The diagram: As we speak about E.M. in this discourse, please occasionally refer to the diagram linked here. The diagram views existence from the level of the universal mind to explore the domains of both the dual and non-dual energies and how each interplays with our consciousness. The various headings under the Universal Mind depict our original, unblemished characteristics. Herein, our karma portrays images reflected in astral/feeling imprints, as well as light and imagery, which result in both memory and realization that manifest telepathically and clairvoyantly to split off as the dual and non-dual streams.

The dual stream is the causeway of illusion, which splits only to parallel opposing views – yang and yin, up and down, plus and minus, hot and cold, good and bad, etc. A person whose mind thinks only within the dual waterways focuses predominantly on a singular dual aspect, and likewise forms turbulence to spiral downward. The downward trend depicts the habitual reactive mind in blind analysis, devoid of conscious awareness, which ultimately results in one taking on the karma of another by falling victim to circumstances. Such people usually see themselves as life’s victims. Their repetitive experiences cause them to unconsciously relive difficult memories over and over again; which, in turn, keeps them in a constant state of uncertainty, confusion, and suffering. Such trauma is repeated over and over again until this repetition clogs to form a stasis that brings about their death and ultimate de-evolution.

If, on the other hand, a person’s mind seeks to explore the non-dual realm, or the realm of spiritual reality, their mind is in a constant, conscious state of awakening. This alone brings them to a fortunate destiny, or a destiny that is balanced by equanimity and openness, which brings about inner certainty with regards to the axiom of ‘as above, so below,’ that all life and all primordial Teachings are one and the same. Thus, one attains Self-Realization. Such an enlivened consciousness continues to progress to step between the adornments of time and space to accomplish an intuitive awareness of divine emptiness, an innate communion with the VOID or God via experience of the inseparable wholeness of all light and darkness, whereby opposites are centrally housed to co-exist. Such grand awakening gives birth to unconditional divine love, and this cohesively binds existence and non-existence to bring about creation, expansion, and constant evolution, a river that feeds into an ocean that we refer to as Buddha.

The universal mind is like a mirror; it mirrors images in antithesis. All life imagery is portrayed as a parallel opposite. To view all of life from that stance is limiting unless one has attained the divine or non-dual stance whereby the antithesis that exists is in plain view and consciously acknowledged. In this way, the yang and yin or plus and minus are witnessed as halves of the whole, meaning there is full knowledge that one cannot exist without the other, which empowers both halves equally in the whole or divine scheme of life. Thus, the illusionary realm of matter can never dominate the conscious mind, because true illusion can only dominate in separateness, or a focus on the yang without the yin, or the plus without the minus.

Illusion lacks the harmony of wholeness, whereas the divinity within us brings about a wakefulness that presents the physical or illusionary world as a gift of life. Without the physical world, there could be no life for us to experience. Life, physical life, physical bodies, objects or manifestations that are set in motion through the animation of our bodies cannot exist without dual energies. So this is the natural world; therefore, we cannot negate dual energies, but rather operate them from the overview of a puppeteer bringing about certain movements by conscious operation of the strings or aspects of creation.

There is only one prerequisite for being conscious of the whole and that is to have an awakening consciousness. Please note that I did not say ‘awakening mind,’ because it is our consciousness that operates mind; and once again, the mind we speak of is not my mind or your mind, not the individual mind, but rather the universal mind operated by individual consciousnesses. Individual consciousness expands when limiting karma is released, and it contracts when limiting karma increases or holds us firmly in place. Thus, when our consciousness expands, our mental imagery is expansive. Expansive mental imagery comes about when we are consciously evolving in awareness. What a blessing it is to be in this state! Can you imagine being trapped in a body and not having a continual awakening? How awful that would be, whereas continual awakening is such a blessing. It makes us feel so alive!

When we are continually, consciously awakening, our lives become unconditional, unlimited by the analytical mind. Not being analytical does not mean that we do not have a discerning mind. It means that we are not steeped in habitual processes that make us go spiritually asleep. Because we are spiritually awake, we can make choices that uplift our lives so that we can live the life we want to live, which brings us to achieve a fortunate destiny. We develop the so-called spiritual Midas touch, meaning that everything we place our attention upon reflects the divinity that we carry within ourselves.

It must be remembered that a fortunate destiny does not mean that we achieve some arrival point per se. It means that we live in an awakening state. For instance, an enlightened being knows that there is no end to enlightenment; that it is always becoming more of itself. A fortunate destiny, therefore, is an unobstructed destiny. So the emphasis is not necessarily to attain enlightenment but rather to perpetually remove obstacles and obstructions that block the light to our ongoing awakening. Enlightenment, therefore, fulfills itself in its many variances and degrees.

