Everyone is now abuzz with the new freedoms. Some are venturing out slowly while others are bounding out to enjoy what they can, finally. There are those who don’t want the isolation to end. Are you ready for coming out of isolation?

We have been exploring a strange land, facing our fears and challenges, searching for treasure, collecting wise insights. All while being in isolation at home. Our world suddenly changed, and with it, we are changed forever. And now it is changing again, and that can be disturbing or shocking too.

What treasures are you bringing with you?

In this journey of upheaval, I have had to trust the unknown. Waiting in the dark at times, to know what vision or energy wanted to be born or reborn in myself, other people, and our world. From this crisis I emerge both more resilient and surrendered.

As you re-emerge, what is your intuitive vision for the way forward that honours you? To discover this, I am going to ask some questions and I encourage you to make time and space, get a sheet of actual paper and handwrite your answers. There is no correct way to do so. You may have crystal clear clarity. Or merely a vague hunch. You may have a nugget of treasure so tiny that you almost miss it.

Who have you become?  You are not the same person.

Perhaps you have connected with a new support system, mentors, counsellors and are in a healthy groove. Or you know you cannot continue how you were before the pandemic. Things need to change for you now. And for your world.

The Questions:

1.     What valuable treasures from isolation time do you want to bring with you?   

I believe it’s essential at this time for us all to be creative and intuitive. We have each been rapidly adjusting to a once in a century ‘black swan’ event. Let’s not just snap back to the old identities, the old ways. Systems and ideologies are shaken up and that’s a good thing. We are waking up! Let’s hold our precious treasure like one holds a newborn baby.

2.     What mattered most to you during isolation?

The enjoyment of being quieter at home, or the gratitude of having a job, even if it was more stressful. The appreciation of love and intimacy, or a fresh ability to resolve conflicts. More time with your children, realising you want a family yourself or contentment with how things are. Deepening your knowledge and life purpose, refreshing your goals, developing a meditation practise?

3.     What gems of Love and Freedom do you want to bring into your life?

Don’t feel pressured to do at once all the activities you have missed, to rush back in. Pace yourself, so as to savour and enjoy your experiences of connection and activity. Get to know that new potential lover before you dive in.  Make time to write, muse, plan ahead. Talk, or dance, about what is happening for you. Listen. Be real, be gutsy.

4.     Who have you become?

You are not the same person you were before pandemic. It is who we are being that creates what we do and what we have. What part of yourself has emerged during lockdown that you like and find valuable? It could be a younger you, a sexier you, a skill you had put aside has come back.

5.     What is your vision for the way forward?

Write down whatever comes to mind, without censoring it. Big and small, clear and vague. We are receiving messages from the universe constantly, if we know how to listen. Let our hearts lead the way forward. Let’s put our ear to the ground, to hear what the earth is saying to us.

6.     What can you embody your vision?

You don’t necessarily have to jump into the masculine mode here, it’s more of a creative next step emerging, a pathway unfolding that feels right to you. It could be as big a new business direction, or as whimsical as changing your bedroom around. Whatever you find, be happy to sit with it and roll it around on your tongue and see how it tastes. There may be resistances, but if we want a new vision, and not to snap back into the old ways, we will need to risk change.

………………………..

Sensitivity to ourselves, and each other is so important right now. And what feels right for you, may not feel right to another. Let there be differences. TRUST YOURSELF.  We can look for the oneness that unites us all, beyond personality, thoughts, judgements and separation.

Nature has taken a deep breath and so have we.

love
Cynthia

P.S. If you want support and clarity to find or embody your emerging vision, please contact me for a session.

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My Conversations with Renowned Gurus

A good activity for coronavirus isolation time for me is to be creative. My immediate workshop schedule is cancelled and all international trips are on hold. I am writing a book and find myself writing about the wisdom pressed into me by life and my personal story. I didn’t know I would soon be experiencing time travel with the masters for their advice on coronavirus!

Firstly I notice what arises in myself and others. There is the fear of contracting the virus and being one of those who get really sick. Even a fear of death as I watch those statistics rising around the world. And then worry about financial collapse as our economy takes a huge hit. Lots of reasons to be on an emotional roller coaster ride. And the waves of fear and anxiety can be very subtle, even just a low buzz of stress.

