Survival Manual for the Modern Mystic

Copyright © 2012 Linda Silk

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6127-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6129-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-6128-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012919731

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cover art: Beyond Belief, four-foot-diameter bronze relief by Grant Standard, www.standardmetalworks.com. The sculpture celebrates the web of connection between humanity and the universe—and among all humans. Actual constellations provide the greater perspective; they surround the earth, the moon cycle, and symbols of nine world religions. Clockwise from top: Bahá’í nine-pointed star, Christian cross, Hindu Aum, Taoist Yin-Yang, Sufi Heart and Wings, Jewish Star of David, Islamic Crescent Moon and Star, Indigenous medicine wheel, and Buddhist Dharmachakra (eight-spoked wheel). Photo by Jon Youngblut.

Author photo by Auman Photo Studio, www.aumanphoto.com.

Balboa Press rev. date: 11/05/2012

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter One Demystifying the Modern Mystic

Chapter Two Self-realization

Chapter Three Tribal Life

Chapter Four Karmic Relationships

Chapter Five Embracing Your Family Tree

Chapter Six Healing the Body

Chapter Seven Healing the Heart

Chapter Eight Healing the Mind

Chapter Nine Healing the Spirit

Chapter Ten Healing the Healers

Chapter Eleven Keeping Free of Pollutants

Chapter Twelve Giving Up the Physical Body

Chapter Thirteen Who is Your Deity?

Chapter Fourteen Ritual and Ceremony

Chapter Fifteen Earth Changes

Chapter Sixteen Cosmic Memory Bank— Remembering the Now and Then

Chapter Seventeen Survival Notes to Myself

About The Author

Appendix Universal Laws

Bibliography

Survival Manual

for the

Modern Mystic

…Books are only of value

When they lead us towards life

And serve and benefit the living.

Every hour-spent reading is wasted

If the reader does not experience

A spark of energy,

A presentiment of rejuvenation,

An idea of new life.

~ Hermann Hesse, Herman Hesse: Life and Art ~

Dedication

I dedicate this work to my beloved Bhagavan, Sri Sathya Sai Baba. May your unconditional love radiate from my heart forever…so that it can blossom out like a lotus petal to all. Let my life be your message.

My Prayer

I ask that all Modern Mystics, in the unseen as well as in the physical world, be blessed with good health and happiness, for all the help you give us. You are the ones who continue lifetime after lifetime to make agreements and commitments with the Ancient Ones to bring back to humankind the Ancient Memories. May generations to come live in a place of the heart, where there is non-violence, unconditional love, compassion, and unity. May all life-forms be recognized and treated with compassion and acceptance of their uniqueness. May all humankind, with the help of the Ancient Ones and their wisdom, connect to their universal mission in this lifetime. May all humans know the Divine Self.

Preface

Throughout my life, I have experienced hints of a day like this. For example, one Sunday in January 2002, while I was living in Hawaii, spirit came to me during a drumming circle and told me it was time to write the book. Although I had known that somewhere down the road this was coming, I certainly did not expect it to come that way. I was reluctant even to consider the possibility of writing a book, so I left the circle as quickly as possible and went for a walk on the beach. I asked spirit at least to give me the title, so that I would know what the heck I was supposed to be writing about. I was given Survival Manual for the Modern Mystic.

Writing a manuscript—even when you plan ahead of time—takes a lot of prodding and help, both from the spirit and the physical worlds. I wish I had been kinder to myself throughout my life and brought a notebook with me every time I was sitting at the feet of my Guru, or with wise elders and spiritual leaders, making notes of dates and details that could have been relevant to this unforeseen project. But that’s not usually how spirit works.

How do I put it into words—a blessed life, filled with adventure, love, joy, happiness, faith in the future, and a deep connection with God? My life also has been a karma-filled one, complete with disappointments, sorrow, illness, pain, and depression. Can I tell my lifelong story in a few pages? Telling my story is probably the hardest part of writing the book. I don’t usually talk about myself. Instead, I try to do my best by walking my talk.

The synchronicity in my life has led to increased spiritual awareness, world travel, and awesome adventures. My birth chart shows a potential path of spiritual leadership with many challenges from which to learn. Also, I am a very earthy person, and take great comfort from the natural world. All of this comes into stark contrast, however, when beings from the spirit world come into my physical life. Then I struggle over which plane I might prefer, which path to walk. I love them both.

