Things I will Miss/Not Miss about India.

This is a list of my personal experiences and opinions on what I enjoyed and did not enjoy about travelling in India!

I Will Miss:

Connecting with others who share similar soul paths in such a condensed way.  There are many who are ‘riding the wave’ of our collective spiritual growth, and India is a very good place to come into contact with many of these people.  It has a stigma and so a pathway, for those who have similar interests to walk together.  My live attracts these people everywhere I go, but as of now, the intensity of those connections is faster paced travelling in India.

The animals being everywhere.  It is so nice to just hang out with a cow.  Cows, goats, dogs, cats, and monkeys are the main animals which are simply everywhere.  Monkeys can be dicks sometimes, but the cows especially can be really nice company at times!

The train rides.  Going on a long train journey is one of the ‘classic experiences’ that India has to offer.  The sleeper class is arraigned in bunks of small beds, which to a traveller become like a safe haven.  Just like long trips with any other form of transport, it is a great time to reflect on life, read, and create art.

The cute mannerisms of the men.  There are some movements of the body that tickle me pink with cuteness.  On the final days of being there, I really started to gush over some of them…

The shear beauty of the women.  The beautiful dresses, hairstyling, and jewellery is sometimes so stunning that I don’t even know what to say!

The living faiths.  In my opinion, most spiritual traditions and religious institutions are not so… alive.  And this is true of many of the traditions in India too (I will go into that in the -will not miss- section), however, more than most places, it is more than possible to meet a person who is living a faith in India.  To me, this means there is a dynamic quality to the energy being channelled, it is not dogmatic, but alive and evolving.

The new youths in India.  What I mean by that is, there are some younger folks who I met who are ready to do away with the superstitious beliefs of the culture, cultivate the values, and create social and environmental change.  I believe those youths will later be the power of their time, and in that time we will see major changes.

The stunning environment/water.  There are sights to see that cannot be seen anywhere else.  The mountains, jungles, rivers and oceans of India have qualities unique to themselves.  The Ganges river (particularly in the North) is a beauty beyond comprehension.  Unfortunately, littering is a huge problem, and this is ruining a lot of the nature there.  But I will get into that in the other list.
The handmade jewellery/wood working.  Some of the creations there are so beautiful and inspired, though some stuff is made on for the purpose of tourists, much of the art is colourful and stunningly beautiful.

Cheap living.  Coming from a background of not having a lot of material wealth, this is a place where I got to live a bit of a ‘over the middle’ lifestyle at times.  I realize that tourism in this way can be unhealthy for the native place, so I am not saying it’s a good thing.  But it is a unique experience for me.  My favourite place was a place called Gokarna, where I was pay 2 dollars per night to live in a straw hut.

The hospitality of Indian family structure.  I stayed with two friends and their families in the South of India, in a place called Chennai.  I was well well well taken care of on every level.  The experience was genuine and sweet.

Last but not least…

The ability to pee and poop outside.  One of the days I was there, I actually took a poop on the side of the road.  I was behind a tree a little… and it was night time.  But I didn’t feel like I was doing anything wrong.  What a trip!

I Will Not Miss:

(Note:  I realize I am a person travelling in another people’s country, so I am not suggesting change based on my wants, but am expressing my true feelings.)

The incessant beeping of horns.  It is illegal not to beep your horn when you pass someone by motor vehicle.  There is great purpose to this, as it allows people to be aware when you are behind them.  But my ears really, really didn’t like it!

The abuse of animals.  It is very common to abuse animals in India.  Dog are considered less than acceptable often (It is hard, because they do often have disease).  But the method in which many use to move these animals is a hard hit with a stick.  One time a friend put it well, “When a dog sees a human with a stick in the West, he knows it’s time to play fetch… not in India.”

The superstitions of religion.  While there are many great spiritual teachings and valuable traditions, there are also guilt based social norms and superstitions (ie: this god will be displeased if…).

Bartering at shops.  This experience can actually be fun.  But I would rather hear a reasonable, not so cheap or so high price that the shop keeper feels is fair, than play the game of him/her trying to get as much as they can out of me, and me trying to give as little as I can.  There is something to be said for fair contracts.

The sexual repression/patriotically role models.  The confusing part about sexuality there is that it is so laced with social identity and family, that people often are not allowed to express their true needs.  This has caused major problems, and true, heartfelt communication would wipe away much of this.  I can say the EXACT same thing for Canada.

The plastic food.  While the homemade food there can be so amazing, the store bought food sometimes actually tastes like plastic.  This is also true of the Western world, but sometimes it’s even worse.

