Not having a television in the house, (and that’s by choice), I tend to read a lot of books; fiction, non-fiction, and to satisfy my wanderlust, some armchair travel. Sometimes I have five or six unfinished books lying around the house at the same time—all begging for attention. My standard joke last year (being the optimist that I am) was that I really wouldn’t have minded if Y2K had happened, if for no other reason, so I could get caught up on my reading. Perhaps you can relate to this scenario.

 Have you got time to hear one more book recommendation? If I had to cite one book that I thought was THE most significant book I have read in the past decade, my vote would go to The Cosmic Serpent, by Jeremy Narby. Without writing an entire book review, Narby describes his quest for knowledge about DNA, taking a tributary from the course of his doctoral dissertation work in ethnobotany, to the delta crossroads of physics and metaphysics. The book reads like a mystery novel, with Narby relentlessly hunting for clues, starting in the jungles of the Amazon and extending to the far reaches of Siberia. Perhaps the reason why the book seemed so significant to me is that I, myself, am on a quest of sorts, and this book helped me put many pieces of the cosmic puzzle together coherently. I am not done yet with this search, but the parameter of the puzzle is taking shape, giving form to a much bigger picture.

Personally, my quest began in earnest back in the early ‘70s when I was first introduced to the works of Carl Gustav Jung. As a junior in high school, I was quite taken by his theories (as best as I could understand them at that time). Jung opened the door  for me to a great many other people, from Joseph Campbell and Edgar Cayce to the I Ching, mysticism and the study of Taoism. Years ago I came across a book by Jungian analyst, James Hillman, and I found the title amusing yet equally troubling. It goes something like this: “We’ve Had a Hundred years of Psychotherapy and the World’s Getting Worse.” This title got me thinking, WHY???? Having now spent nearly a quarter century in the field of health psychology, I have to tell you, this is no small question.

In my first commercial book, Stand Like Mountain, I wrote a chapter titled “The Ego and The Soul.” (Freud might have been off on a lot of his theories, but he was right on with his work on the ego!) In this chapter, I tried to make sense of the role of the ego from a spiritual perspective (the operative word is “tried.”) To be honest, even though my book was written several years ago, the whole issue of the ego (and the mess it continually creates) still has me puzzled—at least it did until I came across Narby’s book. In his book, I found information that contained the missing piece I was looking for. It would be too simple to say that the answer lies solely in the DNA. It is much more complex than that. But it’s a start. Here are some insights that Narby shares in his book, The Cosmic Serpent, that, in my mind, form a trail of cosmic breadcrumbs.
 

• DNA, a double strand molecule of 20 proteins and sugar, is a reservoir of immense data
• DNA is referred to both as a chemical compound and a language of instructions. Narby  goes so far as to say that DNA has consciousness.
• Whether one looks at animals, plants, or humans, DNA contains a code of four letters,  A,G,C,T (which correspond to four chemical compounds: adenine, guanine,  cytosine and thiamin).
• Only three (3) percent of DNA is deemed active, while 97% of it is labeled junk (it’s not  really junk, but as Narby states, a stupid label by arrogant scientists).
• Genes make up only 5% of our DNA
• The smallest known bacteria genome contains 58,000 DNA letters, comparable to the information found in a telephone book. The human genome project to determine human DNA configurations is currently underway.
• If a strand of DNA were to be stretched out end to end, one would find a two-yard long  thread only ten atoms wide.
• If all of the strands of DNA  in your body were extended end to end, its length would  reach 125 billion miles, enough to circle the earth 5 million times.
• DNA emits photons of light in the narrow band of visible light
• DNA emits light like a laser with luminescent colors
• DNA has crystalline properties, acting as both a transmitter and receiver.