As an ordained Metaphysical Minister of Christ Universal Church since 1990, and a student of world religions, I have been blessed to travel the world. During these journeys, I studied many philosophies, as well as metaphysical and spiritual paths. In the process I have come to accept for myself certain understandings; these are included as assumptions in this text. For example, my experiences have led me to work with beings in the spirit world, and I believe I have known many lifetimes. Many of my beliefs include Eastern philosophical constructs, such as karmic and dharmic relationships. Because of the wide scope of my exposure to various ideas, I have noticed that metaphysicians and practitioners use different terms for what I interpret as the same concepts. In the text, I have provided as many definitions and alternate terms as possible, but I have chosen the ones that resonate the most with me as signposts for those ideas.

For the past forty-some years, I have studied and put into practice many lessons from this range of studies and experiences, a process that has brought into my life a developed psychic awareness. I provide professional readings and spiritual counseling. I have implemented and presented workshops and seminars on diversified fields of interest for holistically minded students of metaphysics around the world.

There is no requirement that a student or colleague shares my approaches or assumptions. I believe that those seeking a path to enlightenment can engage in discourse with people of differing viewpoints. I hope you find my experiences useful for your path. Most important, this project adds to my attempts to make a positive difference in other people’s lives.

Much of the joy in my life comes through creative endeavors; I love pastels and watercolors and create art for fun and joy. Although I try never to take them (or myself!) too seriously, I love the bright, vibrant energy that I am able to put on canvas. I also play in the mud. Being able to create beauty with my hands and clay is a wonderful way to reduce stress and relax.

Because of my life experiences, I have hesitantly but courageously taken the path you are taking with me today. Through spirit’s call and help, I am led to share my story so that my life experiences might help and serve others.

My wish is for those who read Survival Manual for The Modern Mystic to be moved—and danced!—down the road of Self-realization.

If you ask what is still on my Bucket List, I guess I would say: To see more of the world. To meet many more wonderful people along the way. And to be nicer to others—as well as to myself! Then, when it is time for someone to write an epitaph, I hope it says: During her physical life, she did her best—now let her spirit do the rest.

I close with what has become my daily prayer:

May all the Beings in all the worlds be blessed with good health and happiness.

Acknowledgments

Where the qualities of zeal, determination, courage, intelligence, ability, and heroism are present there Divine help manifests.

~ Sai Baba, Sai Inspires from Prasanthi Nilayam, http://media.radiosai.org ~

I give special thanks to all of you who have walked into my life this time around, whether for a moment or a lifetime. Without your help, I could not be doing this work.

To Toni and Palmer Vaughn, thanks for your gift of support on all levels—body, mind, heart, and spirit.

To Mary and Jim Scull, thanks for your gifts of love and support.

To Phyllis Wohlberg, thanks for your gifts of sisterly love, of remembering, and of being able to put remembrance into art.

Ben Rhodd, thank you for your patience, for what you have taught me, for going out on a limb for me more than once, and for your heartfelt prayers. And thanks to the old man who has gone on before us, as it was he who brought us back to work together in this lifetime.

Eyahnna, my deep thanks for following your dream and passing on the pipe.

Thanks to the Reiki Masters and students who have trusted me with remembering the gift of healing energy through the Ancient Ones.

To my son, Scott, thanks for being the first Indigo child to come into my life. Through your youthful innocence and old-soul wisdom, you introduced me to the spirit world.

Thanks to Michael, a Jedi grandchild, for the unseen gifts of the future.

Thanks and strength as well to grandson Damon, in whom we trust to carry on the tradition.

To my Apolni (Choctaw for grandmother), whose moccasins every now and then echo from the happy hunting ground carrying whispers, I give special thanks.

To the entire spirit world, your help has been the driving energy for this manual!

And I give thanks to all of you who have helped with editing, content suggestions, and questions, as well as technical issues that I have learned are a natural part of publishing. To those of you who don’t mind my mentioning you by name, my thanks to Mary Hosken, Michael Daley, Ruth Keyes, and Bobbie Averett.

To Kristin Donnan Standard, my gratitude is deeply heartfelt. When we cannot find the words to express what we feel, we only can hope that the person hears our heart. Your deep commitment to take this book from filled-with-good-intention to filled-with-good-grammar—with technique, patience, compassion, and love—is what allowed me to express what I was called to communicate. Thank you. Oh, by the way: I’ll keep better research notes next time.

To Grant Standard, my gratitude again is deeply heartfelt for your gift of allowing me to put your artwork on my book cover. Your ability to express Mitakuye oyasin in physical form is brilliant.

Each one of you, here and there, now and then, has been an inspiration, a source of support, a giver of gifts and lessons, student as well as a teacher. I pray we always walk our paths together with God’s grace in love, light, and compassion—knowing our divine purpose. Love you all.

Chapter One

Demystifying the Modern Mystic

If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams,

and endeavor to find the life you have imagined,

you will meet with the success

unexpected in common hours.