The tourist industry.  Because it is an industry, it is sometimes hard to have truthful conversations.  When someone wants to sell you something, they rarely say things as they are.  This is a bigger problem though, because we deserve it, being from English roots.  The whole thing is such a mess on so many levels, that it is hard to experience things in a truthful way, when money is involved.  That being said, I met many great travel agents who I consider friends over the time I was there.

Attention grabbing/Vying for respect.  When foreign folks are in India, it happens often that someone wants you to notice them or give them praise.  Because we are put onto a god like pedestal.  This is creates false and superficial relationships.  I met many people ’on the level’, but it is common to be treated like a celebrity, so that if for example, other people see a local with a Westerner, they get some form of respect.  This to be is silly.  I said a few times, “You realize I am not even cool where I am from right?”

Authoritative structure in families.  While I think in the West sometimes we have too little influence from the family structure, in India sometimes I think there is too much.  Many people expressed to me their fears around sharing honestly with their families, because if they did, they would loose the approval of the father/family.  The joke though, is that when no one is being honest with each other, this is much worse energetically than expressing something that may be hard, but is true.  Often it is thought that the ‘kids need to learn what is right’ from the parents.  This of course is true, but if overly identified with, can turn into a power trip.

The pollution.  Someone expressed this very well to me.  “Don’t blame them, before we came along and sold them plastic, they only used biodegradable materials, so throwing them on the ground made no difference.”  This is very true.  Now however, it has reached an epidemic and needs to be dealt with in a different way.  We in the West need much better ways to deal with this as well.  I have seen that a machine exists which will revert the plastic back into oil.  This may be a start anyway.

And finally…

General cleanliness.  A friend used anti-bacterial solution to wash her hands once, and a girl said to her, “you don’t use water?  That is gross”.  The joke is that much of the water is infected with bacteria that is very dangerous.  So this has to be on the mind consistently to avoid putting something very dangerous into the body.

Balancing Dualities

What is duality?

One of the basic principals in reality is that of duality.  Duality means that whatever exists, so does it’s opposite.

In a very practical manner, this is how spatial relationships exist.  There cannot be an up without a down, left without right, black without white, etc.  One “pole”, by default, describes the other pole and both poles describe the total experience.

This is the theory of relativity, and when followed through, it becomes obvious that I cannot exist without you and the universe itself could not exist with one missing part.

When talking about balancing a duality, we are not talking about the physical duality, but rather our approach from a human perspective.

The physical universe exists in a state of balance, and we as humans have the gift, or curse, of interpretation.  If this interpretation cannot see both sides of any given polarity, than a metaphoric “blinding” to a reality which is whole occurs.  And in that blindness it is easy to take one side of a polarity to be isolated, creating a perceptual split.

I was sitting today while pondering this article, and 3 examples of interpretive balance came to mind:

-         Self and Other

-         Grounded and Open

-         Being a “son” and being an Independent Person

Self and Other

In every personal relationship there is a -self and other- being experienced.

When -self and other- are balanced, both are recognised as having a view, which is neither right nor wrong in any ultimate sense, and yet which can be freely agreed or disagreed with in a temporal sense.

When -self and other- is out of balance, either self thinks itself to be the ultimate word based on personal experience, or the other is put onto a pedestal as having an ultimate authority of correctness.  Both of these unbalanced views create a halt to further collaborative exploration.

If we do not need to agree in order to communicate, then space for exploration is opened up.  The goal of rightness no longer becomes the only reason for the communication, and creative solutions and further discovery may arise “of itself so”.

Grounded and Open

In this article, “grounded” means “what is up with the collective consensus”.  To talk about this can be difficult if we have realised the pluralistic “many truths” which reality adheres too.  However, to be grounded wherever one is, is to be able to get a sense of the collective consensus of the current space.  “Open” means open to possibilities, which are not necessarily agreed upon as possible.

When -grounded and open- is balanced, the collective consensus is taken into consideration and worked with rather than against.  We can ground into “what is known” without feeling stuck there, knowing that “what is known” is an ever changing field.  At the same time, “what could be” is taken just as seriously, and does not need to fight with “what is known”, bridges are then sought after without the risk of “looking stupid”, as the group is opened to both “what is known” and “what could be” without having an emotional stake in one or the other.

When -grounded and open- is out of balance, grounded insists that it’s version of reality is the only way, and open insists that grounded does not matter.  Where grounded does not have room to move at all, open starts to use experiences as a “means to an end” to achieve a new possibility.

