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The Balance between Form and Essence  Dave Cowan

Although this article is aimed at supporting and educating Health Practitioners, the principles within are transferable to any area of life, particularly when we find ourselves 'stuck' in any circumstance, whether that be a job, a relationship or any pattern in our lives. As mentioned in prior articles, it is a necessary step in our growth to recognize both the power and limits of the Mind. The limits of the mind are in its tendency to believe its own perceptions, forgetting that perception is always partial and largely determined by our memory of past experience and the assumptions we create around them. The true power of the Mind is in its ability to see this tendency, and be willing to go beyond its own assumptions, correcting them to fit a new more complete, or whole, understanding. The degree of this desire to transcend our own limitations is what determines the degree of progress in this lifetime. We are always given the choice, and the Universe ('One Song') will always give back to us our desires.
I will attempt to describe the difference between Form and Essence so that you, the reader, can determine a wider field of choices available to you. One of the 'traps' of Form is that it tends to have a gravitational pull that keeps the Form in place in our awareness. Breaking free from the gravity of perception can be a challenge. Some feel more comfortable in this gravity's sweet embrace, as it places very little demands on us to change. Sooner or later, however, we get tired of going around in the same old circle and something from within turbo-boosts us out into open space. Life circumstances seem to offer these opportunities, if we decide to see them as such.
Let's look at the difference between Form ands Essence from a few perspectives. Doing so should give us a 'flavor' of what this is about.

Purpose
The purpose of Form is to allow the Mind to function in a rational, linear fashion. Form gives the cascading thought process something to do. We use Form to explain to people things they can accept based on their prior understanding and experience. In a way, all Form involves symbols. Each symbol stands for something else; a more refined idea. Greek philosophers assumed every Form in the world was an expression of an 'ideal form'. This was a non-physical concept, similar to Sheldrake's idea of the 'Morphogenic (not 'genetic', by the way...) field'; a template that 'in-forms' all physical things and concepts, or thought forms.
The Purpose of Essence is to go beyond form; to interpret, as it were, the symbol the Form represents. Once we perceive the Essence of a symbol, the learning can be transferred to other situations, or Forms. We become aware of Principles, which we then begin to perceive working around us through various Forms. Our perception becomes wider and more inclusive, tending toward wholeness. This awareness helps pull us out of the gravitational pull of Form.

Process
The processes involved at the level of Form can be tedious and laborious, as usually these processes involve a chain of cause-and-effect perceptions tied or limited to assumptions based on the past. As such, those caught in Form often find their energy drained by dealing exclusively with Form, and often find themselves repeating the same processes over and over. This can lead to emotional and mental stagnation and ultimately depression. People who believe life is simple a parade of the 'same old same old' are likely stuck in Form. This belief operates as a self-fulfilling prophesy. Modern rational education is a good example of the process of Form. As I recall, 'education', for the most part, involved a flood of endless data, all seemingly disconnected with no central purpose...data for data's sake. What real learning took place seemed to be in spite of this process.
With Essence, we find a relaxation into the acknowledgement that information, and thus learning, are limitless. And what data can lead us to, again, is the recognition of central organizing principles. These principles, once discovered, are always simple and easy to understand. This is the principle of 'Occam's Razor', which states 'One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of ideas required to explain anything'. In other words, True Principles are typically elegant and simple, and serve to explain a multitude of Forms.
Expectation
In Form, the expectation is that the Future will be exactly like the Past. The mind focused on Form needs certainty, and so will strive to re-create in its experience what it already knows, or assumes, to be true. A good example of this would be the 'sacred' principles of the Scientific Method, including 'results must be repeatable to be considered true'. Of course, results are not usually repeatable, due to the countless number of changing influences in any event, along with the 'hidden' effect of the observer and their unconscious expectation, as proven by Quantum Mechanics. Thus the 'true believer' in Form as absolute is constantly dealing with the frustration bred by uncertainty. This is in part due to the fact that another part of the Mind is striving to break free of Form, but in it's denial of freedom the mind ‘splits’ creating a high level of inner conflict and turmoil.
The expectation of an Essence-based consciousness is much more open and fluid; ready to accept the novel and creative. As such, this view will create an experience of deeper and deeper levels of understanding and appreciation, which is ultimately much more satisfying. What were formerly seen as irreconcilable differences or opposites now collapse into a state of 'friendly paradox', where former opposites meet in mutual co-existence. There will come a point of release where the Mind finally breaks free of the Gravity of Form, and perceives for the first time the vastness of open Space, where anything and everything is possible.

