Champaca is the much loved garland flower

of Krishna and Radha.

 Article by Cynthia Olivera de Kapp

Champaca Speaks

“I am the heavenly fragrance that intoxicates your senses.

I intoxicate you with LOVE.

The love that you are–the love that is all around you.”

“My deepest desire is that You

Seek this Love, this Bliss,

This Eternal Self

That brings celestial peace

And deep understanding.

Leading you to who you are

The Truth of Yourself.

Surrender to my scent and let it pierce your heart.

Shattering and releasing the knot of unhappiness…

Creating unbounded Joy.

Inhale often and deeply and

I will put a smile in your heart,

And in your soul.

I teach the way of LOVE long forgotten.”

Champaca Flower—Michela Alba comes from the Magnoliaceae family. She grows in India and Southeast Asia.  The Champaca tree is a very thick round tree and blooms flowers from spring to fall. 

Indians refer to this tree as Golden Champaca, ‘the incarnation of the Goddess of Wealth.’

I chose to write about Champaca as she is the perfect scent to bring you into your summertime bliss.   With all the traumas that the world is experiencing, we need to lift our vibration and visit our euphoric soul space, so that we can remain in balance with our hearts and our emotions.  Oftentimes, these shifting times create a disconnection from our hearts and our joys.  This beautiful enchanting essence has the ability to bring us back home to our hearts and our connection to All.

The scent of the Champaca flower is not only intoxicating for people, but for the bugs as well.  It is said that many bugs strive to get the sweet nectar at the center of the blossom.  Champaca is a multi-dimensional flower, and blooms in yellow, orange and white.  It forms into clusters that look like stars.  At a close examination, the flower gives us information about its properties.

What might a multi-dimensional white starflower with an intoxicating fragrance have to teach you about yourself?  Try sitting with a bottle of pure unadulterated Champaca essence and breathe it in deeply.  You will find that the fragrance might remind you of the sweetness of life, a starry summer evening or early morning dew.

This is why the Champaca flower was the favorite of Lord Krishna and even today in India, garlands of Champaca adorn His temples.  The five prominent star-like petals are said to signify these qualities:

v Aspiration

v Sincerity

v Devotion

v Surrender

v Faith

Champaca brings us deeply into the dreamtime where we can create our deepest desires.  Here we can use Champaca essences with these qualities to craft out dreams.

What is the Aspiration/Dream/Desire that you would like bring forth in your world?  Is that desire in Sincerity/Truth with your mind and your soul?  Is this something you want to create with all of your heart? Once you have figured that out, the next step would be to Devote/Dedicate yourself to that creation. Find fun and palyful ways a to hold the vision that you wish to manifest. Your devotion to your goal should be a joyful process!  Finally, one needs to Surrender or detach from anything that is not in keeping with what you wish to create.  Surrendering the process to Spirit/God/Goddess/Universe keeping the absolute Faith that it will come to pass.  This is the gift of Lord Krishna’s garland of flowers.

Additional gifts of this magical essence include:

v Connecting you to the Divine Mother Goddess.

v Opening the heart to an influx of Divine energy and information.

v Assisting in in psychic development.

v An aphrodisiac—on all levels.  Opens the doorway to your sacred sexuality.

v Apply on sacrum to assist in opening the second chakra.

v Apply on your Third Eye for wisdom and insight.

v Reminding you to stay in love.

v A peaceful cloak in troubled times.

v Joyful.

v Absolutely transformative!

Medicinally:

v Diuretic

v Works with gout.

v Reduces fevers.

v Helps some skin issues

v Heals cracks on feet.

v Respiration

v Rheumatism

In closing, I invite you to journey with this magnificent diva.  Let her journey with you for an ultimate summer experience.  I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Until next time…

From deep within the Plant and Tree Kingdom,

I wish you Love.

~ Cynthia

Curandera, Cynthia Olivera de Kapp is the Educational Director of Wisdom of the Earth. Wisdom of the Earth has top quality essences from all over the world, many of which are sold at their boutique store in Page Springs, AZ.  Connect with them at:  928-649-9968, or online at: www.wisdomoftheearth.com.

Medicinal Aromatherapist and healer, Cynthia Olivera de Kapp, has indigenous roots in the Caribbean and Corsica- rich in curandera traditions. Her personal mastery and teaching work in the healing medicines of the Mother Earth, make her the perfect choice for this new section in Next In The West magazine.  Cynthia is a Master Aromatherapist and Educational Director for Wisdom of the Earth Essential Essences in Page Springs, Arizona, where she teaches advanced Aromatherapy certification courses with her husband Barry Kapp, the founder of WOTE.  She has been teaching women to dance their prayers, heal their sexual issues and meditate with the Earth and work with ‘essences’ as their allies.

by Leisa Wheeler, N.D.

I’ve talk quite a bit about adrenal fatigue  in my professional life, and what happens when the adrenals can’t keep up with the daily demands of stress and the stress hormone cortisol depletes. One thing I haven’t talked a lot about though, is what happens prior to that when cortisol levels are high and we are pushing the boundaries of what we can cope with.

There are three main stages of stress – the alarm phase (our fight or flight instinct), the resistance phase (the response that allows us to cope with longer periods of stress), and exhaustion, when we just can’t keep up anymore. Each of these phases have different symptoms and hormone patterns. In the resistance phase especially, we may not even realize how much stress we are under, unless we test our hormone balance and reveal what is truly happening in the body.

