> >snip< > > Spiritual Defense can also be defined as the application of non-lethal, non-invasive, and non-physical Distance Influence (DI) thought technology, which can provide real protection and shielding by screening and blocking harmful influences of a destructive or evil nature. Spiritual Defense employs DI technology, which is thought form communication between a sender(s) and a receiver (s), whether consciously perceived or not, involving for example light and sound, prayer and meditation, and collective mental synchronization to augment and help insure security and well-being." > > > > Oh, like a darshan meeting with the saints. Light and sound, prayer and meditation... >
Incidentally, a darshan modality that Mother Ann (of the Shakers) as saint used with pilgrims coming to visit was her voice also. The sound value of an intoning voice. There are people around now who do this too. Using voice to help the spiritual subtle neuro-physio system. Mother Ann was also known in her time for the effect of singing her 'word-less' tunes at people. Shaker singing and the body of shaker songs being sung the way we know it now came along after the Mother Ann foundational era. The Boston Camerata as a project has produced a couple of CD's of Shaker songs. They are quite nice recordings. Within the tracks are examples of a couple of these word-less tunes. Here is one of the CD's. None of the wordless songs are available to sample. But here is a real nice album cd recording of shaker songs including some of the 'wordless' songs: http://www.bostoncamerata.com/bccd-simple.html > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Yes that's the book. It's a particular book that examines things > > > > > > the way we would spiritually. As an academic book it is kind of > > > > > > unique this way. It really is quite fabulous. I found it on my > > > > > > visit last month to the Shaker museum village of Pleasant Hill, Ky. > > > > > > Pleasant Hill Shaker Village is a great resource of books, > > > > > > diaries, journals for researching transcendentalist utopian > > > > > > America. http://www.shakervillageky.org/ I have also visited a > > > > > > number of other of these kinds of museums looking at other American > > > > > > Utopian groups like ours here in Fairfield to see how it went for > > > > > > them. > > > > > > > > > > > > A couple years before Maharishi died I went down to Pleasant Hill > > > > > > and lived for a while to particularly research the transition > > > > > > between spiritual founders and following generations. I spent a > > > > > > lot of time looking at their founder Mother Ann in particular and > > > > > > then the Shakti of the group following after her. Mother Ann > > > > > > evidently was a saint in the way we know them. Would give > > > > > > shaktipat, taught a meditation (dhyana) as a spiritual practice and > > > > > > sat with folks giving a darshan. They formed in to > > > > > > groups(villages) to facilitate this spiritual practice and became > > > > > > known as Shakers. We popularly know them for other things but > > > > > > essentially they were a mediating group in practice. After some > > > > > > generations of succession in busy competition with the outside > > > > > > world to hold their own they lost their moorings, dropped their > > > > > > structured meditation time from their daily practice, became more > > > > > > about doctrine, and the group shakti dwindled out. Spiritual > > > > > > life-cycle. > > > > > > > > > > > > Viewing these in 'shaktic' or experiential spiritual ways as opposed to > > 'static' comparative doctrinal ways, > > as a group the Shaker experience stands a good parallel to things TM. I > > would wonder that some things possibly could even be learned from their > > experience if one has eyes to see it. Learned about the Shaker experience > > as well as with TM-Raja-ism. > > > > For instance, the Shaker version of policy guidelines were called the > > Millennial law. There was a sequence to the evolution of their millennial > > laws over the decades after their foundation era. From short > > organizational mission of facilitating spiritual experience initially then > > towards detail specific as the group got further away from the founder and > > the foundation era. Moving from simpler facilitating of shakti to long > > elaboration of doctrine and guideline. From shorter statement of spiritual > > mission to a long detailed 'contract' of doctrinal guidelines. From > > facilitating experience to preservation of institution by guideline > > doctrine. Essentially the guidelines became the teaching doctrine. In > > effect their ME became so burdened with 'pitta-vatta' derangement of some > > that the experiential shakti got squeezed out of it generally; folks dried > > up and left the group leaving behind only doctrinal tru-believers as > > preservationists. It's a good lesson. > > Evidently the Shakers are not the only group to have this happen to. > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" <dhamiltony2k5@> wrote: > > > > > > This excerpt reminds me of when Maharishi was experimenting with > > > Patanjali in the 1970's and teaching us the Yoga Sutras 