Reference
The focus of Form is on the external...knowledge and experience must come from outside in the form of other's knowledge through books, teachings, etc. Here is where the reliance on 'experts' leads many to underestimate their own knowledge and wisdom. This external reference easily casts one in the role of a 'victim of circumstance' and is inherently disempowering. There is a hidden aspect of hierarchy and control when you look at the societal ramifications of an external reference. Populations are much more compliant and easily led into prescribed roles if they believe that their own self-referral is meaningless. Ultimately, an external reference, through denial of inner reality, leaves one in the existential funk of the early philosophers of the early 20th century...'God is Dead and Life is Meaningless'
With a focus on Essence, reference is turned inward toward one's own processes and wisdom. A key to coming to this point is an appreciation of the true nature of perception. If one were to watch a film and a flaw showed up on the screen, going up and rubbing the changing picture would lead quickly to frustration. When one realizes the problem is with the projector, cleaning the lens solves the problem once and for all. We are the projectors of our perceptions, not the screens on which they appear to happen. Seek not to change the movie, but go back to the source and change that. The projector is, of course, the Mind. Once this is established, our perceptions then become our teachers, teaching us more about the nature of the projector. We find that 'unlearning' becomes more satisfying than more learning. As we unlearn our former unconscious assumptions, the picture gets clearer and clearer. This is experienced as clearer and deeper understandings, insights, and ultimately, gratitude.

Outcome
The outcome of a Form based approach is most likely to lead to a sense of overwhelm and frustration, as the amount of detail the mistaken perception believes it must grasp, becomes unmanageable. The cognitive limits of the rational mind soon become painfully obvious, furthering the sense of struggle, isolation, competition and inadequacy. This can pull us into a deeper level of complexity where knowledge becomes less and less 'useful' or relevant...the image here is of the 'nutty professor' nobody understands.
The outcome of an Essence based orientation to life and learning is confidence in the ability to 'learn as you go' and meet challenges eagerly and light-heartedly. What relief to know the turning of the world does not depend on your personal accumulated knowledge and experience! Learning is no longer seen as an outcome, but more as a process.
As Practitioners, we can approach our own learning and practices from both approaches, realizing that Form and Essence are in a continual dance with each other. Either one dancing alone, however, may lead to an imbalance. Form alone keeps one stuck repeating the Past; Essence alone has little practical application in the world of Form where we currently find ourselves. Let Form introduce you to Essence, and allow Essence to learn to dance playfully with Form.

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Where Do Thoughts Go  Dave Cowan

This is the kind of question a five year old might ask when they think you must be smart enough to know the answer because you’re a grownup. So just in case I ever get caught in this tight spot, I thought I better be prepared. So I thought about it.

What is a thought? Well, I pretty much have discounted the materialist assumption that it’s somehow the result of biological processes, impulses or chemical events. I’ve accepted that the body is an effect, not a cause. So do thoughts originate in the mind, as opposed to the brain? This feels closer to the truth…but which ‘mind’ do we refer to…the individual mind or the collective? Again, I’m at the point where I have accepted there is no ‘individual mind’ in the true sense, as on the quantum level ‘all minds are joined’. This is in the sense that the mind exists in a dimension beyond the physical, is subject to quantum principles, like non-locality, and is not dependent on a body to function or to ‘be’. Just ask anyone who has died and come back.

If we are talking about the mind as a non-local intelligent field, we find a much better fit with the view that the brain is more a transceiver of energy and information than a generator of such. Neurobiologists are beginning to accept this. Neurons in particular are highly sensitive to subtle quantum fluctuations via specific structures such as microtubules and clustered water structures. So we have this pre-existing field of intelligence broadcasting constantly in all bandwidths…that is, every possible conceivable thought from the most sublime to the most depraved is ‘on’ all the time. It’s like all radio stations are available all the time. We simply choose the one that most resonates with us in the moment. And what dictates that choice? Our beliefs, I suppose, of who we are, what is ‘good’, and what feels good. We entertain thoughts that confirm our beliefs about ourselves. You could say ordinary thought is a stream of self-fulfilling prophesies.

It seems we have come with ‘pre-set’ station preferences. These are the thought stations we were programmed with by family, cultural and social conditioning influences. This is why we can say most of our thoughts are simply repeating past conditioning, and as such, are mostly meaningless beyond this. This would account for what we call ‘boredom’. The mind-projector has a limited library of pre-set thoughts it will accept. As ‘projection makes perception’ (a Course in Miracles) we see a world that never seems to change. So we look for escape in mindlessness. “If I can’t get a new station, then may as well just turn the damn thing off”, we reason.