I was writing about Tantra¹ and how my interest in it started when I was a devotee of the Indian guru Osho. I got to thinking what advice would Osho have for me, and others, about the pandemic? And what about other teachers and wisdom keepers who contributed to my spiritual embodiment. What would Ramana Maharshi, and Papaji, have to say if I was fortunate enough to hang out with them for a while? These wise men of India are no longer living. I ask my mind’s eye and heart and spirit to conjure up playful visualisations …

Meeting Osho in My Imagination

I am sitting with Osho on a velvet couch in India and we are chatting over tea. Next to us is a beautiful pond with two swans gliding past. I tell him about my first taste of him when I came across the book, ‘Only One Sky: On the Tantric Way of Tilopa’s Song of Mahamudra’ which was a series of his discourses on Tantra. 

Never had I read anything so spiritually compelling. I felt I was receiving a direct transmission of Truth. My consciousness expanded, clarity sparkled and the concept of celebration of life entered me. In my heart there was a connection to Osho.

He smiles at me and I feel myself expanding in his beam of unconditional love. Encouraged, we reminisce about the TV film I made about him in the late ’80s. I was in the midst of integrating all the distressing things that happened in those last years of his American commune. And the loss of innocence that rocked me. And yet there was the undeniable truth of the Buddha-nature I felt in his presence. 

Osho. Image: Ma Vivek

Again, that Osho presence and smile, and the way it relaxes me into a feeling of deep acceptance. I ask him, ‘What about the coronavirus pandemic?’

He sits in silence for a long moment. Then he tells me it is a reminder of the truth of our existence. There is no certainty in life. We are here to celebrate. Not to cling to life, security and the known. But to meet the unknown, the mystery of life with celebration, laughter, and love.

I remind him that during the AIDS epidemic he quickly had his followers taking very strict protection measures. Condoms, plastic mouth dams and no kissing was the order of the day. Osho knew that the sexual freedom he encouraged would leave his tribe vulnerable.

‘Yes’, he says to me, ‘life is sacred, and we must protect it. This is love.’ Hmmm, I think, protect and celebrate, that works! We can do what needs to be done, but we don’t have to be gloomy about it. We can respect the grief and loss of life that has come for many, be deeply compassionate, and still acknowledge the inherent beauty of life. There is no need to feel guilty about joy. 

Were he alive today I am sure Osho would cancel his live gatherings and very quickly adapt to the most modern technology available to spread his message.

We smile at each other and namaste our goodbye, in a heartfelt connection. 

The Day I Sat with Papaji

One year after Osho died, I heard that many of his followers were visiting another guru or teacher in Lucknow, India, named Sri Poonjaji. I managed a short visit to sit with him in Satsang (gathering together for the truth). Short, but it made a big impression. Papaji was not young yet he seemed full of life and laughter. Bemused at this sudden influx of Western disciples he still held Satsang in his house and the meeting room was overflowing. There was a lot of light-hearted energy and many there were relieved to have found another living master. 

I wasn’t looking for a master, yet I was in love with the energy, the vibration of expansion that filled his room and those who came close to him. He was ordinary, yet not ordinary. I later read his biography and was amazed at how he had gone from being an engineer to a Krishna bhakti, to a devotee of one of the most revered Indian sages, Sri Ramana Maharshi. 

H. W. L. Poonja, a.k.a. Papaji. Image: Avadhuta Foundation

‘Call off the search’, was Papaji’s saying, and to me, that meant to stop seeking, to let go of that activity which can prevent one recognising that we already are what we seek. We are already that peace and freedom right here, right now — if we pay attention.

In a small meeting, I asked him a question and he affirmed my discoveries were on the right path. Then he told me to go home and be there. This made sense to me, coming after years of seeking, personal growth, following teachers, and travelling making films. It was time to go home in every sense of the word. 

Today in my visualisation, Papaji and I are drinking fresh lime sodas while he watches cricket on his small TV. Absorbed, simply enjoying, this is a life lesson in itself. Not that I like cricket, but I love movies. We are observing social distancing and hand sanitiser is on the table.

I ask him, ‘Papaji, what to do about the coronavirus?’ He starts roaring with laughter and I feel momentarily embarrassed. Shaking that off I wait to see what he means, and I get it. There is no point in worrying about it. What will be will be. He himself is older and susceptible to a lung infection. While those around him fuss to keep him safe, he already feels safe. He tells me there is nothing to be done except to be with the truth of the moment. He is a responsible citizen who will follow instructions, but his truth is so much vaster than any restriction, his freedom so wide and deep he is already absorbed in Love and Awareness.  

“Use this time well”, he says. “Be with your true nature, no matter what arises on the surface, use it to go deeper into life and being.” He turns back to the cricket match.

