I was asked about Rakshasas and how they feel threatened by the rise of the Deva, Divinity value… to which I respond:

Divinity is the perfection out of which worldly existence is born. Beings in the world lose themselves to limited thinking… samskaras, conditioning. This is the Rakshasa value.  In Kali Yuga, that value permeates the hearts and minds of human beings. When those Rakshasa values are threatened, they feel threatened… they fight back.

The path of evolution is to stay with Divinity, to not get caught up in the Rakshasa value. Meditation is the most powerful tool to do so. Also, discernment is required to act wisely in life. Truth is more elusive than you may believe.  Echoes of Truth, perceived as Truth, hold Truth at bay for lifetimes. The Rakshasas uphold what they believe to be Truth. Ignore-ance ignores Truth and clings to samskaras, in the name of what it perceives as Truth. See?

A great healer once said, “I do not deal with disease, I deal with health.”  Healing means bringing forth health, not stamping out disease.  We bring forth light.  We do not try to stamp out darkness.  We do not worry ourselves with the darkness.  We stay with the light.

With the completion of so many homes, buildings, and cottages here at Mount Soma, I have learned a great deal about color.

First, I learned that samples of paint chips are nearly useless.  Many times, a group of people would put their heads together to pour over paint chip samples and finally came to an agreement.  After the paint went on the wall, everyone was amazed (and occasionally horrified) how different it looked.

Second, a color may look great on one wall and completely different on another, even in the same room.  Throw in the different times of day, and direct or indirect sunlight, and you would be certain it is a different paint entirely!

A significant percentage of the population is colorblind.  I count myself in that category, at least to some small degree.  My experience is that I see all the colors.  I know all the colors.  However, it is as if the color receptors are just weak.  In certain lighting, or up against certain other colors, a color can get somewhat ‘lost’.

To understand color and our relationship with it is to understand LIFE.  We all have some types of ‘receptors’ that are weak.  For some people, it is about dancing.  Everyone can see what a good dancer looks like.  But the integration of that in our own bodies may be weak.  Knowing a good dancer when you see one does not make you a good dancer.

With others, it is as if the ‘intelligence receptors’ are weak. They know what logic is… but to follow along in a conversation and arrive at a logical conclusion evades them.  Confusion, emotion, brain fatigue, or tangential thoughts take over.  To be completely honest, I feel sometimes that my weak color receptors gave me the gift of understanding the weak ‘mental receptors’ that many people live with throughout their lives.  It helps me understand how some are baffled by my inability to distinguish colors at times.  It is indeed difficult for us to imagine what life must be like for another with a weak receptor in an arena where ours is strong.

Now, combine this with the second point above:  In life, anything can be viewed from many different angles, perspectives, belief systems, and contexts.  The possible combinations of situations are endless.  How is it possible then to fathom the hue, tone, shade, feel, and truth of a particular color?  How can one fathom their way through life?!

And trying to mix paints defies everything.  To make your own custom colors is a mind expanding and humbling experience.  No wonder creativity is so elusive for so many!

Now the first point, namely, sample paint chips.  It is very challenging, if not impossible, to learn about life from paint chip samples.  At best, it is knowledge with a small “k.”  To find Knowledge within yourself is what life is ultimately about.  Scholars are not scholars if they have not found Truth within themselves.  Teachers are not teachers if they do not know their subject from within.  Yet, so many go out into the world with their deck of ‘paint chip samples’ and believe themselves to be authorities, scholars, teachers, gurus, etc.  They wear their paint chips as badges of honor, degrees of accomplishment, or licenses to practice.

Some may read all this and find it to be depressing, “How will I ever figure it all out?”  But never forget, the beauty of life lies in its unfathomable, sublime, and elusive nature.  It is something to be in eternal awe over.  Beauty lies in the elusive nature of Maya, the Goddess, the Source.

The parallels of color with life are endless.  Jyotish (the study of the interaction of the spectrum of variables that form life, existence, and its function and operation) is the study of color.  “Jyotish” even means light.

Let’s be very clear on one point.  When first stated, you may think you already know it, but let’s take a deeper look:  The spiritual path lies within you.  Let’s say it a few different ways:  Evolution is an inner process.  The battlefield of human evolution is within.  The spiritual journey is an inner journey.  Most of your challenges, most of your karma, lie between your ears and within your heart.

Now the all-important point #2:  You take that inner landscape and project it out onto the world.  You have challenges: financial, emotional, logistical, moral, intellectual, personal, political, social, etc.  You have obligations.  You have conflicts. You have irresolvable issues.  You have needs.  You have made mistakes.  You have hurt and have been hurt.  You have many fears.  You have beliefs and convictions about all of these things.  Now here is the tough one: I say again, you take your inner landscape and project it onto the outer world.  You convince yourself that your challenges are not about you, but about the situation you find yourself in.  You decide that it is what lies outside of you that is wrong or needs attention.  Oh yes, if the outer world just had it right, then you would be fine.  Then you could tend to your evolution and make some real progress.

My daughter is in France for 10 days on a class trip.  She had typical concerns such as who she would have to sit next to on the plane, who she would be assigned to room with, etc.  This is the first time she went so far from home for so long.  I found myself reflecting on what few words I would most like to say to her before she left on her journey.  My first bit of advice was to stay close to the group, which she somehow turned into a funny joke about her dad telling her to not flirt with the taxi cab drivers.  The second was to have a good attitude.  Be a ‘player.’  Keep a positive attitude and be flexible with challenges or situations that may not be to her liking.

This made me think of my students.  There are those that seem to be eternally plagued with outer world, insurmountable obstacles that torment them.  Then there are those that keep going forward without getting caught up in this or that disturbance.

You are climbing a mountain.  Imagine you have partners to climb that mountain with.  What would you like them to be like?  What kind of person would you like them to be?  What kind of attitude would you like them to have?  What attributes would make them the best partner along the way?  How would you like to see them deal with conflict, adversity, things being not just exactly how they want them at times, and how they deal with major challenges?

In all honesty, I know of no one that can better help you with the inner journey than I.  And I say to you, be that person.  Never stop.  Keep your eye on the ball.  Stay one pointedly focused on climbing that mountain.  Do not be distracted by your preconceived notions or the outer world.  People come up with innumerable reasons to not keep their priorities straight.  Your number one priority must be your evolution.

Attitude is everything.