KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Amy Leigh Mercree

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Imagine this scenario: You're walking down a street and you pass a person sitting on a park bench. You can see, even from the distance, in this person's posture that says something is a little off. As you get closer, you see the person is slouching over and sobbing.

What do you feel? Perhaps you feel the tug on your heartstrings, and the empathy towards this person immediately enters your emotional being. But what do you do? What you do next is the difference between feeling empathy and sharing a moment of compassion.

So many of us feel all the feels, but rarely do we act upon it. When you see that person on that park bench, do you pause and then keep walking? Or do you pause, take a seat next to the person, and wish them a good day? Or perhaps offer a listening ear to a stranger? To what extent would you offer yourself as a beacon of support to another being?

Acts of compassion are rooted in a more sensitive state of mind and act as an extension of empathy. Compassion in action is the impetus to go beyond the initial emotional experience, and act toward positive change in a situation in which you feel so moved. Whether it's something small like holding the door for an elderly person, or something large like starting a non-profit organization in the name of something you care about, compassion can come in many different shapes and forms.

The seeds of compassion extend through all life forms; from the tiniest insect to the largest animal, compassion is widespread throughout the entire animal kingdom. There are may stories of animals helping one another from dolphins, to alligators, to elephants. The possibility of compassion extends beyond humans into all sentient beings.

Let's take a look at the role of compassion, the energy behind it, and how to develop a daily practice towards being a compassionate being.

The Origins of Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva is the Sanskrit term for a person motivated by great compassion. Oftentimes, this person is on a pathway towards enlightenment and is actively finding deeper, stronger, and more frequent acts of compassion.

Buddha is thought of as the original Bodhisattva, as he was the epitome of kindness and selflessness. Those who follow in Buddha's steps and path are known as Bodhisattvas.

Maybe we aren't exactly all the next Buddha or Bodhisattvas. However, there has been a huge rise in the practice of yoga in the Western world, bringing with it a heightened awareness around the absolute necessity of compassion.

In any given yoga or meditation class, you might hear a very popular chant that encompasses the prayer and dedication of compassion:

"Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bavantu: May all beings everywhere live happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

Feminine Energy and the Goddess Tara
Our subtle and emotional bodies, which are located in our physical structures, are made up of different types of energies. The two biggest energy forces are the yin and yang of it all—the masculine and the feminine.

Masculine energy rules processes like willfulness, work ethic, and structure. Feminine energy, however, is the driving force behind empathy (as stated earlier, the fuel for compassion).

So when the two come together, an interesting and unique force develops into a virtuous liberation. Typically, a Bodhisattva is a male, following in Buddha's footsteps. Yet the Goddess Tara, the most notable female Bodhisattva, is the representative of the embodiment of compassion. Known as "The Mother of Liberation," she represents the willful drive of empathy into action, creating compassion through work and achievement. Whether "Tara" is an actual female person or just a representative conjured up in the ideas mixed together in Hinduism and Buddhism to create a feminine representation of this energy force, it is believed that she hears the cries of pain and suffering and offers mercy, warmth, strength, and a lifeline away from enduring pain.

Daily Practices of Compassion
We can look at Goddess Tara as a representative of the mother that plants the seeds of development toward compassion. And just like Tara, our own Earth provides a feminine energy and transformative platform for that compassion to bud and grow.

You don't have to run out and save the world to be considered compassionate. Small steps in your everyday life can develop compassion, which will bud and grow along the way.

• Stop and Smell the Flowers
  It's an age-old saying to encourage people to slow down and take in life in the moment. Being present creates the space to accept and receive each other and what's around all of us all the time. But when you literally stop to smell the flowers, you are providing life force for yourself as well as another living being. Flowers give off oxygen, and we give off carbon dioxide. While it's not necessarily a one-to-one ratio in the oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, giving a little extra breath to a flower gives it more life and sustainability. And you get to take a moment to embrace its beauty. This moment of pause and exchange builds towards compassion through elements of connection and appreciation for other beings.
• Hold the Door
  The next time you're out, try holding the door for someone else. That person might receive that and immediately send it off to someone else, as you may have heightened their attitude. You never know what someone's going through….something so small such as opening a door for him or her may just be that extra little piece to make sun shine bright in their life.
• Send a Smile
  Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to share compassion is to just simply smile at someone. Humans have a natural tendency to smile back when smiled at—help someone turn that frown upside down. It's the easiest form of compassion there is.
• Give a Compliment
  Telling someone that they look nice may not seem compassionate, but by paying a compliment, you are lightening a person's heart, even if he or she may not realize it. So many of us carry so much on our hearts and shoulders, that we often take it out on ourselves. Give a person a little space to breathe by saying something that will make them feel appreciated.
• Breathe In, Breathe Out: A Daily Mantra
  Even if you've never even stepped foot in a yoga class, the mantra mentioned earlier is a wonderful way to start your day, and sends out the energy to the world and space around you that you truly and selflessly wish for everyone to have peace, joy, and freedom.
  As you start your day, take a moment to repeat the words:

  "Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bavantu: May all beings everywhere live happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

And to you, an arbiter of empathy and strength, may you continue to find daily moments along the way, recognize them, integrate them, and give devotion to the selfless compassion in your heart and being.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. All rights reserved.