On a table next to Papaji sits a black and white photo of his beloved guru, Sri Ramana Maharshi. Ramana was a revered saint in South India, a teacher of ‘Advaita Vedanta’ or non-dualism. His eyes beam with clarity and kindness and I am drawn to the photo. After all, he is the source in this spiritual lineage.

 Wisdom from Ramana Maharshi

A few years later, after my actual visit with Papaji, I stayed in the Sri Ramana ashram at Tiruvannamalai. The historic ashram is situated at the foot of Arunachala Hill which was regarded by Sri Ramana Maharshi, and Tamil saints, as the spiritual heart of the world. I loved wandering over the hill, visiting caves, and other holy sites. Luckily I was there at the time of the annual Shivaratri festival so there were many visiting sages, and Satsangs by different gurus were being held everywhere.

Ramana Maharshi. Image: Ramana Maharshi

I imagine I am back there … entering the gates of the beautiful yet simple Ramana ashram. I am taken by the peace and the feeling of a sacred place. Wandering through the buildings and trees, I stumble across a cow stable and realise I am looking at a  descendant of Lakshmi, Sri Ramana’s cow who became enlightened. A man in a loincloth is patting the cow and as I approach, he hands me a cup of buttermilk, telling me it is from the cow. As I take it, I realise that this humble man is Ramana himself. 

I drink the milk and also drink in the purity of this master. My questions recede in the stillness around him, but I remember to ask him about our current crisis of the threatening coronavirus pandemic.

He sits and remains silent for many minutes, then gently begins a song of devotion to Arunachala, his sacred Shiva hill. Hearing this, there is an ancient truth that swoons me into a knowing. Then with gentle words, Ramana guides me to ask, ‘Who is this person, this I, or even this world, that I am concerned for?’ That question has only one answer, ‘I am That.’ And I am also the one who loves That.

Ramana stands up and we go together to prepare food to feed the hungry people who are suffering from the lockdown. The ashram is closed but his family have organised a safe delivery system, so Sri Ramana’s divine sustenance can still be given.

 I Am Blessed

As I bring my awareness back to my living room, to this present moment, I recognise I am blessed to have been able to receive the grace of these three teachers and many more. All have inspired me in different ways to live fully, love courageously, and risk diving for the depths. A combination of Tantra and self-inquiry, with lots of love and laughter, has been a recipe I have been cooking and refining for most of my life so far.

I hope you have enjoyed my time travel with the masters, and their advice for coronavirus.

with love

Cynthia

First published on Uplift Connect: https://upliftconnect.com/time-travel-with-the-masters/

1. Tantra is a philosophy and a spiritual path. The essence of Tantra can be found in the Hindu religion, also in Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism. One core aspect of Tantric philosophy is nondualism or the idea that everything is divine. That the body and spirit are not separate. Sacred sexuality is a part of Tantra.

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With the current pandemic, we have restrictions on how we live and work. With the Easter holiday starting, these Coronavirus – Couples and singles tips for lockdown or isolation will be especially helpful.

FOR COUPLES

If you are a couple suddenly together in isolation then you may be running into some problems. Old patterns and conflicts resurfacing, sexual issues unresolved. In this crisis is an opportunity to find the deeper love and freedom between you, and create new possibilities.

We need space in intimate relationships to feel the pull of attraction, and that physical and emotional space is in short supply right now. Roles that were somewhat fixed are now all mixed up together. Partner, parent, lover, cook, carer, teacher – they no longer have defined space, and you have to be flexible. Having your own separate life and then meeting up at the end of the day has gone for many couples. We also need difference for attraction to happen.

Suddenly what was mildly irritating in your partner before, can be so frustrating at this time. Criticism and withdrawal, fighting and aggression can get amplified when stuck together in a tense, anxious time. Sexuality can diminish too. Boredom is a risk factor!

Disasters historically create more marriages and more divorces. Whatever is already present in the relationship is intensified. But there are small ways to make a big difference and improve, enhance your relationship. If  love and trust are your foundation, these tips will help.

What helps?

·      Take the time to know your own needs and communicate about them calmly and ongoingly. They will change. Listen to theirs and have space to receive their needs and wishes, even if you can’t fulfil them.

·      Sort out separate spaces in your house or apartment that are private, even if in the same room. An imaginary or real “do not disturb sign” is to be respected when in that space.  Deliberately spend time apart that is not just work time, or time with children.

·      Plan at least once a week, like Saturday night or Sunday morning to have time apart and then come together. (Put the kids in front of a fascinating movie if necessary.) Increase your masculine or feminine essence while apart, before you meet.