In resistance, the hormone cortisol rises to allow us to adapt to a situation that requires our focus. We might have to strategize, plan and come up with ideas to take us out of a situation that may be harmful. In nature, we experience this response and the changes that go with it, for a limited period of time. However, in the modern world we live in we can experience the resistance phase of stress for decades! The hormones that help us cope and adapt to stress are beneficial for us in the short term, but over the long-term can harm our health.

Excessive cortisol has a number of undesirable effects on the body - symptoms of which include fatigue, lethargy, depression, insomnia, PMS, inflammation and immune dysfunction. Over the long term we see a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and cancer. When we are in the resistance phase we have switched off the part of our nervous system, which is called ‘rest and digest’, so we see low digestive juices and issues with nutrient absorption, which causes more stress in itself.

Another negative effect from a high cortisol state is that the sleep hormone melatonin may not be released properly, leading to insomnia.  We are meant to have a beautiful flow of hormones over the day and night, whereby we have a burst of cortisol early in the morning to switch off our sleep hormone and give us energy, and then it will slowly deplete during the day until in the evening, when our melatonin hormone releases, sending us to sleep. This pattern is the way these two hormones are meant to flow, and happens easily and normally, when we are not stressed and able to handle our day-to-day activities.

When we are stressed though, cortisol can remain high at night, leading to low melatonin levels. Not only can this affect our sleep, but low melatonin can also indicate low levels of serotonin (our mood elevation hormone), as serotonin is the precursor to melatonin production.  Low serotonin is related to disorders of consumption (alcoholism, bulimia, anorexia), mood, sleep, anxiety, thought (OCD), learning, memory, sexual activity, aggression, and suicide.

So there are stages of stress that can be measured before we hit exhaustion!  Being aware of our stress levels is very important in preventing both short-term and long-term health disorders. Exercise is important in managing stress levels, as is regular meditation, a whole foods diet, eliminating stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol and healing our emotional wounds and traumas. Eating in a resting state helps our digestive system, as does ensuring that we are well hydrated.

http://www.embracinghealthblog.com/

THE GNOSIS OF THE HEART

Although ultimately in pursuit of the same goal as the old Oriental method, Jesus’ new Way bypassed the lower energy centers and directly awakened ‘exousia’ in the Christ center within the region of the heart, leaving to its royal discretion all further stages in the initiatory process.

Excerpt from

The Mysteries of the Brideschamber

(Inner Traditions. 2007) Permission to reprint

by Victoria Lepage

“Listen,” said Krishna, ” to a very great and deep secret, to the sovereign, sublime and pure mystery. In order to reach perfection it is necessary to acquire knowledge of oneness, which is above wisdom; it is necessary to lift oneself to the divine Being, who is above the soul and even above intelligence. Now this divine being, this sublime friend, is in each one of us. For God dwells within every man, but few know how to find him. And this is the way to salvation.”

-THE BHAGAVAD GITA

Excerpt from Chapter 9  Gnosis of the Heart 

“Jesus’ mission was aimed at more than the restoration of the Judaic Mysteries to the Jerusalem temple. The wider aim was to bring them into the public domain, to “rend the veil” of the Holy of Holies and to bring spiritual knowledge into the world at large, to offer a new path of initiation that would be open to all. The key to his innovatory teachings, their central motif and driving power, was his new Way of the Spiritual Heart, an initiation that was to be potentially available to every man and woman who aspired to it. There is evidence that besides the initial baptism ceremony in water, Jesus offered a further initiation in a secret form of fire baptism administered to those of his followers who were ready for it.

The John Gospel in particular with its wonderful Light terminology reveals layer upon layer of hidden meanings open to the Mystery initiate but to none other, hinting at sciences and esoteric practices that were unfamiliar to the world at large. As already mentioned, preeminent among the advanced sciences was that of the spinal system of energies in the human body, involving various occult techniques for the holotropic transformation of consciousness. The existence in antiquity of such a science of spiritual physiology is amply confirmed by the painted temple murals in Egypt that depict the serpent power—that is, kundalini Shakti—emerging from the brows of ancient initiate kings. As well, there are scenes of enigmatic funeral ceremonies in which priests are facilitating the royal ascent to higher worlds by the application of curious implements to the king’s spinal cord. Royal adepts due for death had their consciousness thereby raised to the realms of Light even while they received deep instruction in spiritual knowledge, and could then become healers, Light-bringers, and bestowers of prosperity to their people from their vantage point in the heavens.

Karl Luckert1 notes that the Light theme runs through all the Mediterranean mysteries back to the ancient Coffin texts of Egypt, and believes these highly esoteric texts “will enable us to revise our historical understanding of Hellenic philosophy, of Neo-Platonism, and of the Origins of Christendom and Gnosticism.” He bases his claim on the frank belief that “the Kingdom of Heaven movement . . . founded by John the Baptizer and Jesus of Nazareth” employed these same yogic techniques lifted from the Mystery temples and adapted them for more general use. Morton Smith2 takes Luckert’s proposition further. He believes the Light texts throw into relief one of the most important topics in the Christian scriptures, the source of Jesus’ healing and miracle-working energy. They lead us to a greater understanding of the secrecy that permeates the Christian scriptures on the whole subject of spiritual physiology and its attendant science. We shall see that the new mystical Way Jesus taught, which gave a unique character to Christianity, can be understood in no other way than in terms of the merkavah science taught secretly in the temples, and that it was this circumstance that was to arouse extreme antagonism in certain quarters.

