Dominique Dennery - The Art of Transformation

Last night, I watched the film "What the Bleep Do We Know" -- explaining Quantum Physics to the lay person in an entertaining way. Since this was my second viewing, I was determined to retain more of the information about thought patterns, and their impact on a person's reality.

As a lover of literature, I have always paid attention to how words on a page can create a mood. As a facilitator and coach, I am aware of how expressed words or unexpressed thoughts create a person's or group's reality. Yet, there was something, just at the fringe of my awareness, nagging me about thought and creation.

The movie reminded me once again of the powerful impact our thoughts have our physiology and psychology. Fine, but that wasn't quite enough. My brain went click when I heard one of the Quantum Scientists say that most of us are not able to create what we want because we lack focus. Our habituated patterns of thought keep us anchored in our past and make us unable to access the unlimited possibilities available to us at a Quantum level.

This was not new information to me, but somehow I had needed to hear it again.I had been wondering lately why it has been relatively easy for me to create some things and why other great intentions never quite materialized. I was also reflecting on a negative reality one of my coaching client was creating and recreating so relentlessly. The answer was focus!

For the next hour (or at least it seemed like an hour!) I focused on my thoughts.... and found it almost impossible to stay focused on one thought for any length of time. I have experienced meditation, and have been able to focus on 'no thought' for periods of time. But focusing on one thought and making it so prevalent that it obliterates anything else, making it so real that it could be coaxed into physical manifestation, that, I had never attempted. I slept badly after this experience, amazed at how easily I got distracted, and not amazed at all that I had gotten scattered results in some of my endeavours. I woke up at 4 AM to write and write and write about one thought! I will let you know if I created anything in a few days or weeks (smile).

Labels: create reality, power of thought, quantum physics

I went with friends to witness the Essala Perahera in Kandy this week-end. Unforgettable.

We drove for four hours and arrived early at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (Lord Buddha's tooth) to scout out our location, only to find out that once taken to our assigned seats inside the precinct, we could not leave again to walk about. At the prospect of waiting 3 hours for the procession to begin, we wondered how we would alleviate boredom. The young daughter of one of my friends convinced our designated guide to take us on a tour of the temple. A must see. We spent quite some time after the tour watching craftsmen putting finishing touches on the elephant costumes and dozens of dancers getting ready to parade. We finally had to sit down to let the show begin.

For the next three hours, I saw more elegantly-clad elephants than I will ever see again in my lifetime. The dancers were fascinating to watch; young boys, experienced dancers, acrobats, drummers, musicians all focused on their performance. The Kandyan dancers had costumes that only looked slightly different to my Western eyes, but my guide pointed out how each school had their distinct headdress, breast decorations, skirts and belts, and how more experienced dancers wore more adornments on their ankles and wrists. The sad touch were the dozens of men and boys carrying heavy wooden poles ending with mesh baskets overflowing with hot coals and flames fed by coconut oil that would singe the red rags wrapped around their chest and face. The torch carriers illuminated the parade, but were often berated for dropping pieces of burning coal too close to the dancers feet. Almost everyone was barefoot.

The elephants were a wondrous sight, some danced to the drums, all were draped in velvet costumes fit for royalty, with beads, sequins, small lights, gold designs and brass tusk decorations. All of them had heavy chains to keep them in line...

Hundreds of people marched and performed in complete harmony. Each segment of the procession was punctuated by shrines. When these passed, we were asked to rise out of respect. One of these shrines held the Sacred Tooth Relic. After the shrines came the kings with heads held high and powerful bellies jutting out. I asked why there were no women, and was told that there would be a few at the end of the parade, and that was simply the way things were.

Labels: buddhism, Kandy Perahera

Bifurcation: Lay person's explanation
When a cell or organism becomes static, it eventually has to choose between dying and growing. In either scenario, it must dissipate or collapse into chaos for an inherent, more complex order to rise, bringing with it the potential for new life.

Had a challenging moment late last week where I experienced chaos in mind and body. It started with a headache of mammoth proportion, queasiness in the pit of my stomach, and a heart beat that would not slow down. Hard not to think of coronary problems when you reach your middle years. As I scanned my body for numbness or pain on the left side, I wondered where my cell phone was hiding with its built-in 911. I thought of calling Canada or the US via Skype. There are 5 doctors in my immediate family. These folks tend to stay calm in an emergency. But what if this so-called emergency is 15,000 Kms away and you only get a dim picture of the damsel in distress?

Two lines of thought were battling for air time. The first one advocated that I continue breathing deeply, look for the hide-and-seek cell phone and get a grip. The other more dramatic one, was already wondering who I would call to whisper my last words, and what they should say in my eulogy! Finally, I felt intense heat on my forehead and put my hand up to cool it. At the same time, a warm flow reached my chest and slowed my heart beat to pianissimo. What had that been about?!