Toward the end of his book, Narby posses this question: “How can one analyze a text of information if one presupposes that no intelligence wrote it?” Narby goes so far as to suggest that there is indeed a supreme intelligence at work as the author of the  human genome double helix of life. Moreover, the clues he assembles in search for his answers lead back to another mystery: Exactly who wrote the text of the DNA is his question? But another question people are asking, including me, is this: “Who edited the text?” To be quite blunt, I have come to the conclusion that someone, somebody has been tinkering with the human genome, many millennia ago. This idea may have sounded ludicrous a decade ago, but now with the near completion of the human genome project months away, what sounded like science fiction years ago is matter of fact, today’s science. It’s no secret that today leading scientists are manipulating various aspects of genetic make-up, genetically modified foods being a prime example, where a  gene of flounder has been spliced in the garden tomato.

Stepping Way Out of the Box

Some of the books I read fall in the category of channeled books (before you start to raise your eyebrow, remember, parts of the bible are said to be channeled). As someone with a deep passion in theology and spirituality, my search for truth is inclusive, not exclusive. This is not to say that I like or even believe everything I read, but in role of scholar, I am first open to everything and then discern where truth really lies. About 10 years ago I was introduced to a book by Barbara Marciniac titled, Bringers of the Dawn. With a clear link to the Pliedies, Marciniac shares information that will curl your hair. Even her channeled sources beg the reader to discern carefully through the content of information between the covers of this book, strategically inserted to make the reader question everything. I have to admit that after reading Bringers of the Dawn, there were many aspects discussed that I thought were “science fiction” at best. However, now, some of these concepts seemed to have merit, based on the work of Narby, particularly the cross-referencing material to the DNA. Indeed, it would appear that, there has been some major “editing” going on with the double helix of human life, which in essence has de-activated the vast majority of it.

 So what do I make of all this, you ask? Based on what I know, if I had to make an educated/intuitive guess, here is where I see things today (which may very well change tomorrow): The double stranded helix of life we call the DNA is a powerful gift of knowledge. Yet for some reason, we as a human species only have access to 3%. Medical science has confirmed that about 97% of our DNA is inactive. Scientists call the inactive DNA, “Junk DNA.” If you listen closely to the Amazonian Shamans, they will tell you that our DNA has been manipulated. In essence, this knowledge has been made inaccessible to us. If indeed, this is the case, might it also be possible that our DNA has been manipulated so that our ego slightly overshadows our soul? Is this why after 100 years of psychotherapy the world is still not a better place? Is this why the human species appears to be headed down a path of self-destruction? To be honest, this is as good a reason as any other I have come across. It’s no secret that the human species is perpetually driven by the “Fight or Flight” response. All you need do is take a look at the headlines to know this to be true.

 Yet I must admit that despite the repeated waves of negativity that permeate the news headlines, I have come to learn this about the human condition: The evolution of human consciousness may be slowed, it might even be handicapped, but it cannot be stopped.  About ten years ago I had the privilege to hear Ken Carey speak in Boulder. Ken is the author of the book, Starseed, The Third Millennium. Among the many things he spoke of that night, was the next evolutionary step of the human species. Carey coined the term homo-spiritus, to illustrate the conscious awareness/evolution of our innate spirituality. He described that this evolutionary process was already underway in a manner he called “bio-circuitry.” Could this be the activation of the inactive parts of human DNA that would awaken the collective human soul to a new and expanded awareness of who we are as a species and our true role in the universe? My intuition tells me that it is.

The Kundalini Effect

 Since the dawn of humanity, mystics have spoken of a coil of energy located at the base of the spine. Some call it the “serpent energy,” but everyone who speaks of it, acknowledges that it is a powerful, mystical force of energy that is our connection to the divine. As one awakens (evolves) to their spiritual nature (an increase in consciousness usually achieved through the practice of meditation), this energy rises up, like a cobra, to where it reaches the crown of the head (the crown chakra) in illumination. Those who have learned to access the kundalini energy are said to be enlightened. In his book, Stalking the Wild Pendulum, physicist Itzhak Bentov discusses the energetic nature of the Kudalini effect documenting several cases, yet he implies that due to its mystical nature, Western science has yet to recognize this phenomenon. The simple practice of quieting the mind, is quite possibly the first step toward this evolutionary path.