You could think of the thought field in vibrational or dimensional terms as making up the 4th or Astral Plane of existence. This is the realm of non-physical thought projections that account for the various ‘angels and demons’ of traditional lore. These are images we have conjured up in our imagination, but then project them ‘out’ in our perception in order to deny their source in our minds.

If there truly is One Mind having a dream of separation, as the Course in Miracle offers, then all these thoughts belong to all of us. That means we have equal access and full rights to any level of thought we desire. Being Dualistic, the 4th Dimension is still subject to the illusory vagaries of ‘opposites’. Opposites cannot exist in Oneness. As such they don’t really exist, except in imagination. The 4th Dimension currently reflects this imagination. So we have ‘low frequency’ thoughts that reinforce the dream of separation, or ego. These are thoughts based on fear, lack, greed, envy, hatred, dominance, competitiveness and murder. It is easy to see how these thoughts perpetuate themselves in a cycle of projection, perception and reaction. But because this sense of separation and the ego don’t really exist outside of our imagination, we can truly say these thoughts go nowhere, which is where they come from. From nothing they arise, accomplish nothing, and return to nothingness. This is why the Course Lesson can state simply ‘My thoughts don’t mean anything’ and ‘My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.’

If this One Mind is dreaming a meaningless separation nightmare, what of the Dreamer?

The Dreamer is also the One Mind, but in its sanity and perfection as Spirit. The Dreamer never left Oneness and is still safe at home. This ‘awakened’ aspect in each of us is the Spark of Light that the dream has not extinguished. It remains as a faint reminder of who we are outside the dream. It shows up in the form of the Will…the desire to stop suffering and seek a better way. Even a thought of this quality, “God, I wish there was a better way…” resonates at a higher frequency than the ego’s thoughts. As this new thought resonates with the Truth of Oneness (we are One, there is only One of us here, and it’s you and it’s me) it goes out into the 4th Dimension and strengthens that specific frequency in every seemingly separated mind at once. The higher frequency thoughts aligned with truth by the Will that desires something better both draws you closer to Truth while drawing more Truth to you. The benefits of ‘truth thinking’ are peace, joy, and inclusion (Love). These feelings are self reinforcing; we want more, and so attract more of these thoughts. We want to share them, because we see the automatic response as the ‘other’ mind recognizes Truth and returns it to us as Light. The more we accept and share ‘truth thoughts’ the brighter grows the Flame of Love in our hearts and Minds…and we begin to experience ourselves as that One Mind…forever healed, forever loved and forever One.

So it appears that low frequency thoughts go where they came from, which is nowhere and high frequency thoughts go where they came from, which is everywhere, every time and back to everyone at once. I think that answer should satisfy any five year old.

Birthing the New Paradigm …through Surrender                               Erina Carey Cowan

This is the time we have all been waiting for...all old paradigm systems are crashing in preparation for the new foundation that we came here to create together....indeed we are at the gateway to the Golden Age. In this process it seems that we are all experiencing a breaking apart of whatever we held strong attachment to..this is good since values/attachments are all based on perspective and projection (what we have created and held on to as our reality to ensure the safety of our 'self' identity). Our sense of individuation has been based on perspectives which are creations of our conditioning. These generate exclusivity and separation.

I have been finding that the fear and anxiety levels exuding from the collective consciousness these days are almost palpable...as familiar structures and beliefs fall away uncertainty and confusion arise. Even amidst this uncertainty and what seems to be a steady stream of ever-quickening changes, you can… when you are silent for a few moments sense your Eternal Nature… As we are losing our self-identity, as each & every area of our lives is being shaken at the roots, we are ever so steadily emerging in our True Self Identity. It is best to allow yourself as much fluidity as possible, to let go of each attachment to your ‘old’ way of doing things, attachments to the ‘you’ that you used to know…all of it! As you may be experiencing already just the willingness to release whatever resistance comes up serves to gracefully move you into more of a peace state…a ‘knowingness’ that everything is perfect and perfectly directed begins to flower in your heart, in your soul.

It seems to me the way to go is to continue surrendering any struggles and fears over to the Divine and to continuously go within to your heart center, connect with Truth and in this bring new creative ideas to surface. I feel that finding ways to be more 'inclusive' through cultivating mainstream community awareness flows naturally with this new paradigm of emerging Oneness. It seems as though those who have been waking up and cultivating their skills for quite awhile now are in place to support larger numbers of people who need assistance in shifting perspective from fear- based to love and Self-empowerment founded.

Our time is at hand and what a beautiful orchestration of Golden Awakening we are all part of!

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