Embodying True Nature Retreat Keynotes

posted by Roman Hanis on April 27th, 2014

Embody True Nature Transformation Retreat Coca Ceremony
The profound immersion into the depth of consciousness and the purpose of all life we have recently undergone in the Embody True Nature transformation retreat at Paititi has been a continuing inspiration for many of us as we  embark further along our distinct hero’s journeys of evolutionary healing and awakening of our shared hearts.

Some of the key points, realizations and lessons that manifested themselves through the collective effort of all those involved are as follows:

Purification & Initiation

Ayahuasca Vines

As we began the process, it quickly became evident that the journey of transformation entails a deep commitment to face oneself under difficult and uncomfortable circumstances, which are invoked by the sometimes powerful purification during first three initiation c eremonies.

It is not only the physical toxins but especially the energetic, emotional and mental toxins of behavioral patterns, stale concepts and ideas that have been accumulating for a very long time that are often released in the initial phases of the transformation work.

Therefore there has to be a strong enough purpose to get to the truth of one’s being and without that purpose, it is very easy to be fooled into giving up by the conditioned ego that does not want to get out of its comfort zone and does not wish to give up the illusory sense of control it thinks it holds on reality. Hence terms such as Unbending Intent, Strong Determination and Unwavering Commitment have all been identified as essential, universal, human qualities within the Native American, Eastern and Western traditions, as well as ancient spiritual cultures from other parts of the world.

Emergence of Natural States

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As the initial purification and initiation into the Sacred Science of the evolutionary healing is accomplished, we  start to gain insights and glimpses into profound states of presence and peaceful dynamics of blissful stillness. The emergence of these natural states is a direct consequence of the practice of Remembrance which is the underlying fabric of all of the transformation work and starts to occur intuitively initially with the ceremony work.

Dreamwork and Breathwork are the conscious practices that branch out of the Remembrance tree and embody the ancestral intention to help us understand this process, and more importantly than fully understanding it, to trust it more deeply. The dawning of the idea that all situations, circumstances and relationships in one’s life have not been there as mere random occurrences can by itself be inspiring. To take that yet a step further and recognize one’s life as a skillfully crafted intricate chain of events, created intentionally for the main purpose of helping one to realize the eternally radiant and indestructible essence of the true nature is astonishing. That is the potential that we can begin to see in the cultivation of these practices.

Shedding Light on the Shadows

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We gradually start to develop more of a discerning wisdom in the recognition of the essential humanity to be the reality of our existence based on qualities that are inherent in us from the very beginning when we are inseparable from the divine intelligence in the Mother’s womb. And from here, we begin to embody these universal qualities and base our life decisions on Love rather than Fear.

While re-experiencing all of the difficult circumstances of our lives, habitual behavioral patterns, inhibitions and traumas, we release these repressed, subconscious contents from a place of active compassion which replaces the victim state responsible for the accumulation of that content in the first place. Underneath all of those difficult shadow memories, we begin to shed light on the original memories of innocence, openness, receptivity, vulnerability and inner peace.

Although these states of being have little place in our modern society, they are deeply valued within indigenous and other ancient cultures as outmost crucial for healing and connection to one’s highest potential. This is how we start to unravel the karmic knots of disturbing emotions and liberate ourselves from the domination of craving, aversion and ignorance, which are the poisons of our existence.

The Simple Innocent Truth of Being

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The simple, pure and innocent truth – which is too simple for our complicated minds to comprehend – emerges in the mere being that all of the practices have been pointing us towards all along. Consciousness in the center of our hearts is the main healing agent, while all of the skilful means, practices and techniques are just tools to support consciousness on its journey of self-realization. Not being something or someone, trying to get somewhere or accomplish something, yet to simply just be. After a lifetime of resisting or trying to fix what is, we learn to finally allow consciousness to rest deeply in this eternal moment without changing anything in it, like the sky behind the clouds. While doing based on need can never come into being, being naturally comes into the inspiration of creative potential – everything is perfect with infinite room for improvement.

