these are parts that you play, and you can’t be contained by suchlimiteddefinitions.Therealyouistheseer,whoobservesallyoudoyetisunaffectedbyanyofyourthoughtsoractions.Thisistheonewhocan’tbedefinedbyanyrole,age,orsocialstanding.

ThePracticeofIntegrityYoupracticeintegritybybeingtruetoyourwordandrecognizingitspowertocreatereality.After

all, in theBible, it’s said that “in thebeginningwas theWord…and theWordwasGod.”That is,everythingwascreatedfromtheWord.Inthesameway,thequalityofyourcreationisdeterminedbyhowtrueyouaretoyourword.Whatyousayismoreimportantthananylegaldocumentbecauseitsets a selected destiny intomotion—it gives the universe consistent instructions about the kind ofrealityyouwanttocreate.For the Laika, there is nothing more important than being true to one’s word, so they’re very

careful about what they say to themselves and others. They believe that to utter a single negativesyllabletosomeoneistocastacurse,andthattosaysomethingpositiveistogiveablessing.Ifyouweretosaytosomeone,“Areyouokay?You’renotlookingverywelltoday,”bytheendoftheday,she would be ill. Similarly, if youwere to remark, “You’re looking radiant,” even if that personwasn’tactuallyfeelingthatway,withinhoursorminutesshewouldbebeaming.Butwhatifthatpersonreallyislookinglikehell?Tobetruetoyourwordmeansthatyoucan’tlie

toher.Whatyoucandoisseetheaspectofyourfriendthatisalwaysradiant,regardlessofwhatshemight begoing through that day, andmirror that back to her.Youmight say, “Howare things? IsthereanythingIcandoforyou?”Oryoucoulduseyourwords to remindherofherbeauty:“I’malwayssogladtoseeyou.Yourpresenceissouplifting.”Thenyourwordsdelivertruthandbeautytoyourfriend.Whatyourepeattoyourselfisequallypowerful,suchasI’maloser,I’mnotassmartasso-and-so,

orI’llneverfindlove,soyoumustbecareful.IfyourinnerthoughtisI’mnogood,thenyou’lldamnyourselftofailureatwhateveryouattempt.Yourword isavowthatyoumake.And themoreyou liveaspiritual life, themorepoweryour

wordcarriesandthelessleewayyouhavetofudge.IexperiencedafunnyexampleofthisonarecenttriptoIndia.IstoppedinRishikesh,aholycityalongtheGanges,whereIwascontinuallypesteredbyshopkeepersofferingmetheirwares.Afterawhile,togetthemtostophawkingtheirgoods,IbegantellingthemthatIwouldcomebacklater.“Youpromise?”theyasked,andIwouldanswer,“Yes,ofcourse.”IknewthatIhadnointentionofreturningtomostofthoseshops,butmyreplyseemedtoworkandbuymealittlepeaceasIwalkedthroughthemarket.YetonmyreturntotheUnitedStates,IspenttheentirefirstweekdreamingthatIwastrappedinthe

shopping bazaars of Rishikesh, haggling with the merchants over articles I didn’t even want.Although I’d never gone back to the shops, I had to keep my word and revisit them during mydreams!Livingtruetoyourwordbuildsaspiritualpowerthat’sessential ifyou’re todreamintobeinga

betterworld.Withoutthispower,yourdreamsneveracquireformandalwaysendupcollapsingjustasthey’reabouttobearfruit.Haveyouevermetsomeoneforwhomeverythingseemedtogoright,onlytofallapartatthelastminute?Hisrelationshipcrumblesjustashe’sabouttogetmarried;herbig business deal always falls through at the 11th hour; or he finds the perfect space to set up hiscoachingpracticeandisabouttohanguphisshingle,onlytofindthatthelandlordhaschangedhermindandwon’tgivehimalease.Becausetheseindividualslackconvictionandtreattheirwordasif

itdoesn’thavemuchpower,theirplansinevitablyfallthrough.Ratherthantryingtostrong-armtheuniverseintocomplyingwithyourwishes,practicebeingtrue

toyourword,andbuildupyourreservesofpersonalpower.Thiswillallowyourdreamstobecomeanunstoppableforcethatorganizestheworldthewayyouinstructitto.Whenyoupracticebeingtruetoyourword,youstopmakingexcusesforyourself—whatyousayaffirmstotheuniversethatyoucanbecountedon.

MisusingOurWordWhenwemisuseourword,wesquanderthepersonalpowerthatwe’vebuiltup.Whenweuseour

voicetoblameorcreateshameorguiltinothers,we’repracticingtheworstkindofoffensebecausewe’reusingwhatwesaytodestroyinsteadofcreate.It’sworseforafathertoangrilytellhisdaughter“You’re stupid!” than tobeatherwitha stick—thephysicalbruisesheal,but theemotionalwoundscausedbythoseangrywordsformascarthatthechildwillcarryformanyyears.Misusing ourword depletes our personal power, sowe can then only daydream.Whenwe lose

enoughofourpower,ourrealitycanonlymirrortheworldaroundus,causingustobemiredinthecollectivenightmareofourtimes.Aprimeexampleofhowwemisusethewordisgossip,whichhasbecomethebreadandbutterof

ourculture today.Wespeakpoorlyaboutothersbehind theirbackswithout thinkingmuchabout it,feelingasenseofcamaraderieandsolidaritywiththosewegossipwithandenjoyingthatwe’re“intheclub”—thatwe’reokaywhileothersarenot.Ourdefenseofgossipisthatit’strue:ourfather-in-lawreallyisaknow-it-all,ourneighborisa

genuinely awful parent, and thatHollywood actor is a true nut.Yetwhenwe practice integrity,wedon’tmisuseourwordinthisway.Instead,weallowourselvestoseetheknow-it-all’sinsecurityandneed to feel smart and important, and we can have compassion for him.We understand that ourneighborisn’tmalicious,butoverwhelmedbystressandfrightenedthatherchildwillembarrassherorturnoutbadly.Andwerealizethatwedon’tknowpublicfiguresatall.Inotherwords,wefinditinustobekindandoffergentlehelporguidance,knowingthatthisis

more likely to lead to others’ healing and growth than treating them with contempt is. We stopourselvesfromgossipingandfeelingsmugbecauseweknowthatdistractsusfromseeingourownflawsandaddressingthem.Werecognizetheseindividualsasourteachersandaregratefultothemforremindingusthatwewanttobeabletoacceptothersinalltheirimperfection.Gossipisapoisonthatmakesusfeelrightaboutourselvesattheexpenseofanother.Everytimewe

muckrake,wecastacurseuponourtargetthatwillbringmisfortunetousandtohim.Ourwordswillinstallanenergeticcordtothatperson,thusensuringthatheorsomeonelikehimwillbebroughtintoourlifeinthefuture.Wegetmanychancestopracticebeingtruetoourwordwhenwedealwithourfamiliesbecause

with them, we do a large part of our emotional growing—first with our parents, then with ourspouses,andlaterwithourchildren.Keepingourwordwithlovedonesisthemostdifficultaswellasthemostrewardingchallenge,asourchildrenandspousesalwaysholdusaccountable.Mydaughterwill say tome,“ButDad,youpromised thatwewould… ,”andshe’salmostalways right.Then Imakemyselfstopworkingandtakehertowhateveractivitywehadagreedtodo.IfIcan’tstopwhatI’mdoingjustthen,Inegotiateforabitmoretime.ButIdon’ttrytoweaseloutofmyagreement.I’velaidthegroundworkforcommunicationwithmydaughterbasedonintegrity,onbeingtrueto

myword,andonmakingsuremywordistrue.Soonceinawhile,she’llcomeupandsay,“ButDad,youpromised… ,”andburstout laughingbecause sheknows it’snot true.Then she’ll amendher

wordstosay,“Iwouldloveitifwecould…”Weshowothersthroughexamplethatintegrityisthehighestformofspiritualpractice,nomatterhowdifficultitmightbetomaintainattimes.Thepracticeofintegrityalsorequiresthatweownourmistakes.Sooftenwe’reembarrassedwhen

werealizethatwe’vegoofed,andwetrytocoveritbyprojectingthemistakeontosomeoneelse.Ourmindschatteraway,rapidlytellingus,“Hewassodifficult toworkwiththathemadeit impossibleforme to stick to our agreement,” and “If she would have communicated better, I wouldn’t havescrewed up.” We’ll always find ourselves involved in conflicts, misunderstandings, anddisagreements;however,whenwepracticeintegrity,wechoosenottogetdefensiveorcastblameandwriteastoryinwhichwe’rethevictimsofsomeoneelse’sbullying.Whenweavoidtakingresponsibilityforourmistakesandtrytocoverthemupwithhalf-truthsand

outright falsehoods,weweave a tangledweb of deceptions thatwe get lost in.Wemay even startbelieving the lieswe’ve told, even if theymakeno sense.Wemightdestroyour relationshipswithothersandruinourreputations.Buttheworstdamageisthatwewastethepersonalpowerwecouldbeusingtodreamaworldofbeautyintobeing.Owning your mistakes means not just acknowledging them but correcting them and making

amends.I’mremindedofamanIknowwhowentdoor-to-doorsellingacureforDutchelmdiseasetohomeownersback in the late1960s,whentheafflictionwasravagingmanycity trees.Myfriendreally believed in this cure—in fact,whenhe realizedmonths later that it didn’twork after all, heactuallywentbackoutandcontactedeachoneofhiscustomerstoofferthemarefund.Finally,pleasenotethatbeingtruetoyourwordmeansneverwithholdingit.It’sextraordinaryhow

manywrongscanbesetrightwithasimple“Forgiveme.”Formanyyears,Ifeltawfulbecausemyfather never said, “I love you.” But later in my life, when I understood the terrible cost of notspeakingyourword,Iforgavehimanddevelopedcompassiontowardhim.Irealizedhowdifficultitmusthavebeenforhimnottobeabletoexpresshisfeelings.When we recognize that words have power and the most incidental events can be fraught with

meaning,we’rereadytogobeyondhummingbirdtothelevelofperceptioninwhichwedon’tneedtoanalyze, visualize, or do anything to understand our world or change our dream.When we’re ateagle,weexperienceourselvesinthedreamandknowthatwe’rethedreamer.Weknowthatalthoughwecanchangethedream,everythingisjustasit’ssupposedtobebecausewefeelourselvesatonewithSpirit,whosedreamisalwaysperfectexactlyasitis.

INSIGHT4

TheWayoftheSageTobeasagemeansthatwhenyoulookaroundyou,youperceiveonlybeauty.Inthischapter,you’llcometounderstandhowevery-thingyouexperienceisaprojectionofyour

inner land-scape, or dream. This means that nothing ever happens to you and no one ever doesanythingtoyou,sinceyou’rethecreatorofeacheventandincidentinyourlife.Soyouneverneedtofix anything in the outer world—if you want to transform some circumstance that appears to beoutsideofyourself,youjustneedtoownitandchangeitwithin.For theLaika, theworld is a screen thatweproject ourmovie onto.This doesn’tmean that the

worldisn’treal…theworldisveryreal.Wesimplyconfusetheimageweprojectwithreality,tryingtochange theactionon thescreenwhenwhatwe reallyneed todo isedit themovieorchange thescriptentirely.Onceyouunderstandthatyoucandothiswheneveryouwant,you’llforeverceasetobeahelplessvictimoraninnocentbystander.Ifyourpartnersaysanangrywordtoyou,you’llhealitwithin.Andwhileyoucan’tchangewhat

hesaid(nothingcan—notpsychotherapy,noranangryretort),youcanchangeyourexperienceofit.When you’re no longer disturbed by your partner ’s words, he’ll be less motivated to project hisunhealedpartsontoyou.Orifyou’relatetotheairportandmissyourflight,youcan’tchangethat,butyoucanhealitinsideofyourself,andtheneverythingwillturnoutexactlyasitshould.Whenyouknowthatyou’redreamingupeverythingthat’shappening,youcanthenunderstandthatmissingyourflightisonlypartofalargermovieyouwrote—evenifyou’reunawarethatyoudid,infact,penityourself.Justasyoudon’trememberdreamingduringthenight,youcanalsoforgetthatyou’revisualizing

whileawake.You’veprobablyhadtimesinwhichyouwereawarethatyouwereinthemiddleofadream,andperhapsyoueventoldyourselfthatyouneededtorememberituponawakening.Thisisknownasluciddreaming.Overmillennia,theEarthkeepersdevelopedpracticestohelpthembecomeconscious during their sleep, thus influencing their experiences in the dreamtime. They alsodevelopedmethodstohelpthemrememberthatthey’redreamingwhileawakesothattheycandirecttheir waking images with more grace and lucidity. You’ll learn these disciplines later on in thischapter.

