Trust And You Shall Receive

Life.. Magical, mysterious, beautiful river of life.. Again and again it will be repeated - trust and you shall receive.. Closing my eyes in meditation, I am immersed in crystalline lakes of subtle vibrations.. Safe, held, floating in soothing waves, visible to the naked eye of innocent surrender. Aligned to the presence, I open to my fullest potential, in continuous expansion from Source.  Choosing to live in, from, for ~ the chapel of the heart. When the chambers break open, the shackles in which we entwined and entangle our truest and highest self are released. The glass cages of separation bursts into thousand-fold fragments, dissolving as feathers in the open air.. Every inhale a prayer, every exhale a sacrament. Each step the first - and the last. Give me truth, mercy, love. When I commit to transform my guiding force from the head to the heart, this I become ‘we’. We are. We move. Breathe with us. Share with us, unfold with us, heal with us. Like sages of the past, remembering what it feels like to be whole ~ a sovereign expression of the creative feminine principle. Eyes open, a new dawn descends.. Deep, deep gratitude to the human experience.. Un-bound. De-tangled. Un-veiled. Re-membered. Up-lifted. Whole... 

//

Livet.. Magiske, mystiske, vakre livets elv.. Igjen skal det sies - ha tillit og det vil vise seg, åpne seg.. Lukker øynene i meditasjon og løses opp i krystallinnsjøenes subtile vibrasjoner.. Trygg, holdt, flytende - i bølger synlige til det nakne øyet av uskyldig hengivenhet.. Justert til øyeblikkets enhet, åpnes jeg til mitt fulleste potensiale, en evigvarende ekspansjon fra kilden selv.. Valget å leve it, fra, for - hjertets kapeller.. Når kamrene åpnes, brytes også båndene vi binder oss selv og hverandre med - og vårt høyeste selv slippes fri.. Separasjonens glassvegger brister, i tusenvis av fragmenter som sveves utover som fjær i sakte film.. Hvert innpust blir en bønn, hvert utpust en manifestasjon av uendelighet.. Hver skritt det første - og det siste. Når den indre ledestjernen igjen lyser opp i hjertet, blir jeg-et et vi. Vi er. Vi beveges. Vi ekspanderes. Vi elsker. Pust med oss. Gi oss sannhet. Nåde. Kjærlighet. Hel oss i brede omfavnelser. Som livets vandrere har gjort i årtusener, føler jeg igjen hva det vil si å  _hel_, et suverent uttrykk av det kreative feminine prinsipp.. Øynene åpnes, en ny dag gryr.. Igjen stråler en dyp takknemlighet til den menneskelige erfaring.. Oppløftet. Åpen. Takk..

What Would Nature Do? Flow into Spring with Inspiration from the Ayurvedic Medicine System

You did it! You survived winter, some powerful full moons, the equinox and the intense solar storms. Now that we are out on the other side of hibernation-mode, we can begin turning our faces towards the sun and give our bodies some much needed spring nurturing. Since I discovered the Eastern medicine system of Ayurveda and started applying the practices in my daily life, it has become a transformative force for my own well-being and energy, and well as how I engage in the sustainable development of the world around me. Maybe it can also inspire you!

Extending the goal of health to embrace the health of our environment

A lot of people are practicing yoga, and have touched the surface of its essence, but less attention is given to Ayurveda, yoga’s system of healing. Practiced for over 5000 years by the sages and seers of ancient India, Ayurveda is an equally important branch of the yogic tradition’s tree of knowledge, and extends even further into the realm of health and disease treatment. And if we start listening, it can teach us age-old lessons on how to tune into the subtle indicators of improved health in our inner and outer environment.

First of all, in the Ayurvedic medicine system, ‘health’ goes much further than the body, mind and spirit, but also includes the health of our relationships to our surrounding ecosystems. Because everything is interconnected, what happens in one part of the system, will in turn affect another. This means that if we take care of our personal ecology while reaching for our highest collective potential, we also contribute to creating more harmony and sustainability in the system as a whole. And all we have to do is ask is – what would Nature do? 

