Our Work

by Magda Beatriz Berkowitz, M.A. and Alan Berkowitz, Ph.D.

You see a situation that bothers you and you wonder if you should do something. You are now having the experience of being a “bystander.” Where does this desire to act come from? To answer this question we must ask yet another question – a question that is often overlooked because we think that we know the answer. “Who am I?” In other words, to know where our deepest impulses come from – our desire to help others, to do the “right thing”, to not be a bystander, and in many cases to go against what we have been taught from parents, family and culture – we must look deep within ourselves to seek their origin.

by Alan Berkowitz (Micha-El)

The world’s sacred traditions speak of multiple levels of existence above our three-dimensional world, and to beings within each of these levels that populate them. This is a common feature of many systems, including Hinduism, Neo-Platonism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christianity. These beings from higher levels are capable of intervening in the life of humans and of assisting the evolution of Planet Earth. For example, in the Western religion (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) scriptures and mystics speak of Angels and Archangels, with many recorded instances of their presence and influence among us.

by Alan Berkowitz
Presented at the World Brotherhood Union Panel
November 1, 2007 – Istanbul, Turkey

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

It is a great honor to stand before you as fellow “Spiritual Searchers” here in this land that has been home to so many sacred traditions, temples, and lovers of wisdom – teachers and teachings who have inspired my search and shaped my thinking.  Today I want to talk with you about the inner meaning of “Temple” and what it means to be a world-server.  To serve the divine plan we must become temples where the divine lives.  By temple, I mean any place where the sacred dwells.  I will also introduce you to the work of my own spiritual community – Wisdom’s Goldenrod Center for Philosophic Studies, in the United States.  I offer you my sincere thanks for inviting me to be here with you now.

by Beatriz Berkowitz

“Healing is always linked to the expansion of consciousness” - Jose Trigueirinho Neto

The human being is a very complex being composed of many levels and dimensions.  We could even say that it is a mysterious being, as is the macrocosm that surrounds it.  The human being as a microcosm reflects in itself the macrocosm.  They are interconnected and in relationship to each other.   From this interaction life is created and the human being has the opportunity to discover itself as a cosmic being, resolving in this way the enigma of human existence.

The Higher Self Conscious States - from being a tourist to being a philosopher

 
By Gran

One day in our lives - we go every vacation to the beach. Another day of our lives - we decided to surf the Sea, so we bought a board. In another phase of our lives, we put the board aside and go diving in the waves. And then - this is no longer enough - And then, we go deeper and deeper, into the silent Ocean and become one with it, we get lost in its depths, we "stun" with its silence.

And one fine day, after this identification and union had reached a sufficient degree - we returned to the surface and returned to our daily lives - the vacation ended.

But we will never be the same - we can now return - to return to life, to our activities, but we take the Ocean with us - we are an Ocean walking, that is, the Philosopher / Philosopher.

***

In the first stage - we are like tourists in life - we go to the beach to walk on the sand and get distracted by what is going on around us, but we have no intention, nor any idea, to relate to the Ocean.

In the second moment - the Ocean already calls us - it already attracts us, we want this intimacy with it - we wake up to this idea. So, we bought a board - MEDITATION - to get closer to him, this is our support, our yoga.

So, we really enjoyed this board - this phase - and started to "taste" the delights of getting lost in that sublime wave energy, which elevates us - and makes us have mystical experiences of union with Nature and our interior.

So, we decided to experiment without the board - and, we realized, that one day the waves are calm, but the next day, they are agitated. So, we are unable to maintain our high state of Peace.

So we decided to dive deeper, deeper and deeper. And, as we do, we realize that there is another Reality below the waves, below the surface - a very rich Reality and a very deep and mysterious silence.

And when we leave there, and when we return to the surface and meet again with the others, we realize that we are no longer the same - part of us keeps that silence, part of us no longer comes back to the surface, but stays there, immersed in that silent depth.

So, we decided to go back there, to the beach - now, not just on vacation. But often ...

And, one day, we realized that the Ocean came with us to the city - for Our daily life. This silence permeates our activities, our minds. And, we no longer need to go there - there is no “go there” - everything is ONE - we are one with “that”. And, "that" is us.

We become Philosophers / Philosophers. And, living in this world, without being of this world, we walk. And in this journey we are transforming those who are open to Grace. We become an Instrument of the Divine. And, after Blessed, Bless!

***

Well, let's look at it from another point of view.

-Were you separated from the ocean? From the deep?

-No.

