Lessons from Chile:"Are YOU Ready for the Pits of HELL?"

"It is living in eternal darkness," 43-year-old Carlos Bugueno wrote to his family.

Bugueno was one of 33 men stuck in a mine in Chile for 69 days (Aug. 5-Oct 13). You don't have to think too hard to know that being entombed underground in total darkness has got to be "The Pits of Hell!"

But...the 33 men survived!

Many will credit the rescue efforts and the meticulous details that were executed to bring man, after man, after man, out of 2,000 feet of darkness into the light.

Congratulations are indeed warranted for the Chilean rescue team and all involved in getting those men out...without a hitch! Now, three days after the rescue, many are praising Andre Sougarre, a "straight-talking" engineer for success of the mission.

Yes, a small country in South America taught the WORLD how to unite and work for the good of all...putting the BEST men in charge, without care for politics, and some of the normal rumblings that go on in other places. Andre Sougarre was summoned by the Chilean President because he was known to be the best. He said he focused on getting the job done, not on the other "outside things." He said:

"I never allowed myself to think about what was happening with them — that's anxiety-causing. I told myself, 'My objective is to create an access, a connection. Put that in your head.'"

"Why they were there and what happened, that's not my responsibility. My responsibility is to get there and get them out."

Putting egos aside, Chile brought its countrymen up into the LIGHT!!!

Let us learn lessons from Chile.

But, I go back to the time before the rescue.

I go back to the 14 days, where no one above knew whether those 33 men were alive or dead.

What kept them alive...when they didn't know whether they would ever again see the light of day?

I dare say...the Spirit Within!

In stating this, I'm suggesting both a literal and metaphorical perspective:
First, the men had to believe in their ability to survive and also want to survive.
Then, within the group, each person seemed to have special gifts or talents that they shared with the others.

There was Pastor/Spiritual Leader Jose Henriquez, the 24th man to be rescued.
There was Ariel Ticona, who was able to set up communications.
There was the group foreman, Luis Urzua, who rationed their meager and dwindling food supplies.
Yonni Barrios, became known as "the doctor," because he knew first aid; Mario Sepulveda, "the spokesman," who set up video and messages from the group.

[A combination photo shows headshots of the 33 miners trapped in a copper and gold mine in Copiapo, Chile. The first of Chile's 33 trapped miners were pulled to safety on Wednesday after a two-month ordeal inside a Chilean mine in Chile's northern Atacama desert. From (L-R) (top row) Carlos Mamani, Jose Ojeda Vidal, Jose Herriquez Gonzalez, Luis Urzua Iribarren, Omar Reygada Rojas, Mario Gomez Heredia, Pablo Rojas Villacorta, Claudio Yanez Lagos, Juan Illanes Palma, Mario Sepulveda Espinace and Juan Carlos Aguilar Gaete, (middle row) Yonni Barrios Rojas, Victor Zamora Bugueno, Carlos Barrios Contreras, VÌctor Segovia Rojas, Claudio Acuna Cortes, Carlos Bugueno Alfaro, Ariel Ticonao Yanez, Samuel Avalos Acuna, Renan Avalos Silva, Dario Segovia Rojo and Richard Villaroel Godoy, (bottom row) Osman Araya Araya, Jorge Galleguillos Orellana, Jimmy Sanchez Lagues, Franklin Lobos Ramirez, Florencio Avalos Silva, Esteban Rojas Carrizo, Raul Bustos Ibanez, Pedro Cortez Contreras, Daniel Herrera Campos, Edison Pena Villaroel and Alex Vega Salazar.]

But the greatest talent the men had...was an ability to connect within themselves.

"We did have the strength, we had the spirit to fight," Urzua told Chilean President Sebastián Piñera after he emerged from the hole.

There is no man or woman who can help another find TRUTH within, unless he or she is open to believing and feeling it.

There is no way anyone can survive the Pits of Hell without having an inner determination to believe...feel the stirrings of the Spirit of God within them and want to keep on keeping on!

Then, there is the Spirit of those above ground that simply refused to let those men die!

Many could have given up hope after 14 days, too, and not really, seriously attempted a solution. After all, never in history of mining has any group or individual survived as long as 14 days underground!

So, how did the "miracle" happen?


Faith & Prayer; FAITH & PRAYER...reaching within your own self and finding truth within you and believing, despite the "evidence" that suggests otherwise.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11: 1

We often hear:

"God in you, the hope of Glory!"