Learning to know your Nature, and how care for it  

We like to think that we are in control of everything in our lives, and tend to forget that we are also part of a much larger flow, the universal river of Mother Nature. This river is in continuous movement, flushing away any sign of stagnation. The same goes for our bodies. In ayurvedic theory, every human being has a unique constitution, as if each of us represents an entirely unique solar system, or cascading river. 

This individual nature is called the prakriti. If there is an imbalance in our prakriti over time, this will cause disease. To explain the balance between the different constitutions of our bodies, Ayurveda uses the three doshas - the elemental constitutions of vata, pitta, and kapha. If there is an imbalance in either of these, meaning too little or too much of either, your body and mind will also be out of balance. Following the Ayurvedic guidelines for your individual dosha will help awaken and reinvigorate the inner intelligence that supports your natural healing process. 

When everything flows freely - from blood and lymph to water and air - the waste will leave the body as it should, and be recycled back into our environment. In the body, this waste (called ama in sanskrit) can come from many different sources, such as environmental toxins, processed foods, unresolved emotions, or psychological stress. When ama accumulates in the body over time, the vital energy (prana) cannot flow freely. Blockages and resistance appear and become foundations for ‘dis-ease’, manifesting as anything from anxiety and intolerances, to allergies and in the worst case - chronic illness. These internal conflicts also prevents us from living to our fullest and brightest extent. 

Time to clean our inner and outer ecosystems and choose the right fuel source for our progress?

There are many things we can change in our personal lifestyles to clear ama and speed up our internal waste management (read Radical Broccoli’s advice for a Spring Clean here). For a deep-rooted cleanse and detox however, we have to go to the very core of our system, to make sure that the forces that are responsible for removing waste function in the most energy-elegant way. The more we can do to help this process, the better our body can recuperate, repair and revitalise itself. 

Our prakriti (individual nature) also undergoes seasonal changes, and in the transition to spring, the body works even harder to shed build-up of waste that have accumulated during winter. We clean the house, our backyards and beaches every spring, but when did we forget to clean the most sacred temples of all – our bodies?

The first step in a spring clean begins with directing awareness to the fuel we choose to put in our bodies. In Ayurveda, the one component that influences our health more than anything is the metabolic fire, called agni. Agni drives the process of our physical transformation, drawing out nutrition, governing the digestion and turning the food into consciousness. What we choose to eat, to fuel the sacred fire, will in turn affect the balance of our internal ecology. In Ayurvedic practice, we say that the closer to its natural condition your food is, the less likely it is to cause waste and eruption of disease. It sounds simple, but very few of us actually take time to design a life and a diet that complement our own ‘biological blueprint’. 

The more I study and practice Ayurveda, the more I realise the power in this inheritance and its connection to overcome some of the most complex challenges of our time. As in nature, everything you need for your own healing is already within you – you just have to start paying attention, and then act on the signs. Leaving only one question to answer - what would Nature do? 

Inspiration for an Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse – it begins with YOU!