I am a 32-year-old man from India. I am learning to speak different languages via the internet. I have a good Russian friend I met online. Her name is Ruzeliya. We haven't met in person yet; we just chat and talk. She often has dreams of me, and I dream of her too. In one dream I had of her, we were together in Russia and she took me to this interesting place. I asked her what that place was, and she told me that it is the agriculture university where she studies. (Prior to me having this dream, we hadn't spoken at all about her studies.) The next day, I asked her about her studies and everything she told me matched exactly with my dream. I then asked her for her photo and was shocked to see that she looked just as she had in the dream. The next night, I dreamed that she was very sad and crying, and I took her out to dinner to comfort her. She told me that the same night, she had dreamed that I was very sad. I am wondering how all of this is happening. Since I have never met her in person and hardly know her, how can I be having dreams about what is happening in her life? Does this sort of dream indicate something special?

N.

Susyn:

One of the most fascinating aspects of internet connections is how they allow two people's hearts, minds and spirits to intertwine free of physical limitations like time and distance. It is because the physical isn't involved that you have connected with Ruzeliya on such a deep, profound level.

It is a great mystery that two people could be so connected that they can accurately visualize each other and pick up on how the other is feeling at any given time. Your experiences reflect the truth that we are all one, for we are all connected in the Divine and therefore share a universal consciousness. It is sometimes easier to tap into this consciousness when we are not distracted by physical influences or concerns.

It is always fascinating to look back and reflect on how, by acting on our desires, we have been led upon various journeys we would never otherwise have experienced. For example, had you not been inspired to learn different languages, the two of you might never have met. Your interest in the Russian language may stem from a past life you spent in that country, perhaps a past life in which you and Ruzeliya were in a close relationship of some kind.

As you two learn more about each other, you will experience an even more profound connection along with more metaphysical synchronicities like those you have mentioned. When you visit Russia, you may also discover that it feels strangely familiar to you, as if you have been there before.

You can have lots of fun experimenting with the various phenomena your unique situation tends to produce. For example, you might try to see if you can remotely view each other. This is different from dreaming; it involves having one of you perform a simple activity or visit a certain place while you both focus on each other. Later, you can compare notes to see if your impressions of what the other was doing are accurate.

You may want to search the internet for pictures of her location or have her send you some to see if they are familiar to you. You can do the same for Ruzeliya, and also share photographs of yourselves at different ages and perhaps pictures of your family members to see if they strike a chord.

The synchronicity of the dreams you have had about each other does indeed suggest that you have a very special sort of connection. This sort of bond could last your whole lives and beyond. I encourage you to trust the amazing experiences the two of you are sharing and continue to learn more about each other. Also, listen to your hearts as you move forward; when the time is right, you may eventually meet in person and perhaps make even more of your special connection.

*****

Oceania:

In this age of internet relationships, it's important to remember that we can never know for sure whether someone looks the way they do in their photo or whether they even ARE the person in the photo. We can't know whether they're being open and honest until we interact with them over an extended period of time or spend time with them in person.

The U.S. Department of State's website has an entire page dedicated to international Internet Dating and Romance Scams that emphasizes caution when the other party needs help in any way. This even includes emotional support, for that can escalate over time into requests for financial help.

Warnings aside, let's presume that your new friend is genuine. You might enjoy reading the Griffin & Sabine Trilogy, a set of books by Nick Bantock that details long-distance correspondence between two kindred spirits who have never met yet feel deeply connected. Sabine even has visions of Griffin's artwork from thousands of miles away.

I believe that we can tap into a web of energy that links our souls. I envision this as being similar to the web of neural pathways in our brains that links up all of our neurons. There are billions of interconnected neurons in the brain that process and transmit information. Some connections are stronger than others, just as some soul connections are stronger than others.

When you chat or talk with your friend, you intuitively pick up subtle energies that might go unnoticed because your conscious mind is busy and full. At night, however, while your conscious mind is resting, your unconscious mind has the opportunity to weave together data you picked up during the day. Sometimes we do our best thinking while we dream because there are no distractions!

In one dream, she was sad and you wanted to comfort her. Maybe she IS sad. While you don't have the power to fix things for her, you can rest assured that your friendship is enriching both of your lives. Maybe you're the one who is sad and you've projected that emotion onto her. We often see qualities in others that are actually our own, and forget that we see the world through our own lenses!

Another explanation for the dinner-date dream is that you've developed romantic feelings for your long-distance friend. If that's the case, I encourage you to keep in mind how easy it is to idealize people from afar. On the positive side, the internet allows us to make connections with people whose paths we would never otherwise cross. To best enjoy the unfolding of this soul-to-soul relationship, I encourage you to proceed with a healthy balance of caution and good faith.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.