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ArticlesDown-to-Earth Spiritualityby Molly Young Brown, M.A., M.Div.During the awakening time of the 60's, many of us then coming of age began searching for a unifying perspective on human life, one that would enable us to grow as both psychological and spiritual beings. My personal search led me to discover psychosynthesis, and this spiritual psychology became the center of my both my personal and professional life. During the 90's, another period of searching brought me to the twin disciplines of deep ecology and ecopsychology, both of which expanded and enhanced the understandings and skills I had developed in my psychosynthesis work. Altogether psychosynthesis, deep ecology, and ecopsychology form a unifying and dynamic basis for a down-to-earth spirituality in the 21st century. Psychosynthesis Roberto Assagioli, an Italian psychiatrist and mystic, began to articulate psychosynthesis early in the twentieth century, believing that a complete psychology needed to include all dimensions of human beings, including the spiritual dimension. He focused on how human beings move toward increasing wholeness, integrating or synthesizing all the parts of the personality to work harmoniously together, so each person can respond creatively, even joyfully, to the psychological and spiritual demands of life. Psychosynthesis incorporates principles and practices from Buddhism, Yoga, and other Eastern philosophies, as well as from Western spiritual traditions, philosophy, and psychology. Psychosynthesis models are oriented toward health and potential rather than pathology. They point to the nature of "I" (or personal self), the will, the multi-dimensional unconscious, the personality structure, and our spiritual Source: Self. They explicate the relationship of the various personality functions to one another and to "I", and the relationship of "I" to SelfÑof individual to Universal. Assagioli conceived of "I" or personal self as awareness and intentionality, or will. "I" makes the choices that determine life direction, style, and form. He saw "I" to be without qualitiesÑpure awareness and willÑand the manifestation of a Transpersonal Self, an energetic transcendent/immanent Source of all life. "Self-realization" refers to the expression of Self through the personality (with "I" acting as administrative agent). Much of the time we are caught up in a survival trance, identified with our passing emotions, our beliefs and assumptions, our concepts and ideas about the way things are, and our bodily sensations and appearance. When we identify with one or another part of the personality, we cannot be clearly aware of the rest of our reality, nor of the guidance of Self. Psychosynthesis guiding seeks to help us dis-identify from limited patterns of feeling, thought, and behavior so we can move our awareness freely among them, and act from conscious choice, in alignment with Self. Self is always present, whether or not we are feeling particularly "centered" or "whole," even when we are caught up with a passing feeling or belief. We often associate the feeling of "being centered" with Self, but sometimes we awaken to Self in the midst of despair and disintegration. Spiritual psychosynthesis is the process of awakening to the presence and movement of Self in the whole of our lives, so that we live and act in greater harmony, bringing our gifts into action in the world. Much of the time we are caught up in a survival trance,identified with our passing emotions, our beliefs and assumptions, our concepts and ideas about the way things are, and our bodily sensations and appearance. Ecopsychology & Deep Ecology To describe these closely related movements, I have adapted excerpts from Coming Back to Life, which I co-authored with Buddhist scholar and activist, Joanna Macy. Ecopsychology Western psychology has virtually ignored our relationship to the natural world. In its definition of mental health, our connection to the source of life does not figure, nor is our destruction of our life support system included in its list of pathologies. Now the new discipline of ecopsychology addresses this failure and studies the human psyche within the larger systems of which it is a part. It explores how our cultural alienation from nature engenders not only careless and destructive behavior toward our environment, but also many common disorders such as depression and addiction. Psychotherapists within the movement help their clients find strength and meaning through experiencing their interconnectedness with all life, and acting on its behalf. Deep Ecology Our interdependence with all life of Earth has profound implications for our attitudes and actions. To clarify these implications, and free us from outmoded notions of our separateness from nature, deep ecology arose, both as a philosophy and a movement. Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, a mountain climber and scholar of Gandhi, coined the term in the 1970's. Deep ecology questions fundamental premises of the Industrial Growth Society, among them the assumption that humans are the crown of creation and the ultimate measure of value. Deep ecology offers us a broader and more sustainable sense of our own worth, as viable members of the great, evolving community of Earth. It holds that we can break free from the species arrogance that threatens not only ourselves but all complex life forms within reach. We cannot genuinely experience our interrelatedness with all life if we are blind to our own human-centeredness, and how deeply embedded it is in our culture and consciousness. Deep ecologist John Seed, an Australian rain forest activist, describes both the ways it constricts us, and the rewards we find in moving beyond it. Anthropocentrism means human chauvinism. Similar to sexism, but substitute "human race" for man and "all other species" for woman... When humans investigate and see through their layers of anthropocentric self-cherishing, a most profound change in consciousness begins to take place. Alienation subsides. The human is no longer a stranger, apart... There is a transformation in your relationship to other species, and in your commitment to them... What a relief then! The thousands of years of imagined separation are over and we begin to recall our true nature. This is, the change is a spiritual one, sometimes referred to as deep ecology. (Seed, Macy, Naess, Fleming. 