TheRoleofConsciousDreamingWeinteractwiththedomainofvibrationandlightthroughthepracticeofconsciousdreaming. In

humming-bird,wepraywithoutusingwords,perhapsseeingthejobwewantcomingthroughaswevisualizeabundance.Butwhenwestepintoeagle,wedon’tlimitourselvestothevisionofabowlofriceorabeachhouse inanattempt todefineandcontrolhowtheprosperitywecreatemanifests—instead,welettheuniversetakecareofthedetails.Wemaywanttosayasupplicant’sprayer,askingGodtocureourfriend’sAIDSorhelpusgeta

jobsoon,butthisisnotthepracticeofconsciousdreaming.Yousee,whenwedreamfromthelevel

ofeagle,webecomeonewithSpirit,auniversalstreamthat’sbiggerthanweare;yetitisonethatwecanenter,navigate, anddirect inorder tobring forthwhatwedesire.Wemergewith this riverofvibrationandlight,becomingitstides,andtheburstsoforangeandyellowthataresunsnotyetbornpulsatewithinus.ThenourwillandthatofSpiritareone,and“mayThywillbedone”acquiresanewsignificance.Wechangeourenergeticvibrationandattracttousandothersthatwhichvibratesinasimilarlydivinemanner.AnEarthkeeperpracticesdreamingbyallowinghermindtobecomesilent.Likethesurfaceofa

lakethatisabsolutelystill,itreflectseverythingperfectly.Butassoonasagentlebreezepicksup,thesurfaceofthewaterbreaksintoripples,causingthemindtoreflectonlyitself.ALaikaisabletostillthewatersofhermindsothattheyperfectlyreflecttheinfinitepossibilitiesthatexist.Thenshecanenterthematrixofcreation,whereshedisappearsandonlySpiritremains.We,too,canembodyprosperityandactuallydreamitintobeing.Whenwebecomepeace,serenity,

andabundance,thesewillprevailinourlives.

TheWorldasYouDreamItIfyou’rewonderingwhatitwouldbeliketodreamabetterworld,don’tworry—you’veprobably

alreadyexperiencedthiseverydaymagicatsomepoint.Maybeyouwereinsuchawonderfulmoodthatyousmiledattheclerkatthegrocerystoreandobservedhermoodliftinresponsetoyours.Orperhaps you were able to calm someone who was fearful by just being present and embodyingbraveryasyousatnexttohimandheldhishand.When we’re at the perspective of eagle, our effect on the world is very great, even if we’re

unawareof it.Wehavemuchmorepower thanwe thinkwehave.Remember the theory inphysics(whichIrelatedearlier inthisbook)aboutthebutterflyflappingitswingsinBeijingandcausingatropicalstormintheIndianOcean?Theminusculechangeintheatmospherecreatedbythebutterfly’smovementcanactuallyresultinasignificantchangeintheweatherthousandsofmilesaway.Sowhileit’simpossibletostoptheswirlingwindsofatropicalstormattheliterallevel,whatifwecouldfindthatstormwhenit’sstillawhisperonthebutterfly’swing?Wecouldstopdisasterslongbeforetheyhappenandplantseedsthatwouldyieldtremendousfruit.However,wemustkeepinmindthatifwe’reabletopreventthebutterflyfromcausingastormin

theIndianOcean,ouractionmight justsparkonein theCaribbeaninstead.Sorather thantryingtopreventstorms,werecognizethatthey’reapartofnatureandweexistinharmonywiththem.Fromeagle,werealizethatnothingneedstobechanged,thateverythingisperfectasitis,initsownway.Thenwe’re free tochangeanythingwewishbecauseweno longerhavean investment in rightingsomewrong.

HealingtheWorldWithinImaginethatyoucouldchangeanythingonEarth.Whatwouldyourworldbelikeifanythingwere

possible?WouldyouendhungerinAfrica?Stopthekillingofthewhales?BringpeacetotheMiddleEast?Whateveryouwishtodo,it’ssomethingyouneedtohealwithinyou;thatis,youmustembodyhealing,peace,abundance,harmony,orwhateverqualityyoudesiretoexperienceintheworld.Let’ssaythatyouwanttosavethewhales.Well,youdon’thavetoleaveyourjob,yourfamily,and

all your responsibilities, board aGreenpeace boat, and stop awhale hunt. In fact, if your passionbecomeszealotry,itmaybeasignthatyourintentisnotactuallytosavethewhales,soyouprobably

won’tgetveryfarinhelpingthem.Whenyourtrueintentistohealthewoundedcreaturewithinyou,youbecomeblindtohowyoucanactuallyhelpthoseoutsideofyou.Youbecomeself-righteousandrefuse to consider any options thatmight result in something less than a 100 percent victory.Youcloseyourselfofftocreativesolutions,compromise,andnegotiation,andreachastalemate…whilethewhalehuntingcontinues.It’s much better to address your unhealed nature. Rid yourself of your “inner Ahab,” who has

becomeanobsessivepredator,andstop“harpooning”othersjustbecauseyoufeelthatyou’vebeenhuntedandtrappedandsome-oneneedstobepunishedforit.Wheneveryourpassionisoutofsyncwith your effectiveness, consider whether the discrepancy is a result of your needing to heal astrugglewithinyou,ratherthanprojectingitontotheworld.Whenwhat’sinsideyouisfree,what’soutsideyoucanbeliberatedaswell.Theoppositeofzealotry,whichisrootedintheunhealedpartsofourselves, isapathy.Insteadof

seeingthepossibilityofhealingwithinandopeningthemselvesuptodreamingsomethingnew,toomanypeoplefeeloverwhelmedandgiveup.Apathyisrampantintheworldtodaybecausesomanyofus have allowedourselves to fall asleep. I believe that this apathy is a side effect of the collectivenightmarethatmakesuscloseoureyes,driftoff,andignoretheneedorsufferingofothers—alongwithourownabilitytomakeadifference.It’sourjobtoco-createreality,partneringwiththedivine.IntheWesternstoryofcreation,onthe

seventhdayGodfinishedmakingtheworld,andallthatwaslefttodowasthenamingoftheplantsandanimals.InthestoryofcreationfortheLaika,ontheseventhdaytheGreatSpirittoldthehumans,“ForIhavecreatedtheplanets,thestars,thebutterfly,theeagle,andthewhale.Truly,theyarethingsof beauty.Nowyou finish it.”For theLaika, creation is not complete:Wehave to not only be thestewardsofalllife,butwemustalsofinishtheprocessofcreation.Dreamingtheworldintobeingisnotonlyagift,it’sacallingandaresponsibility.Ifwedon’tanswerthecall,whowill?

WorkingwiththeIntelligenceoftheUniverseTherearemanywonderfulworksoffictionabouttimetravel,whichareinevitablycautionarytales

aboutwhathappenswhenwetinkerwitheventsthatweremeanttobe.Onsomelevelweknowthattheuniversehas its ownwisdom, and stoppingwhatweperceive as adisastermight result in another,greateroneelsewhere.TheLaikasimilarlyknowthatwecanchangejustaboutanythingwewantinourworld,aslongas

we’rewillingtotakeonthekarma.Atthelevelofserpent,wetrytochangethingsbyforce;atjaguar,wechangethingsthroughwill;athummingbird,wechangethingsthroughvisualization;andateagle,wechangethingsthroughdreaming.Whenwe’reperceivingatthelevelofserpent,karmaseemstocatchupveryslowly,whichiswhysomepeopleseemtogetawaywithterribleactionswithimpunity.Atjaguar,weexperienceourkarmaabitfaster,alwayswithinthislifetime.Athummingbird,karmaisimmediate, so we feel the results of our actions instantaneously: Good deeds yield immediateblessings,andbadactionsbringaboutinstantconsequences.Ineagle,thereisnokarma,becausethereisonlySpiritand“mayThywillbedone.”When you let your ego rule and insist that you must control events, you end up in a constant

struggle against the universe. Yet you can choose to simply bewith that butterfly in Beijing—notpushingitorwillingorvisualizingittodoanythingotherthanwhatit’sdoing.Yourverypresencewillcreatebalanceandhealing;andyou,thebutterfly,thewind,andthestormbecomeone.It’sdifficultforusintheWesttotrustthatwecanachievepeaceandhappinessifwe’renotdoing

somethingactivetobringitabout,butembodyingpeaceandhappinessdoesbringitabout.Ouregosdon’twantustobelievethatwecanhaveinfinitepowerbyimmersingourselvesinthewisdomoftheuniverse,butit’strue.For example,many young people today are fascinated bywitchcraft because they think itmight

givethemachancetohaveagreaterinfluenceoverwhathappenstothem.Theywanttobelievethatiftheyfollowaspell’sinstructionstotheletter,they’llbeablestopabullyfrompickingonthem,makea popular kid like them, ormagically become as physically attractive as amovie star. They don’trealize that real magic doesn’t come from chanting incantations or mixing together herbs with amortar and pestle, but from shifting one’s perception and embodying confidence and grace. TheLaikacertainlydon’thavetowearclothingthatindicatestheirpowerandposition—whentheyenterahome,foodappearswithouttheirhavingtoaskforit,andblessingsarebestowedwithouthavingbeenrequested.Theirpresencehasaradiancethatothersrespondto,andwordsorsymbolsofpowerareunnecessary.I remember hiking through theAltiplanowith donAntonio years ago and arriving at a village

whereithadn’trainedformanymonths.Thehighmountainlagoons,whichstoredthetown’swaterduring the arid summer months, had begun to dry out. When they saw us coming, the villagersgreetedusandaskedmymentortocalltherains.TheoldLaikaaskedforahutwherehecouldfastandmeditate;forfourdays,hehadonlywatertodrink.Iwas starting to get concernedwhen he emerged in the early afternoon of the fourth day.Don

Antoniostartedwalkingtotheedgeofthevillage,towherethemountainsbeganaprecipitousdroptotheAmazonbasin,andtoldmethathewasgoingto“prayrain.”Icorrectedhim,sayinghemustmeanhewasgoingtoprayforrain,andhesaid,“No,Iamgoingtoprayrain.”Hecamebacktwohourslater,andthereweregreatbigthundercloudsoverhead.Withinminutes,

therainsbrokeout.Allthevillagersweredancingwithjoyandthankinghim,butheexplainedthathehaddonenothing—ithadsimplyrained.Atthatmoment,Iunderstoodwhatmyteacherhaddone.Hehadsteppedintoeagle,anddissolved.

Hehadceasedtoexistforthatinstant,whichwasinfinite.TherewasonlySpiritthere,andthusnoonetoprayto.Hesimplyprayedrain.Anditcame.LateronIaskedhimwhyithadtakensolong:Didhealwaysneedtofastandprayforfourdays

when he wanted to enter the level of eagle? He answered that when we arrived at the village, henoticedthatitwasoutofayni.Itwassooutofbalance,infact,thathebecameoutofbalance,too.Hecouldn’tdoanythinguntilhewentbackintoayni—whenhedid,sodidthevillage,andtherainscame.Theoldmanknewthateverythingishealedfromwithin.

TheMadMindandtheCollectiveNightmareWhenwediscoverthatwe’redreamingtheworldintobeing,werecognizethatwealsocreatethe

nightmaresofourreality.Sowhydoweconjureuppovertyandtragedy?Theproblemisthemind.Yousee,whileourabilitytothinkisextraordinary,andreasonandlogicarepowerfulandofgreatvalue, the mind itself is crazy. (After years investigating mind-body medicine, I came to therealization that themindcanonlycreatepsychosomaticdisease,nothealth.Theonlyway tocreatepsychosomatichealthistoshutoffthemindcompletely.)In fact, the mind doesn’t really exist, other than as a figure of speech. Even though there’s no

scientificevidenceforitsexistence,wedearlywanttobelieveinitanditspowerbecausewehopethatitholdsthekeytosolvingallourcrises.Thisfascinationwiththemindstartedafteroursearchforthe

soulfailed.First,duringthetimeofMichelangelo,welookedforthesoulintheliver,butitwasn’tthere.Later,welookedforthesoulintheheart…thenwelookedinsidethebrain…andwhenweweren’tabletofinditineitherplace,wesettledfortheideaofthemind.In the1950s,psychologicalnotionsof themindbecamepopularwith the riseof identity theory,

whichholdsthatstatesandprocessesofthemindareidenticaltostatesandprocessesofthebrain.Amachinethatperformsmagneticresonanceimaging(MRI)canshowthatfeelingsofcom-passionareassociatedwitharegionofourbrain,evenasangrythoughtsshowupinanotherregion.However,inthe1990s,neuroscientistCandacePert,Ph.D.,sharedherdiscoverythatthebody,notthebrain,isthesubconscious mind, and that it communicates via neuropeptides, which are molecules that areproducedbyeverythoughtwehave.Dr.Pertdiscoveredthatthoughtshaveabiochemicalcomponent:Whilethoughtsarereal,neuropeptidesarereal,andthebrainisreal,whatwethinkofasthemindisactuallyjusttheegoindisguise.