To not have faith in God and to continue to live in the world we live in is to be living in the Pits of Hell! Our primary purpose in this lifetime is to uncover the TRUTH within us and to connect with our "forgotten" Soul!

"Your chief task in life is the care of your Soul. You should care for your Soul and work to improve it, and you can improve it only with love."

--Leo Tolstoy

Often, many people are able to connect with the Spirit (Soul) within themselves in crises, and they find the strength to go on. In comparison to the miners' experience, many of these challenges are insignificant, but are thought to be "the end of the world" type experiences for many.

After the crisis is over, though, many walk away, never looking back until the next one happens.

When will we attempt to find and live in this perpetual state of hope and glory of God?

My suggestion is that you don't wait for the next crisis to hit your life. I suggest that you begin to take a page out of the many lessons the 33 miners lived on to tell us. Begin to find the Truth within yourself.


We are Free!

We are able to enjoy sunshine most days. Even when the sun is not shining at its brightest, we are still given "natural" light of some sort.

Let us learn to look at the 33 miners as "messengers of Truth!"

Ricardo Villaroel, 28th miner to be rescued, said, "I never used to pray; here I learned to pray and I got closer to God."

"Love your family and be close to God; you only get close to him when you're in a bad place."

Let us see in their situation just a few Truths about life:


1. It takes prayer.
2. It takes a connected community.
3. It takes love for your fellow man.
4. It takes caring for each other in our depths of despair.
5. It takes forgiving all the wrongs we may encounter each day and moving past our own struggles to see the plight of others who may walk within and among us.
6. It takes always wanting to reach deeper within ourselves to find the TRUTH that may not be so evident, especially on the "surface of things."
7. On the surface, it may seem that YOU are the source of your power; but it is so much deeper: it takes connection to our Soul to survive and thrive! Without this real and authentic connection, we are just spinning our wheels until the next crisis. Let's truly learn to LIVE and get out of the Pits of Hell!

"I soar from the mines of impossibility. I rise from the shafts of doubt. I fly from the soil of burdens -- and I am lifted in a new day! I don't need anyone's permission or approval. My prayers have been answered, and I am free at last!"

Rev. Cecilia Loving, Spiritmuv, New York City


Namaste',
Che'

All About Unveiling "TRUTH" and Telling "the truth!"

I enjoy seeing "Waves of Gratitude" on Facebook. It always has some thought provoking subject under way, getting people to think.


Most recently, there was a question:"Within everyone lives???"


The answers were varied:"Peace"...."incredible power to overcome any obstacle"..."a little kid who can still imagine a cardboard box can be a fort, a sled, a spaceship"..."a divine being"..."love"..."Abundance of love, power, peace"..."compassion, concern for humanity, love, sensitivity to others , forgiveness, honesty,humor, even sadness and anger,unselfishness and also selfishness" ..."a dream to be your true self"..."HOPE♥"..."The answer to everything"..."The power to do anything"..."the need for love, security, and recognition of that individual's gifts and talents"..."everything you are searching for"..."The Christ! God's One and Only Son. Amen"..."hole in their heart that only God can fill"..."A DREAM!!!"..."God ♥"...

I simply put:"The TRUTH!"

Little did I know that within an hour of posting that answer, I would see "the truth," being played out live on television.



Oprah was interviewing Jenny McCarthy about her breakup with Jim Carrey. The floodgates opened:

"What I found out about myself was that I was truly manipulative."

She smiled...shook her head...as she waited for the impact...and repeated, "Yes, truly manipulative!"

Gosh, I thought, she really does know herself!

Then...eeek...


Do we really want to know, more especially, need to know, "the truth" about Jenny McCarthy's personality?

Until then, we could have speculated about her seeming to be manipulative. But to hear her say it about herself was quite frankly to me...a turnoff!

I'm delighted that many people are getting to what's inside of them and embracing their Spirit and "the truth" that lies within them.

But this poses a danger:

As you follow TRUTH, the part of you that directs your life and is uncompromised by human living, please don't feel it necessary to disclose to the world "your truths."


TRUTH is all mixed up with our Soul. This has both the spiritual element and the human element. [For this latter search, I recommend the book, "Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and the Others in Your Life," by Helen Palmer.]

As we grow closer to TRUTH, we connect more closely with our Soul, dropping many aspects of the negative human self, and we begin to hunger more and more for that connection to God, the TRUTH, within us.

The Soul is the conduit for doing that...and yes...as we get closer and closer...we will ...we MUST...drop many aspects of our persona to get into the light.