When balanced, the space between -grounded and open- becomes an “alchemy” of isness and possibility.  With willing “bridges”, that space can then produce the “fruit” of the alchemy with ease.

Being a “Son” and Being an Independent Person

I am two people’s “son”, without a doubt.  A sperm from a male and an egg from a female were required for me to be Josh Coleman.  I am also, a human being which is independent of my parents, in that, I have my own preferences, experiences, and pathways to explore.

When -Being a “Son” and Being an Independent Person- is in balance, I can accept and acknowledge the ancestral roots from which I was born.  I can appreciate the conditions created for me to survive the time in the uterus, childbirth, early childhood, puberty, teenage development, and in my case, early adulthood.  Those conditions are not however, the conditions which I may choose to live further explorations in my life.  These differences in conditions may take the form of physical, mental, and emotional experience.

When -Being a “Son” and Being an Independent Person- is out of balance, I deny my past experiences as “what they were”, and “wish that things were different".  In that denial, I may continue to live in the multitude of conditions which I was brought up in, while at the same time not recognising the experience as such.  This can create a split between my own path, and the path wished for me by other people.

When balanced, some of the paths I have been given will remain, as they fit the natural experience which I am having.  At the very least, I accept where I have come from, and in that acceptance, I can now choose to make alterations without denial.  Even if I wish to make drastic alterations, I do not direct rage at my parents for their experience.  The space that is created in this experience is not “for or against” my past, but is inclusive “as things are”.  The future however, is not pre-determined in a sense of details, though perhaps has overarching themes.

These are 3 examples of what it means to perceptually balance dualities.  They are guides to point one to their own investigation, followed by possible inner transformation. 

If one is willing to expand their awareness to include both “sides” of any given situation, the type of space that is left is transformative by nature.  The space is both local and non-local, and so although it has definition, it also includes a space without definition.  All inner exploration has a launching point, or roots, and a free flow for flying.  One without the other has limitations.

Perceptual Transformation

Our perception of reality has a lot to do with how things unfold within it.  This does not necessarily mean have a “good” perception of reality, because this can be blinding just like negativity.  What is being called for is to know the space between good and bad, a space where the truth is not emotionally weighted in any particular direction, and so is free to move in the most natural direction.  A level of self honesty, self compassion, and personal evolution may come through this space.

The evolution of this planet and its inhabitants has been growing, transforming, changing for as long as there has been a planet.  What is coming through us now, which is a globally connected age, is simply the most current evolution.

There is a certain amount of “working together” which is necessary in order for us to thrive as a species.  This does not mean a fantasized “utopia” where there is no friction between ideals.  But rather a human race which has ideals, and at the same time recognises that his or her ideals are not for everyone.

This openness is not a common practice for humans, as we have become quite identified with our mental positions, cultural philosophies, and familial traditions.

This is not a call to throw those positions away; quite the contrary.  Without the need to project ideals onto the people around us, we can then live our own space in a much smoother manner.

A truly free society does not need to prove to anyone within that society of the “right” way, but lives so fully that others are either inspired to do the same, or encouraged to explore something completely new.

“Only an insecure society is scared of those who are not joiners” – Alan Watts

Obviously there are common agreements which lend themselves to healthy exchanges, but these agreements can be worked out in a natural way; with honesty, openness, and personal integrity, without the force of one particular mindset onto another.

This is why insightful work of personal inquiry and development is necessary.  Ultimately, the collective is made of individuals.  And it is the individual transformation which leads to the collective agreements.

This individual self work cannot be “given” by an outside force.  Though, it is possible that with openness, space can be created and a type of self honesty can be cultivated without shame and further damage.

If we however, come up with a particular philosophy, which has a new set of bounds imposed from the outside, then we are doomed to repeat the same cycles.

Even our ideas of freedom are not always true.  Often times our ideas of freedom are coming from a “wronged” version of ourselves, which feels un-free due to parental impositions.  This un-free mentality can then be projected onto others as the source, rather than owned and transformed into actual freedom.

To transform a perspective is to release the emotional weight of a situation and to see with clarity. Then in that clarity, a movement in consciousness is obvious and flows naturally.

Evolution happens because it is the next step in whatever is going on.  We can never know exactly what it is going to look like, but if we are open to changing, then we are better able to see when a transformative opportunity is presenting itself.

Family Healing

To heal within a family unit, one really only have to be themselves.  The conditions which are placed onto children (I love you if, don’t love you if) are not as solid as they appear.

When someone is “coming out”, whether it be as a homosexual, spiritualist, drug user, comic book reader... anything really, the way to heal is to stop defending.  In defence we are actually implying that we do have a problem.  We need to prove something.  When a part of our selves is fully integrated there is no defence or attack, simply being.