In the lexicon of the primitive Church, a Greek word of immense potency was exousia. It occurs frequently in the Christian scriptures in relation to Jesus, and is translated there as “authority” or “power,” as in Luke 4:36; but these translations, although nominally accurate, are misleading. They conceal the word’s true meaning, that of a spiritual energy. It is really only now, when so much initiatory information is flooding into our Western culture from the East, that we can appreciate the true occult meaning of exousia as the energy or power Hindus know as kundalini Shakti—a term that is now a great deal more familiar to most Western people than its biblical equivalent. It was in this strictly esoteric and Eastern sense that Jesus succeeded in transmitting exousia first to his immediate followers and later to a rapidly widening circle of disciples committed to the new Way of the Heart.

The spiritual energy of exousia derives from the merkavah science and its elucidation of the mysteries of Angelology. Since it is a concept of energy that, as the Gnostics knew, covers qualities both material and spiritual, it has no modern scientific equivalent and could not have been understood until very recently, when the West first became acquainted with the Eastern system of kundalini yoga.

Exousia signifies an extraterrestrial source of energy that is crucial to the functioning of the psyche as well as of the body. Behind the term, says Andrew Welburn, “can be discerned vastly older, Near Eastern perceptions of religious ‘power,’ such as that possessed by Jesus. In the primitive Church the receiving of exousia was closely related to magical power (dynamis) and to spiritual grace, or more specifically charisma (charis), which conferred the supranatural gifts of the spirit such as clairvoyance, clairaudience and prophetic, and healing powers. This supernatural Power working through Jesus was normally under his control but sometimes operated unintentionally. The magician experienced exousia as a high charge of psychospiritual energy having miraculous properties that could affect matter, as has kundalini.

Kundalini is the diminutive term derived from Maha Kundali, the Mother of Space and Time, and applies to the Cosmic Mother’s universal presence when found in particular bodies. Thus the scholar J. M. Hull, in his monograph on the gospels and their relation to the magical healing of bodies, shows that “for Mark’s readers it meant a mysterious superhuman force whereby demons were controlled and afflictions healed.” Exousia was, in addition, over and above the inhabiting dynamis of the magician, the divine power that was at work in the initiate kings of ancient Egypt— and therefore, a secret reserved to the Mystery temples along the Nile. It is through the god, whom the kings represented, Amun-Re, adored as the Hidden-and-Manifest, that we learn more about the physical attributes of exousia.

The god was conceived as a source of vital energy, filling the universe. His power floods into everything that will receive it. But in the highest degree it charges the King, who is the living portrait of the god. And by extension it flows into things connected with the King and his form, such as his garments and regalia. The source of energy in the god is infinite.  Indeed, this is the essence of the secret of royal power imparted by the god Krishna in the quotation from the Bhagavad Gita that heads this chapter. The quotation is part of a dialogue being held on the summit of sacred Mount Meru between the god and Arjuna, a warrior-prince descended from the Sun kings of India. Undoubtedly Near Eastern Gnostics, too, were well aware of this same power and its supernatural manifestations, more familiarly known to Christians as the work of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Philip we learn of the relevance of exousia to the mystery of the physical body: The holy person is utterly holy, even including that person’s body. Such a person, if picking up bread, makes it holy—likewise the cup or any of the other things, which that person picks up and sanctifies. Then how could he not consecrate the body also?  (Philip, 91.)

Like the ancient Egyptian mystics and the yogis of Upanishadic India, the Gnostics knew that the body is one of the great secrets of the spiritualization process. Because of the interconnectedness that reigns in the universe, the supreme Life energy, when awakened by initiation, radiates outward beyond the body, so that everything a perfect master touches, his clothes, the very cup he drinks from, the chair he sits in, becomes saturated with the luminous spiritual energy emanating from his body and can be transmitted directly to others. We know from the many gospel anecdotes like the above that the secrets of the human body were well understood by Jesus. It is a subject that has long engaged the minds of Eastern thinkers. We learn from Sir John Woodroffe, a British official working in India in the early years of the twentieth century, that for Indian philosophers the body has always been a holy temple filled with deities and their servants, the angels and elementals. “Whatever of Mind or Matter exists in the universe,” says Woodruff, “exists in some form or manner in the human body.” There is nothing in the universe, he suggests, that is not in the human body; and moreover, it is a spiritually potent magno-electrical system. The law of the universe is polarization into either static–dynamic or potential–kinetic aspects, and so it must also be in the body. “In the living body, therefore,” says Woodroffe, there must be such polarization . . . It may be compared to a magnet with two poles. In fact, the body is a vast magazine of Power (Shakti). The Tantras say that it is in the power of man to accomplish all he wishes if he centers his will thereon. And this must be so, for man in his essence is one with the Supreme Lord (Isvara) and Mother (Isvari) and the more he manifests Spirit the greater is he endowed with its powers.

