Are you ready for what's to come?
We said at the start of this year that 2010, 2011 and 2012 would be very powerful times of change indeed. We felt we would see, ever more strongly, the consequences of mankind's non-alignment to the natural universal flow. From the earthquake in Haiti to the Icelandic Volcano grounding flights across Europe, the Gulf Oil Spill and the worsening global economic climate, these are profound times indeed. And as I watch the appalling scenes of devastation in Pakistan with over 20 million rendered homeless by the deluge of historic monsoon rains, I find myself asking deep in my heart "And what is the way through it all?" Just as soon as the question is asked, Benevolence provides the answer: "The Days of the Spiritual Warrior have begun"...

The Compassion of Gaia

"All the modelling we do shows that the climate is poised on the jump up to a new hot state. It is accelerating so fast that you could say that we are already in it."
James Lovelock

Currently I'm reading the book "The Revenge of Gaia" by the famous scientist James Lovelock. Have you read it yet? It's definitely a book worth reading. Lovelock was probably the first scientist to recognise that Gaia is self regulating. Although he doesn't see Gaia as a sentient (and compassionate) being in her own right (as I do), he does however demonstrate passionately how she regulates herself for the good of all life on the planet.

He believes, very strongly, that mankind's over consumption has kicked off a number of critical 'positive feedback loops' which will ultimately take Gaia to much higher temperatures in the coming few decades: the decimation of oceanic algae for example which absorbs huge quantities of Carbon Dioxide or the melting of polar snow which reflects the sun's heat. Flooding of course is another consequence of climate change and I can't help feeling that the historic deluge sweeping Pakistan right now is just another affect of humanity's continued denial.

This is all happening during times of increasing economic difficulty and although you'll hear few saying it, of course the two are totally interlinked. The global economy depends on an ever increasing spiral of consumption, which depends on ever more worker/consumers, land, food, water and energy to feed the burgeoning machine. Something has to stop all of this, something has to break that unsustainable spiral. It seems abundantly clear, that society's current leaders have neither the foresight nor the courage to tackle these crucial issues head on. So the time has come for Gaia to take centre stage. But this will not be about revenge, for she is a benevolent and compassionate being, she is simply reclaiming herself for the good of all life and inviting sentient beings everywhere to realign with her.

Surrendering to all

"Awareness is without choice,
without demand, without anxiety;
in that state of mind, there is perception."
Bruce Lee

As Gaia opens the final act, she will not be doing so alone. Benevolence is gathering around us speaking into the hearts of awakening people everywhere. But let us be clear, these are not going to be easy times ahead. They are likely to be the most challenging and demanding times we have ever known. What do you say to a child that has no home, no food and no water? What do you say to a person who is just getting evicted from their house? What do you say to the sick and the dieing that society can no longer look after?

The time has come for spiritual people everywhere to prepare themselves. It is time to evolve beyond the fluffy "love is all there is" sentiment and get real. It is time to test our resolve in ways we've never done before. If you truly open your heart and surrender, the universe will strip you down to the bare metal and then shred the metal too. And it will do it for no other reason than to set you free.

The time has come to know yourself as the everything/nothing that you are, the eternal which cannot die and cannot be violated even amidst absolute violation. As that child dies in your arms what can you do? If you're strong enough and surrendered enough, you'll find enough compassion to look deeply into their eyes, past your own fear and need of an outcome, so that they can feel the eternal benevolence of the universe and pass on in peace. But it takes a Spiritual Warrior to do this. Are you one of those?

Spiritual Warriors stand up and be counted
I have a friend living homeless on the streets in San Francisco. He is a shaman and without doubt, a Spiritual Warrior. I'd like to share a story of his because it demonstrates the level of trust that we really need to find in our hearts. It demonstrates the infinite benevolence of the universe, and that if we truly get past doubting minds, then a path will open before us that helps us express and be who we truly are: magical and miraculous beings of eternal life...

My friend has little or no money and lives from day to day based on the art that he produces and his natural healing skills. One day, he feels an undeniable pull to visit his Dad in Glastonbury here in the UK (where I live). So with just a couple of dollars in his pocket, he decides to head off. His other friends who live with him on the street think he's crazy..."how on earth will you get the money for the flight, even if you manage to get to an airport in New York?"

But my friend is a Spiritual Warrior and lives completely without fear. Not listening to the cynics, skeptics and jokers, he heads off to the highway to thumb a lift in the direction of New York. After about an hour and no one has stopped to pick him up, he feels a pull to cross the highway and thumb a lift in the opposite direction. Now of course, this might seem quite crazy to anyone not living in complete and absolute trust in the benevolence of the universe and the unpredictable way in which it works. Most people wouldn't listen to the pull, but fortunately, he knows better.

He crosses the highway, begins to thumb a lift and within 10 minutes a truck stops... "Where you going?" asks the driver "New York City" replies my friend. And the driver answers "Well it's your lucky day, I'm delivering furniture around the US and my very last stop is NYC. If you'll help me with the deliveries, I'll take you there."

Not only does the truck driver take my friend to NYC, but at the end of it, they've built up such a good friendship, the driver pays my friend enough money to buy a plane flight all the way to the UK!

During the one-on-one work that I do and in the courses and retreats Openhand runs, I encounter on a daily basis people with similar stories. Yes indeed, we can all become Spiritual Warriors. But you have to make the commitment to do it. You have to find that inner resolve. You have to be prepared to go to ground zero before that unquenchable light will fire in your eyes.

Courses for Warriors

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these 'obstacles' were my life." - Alfred D. Souza

So the time has come to truly know yourself. When you peel away the fear, doubt, worry and hesitation, you are a being beyond your wildest imaginations with infinite creative capacity. No, you might never turn water into wine nor feed the five thousand from a single basket of fish, but in truth, you have something much more powerful than that. When you can see beyond life's drama of perceived need, you'll find an eternal abundance of light within you that can surmount any drama and help people find that light within themselves.

And it doesn't matter if you are a school teacher, a bus driver, a company boss, a mother doing the school run or a Red Cross worker in Pakistan. Benevolence needs you. The time has come. Let all Spiritual Warriors out there stand up and be counted.

Like others, Openhand is here to help. Our purpose is to catalyse our spiritual evolution. To us, this is the ONLY way forwards for humanity. We are being invited to realign with the natural flow of the universe and find lasting harmony. So what can we do to help? We have an abundance of courses, resources and material all aimed at unleashing the Spiritual Warrior in you. Maybe the time has come to dig a little deeper? Maybe it's time to contact us? We're waiting to hear from you!

Chris