TheNatureofThoughtsThoughtsaredifferentfromideas:Anideaiswhenitoccurstoyoutogotothestoreorattenda

yoga class,while a thought is the incessant brain chatter that’s turned on theminute youwake up.Thoughtsareoftenlong-winded:IfIgotothestorenow,Iwon’thaveenoughtimetomakemyyogaclass,andthenIknowI’llbeoutofsorts,somaybeIshouldgotoyogafirst.…Orathoughtmaybeajudgment:Thatyogaclassistoohard.Unlikeideas,whicharefreshandoriginal,thoughtsarememoriesthataretriggeredbysomething

in the present. For example, if you smell a rose, you’re there in the fragrantmoment, not pullingyourself back to think about the scent. Yet as soon as you think rose or red, you’re making anassociationwithsomethingyoulearned,thusremovingyourselffromtheexperience.Whenthereisnothought,thereisjustthescent;whenthoughtsenterthepicture,youlosethemoment.In fact,most of our thoughts are disguisedmemories of experiences that occurred in the early

yearsofourlives,beforewewereborn,oreveninformerlifetimes.Whenwewerekids,weplacedeverythinginourmouthsandtastedtheworld.Laterweplayedforhoursinthesandboxorwithourtoysandgotlostindaydreams.Thenaroundtheageofseven,thoughtsbegantoappearinforce:Westarted to acquire a sense of self and discoverwherewe ended and theworld began.Wewere nolongerabsorbedintherealmoftouch,taste,smell,andfeel.Priortothistime,wehadnothoughts—weonlyhadexperiences.Afterward,ourauthenticexperiencesbecamefewerandfeweruntil,inouroldage,webecomehauntedbycontinualthoughtsofwhatoncewas.Every thought that rumbles around in your brain is a replay of a drama inwhich youwere the

victim,rescuer,orperpetrator.Stopforamomentandlisten:Whatareyouthinkingofevenasyoureadthisbook?Rememberthatthoughtsarenotoriginal,brilliant,orcreative—yourinstinct,ideas,andabilitytodreamare.Wefinditimpossibletothinkoutsidetheboxbecausethoughtsarethebox.Andwhenweidentify

withourthoughts,wesufferacaseofmistakenidentity.Iamnotmythoughts,Isimplyhavethem,inthesamewaythatI’mnotmycar,myhouse,ormyclothes(althoughIhavethoseaswell).Andweknowwhatkindoftroublewegetintowhenwebelievethatweareourcar,ourhome,orourclothes;andwetrytofixaproblembybuyingChanelcoutureoranewsetofgolfclubs.Thoughtsarelikedustthatsettlesonourskinduringalongjourney,formingathickcrust.Aftera

whilewebegintorubaspotrawtogetdowntoourrealselves.Whatweneedtodoisstoprubbingoffthedustinafewplaceshereandthere,likewedowiththerapy,andgetoutthefirehosetowashitalloff.TheLaikadevelopedenergeticpracticesthataccomplishthisinaveryshorttime,byclearing

theimprintsfromourpastetchedinourluminousenergyfield.IhavedescribedtheseindetailinmybookShaman,Healer,Sage,andIteachthemtomystudentsintheHealingtheLightBodySchoolasawaytobringrapidtransformationtothemselvesandtheirclients.Theexerciseyouperformedearlieronhealingthewayyoudiedin threeprevious lifetimes(see

page102),willhelpclearimprintsfromtheLEF.Theexerciseyouwillperformnext,ofdiscoveringthesage,willachieveverypowerfulresults.

EXERCISE:FindingtheSagePause for a moment and become aware of how your thoughts appear and disappear, without

identifyingwiththem.Closeyoureyesandobserveyourthoughtsasiftheywerecloudsforminginanemptyskyand thendissolvingagain.Don’tchase themor try to stoporcontrol them—simplyobservethem.Noticehowafterafewmomentsyou’vedriftedoffontoachainofthoughtsandhaveforgot-tenyourobservationaltogether.Takeadeepbreathandwitnessonceagaintheflurryofthoughtsthatracethroughtheemptyskyof

yourawareness.Don’ttrytocontrolthem,becausethisiswhenthemindappears,eagerto“solve”allthe problems it can. The mind thrives on conflict: When you stop the one within you, the minddisappears,thoughtsmeltaway,andonlythesageremains.Themindisafraidthatyou’lldiscoveritdoesn’texist,anditfiercelywantsyoutopayattentionto

itandvalueit.Butonceyoudiscoverthesage,you’llwashoffthedustfromathousandlifetimesandbeleftwithbaby-softskinthroughwhichtoexperiencetheworld.Youwillhavelostyourmindandcometoyoursenses.

NotIdentifyingwithYourThoughtsInmanyEasterntraditions,thesageisdiscoveredthroughthepracticeofmeditation.Practitioners

spendthefirstfewyearsoftheirstudysittingonacushionobservingthecrazinessofthemind,likeabadmoviereplayingitselfoverandoveragain.WhenIsitdowntomeditateinthemorningandallIcanfocusonis thatmybackhurts,I letmyminddwellonmysoreback.IfI trytoforcemymindbacktomybreathing,IknowI’minforafrustratingtime.WhatIdoissimplyidentifywiththesage,whoisobservingitall,smilingathowsillyeverythingis.There’snoconflict,sothemindgraduallydissolves. My back may still hurt, but I don’t identify with it, nor do I suffer from it. Thoughtscontinuetoappearanddisappear,butmyattentionresideswiththeemptyskythatisthesage.WhenIwishtofindthesage,Iaskmyselfthesesimplequestions:“Whosebackissore?”and“Who

isitthatisaskingthequestion?”AndthereIam,thesage.Youcanpracticethisquerywithanythingyou’redoing.Youcanask,“Who issittingheremeditating?”or“Who is reading thisbook?”Andthen,“Whoisaskingthequestion?”Theultimateanswerwillalwaysbethesage.Onceyoufindthesage,itwillshowyouhowevery-thingyoubelievedtoberealisaprojection.

Theworld is amovie screen, andwhat’s playing is yourdreamornight-mare.The sage sits on acomfortable chairwatching the entire drama unfold. She occasionally gets up to get a cup of tea,knowingthatthefeaturewillstillbeplayingwhenshereturns.Thequestionthatcomesupishowthesagecanbesofoolishastothinkshe’stheactionthat’shappeningonthescreen.Haveyoueverbeensoabsorbedbyabookthatyoulosttrackoftimeandbegantofeelthelivesof

thecharactersinsidethepages?Haveyoueverseenafilmthathadyouintearsormadeyousoafraidthatyouhadnightmaresfordays?Well,we’vesimilarlybeenlulledintoatrancebythemoviecreated

bysocietyandfeelthattheactionwe’reseeingisreal.Butthesagecanchangewhat’sonthescreen—infact,she’stheonlyonewhocan.Thesagefixeseverythingwithin,givingtheactorsnewroles,puttingonanewreel,orturningoff

theprojectorlampaltogether.Shefindsaspiritualsolutiontoeveryproblem,nomatterhowdifficultandchallenging,ratherthantryingtochangethingsatthephysicallevel.Onceyoudiscoverthatyouarethesage,themadnessofthemindtakesuponlyatinyfractionof

your awareness,whereas before, it tookup100percent of your attention.At this point it becomeseasiertoreachtheperceptuallevelofeagle—oldassumptionsdissolveasyoulookatsituationswithneweyes.WhenIpractice thiswithaclientwhocomes toseemebecausehehasa life-threateningcondition,forinstance,Inolongerperceivefear,danger,ordeathastheonlypossibilities;instead,Isimplyseetheopportunityforgreathealing.

RecognizingHowYou’reDreamingtheWorldintoBeingWhenItraveledtoPeruforthefirsttime,Iwasover-whelmedbythepovertyandthebeggarswho

wouldgatheraroundmeinthestreets.IwassomovedbythemiseryIsawthatIwouldgiveawayallof the change I had on me, and at times even the clothes I was wearing. Then one day a friendsuggested that Imake a contribution to one of themany charities in Cusco instead.He explained,“Once you no longer see the unhealed parts of yourself in every one of these children, you’ll nolongerfeelobligedtofeedeverybeggar,andthey’llleaveyoualone.”Ididwhathesuggested.Igaveagenerousdonation(whichwasmuchmorethanIcouldaffordat

thattime)toaCatholicorphanage,andIbegantoconsiderthepossibilitythatallthebarefoot,runny-nosedkids in the streetwere parts ofme.At first Iwas heartbroken anddistraught; butwith time,somethingshifted.InolongerfeltcompelledtohelpeveryoneIsaw,andbyandlarge,thestreetkidsbegantoleavemealone.Mydreamchanged:AsIlookedaroundme,Isawmorethanjustpoverty—Ibegantonoticethebeautyofthelandandpeople.ButfirstIhadtomakeacontributiontoacharityforthisrealizationtohappen.Afterall,thoseboysandgirlsstilllivedinarealitywheretheyhadlittletoeat,andIneededtorespondtothat.An Earthkeeper realizes that while you have to change everything within, you still have a

responsibilitytoothersandtotheplanet.Thewaytomodifythedreamistoowneverythingthatyouperceiveisamisswiththeworld:theugly,theviolent,thebeautiful,andthepowerful.Perceiveeveryhungrychild,violentcriminal,richcelebrity,pollutedriver,andtropicalislandjustasiftheywereadreamandyouwereseeingeverycharacter,setting,andplottwist.ThemythologistJosephCampbelloncesaidthatwhatwecallrealitycomprisesonlythosemyths

andstorieswehaven’tquiteseenthroughyet.Oncewedoso,weunder-standthatthey’rejustfairytales.Wecometothisrealizationbyseeingthroughtheeyesofhummingbird.ThisiswhyIfounditsoeasytobeananthropologist—IcouldarriveatavillageintheupperreachesoftheAmazonandbethe only onewho saw that the emperor has no clothes (in some of the villages I visited, thatwasliterallythecase).We’reabletoseethedreamornightmarethatothersaretrappedinsomuchmoreeasilythanour

own.Wequicklyperceivethatourfriendiscreatinghisownmisery,butwestillthinkthatourowngriefistheresultofsometragedythatbefellus.Butwhenwediscoverthatrealityisreallyadream,we canwake up from the collective nightmare, andwhatwas hidden before becomes ridiculouslyapparent.Wecansee,forexample,thatwecan’tmeetourspiritualneedsbybuyingabiggercar,thatwecan’tfixourchildrenbychangingthem,andthatprogressisnotthecureforpoverty.Sowesell

thebigcar,changeourselvesandwatchourchildrenchange,andunderstandhowpovertyistheresultofprogressandmodernity.Irecallsittingacross thedinner tablefromtheIndianeconomistVandanaShivaasshedescribed

howtheannual$50billioninaidgiventopoornationsbytheWestismorethanoffsetbythe$500billioninannualinterestpaymentsflowingfromdevelopingnationsbackintothedevelopedworldtopay for dams and hydroelectric megaprojects of dubious value. I hardly touchedmy food as sheexplained that subsistence farmers in India weren’t poor, they simply didn’t produce any goodsbeyondwhat they consumed— that is, the limits of human consumptionwere determined bywhatnature provided.Rather than trying to change the flow of a river tomake land in an arid climateproduceabumpercropofthemostprofitableproduct,farmersplantedwhatnaturallygrewwellanddidnotoverfarmtheland.ThenWesterneconomics introduced thebelief that these farmershad toproducemore than they

consumedinorder tocreatewealthso that theycouldattain“qualityof life.”Consequently,IndianslefttheirfamilylandtoliveinsqualorincitiessuchasNewDelhi,andsubsistencefarminggavewaytohuge farmsandagribusiness.Today,between250and300million Indianswhoonce farmedonfamilyplotssurviveonlessthanonedollaraday;andtheydon’thavecleandrinkingwater,healthcare,education,ortheprospectofafuturefortheirchildren.Yetweclingtotheolddreamthatiftheycould just create more wealth or join the march of progress, their problems would magicallydisappear.

DreamingaDifferentWorldIfthewayofthesageistrue,thenithastoapplynotonlytoourprivate,personaluniversebutto

theworldatlarge.Sohowdowedreamanentirelydifferentworld?Ifyousee that thebutterfromNewZealandthat’ssoldatyourneighborhoodgrocerystoresells

for less money than butter churned upstate by a local farmer, dreaming a different world meansrecognizing that this doesn’t actuallymean that theNewZealand butter is cheaper.You know thatthere’sacosttotheenvironmentwhentrucks,trains,andshipstransportthebutterlongdistances;andwhenyoubuybutterfromfaraway,youmakeitverydifficultforthelocalfarmertostayinbusiness,workingunderqualityconditionsandoverseeingthemanufacturinghimself.YourealizethattherealcostoftheNewZealandbutterisactuallyhigherthanthatofthelocallyproducedbrand.Youdreamadifferentworldat theliteral levelbybuyinglocalproduce,unpluggingtheTV,and

showingyourchildrenhow to see through the innumerableadvertisements thatbombard them.Yetchanging your shopping habits isn’t enough.Youwant to intervene not only at the literal level ofserpent,butalsoatthelevelofSpirit(eagle),whereyoucanstepoutoftimeandenterthestreamoftimelessnessandtheunknowable.We’veallgatheredmanybitsof informationabout theworldweexperiencewithoursensesand

recognize thatbeyondus looms theunknown,butateaglewerecognize thatalongwith theknownand theunknown is theunknowable. In otherwords,when youwalk thewayof the sage, you stepbeyondthetruthsyou’veacceptedandbegintoenter thatwhichcan’tbeknownthroughthesenses,butcanonlybeexperienced.Stayinginyourheadandgatheringmoreinformationwon’thelpyouatthisstage—youhavetotakeaquantumleapintochangingyourwayofacquiringknowledge.You’lldo so through the practices ofmastering time, owning your projections, no-mind, and indigenousalchemy.