Nor is this ancient body wisdom confined to the Orient. Hermetic initiates have long understood the potentially spiritual nature of the body, which, as the Austrian mystic Rudolf Steiner says, is “a copy of the Godhead and is shamefully belittled when looked upon as something inferior.” He reminds us that, on the contrary, the physical body is of supreme evolutionary importance. Only in the body can we gain control of all the forces of physical creation, only in the body can we pay off all our karmic debts contracted in the long saga of the soul’s evolution, and only in such conditions can we enjoy a spiritualized body freed of all dark matter. “The redeemed physical—a level of glowing perfection—is evident in the Christian resurrectional traditions and images,” asserts David Ovason.

“In the arcane tradition, it is maintained that in the distant future the physical body will be redeemed and spiritualized: this will be the “body of light rays,” the augoedeian body in the hermetic terminology. This arcane concept was expressed in medieval art as an aura of radiations round the body of Christ.”  In Hermetic writings, the efficacy of exousia as a subtle animating force in the body is recognized. It is described in the literature as a cosmic Life energy, an everlasting and inexhaustible reservoir of vital energy whose influence flows down from the stars into the “womb” of the earthly elements. As we have seen, the ancient Egyptians equated it with their god Amun, who was visible as the sun but was also the invisible power radiating out from the sun as an ethereal auric presence filling the world.

In Judaic Angelology, exousia is the creative power that emanates from a group of seven great Archangels called the Exousiai, who together, working as one, are responsible for building the visible universe. These great Beings, each one of which represents a biblical Day of Creation, can therefore be equated with the plural world-creating Elohim of Genesis, while behind this conception is the further Qabalistic idea drawn from esoteric astrology to the effect that the Exousiai are represented by the seven planets, chief of which is the Sun.

INITIATION AND THE CHRIST FIRE

The fiery energy lying hidden at the root of all institutional religions is mightier than nuclear power, but because it reveals its full range of capabilities only to the spiritual initiate, it remains as yet unfamiliar to modern science. The initiate knows that it controls the mind, awakens all the suprasensible faculties, and governs the breath, the organs, and the connective tissues of the body. It is the basis of every human emotion and instinct and the ultimate organizer of all physical systems, underlying and comprehending all the other energies known to scientists. The one who can work with this great evolutionary power, this super force, not only has the means to heal souls and bodies and bring harmony to society but also can change the very course of history and human evolution.  And this is what Jesus, the first-century Christ- Bearer, did. The fundamental reformation Jesus brought about in religious practice was to improve the way this spiritual power was transmitted in the initiatory rite in order to open up areas of spiritual and psychological insight that were closed to the pagan world.

But Christian baptism brought illumination to mind and soul, for above Nature was a world to which humanity truly belonged, a world filled with numinous light. Here Christ reigned in the company of other divine beings of light who loved human beings and served only their greatest good. These Angelic beings raised humanity from the darkness of brute instinct into a higher and genuinely human realm of energies that conferred enlightenment, freedom from the wheel of Necessity, and a power of understanding that was beyond the comprehension of the pagan mentality.

For thousands of years the prophets had sought the rose of love in the heart of the causal Light. They knew it was to be found in the heart center, but as the Bronze Age advanced, the constricting, brutalizing effects of an agricultural way of life were felt more and more as a darkening of the soul, and the awakening of the heart center became increasingly difficult. Bearing in mind that in antiquity the temples were the sole purveyors of culture and religious consciousness in a passive, undereducated society, it is possible to appreciate how much the limitations of the pagan psyche directly mirrored the limitations of the temples. Initiates too were shackled by Nature’s grip in the same way as the ordinary citizen. The only method available to initiates of antiquity was to work with the chthonic earth energies active in the three lower centers of the spinal system: those of survival, procreation, and personal power. But these were the centers ruled by Nature, and few initiates indeed could rise above them to the fourth, the heart chakra.  By concentrating on the root chakras, which fueled and regulated the body and its survival and procreative powers, pre-Christian initiates sought in vain to break the ceiling above the third center and so raise exousia into the higher centers. For long sexual intercourse and willpower were the only methods known among adepts aspiring to enlightenment and are best exemplified by the Hindu tantric system handed down by the ancient Indus Valley initiate kings whom we first met in the prologue. But this somatic yoga was a difficult and dangerous system in its ancient form, combining intensive meditation on the root chakras with breathing exercises, fasting, mudras or physical postures, sexual intercourse, or alternatively the exercise of willpower, and other specifically physiological methods, such as the use of narcotic drugs. Because of its dangers, the yoga was perforce restricted to relatively few practitioners and required secrecy, solitary conditions, arduous ascetic disciplines, and enormous dedication.

Furthermore, as a matter of survival, it demanded a cult of absolute unquestioning obedience to a guru, and even then the goal of breaking through the ceiling to the fourth chakra of the heart, the anahata chakra, was rarely achieved. In his classic study of the serpent power, Woodroffe unveils the Hindu teachings concerning the primal creative energy of exousia, which is stored in the root chakra, and describes the endeavors of yogis to awaken and harness it by purely somatic means. “It is said of those who attempt it,” Woodroffe reported, “that one out of a thousand may have success.”

By the time he began to unearth its secrets, the method had outlived its evolutionary usefulness and had become virtually obsolete in India. Except for the few Hindu master yogis who had retreated into the fastnesses of the Himalayas, adepts lower down the initiatory ladder had long abandoned somatic yoga for safer paths, such as they would find, for example, in the emotional raptures of Krishna worship.