The Importance of Meditation

 After distilling the information he collected, Narby came to the conclusion that these shamans carefully used sacred medicinal herbs as a means to access a source of information which he attributed to the DNA. His presentation of facts is impressive. There has long been an association between hallucinogenic drugs and nirvana. Narby contends that there seems to be an active ingredient in various hallucinogenic compounds that allows one access to the wisdom found in the DNA. However, he notes that access can occur without the aid of these compounds. Yogis seem to do it through meditation and come back with remarkable wisdom.

I am a big advocate of meditation, particularly in this day of information overload. Perhaps more important than how you meditate is the discipline TO meditate—to turn off all the outside noises and distractions (cell phones, radios, televisions, etc.) for a period long enough to gain some mental and emotional clarity. The practice of meditation is as essential for your mind as dental hygiene is for your teeth (some people even jokingly call meditation “mental floss.”) Although a good practice includes about 20-30 minute per day, you can start the whole process in as little as 5 minutes a day, and everyone has 5 minutes in their day to meditate, no matter how busy they are. There are hundreds of ways to meditate but the simplest is merely to close your eyes and observe your breathing.

Given the state of the world today, I took some time to write up a meditation script that I plan to include on my next meditation/visualization CD. I would like to share it with you now in the event that you might be interested in actively taking part in this next evolutionary step of spiritual consciousness. Thanks!

WORLD PEACE MEDITATION

By all measures, the planet earth, and all her inhabitants, seem to be in a very precarious position today. At no time in the recorded history of humanity, have the signs seemed so daunting as they appear now: Global warming, epidemic infectious diseases, the shadow of nuclear war, corporate greed, domestic violence, terrorism, and the destruction of our natural resources; the list seems nearly endless. But all is not lost. Although we are continually reminded of the signs of our own weaknesses and potential demise, the fate of the world and her people, is not in stone. One person can make a difference. Together, several people, when they put their minds to it, can alter the course of history.  In the words of anthropologist, Margaret Mead, “Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Perhaps it’s no exaggeration to say, that the root of nearly every problem we face today is fear. Greed, anger, hatred, injustice, apathy, prejudice, and intolerance are really all manifestations of fear. What was once a driving force for physical survival eons ago, has now become a liability of global proportions.

In simplest terms, the opposite of fear is love. Ancient mystics and contemporary poets say that love is the glue that holds the universe together.  At a time when it seems that the fabric of humanity, and the biosphere we call home, appears to be coming apart at the seams, it’s no secret that what the world needs now, is love. 

Through the study of human potentials, it has become apparent, that human beings have the uncanny ability to overcome adversity, and rise above each and every crisis, to excel at whatever we put our minds to. Indeed, our greatest times of challenge can also be our finest hour—when we transition from a motivation of fear, to a motivation of love and compassion. As the saying goes, “When things appear to be at their worst, we tend to bring out our best qualities.” Now is the time to do just that!

 There is a Chinese proverb that states “When there is peace in the heart, there will be peace in the world.” The American version suggests the following wisdom: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

Meditation or centering, a time to quiet the mind and bring peace to the soul, is perhaps the greatest way to promote world peace. Through centering, a word which literally means “to enter the heart,” we not only empower ourselves, but all those with whom we are connected.

here are those in the field of quantum physics who understand that all thought is energy. Recently, several studies revealed that the vibrations of fear have a chaotic dissonance effect on water, while thoughts of love, expressed as happiness, joy, bliss or compassion, bring about a higher order of beauty, coherence through sympathetic resonance.  The insights from this research and other studies at the HeartMath Institute are astounding! 

As we turn our thoughts from fear to love, we add to this higher order, and in turn, make the world a better place to live. Those who understand and appreciate the basic premise of quantum dynamics have come to understand the wisdom of the ancient mystics, who say that all things are connected. By this we mean that energy shared, (from the smallest subatomic particle to energy shared from our stream of consciousness) acts like a ripple on a clear surface of water, spreading out to reach the farthest shoreline.

We call these thoughts “good vibrations” and through the power of entrainment, they reach out across time and space in a unique way, to create harmony and peace at many levels of existence. This is why the practice of meditation is so important; truly, when there is peace in the heart, there will be peace in the world. In the words of Gandhi, “To change the world, we must first be the change we wish to see.”