This means that "Soul Searching," reveals the good, the bad...and the UGLY.


But please: learn to keep it to Yourself!

We're all here on earth for a Divine purpose. The way I see it, we're here to manifest more and more of God (Love) in the world. I believe this uncovering comes about over several different lifetimes. [These rebirths would explain deja vu experiences, as well as a sense of connectedness with folks we've never met before in the current lifetime.]

So, who we are today in this life...will be a completely altered "Soul" in another lifetime. Depending on how much we allow ourselves to unravel the puzzle of "the truth" within ourselves in this life, we move steadily towards manifesting positive attributes in our personalities in the next.

"The truth" about our personalities lies within us, as does TRUTH...whether you see it as God, Love, Peace, or all the various things people listed in response to the "Waves of Gratitude" question.


The challenge then for most of us is to keep on keeping on in the world, even as the light within us grows brighter, through connection to our Soul. Our personalities permanently become altered in the ways we respond to life and experiences in life. We learn to give up patterns and behaviors, acquired in our childhood and from our environment, sometimes, even exposure to outright evil! A major key to learning how to handle what we uncover about ourselves is also learning how to forgive ourselves!

As I look back on this spiritual path, it has been a long journey. Many times I've walked in darkness, with the only light coming from within. It sometimes has been an arduous journey; it sometimes has been a torturous journey, and many times a circuituous journey. Many times I've felt that I've wanted to turn back...but there is no way to turn back "consciousness!"

"The person who suffers to the end will be saved, says the scripture. Often a person becomes desperate, stops, and even turns back when only a little more effort is needed to reach his goal." Leo Tolstoy

Once you become aware of the light within you, there is no way you can walk a dark path, without feeling the pull of light moving within you!


To get it fully illuminated then becomes the goal.

This becomes the "forever" search.

I know that I've watched myself becoming this altered Soul!

My view of the world has completely altered within the last 10 years!

I sometimes don't recognize myself as myself.



But I've allowed it to continue...as a matter of fact, I've craved for more, even as the challenges of my earthly existence have consumed me.

I don't know what drug addiction feels like. I've never taken any recreational drugs...of even the mildest kind.

But I do know that the craving within me for more...more...and more of the light has stilled my desire for any human attachment that does not honor my Soul!

"The person who drinks from a muddy, dirty pool in the street when there is a wonderful spring of fresh water available in his own home is stupid." Angelus Silesius

As I celebrate another year of my earthly walk in a few days with a "birthday," I can choose to state out loud to the world all the many little and not-so-little "truths" I've discovered about myself.

Question is: what's the point?



I know the TRUTH...and it has set me FREE!

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

Isn't that the reason for the journey?

Happy Birthday, Oh, My Soul!


Namaste',

Che'

"Nothing outside of God's Presence, Nothing outside of God's Control:" The World of Sikhism

To know Sikhs is to love Sikhs!

Even those of other religions speak of Sikhs in whispered tones of respect.

Maybe, it's because Sikhism values human life above anything else. Through the practice of "Wand kay Shako," sharing what one has with the community, if you're hungry, Sikhs will feed you, no matter your religion, race, sex, your color or your creed.

To be a staunch Sikh follower is to have tremendous faith in God, the omnipotent, omnipresence! It is also to have unshakable confidence in the unknown and the unseen. Without a doubt, these attributes hold true for the Sikhs I've come to know.

Most of my childhood was spent with Hindus and Muslims. There **must have been Sikhs around, but I did not get to know them.

I'm paying attention now, and I'm fully loving the Sikhs: their beliefs and practices.

The first Sikh I met one-on-one is a lovely woman named "Baby," a name given to her, I'm sure, to simplify her passage in the American world. I remember leaving our conversation the first day I met her, thinking how truly straightforward and loving a personality she exuded, and also how very "PRESENT" she had been with me.


I must have told her how disgusted I was at always having to work through some issue or problem. She turned to me and simply and quietly said, "Without problems, how would we ever KNOW God?"

She had my full attention. Sikhs always will continue to have my full attention!




The way I've easily learned to recognize them on the hiking trail in Fremont, where they tend to frequent, is by their turbaned heads. One of the five tenets* (See below) of the Sikh religion is for men to wear turbans, keeping their head covered, though some of the modern, yet practicing Sikhs, do not seem to follow this rule.