In the first century, degenerated forms of somatic yoga still dominated the religious cults in the ancient East, releasing the kind of low chthonic forces that flourished in the Dionysian orgies in Rome… The difficulty was that the physical forces, especially the sexual drive, were highly seductive and prone to corrupt, releasing animal forces that were impossible to control. As Robert Turcan has shown, as a result many dangerous malpractices had entered the ancient science: Aberrant “left-path” sexual practices, sorcery, superstition and cruelty, spirit worship, black magic, necromancy, and sex magic by now infested the Near Eastern cults like so many crocodiles prowling around the would-be initiate at every turn, while even the most advanced of the Mystery schools were limited by this outworn methodology and were in decline all over the world. Over the ages, necessary reforms have occurred within the tradition of the Gnosis, and it seems to be the task of great spiritual leaders of history like Jesus, Krishna, the Buddha, Mani, Muhammad, and others to be the vehicles of these forces of evolutionary change. But according to esoteric tradition, in order to affect such reforms the descent of divine power to earth must await the cooperation of an incarnate human vehicle. In other words, the Power can be “earthed” only by a human being already on earth prepared and able to act as a transmitting station and capable of stepping down the energy in his or her own body to a voltage safe for ordinary physical conditions.

In the first century in the Near East, precisely as the Magi had prophesied, that prerequisite was established: the new messianic impulse that would supersede the old system was able to be grounded by several great spiritual leaders, auxiliary Christs—and preeminently Jesus himself. Jesus delivered the coup de grâce to the old form of physiological yoga, which had reigned unchallenged for thousands of years, and replaced it with a method of far greater safety, speed, and utility.

This was the Way that directly opened the fourth chakra, the Spiritual Heart, without recourse to the lower centers. The descent of the Christ Spirit into incarnation had brought with it the solution to what had become an almost insoluble dilemma: how to release the primal creative energy imprisoned in the body without succumbing to the perilous seductions of animality—how to become fully human. Although ultimately in pursuit of the same goal as the old Oriental method, Jesus’ new Way bypassed the lower energy centers and directly awakened exousia  in the Christ center within the region of the heart, leaving to its royal discretion all further stages in the initiatory process.

Initiates describe this “royal” center, which reigns supreme over the three lower chakras of Nature, as sunlike, radiating luminous multi-colored rays of love and wisdom, the primary attributes of the spiritual Self. As the seat of Self-awareness and of the Inner Teacher, its awakening is the beginning of true self-government. The new method of initiation was therefore genuinely revolutionary. It was psyche oriented rather than body oriented and was geared to self-development and individuation rather than merely to the acquisition of enhanced personal power. It fostered the wisdom of the heart, sensitivity to the emotional life, and the possibility of altruistic love, as well as a sense of personal independence, of autonomy.  It was for “those who stand solitary,” a term for which Jesus used the word monachoi, which also means “those who have become unified.” The new initiation required neither the use of willpower, physical proximity, extreme asceticism, or sexual congress, and was able to awaken the suprasensible functions gradually, gently, and safely, even from a great distance. It did not need solitude or arduous disciplines, was suitable for a far larger proportion of the race, and could be applied in the midst of society under ordinary, everyday conditions. Most importantly, the new Way was proof against moral corruption. Its basis was ethical, being founded on consciousness of the initiate’s selfhood with its innate faculty of conscience. His unique self-identity was thus called into action rather than his physiology, with its three instinctual drives.

The new Way therefore operated above and beyond the purely egoistic goals of the past. Furthermore, it sought guidance from within, from the wisdom of the heart radiated by the Inner Teacher rather than from any external, corruptible authority. The new Way was thus a great evolutionary advance. It spelled an unprecedented expansion of consciousness as well as freedom, simplicity, and safety in spiritual practice, not merely for the privileged few but for all.

By awakening the Anahata chakra in his nightlong secret baptism, Jesus put the one baptized into direct contact with the exalted Christ Spirit he himself embodied and who thereafter took his seat of government in the disciple’s soul. Circulating through the heart organ rather than the lower centers, exousia worked in the bloodstream to purify the hereditary stains and weaknesses built up genetically in the course of generations, and drew off the poisons that had accumulated in the disciple through ignorance and wrong living over many lifetimes, replacing them with a radical new power of compassion. The issue of spiritual power or exousia —as a high-level energy presently unknown to scientists but now accessible, in principle, to all human beings—has been consistently sidestepped by the Church, and never more so than in its teachings on love. On the path on which Jesus led his closest disciples, the sacraments were but the prelude and preparation for the reception of this exalted energy in the bridal chamber of the heart. Many passages of the recently discovered apocryphal gospels throw into new relief the depth of hidden meaning in Jesus’ sermons on love, which have been frequently reduced to mere sentimentality. But they are not to be so taken: they pertain to secret knowledge; they encode the very essence of the new initiatory Christ mystery.

Permission to reprint this this excerpt comes from the publisher, Inner Traditions. Mysteries of the Bridechamber, Initiation of Jesus and the Temple of Solomon by Victoria LePage. Inner Traditions. 2007.

To order this book online:www.innertraditions.com

References:

1Welburn, Andrew. The Beginnings of Christianity. Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1995.