1988). Arne Naess has a term for the wider sense of identity that John Seed describes. He calls it the ecological self, and presents it as the fruit of a natural maturation process. We underestimate ourselves, he says, when we identify self with the narrow, competitive ego. "With sufficient all-sided maturity" we not only move on from ego to a social self and a metaphysical self, but an ecological self as well. Through widening circles of identification, we vastly extend the boundaries of our self-interest, and enhance our joy and meaning in life. A welcome and significant feature of this concept is the way it transcends the need to sermonize about our moral responsibilities to other beings. The requisite care flows naturally if the self is widened and deepened so that protection of free nature is felt and conceived of as protection of our very selves. (Seed, Macy, Naess, Fleming. 1988). A Dynamic Duo Put simply, psychosynthesis facilitates our self-awareness, choice, and relationship to Spirit/Self, while ecopsychology/deep ecology facilitates our awareness of our interconnectedness with — and responsibility to — all life around us. Both approaches are based in an understanding of our interrelatedness, within our own psyches, with other humans, and with the "more-than-human" natural world that sustains us in every moment of life. Both work to include and integrate the various forces, patterns, and dimensions within and beyond the individual, and can lead to a spiritual awakening to our true nature within the web of life. References: Brown, Molly Young. Unfolding Self: The Practice of Psychosynthesis. Helios Press, 2004. Macy, Joanna & Brown, Molly Young. Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World. New Society, 1998. Seed, J., Macy, J., Fleming, P. & Naess, A. Thinking Like a Mountain: Toward a Council of All Beings. New Society Publishers, 1988. Molly Young Brown, M.A., M.Div., offers training and consultation in psychosynthesis, ecopsychology, and deep ecology, through Intermountain Synthesis Center in Mt. Shasta and Ashland. www.mollyyoungbrown.com. 530-926-0986.
The Three Sacred Dragons of Mt. Shastaby Raylene AbbottEverything in nature has a signature, or a symbolic meaning. This is known as the Book of Nature which is written in every flower, tree, rock and sacred place. The ancients knew how to interpret this book and read wisdom from its pages. Mt. Shasta is well known as a Sacred Mountain, referred to as the Himalayas of the Western Hemisphere. Mt. Shasta is rich in nature's signatures. Through the years Mother Nature has opened her book and taught me the meanings of many Sacred Places around Mt. Shasta. I would like to share with you my story of the three dragons of Mt Shasta. You do not have to have clairvoyant vision to see these dragons. Their bodies is the land itself, although behind the physical form there is also the spirit of the dragon. Feng shui practitioners call this Green Dragon Energy. Green Dragon bodies are the mountains or ridges of the land. The land actually can look like the massive body of a dragon. The tree line begins at their back, creating the fertility in the valleys below. Every dragon also is a guardian of a fresh water spring that is connected with the fertility of the land. But let me tell you a little history about dragon energy in other lands so we can begin to understand how important our Shasta Dragons truly are. Dragons are also known as Nagas in India and Tibet. They are the magical creatures that control earthquakes, waterways and Mother Earth's treasures such as crystals, veins of gold and natural gems. When the Nagas are not honored we see disasters in the form of earthquakes, floodings or diseases such as cancer and AIDS. Issues of fertility arise. Diseases that involve the imbalance of the water element are Naga diseases. Nagas are very powerful beings and must be approached with respect. In Tibet people believe the breath of a Naga can bring death. The Nagas of India are associated with the snakes, especially the cobra. There are Naga temples outside the villages where offerings are left to the snakes to bring rain to the land. Women are the priestesses of these temples since a woman's body contains the secrets of fertility. These women would leave offerings of milk, honey and prayers. When the offerings were accepted fertility would come to the fields in the form of rain. The herds would have healthy offspring and women could get pregnant easily. Christianity created a religious doctrine that separated God from Mother Earth. Deep in the unconsciousness of the western mind is the fear of the serpent energy. The western mind has been brought up with the myth of Adam and Eve and the serpent. Eve was tempted by the serpent to eat the apple of knowledge. She was punished for her sin, and women thereafter would suffer the pains of child birth. The forces of nature and fertility strongly pulsate through a woman's body. Women became sexual temptresses to celibate monks, and since monks were writing the bible, we are left with a negative archetype for women. But in the East the same serpent was symbolic of the sleeping kundalini at the base of the spine. When the kundalini is awakened that very same power can generate enlightenment. The kundalini is uncontrollable spiritual power that moves through the central channels of the body. This power can remove both emotional and psychological hindrances. But one must have a firm foundation in spiritual practice to endure the intense experiences that come with the awakening of the kundalini, otherwise it can cause both emotional and mental turmoil. As we travel though history we return to the Three Shasta Dragons that live upon the mountain. The first time I saw the dragon's face was in Grey Butte, above panther meadows spring. The spring was sacred to the late Flora Jones who was a great Indian doctor of the Wintun Indians. It is important to note that a medicine woman was the caretaker of this spring. I was climbing the face of Mt. Shasta and I stopped to take a rest