The power of being without defence shifts an entire perspective.

It may be that we find a pain/pleasure addiction to thinking we have done something wrong, and then wanting to fix/defend it.  This is self work and his little to do with the others in the family.

When this is fully realized, true connection can happen.  There is no trying to convince the other.

This doesn’t mean a sort of “silent ignoring” either, nor an extravagant showing.  Not attack, nor defence, just the truth.

You will not “finally be free” once your family accepts you, but this is a metaphoric representation for you to “finally be free” when you accept yourself.

Some Reflections on Cortes Experience

Life in a small community is very unique – Halifax is a small community of course, but THIS, Cortes island is a small community.

As is true of any place, and is easy to notice here, there are very distinct layers.  Not better or worse, but layers like the layers of a cake.  I have been given a gift to be able to play within layers and not be aligned with any particular group or space.

The biggest challenge that I have faced with this gift (A true gift is often just as much a challenge) is the balance between flowing between groups, and not fitting in at all.  I often feel called to take space from everyone in order to remember who I am without group influence, and yet I can also be a very social creature.  These kinds of dualities are the beautiful jewels which present themselves for each of us in some form.

To be at peace with a duality is to realize that each side could not exist without the other.  We are not meant to choose a final scenario, but allow the openness of the moment to find its own balance through awareness, intention, and attention.  To choose one side of a personal duality is to create a blind spot.

There have been lots of opportunities to dance here!

And sing.

And play.

I have been able to connect with children more than ever.  I have often found myself intimated around children; for fear that my presence may influence the conditioning that I am working with.  The joke is that most children are much more unconditioned than any adult, and so the opposite may be true, where either I can learn from their truth or better yet a balanced exchange is met.

Another really beautiful opportunity has been to connect more deeply with men.  For the last year or so I have been experiencing introversion where I have not connected as deeply with male friends.  I set the intention last month to meet and share with other men who are open to spirituality and love – Thy wish be granted.

And finally on the human frontier, I have been seriously reconsidering the way that I interact with women.  It has been more confusing than fun, which is where the magic tends to happen, in unsure ness.

Thinking back on the last month there are mental/emotional/physical experiences I am proud of, ones I am not proud of at all, and ones where I am just starting to see a balance that fits my soul.

With all 3 of those scenarios, I am just honoured to be able to express my feelings and truth with all of the women involved.  Moving through/Working with the personal layers through self inquiry and honest expression has been intense and grounding.

This writing feels a little choppy, but I am pushing myself (gently) to publish it to get the ball rolling again.  I find there to be certain momentums with the different work I am doing, and like a motor starting, it can sometimes come with a few stutters.

Love you and all you do

Cortes Island Adventure

About 2 weeks ago I was hosting a group meditation at a friend’s house in Union Bay, Vancouver Island.  She does what is called Angel Readings.  It was really cool to watch her do her work.  She went into a meditation and the whole room changed vibrational feel.  She wrote down 7 or 8 things, and then we talked about them while she translated her visions.

Talking about psychic work comes with a lot of hype and stereotype.  She was so humble the entire time and it was obvious that simply being of service was her only motive.

It was not like someone trying to influence things in a direction to somehow manipulate things to go her way, as there was nothing for her to gain (It was a free reading).

I know many psychic readers who are of service and pure of intent.  And although I have met others who are not, it is quite obvious to discern if there is a personal agenda or not.  I am really writing about this because when people hear about psychic readers, even open people, there is often skepticism.  Skepticism can be very helpful, in a healthy dose.  Yet it is very easy to block experiences due to skeptical beliefs and then say they are not beliefs!

I know this because I have done it myself and a few times very clearly missed opportunities for growth!

The point of this story is that she recommended that I come to this Island and put myself out there to do readings myself, which I have been doing on and off for over a year, to work through a block in doing them confidently.  The block is that I do not want to be seen as someone who is trying to influence anything for my own desires, or that I somehow know more than another ultimately, just a person listening to spirit and translating to the best of my ability.

The island, Cortes, is beautiful.  The community here is really unique.  Nude sunbathing and hitch hiking is normal.  Healing and insights seem to be very apparent here as well.  The “magical brain” of synchronicity and manifestation has been working in really fun and cool ways, and I am absolutely being taken care of (As always).

As one person put it, whatever you focus on here tends to grow, which is true everywhere, but there is something just a little different on this island.  Even the produce is so abundant that more often than not food has to be given away in order not to go bad.  In that way I have been offered lots of really good food!