2 Ovason, David, ED. The Zelator: The Secret Journals of Mark Hedsel. London: Arrow Books, 1999

 La Curendara

 “Purge me with Hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  -Psalms 51:7

Contact by Mara Friedman

Hyssop

BY CYNTHIA OLIVERA DE KAPP

Hyssopus officinalis, (Lamiaceae) commonly referred to as Hyssop, is a member of the mint family and is native to Southern Europe. Hyssop is a beautiful perennial, with delicate purplish-blue flowers.

The Greek name “hyssopus”, is derived from the Hebrew word “ezob’: or holy herb. It has been used for cleansing lepers and purifying temples. Hyssop is considered to be a biblical plant in connection with cleansing and purifying the body.

I write about Hyssop today because of her ancient roots and her incredible ability to heal.  She is an aura-protector, and she purifies the body, the mind, and the soul like nothing else.  In this time of turbulent waters, I am grateful to have the presence of Hyssop and all these majestic silent teachers in my life.

Hyssop is…

v  Anti-asthmatic

v  Anti-infectious

v  Anti-inflammatory

v  Antioxidant

v  Anti-parasitic

v  Antiseptic

v  Antibacterial

v  Anti-spasmodic

v  Antiviral

v  Astringent

v  Decongestant

v  Mucolytic

v  Blood regulator

v  Entity removal

Don’t regret what’s happened.  

If it’s in the past, let it go. 

Don’t even remember it.” 

– Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi

Hyssop Speaks…

I travel with the purple ray characterized by the beautiful light-purple color of my flowering top.  The purple ray represents transformation,

transfiguration, purity, and forgiveness, which are some of my qualities.  I have the ability to purify, transmute and clear the deepest blockages from your cells. 

I can enter into your body through your heart, blood and your cells, as well as your auric field.  I travel to the core of your being and connect you to the stars, helping you lift the veil of separation.”  

The Power of Hyssop

I often use Hyssop with my clients.  I find that putting 10 drops on the abdomen before beginning a consultation will bring the person to their authentic truth in just a few minutes.  The process of self-reflection, release, and forgiveness happens easily and we can get to the root of the lesson with calm presence of mind and heart.  I believe that Hyssop is the plant manifestation of the Violet Flame.  It clears and transmutes, allowing humans to transform their stories.

At another time, while doing energy work on a client, I noticed that they had several entities hanging out in their auras.  There were some gooey substances that they were blocking from the clearing. Hyssop is known for entity removal, so I put several drops in my hand and within minutes, without struggle, the hitchhikers left without any complaints!

Barry, my husband, and I were traveling throughout the East Coast leading meditations and teaching about Aromatherapy.  Using essences before meditation always helps people when trying to connect to their heart, soul, and to the Earth. This day, I put about 10 drops of Hyssop on the hearts of the attendees and everyone had a deep profound experience.  The participants were so moved by the messages they received about several issues in their lives. One of the participants was late leaving for a doctor’s appointment. Even though she was rushing and stressed to get to her appointment in time, the doctor asked her what had she had done differently because her blood pressure was the lowest he had ever seen for her.  At first, she had no idea what she had done differently, but then she remembered the Hyssop.  He told her to continue using this supportive essence.

Hyssop is amazing for balancing your blood pressure as well as purifying the blood.  Needless to say, she was thrilled to have an ally for her blood pressure, as she had tried everything she could to lower it.

During this flu season, I thankfully stayed healthy, but when the allergy season began, I got this terrible persistent cough that did not want to leave my body.  I used the Hyssop with Eucalyptus Dives, and I could feel them move deeply into my lungs.  I felt as if I was wrapped in a loving blanket of protection and the coughing stopped immediately.  This layered combination helped me tremendously to get over this cough and within three days, the cough was gone.  Many of her actions support us during bouts with the common cold, as well as helping our bodies reduce fever.

As an Aromatherapist, I know the strength and value of the essences, but I always love when they amaze me with a healing or clearing.  I feel that Hyssop is so important to use at this time with all the respiratory ailments that people are experiencing.  As we are bombarded with poor air quality, radiation, GMO’s and all the ills of our society, having Hyssop as a tool for healthy survival, forgiveness, and transmutation is of the upmost importance.

Hyssop also assists in moving grief through and out of the body.  I noticed that there were still stories that I had not forgiven.  I had been holding stories of long-forgotten memories in my lungs. I felt the energy of the plant assist in releasing these patterns of grief within me.

HYSSOP works with and on the Central Nervous System.  This is an excellent essence to use when dealing with brain injuries.  She crosses the blood-brain barrier because she contains sesquiterpenes.

Hyssop has been used in the treatment of HIV and Herpes 1, 2.  Hyssop is known as the great cleanser…the purifier.  She is an excellent remedy to ward off infection and enhances our immune system.

In order to get a certification as an Aromatherapist from “Wisdom of the Earth”, we require that our students investigate and write a paper about an essence/essential oil of their choice.  I have many papers about the ability of Hyssop to bring the students to their deepest truth.  Some of these truths they were suppressing not wanting to look at them.  She is known to address the emotional and spiritual dis-eases of failure, forgiveness, and the processing of emotions. Hyssop allowed them to observe these issues with courage and ease in order to release them.

