This week in Washington, DC, the Dalai Lama is hosting a very special 10 day event called a kalachakra, or consciousness raising. The image above is painstakingly created in sand at the beginning of the event, and then dissolved at the end. It's a very solemn, yet at the same time joyous, occasion, filled with hope and promise.
What does raising your consciousness mean, and how do you go about it?
To me, it means breaking through an invisible barrier. We all have things that hold us back: fear, pain, anxiety, anger, the desire or need to hold on to things that are familiar to us, or just stuff in general. That little voice inside your head that tells you, don't do it! We all have stored memories and feelings this little voice brings up when you are faced with making a decision - it's part of who we are up to now. You can suspend or dampen this voice for brief periods of time, but not forever.
But there is another voice that speaks from the heart. It will always tell you the truth. It will always tell you the right thing to do. Being able to examine and transform negative thoughts, memories and feelings helps you to listen more to what is in your heart, waiting to be brought forth. The more you can do this, the more you are able to "raise" your consciousness.
Some people describe it as being "reborn". In a very similar way, it's like being pregnant and giving birth. A baby is a symbol for hope and promise for the future, but to get there, you have to go through a whole lot of changes, some painful, some not. Sometimes that baby just doesn't want to come out! (That would be my first child - 3 weeks late, and 36 hours of labour.) The good news is, you are filled with such gratitude and euphoria when the baby finally arrives, that you forget all about the pain. You forget that by the time you're ready to deliver, you just want to pack up and go home - that's the little voice inside your head. You know it's about persevering and pushing through, because something unimaginably wonderful is waiting.
It's a joy that everyone wants to share in and be a part of.
Do you know the song, I Have a Dream, by ABBA?