• Start with asking yourself some simple questions - How is your soil? Are you getting enough water? Where are your nutrients coming from? Are you stretching towards the light? If not, what is blocking your energy? What are the barriers that prevent our natural energy from flowing freely? 
• Take a dosha-test to find out more about your constitution, and make the necessary adjustments to your diet and lifestyle. NB. achieving the best results requires committing to an ever deeper dialogue with your own body, in consultation with an Ayurvedic practitioner. 
• It’s all about the fuel. You become what you eat. Increase your intake of fluids, such as herbal teas and tempered water, try a juice cleanse, and switch to a lighter, detoxifying diet. More fruit, herbs and greens, less heavy, oily foods, and no animal products. I can also recommend reading The Detox Miracle Sourcebook: Raw Foods and Herbs for Complete Cellular Regeneration by Dr. R. Morse. 
• Consider adding Ayurvedic supplements to your diet, for detoxing and strengthening the system after winter. I am currently using shilajit (detox, strength), ashwaganda (immune system) and triphala (balanced stomach).
• BREATHE. Deep, conscious breathing (pranayama) can bring you closer to your inner nature - and towards the realisation that you are your own medicine, and that life is an endless celebration. 
• Create daily routines for taking care of your body. I recommend dry brushing, tongue scraping, drinking hot lemon water before breakfast, daily yoga, meditation, and self-massage. 
• Replace your hygiene products with natural products that are good for both people, animals and planet - from cosmetics and clothes, to containers and cleaning products.  
• Spend time re-connecting to nature as she wakes up from the winter sleep. Go forest-bathing, clean your local beaches, or make sure to connect to the sun if you can’t get out of the city.
• Consider taking the next step and participating in a panchakarma retreat – an intensive, individualised detox led by skilled Ayurvedic therapists. We also have an upcoming yoga-retreat in Norway, where attention will also be given to Ayurveda see Nordic SATYA - Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda Intensive with Uma Inder. 
• Want to know more? Read my latest in-depth article, Nordic Ayurveda – Nurturing Our Modern Bio-Rhythm for Hauste, about my quest to adapt Ayurveda to our local contexts!
  
  Published 04.04.18 on RadicalBroccoli.com
  Read the Norwegian version on DailyStory.com, published 19.05.18

~ The Rise of the Eco-Warriors ~

The next generation of environmental changemakers are not only here to protect the environment, we are here to create a world where the environment doesn't need protection. To re-route the currents that allow for the deterioration of our ecologies to occur. Here to change the minds and hearts of the people so that every single decision will be taken with the needs of Nature at the core.

Here to reconnect people to their inner and outer nature so that humanity again will embody the interconnectedness and sensation of Oneness. Inspire lifestyles that evolve in accordance with nature, moving from that which produces waste to that which creates thriving, living ecologies - with the values of community, love and nonviolence at the centre..

Understanding that it is our responsibility to untangle the energetic knots we have created in our global systems. Teaching generations above and below how humans can function as mediators and meditators, smoothers and amplifiers, for Her needs - because ultimately, what we do to Nature, we do to ourselves. That peace, this sacred equilibrium, is so much more than the absence of violence.

Knowing - that we have the potential to change these systems within our current lifetime - if we dare to look beyond our perceived horizons. That the solution lies in the simple choices we make every day - choosing the world we want to live in, choosing what we want to include in our economic household. Everything we need is already here, it is just a matter of channeling the abundance in an ever-progressive energy efficient manner.

Processing imagination. Embodying inspiration. And pausing - to breathe, to feel and improve on the design. We have something to say, let us say it. In this day and age, creating a more beautiful world should no longer be felt as a struggle and a fight, but an energetic dance of creation - letting your self be moved with Her currents, letting Her love conquer your mind.

Now, go out in the day, close your eyes, connect to the organic sources of growth and make some sustainable strokes on your samsaric canvas.. 

"I have a life to garden, a multiverse to wake from sleep"
- nayyirah waheed

~ Thy Kingdom Come ~

In most of our cultural narratives, there are myths and stories about a mysterious kingdom, hidden deep within valleys and mountains.. Soria Moria in Norwegian folk tradition, Shambala in Tibetan Buddhism, Valhalla in norse mythology, Shangri-La, Olmolungring, Belovoyde, Aryavartha, Hsi Wang Mu.. Where all your fears are shed and you can live in eternal happiness.. Now, what if this kingdom of a thousand names is right - here - and open to all who dares to enter..? Buried under layers, behind walls, doors, veils of perception and conditioning..? What if...