Mirror-like Nature

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We have gained a vital insight into the mirror-like nature of our collective existence: all beings are striving towards happiness as a state of being and more often than not, they are only able to experience it temporarily while grasping the slippery pleasant sensations and avoiding the persistent unpleasant ones. As we recognize this collective ignorance that is inherent within ourselves as well, we start to unravel the most essential human qualities of Universal Love and Compassion and come into our cosmic shared heart. What we considered our own personal suffering is no longer our own – it is an expression of the same collective ignorance we now have an opportunity to experience and transform through our own being. We begin to see that the only way to liberate ourselves from suffering is to work towards the resolution of suffering in everyone through our own example, we also begin to share in the happiness of all beings and recognize the essential qualities of true nature within each other. Hello me, half of you is half of me, we all share the same life force, Allpallay Qusunchis, In Lakesh, Namaste…

The Highest View of Greatest Benefit to All Beings

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Coming out of the labyrinth of the illusory mental projections based on stories created out of disturbing emotions and into our shared heart, we gain insights into the collective stages of evolutionary development of all of humanity. The invisible structural framework of universal archetypes – primordial symbols of sacred geometry – are always here to support the growth and maturation of consciousness through the rites of passage into the many developmental phases of coming back into the original state of direct knowing and deepest joy. We begin to see the objective reality unclouded by our own conditioning that we share among ourselves. The veils of duality and separation dissolve and in a crystal clear way we see each other as one cosmic family – the pure realm and enlightened society of ancestors from which it all has begun has been here all along – all sounds are icaros and mantras; all thoughts are wisdom coming out of pure space of consciousness and returning back into it; and all situations are possibilities to recognize our true indestructible nature. Highest truth is highest joy but not the other way around.

Integration After the Retreat

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The main work and practice really starts at the completion of the retreat when we go on our distinct ways and journeys into the world at large, integrating the insights and realizations into the specific circumstances of our lives. While the specific tools and practices during the retreat can be helpful, it is the state of being to which those tools were able to point us that is the most vital to bring into our lives. The inherent wisdom of the organism we have been cultivating is here to reflect greater states of peaceful well-being and deeper immersion into the here and now.

While there are many different techniques, practices, disciplines and modalities out there, it is essential to understand that they are all just fingers pointing to the essence of being, which is up to each one of us to invoke continuously. While it is very helpful to have a daily practice that helps to remind us and to maintain the higher level of resonance, it is also important not to get lost in the technique and always gently bring ourselves back to the essence as well as share that essence within a like-hearted community. It is sometimes easy to forget ourselves in the world of appearances where we are conditioned to entertain each other rather than to share our hearts.

The world at large can be quite distracting and so taking baby steps in it without entangling too much in the external manifestations can be very helpful, especially in the tender beginnings of being outside the nurturing container of the retreat. With the wings of perception more widely opened, we may notice certain unhealthy patterns and dynamics in our lives which have been there before and yet remained unnoticed until now. With that said, after the retreat it is also very likely to encounter these old patterns sometimes in a more amplified way, since that nurturing container of higher resonance we are all devoted to maintain together is not as apparent. Another essential human trait that can be very useful in those situations is a sense of humor and nothing beats a good laugh at oneself in the midst of a drama – stand up comedy at it’s best :).

Bringing the spacious and radiant presence of consciousness which we have been learning about from the Spirit of the Rainforest into all the situations and circumstances of our lives is really what this is about – the childlike attitude of no wrong, where every step is an unceasing learning experience of greater insight and evolution. We are made of Mother Nature and as we remember this more and more we can be her conscious channels always and everywhere, continuously learning how to channel greater and greater levels of Universal Love through nurturing and discerning presence while becoming the bridge of wisdom and compassion inseparable.

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Thank you Greg Goodman for the beautiful photography in this post www.AdventuresofaGoodMan.com