A student writes, “She (Hyssop) forgives and heals. And perhaps this accounts for her ability to survive the centuries. How can anything/anyone survive the ages if they insist on carrying around the anger and bitterness of unresolved, unforgiving feelings? She has no baggage. She is free. She can heal without hesitation. She allows us, without baggage,  to love without judgment.  And, she has survived.”

Cynthia Olivera de Kapp is is a Master Aromatherapist, and is the Educational Director
for “Wisdom of the Earth” essential essences in Page Springs, Arizona,
where she teaches advanced aromatherapy workshops with her husband,
Barry Kapp, the founder of  WOTE.

She welcomes your questions, please contact her at: cynodance@hughes.net or visit her website at: www.wisdomoftheearth.com

Foundational Eating and Cleansing

by Reuel Ari

This foundational diet may be of help for anyone dealing with parasites, candida, blood sugar imbalances, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, constipation, over-weight, liver/gallbladder congestion, any degenerative illness like arthritis or gout, convalescing from surgery, a good transitional diet after cleansing or fasting, back problems, chronic pain of any kind and any other condition that the reader believes it will help!  And of course, EAT ORGANIC ! Please consult your health care practitioner with any concerns…

Grains: non-gluten

Wild rice, white basmati rice, quinoa, millet, fenugreek seeds, ground flax seed, mung beans, quinoa and rice/golden flax seed pasta, sprouted corn tortillas, teff and brown rice tortillas, gluten free rice crackers: Crunch Master original and assorted dehydrated raw crackers, quinoa/millet sourdough breads at www.Grindstonebakery.com

Fruits/sweeteners:

Grapefruit, blueberries, raspberries, papaya, goji berries, watermelon (always eaten alone)  and green apples, sparingly…Kal brand Stevia – liquid or powder – as a sweetener. Coconut sugar may also be used

Vegetables:

All leafy greens, esp. kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce, bok choy, nappa cabbage, dulse and assorted sea vegetables, cucumber (always peeled), avocado, tomatoes, fennel, carrots, beets, celery, olives, etc…

Proteins:

 BROCOLLI, CUCUMBER and ZUCCHINI, raw and/or lightly steamed. Raw almond and pumpkin butters, raw sesame tahini, raw nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts and filberts), sunflower and pumpkin seeds, avocado and quinoa. Soak nuts and seeds, if desired, to increase digestibility

Milks:

Almond milk (freshly made) or store bought (unsweetened). Freshly made sesame milk

Juices:

All greens, cucumber (always peeled), zucchini, celery, beet, ginger/garlic if tolerated.

Probiotic Kevita Sparkling Coconut drink, unsweetened coconut and almond milk yogurt.

Great basic juice: Makes 32 ounces: 1 peeled cucumber, 1 bunch celery, 1 head Romaine lettuce, small handful parsley, 3-6 leaves kale, ½ – 1 green or other tart apple, ½ lemon, ½ finger ginger if desired. On a juice cleanse, drink as much, or as little, as you want daily.

Good Fats:

Coconut oil, flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, olive oil, Omega 3-6-9 oil, avocados, nuts and seeds and of course raw cacao

The suggestions below may be used as a basic 3-10 day food based cleanse, utilized 3-5 days before Colon Therapy or eaten while receiving a series of colonics.

COLON THERAPY is Natural Healing at the core level.  You may experience some discomfort, nausea or headache so just plan to rest after your treatment. It is very common to skip a day of bowel activity the day after you have a colonic.

A Basic Cleansing Diet and Preparation for Colon Therapy

Magnesium, like Natural Calm, and Triphala, a combination of Ayurvedic digestive support herbs, are both excellent taken at night for maintaining proper bowel function or for several days before a colonic.

Salad made with Kale, Collard Greens and any other vegetables. Use Organic Cold Pressed Flaxseed or Olive oil for dressing with lemon, raw apple cider vinegar, salt (Celtic or Himalayan) and spices. Eat as much as desired without overeating. When you burp while eating you are either eating too fast or have had enough for one sitting. This cleanses the entire intestinal tract quite effectively.

Beets – preferably baked with Himalayan or Celtic salt, Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and oil. You may steam them as well making sure to drink the water. Some think that the red dye in the beets cleanses the liver.

Watermelon – at least 2-1 inch round slices per day from large melon. Watermelon is a natural diuretic, helps remove mucous from the body and supports urinary tract detoxification

Water – Drink at least ½ ounce per pound of your body weight per day. Alkaline, ionized water is the best. Distilled or spring can be used as well. Water is necessary to flush the toxins out of the intestines when cleansing or just living every day for that matter.

To enhance digestion eat some raw greens first so you flood your digestive tract with enzymes before eating the more concentrated foods in your meals.

Between colonics do enemas, especially when you do not feel well with detoxification symptoms (headache, diarrhea, indigestion, bloating, cramping, etc.) Enemas can be done daily with great benefits and no concern of dependency.

What may happen after your colonic: Every treatment is different during and after. It is common, not so much normal, to have no bowel movement the day after a colonic. No worries. On the positive side you may feel physically lighter, mentally clearer and more emotionally balanced. Colon Therapy is natural healing at its finest meaning you could experience detoxification opportunities like: cramping, diarrhea, more release of old feces, headache, rash, foul taste in mouth, emotional release, flu like symptoms, nausea, etc.