Changing the world is an inside job, meaning that before we bring love into the world, we must first bring it into our own hearts. So, take a moment to think of a special time in your life when you were really happy, a specific time when you were so ecstatic, with your heart filled with joy and happiness, that you wished, and perhaps did, hold your arms in the air and shout with glee, “It doesn’t get any better than this.” Please call to mind this time and place, and through the power of your mind, place yourself in the exuberance of that moment.

Once you have recalled that experience, recreate the feeling of happiness, joy or bliss that you experienced at that time, as if it were happening right now. Using both your mind and your heart, bring this thought and this feeling into each cell of your body. 

No matter what the experience, the feelings of joy and happiness are doubled when these feelings are shared with others. So, using the power of your imagination, which in itself is a form of energy, please visualize that the joy and happiness you feel in your heart, (expressed as light radiating from your heart space), radiates in all directions around you; in essence, forming a energetic grid of peace from person to person, from heart to heart around the world.

In the spirit of St. Francis, may we all be instruments of peace. Please take a moment to quite your mind so that these words may take root in your heart. As you hear these words, ask yourself how you can put these thoughts into action:

Where there is hatred, let us sow the seeds of love,…

Where there is injury, may we express forgiveness,…

Where there is doubt, let us demonstrate faith,…

Where there is despair, may we exhibit hope,…

Where there is darkness, let us shine forth with light,…

Where there is intolerance, may we extend patience,…

Where there is apathy, let us express inspiration,…

And where there is sadness, let us spread joy….

Another powerful image of world peace is one where you visualize that you hold a lit candle in your hand. The candle is symbolic of compassionate peace. As you bring this thought to your heart, allow the flame to illuminate your face. 

 In an expression of compassion, see yourself turning to light the unlit candle of the person standing next to you. Under the light of two smiles, now one flame becomes two,  then two becomes four, four becomes eight, as the light quickly spreads from person to person, candle to candle. In what seems like the blink of an eye, light has spread from person to person transforming the darkness to a magnificent brilliance of peace and harmony around the world. In doing so, a critical mass of consciousness is formed, so that all people may rise above the limitations of fear, to the unlimited possibilities of our human potential. Take a moment to imagine living in a world without fear. Imagine living in a world of compassion.

There are many ways to make an offering of world peace. Each way is built on the foundation of love, however you conceive this to be. Here is another image to hold deep in your heart.

Sitting quietly in a comfortable position, place your hands above your waist and hold your palms about a foot apart, with your hands facing toward each other. Imagine, that suspended between your hands is the planet earth, slowly spinning on its axis. Now, using the power of intention, visualize a golden white light coming from the palms of your hands and enveloping the planet. As you do this, think to yourself that this healing energy, through a clear intention from your heart, helps to clean the air we breath, the water we drink, and the ground we walk on—all of which promotes behaviors to live in harmony among the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. 

Please pause for several moments and allow the intention from your heart to do its work.

Sometimes, the thought of world peace can seem daunting, if not overwhelming. At these times the sage advice, “To be in the world, but not of it,” is a wonderful reminder to keep a clear perspective. Although at times our lives seem nothing less than insignificant in the vast universe, please know that each and every life is essential to the  well being of the whole.

A meditation for world peace begins with a clear mind and open heart, but it doesn’t end there. Please consider to make your world peace meditation more than just the expression of a thought, feeling or intention. Please make your “World Peace meditation,” a meditation in action! 

In the spirit of mindfulness, put your compassion into action, by doing regular random acts of kindness, or by volunteering a few minutes of your time each week to help someone in need. Please take a moment right now to reflect on what activities you could do, big or small, to put your compassion into action. All you need do is set your intention to be of service, and the offers to help will make themselves known to you, in a manner nothing less than obvious. Although the efforts of people like Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu are quite admirable, you need not sell all your possessions and move to a third world country to be of service. World peace, through compassion in action, is needed everywhere. Please give today.