We are living in special times indeed. Humanity is waking up, making active choices in the word - the name - and the service of love. Intuitively creating enabling environments for nurturing the soul and ’learning to speak sky with an earth tongue’. Blending wisdom from the depths of the soil and roots of the mountains with teachings from the heavens. Unearthing ritual, celebration, intimacy. Using our subtle senses to discern and reason, at-tuning the instruments that make up the human experience.. Purifying. Our minds, our words, our homes, our environment. As above, so below, as within, so without. Pure landscapes. Realising the queendom of heaven rests in a sacred equilibrium between our inner and outer Nature. Outside gender, duality, separation. And the path is simple, there are no secrets left to tell. Follow the way of the heart.

The Gods, sages and spirits of the past can inspire you and hold your hand when crossing the thundering rivers.. It takes courage, I know. Some of you will stand at the shores, longing for the golden light in the distance. Others will step their trembling, naked feet into the ethereal streams, and spend lifetimes questioning the mere possibility of the great liberation. Building ever more knots of resistance. But do not worry, human child. You are already here. Answer the call. Honour the internal voice that surfaces when your layers are in balance. Learn to distinguish between the needs of your lower and higher self. There are parallel systems of governance forming, growing, all over the world ~ walking in the ancient footprints and treading new paths in the universal forests.

Heaven is a state of mind. Samadhi is a bio-logical re-action. And we will keep reminding you, watching from a distance, as the beautiful petals of your flower bends to reveal its inner core. Clutch your hand around your stick, keep firm, oh wanderers and warriors of the dawning age, walking each other home. We will sing you there, we will dance you there, we will feed you and keep the fire burning so the flames of curiosity and imagination will always be kindled around you - until the last drop of soul again is united with its source.

//

~ D I T T R I K E K O M M E ~

I mange av verdens kulturelle narrativ, finner myter og historier om et mystisk kongedømme, gjemt 'bakenfor sol og østenfor måne'. Soria Moria i norske folketradisjoner, Shambala i tibetansk buddhisme, Valhalla i norrøn mytologi, Shangri-La, Olmolungring, Belovoyde, Aryavartha, Hsi Wang Mu.. Hvor alle frykter opphører og du kan leve i evig lykke. Nå, hva om dette kongedømme med tusen navn eksisterer - her - og er åpent for alle som tør å tre inn i dets høye haller? Begravet under lag, bak vegger, dører og slør av persepsjon.. Hva om..

Vi lever i en unik tidsalder. Menneskeheten er i en oppvåkningsfase hvor vi én etter én begynner å ta aktive valg - i kjærligheten og tjenestens navn. Gjennom intuitiv samskapning legger vi grunnsteiene i miljøer som vil nære sjelen. Vi lærer å 'snakke himmel med jordens tunge'. Vi blander visdom fra jordens dype favn og fjellenes røtter med himmelens lære. Vi vekker til live ritualer, feiring, intimitet med naturen. Vi åpner de mest subtile sansene våre, og i-stemmer instrumentet som utgjør den menneskelige erfaring. Renser. Sinn, ord, hjem, natur. Som på jorden så i himmelen. Som innenfor, så utenfor. Rene landskap. Vi våkner til sannheten om at Hennes rike hviler i en hellig balanse mellom vår indre og ytre Natur. Utenfor kjønn, dualitet, separasjon. Og veien er enkel å tre inn på, det finnes ikke lenger hemmeligheter. Veien er i hjertet.

Fortidens guder, seere og ånder kan inspirere og holde deg i hånden når du velger å krysse de tordnende elvene.. Det krever mot, jeg vet. Noen av dere vil forbli på i elveleiet, tilsynelatende forlatt i en dyp lengsel etter det gyldne lyset i horisonten. Andre vil kun sette en skjelvende, naken fot inn i de eteriske strømmene, og for resten av livet stille seg spørrende til den ultimate frigjøringens eksistens. Foldes inn i enda fler knuter av motstand. Men fortvil ikke menneskebarn, du er allerede her. Svar på kallet. Ta den indre stemmen på alvor, stemmen som vokser i deg når lagene dine er i balanse. Lær å skille mellom de høyere og lavere behovene i selvet. Parallelle styresett smeltes sammen over hele verden ~ vi trer inn i de urgamle fotavtrykk og går opp nye stier i de universelle skoger.  

