Into the Mystery

As we enter the solstice, there is a quality of breakdown, a quality by which the shadow elements of our Being can emerge to be cleared, making way for that day represented by the solstice and by Christmas where the light returns … something within us re-emerges out of the dark. This episode is an encouragement to discover that inner luminosity again. 

What does it mean to live from the heart rather than the head? As we clear away the residue of past conditioning, traumas, desires, and resistance, it becomes increasingly possible to embrace and even love those aspects of our existence that we might otherwise avoid. And in doing so, we unlock the secret to experiencing a love we may have sought for a lifetime, and indeed one more powerful than we imagined possible.

In the second half of our masculine/feminine discussion, we dive deeper into the dynamics of Shiva and Shakti, clarify some concepts from episode 1 such as the “chaotic” nature of feminine/yin energy, and throw around the word “phallocentric.”  For first listens to future episodes plus bonus content and access to a monthly live event led by Adi Vajra, please join us on our Patreon page at Patreon.com/IntoTheMystery. As always, we welcome your questions, comments and feedback.    

Although society traditionally associates “masculine” with male biology and “feminine” with female biology, in truth every individual possesses and expresses aspects of both. When we look at the movement of Divine masculine and feminine energies independent of one's sex, we begin to see the beautiful dance they create together. Humans need access to the full spectrum of masculine and feminine energies in order to enjoy a full, creative life, and trouble can arise when we overemphasize one side at the expense of the other. The beauty, as always, is found in the balance — whether in an individual or between two Beings in relationship.  MORE: For bonus “Into the Mystery” content and information on our monthly live events, visit our Patreon page at Patron.com/IntoTheMystery.

In spiritual work, we sometimes refer to “the Longing.” We can think of it as an inner sense of something we desperately want but can't quite define; for many people it is this unspecified sense of craving that brings us to practice in the first place. In this episode, we explore: What is it? What does it want? How do we satisfy it? Can it be satisfied? As we dive deeper, we discover that this capital-L Longing isn't about fulfilling the common desires of life for possessions, connection or status (though it is most often mistaken for that). Instead, our experience of this Longing can reveal to us the deepest truths of Creation.

Our defense mechanisms help protect us from experiencing our original existential wound, which is our sense of separation from our Divinity. If we are to overcome them, we must begin to allow ourselves to be vulnerable — to embrace those parts of our personalities we've split off and rejected, to stand calmly in the face of attack, and to grow more comfortable with uncertainty. Doing so will reveal our inherent inner peace, strength, and ultimate invulnerability as Spirit.

In one sense, what we commonly refer to as “ego” is simply a collection of defense mechanisms — the habits of seeing, interpreting, and behaving in the world that help us to preserve a feeling of security and well-being. These can be as simple as needing to be “right” or as complex as highly structured fantasies we maintain about the world we live in. We are usually unaware of our defense mechanisms, and if they remain unrecognized they can prolong unnecessary suffering.    In this episode, prompted by a listener request, we talk about different kinds of defense mechanisms, what we use them to defend against, and how tools such as the Enneagram can help us uncover our unique defensive patterning so that we can begin to dissolve it.

Krishnamurti reportedly said, ”It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society,” and as we go deeper into our practice, the accuracy of that statement becomes ever more apparent. As our devotion to Truth grows, it reveals how fiercely the default world remains slavishly committed to upholding delusion and untruth.    So: If we are to be “in the world but not of it,” we need strategies for remaining centered in our Awareness as outside forces pressure us to adapt to every new development. Discernment, commitment, and boundary setting are key. In this episode, we discuss what that means.

One of the strongest compulsions of the ego is to try to make itself “bigger” and “better” in comparison to others. But why? If we inquire more deeply into this process, we find that our drive toward the grandiose is actually a distortion of a deeper, natural instinct toward expressing the grandeur of our Being. How do we tell the difference?…and more important, how do we decrease the operation of ego and increase the embodiment of grandeur? We discuss in this episode.

(NEW: To listen to new episodes up to one month before they appear on any other platform, join us at our Patreon page, Patreon.com/IntoTheMystery.) In this episode: At some point in our practice we must address the inevitable question that has confounded human beings since the beginning of time: Who am I? — or, more accurately, What am I? Having long conceptualized ourselves in terms of a particular collection of egoic structures, we sense something more spacious, stable, and omnipresent calling, and we long to know ourselves as It. The question feels unsolvable at first, but as yogis we can learn to discern between the movements of ego and exquisite attributes of our Divine true nature. In this episode we explore the transition from egoic identification to Self-embodiment. We hope this speaks to you deeply.