'siddhis' > > > practices with TM: > > > > > > "...For many Shakers were experiencing quite unexpected "movements of the > > > inner Spirit" often overflowing into emotion-charged manifestations > > > -songs without words, strange languages, prayer through bodily gesture > > > such as kneeling, ecstatic spontaneous dancing, and disturbing bodily > > > agitation and trembling. It is from this last that their mocking > > > neighbors called them "Shaking Quakers". Many other Shakers remained > > > outwardly calm in manner yet welcomed all these manifestations as the > > > signs of a great inward work." [Of the later 18th Century] > > > > > > Alot like scenes on the TM experimental (AEGTC) 'Governor training' > > > courses around 1976-'77 in Switzerland as we learned the siddhis > > > practice. Ru's in spontaneous shaking and some ecstatic barking. Shakti > > > shouts. Kundalini movement. Meditating. A spiritual zoo. > > > -Buck in FF > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Here is something written about this kind of thing in the > > > > > > > > > 18th Century. Nothing new under the sun I guess: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This is pretty impressive. Where exactly does it come > > > > > > > > from? Who were these people? What subsequently happened > > > > > > > > to this woman and her group? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Just to exercise my higher visionary functions: Ann Lee? Shakers? > > > > > > > http://books.google.de/books?id=8NFFknegLWUC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=Ann+was+the+first+individual+to+experience+the+parousia&source=bl&ots=Ga5vONZcqM&sig=C8Y8puz_Rge_qJltRftFD_6KePw&hl=en&ei=GGRSTbHmKIHtsgat3omRCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Ann%20was%20the%20first%20individual%20to%20experience%20the%20parousia&f=false > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes that's the book. It's a particular book that examines things > > > > > > the way we would spiritually. As an academic book it is kind of > > > > > > unique this way. It really is quite fabulous. I found it on my > > > > > > visit last month to the Shaker museum village of Pleasant Hill, Ky. > > > > > > Pleasant Hill Shaker Village is a great resource of books, > > > > > > diaries, journals for researching transcendentalist utopian > > > > > > America. http://www.shakervillageky.org/ I have also visited a > > > > > > number of other of these kinds of museums looking at other American > > > > > > Utopian groups like ours here in Fairfield to see how it went for > > > > > > them. > > > > > > > > > > > > A couple years before Maharishi died I went down to Pleasant Hill > > > > > > and lived for a while to particularly research the transition > > > > > > between spiritual founders and following generations. I spent a > > > > > > lot of time looking at their founder Mother Ann in particular and > > > > > > then the Shakti of the group following after her. Mother Ann > > > > > > evidently was a saint in the way we know them. Would give > > > > > > shaktipat, taught a meditation (dhyana) as a spiritual practice and > > > > > > sat with folks giving a darshan. They formed in to > > > > > > groups(villages) to facilitate this spiritual practice and became > > > > > > known as Shakers. We popularly know them for other things but > > > > > > essentially they were a mediating group in practice. After some > > > > > > generations of succession in busy competition with the outside > > > > > > world to hold their own they lost their moorings, dropped their > > > > > > structured meditation time from their daily practice, became more > > > > > > about doctrine, and the group shakti dwindled out. Spiritual > > > > > > life-cycle. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > "Retirement" was the Shaker word they used for 'meditation' like we > > > > > would know it. Regular 'retiring' was specifically allowed for or > > > > > structured in to their work days. 'Retirement' was foundational to > > > > > their spiritual practice. > > > > > > > > > > That nice furniture we think of as being trademark of 'Shaker' came > > > > > about to furnish their bedrooms, meetings, and villages for > > > > > "retirement". Their coming together in to villages was to > > > > > provide/facilitate the common resources and time to have regular > > > > > "retirement" and group meetings. Their daily group meditations, as > > > > > we might see them, they referred to as "Union Meetings". > > > > > 'Retirement' was the essential salt and flour of their spiritual > > > > > practice, just like ours. > > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > 1845 Millenial Laws: Section II Orders concerning the Spiritual Worship of > God, etc > > "Believers are required by the orders of God, to retire to their rooms in > silence, for the space of half an hour, and labor for a sense of the gospel, > before attending meeting. > 2. All should sit erect in straight ranks in retiring time, ... ; and none > should have any conversation upon anything whatever, neither should they > sleep nor idly lounge away the time, or leave the room except it be very > necessary." > > > Half an hour. These half hour