Soria Morias rike er en sinnsstemning. Sinns-stemming. Opplysning er en bio-logisk re-aksjon. Og vi vil fortsette å minne deg på dette. Vi følger med fra den andre siden av bredden. Vi smiler når de skimrende kronbladene i blomsten som utgjør deg bøyer seg sakte bakover og åpner for den innerste kjernen. Ta et godt tak i vandringsstaven, å pilegrimer og krigere av lys - dere som følger hverandre hjem. Vi skal synge dere dit, vi skal danse dere dit, vi skal mate dere med næring og kunnskap og visdom, og holde bålet levende så nysgjerrigheten og fantasiens flammer for alltid vil skinne i mørket - til den siste sjeledråpe igjen er forent med sin kilde.

Sound: Ollli - Rest in Natural Peace ~ https://soundcloud.com/ollli/rest-in-great-natural-peace

Art: Digitalized ink on Theodor Kittelsens painting of Soria Moria - 'Langt langt borte saa han noget lyse og glitre' (1900).. 

Music as Medicine - Ábrete Corazon

This song is golden... Listen deeply. 
Ayam Love Medicine on Soundcloud.

Abrete Corazón
Abrete sentimiento
Abrete entendimiento
Y dejar a un lado la razón
Y dejar brillar el Sol
Escondido en tu interior
Aaaaa; Aaaaaaa…

Abrete memoria antigua; escondida
En la tierra, en las plantas, baja el agua, baja el fuego
Chorus

Es tiempo ya; ya es la hora, Abrete corazón
y recuerda; como el espiritu cura
Como el Amor sana
Como el arbol floresce y la vida perdura
Chorus

Abra tus alas
Respira profundo; y eleve-te hasta el Cielo
Mira el Sol de frente; como las águilas
No tengas temor; Confia en ti
Confia en Dios
Chorus

English

Open your heart
Open your feelings
Open understanding and leave reason behind
Open to the light inside of you
Shining as bright as the Sun
Aaah.. Aaaaaah… 

Open ancient memory, hidden within the earth, within the plants
Below the water, below the fire
In your body, ancient memory
Chorus

Now is the time, the time is now
Open your heart and remember
How the spirit heals, how love cleanses us
How the tree grows, and life endures
Aaah.. Aaaaah.. 
Chorus

Open your wings
Breathe deeply
And lift yourself up to the Sky
Look at the Sun in front of you
Like the eagles do
Have no fear, trust in yourself
Trust in God and trust in Life
Chorus

Art: David Topí

Sacred Footpaths of Kathmandu

We are walking through the narrow alleyways of Patan, twisting and turning like a maze, revealing hidden backyards and goddess temples.. Intuitive steps, asking to be led..

In the north-east corner of the Newari Golden Temple / Hiraëyavarëa Mahävihära is a staircase, leading up to the monastery in the second floor.. A peace reigns here, a safety below the paintings of the goddess Tara and the soft light touching the dust particles floating down from the ornamented wooden ceilings. As I sit down to meditate, I catch the eye of the caretaker - also sitting in a lotus posture.. A sudden recognition, our heads bow gently, as to confirm that we are participating in a sacred understanding and practice.. And when I open my eyes, I am still there - in this body - in this life..

In meditation, I can be away for what seems to be eternities.. As my bodies are moving, I am still part of the lower vibrations, the outer experience of resistance.. Again, reminded of the importance to shed light on the stagnating force in all layers of my being, for to ease the stream of the divine rivers.