You will pass an invisible boundary,

new, universal and more liberal laws

will begin to establish themselves around you,

and you will live with higher order for beings.

~ Thoreau, Walden; or, Life in the Woods ~

In today’s world, it is easy to come across Modern Mystics, but if they’re doing their work with intention, you might have difficulty picking them out of a crowd. Truly, they’re everywhere on the planet and, for the most part, doing their sacred jobs in a quiet way. They come from all walks of life, from diversified ethnic backgrounds, and from a variety of learning experiences. Modern Mystics are everyday, common people in different stages of their spiritual quests. Although Modern Mystics respect every faith, they usually lean toward spiritual connections rather than doctrinaire religions. They are born knowing how to connect to eternal truth and the radionics, or rhythm of energy, within the Universal Life Force. They know how to use unlimited energies in compassionate and humanitarian ways.

Modern Mystics do not seek to be flashy, egocentric, or prideful. They do not attempt to rise above the crowd. They recognize each other by commonalities of spiritual living and teach best by example. Specifically, they strive to become a stellar example of the unconditional love and compassion exemplified by the Dalai Lama. Yes! All Modern Mystics are capable of manifesting this type of behavior. They walk their talk with a quiet leadership demeanor. They carry an aura about them that draws people into a safe harbor of love, compassion, trust, and truth. They are part of the unseen force, the glue that holds together the divine plan.

The Cosmic Mission

Modern Mystics are genuine humanitarians. Principles of altruism inspire their work, and they feel satisfaction knowing they did their duty with no expectation of praise, gifts, or gratitude.

The protection and preservation of Mother Nature is a primary concern of Modern Mystics. Mother Earth, our nurturing planet, is out of balance and in need of healing. Modern Mystics know this and recognize earth‘s energy as the umbilical cord to all life-forms on the planet. We give thanks to the activists and peacekeepers of Mother Earth.

Some Modern Mystics look after the waters, such as lakes, streams, and oceans, protecting aquatic life-forms and attempting to correct health issues that have been created from ignorance, greed, or harmful intent. I thank them for monitoring the wholesomeness of the food that comes from these bodies of water.

Other Modern Mystics look after the earth’s atmosphere, which has lost its healthy balance between the ozone layer and life-giving breath. This has been a great concern to those working with knowledge of potential catastrophes caused by global warming.

Others look after the rain forests and all the medicine and foods they produce. Some Modern Mystics serve as plant guardians, who keep the purity of foods growing on the planet in balance between natural wholesomeness and humanity’s greed.

We have been told many times that these problems of imbalance are nipping at our heels; ancient and modern prophecies describe this situation on a collective calendar. For the most part, however, our modern society has forgotten how to connect with Mother Earth and her life-supporting elements of air, water, fire, earth, plants, minerals, metals, and the etheric.

In more peaceful times, when humans ritualized daily prayer in order to give gratitude to Mother Earth, there was balance between her and the humans she supported. After much neglect and many harmful events, we are now being held responsible. We see the consequences of our misconduct and forgotten karmic assignments. In these more precarious times, we are being asked to pray and sacrifice to help heal the earth. Many places around the world are experiencing earthquakes, droughts, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, cyclones, fires and volcanic eruptions. These situations, as well as other human-made chaos, bring with them death, destruction, and purging. All of these conditions ultimately bring healing and balance to the larger system.

Modern Mystics, who dedicate their lives to help protect, heal and preserve the planet, are the people whose power will bring lasting positive change for all life-forms. The Modern Mystic’s spiritual cause constitutes surrendering to divine plans. Enlightened Modern Mystics are working on their assignments—their personal causes—with love, compassion, enthusiasm, and passion. They break the mold of outdated beliefs, thus allowing themselves to go beyond earthly or physical limitations. They work with spiritual connections at higher frequencies. They answer to a different drummer. They are the ones who will help balance science with metaphysics, religion, and spirituality.

Working with the harmonics of heart, mind, and Soul, Modern Mystics seek to connect with the past, to preserve the present, and to protect the future. They recognize the connection of everything on earth, knowing that we are all One. They recognize the importance of preserving this oneness of life philosophy. For humankind to work together to protect our sacred Mother Earth on all levels, Modern Mystics work as a team, and they strive to do this without fear, anger, hate, prejudice, jealousy, or ego. They are filled with respect, awe, and gratitude for all life-forms in both the seen and unseen worlds. This attitude of oneness leads to an inquisitive road of adventure and self-discovery in our relationship with all life. Nothing expresses this better than the Lakota expression Mitakuye Oyasin, which means, We are all related.

Universal Tools

Sacred Sites

Modern Mystics are drawn to power places and sacred sites on the planet. These special places are located all over Mother Earth and are known as vortexes, portals, energy sources, or healing