ThePracticeofMasteringTimeTomastertime,youletgoofyourideathateffectfollowscause,andyoustepintothestreamof

timelessness.IntheWest,we’vebeentaughtthattimeflowsinonedirectiononly,thatthefutureisalwaysahead

ofusand thepast isalwaysbehindus.This ismonochronic time,which flows linearly,goingat itspettypacefromdaytoday.Buttimedoesn’tjustflylikeanarrow;italsoturnslikeawheel.That’swhynonlineartime,orpolychronictime,isconsideredsacred.Herethefutureseepsintothepresenttosummonus,andwecanchangeeventsthathavealreadyoccurred.Themainoperatingprincipleoflineartimeiscausality,orcauseandeffect,whichisthebasisof

modern science:This happens and therefore that happens. Causality means that the past is alwaysspilling into and informing the present. We believe that we’re a mess today because our parentsweren’tnurturingenoughwhenwewerekidsorbecausewecomefromalonglineofdysfunctionalpeople. But when we perceive time as turning like a wheel, the main operating principle issynchronicity, or the serendipitousoccurrenceof events.Whatwe call coincidenceor chance is asimportantanoperatingprincipleascausalityis.TheLaikabelievethatthechanceoccurrenceofevents,suchashowtwopeoplehappentoruninto

eachotherserendipitously,isjustassignificantastheircause,orwhythosetwopeoplewereinthesameplaceatthesametime.Synchronicityallowsforfuturecausationandismoreinterestedinthepurposeandmeaningofaneventthaninitscause.I’m reminded here of when poet Robert Bly tells the story of Manolete, one of Spain’s most

renowned bullfighters. As a boy, Manolete was thin and frail, a fearful child who clung to hismother ’sapronstringsandwasterrifiedofthebulliesathisschool.Psychologistshaveexplainedhiscallingtofightbullsasacompensatorymechanism—that is,hewas tryingtoprovetohimselfandothersthathewasindeedabraveman.ButBlyarguesthatManoletecouldhavehadaforebodingthathewouldbefacing2,000-poundlocomotivesintheringoneday,whichwouldhavegivenhimeveryreasontobeafraidasachild.Soiftimedoesindeedflowinmorethanonedirection,thenthefuturecanbereachingbackinto

thepastandbeckoningustoitasmuchasthepastispushingusforward.Thereasonitdoesnotdosoisbecauseweperceivetimeaslinear.TheLaikaknowthatthecauseofapresenteventmayactuallylieinthefuture.Inotherwords,onthedaysyouhitalltheredlightsonyourwaytowork,don’tstarttothinkthatyoushouldhavestayedinbedbecausetheuniverseisconspiringagainstyouandyourplans. Instead, recognize that you’re operating in sacred time and that the universe is activelyconspiringonyourbehalf.Itmakessurethatthetrainleavesthreeminuteslatebecauseyouneedtogetonit,oritmakessureyouforgettosetthealarmorthatyouhiteveryredlightbecauseyou’renotsupposedtobeonthattrain.Ifweperceivetimeinthisway,wedon’tbecomeirritatedandwonder,HowcouldIbesostupidas

tomissthattrain?WhydoIhavesuchbadluck?Ourstressisreducedtremendouslybecausewetrustthatbothgoodandbadluckarepartofalargerplan.There’sanoldZenstorythatillustratesthispoint.Afarmerhadahorse,butonedayitranaway,so

thefarmerandhissonhadtoplowthefieldsbyhand.Theirneighborssaid,“Oh,whatbadluckthatyourhorseranaway!”Thefarmersimplyreplied,“Badluck,goodluck—whoknows?”Thenextweekthehorsereturnedtothefarm,bringingaherdofwildhorseswithhim.“Whatgreat

luck!”exclaimedtheneighbors,butthefarmerresponded,“Goodluck,badluck—whoknows?”Thenthefarmer ’ssonwasthrownashetriedtorideoneofthewildhorses,andhebrokehisleg.“Ah,suchrotten luck,” sympathized theneighbors.Again, the farmer responded,“Bad luck,good luck—whoknows?”

Afewweekslater,thekingrecruitedalltheyoungmenintohisarmytoprepareforbattle.Theson,withhisbrokenleg,wasleftathome.“Whatgoodluckthatyoursonwasnotforcedtogotowar!”exclaimedtheneighbors.Andthefarmerremarked,“Goodluck,badluck—whoknows?”

TheAdvantagesofSacredTimeTaking it personally when the world doesn’t conform to your expectations causes stress, and

studies done at Harvard University have shown that 95 percent of all illnesses are caused orexacerbatedbystress.Imaginewhatcanhappentoyourtensionlevelwhenyoustepoutofcausalityand into sacred time.You’ll enter aworld inwhichyou’renever earlyor late—you simplyarrivewhenyougetthere,andithappensthateveryoneelsealsoshowsupattherightmoment.Masteryoftimedoesn’tmeanthatwe’reunabletokeepthecommitmentswemaketoshowupon

time for others; rather, itmeans thatwe’re in such perfect ayni thatwe always appear at the rightmoment.Bymasteringtime,wegivetheuniversetheopportunitytodowhatitdoesnaturally,whichistoconspireonourbehalf.Weletgoofthebeliefthatwehavetomanipulatetheworldaroundusand“takecharge”inorderforlifetoworkout.Wediscoverthatfromtheperspectiveofeagle,weonlyneed5percent of our energy to affect theworld in thewaywe’d like, not 95percent.That’sbecausewe’reabletofixthingsinthefuture,beforethey’reevenborn.Steppingoutoflineartimealsoallowsustoenterthetimelessdomainfromwhichtheuniverseis

dreaming itself.Within this sacred time,we can find themost desirable destiny for ourselves andchooseit.Andoncewe’vedoneso,wecaneasilychangethepathwe’reon.Oneofmystudentshadbeenstrugglingforyearstomaketimetopaint,whichsheconsideredtobe

hercalling.Butwiththreeyoungchildrenandafull-timejob,shefoundthatshewasunabletogettohereasel.Moreover,shewasreliantonfastfood,asshehadlittle timetocookforherfamily,andshe’dputon30pounds.Theweightgainhadaffectedherself-esteemandshe’dlostherconfidence.Shethoughtthatbeforeshecouldevenpickupabrush,shehadtostarteatingrightandexercising…butbefore shecoulddo that, shehad to transform the spare room that sheused for storage intoastudio…andonandonitwent.While each task my student set for herself initially seemed daunting and insurmountable, after

experiencingsacredtime,shewasable todiscover theartist inherselfandinstall it intoherfuture.She found herself beginning to carpool with other mothers, and she felt inspired to buy morewholesomeandnutritiousfoodsandcookhealthfulmealsforherfamily.Sheforgotaboutneedingtohave a studio to paint and set up her easel in the backyard, finding in the process that her timesomehoworganizeditselftosupportherartistself.Whenwepracticethemasteryoftime,we’reabletoreachtheendofthejourneywe’veselected,

instead of reaching the one selected for us by statistics. For example, I have clients who have amedicalconditionandarefacingagrimprognosis,asstatisticssaythatthey’llmostlikelydieinthesamewaythatotherswiththatconditionhave.Yetbysteppingintosacredtime,they’reabletotrackalongoneof thefewdestinylinesthat leadstoamorefavorableoutcomeandinstall that intotheirfuture.After that, theyhaveabetter chanceofdefying theodds and regaining theirhealth,or theyenjoyapeacefulandpain-freetransition.

UnderstandingNonlinearTimeAlthoughwe’vecometobelievethattimeisaphysicalrealitythatmovesatafixedspeed,whenwe

practicedreaming, timedoesn’thaveadirection. Itdoesn’tmovealongastraight line,aswhenwedreamofalong-gonerelativeandthenaboutourchildren.Andthereisnocausality:Whenwedreamthe world into being, the future doesn’t have to build upon the past, and the past doesn’t have topredetermineourpresent.Insacredtime,thefutureaswellasthepastisavailabletous,andeverythingishappeningatonce

—and we can only dream the world into being from this place of timelessness. As we raise ourperceptiontothatofeagle,wegetclosertoexperiencingthissenseofinfinity.Ratherthanwaitingfora far-off day in the future when we can recover our original nature and return to Eden, theEarthkeeperssaythatnowistheperfecttimetostepintoinfinityandrecoverourdivineselfandwalkwithbeautyintheworld.Eternityisanendlesssequenceofmoments;infinity,ontheotherhand,isaplacebothpriortoand

after time,before thebigbangandafter theuniverseagaincollapses.That is, it isoutsideof timeitself. In thisplaceof infinity,youcan influenceevents thatoccurred in thepastandnudgedestiny.Here,thefutureiscompellingyouasmuchasthepastis.Youmayneverknowwhyyoumissedthetrainorranintosomeoneyouusedtoworkwithasaresult,butyou’reawarethattheseeventshaveameaning and even a reason for occurring. You trust that your under-standing will follow yourexperienceinsteadofprecedingit.Nomatterhowconfusingoruncomfortablethemomentiswhenyoumissthattrain,youacceptandsurrendertoit,knowingthatgreatthingscometothosewhotrustSpirit.AnEarthkeeperunderstandsthatifyouwanttochangeasituation,youhavetostartbyacceptingit

asitis.Yourecognizethatthismomentisperfect—andthenyoucanchangeanythingyouwant.Onceyoustepoutsideoftimeintoinfinity,thepastandfuturedisclosethemselvestoyou—youcan

seetomorrow,andthedayaftertomorrow,andeventhedaythatyouwilldie.It’simportanttoeraseyourconsciousmemoryofthissothatyoucanbefullypresentinthemomenteachdayofyourlife.Youwanttowakeupsaying,“Whatabeautifuldaythisis!”insteadof“ThisisthedayI’mgoingtodie,”“ThisisexactlyoneyearbeforethedateI’mgoingtodie,”orwhathaveyou.Youdon’twanttoget stuck in time again, perceiving death as a predator and forgetting your original nature. Thatmeansthatyou’llwanttokeepthesecretsyoulearninthisplaceofinfinityfromyourego.You see, 12 billion years ago, the immense force that we know as God, which existed in an

unmanifested void, decided to experience itself.With a big bang, it formed all the matter in ouruniverse,andthenitcontinuedtoexploreitselfthroughmyriadforms—fromrocktograsshoppertomoon to elephant. Yet since the immense force was omnipresent and omniscient, each of itsmanifestationsalsopossessedthesequalities.Toknowitself throughitsmanyforms,ithadtokeepthenatureofitsbeingasecretevenfromitself.Whenwestepoutofthe“arrowoftime”andexperienceinfinity,wereclaimouroriginalnature,

whichisGod.Whenwereturnintotime,welosethatawarenesssothatwecanexperiencelifeinourclock-ruledworld,whichiswhatwe’remeant todo.Wereturntoeverydaylifeunawarethatwe’reGod and are dreaming everything up. So as we go about our daily lives, the knowledge of ouroriginal nature drives us to serve our experiences rather than expecting them to serve us.That is,instead of cooking amealwith the expectation that it will nurture us,we nurture ourselves in thepreparationandservingofthefood,infusingtheexperiencewithmeaning.Wenolongersearchformeaninginsituations,butratherbringmeaningandpurposetoeveryencounter;wenolongersearchfortruthorbeauty,butratherbringtruthandbeautytoeverysituation.We often expect rituals to be experiences that serve us, making us feel holy, patriotic, proud,

connectedtoothers,andsoon.Consequently,we’renotusedtoopeningourselvesuptothebeauty,absurdity,anddramathatanygivenexperiencemightprovide.WhenIwasachild,IrecallthinkingthatmyfirstHolyCommunionwasgoingtobeadeeplytransformativeexperience,asitwouldfill

mewiththepowerandlightoftheHolySpirit.Butwhenthepriestplacedthewhite,stickywaferinmy mouth, I didn’t feel transcendent at all. I didn’t understand that it was up tome to make theexperienceprofound.If we keep the knowledge of our omnipresent, omniscient nature at hand, aware of it at every

moment,we’llneverhave to strive for transcendentexperiencesorenlightenment.We’llknow thateverythingwedoissacred,sowe’llnolongersearchformeaning,truth,beauty,orpurpose.Wecalloffthesearchandbringbeautytoeveryactionandtruthtoeveryencounter.Havingbeentothatplaceof timelessness,we’ll find iteasier tobepresent in themomentrather than thinkingaboutwhatweshouldhavedone,ought tobedoing,ormightdo later.Whetherwe’rekissing theonewe loveorsweepingthefloor,weloseourselvesintheinstantanditscompleteperfection.

