Clearing Pain & Embracing Joy Thru Spiritual Alchemy
By Maitri Amin

If pain seems to be a way of life for you, then please continue to read these words. There is a way out of the emotional and mental bondages of pain and suffering. Unfortunately, for many of us, after much time and energy spent on healing, the pain seems to be still with us creating havoc in our lives and keeping us stuck from experiencing true joy and peace. This may be due to life's current challenges, or because our past has dealt us a deadly blow through sexual, emotional or physical abuse of some kind.

There is a way out of the madness, however, that requires no major skill or training. This process I am referring to is called spiritual alchemy and is a complete practice of healing, growth and transformation. In it lies our sacred redemption in our ability to be our true selves as joyous presence connected with all of life.

Spiritual Alchemy is a practice that clears away what is false in us at the deepest core of our being. It is a process of uncovering the layers of pain and mental blockages that have kept us stuck for so long. There is no past and future here, for it is a timeless experience of awakening and deep remembrance of who we are as our conscious, knowing selves. Through this practice, we learn how to stay with what hurts in us so we can see beneath the pain and witness the joyous presence that is below, above and all around it. We begin to learn that our pain and mental blockages are not us, that there is a deeper experience of being all that humanity shares that we can tap into at any moment in time.

Through spiritual alchemy we learn specific alchemy practices that strengthen the joyous presence within us. If you are suffering, in pain or feel blocked by mental agony and truly desire a way out, come join me as many others have, as we embark on a journey to find the joyous radiant self that you truly are in this present moment.

The Beauty of Nature

Throughout my life, I have always felt a deep kinship with nature and thought this kinship was due to the beauty I witnessed in the colorful arrays of light, sound, and the rich smells of the deep canopy. However, I now know there is a deeper meaning in the beauty I have always seen in the vastness of the forest floor. It wasn't until I began to consciously practice awareness that I realized the presence of nature, within the trees, plants and wildlife. It is this presence that calls me back again and again.

The beauty of nature is rooted not in the external, the beautiful multitudes of form, but from its inner dimensions of stillness. The calmness I witness here comes from a deep place within nature where thought ceases to exist. Take a walk in nature and see how deeply meaningful this experience can be. Leave your labels, thoughts, and descriptions behind and then witness for yourself the joyous experience of being. You will be able to know the true essence of beauty itself.

The Magic of Awareness

I recently had the blessed opportunity to intensely investigate the nature of awareness. It all started with wanting to be more present during the dreaming state. Waking up while dreaming requires one to be highly present during the day. I was amazed how many moments were lost. Moments that were given birth to but their existence never known. I began to realize how easy it was for the subconscious to rule in these moments, for I was not there. In order for the subconscious to exist, to perform its magic in the background, it requires us to be unaware, asleep or just not noticing what's going on around us. So I tried an experiment and spent one whole day intensely focused on awareness.

I noticed how something as simple as a messy room or desk would drop my presence. I didn't want to see what was there, since I wasn't going to "deal" with it today. Those moments of not wanting to "deal with this today" syndrome affected my ability to stay in presence immensely. So I spent one day just "cleaning up" several of those areas and magically had a lucid (conscious) dream the next morning.

What this points to is how difficult it can be to stay with things that are uncomfortable, unpleasant, unsightly or painful. However, with a little focus, determination and perseverance, I was able to stay aware of what was happening around me and within myself. This allowed for a greater number of "moments" to have their existence recognized (actually there is only one moment but that is for another blog post), which in turn lowered the chance of my subconscious to steal the show.

I encourage all of us to take up the experiment and honestly check with ourselves how present we are during the day. How many times do we look away from something in our environment, not to mention what is within us. The subconscious lives in those places or moments where we are absent in body, mind, and spirit. Pay attention and see how the magic of awareness creates miracles in our lives- and who knows, maybe we can meet each other in our lucid dreams.