We move to Pashupatinath / पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर, on of the holy abodes of Shiva / Mahesvara. The vibration changes, Shivas presence is more intense and fiery. The spirit of death is present here, reflected in the bodies burning on the altars on the riverbank, layering the temple in thick smoke.. This is the refuge of sadhus /holy men. On the surface, mastering the art of tourist entraption - but if you stare deep into their eyes you are bound to lose yourself in the depths of their sacred search.

The musicians are getting ready to perform their rbhajans (devotional songs), prayers, and a hawan, a purifying and sacred ritual that takes place around a fire, with the offerings made to Agni, the fire god. We sit next to the infirmary, and two bodies are carried out to be washed in the holy water of the Bagmati. An old woman, and what seems to be a younger child, covered in cloth.

While two beings depart from life, another woman is dancing by herself on the riverbank. She is lost in movement, and pays no attention to the crowds of people. Her two children are leaning against the brick wall, watching their young mother perform the Nataraj, an embodiment of Shiva as the cosmic ecstatic dancer.

For those fleeting moment, I am deeply in love with her - the sheer, raw, elegance in the determined, forceful alignments of her annamaya kosha to the akashic backdrop. Her whole body flowering into a full expression of the ananda of becoming one with Shiva. Then, she snaps out of it - and makes her way towards us with a face fluctuating with tears and deep sorrow, from desperation to soft smiles, collecting rupees for her needing family.

The Sun has set, night is descending upon us. We are sailing away from the full blue blood moon.. Remaining humbled and grateful for the teachings, my vessel feels more steady that ever, and the lighthouse in the distance beams with a strong ray of universal light, glimmering on the waters of my mind.

We are the children from Nangijala, Shambala and the lunar mansions of the Nakshastras, practicing an emerging governance of light from the other side of Sophie's mirror. And our weapon is sound, amplifier of loving vibrations. We are going to create a universal language, nourish our communities, speak the words of loving compassion, sing the songs of hope and celebration, tell the new stories and manifest the new archetypes. Until there is not a single word of suffering left in the shadows.

Integrated Tibetan Medicine at Pure Vision Sorig ~ Nepal

Over one year has passed in Kathmandu - feeling blessed to have been given the time to delve deeper into the ancient medicine schools and herbs of the Eastern realms.

Having been raised in Norway, where we have witnessed a wave of increasingly toxic food products, I became even more hypersensitive at an early age, which (already in my first ten years on this planet) developed into food intolerances, allergies, water/earth imbalances, asthma, overactive mind and so on.. A three month intake of Ayurvedic remedies shilajit, ashwaganda and triphala have strengthened my immune system, balanced my constitution, and reset my stomach.

For the last couple of months I have been going even deeper into my biological reprogramming, with frequent visits to the Pure Vision Sorig in the Boudha Temple premises, were they teach the 2,500 year old practice of Tibetan medicine/Sowa Rigpa. 

The Tibetan science of healing known as Sowa Rigpa (Tib. གསོ་བ་རིག་པ།) is a centuries-old traditional medical system that utilizes pulse and urine analysis, behavior and diet modification, natural medicines made from herbs and minerals, and external healing therapies to treat illness.

Amchi (healers of Sowa Rigpa) follow time-honored practices dating back over two thousand years. The ancient tradition has ties with Indian ayurveda, and both are holistic, aiming to treat body and mind together. That said, focusing on the mind is considered the most effective strategy in Sowa Rigpa with the view that mind leads body. 

In the Pure Vision Sorig, the monk doctor will first give a consultation, assess your pulse, and prescribe a course of herbal remedies. The herbs are handpicked and condensed into small, complex balls which are crushed in the mouth and swallowed with hot water. At Pure Vision, they also sell the high-quality tinctures 'Daknang', with carefully sourced plant remedies from the region.  

The body is an intricate, complex energetic ecology and deserves to be treated as such. With herbal remedies, meditation, a daily yoga/mantra practice and increased awareness to my nutritional intake, I feel highly energized and calm. Engaging in an ever deeper dialogue with the inner alchemy of body and mind.. Ever closer to nature..