ThePracticeofOwningYourProjectionsToownyour projections, youmust discover and acknowledge the parts of yourself that you’ve

refusedtolookat.Itturnsoutthateverythingyoubelievetobetrueaboutthepeoplearoundyou,orthesituationsyoufindyourselfin,mirrorsastoryyouholdaboutthewaytheuniverseworks.Whenyouunderstandthis,youcantakealong,hardlookateverydifficultsituationinyourlifeandthenchangeitwithin.What Heisenberg observed about the subatomic world is also true in our dimension—that is,

whatever we observe, we alter in the seeing. But to change it, wemust first recognize that we’reseeingareflectionofourhiddenselvesinothers.ThepsychologistCarlJungcalledthesehiddenpartstheshadow,findingthemetaphorvaluableto

helphimunderstandtheunseenaspectsofhumankind.Howawareareyouofyourphysicalshadow?Takeamomentandlookforitrightnow,onthegroundoronthetable.It’salwaysthere,followingyoueverywhereyougo,yetyou’reseldomawareofit.Sometimeswecastverylongshadows,suchaswhenthesunissetting,andsometimesourshadowsaresmallandcontained,suchaswhenthesunisoverhead.Whenyouownthepartsofyourself thatmakeyoufeeluncomfortable,younolongerholdanyoneelseresponsibleforyourpainorhappiness.Thenyoushinewithyourownlight,likethesun,whichistheonlythingthatcastsnoshadow.Ourshadowsarethosepartsofourselvesthatmakeusfeelthatwe’renotgoodenough,thatwe’re

unwanted,orthatwe’reafailureandwillneverbehappy;andprojection is themechanismthroughwhichwecasttheseundesirablequalitiesontoothers.Individualshaveshadows,butgroupscanhavethem, too. An example of how an individual can project a negative shadow is when a closetedpolitician publicly advocates limiting the rights of gay people. Until he heals what he’s carryinginside of himself, he’ll continue to project his self-hatred onto others. Another example is whensomeoneblames“all theRepublicans (orDemocrats)” for everything that’swrongwith theUnitedStates.AnexampleofagroupshadowistheNazis.Inthe1930s,Germanywasinadepression,yetmany

Jewswereupwardlymobile,becomingsuccessfulscientists,scholars,musicians,andentrepreneurs.TheNazisprojected theircollective shadowonto the Jews,blaming themforallof theircountry’sproblems.Theycouldn’tbeartothinkthattheirinabilitytocreategreatartandthriveeconomicallymightbeduetotheirownfailings,sotheyfeltthattheyhadtofindscapegoats.Thiswasafarmorepopular option than facing themselves and working on their own shortcomings or their culture’sproblems.Projectionisthemechanismthattellsus:“Theyaretheproblem.”Ontheotherhand,wealsocastpositiveshadows.Forexample,manypeoplewhofeelundesirable

andhave troubleembracing theirownbeautyproject itontomoviestars.They’reenthralledby the

exquisitecreaturesonHollywood’sA-listandwillevengetplasticsurgerytotrytolookasattractiveastheiridolsdo.Butnoamountofsurgicalcuttingorimplantingwilleverbeenoughtomakethemfeelbeautiful.MarianneWilliamsononcesaidthatit’snotourdarknessthatwefearthemost,it’sourlight.Whatshewasreferring to ishowmostofus tend todisownourownbeautyand tremendoustalent,keepingourselvessmallanddiminished.You project every aspect of your shadow onto the world, be it positive or negative. And the

universeissofluidthatitwillarrangeitselftoaccommodateallofyourprojectionsandproveyourighteverytime.Ifyoubelievethatyou’repowerless,talentless,andunattractivedeepinsideyourself,thenyou’regoingtobeprovenright.Similarly,ifyouknowwithoutadoubtthatthereisgreatpoetry,grace, and kindness within you, then the universe will give you the opportunity to bring theseattributesforth.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatHollywoodwillcomerushingtoyourdoororyourbookwillautomaticallyzoomtothetopofthebestsellerlist—butitdoesmeanthatyou’llbeabletobringyourcreativityandtalentoutintotheworld.When you recognize that everything you’re experiencing as “not you” is a projection of your

shadow, you can change the world by owning your projections. Notice that I haven’t mentioned“owning your shadow”—a concept of popular Western psychology. The Laika understand thatprojection is simply a low form of dreaming and that dis-covering the mechanism is what’simportant,sowecanemployittodreaminahighway.Unfortunately,withpsychology,themoreyouownyourshadow,thebiggerthedarknesscanget,

becauseyoufallbackintotryingtorewritethescriptinsteadoflearningtomakeanewone.Practiceowningyourprojectionsinsteadbecausewhenyoudo,theshadowbecomesverysmall.Youcanstartbyturningastorylike“Myspouseismakingmeunhappy”into“Iammakingmyselfunhappy.”Yourspouse is simply doingwhat she does, but she’s notmaking you unhappy—only you can do that.Whenyouowntheprojection,youstopplayingthevictim.Ofcourse,thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetolikebehaviorsthatareunacceptabletoyou.Yourpartnerstillhastoworkonhercommunicationskills,butyourhappinessnolongerdependsonwhetherornotshedoes.Merelyowningyourprojection is not enough, though. If you’re todream theworlddifferently,

youhavetoturnyourprojectionintoastoryofpowerandgrace,whichiscalledajourneystatement.Forexample,youcouldsay,“AsImakemyselfhappy,everyonearoundmemirrorsthatbacktome.”Inthisway,youassertyourpoweroveryourownhappinessandcanlookwithinfortheresourcestodoso.Thiswillinvitetheever-compliantuniversetosupportyou.Let’s say a divorcedmother finds out thatwhile her childrenwerewith her ex-husband for the

weekend,heallowedthemtodothingsshe’sforbiddenthemtodo.Shecouldowntheprojectionof“Myexishurtingmethroughmychildren”bytellingherself,“Iamhurtingmyselfandmychildren.”Yousee,herexisnolongerdoinganythingtohurther—he’ssimplydoingwhathedoes(whichisprobablythereasonshedivorcedhim).Shedoesn’tneedtopunishherkidsfornotobeyingherwhileattheirfather ’shouse.Next,shecanturntheprojectionintoajourneystatement,saying,“AsIlovemyself,Iamableto

lovemychildrenfullyandteachthemhowtolove.”Thenhermindwon’tseizeontothethoughtthatshe’sbeinganoblerescuer,protectingherchildrenfromherex,andshe’llnolongerneedtowriteastoryinwhichherex-husbandisthebadguy.Sheandthechildrenwillbeallthehappierforit.(Ofcourse shewouldn’t tolerate any dangerous or inappropriate behavior, but she no longer needs todeclareherselfrightandherexwrong.)Keepinmindthatajourneystatementisdifferentfromanaffirmation,whichintheaboveexample

wouldbeIlovemyself,andIlovemychildrenfully.Affirmationswork,althoughthey’reoftenablendof longing and wishful thinking. For instance, this affirmation implies that deep down you don’treallyloveyourself—afterall,whenyoudo,youdon’tneedtoaffirmit.

Ajourneystatementisacommandtoyoursubconsciousthatlaunchesyouonapath,tellingSpiritwhatdirectionyouwanttogoin.Itremindsyouthatthechoiceandpowerareyours,anditmakesthepayoffclear:“AsIlovemyself,Iamabletolovemychildrenfully.”Makingsuchastatementallowsthewomaninourexampletobreakoutofthetriangleofthethreerelationshiparchetypes:Sheisnolonger the victim of her ex-husband’s refusal to parent the way she parents; she is no longer thepersecutorwhoangrilydemandsthatherexandherchildrenanswertoheratalltimes;andsheisnolonger the noble rescuer, standing up to her ex in order to protect her children from what sheconsidershisbadparenting.Thisinsighttellsyouthatyoucaneitherhavewhatyouwantoryoucanhavethereasonswhyyou

can’thavewhatyouwant.Youcandwellonthethoughtsaboutwhatseemstobepreventingyoufromfeelingjoy,peacefulness,andhope,andspendcountlesshoursintherapytryingtounderstandthis;oryoucanbejoyful,peaceful,andhopeful.Whenyouownthefactthatyou’redreamingaland-scapebereftofpeaceandjoy,yougettochooseyourstateofhappiness.Whenyou’recaughtbelievingthatprojectionisreal,youendupblamingyourcircumstancesforwhyyoudon’thavewhatyouwant.Thefollowingexercisewillhelpyouownyourprojectionsandturnthemintojourneystatements,

allowingyoutobreakfreefromyourstoriesanddreamadifferentreality.

EXERCISE:OwningYourProjectionsMakealistofthreecurrentproblemsyouhave,usingsimplestatementsthatfocusonyourself.Be

suretonamethesituationratherthanscriptinganentirestoryaroundit.Herearesomeexamples:

1.“Ican’tbehappywhenthere’ssomuchsadnessandinjusticeintheworld.”

2.“Myex-partnerisbeingsorottentome.”

3.“Everything’sgoingsohorribly—nowonderIcanhardlybringmyselftofaceanotherday.”Nowowntheprojectionandexploretheconsequencesofthethoughts,beliefs,andactionsyou’ve

chosen.Rephraseyourprobleminthisform:“WhenIdosuchandsuch,thisiswhathappens.”Pleasenotethatthisexerciseisnotaboutassigningblameandfeelingpoorlyaboutyour-self—thepurposeistorecognizethatyou’redreamingyourrealityandthatyoucanchoosetodreamadifferentone.Althoughtheinstructionsareveryclear,youmightfinditdifficulttounderstand,becausetheegoisreluctanttogoalongwiththisexercise.Hereareexamplesofowningyourprojections:

1.“WhenIonlyseesadnessandinjusticeinmylife,Imakemyselfunhappy.”

2.“WhenI’mrottentomyself,Ihurtmyselfandmyex.”

3.“WhenIdreadfacingtheday,everythinggoespoorly.”Afteryouownyourprojections, turn theminto journeystatements,whichreflectyourdeliberate

choicesaboutwhatyouwillthink,believe,anddo.Statetheresultsyouhopetoachieve.Usetheform“AsIdosuchandsuch,thispositiveoutcomeresults.”Forexample:

1.“AsIseethejoyandjusticearoundme,Ibringhappinesstomyselfandothers.”

2.“AsIliveandpracticepeace,Isharepeacewithmyex-partnerandothers.”

3.“AsIariseeachnewdayandgreetitwithgusto,lifebeckonstomeandallgoeswell.”

Once you’ve owned your projections, you’ll realize that if you could change the external

circumstancesyouimaginedwerenecessaryforyourhappiness,youstillwouldn’tbesatisfied.Attheliterallevel,youcanneverhaveenoughofwhatyouwantbecausenothingoutsideofyoucanfillaninternalvoid.Gettingabetterapartment,changingyourex-partner,earningapromotion,orattractingawealthyloverisn’tgoingtomakeyoufeelhappyandcontentformorethanashortwhile.Unfortunately,mostofusaresoattachedtoourstoriesthatwe’dprefertoconjureupreasonsfor

whywecan’thavewhatwewant.Wesimplyrefusetoowntheprojections—forexample,ifwecan’tfindaromanticpartner,wetellourselvesthatit’sbecausethere’snooneouttherewho’srightforus.We write a story in which we can’t find love because we’re damaged or are the victim ofextraordinarilybadluck.Itcanbeeasier toholdontothebelief thatwemustbeinapartnershipinordertobegenuinely

happy,ortostayattachedtoourroleasanoblerescueranddecidethatwecan’thavepeaceuntilweresolve a social problem that has plagued people for generations.Yetwhenwe refuse to ownourprojections,wemissthepeace,thejoy,andtheabundanceofenergy,creativity,andenthusiasmthatwouldhelpusmakearealdentintheproblem.Whenyouowntheprojectionsandturnthemintoajourneystatement,yourealizethatyou’vebeen

dreamingtheworldintobeingallalongandthatyoucanwakeupfromthepopularnightmareandintothesacreddream.

ThePracticeofNo-mindWhen the mind starts to busy itself crafting a story about how we’ve been wronged, or

daydreamingaboutwhatourlivescouldbelikeifwecouldonlyfindtherightpersonorsituation,weneedtoextinguishit.Earthkeepersdothisthroughthepracticeof“no-mind.”Practicing no-mind requires you to break free of your thoughts and get in touchwith the sage

within,whoisbeyondthoughts.Youdon’thavetospendhoursuponhoursinmeditationtodothis,althoughthepracticecanhelpanyonewhowantstomasterit.Whenyoubecomeawareofhowyourmind foolishly jumps from thought to thought like a monkey, you can sit quietly, amused by itsactivity.Theparadeofthoughtswillcontinue,butyouwon’tgetcaughtupinit.Therewillonlybethesage.Thus,you’llbeabletosay,“Theregoesmymind,obsessingabouthowitbelievesIwaswronged.