Sikhism is a fascinating religion. Even other "East Indian," religions are fascinated by it. As a matter of fact, it was a Hindu friend who shared something important with me about Sikhs.

He said that Sikhs will never, ever give you a meal of salt. They will feed you and entertain you, without putting any salt in the food they offer you. But...once Sikhs get to know and have accepted you, they will give you "salted" food and hold to you with a deep commitment and loyalty for the rest of your life!



History of Sikhism

"No Hindu, No Muslim", said Nanak

The name "Sikh" means disciple or student, and the religion was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak (1469-1539) in Punjab in India. Subsequent to Nanak, there were nine other gurus who built upon the faith that we know it to be today.


Sikhism draws its religious foundation from both Hinduism and Islam and, today, is the world's fifth largest religion with more than 26 million followers. Prior to the partition created in India from Pakistan, millions of Sikhs also lived in Pakistani Punjab.

The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in the Universal God (waheguru—represented using the sacred symbol of ik ōaṅkār). Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God.

Sikhism teaches that God cannot be seen by the human eye and is shapeless, timeless and sightless: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. To Sikhs, God is omnipresent and infinite and can be viewed as the Universe itself. In addition, based on the teachings of Guru Nanak, Sikhism teaches that there are many worlds where God has created life.

Guru Nanak taught his followers that God is beyond the understanding of human beings, but that God as not wholly unknowable and can be seen from "the inward eye," or the "heart." To that end, Nanak taught devotees to meditate so that they can progress to enlightenment and communicate with God.

The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words: "Realization of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living."


Sikh Gurus
The religion of Sikhism was esblished by Nanak and nine other gurus who followed after him. The Sikhs believe that the spirit of Nanak was passed from one guru to the next, " just as the light of one lamp, which lights another and does not diminish ."


After Nanak, who served from April 15, 1469 - August 20, 1507, the nine other gurus were: Angad Dev, 2nd, served March 31, 1504-Sept. 17, 1539; Amar Das, 3rd, served May 5, 1479-March 26, 1552; Ram Das, 4th, served Sept. 24, 1524; Arjan Dev, 5th, servedApril 15, 1563- Sept. 1, 1581; Har Gobind, 6th, served June 19, 1595-May 25, 1606; Har Rai, 7th, served January 16, 1630-March 3, 1644; Har Krishan, served 8th, July 7, 1656 - October 6, 1661; Tegh Bahadur, 9th, served April 1, 1621; and Gobind Singh, 10th, Dec. 22, 1666 - Nov. 11, 1675. Before his passing he decreed that the "Guru Granth Sahib" or the Holy Book would be the last "guru."

Teachings of Sikhism

Sikhism teaches equality of all humans. The religion rejects discrimination of any type, and especially on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikh principles do not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation. Sikhs do not practice fasting or any pilgrimmages of any sort.

Women have full equality in Sikhism.
Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God. It was through his will and/or order that the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to māyā, or the human perception of reality.

Sikhism teaches that Māyā,defined as illusion, is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation. People are distracted from devotion by worldly attractions that give them an illusory sense of satisfaction. Nanak emphasized māyā as the values of world.

In Sikhism, ego, anger, greed, attachment and lust, are known as the "Five Evils" (see below) and are believed to the root for all separation from God. Only through relentless and intensive devotion to God can these evils be overcome.

The principal source for Sikhism scripture is the Gurū Granth Sāhib, This term and the Ādi Granth, are used synonymously. However, the Ādi Granth refers to the version of the scripture created by Arjan Dev in 1604, whereas the Gurū Granth Sāhib refers to the final version of the scripture created by Gobind Singh.

Sikhs' Beliefs and Practices


There are more than 200 Gurdwaras,temples, shrines or holy places, in India alone. The most sacred is Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple, at Amritsar. But all places where the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is installed are considered equally holy. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.

Five Thieves: The Sikh gurus taught that the human mind and spirit are constantly being attacked by the Five Evils – Kam (Lust), Krodh (Rage), Lobh (Greed), Moh (Attachment)*** and Ahankar (Ego). A Sikh needs to stay constantly viligant attack and overcome these,

Sikhism also teaches deveopment of positive human qualities. Through development of these five, the Soul gets closer to God and away from evil: Sat (Truth); Daya (Compassion); Santokh (Contentment); Nimrata (Humility), and Pyare (Love).


The Sikh Code of Conduct: "A Sikh must not take hemp, opium, liquor, tobacco, or any intoxicant."

Drinking of alcoholic beverages or smoking is forbidden.