and look down at the beautiful meadow below when I realized I was face to face with the dragon of the mountain — its snout was the beginning of the butte. Its eye was the green lichen that grew upon the rock and its jagged back stretched across the sky line. The beginning of the dragon's tail was the tree line which became a thick forest running down the sides of Mt. Shasta. I was honored to recognize this mighty being whose presence was reflected by stone, rock and lichen. When the light is soft, such as in the morning or the evening, the face of the dragon appears easily. The second dragon I discovered with the help of a Japanese man. This man was a banker from Japan. His interest was finding the ley lines of the land. I was his tour guide for the day. When I pointed out Grey Butte Dragon to him he said, "where there is one dragon there always is another, but where is the second dragon?" We both looked at Green Butte. There was the jagged back of the dragon and the tree line was trailing down his back, but where was his head? I looked again and I saw his head humbly bowing at the face of Mt. Shasta. It wasn't until one year later when I visited with two Japanese friends that I looked at Green Butte dragon with different eyes. We were hiking down the face of the mountain and I pointed out the humble dragon of Green Butte. As I was showing the head of the dragon my friend said it looked like the dragon had two heads. It was then that I saw that indeed the dragon had two heads. The clouds above us then began to swirl and shape into dragon forms. This was a day to remember! Green Butte was a place where I have had very powerful experiences.As I walked the trail that runs aside the butte I have seen massive stones that symbolically reflected the history of the Earth. Within the body of this humble dragon I have seen Egypt, the time of Christ and stories of Shiva and Shakti. Through their signatures and shapes the stones were reflecting the Earth's history. I realized this area of the mountain was a great earth library. I related some of my experiences to a Tibetan Lama and he said that a similar library was in the mountains of the Himalayas. Further up the steep trail of Green Butte is another fresh spring. Where there is a dragon, there also is a spring. This spring runs down the right side, creating a ribbon of green flora which exists in strong contrast to the gray stone. The third Shasta Dragon I found on a mantra walk that I began at the foot of the mountain. I went to the upper parking lot on the mountain. I slung my water bottle over my shoulder, put my sandalwood mala in my hand and began to recite a Sanskrit mantra to the Mother Earth. "Samudra Mekhale Devi" — your oceans are your girdle and your mountains are your breast, forgive me for treading upon you. I silently walked the trail, keeping track of each mantra as the scented beads slipped through my fingers. The mantra started to take hold of my mind, my daily problems began to fall away and all that was left was my breath, my step and my prayers. I stopped and paid my respects to the Grey Butte Dragon. Then I turned to the West and honored the humble dragon of Green Butte. The trail kept climbing higher to what is called the Saddle of the Mountain. As I went over the saddle, a green meadow stretched out before me and to the East another rugged ridge arose. I carefully crossed the ice glaciers that still covered the mountain trail. Now I could see the back side of the Grey Butte Dragon. The layers of shale rock appeared like dragon scales. When I reached the green meadow I emptied my water bottle on the nearest plant. I refilled my bottle with the bubbling fresh water spring. This spring was the greening power of this alpine wonderland. I made my way down the meadow as the trail slowly began to rise again. The Valley of the Moon stretched out to the south, looking barren and silvery from a rock perch I rested upon. A great stillness had come over me and the mantra ran through me effortlessly. A gentle wind played with my dangling prayer beads. I imagined nature spirits catching my mantras and distributing prayers wherever they were needed. I had arrived at the third butte, known as Red Butte. To my wonder another face of a dragon had appeared and its scaly back became the rugged ridges. Its eye danced with the color of lime green lichens. Faces within the lichen were dancing within the eye of the dragon. I knew I had to look deeply into the stone eye of this dragon. And then, I saw it — a rock image in the shape of a statue standing in the eye of the dragon. The rock was in the shape of a traditional Kuan Yin statue. Kuan Yin, Asian goddess of mercy was in the dragon's eye, blessing all those who passed. Many spiritually gifted people around this mountain have had inner experiences of Kuan Yin's presence. I myself have seen her image in the ever-changing cloud formations. Mt. Shasta is famous for its unusual cloud formations that reflect the inner realities of the area. There are many stories and vision that have been associated with Mt. Shasta over time. Every year more people come here, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Sacred. The Three Dragons of Shasta have stood for eons waiting and watching, measuring historical time as their bodies have been chiseled by the elements. They bless the state of California with abundant water supply, filling the great Sacramento river. Silently they have watched unrecognized by many who have walked by. It is now a time of honoring. It is now a time for the return of the Dragons, and the power of Earth Kundalini awakening. I am truly blessed for witnessing the Earth's secrets. I am truly honored to share the Earth's message. May the Earth Mother's beauty be restored. Raylene Abbott is a nature mystic living in Mt. Shasta, California. The land of her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. The land where her ancestors are buried. Her specialty is interpreting the Book of Nature, her passion is researching Eastern and Western religion. Her devotion is mantra practices. She is available for spiritual pilgrimages and as a spiritual counselor. Contact: 530-926-1648 or anandade-vi108@hotmail.com
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