There is a bit of a mentality for people that live here versus those from away.  Not many people are like this but I have picked it up a few times.  As one person said though, it’s a great chance to stand in ones truth without needing to prove anything.  And if one is true, and I know that I am, then that trueness will last the entry test.

I have felt ecstatic bliss and some emotional lows as well, but a part of the path of understanding is to start trusting that these states will come and go.  To remain open to things as they do shift, and simply respond to the best of our ability in the moment of presence.  It can be a trap to get identified with bliss as well, never to block the option, but to be attached to it if it goes away.  There is an ebb and flow (just like the weather), and if we think we are in control of it, it can be painful.  We are in control of certain things, and not of others, and there is no formula, only experience!

I will update as things progress.  Will be working here at some markets and festivals doing readings, healings, and guided meditation.

I have been doing video blogs, but want to keep up with both my writing and videos.

Check out the videos on my youtube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/StellarVibrations

Love!

What on Earth is Going on?

As most of you know, I have been using this blog as a space to talk about the inner and outer adventures that I have been experiencing for the last year.  Before this blog, I did some facebook posts about a trip to India.

When I woke up this morning, I started to sense that there was an “upgrade” coming through for me in terms of writing.

The upgrade is that I am going to begin talking about the bigger picture involved in what is going on.  It has taken me a little bit of time to feel comfortable doing this, because everywhere we find people talking about the changes that are happening.  Some people are calling it a “shift” in consciousness, the end of the mayan calendar, the start of the age of Aquarius, and most recently, Harold Campings “rapture”.

Truth be told there is something happening.  And each of these is A way to describe it.  But none of them are THE way to describe it.  This is because the nature of change, the spirit of evolution, does not come with a particular ideology or belief system.

A belief system must have limits to its expression.  By its very nature there is a scope of some ”thing” that is happening, which would have a specific appearance.  There is no room for the unexpected.

The bigger picture however, is that the unexpected is exactly the dimension of experience which is being integrated.

When we do not know what is coming, then oddly enough, we start to have a better sense of what is coming.  At the very least there is an inherent faith as things unfold.

This is paradoxical and can be hard to understand.  Actually it is impossible to understand, and that is the point.

To open up to the unknown is a daunting task, because we are required to challenge the perceptual limitations of a worldview which does not allow for anything unmeasured.

As an example, often times when these changes are talked about, love is what is expected.  This is fine when love is truly understood.  However, our ideas about love can absolutely get in the way of discernment.  Sometimes love is one of the most ass kicking experiences available.  It is the force that knocks away misperceptions and reveals the freshness of truth.

It is in my experience that we are always ultimately safe, “protected” if you will, yet when love comes knocking on ones door, often times there is an illumination which shows areas of our lives which are not in line with our truth.

The heart of compassion is absolutely necessary for ourselves and others while we are in the midst of changing.  Never, ever, is the Universal awareness “mad” at us, or holding a grudge.  A grudge is a man-made concept and does not hold a candle to awareness itself.

And so, something to consider is, what if most things that I think about reality are not completely true?  Not that they are false, but that there is always room for an expansion of scope and understanding.

In this way we have an opportunity to move beyond belief systems which have a “cap” on them, and into a dynamic, ever-changing understanding.  There is room for what is unknown, and there is room for what cannot be known.  Adding these dimensions of experience lend room for peace of mind and daring exploration.

Winds of Change

The title of this blog is called “Stellar Vibrations”.  What I mean by that is that there are layers to this reality.  Some forces are physical and obvious, and some are more subtle in their nature.  There are many layers, so this is not meant to oversimplify things, but the subtle cosmic forces that I am calling Stellar Vibrations is what I consider the winds of change, which comes and moves our lives if we allow.

I say, “if we allow” because no one wants to feel as though they are being forced into anything.  This is rightfully so.  However, it is also important to remember that there is an interconnectivity which we all adhere to.  There are individual changes, collective changes, planetary changes, etc.  There is a bigger picture after all.  So keeping that in mind, it is also important to remember that these winds are for our highest good.  If you doubt this, look back on your life.  How often did something, perhaps even perceived as bad, lead to a higher understanding or evolutionary change in your life?

So far as I can tell, opening to the winds of change and allowing our awareness to move with the currents is a much more reasonable endeavour.  Transformation and evolution is the natural state of this reality.  It is only a perception of physical permanency which would want a life that does not grow.  And this perception, although beautiful in its own right, can lead to a kicking and screaming experience (spoken from personal experience), when we are often being taken into our own higher understanding.

Happy Sailing!