—FOR first access to new episodes: Patreon.com/IntoTheMystery— …Since its introduction in the West in the early 20th century, Yoga has at times been regarded with deep suspicion by practitioners of mainstream Western religions. Although Yogic practices have since gained widespread acceptance in health and wellness communities, confusion about what Yoga actually is, and is intended to accomplish, still abounds. In this episode we try to unpack the perceptions around Yoga as a religion, as well as why the very idea seems to make some people so fearful.

Gandhi famously said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Jesus exemplified this with His life and death.  Both understood that we can't expect to impose any kind of meaningful change from without — via systems, movements, or especially violence — because that amounts to simply “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” Real change can only come from the inside out, one individual at a time. We can only live our lives in such a way that we confront our own demons, question our own motives, and clarify our understanding such that we may embody the Truth and serve as an example to others. It's hard work, and not for the faint of heart. In this powerful episode, we explore what that means.

As Awakening unfolds, we inevitably find ourselves facing the difficult “dark night of the Soul” — not just once, but multiple times. Layer after layer of ego dissolves, bringing us face to face with the issues we built it to protect us from in the first place, such as our fears of emptiness, meaninglessness, and oblivion. But we may find that if we can hold fast to Truth, on the other side of the dark night lies the most radiant gift.  **Want more? For early access to new episodes as well as bonus content and exclusive subscriber benefits, please visit us at our Patreon page.

We all have intimations that the world is not what it could be. When we take up spiritual practice we are facing the forces that keep us ignorant, asleep, and unaware. In this episode we explore the nature of the “fallen world” and our relationship to it.

What is mastery for one who wants to live in alignment with the Tao? Unlike more mysterious spiritual texts, the Tao Te Ching gives us some practical instructions on how we can live as its embodiment. This advice often sounds counterintuitive, but we break it down and offer real life examples. To quote Lao Tzu … “When the ancient Masters said, ‘If you want to be given everything, give everything up,' they weren't using empty phrases. Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.”

In the second half of episode 22, we continue our discussion of the Tao Te Ching verses 18-19. In this segment we consider topics such as justice, morality, and the fallibility of human systems -- especially when weighed against the parts of ourselves that are in touch with the Logos and the wisdom of the Tao.

On its face, the wisdom of the Tao often seems to contradict the “common sense” of consensus reality. But as always, we must look deeper. Verses 18 and 19 complement each other in that they point us toward the Logos, an inner understanding of Truth that can guide us more successfully than the definitions of “justice” and “morality” often established by our human systems. In this 2-part episode we consider topics such as patriotism, greed, loyalty to groups, and other dynamics relevant to this moment in history. Oh ... and we get a little silly, too.

In this episode, our third in the Tao Te Ching series, we explore verse 39. This beautiful verse describes the wisdom of allowing oneself to be shaped by the Tao and thus live in alignment with it. What does this mean for modern humans? Among other things, it means tempering our technology with awareness, such that it doesn't create problems worse than those it purports to solve.  Flowing with the Tao also means coming to an orientation toward our life circumstances that generates wonder and appreciation rather than envy and cynicism. When we do, the Tao “notices” and supports us even more. “In harmony with the Tao ... all creatures flourish.” 

Verse 33 of the Tao Te Ching offers potent clues about self-mastery and how staying centered in our Divine Self helps us to transcend every challenge — up to and including the death transition. Problem? Societal conditioning, often packaged as “common wisdom,” points us toward fulfillment in egoic pursuits that run exactly counter to the Tao Te Ching's counsel. In this episode, we talk about how to navigate this “School of Earth” in ways that produce ever deepening wisdom, and joy.

For spiritually awakened human Beings, figuring out how to balance our growing awareness with the challenges of the material world can be a tricky undertaking. The Tao is often translated to mean “The Way,” and unlike more rarefied spiritual texts, it offers us a deeply practical “users' manual” on how to live successfully in alignment with Divine Truth. We begin our Tao Te Ching series with this episode exploring the wisdom of verse 8 and how we “householder yogis” can apply it to modern life. 

Spiritual maturity means possessing the ability to discern between what is Real, and what is a fantasy of our own minds that we've projected onto “reality.” Sometimes the ego, unable to acknowledge its own unwanted traits or darkness, will project them onto other people as a means of dealing with them ... a potent recipe for suffering. In this episode we explore various forms of projection and some ways to encounter them honestly in the course of our spiritual work.

The instinct toward power reflects an important aspect of our Divine True Nature ... but what we commonly consider to be “power” is all too often a distorted imitation of the real thing. In this episode we explore the differences between the false power often sought by the ego and Real power — and what it means to stand in the power that is inherent to your very Being.

Why is there suffering? Why would a benevolent deity permit such a thing? In this episode we explore the root causes of suffering (hint: it might be our old friend the ego again), why so much of our suffering is self-inflicted, and how we can actually use suffering to, paradoxically, end it. When Rumi said, “The cure for the pain is in the pain,” he was alluding to tapas, the Yogic practice of “sitting the fire” of our discomfort in order to alchemize and liberate ourselves from suffering. Join us for this “fiery” conversation!