·      To cultivate feminine essence enjoy sensual, opening activities like a warm bath, a walk to open your senses (not just exercise), feel, dance, chat with friends. Practice surrender and flow.

·      To cultivate masculine essence be intentional, meditate, do a challenging workout, be online with men. Practice depth and direction.

·      Come together after this time alone and feel the polarity between you. Don’t try and pull them into your mode, enjoy the difference and offer love through your essence. This may be sensual, sexual or communing your way. Direction and surrender together creates polarity. The more the masculine one holds the container, the more the feminine one will relax. You can also play with swapping these energies and see what happens.

·      Sleeping alone occasionally increases polarity and attraction for many couples, but not if this feels too hard at this time.

·      Play, surprise, gift your partner. Be spontaneous. Fully dress up for a meal occasionally.

·      Offer a range of energies to each other, from light to dark, gentle to fierce, always through the heart to serve love. It is energising to dance and play with anger and frustration.

·      Give up the desire to be right. You may have very different views on the pandemic crisis and how it should be managed. Feel your heart and the heart of the other, beyond right and wrong. Choose love.

·      Know that many people are under the stress of difficult emotions. You are not responsible for what the other is feeling, and yet we are interconnected. Be compassionate but don’t be the rescuer. Rather empower them to work it out for themselves.

·  Do activities together that are bonding and blissful for both of you. Outdoor nature adventures where allowed, massage, playing silly games, sexually be adventurous. Don’t be together just for chores and admin or watching screens.

These Coronavirus – Couples and singles tips for lockdown –  are also good general wisdoms to follow at any time.

FOR SINGLES

If you are single, surprisingly the pandemic can be a very good opportunity to try new options, reset and reconnect with your vision for relationship.

The coronavirus regulations can be affecting you in very different ways. Some people are happily taking a break from dating and getting on with life. Others are yearning for relationship and envious of the couples who are physically close right now. Some are feeling sexually frustrated and unsure how long they can last alone. Couples who split up recently are dealing with strong grief as well as unfamiliar isolation.

If you relied on your community and friends for loving touch and connection, it is hard to replace, unless you are in a shared household. Virtual community is helpful, but it is not the same.

This is a potentially confusing time to be dating and looking for a partner or a lover. Do you have to resign yourself to being single and/or celibacy?

What helps?

·      If you have been reluctant to try online dating, or even given up on it, this is a chance to try it without too much commitment involved. Online dating starts as usual with winks and swipes and messages. Now instead of progressing into real life meetups, people are opting for virtual coffee dates and meals. The positive thing is that it gives you time to relax and build a connection. Also, to discern if the other person is right for you before the cascade of romance and sex hormones take over. One dating app has even created romantic backdrops for your virtual zoom dates!

·      A word of caution though – if you spend a lot of time building an online relationship as it provides good company during this time, you can find it falls apart when you do meet up physically. So, same as in real life, don’t put everything into the one connection until you are sure it’s what you want.

·      Deciding to take a deliberate break from dating can be an empowering option. Then you  can use the social isolation to prepare for future relationships by growing as much as possible.  A great time to reassess your vision for relationship, deal with your issues, raise your vibration and meet someone of a different calibre when isolation ends. What do you really need and want in an intimate relationship? And what will the person you want, be looking for?  If you are currently a ‘couch potato’ searching for an amazing god or goddess, will they be interested in you?

·      What would you like to master in your life? Having a new skill or creative expression, a fitness goal etc will be beneficial. Especially for the masculine essence a challenging goal will keep you digging deeper into focused awareness. This is a time to do that, to be fulfilling yourself and moving forward. What was your childhood dream?

·     Take lots of time to be outside if you can. Walking, swimming, bike riding etc. Waving, smiling, connecting with others at a distance all helps rise your spirits.

·     Loving touch can be self-given. Warm up some massage oil, or whatever you have at hand, and apply it with awareness and sensual touch, all over the body. Breathe and enjoy the sensations. If it feels sexual you can move into self-pleasuring.

·      Give from your unique sexual essence. It does not need to be given solely in a relationship. Others need your feminine radiance, love and feeling nature. Who can you shine on today? Or your masculine direction and guidance, your trustability. Who can you create safety for today?

…………………

Whatever our situation we have the freedom to respond with gratitude, openness and resilience. And it is essential to reach out for help if we need it at this time.

I hope these – Coronavirus – couples and singles tips for lockdown – make your time more passionate, loving and exciting.

with love

Cynthia

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