Sitting up in my bed at 2:00 AM, a world away from my loved ones I gave myself a shaky 'Congratulations' for having believed I would be alright. Not sure when I fell asleep again, but as day was breaking I woke up with a start wondering if I had imagined the whole thing. My rational mind craved an explanation. I went about my day in a daze. Having always believed that there is more to everything than what we see through our limited senses, I was not expecting to be so discombobulated by something I could not explain.

Eventually, as my heart began another salsa, I sent a message to my friend and coach Gwen McCauley and also to a wonderful healer here in Colombo, Laurel Botsford. BTW, both have books on Amazon if you want to find out more about their approach. Gwen helped me complete the integration of this experience and make connections between where I am in my life's work, and a well-known term in Quantum Sciences called Bifurcation*. Laurel referred to similar physical symptoms in herself and her clients during intense spiritual experiences and invited me to welcome rather than fear. Therefore, I choose to remember this as the night my head and heart did the bifurcation (smile).

Labels: bifurcation, growth, quantum sciences, spirituality

I don't believe in coincidences. Yesterday was the third time in a week that a person I coach spoke of the frustration of not being recognized by bosses or peers as having strong potential. If this is the reality they all share, it must be in the air, so time for a blog post!

In all three conversations, we played with the following notions: a) What does the perception of others have to do with your potential? It is a question that took all three by surprise. They thought about it and came to the conclusion that they were letting others dictate not only their present state of frustration, but also create blocks on their horizons. I didn't take long for two of them to argue back that they lived in an environment that had rules about promotions through competitions, and so on. My next questions then was: b) What is making you choose to stay in this environment that has decided that you are junior and not senior, or senior and not executive material, or executive but not senior executive etc.? Another pause. One of them remarked on how she had deferred for too long to other people's assessment of her competence. Even people she didn't see as competent but who happened to be sitting higher up in the hierarchy. Another commented on the many individuals she knew with fewer diplomas, less experience, fewer skills who were working to their full potential, and started wondering out loud what was stopping her from doing just that!

Two spoke of the obstacles in their way: gender, age, ethnicity, family circumstances, lack of networks etc. Yes, many of these elements can be obstacles to your full expression in certain environments. And...what are you choosing now, moment by moment? For many there are a dozen reasons to stay where they are -- from years of pensionable service, to financial commitments, to the current state of the job market etc. We spoke of the difference in your outlook when you choose to stay because of reasons you deem valid, and when you feel you have to stay and resent every minute of it. What happens then to the quality of your life?

What I notice over and over again, and discussed with each of them is the fact that we human beings don't seem to realize that we are creating much of our reality. Let's look at how we can create differently. Next up for conversation is to challenge the perception we have that there is an 'outside' of us and an 'inside of us'.

They each have homework to do, while I will continue to ponder why all three showed up with this question in my own life...

Labels: create reality, potential, quality of life

The practitioners of Ayrveda advocate the connectedness of all things - universal consciousness. Ayur means life and Veda means science, Science of Life. For human beings, they recognize the union of spirit, body and mind, and acknolwedge the need to cater to all three to get the best results, i.e. total health. They intervene to prevent disease and recreate balance. Whatever treatment your are given, it is never to cure a physical symptom alone, but to address the roots of the problem. The physical is merely the mose dense and obvious of the manifestations of a lack of equilibrium.

When you arrive, there is a contact with the Doctor of Ayurvedic Medecine about what you want to achieve and a diagnosis about your dominant 'dosha', either Vata, Pitta or Kapha. One week is barely enought to scratch the surface. No day spa where esthetics are mixed with massages. This is serious business. You must follow instructions to the letter -- as I found out the hard way when my body rebelled upon adding my daily dose of caffeine to the mix ... You will get rubbed, wrapped, immersed, purged, fed and watered according to a 5,000 year old body of knowledge about energy and healing that refers to what is invisible as much to what is. Very Quantum. Very cool.

Labels: Ayurvedic, health, universal consciousness

One week of complete relaxation. No room for restlessness. Oil massages every day, mud masks, steam baths in ancient wooden cocoons, herb drinks, tasty vegetarian fare, even a flower bath with lotus. Everyday, the warm pool and the sound of the ocean waves (too strong for swimming).

Mid-week a cleansing. Not the most pleasant experience when everything you are used to metabolizing discretly is expelled from your body without ceremony. Your meals are brought to you that day, so you don't disgrace yourself publicly...

After the cleansing, "Shirodara", where warm oil is poured over and over on your forehead. The opposite of the famous water drop torture. You walk around for two days, oily hair in an oily scarf, wearing a hospital green gown in XXL that wraps around your body twice to hold in the heat. It feels wonderful when you can wash from head to toe and wear normal clothing again.

You emerge a few kilos lighter (yes!)with a corresponding lightness of being. Thoughts are clear and unhurried. New vistas open up. Highly recommended.

Labels: Ayurvedic