If Heaven is, in fact, a dimension of experience that we can access here on Earth, what does that mean? Much depends upon our speech, actions, and habits of perception. Rather than waiting endlessly to “arrive” at Heaven or expect it to be “delivered” to us, we must each, as individuals, participate in its creation. We start by establishing an awareness of Heaven within ourselves, at the Heart, where the material and the spiritual intersect.

What is “Heaven”? Is it a place? Another dimension? The reward for a lifelong avoidance of sin? Or rather, is it a state of Presence that we can embody and enjoy right here in physical reality? In this episode, we contemplate the experience of Heaven, as well as the barriers seekers face to being Heaven's embodiment. “Finding” Heaven is both simpler, and trickier, than you might imagine.

The Bible opens with, “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word, the Logos, the Tao ... all are terms that describe the natural order of Reality, a vibrational pattern that underlies and informs the world we perceive and the way we experience ourselves in it. All Truth, beauty and even perfection can be found in its proper expression. In this episode we explore the nature of the Word, and our choice either to harmonize with it as the flow of pure Being, or to oppose it by operating from the ego. 

The ego avoids the experience of emptiness, preferring instead to cling to its attachments, narratives and sense of forward momentum in time. But emptiness, or what the Buddha called sunyata, is the primordial condition that is required for anything to exist at all. By fearlessly embracing our essence as emptiness, we discover not oblivion, but infinite creativity and freedom.

We can betray the true Self in many ways, both consciously and unconsciously. As the spiritual Awakening process unfolds, we will be called upon to identify and heal parts of ourselves that we have abandoned in our quest for love, safety, and belonging in the physical world. Doing so is not for the faint of heart, for it requires deep inner work and a fearless ability to shine light into our own darkness. But once that darkness is illuminated, what we may discover instead is an absolutely unshakable Truth.

There is a longing that lives in every human heart, a gravitational pull toward something mysterious that feels just out of reach. Many of us embark on the spiritual path after finding that all of our worldly pursuits and accomplishments fail to satisfy it. In this episode we ask: What do we really long for? Why is our longing so relentless? To what does it point and how should we follow?

Sooner or later on the spiritual path, we must encounter the inevitability of death. In this episode, we look at some of the ways fear and denial of death can keep us from truly living; how death appears from the standpoint of nonduality; and how we may encounter life more fully with death by our side, as an ally.

Our relationships may be mightily challenged by our Awakening and spiritual progression. In this episode Adi and Rishika explore the nature of relationship “before” and “after,” the role of ego, opportunities for growth, and the paradoxical but essential experience of loneliness we will encounter on our way to becoming Whole. Features a poetry reading from Hafiz.

In this episode Adi and Rishika explore Christ Consciousness, the personal experience and embodiment of which is not limited to those on a Christian path — although Jesus was perhaps its most perfect messenger. We can think of Christ Consciousness more as the “destination” toward which our inner loneliness calls us, a wholeness at home in the One, at which all spiritual seekers will ultimately arrive.   This week's poem: Hafiz.

In yoga and spiritual practice we speak often of “dissolving the ego,” but what exactly is it? Contrary to popular usage, it's not simply having an inflated opinion of oneself. Ego is instead a stealthy opponent whose goal is to outmaneuver us on the path and preserve itself at all costs. We take a look at its components, drives, and eventual resolution.

As we steadily dismantle the ego in the course of our practice, it will often simply rebuild itself, cloaked in new disguises. Adi and Rishika discuss the pitfalls of indulging the ego's spiritual displays, and why shadow work is among the essential tools for navigating this nearly universal developmental phase on the path to true freedom.   This week's poem: Mira

Is any of our human experience “real,” or are we living in a very convincing illusion? The answer lies in the way our minds construct our sense of reality. In this episode, Adi and Rishika explore the concept of “maya” (“illusion”) and what it means in the context of spiritual practice and growth.    This week's poem: Kabir

Adi and Rishika explore the nature of nonduality, or Advaita — and what it means to experience the truth of ourselves not as separate individuals wandering a meaningless universe, but rather integral “threads” woven into a continuous, Intelligent “fabric” of Being, continuously unfolding and witnessing Itself.    This week's poem: Meister Eckhart

What is God? In this episode Adi and Rishika explore the nature of the Absolute, the One, Allah, Source, Om, or That which has no name. Is God an entity? A state of mind? A purely abstract concept? Can God, in fact, be known? Enjoy a lively conversation that touches on everything from Roman Catholicism to Einstein to the mystical poets.   This week's poem: Rumi

What is spiritual Awakening? Adi and Rishika discuss the joys, mysteries and intense challenges of the multi-dimensional transformation of a human being on the path to Self-Realization and Enlightenment.