But, in order to return to this lost consciousness, that we are ONE - it is necessary - then, to follow these steps of approximation:

- Go on vacation to the Sea;

- Walk on the beach;

- Use the surfboard;

- Dive in the waves;

- Go to the deepest of the Ocean;

- Swim there in the deepest;

- Return to daily life;

- Return to the beach, as many times as necessary;

- Bring the ocean with us;

- Be the Ocean.

What will happen? You will transform little by little ... What will happen to the environment around you and your ego? People will think you are strange and will ask or complain that you are not the same anymore.

You, in turn, will feel that you no longer want to do what you did before, that you no longer want to do the same way. The ego, used to a daily routine - will want you to stay that way. And, your tendency will be to leave the deep Ocean, return home and “forget” the peace that lived there - as if it were just something from summer, from holidays.

This is the first MISTAKE, because what you experienced there is what you are and have always been - you recovered your lost memory.

So, the first step is not to let this experience be just “a vacation memory”. But make it incorporated into your daily life.

This first moment will require some attention and effort - but the continuation - will become a habit, as it was that old habit, in the past.

Remember that everything is rhythm in life - the sun rises every day and dusk comes every night.

So, when you notice that the "old routine" is trying to take you to automatic control - stop, turn to yourself, inward - even if it is just for a minute - sit back, relive the silence of the Ocean.

With this daily practice - what could become “a pleasant vacation memory” - it will become your life - and this time - your real life, because this is your true life - that of the Higher Self.

That is - existence, knowledge and beatitude! (sat, cit, ananda)

By Gran

The union with God is achieved through the gradual “approaching” of the being towards the Higher Self, that is, as the individual advances in regard to conscience, s/he begins to perceive that there is a substratum that permeates everything, that when elevated their mind reaches levels of consciousness where Peace, Beauty and Joy reign.

This Light envelops all of their bodies, like a protective  Aura, and the being lives in full consciousness, detaching from the outer events – although the outer events continue to exist, to taking place.  Nonetheless, the individual no longer reacts to them, they will not identify themselves with them, they will see those events as images of a movie, acting in a neutral manner, only when necessary.

The "approach" is a gradual process because first the person has to detach to become the “witness” thereof, the observer, untie themselves from the event – and watch from a distance. On a second stage, the being elevates their consciousness – to the Highest and get connected with that Light. On a third instance, they must learn to hold this connection steadfast and permanently. That will be the moment when s/he will reach what we call “Illumination” – the perennial state of union of with the Oveself – or “Sahaja Samadhi”.

by Beatriz Berkowitz, Transpersonal Therapist

"Come as you are and learn to be who you are."

You might ask: What is Meditation? Why it is important? How to do it? We can turn to the words of a spiritual philosopher named Paul Brunton to answer these questions:

"Meditation is merely a form of simple practice...   What could be simpler than saying this: If you look into your heart and mind deep enough and long enough to penetrate beneath the tumult of desires that daily distract your attention, you may then discover peace."

Or from Eckhart Tolle:   "True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and the solution to problems are found."

In other words, there is a mystery about our own selves that can be unveiled or revealed only in the stillness, the stillness which is our essential nature which we may reach through the practice of meditation. In this stillness lies the answer to all of our problems and struggles, and it contains the energy of healing and has the wisdom that we need for our Journey in this Life.

Normally our minds are like a "monkey mind" jumping from one thought to another with a very little rest in between. Returning again to the words of Paul Brunton, "The mind is a machine which produces thoughts and it is out of control." With the practice of meditation our thoughts can slow down and we can become aware of our own nature free from the emotions and thoughts that disturb us.

In the beginning it is important to concentrate on the breathing. One can even count the out-breaths from one to ten, in order to fix the attention on one point. Sitting in a relaxed and straight position is important in order to be comfortable and focused. When thoughts arise, we do not follow them, do not suppress them and do not feed them, but only observe them and let them go. To just be aware of what you are thinking and bring the attention back to the breathing. This is exactly the practice - to bring back your attention when your mind becomes distracted over and over. This takes time and patience but in the end the result is peace, because the gaps between the thoughts become larger, and in them dwells the stillness, our own nature, WHO we are.

Finally, "The truth needed for immediate and provisional use may be learned from books and teachers, but the truth of the ultimate revelation can be learned only from and within oneself by meditation."  (Vol 4: 1.14 from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton)

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Published  in “Mountain Fitness Newsletter”,  Mt. Shasta, CA, February 2016