Things that may help alleviate the symptoms above:  lay on your BioMat if you have one, rest, take a hot raw vinegar, baking soda or salt bath, continue to eat lighter and let any discomfort pass. Just allow your body to cycle through what it wants to…miso soup is also comforting.

Always follow proper Food Combining principles…

Go to: www.DigestiveWellnessCenter for more information

Peace and Harmony Within ~ Love Flowing into Every Cell

The Sacred Oil of Christ Consciousness:

Frankincense

By Cynthia Olivera de Kapp

Frankincense (Boswellia Cartii)

Frankincense Speaks…

Spirit of the Holy Tree by Artist, Wendy Byrd.

“I am sunshine, a power so strong that I enlighten every cell of your body. The light from the Sun, the Great Central Sun and the Galactic Center streams forth from my being.  This Light is of Great Wisdom, the Christ Consciousness that encourages you to remember and let go of what no longer serves you. You have a deep remembrance of me as you have walked on this Mother Planet many times. 

You burned my incense in the halls of the great Mystery Schools for purification, strength, and healing.  I paved the way for you to increase your light, and connect you with all levels and dimensions of existence.  I am a silent powerful Master Teacher.”

“To Be One with the trees is to know Life within your own spirit.” 

~Chief Sequoia

Facts about Frankincense

The trade name gum, known as Olibanum-from the Arabic term al luban meaning “sweet resinous gum” or liban, which means “milky” and refers to the color of the resin when it is new.  The word Frankincense is derived from Old French “frac encense”, meaning incense or free lighting. 

Frankincense is an ancient wisdom tree, an evergreen gnarly, twisted and beautiful.  It grows in the arid deserts of Southern Arabia (Yemen-Omen) and India and Northern Africa.  It grows in arid soil that can be not much more than a polished rock or mountain side.  The tree be found in a boulder or in the face of a rock. 

Frankincense has been with us since the beginning of time.  We have information that dates back over 5,000 years.  She had been used for her medicinal, preservative, aphrodisiac and spiritual properties.  Frankincense is found in many cultures around the world.  There is a mural, which depicts sacks of frankincense on the walls of the ancient temple of Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut  (circa.1458 BC). Also, alabaster vessels of frankincense were found in King Tut’s tomb and they were still potent, which speaks to the power of non-dilution and purity when working with essential oils.

Creating Frankincense Essential Oil

When the tree is injured a milky white, sticky liquid flows out.  This liquid solidifies and turns into a resin when exposed to the sun, which serves to heal the wound.  When harvesting frankincense, scraping the bark or “tapping” the tree with a tool called a mengaff, like a double-edged spatula, stimulates the flow of the resin.   This resin then gets sent to a distillery where it is steam distilled, yielding an essential oil.  Essentially then, when you put frankincense on your body, you are anointing with the blood resin of the tree—where the light is held—and creating a synergy of light as it communes with you and your life force. 

Some Spiritual Uses

* Frankincense is to be an essence of Consecration.  To consecrate is to devote to a purpose with deep dedication: to make or declare sacred.  In the past, anointing was practiced to consecrate ourselves to the Divine, to connect us to our Inner God-like Nature.  This is something we should remember to do daily. 

* Frankincense rekindles the inner light of the mind.

* Frankincense raises the frequencies of light vibrations.

* Frankincense can also be used to purify the astral and etheric realms.

* Frankincense is amazing for meditation.

Some Physical Properties

Anti-bacterial, anti-catarrhal, anti-depressant, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory,

anti-tumor, anti-cancerous, antiviral, an immune stimulant and muscle relaxant. There are so many wonderful physical properties to frankincense too numerous to mention in the article.  I suggest that you buy a bottle and see for yourself all the magic that this essence holds.

 Barry Kapp in his book Wisdom of the Earth Speaks reveals the deeper voice of Frakincense:  “My name Frankincense does reveal my character quite well when you look at me closely.  Frank gives you the gift of authenticity, to look at and go into your own life, to see what is going on.  In is as “in this life”, now in the moment of your very present feelings and experience I AM with you.  And cense, to shower you again with the true sense of you and who you really are.”

I write about Frankincense today, because I believe that with the internal and external changes that we are experiencing, this essence is needed for us to continue our journey of evolution.  This amazing essence connects us to our light and transforms us to our ability to be an authentic Human.  If you are willing to anoint yourself daily, preferably on the base of the skull (the occipital), also known in Kabbalistic teachings as the Hidden Temple of Daath—one of the most sacred places on your body—the entry place of the astral world.  Anointing this area will protect you from any negativity that wishes to harm you and will set up a shield of protection and grounding that will get you through the day. 

As we continue to grow as conscious beings in this Ascension process, this essence is worth its weight in gold.  It’s no wonder that it was presented to the Baby Jesus with Myrrh and Gold.  True alchemy is found in Frankincense for staying centered, grounded and in Love, as we continue to develop and offer our wisdom and healing back to our Mother Planet, Sweet Gaia. 

 From Deep Within the Mystery of Earth, Cynthia

Cynthia Olivera de Kapp is is a Master Aromatherapist, and is the Educational Director
for “Wisdom of the Earth” essential essences in Page Springs, Arizona,
where she teaches advanced aromatherapy workshops with her husband,
Barry Kapp, the founder of  WOTE.

She welcomes your questions, please contact her at: cynodance@hughes.net or visit her website at: www.wisdomoftheearth.com