That’showmymindactsupwhenI’mfeelinglikeavictim.”Andthen,afewmomentslater,you’llforget thatyou’re thesage,andyou’llonceagain identifywith thegymnasticsofyourmind.Thenyou’llrememberandinquire,“Whoisitthatwaswronged?”and“Whoisaskingthequestion?”Youmake theswitch from identifyingwith thechatter tobecoming thesagebyaskingquestions

suchas“Whoishurt?”“Whoisangry?”and“Whoislatetotheoffice?”Whatbringsyouhometothesageisalwaysthis:“Whoisitthatisaskingthequestion?”Theminuteyouaskyourselfthis,youbreakthetranceandtheminddissolves.OnlySpiritremains,becauseSpiritisthesage.Thechatterinourmindswillonlystopwhenthemindisextinguished.Untilthen,wecansimply

observe our thoughts, be amused by our “monkeymind,” and not identify with it. One day we’llrecognizethatourgenuineself,thesage,residesinthemiddleofthestormandisunaffectedbyall

the commotion surrounding us—such as the fightwith our spouse, the car breaking down, or thestomachulcer actingup.And then the chaosaroundus subsidesbecausewe realize that it’sonly amirrorofwhat’sgoingoninourminds.Slowlybutunstoppably,thesageprevails,asthescreenofourrealitybecomesablankcanvasforustocreateanddreamin.Youcan’t“makeupyourmind”tostepbackandbecomethesagebecauseonceyoudo,themind

willvanish…anditknowsit.Soinordertoprotectitself,themindwilltangleyouupinallofthereasonswhyyoucan’tdothispractice.That’swhyyoucanonlydiscoverthesagebyinquiring,“Whois it that is asking the question?”—or by ingesting powerful mind-altering substances. Under theinfluenceofthesehallucinogens,theminddissolves,theegomeltsaway,andallthatremainsisSpirittrackingitself.However,theseplantsmustonlybeusedundertheguidanceofamastershamansothatonedoesn’tbecomesidetrackedordeludedbytheexperience.Otherwise,theycancausegreatharm.IrememberthefirsttimeIusedthelegendaryayahuasca intheAmazon.Whenyoudrinkofthis

potion,youloseallsenseoftheordinaryselfthatidentifieswithyourjob,yourroles,yourfamily,and even your history. The following is a transcription of one of my first experiences with theayahuasca,whichappearsinmybookDanceoftheFourWinds(writtenwithErikJendresen):

Iammoving.Andbreathing.Imovethroughamany-layeredcollageofwetleaves,hangingvines,reds,yellows,greenswashedgraybymoonlight.My

headhangslowtotheground.Faster,Ipant.Thegroundyieldsslightlybeneaththepadsofmy…handsandfeet?Theymoveincadencewiththethrobbinginmychest.Mybreathishotandhumid;myheartbeatstoofast,andIcansmellmyselfbeyondthemoisttangleofthejungle.

Thereisaclearing,andthereamI,sittingcross-legged,naked,andshiningwetinthemoonlight.Myheadisthrownbackandmythroatistaut,exposed.Armsthrownoutlaxtomysides,handspalmsuponthesoil.

Iwatchmyselffromtheedgeofthejungle,stillbutformybreathing.Behindme,thejunglestirssleeplessly.Imovewiththelithesomenessofashadow,followingthecontoursoftheclearing’sedgetocirclemyprey.Soundlessly.Closer.Nowwearebreathingtogether.Myheadfallsfor-ward.Mychintouchesmychest.Iraisemyhead,openmyeyestostareinto

yellowcateyes,myeyes,animaleyes.Ahalf-breathcatchesinmythroat,andIreachoutandtouchthefaceofthejunglecat.

After many years of meditation, and after a decade of training with the medicine plants of theAmazon,IdiscoveredthatIdidn’tneedexternaldevicestodiscoverthesagethathasalwaysexisted.Hewastherebeforemybodywasborn;afterall,Iamnotmybody—Ionlyinhabitit—andthesagewillbetherelongaftermybodyreturnstotheearth.Thefollowingexercisewillhelpyoutodiscover,orrediscover,thesageinsideofyou.

EXERCISE:TheQuerySitcomfortablyinyourfavoritechairanddimthelightsintheroom.Lightacandleifyouwish,

butmakesurethatyou’reinanabsolutelyquietplacebecauseyouwanttolistentothechatterofyourmind.Closeyoureyesandbegintotakedeep,regularbreaths…countyourbreathsfromonetoten,andthenstartatoneagain.After a fewminutes, youmay notice that you’re counting up to 27 or 35, as themind becomes

absorbedwithwhatyouneedtodolaterintheevening,whatyoufailedtodoatwork,orhowupsetyouarewithsomeone.Orper-hapsthere’satuneplayinginsideyourhead(oncewhileatameditationretreat,IhadtheBeatles’“YellowSubmarine”stuckinmyheadforanentireweek!).Bringyourselfbacktocountingyourbreaths.Nowaskyourself,“Whoisangry?”“Whoislate?”

“Who is breathing?” and then, “Who is it that is asking the question?” Be still, and observewhathappenswhenyouaskthis.

Trytomakethisqueryregularlythroughouttheday,evenifyou’renotsittinginmeditation.The

more the sage rises to the forefrontofyour awareness, the longer she’ll remain in residence.Thesagewill shift you out of your serpent awareness into eagle so that you become conscious of thegreatblankcanvasofcreation,alongwithyourpowertodreamitintoaworldofbeautyandgrace.

ThePracticeofIndigenousAlchemyTopracticeindigenousalchemy,wefollowafour-stepprocessfortranscendingourrolesandour

situations.ThealchemyoftheEuropeanshadtodowithplacingdeadmattersuchassulphurandleadintoa

crucible,applyingfiretoit,andhopingtotransformthesesubstancesintogold.ThealchemyoftheEarthkeeperswasdifferent:Theyplacedlivingmatter intothecrucibleof theearthandallowedthefire of the sun towarm it, thus growing corn, the living gold. The indigenousAmericanswere apracticalpeoplewhobredandcrossbred theirwisdomwith theircorn.That’swhywesay thatyou“havetogrowcorn”withallyousayanddo;otherwise,you’reengaginginuselesstalkandactivityandwillremainstuckinrolesandsituations,learningnothingandgrowingnothing.TheLaikaarekeenobserversofnaturewhotakenoticeofhowthebeehiveandtheanthillbehave

like a single organismwithmany independent parts. They observe how ants farm fungus in theirhollows, and how beesmanage to communicate the location of flowers to each other through anintricate aerial dance.Theyunderstand that the survivalneedsof abee canbestbemet at ahigherlevelbythehive,andthewell-beingofanantcanbestbeassuredbyitscolony.TotheEarthkeepers,thebeehiveandantcolonyaresimplyexamplesoftheindigenousalchemy,ofhowlifeseekshigherlevelsoforderandcomplexitybycreatingthesecollectivebeingsweknowasanthillsandbeehives.Similarly,theproblemsofcells(suchastheneedforfoodandwarmth)arebestsolvedatahigher

levelbytissues,therequirementsoftissuesarebestsolvedbyorganssuchasthestomachandheart,andtheneedsoforgansarebestaddressedbyaliving,breathingcreature.Inotherwords,theeagle’scellsneednourishment,butaneagleisamoreeffectivehunterforfoodthanitsstomachorcellsare.WhenaLaikawantstosolveaproblem,shepracticesindigenousalchemyandthenworksherway

uptoahigherlevelofperception,wheresolutionsarereadilyavailable.Shesolvestheproblemsofcellsfromthelevelofeagle(orofbeesatthelevelofthehive).To learn indigenous alchemy, we must understand the interconnectedness of the great hive of

humanity,andofalllife.ClaudeLévi-Strauss,therenownedanthropologist,oncesaidthatforustocomprehendtheworkingsof theuniverse,wefirsthavetounderstandhowabladeofgrassworks,turninglightintolifethroughphotosynthesis.ButforaLaikatofigureouttheworkingsofabladeofgrass,shefirsthastograsptheworkingsoftheuniverse.Indigenousalchemyhelpsusachievethis.Indigenous alchemy is made up of four steps: identification, differentiation, integration, and

transcendence. Identification is the quality of serpent; differentiation, of jaguar; integration, ofhummingbird; and transcendence, of eagle. Cells can be identified as single organisms, yet theydifferentiate(specialize)intomusclecells,braincells,skincells,andothers;thentheyintegrateintoheart,stomach,brain,andthelike;andthentheytranscendthesumoftheirparts.Youcan’tdescribeaneaglebyitsorgans,yettheyarewhatit’smadeupof.ThephilosopherKenWilberexplainsthisprocessanddescribeshowaschildren,weidentifywith

ourparents,andthenasadolescents,wepullawayfromMomandDadinordertodifferentiateanddevelop our own identity. Eventually, we’re able to integrate our parents into our lives withoutfearingthatwe’llloseoursenseofself,andwefinallytranscendbybecomingparentsourselves.(Of

coursesomepeoplewillnotliterallybecomeparents,butwillmentorandnurtureotherpeople.)Weall know people whose parents passed away before they had the opportunity to integrate theirrelationshiptothem,andwhataterriblethingthisis.We’re always in theprocessof identifyingwith some things, differentiating fromor integrating

with others, and transcending others. I love to watch the shifts that occur over the course of thefootball(soccer)season,forinstance,asrabidfansidentifywiththeirregionalteamsanddespisetheopposition.Yetwhen a team is selected to represent their country in theWorldCup, the fans startcheeringforplayerstheydespisedweeksearlier,nowidentifyingatanationallevel.ThisissimilartothewaythatmostpeopleintheUnitedStatesidentifywithsomeregion(suchas

theMidwest),butdifferentiatefrompeopleinanotherregion(forexample,theSoutheast),yetwhenacrisis such as terrorism occurs, we integrate and all identify as Americans. In the final step oftranscendence,weidentifyourselvesasEarth’scitizensandunderstandthatcertainissueslikeglobalwarming,AIDS,polio,andotherscanonlyberesolvedattheleveloftheplanet.Ourloyaltiestotheneedsofourregionandourcountryaresupersededbyourloyaltytoallourfellowhumansandtheearth.Indigenousalchemynotonlydescribesthefourlevelsofperception,italsoallowsyoutonavigate

through them. It not only explains that water is H2O, it also teaches you how to make it rain.Indigenousalchemyisthefasttracktotransformingyourlife…butyoucan’tskipanyofthestepsoftheprocess.After all, cells can’tbecomeeagles,unless theydifferentiate intoorgansand integrateintosystemsfirst.

Oneofmystudentshasadaughterwho’sanavidsoccerplayer,andmystudentspenthoursevery

weekshuttlingkidstogamesinherminivan.Everyoneconsideredherasoccermom,butsheknewthatshewasmeanttobeateacherandhealer,forshefeltthatshehadaverystrongspiritualcalling.Onedayshediscoveredalumpinherbreastandwasdiagnosedwithcancer.Ineveryoneelse’seyes,shewasnowasoccermomandacancerpatient.However,shedidn’twanttoidentifywithherdisease—shewanted to differentiate from it and then overcome it. Itwas then that she signed up for ourHealingtheLightBodySchool.Afterthefirstweeklongtrainingsession,sheannouncedtoherfamilythatshewasneitherasoccer

momnoracancerpatient—shewasahealer—butnooneelsebelievedher.“Iamnotmycancer,”shewouldtellherfellowstudents,“Iamsimplyfightingcancer.”Webelievedher,andrespectedthatshewas differentiating from the disease. Soon she began to achieve integration, saying, “I amnotmycancer, and I’mnot fighting it, I’m learning from it. It’smywake-up call.” Integrating her cancerallowedhertoreachthefinalstepinindigenousalchemy,transcendence.Bytheendofhertraining,shewasabletosay,“Mycancersavedmylifebyallowingmetoreinventmyself.”Mystudenthadceasedidentifyingwithherdiagnosis;instead,sherecognizedthatherhealinghad

todowithhonoringher callingandenlisting the supportofher family inhelpingherbecome thehealer she wanted to become. She had to go through chemotherapy and transform her personalrelationships.Shecouldn’ttakeanyshortcutsandbecomeahealerovernightbecauseitwouldn’thavebeenauthentic. Itwouldn’thaveresulted inherowntransformation,only inaflightoffantasy.Theprocessofindigenousalchemytakestime.Breakingoutoftheserpentstateisthemostdifficultstep,becausewhenweidentifywithsomething

—such as being a mom, recovering alcoholic, cancer patient, or child of abusive parents—weconvinceourselvesthatthisiswhowereallyare,andwebecometrappedinthenightmare.Weforgetthatwe’re theonedreaming itall intobeing.Fortunately,eachof the levels in indigenousalchemy

makesusgraduallymoreconscioussothatwecantransformthedream.Now,understandingthattheneedsofacornsarebestsolvedbyoaksissomethingthatoccursatthe

levelofjaguar(themind).Totransformourselves,wehavetogobeyondunderstandingwhatitiswewant tochange—wehave toexperience the transformationat the levelsofhummingbirdandeagle.Whenanacornisplacedintheearth,itmustletgoofitsidentityas“seed”andbegintothinkofitselfas“oak.”So,too,mustweletgoofourperceptionsofourselvesasbeingboggeddownbyaproblemortrappedinarole,andenvisionourselvesasfreefromwhatweareidentifyingwithorclingingto,regardlessofhowunlikelyitseemsthatwe’llbeabletoachievethat.Thefollowingexercisewillhelpyouchangeat themythicandenergetic levels. I’veused itwith

myself, with my clients, and when I’ve been called upon to consult with organizations. Read itthrough;thinkabouttheproblemsyou’refacinginyourlife;andbegintogatherstones,sticks,andotherobjects torepresent thoseproblemsandroles.Youmaywanttostartbywritingoutwhatyouwanttodifferentiate,integrate,transcend,andidentifywith,andthenthinkaboutthesechanges.ReviewtheOwningYourProjectionsexercisethatappearedearlierinthischapter(seepage184)if

you’ve for-gotten how to transform your projections into journey statements.When you’re ready,youcanperformthisexercisetomakechangesatthelevelofhummingbirdoreveneagle.