retirements as spiritual practice catch my > eye. That is serious spiritual practice. Infurther reading, the 'retirings' > were very much part of the day from early on as a discipline. With extra > ones thrown in or called for too at different times before meetings. > > Retirement was particularly practiced for years of a generation or two. > Evidently that discipline of practice petered out at some time. > -Buck in FF > > > > > > > > > > > > > ",,,attend to your retirements, meetings and meals, and not let trifles > > > > hinder you; and when the signal is given, either for retiring time or > > > > for meals, drop your work, go into the house and sit down and retire, > > > > and have no loud or unnecessary conversation." [1845] > > > > > > > > Sounds a lot like TM in Fairfield in earlier days through the 1980's > > > > and the mid-1990's. People's lives and work was set up to attend the > > > > meditations and folks could drop what they were doing to go as an > > > > additional call was made. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > TM is on track with this life-cycle arc of spiritual groups. In > > > > > > its time Fairfield will be a tourist destination like Amana or > > > > > > Shakertown or Brook Farm.. Can hear the tour guides in about 90 > > > > > > years describing the meaning of the architecture, displaying > > > > > > artifacts like bottles of labeled AyurVedic herbs, Maharishi honey > > > > > > and other products produced and sold by the group for their > > > > > > sustenance , Sidha dresses, the crowns they wore, the Heidelberg > > > > > > press room, see gold embossed publications, view banners from the > > > > > > group, and then hear the interpretation describing what 'went' on > > > > > > in Fairfield. Then take the tours of buildings given by people > > > > > > dressed in meditator garb. > > > > > > > > > > > > Of course the irony of antithesis like at Shakertown is that it is > > > > > > some local Christain-believing guides having a job who would be > > > > > > giving the tours. In time. > > > > > > > > > > > > -Buck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <edit> > > > > > > > > > "Ann was the first individual to experience the parousia and > > > > > > > > > so they recognized her to be the unique person to inaugurate > > > > > > > > > the awareness of the parousia. It was not "seeing" in the > > > > > > > > > external sense at all but rather a transforming consciousness > > > > > > > > > of unitive presence. The phrase "she saw in open vision" is > > > > > > > > > often used, open vision is a knowing not by mind or a seeing > > > > > > > > > not by the eyes but by a perception at depth from with in; if > > > > > > > > > reflects the "knowing which is beyond knowledge". The > > > > > > > > > "vision" is "open" in the sense that one who now really sees > > > > > > > > > has been opened within. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > In meeting as she began to speak of her experience, all those > > > > > > > > > at the meeting began to experience themselves. They did not > > > > > > > > > merely accept Ann's word for what she had experienced. > > > > > > > > > Rather, as she spoke of her experience, those who listened > > > > > > > > > experienced the same reality for themselves. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ann inaugurated the consciousness of parousia as the first > > > > > > > > > one among many to be drawn into the unifying experience of > > > > > > > > > alive and fully present in-through-with us all. She is the > > > > > > > > > first to awaken in experience to what ultimately all > > > > > > > > > experience. In experiential history she ministers this > > > > > > > > > experience to them by bearing witness to what had happened to > > > > > > > > > her, thereby being the instrument of that same happening to > > > > > > > > > them. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ann ministered life to them by the living witness of her > > > > > > > > > experience; they now experience for themselves and so in turn > > > > > > > > > enter an ever-expanding ministry of living witness to others. > > > > > > > > > This begins the essential process of revelation spoken of as > > > > > > > > > progressive unfoldment." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > <> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yes. This is the same thing that SSRS says when people have > > > > > > > > > > transcendent experiences around him. He says that that > > > > > > > > > > experience occurs in your consciousness and is you. But > > > > > > > > > > this does not discount that the guru/teacher/lama, etc., > > > > > > > > > > could function as a catalyst to trigger said experience in > > > > > > > > > > you. Without the catalyst, no experience. In the same > > > > > > > > > > fashion you could listen to a piece of music and have a > > > > > > > > > > beautiful experience. The beauty is in the context of your > > > > > > > > > > consciousness as the music serves as a catalyst to trigger > > > > > > > > > > the experience of beauty. Without the music "outside" of > > > > > > > > > > your consciousness, no "inner" beauty. > > > > > > > > > >
