by Andrea Calcano Cruz
The phenomenon known as the Oneness Blessing, or deeksha as it is cal led in its birth nation of India, has been called the heart’s deepest longing. It both transcends the dogma of world’s religions and allows for the further embracing of individual spiritual beliefs, awakening those it touches from the trance of separation by opening hearts across the globe with its simple, translucent grace – thereby revealing a divine knowledge of oneness.
The Oneness Blessing is essentially a transfer of intelligent or divine energy from a Blessing giver to a Blessing receiver – the intention of which is meant to catalyze a realization of oneness with all forms of life on the planet, including the planet itself. This awareness of unity or the dissolving of a separate “me” begins to radiate outward toward others, much like one ripple on the edge of a pond can affect the entire body of water. And it is from this point that an evolutionary awakening in consciousness takes place.
In his book Awakening into Oneness, Blessing giver Arjuna Ardagh tells the story of how the Blessing came to be known and shared from person to person, heart to heart, as well as how it is given and what its effects are. The Blessing itself, learned at the Oneness University in India under the direction of its honored teachers Sri Bhagavan and Sri Amma, is often given through a hands-on-head method, although its grace can also be bestowed through the eyes or with simple intention.
To receive the Blessing is to embark on a journey of personal healing that can manifest benefits ranging from the spiritual and emotional to even the physical. Defying logical explanation, testimonies of the bodily benefits range from the eradication of illnesses such as hypertension, insomnia and autoimmune disorders to the alleviation of diabetes. It is through the flow of cosmic energy that negative traumas and thoughts, including a scientifically-measured restructuring and restoring of the natural balance of the brain’s energy – which has often been described as a literal massage on the physical brain – that diseases such as these and also psychosomatic maladies begin to disappear. And according to Ardagh, these are just the beginnings of the Blessing’s intention and power.
Reduced mental chatter and hence an internal stillness are two of the most acclaimed gifts of the Oneness Blessing, as the receiver comes to a place of peace regarding the experiences of daily life. Even if one has not yet received the Blessing, Ardagh encourages fully accepting and experiencing the emotions and stresses of living in this society, rather than avoiding them. Ardagh says that someone who is experiencing a lot of negative emotions may actually be operating at a much more mature state because they’re actually in touch with themselves in a way that somebody else might not be.
“Most of what disturbs us is not what is happening, but a mythology that we tell about what is happening, which means that we’re not really awake. It means that we’re living somewhat in a kind of hallucination,” says Ardagh. And when the spell of this hallucination is broken it is then that we can experience our true nature, which is bliss – and the Blessing facilitates this. Some have compared the bliss as not a feeling one has, but actually of being bliss itself. There is a “declutching” of the mind or a freeing of attachments and expectations as the heart opens and cognition of unity with the divine source. When this occurs, it is then that the “awakening” has commenced.
This awareness is radically important in this day and age as planetary crises such as global warming and even economic disparity are being attributed to the negative energy and thoughts of the ancient, collective mind. “It was Albert Einstein many years ago who said that you cannot solve any problem in the same state of consciousness in which it was created. There needs to be a shift in (individual) consciousness in order for the external world to shift. A lot of things are happening on the planet today, including the Oneness Blessing, which bring the possibility of a shift in consciousness,” Ardagh says.
And this needed shift is indeed happening now. Ardagh estimates that tens of millions of people have probably received the Oneness Blessing, although it’s really an impossible number to measure. What is certain is that as of this writing there are approximately 1,300 trained Blessing givers in the U.S. and numerous more in the world – 12,000 alone in India. To become trained as a Blessing giver, participants attend a 21-day course called the Oneness Process at the Oneness University located in India. The program is run by monks or dasas who have themselves undergone an awakening and help guide the participants through their own journey. According to Awakening into Oneness, during the latter part of the first week of the Process the participants are encouraged to be silent and spend time in solitude, which allows time for personal reflection and insights.
To hear of the Oneness Blessing and the process required to be able to give the Blessing, most Westerners would be suspicious and Ardagh encourages people to honor their doubts. “I think it’s very good to be skeptical, not to be blindly following, but I think the best answer to any sort of skepticism is direct experience, it’s best to try it out and see,” he says. One does not have to go all the way to India to receive the Oneness Blessing as weekend intensives are held in cities around the world, including the U.S. An England-native, Ardagh himself is frequently a Blessing giver at these popular events.
The popularity of the Oneness Blessing might cause some to deem the movement a new religion. However, they might be surprised to learn of the numerous religious leaders – Christian, Catholic, and Muslim among others – who have embraced the Oneness Blessing and its vision of helping precipitate a global shift in consciousness.
A planetary awakening is stirring and the sheer amounts of testimonies of personal benefit speak volumes for this phenomenon known as the Oneness Blessing. Hearts have opened, the sense of separation has dissolved and grace has entered – the Blessing just might be the final frontier.
Andrea Calcano Cruz brief bio:
I am a wife, mother of two young boys and freelance writer living in Winter Haven, Florida. As a School of Mass Communications student at the University of South Florida, I am finishing up my final two classes and will graduate in December of 2007 with a degree in magazine journalism. I am also pursuing a minor in Religious Studies. My publishing credits include nearly 30 articles just in the last year as a correspondent for the Winter Haven daily, The News Chief, and its various publications and inserts including Her Voice Magazine, Active Lifestyles, Weekend Plus, etc. Professional Web site: www.accruz.com :: email contact: andrea@accruz.com.
Courtesy to
Natural Awakenings Magazine, October 2007, Tampa
Bay Edition, http://www.natampa.com/
|