EXERCISE:TransformationThroughIndigenousAlchemy

Thisexerciseisbestdoneoutdoors,onabeachorinayard,usingasticktosketchoutacircleon

the ground. You’re going to create fourmandalas, or three-dimensional representations of yourprayers; so if you can, perform this practice in a placeof power, a natural earth temple such as ahollownearariver,orasacredplaceinthewoodsormountains.Youcanalsodoitinyourlivingroomusingfoursheetsofpaper.

1.Firstdrawa four-foot circle aroundyouasyou stand inplace.This is the serpent ring.Next,selectastoneorasticktorepresentonethingyou’reidentifiedwith.Aneasywaytofindthisoutistothink of any issue you’re dealing with right now—if it’s a problem, you’ve identified with it.Concentrateonthisissuewhileholdingthestoneinyourhand,andthenblowintothestoneallthatyoufeelaboutthisproblem:yourconcern,youranger,yourfrustration,andyourhurt.Place the stone anywhere you like inside the circle.You can do thiswith up to three issues that

you’regrapplingwithatthistime,arrangingtheminsidethecircleanywayyouwish.Youcanlabelthe stones with a marker, or just remember that the little jagged white stone represents beingunderemployed, the dark stonewithmica chips is the one you’re using to represent being a self-sacrificingCatholicwoman,and soon. (Alternatively,youcanmaponapieceofpaperwhateachstonerepresents.)Decorateyourcircle,usingseaweed,leaves,earth,moss,andanythingelseyouliketorepresenttheswirlsofenergyandpeoplethatarearoundthisproblem,influencingit.

2. Draw another circle next to the first one, where you’ll place an issue or theme that you’vedifferentiated from.This is the jaguar ring.Forexample,youmayno longer identifywithbeingaCatholic,withthecityofyourbirth,orwithbeingabusinessman.Selectrecentexamples—perhapssomething that really preoccupied you last year has now resolved itself or is no longer loomingmenacinglyoveryou.Butmaybeafewyearsagoyouwereaveryvocalfeminist,andalthoughyouremaintruetothesevalues,feministnolongerdescribeswhoyouare.Blow the feelings you have about these into another stone or stick, and arrange it inside your

mandala.Again,youcandothiswithoneandasmanyasthreethemes,butkeepinmindthatusingmorethanthreethemesatatimecanbecomeconfusing.Decorateyourcirclewithmoss,grass,andstickstorepresentthepeopleandenergywhosurroundandinfluencewhatyouusedtobe.

3.Nowdrawanothercirclenexttothisone,whereyou’llplaceoneelementthatyou’veintegrated.Thisis thehummingbirdring.Forexample,youmayhaveintegratedbeinganelder,soyou’renotlookingfornewgrayhairsinthemirroreverymorningorworryingaboutyourageanymore.Youmayhaveintegratedbeingawriterorahealer,soyounolongerneedtohideitfromothersorhavetoexplainyourselftopeoplewhoyoufeelmayjudgeyouwrongly.Forexample,formanyyearsIwasembarrassedtoletpeopleknowthatIwasashaman,sowhen

thepersonseatednexttomeontheairplanewouldaskwhatIdid,IwouldanswerthatIwasamedicalanthropologist.NowI’mcomfortablewithmyroleasashamanandhealer,andhaveintegratedthisaspectofmylife.AndalthoughIstilldon’tactivelystrikeupaconversationwiththosesittingnexttomeonaplane,whenIdo,they’regenerallyveryinterestedinthetopic.Destinynowseatsmenexttopeoplewhowillmirrorbacktomemyintegratedself.

4.Nowdrawafinalcircle,whereyouwillplaceoneelementthatyou’vetranscended.Thisistheeagle ring.Youmay have transcended your nationality, for instance, and now consider yourself acitizenoftheworld.Orifyou’refamiliarwiththemusicandliteraturecurrentlypopularwithpeopleyounger or older than you are, youmay have transcended your generation. Youmight also havetranscendedyoursocialstatus;beingrichorpoor;yourroleasson,daughter,ormother;orevenaphysicalailmentordiagnosis.Blowoneoftheseelementsintoastoneorastickandplaceitinsideyourcircle.

Once you’ve created these fourmandalas, you have amap of the core themes of your life, theissuesthatareonyourplate.Butamapisonlyusefulifitallowsyoutonavigatethroughtheterritoryitdescribes,soselectonestoneorstickfromanyoneofthecirclessothatyoucanuseindigenousalchemytotransformtheissueitrepresents.Let’ssaythatyouwanttostartwithsomethingfromthedifferentiation(jaguar)circle—inthiscase,

theroleofdaughter,representedbyoneofyourstonesthere.Retrievethatrock,andholditinyourhand for a fewminutes.Examine the cracks and crevices in the stone as you recall your previousidentification with the role of “daughter,” and then think about the period of rebellion you wentthroughwhenyoudidn’tspeaktoyourmotherorwhenyouhadtoproveherwrong.Thisrebelliousperiod iswhatallowedyou todifferentiatefromthis role,even though itmayhavecauseda lotofpainandgrieftoeveryoneinvolved.Thinkabouthowyoublamedyourmotherandheldherresponsibleforyourunhappiness…and

nowowntheprojection.Sayaloud,“Beingthedaughterofmymotherisnotwhatmademeunhappy.ImademyselfunhappyandcouldnotbewhoIreallyam,”andnoticeif thisstatementringstrueforyou.Owningtheprojectionallowsyoutocompletelydifferentiate—thatis,torealize,“Thisisnotmeanylonger.”Next,turntheprojectionintoajourneystatement.Itcouldbesomethinglike,“AsIamtruetowhoI

reallyam,Ibecomehappyandcansharethiswithmymotherandothers.”Thejourneystatementiswhattakesyoufromtheringofjaguartothatofhummingbird,ofintegration.Thejourneystatementcontainsthelessonsyouneedtolearninordertointegrate“daughter”intoahigherlevel.The important thing here is the lesson.Once you “get” it and are ready to take on the journey

statement, you can bring the stone to the circle of hummingbird. You’ve embarked on the sacredjourneywithoutspendingtwoyearsintherapyorponderingwhetheryouhavebigenoughwingsor

adequatetimeorenergy.Thelessonmightbethatyouhavetoforgiveyourmother—andyourself—asbothamotherandadaughter.(Notethatthelessonwillbedifferentforeachoneofus.)Whenyoulearnthelesson,youcanmoveon.

Asyoucansee,thewayoutofidentification(intojaguar)isbyowningtheprojection.Thewayout

ofdifferentiation(intohummingbird) isby turning it intoa journeystatementandaskingyourself,“What do I have to learn in order to move on?” The way beyond integration into transcendence(eagle)istoseeopportunitywhereyouoncesawonlyproblems.Indigenousalchemyallowsyoutodo your learning within, rather than through your children, parents, spouse, and co-workers. Ofcourseyou then take the lessonswithyou into theworldbycallingyourmotherandaskingher toforgiveyou, or by tellingher you loveher.Youno longerneedothers tomirror back toyou thelessonsthatyouhaven’tlearnedyet.An Earthkeeper can perform the process of alchemy using her medicine pouch, which is a

collectionofstonesandsacredobjectsshecarrieswithher.Sheusesastoneorobject torepresenteach theme thatshe’sworking through inher life—whenshehas learned the lessonsand isable tomovethestoneintothenextring,thatobjectcangointoherbagaspartofherspiritmedicine,anditcanbeofbenefittoothers.Whenshe’sreadytotransformtheissueatthenextlevel,shecanbringthestonesoutofhermedicinepouch.(Thestonesareonlyarepresentation,avisualaid,asthealchemyhappenswithin.)Eventually, theEarthkeeper ’smedicinebagcontainsall thewisdomaboutherselfandnature that

she has acquired.Her stones have becomeobjects of power, and her identity is then based on thatwhichshehastranscended.Sheseesopportunityeverywhere,andisabletosay,“ThemountainsamI,thered-rockcanyonwallsamI,SpiritamI.”Tryityourself.…

AFTERWORDTheLaikahavealwaysbeenordinarymenandwomenwholiveextraordinary lives.Theyweren’tbornwithspecialgiftsfromSpirit,butacquireduncommongraceandpowerthroughthepracticeofthefourinsights.Somegrewtoberenownedleadersandhealers,whileotherslivedquietly,raisingtheirchildrenandgrowingcorn.Andtheinsightswereneverforceduponthenextgeneration—theLaikafeltthatpeoplewouldcometothemwhentheywerereadyandfeltacallingtodoso.ManyofyouwhoreadthisbookwillreceivesuchacallingfromSpiritandwill longtomakea

differenceintheworldandinyourlife.WhenyoucometothepathoftheEarthkeeperswithsincereintention and an open heart, you’ll soon notice that you’re not alone. You’ll find yourself in thecompanyoflike-mindedindividualswhostrivetolivebyethicsandvision.Youwillalsobeguidedby the luminousoneswho livedon thisplanetmany thousandsofyearsago—beingswhoarenowpartofthegreatmatrixoflife.TheseEarthkeeperswilladdtheirpowerandvisiontoyours.Asyoustep into the stillnessofhummingbird,you’ll feel thepresenceandsense thewisdomof

thosewhohavebrokenoutoflineartimeandnowdwellinsacredtime,ininfinity,freefromthegripofkarmaand rebirth.Whenyou’ve risen to a levelofvibrationwhere theycanattune toyou, andyourluminousenergyfield(LEF)hasbeenscouredcleanofthepsychicsludgeleftbypasttraumas,theEarthkeeperswill come to you and guide you.When you connectwith them, you’ll be able torecall stories that you never experienced directly but that are now yours.You’ll remember sittingaroundafirewiththebuffalobehindyouandmeditatinginastonetempleabovethesnowline.SincetheEarthkeeperscomefromthefutureaswell,theycanhelpusaccesswhowe’rebecoming

ashumans10,000yearsfromnow.ThememoriesfromthepastareavailabletotheLaika,whotapinto that vast reservoir of knowledge that exists outsideof time.Thevisions of the future appear aspossibilities,sinceeverythingyettocomeisstillinpotentialform.That’swhyEarthkeepersfromtheHopi,Maya,Inka,andmanyothertribesgatherregularlytopraypeaceontheplanet.TheydosobytrackingalongthepossiblefuturesforEarthtofindoneinwhichtheriversandtheairarecleanandpeopleliveinharmonywitheachotherandnature.Theactoffindingthisdesirablefutureinstallsitintoourcollectivedestinyandmakes ita littlebitmoreprobable thanitwasbefore,because ithasacquiredanotherquantumofenergyfromtheseshamans.When we connect with the luminous ones, their stories become ours:We actually “remember”

makingourwayacross theBeringStraitor crossing theSonoranDesert intoCentralAmerica,orevenbeforethat,makingourwayovertheHimalayastothefertilegreenvalleysonourgreatjourneynorth from India. When we partner with the Earth-keepers from the future, we have knowledgeavailable that canupgrade thequalityof ourDNA.This runs contrary to scientificwisdom,whichsaysthatourgenescanonlybeinformedbythepast,bythegiftsandillnessesourancestorshad.TheLaikaunderstand thatwhenwe’re freeof theboundsof time, the futurecan reachbackward likeagianthandtopullusforward.Wecanbeinfluencedbywhowe’rebecoming.Asyoupractice the four insights I’vedetailed in thisbook,your chakraswill becomeclear and

you’llacquirewhat theLaikaknowas the“rainbowbody.”This iswhenyourenergycentersglowwiththeiroriginalradiancebecausethey’renotdulledbyillnessortrauma.Rememberthateachofyourchakrashasacolor,andwhenthey’reshiningwiththeiroriginallight,theyemitthecolorsofthe rainbow.When they’re dulled by trauma, your LEF acquires a grayish hue and your chakrasbecomepoolsofpsychicsewage.Onceyouacquirearainbowbody,theluminousEarth-keeperscanreachouttoyoubecausethey

recognizethatyoushareacommonvisionandcalling.Whenthishap-pens,andifyou’vedevelopedthe ability to see into the invisible world, you can discern the former physical forms of theseluminous beings. (Sometimes people will perceive the ancient ones as Native American elders,wearingrobesfromAsia,fursfromSiberia,orfeathersfromtheAmazon.)Thishappensatthelevelofserpent.Atthelevelofjaguar,you’llbeabletoperceivetheirthoughtsandfeelings.Butthemostinterestingphenomenonbeginstohappenatthelevelofhummingbird,whereyouhaveaccesstotheEarthkeepers’wisdomandstories.Andthen,ateagle,youcan“download”anewandbetterversionofthe“software”thatinformstheLEF,whichwill theninformyourDNA,givingit instructionsonhowtocreateanewbodythatwillage,heal,anddiedifferently.There’snothingyouneedtodotoattracttheluminousones—they’llcometoyouwhenyouinvite

themtodosoandare ready to receive them.(Remember thatwhen thestudent is ready, themasterappears.)Theywill notdisturbyou in anyway,but are available to supportyou inyour efforts tobring a bit more light and healing into the world. They’re also there to protect you from thenegativityandfearfulenergiesontheplanettoday.