Sikh's Customs

The first morning prayer is a recitation.
The second morning prayer is Jaap Sahib. This honors the formless God, where the universal element of "seed of seeds, sun of suns, and the song of songs."

The Jaap Sahib asserts that God is the cause of conflict as well as peace, and of destruction and creation,"nothing outside of God's presence, nothing outside of God's control."

Sikhs are joined in wedlock through the anand kāraj ceremony. Sikhs are required to marry when they are of a sufficient age, with child marriage being taboo. No regard is given to the future spouse's caste or descent.

The marriage ceremony is performed in the company of the Guru Granth Sahib; around which the couple circles four times. After the ceremony is complete, the husband and wife are considered "a single soul in two bodies."

According to Sikh religious rites, neither husband nor wife is permitted to divorce. A Sikh couple that wishes to divorce may be able to do so in a civil court but this is not condoned.

Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, then the body can be disposed in any means.

The Sikh faith also participates in the custom of "Langar" or the community meal. In the afternoon, all temples are open to anyone of any faith for a free meal. People can enter and eat together and are served by faithful members of the community.

The Khanda -- the Sikh symbol


The Khanda is the main Sikh symbol.
It sports a vertical double-edged sword with a broad blade,this is also called a Khanda.

Two curved swords, known as kirpans: also called of miri and piri, names given to his personal kirpans by Guru Hargobind.
A ring called a chakker (aka chakram). It is a very effective weapon, with a range of up to 50 meters (165 feet). This has been popularized in North America by the television series Xena,the Warrior Princess.




The Khanda has been interpreted symbolically:
"The Sikh emblem, Khanda, contains a ring of steel representing the Unity of God, a two edged sword symbolizing God's concern for truth and justice, and two crossed swords curved around the outside to signify God's spiritual power."

The name "Singh!"

An unusual feature of Sikhism is that all Sikh males share the name: "Singh", which means "lion." Women carry the name of "Kaur" which means "princess." This practice apparently was a reflection of the Sikh's absolute rejection of the Hindu practice of caste. In Hinduism, at the time, people's last names often identified their caste in society. So, Singh was a universal name used in the beginning of Sikhism's formation as a repudiation of the caste system, as this is totally incompatible with Sikh's beliefs of equality. Many Sikh males now use "Singh" as a middle name.

Today, upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sahib is opened at a random point, the child is named using the first letter on the top left hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the middle name "Singh," and all girls are given the middle name Kaur.


**[In discovering this piece of information through research, I realized that a childhood friend, Gina Singh, obviously was of Sikh heritage. Never knew this all the while we attended school in Guyana, South America. Recently making her re-acquaintance through Facebook,{now Gina Singh-Trotz}, I must inquire as to this piece of her history. Maybe, that's why her Spirit has always been so all-embracing!]

Sikhism Today!

Sikh migration beginning from the 19th century led to the creation of significant communities in Canada (predominantly in Brampton. Other large Canadian presence: Malton in Ontario and Abbotsford, Mission, Lower Mainland, Surrey in British Columbia. Sikhs are also very visible in East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom as well as Australia and New Zealand. These communities developed as Sikhs migrated out of Punjab to fill in gaps in imperial labour markets. In the early 20th century a significant community began to take shape on the west coast of the United States. Smaller populations of Sikhs are found in Western Europe, Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iraq, Singapore, Mexico and many other countries throughout the world.


Within Sikhism, there are a number of traditions. Both in India and worldwide, thousands of Sikhs follow living gurus who have lineages traceable back to Guru Gobind Singh. In Canada and elsewhere, major strains are becoming evident between liberal and conservative wings of the religion, as some Sikhs accommodate to the surrounding culture.

Whatever the strife among the Sikhs, I'm confident their LOVE of humanity, so strong their heritage, ultimately will TRIUMPH over any conflicts.

Namaste',

Che'

Editor's Note: This blog is dedicated to my Sikh friends, Baby,
Yuvi, his dad, Dr. Singh, and to all the other Sikhs I've come to know in recent times.

***On "Attachment," Baby said her 90-year-old dad, living in India, is still working on this one. He waits for her phone call every single day. He prays, he cries, to be able to let go of this "thief," but so far he has not succeeded!

September 2010: NamasteWholistic is Celebrating East Indian Religions

The Sikhism blog post is scheduled for 1 p.m.(PST) on Sunday, September 19. Check out the full post at that time!
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Namaste',
Che'