"This particular meditative stance, meaning the feeling that is portrayed by the balanced stick, can greatly advance our consciousness, because from here, we can see everything."

Out of such a fortunate destiny, we arrive at the blessed meditative stance of E. M., where we have the vantage point to view the mechanics of the universal mind and to experience the divinity that lives within us. When we arrive at the non-dual realms of equanimity and openness, doubt fades away and certainty takes its place. This place, in feeling, resembles a long stick being balanced on a finger (see above photo). The stick rests gently, in perfect equanimity, stabilized by an agile will comprised of non-clinging attention. As it sways easily in it’s holder’s relaxation, we arrive at the feeling of being suspended in space. Growing accustomed to this is like a leaf becoming accustomed to a gentle breeze. This place of ease is where true meditation begins.

This particular meditative stance can greatly advance our consciousness, because, from here, we can see everything. It is a place where inherent knowledge opens to us. When we become adept at this in a sitting meditation, something powerful occurs in our lives. The experience of such a sitting meditation gradually expands to fill every moment of our lives; our meditation then becomes our post-meditation. We take it with us wherever we go, to enhance our families, our friendships, our jobs, and all other areas of our lives.

We will change, in that there will be a quieter, wiser part of us that emerges in all areas of our lives. We will live with a more generous spirit, giving of ourselves wholeheartedly in all that we do. Our ethical standards will rise, and we will learn to advance our situations through patience or expansiveness. Our efforts will be in concert with our attention, deeply concentrated to birth both equanimity and openness, which are the heart ingredients of wisdom.

Effloresce Meditation opens the door to our finding that balance place within ourselves. It is the place where duality, or opposite energies, exists, but they exist for us in conscious awareness as an overview, or overlook, from a place of equanimity. From such an overlook, we view up and down, untainted from a position of balance and harmony in ever-increasing awareness.

Such practice of being aware is very, very important, because just like strengthening ourselves physically through activity, when we practice our awareness, why, that, too, is strengthened.

Awareness provides us with an overview of life situations because it operates in suspended balance. From here, we can see everything; we can know everything, which brings us to a place where we can act very spontaneously, very agilely, very quickly – to walk in unison with any agreed-upon situation. We can respond to any situation in a flash.

True freedom results from mental balance, and mental balance results from lack of self-centeredness, whereby everything we do is for the good of the whole. Whenever we become caught up in self-concerns, worry over our own needs above others, the stick becomes weighted on one end and balance ceases to exist.

Therefore, in balance, we are unable to cling to feelings of self-pity, unworthiness and confusion. This meditative stance, E.M., cannot exist without balance. Balance that is free-flowing thrives in a constant state of evolution; it provides constant new experiences and evolutions of old ones we relate from our memories. We make new experiences out of past experiences, but through E.M., we do so consciously, not habitually or unconsciously.

When we live unconsciously in dual life situations, we relive the same old experiences and the same old problems, which is the cause of all life’s suffering. It is not necessary for us to suffer, including poverty, accident, disease and untimely death.

When we allow ourselves to wallow in uncertainty and confusion repetitively, day in and day out, chaos erupts in our lives. As the chaos layers upon itself, we dip into a stasis of non-distinction, which sets us up for accident, disease and even death.

How do we find our way out of such a maze? We use E.M. to help us establish an awakening mind, which comes about through mindfulness. Mindfulness equates to being aware of our awareness. In other words, being aware is not enough to set our lives on an uplifting course. We have to become aware of our awareness; to look out of ourselves, aware that we are looking out of ourselves. This is not so difficult, but it does required constant vigilance to become proficient at it. This means we have to practice at being aware that we are aware.

Certain realizations kick into play when our awareness is stirred. One of them is the realization that we are not so very different from others. We come to realize that the mind passions (anger, lust, greed, vanity or ego, and attachment) are prominent in all lower sentient life-forms, and we realize that these lower mind passions are really the lower part of us, or the animal part of us. Our awareness then teaches us that true humanity is unconditionally based on a recognition that all life-forms live because of the divinity that exists within them; that it is divinity that animates all sentient life; it is what gives us life. When we realize this similarity to all other people and all other life-forms, we sense God in all life. When we sense God in all life, we naturally become kinder and more tolerant. We free ourselves to love others unconditionally, and instead of blaming and condemning others, we show compassion for them, and for ourselves.

The power of wakefulness is a divine quality and it exists as the core nature of us all. Effloresce Meditation brings these realizations to us; it is an invaluable, priceless tool. Through it, we can see the flowering that takes place in our minds as a result of our experience with it. E.M., the so-called Flowering Meditation, is truly a transcendental awakening.