TheNatureoftheLuminousBeingsTheEarthkeepersareourmedicine lineage, for they’rehumanswho rose to the levelof angels.

Someareinbodies,someareinspiritform,butallhaveamandatetoprotectthosewhoarelookingafter thewell-beingof theplanet.TheBuddhists call thesebeingsbodhisattvas—theyare the finestspiritual allies anyone can have, and they provide us with knowledge on how to become angelsourselves.ThisiswhatthepropheciesoftheLaikameanwhentheytellusthatwehavethepotentialtobecomeHomoluminous.Wecandevelop the luminousenergy fieldsof angelswithinour lifetime,andtheinsightsofferusthekeystodoso.When we practice the ways of the hero, luminous warrior, seer, and sage and evolve toHomo

luminous,wenolongerhavetocallonangelsandarchangelstohelpusfindaparkingspotorourfortunesbecausewe’rebecominglikethem.RememberthatintheBible,Godsaid,“Behold,themanisbecomeasoneofus,toknowgoodandevil:andnow,lestheputforthhishand,andtakealsoofthetreeoflife,andeat,andliveforever.”As we become Earthkeepers, we join the ranks of the angels, who come from many different

worldsandweretheoriginalsoulspresentaftertheCreation.Theydon’tcyclethroughbodiesaswedo because they don’t need a corporeal form, as they don’t need to learn and grow during anexistenceinthematerialworld.Theyhaveeverlastinglife,andtheyarethekeepersofmanyworldsinmanygalaxies.ThepracticesofthefourinsightsarevitallyimportantwhenonesetsouttobecomeanEarthkeeper.

Whenwepracticenonviolence,peace,andintegrity,wedon’tbecomefoodforothers,andwe’reabletomaintainthewholenessofourLEF.Ourspiritualpowerisn’tsquanderedandremainsavailabletousforourgrowth.

InitiationRitesThetrainingoftheLaikarevolvesaroundtheinsights—buttheEarthkeeper ’strainingalsohasan

energeticcomponent,oraseriesofnineinitiations,thataccompaniesthem.ThesenineritesofpassagecanhelpusdevelopanewarchitectureinourLEF,fortheyanchoreach

of thecritical junctures in theprocessofbecomingHomoluminous.The rites are the sum total of

attunementsthatwegothroughaswetransitfromthebodyofahumantothatofanangel.Firstgiventoancientteachersbythearchangelsthemselves,theseninestepsarenowpassedonfromteachertostudent.When an Earthkeeper performs these rites on a pupil, it’s the Laika lineage that transmitsitself, leaping from the head of the master to the student as they lean into each other and touch,forehead to forehead. To transmit this rite, the Earthkeeper simply maintains sacred space andembodiesthevibrationofthelevelshewantstotransmit.Iwouldliketosharethenineriteswithyoubrieflysothatyoucanbeawareofthem.Whenyou

undergotheseinitiations,theyareyourstotransfertoothersasyouplease.RememberthattheseritesofpassagecanstillbereceiveddirectlyfromEarthkeepersintheSpiritworld.Ifyouopenyourselftotheprocess,youwillexperiencetheseinitiationsinthedreamtime.Butifyouhavetheopportunity,dotry to receive them in person. (Please visit myWebsite, www.thefourwinds.com, for the name ofsomeoneinyourareawhoisqualifiedtogivetheserites.)

TheNineRites1.ThefirstriteconsistsofprotectionsinstalledinyourLEF.Knownasthe“bandsofpower,”these

arefiveluminousbeltsrepresentingearth,air,fire,water,andpurelight.Theyactasfilters,breakingdownanynegativeenergiesthatcomeyourwayintooneofthefiveelementssothattheseenergiescan feedyou insteadofmakingyou toxicor ill.Since thesebandsofpowerarealwaysoperating,negative energies bounce right off them. In aworld filledwith fear, these bands provide essentialprotection.

2.ThesecondisHealerRite,whichconnectsyoutoalineageofshamansfromthepastwhocometo assist you in your personal healing. The Laika know that we all have tremendous spiritualassistanceavailabletous,andthesebeingsworkonusduringoursleeptohealthewoundsofthepastandofourancestors.

3.ThethirdistheHarmonyRite,inwhichaLaikatransmitssevenarchetypesintoyourchakras.Inthe first, you receive the archetype of serpent; jaguar goes into the second; hummingbird into thethird;andeagleintothefourth.Thenthree“archangels”gointoyourupperthreechakras:Huascar,the keeper of the lower world and the unconscious, is transmitted into the throat (fifth chakra);Quetzalcoatl,thefeatheredserpentGodoftheAmericasandkeeperofthemiddleworld(ourwakingworld),goesintothesixth;andPachakuti,theprotectoroftheupperworld(oursuperconscious)andkeeperofthetimetocome,goesintotheseventhchakra.These archetypes are transmitted into your energy centers as seeds.These seeds are germinated

withfire,soyouhavetoperformanumberoffiremeditationstoawakenthemandmakethemgrow.Afterward, theyhelp combust the psychic sludge that has built up in your chakras so that they canshinewiththeiroriginallight,asyouacquirearainbowbody.Thispracticehelpsyoushedyourpastthewayasnakeshedsherskin.

4. Next is the Seer Rite, which is performed by extending pathways of light between the visualcortex in the back of your head and your third-eye and heart chakras.This practice awakens yourabilitytoperceivetheinvisibleworld.ManyofourstudentsattheHealingtheLightBodySchoolfindthat after a fewmonths of performing the Seer rite, they’re able to perceive theworld of energyaroundthem.

5. The fifth is theDaykeeper Rite. TheDaykeeperswere themasters of the ancient stone altarsfound insacredplaces throughout theworld, fromStonehenge toMachuPicchu.TheDaykeeper isabletocallonthepoweroftheseancientaltarstohealandbringbalancetotheworld.Thisriteisanenergetictransmissionthatconnectsyoutoalineageofmastershamansfromthepast.Accordingtolore,theDaykeeperscalledonthesuntoriseeachmorningandseteachevening,to

makesurethathumanswereinharmonywithmotherearth,andtohonor thewaysof thefeminine.TheDaykeeperswerethemid-wiveswhoattendedbirthsanddeaths,aswellasbeingtheherbalists,orcuranderas.Theywereknowledgeableaboutthewaysofthefeminineearth.Thisritehelpsyoubegintohealyourinnerfeminineandtostepbeyondfearandpracticepeace.

6. Next comes the Wisdomkeeper Rite. Lore says that the ancient wisdom resides in the highmountains. These ice-covered peaks in the Andes were revered as places of power, just as othermountains around the world—from Mount Sinai to Mount Fuji to Mount Olympus—have beenhonoredasareaswherethehumanmeetsthedivine.The lineage ofWisdomkeepers are medicine men and women who defeated death and stepped

outsideof time.The jobof theWisdomkeeper is toprotect themedicine teachings and share themwithotherswhenappropriate,sothisritewillhelpyoustepoutsideoftimeandtasteinfinity.

7.TheseventhistheEarthkeeperRite.Thisriteconnectsyoutoalineageofarchangels,whichareguardiansofourgalaxy,reputedtohavehumanformandbeastallastrees.TheEarthkeepers,whoarestewardsofalllifeonEarth,comeunderthedirectprotectionofthese

archangelsandcansummontheirpowerwhenevertheyneedtoinordertobringhealingandbalancetoanysituation.TheriteoftheEarthkeepershelpsyoulearnthewaysoftheseeranddreamtheworldintobeing.

8.ThencomestheStarkeeperRite.Thisriteanchorsyousafelytothetimeafterthegreatchangethatissaidwilloccuronoraroundtheyear2012.Accordingtolore,whenyoureceivethisrite,yourphysicalbodybeginstoevolveintothatofHomoluminous—theagingprocessissloweddown,andyoubecomeresistanttodiseasesyouwereoncevulnerableto.After I received these rites, I noticed that I no longer processed events primarily at the level of

serpent.When Icaughtacold, forexample, Iprocessed it at theenergetic leveland itwouldwashthroughmeinadayortwoinsteadofaweek.Istartedtoliveandprocesstheeventsthatoccurredinmy life at the level of hummingbird and eagle. When you receive these rites, you’ll acquirestewardshipofthetimetocomeandofallfuturegenerations.

9. Finally there is the God Rite. When you receive this, you awaken the God-light within andacquire stewardship for all of creation, from the smallest grain of sand to the largest cluster ofgalaxies in theuniverse.This rite hasnever been availablebeforeon theplanet, but it is availabletoday.Althoughtherehavebeen individualswhoattained this levelof initiationandawakened theirChristorBuddhaconsciousness, itwasneverpossible to transmit this fromoneperson toanotheruntil recently. So while Spirit-to-human transmission happened on occasion, human-to-humantransmissionwasheretoforeimpossible.While these rites were traditionally gifted from the Laika to an individual, as you practice the

insights,you’ll find thatyou receive these initiationsdirectly fromSpirit…you’llbe touchedandblessedbyangels.Yousimplyneed toopenyourselfup to thewisdomof theEarthkeepers,andallwillbebestoweduponyou.Ihaveseenthishappenwithmystudents.TheymaycomefortheritesontheeveningI’moffering

themandbetotallyunpreparedtoreceivethem.Theymightbedistractedorthinkingaboutaproblemor concern, for instance, causing them to not be fully present for the experience. And since thetransmissionstakeplaceinlessthanaminute,whentheyrealizehowunpreparedtheywere,it’stoolate.Overthenextfewmonths,IthentendtoobservethattheyreceivethetransmissiondirectlyfromSpirit.IcantellbecausethereisadifferentvalenceandqualitytotheirLEF.Icantellthatthey’vebeentouchedbytheangeloflife.Andsowillyou.

ANOTEFROMTHEAUTHOR

According to lore, thewisdom teachings of theEarth-keepers go backmore than 100,000 years.During this time, the teachings have gone through many transformations, as mountain peoplesmigratedtolushfarmlandandthencrossedtheiceinSiberiaintothethickforestsoftheAmericancontinent.Today,we’regoingthroughanotherevolutionaswebringthisancientbodyofknowledgeintothe21stcentury.Andalthoughtheouterformoftheteachingschange,theinnerformremainsthesame.Ibelievethatwe’rethenewEarthkeepers—afterall,itissaidthattheywillcomefromtheWest.I

would love tohearaboutyourexperienceswith the insights,alongwith thesuccessandchallengesthatyouencounterinyourpractice.

InSpirit,

AlbertoVilloldo,Ph.D.www.thefourwinds.comvilloldo@thefourwinds.com

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSTherealcreatorsofthisbookarethemedicinemenandwomenoftheAmericas.Theseindividuals

lived (and, in many cases, lost) their lives through the courage of their convictions and theirexperienceofSpiritandthedivine.Theseweremyteacher ’steachers,andIamintheirdebtfortheknowledgethattheysograciouslysharedwithmeinthe25yearsthatItrainedwiththeLaika.IwouldliketothankReidTracyatHayHousefortheopportunitytopublishthiswork,alongwith

histrustandencouragement,withoutwhichthiseffortwouldhavebeenimpossible.Iowemygratitudeandthankstomyeditor,NancyPeske,forherinspiredhandandfaultlesspen.

Shehasbeenabeaconoflightinthedifficultprocessofputtingtheseancientideastopaper.Andmyeditors at Hay House, Jill Kramer and Shannon Littrell, were stewards of this project from thebeginning.It would be difficult to thank all the people who sup-ported this book through their love and

intention,yet foremostamong themareMarcelaLobos;SusanReiner;EdandAnnetteBurke,whoprovidedaretreatwhereIcouldwritebythesea;andtheInkaofPeru,whoseancestorswalkedandtaughtthewisdomofthefourinsights.Finally,Iwant to thankourstudentsatTheFourWindsSocietyforembracingtheseinsightsand

bringingthemedicineteachingsintothe21stcentury.

ABOUTALBERTOVILOLDOAlberto Villoldo, Ph.D., a psychologist and medical anthropologist, has studied the healing

practices of the Amazon and the Andes for more than 25 years. While at San Francisco StateUniversity, he founded the Biological Self-Regulation Laboratory to study how the mind createspsychosomatichealthanddisease.VilloldodirectsTheFourWindsSociety,wherehetrainsindividualsthroughouttheworldinthe

practiceofenergymedicineandsoulretrieval.HisHealingtheLightBodySchoolhascentersinNewEngland;California;theU.K.;theNetherlands;andParkCity,Utah.An avid skier, hiker, andmountaineer,Villoldo leads annual expeditions to theAmazon and the

AndestoworkwiththewisdomteachersoftheAmericas.Website:www.thefourwinds.com

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