This vision arose spontaneously as two of us meditated with loving-kindness.

The light of the heart poured out and released the light of mind. They blended producing  heart of mind. A state deepened. It softened.

After some time, the heart began to pulse a radiance which became distinct rays. Each ray produced a mini sun-like orb with distinct quality, tone and color. Each orb, then, started to produce a unique radiant nuclear force. Consciousness deepened becoming aware of seven states of suffering with their seven miseries. Each radiant orb contained a method or medicine to address the suffering in the form of a talisman. The item also conveyed the wholeness that IS.

From the left:

• translucent royal purple orb: It contained a scepter of power – power misused and all forms of abuse and misguided authority. The scepter represented the authority of bureaucracy, unethical business practices veiled as common practice, and the feeling of powerlessness of the common person. Yet as the scepter alighted and the orb glowed and rang, the power was the power of equanimity, of community, and the power of harmony -interbeing. Authentic authority is one’s own, born from within and from the womb and moment of equanimity and understanding. Power over and brute force were undone in the translucent deep purple light.

• an amazing cobalt blue orb: It contained a sea shell representing all form, all manner of structure and formation, the uses of these and then their abandonment, stuff becoming refuse, and the harmful ecological impact. The sea shell, like a simple mussel shell, was iridescent inside and functionally plain on the outside representing humanity’s inability to see the true nature of substance. Humanity relates to the denser presentation unaware of or not seeking to understand the light, energy, and infinite potential that substance is. As the shell glowed more, it rayed forth as transparent and revealed both the Suchness of matter and humanity’s immature thus limiting view of matter. If this were changed, all ideas (in that they are forms) would transform. With that, human participation in the wholeness of substance-suchness would give rise to limitless, wholly positive and benevolent ways of being for us all.

• a beautiful emerald green translucent orb: It contained a fish with whiskers like a catfish representing living at the bottom of the sea of consciousness. It also represented the obvious maltreatment of water and water creatures by human beings such as over fished stocks, pollution, and trashing of all bodies of water and rivers thereby the degradations of life, climate, and planet.

But overarching this was the understanding of living at and from the bottom of the sea of consciousness. It is as if collective humanity has not crawled out of the waters of lower desires, and so its body, tastes, and awareness are in a low strata of consciousness. Yet the whiskers of the catfish represented the ability to feel our way out of the darkness, to make our Way through unclarity and lack of higher perspective, and to make our way onto land. The land represented newness and a wide-view of potential utilizing the whiskers of empathic, intuitive sensitivity so as to evolve into radiant Consciousness as Being.

• deep see-through amber yellow was next. At its center was a pearl. The pearl symbolized all precious understandings, and that not all knowledge is precious nor is it  sacrosanct. As the pearl glowed, it turned and, like a drop of water, reflected back whatever was in its line of proximity, be that something miniscule, the world or a universe.

The suffering the pearl represented was to cherish and cling to that which passes, is not life enhancing, as well as excusing ignorance, being complacent about or rationalizing confusion and distraction. The blessing of the pearl was that all can be known – deeply, profoundly and intimately known – through reflection and appreciation.

• orange was next – like the squeeze of tangerines and it smelled like tangerine blossoms. In the translucent orange orb was a tree in bloom and also with fruit. Its leaves shone golden in the light but were vibrant green. Overall, the glow was magnificent see-through orange-gold that filled space. The tree represented how long it takes for wisdom to grow. The blossoms were the acts of thoughtfulness and genuine presence that produce the flowers of goodness, generosity, and well-being in family, community, in relationships and the world. Butterflies, bees, and humming birds all came to drink the nectar and bathe in the golden pollen of thoughtfulness and kindness from the flowers of the tree of wisdom. Wisdom grows slowly and can only do so in the moments and interactions of our day. The roots of the tree were deep and strong in the ground of Being. The trunk of the tree was self-respect which birthed respect for all. The branches stretched toward the sun of compassion.

The suffering this image represented was to not perceive the fullness of any moment and the inter connectedness of life.

• a deep see-through orange magenta red was next. It contained a phoenix in flight. Its plumage was magnificent, stunning to behold. It shone like finely polished metal, iridescent like butterfly wings. It represented impermanence, the laws of creation, the cycles of existence, and that all rises again be it results from our choices and actions, karma, or the newness of Awareness- Compassion in the Now. Existence is a ceaseless process of resurrection, over and over again. The process is glorious, requires death and the undoing of form, but that is because form is light and cannot be imprisoned in a set or patterned structure for long. The phoenix in flight has re-birthed itself, time and again – but knows this. There is no thing to hold on to, no past other than what is lived now. There is newness in the flight of Awareness-Compassion, an openness that cannot be contained, hence the composting of form, the dross of form, and the liberation through transfiguration of all ways of doing. The expanse of Wholeness awaits all who leap to take flight into the spontaneous, radiant presence of Now.

The suffering the phoenix in flight represented was longing for something other, a sentimentality that disallowed being present in the present; it represented discontent self-induce, self-indulged, self-limiting.

As the phoenix produced its note, it rang a jubilant song of ongoing creation on all levels of life.

• the last orb on the far right was deep blue-black and at its core was a galaxy – miniature and barely glowing its light. Yet the truth was that this little galaxy is not little at all and has the light of a million billion suns.

The suffering was nihilism, fatalism, despair, and hatred. The seeming small galaxy represented the closing off of innate light. The blessing pouring out was that, in our hearts, we Know the Truth of Being and it is “more radiant than the sun” or a million of them. Each of us IS ALL.

Then all of the seven orbs became faces of Mara: one laughing, one roaring, one crying, one yelling, one lamenting, one in fear, one confused. Realizing that I, too, am this as a human being and know that I am all of humanity, I smiled.

Blue-black space exploded; everything emptied and revealed an unperturb-able immaculate peace.

• • the perfection of wisdom poured out in a radiant emptiness
  • the perfection of bliss rang out as many bells
  • the perfection of kindness floated as flower petals throughout space and time
  • and the perfection of understanding was like a gentle rain.

*timeless though experienced in july 2010