The Namaste Conspiracy

The Art of Namaste
“My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honor the light, love, truth, beauty, and peace within you, because it is also within me.
In sharing these things, we are united, we are the same, we are one.”
We are all fragments of the universe. We are all spiritual beings filled with infinite potential.
Each of us is a piece of artwork on our own, but we also make up a much larger sculpture
when we are united.
However, many times we are unable to cooperate in fitting together our portion of the
art. As we get lost in the human experience, we get caught up in making our portion of
the sculpture the best and the most prominent compared to others. We hold back from
sharing with others what is in our minds and hearts for the art we are making. Focused on
competition, we forget our true selves and lose the ability to recognize another’s true self. We
miss opportunities to build off of each other’s infinite potential, missing opportunities for growth.
It is especially easy to get disconnected from the truth of our universal oneness in the face
of conflict. When people disagree with one another, they are simply seeing two different
perspectives. If we thought of all life as art, we might remember that people can interpret the
meaning portrayed in art differently. Yet in life, we all have our own opinions and differences
of opinion can cause disputes when our egos begin to interfere. Our egos give us the
illusion of separation and fuel our natural need to be right. When we can set aside ego and
acknowledge the fact that we are all connected, we are able to love
unconditionally and eradicate the labels that we put on one another.
But in conflict, we are usually not focusing on acknowledging the soul
and the divine in the person we are in argument with. How do we stay
connected to the truth that we are all one when we feel alone and isolated
As a teenager, I constantly feel like I am not being understood, which
leads me to feel frustrated and annoyed. I catch myself taking my anger
out on people around me, even when they’re not the ones that have
done anything wrong. When I notice myself reacting this way, what
helps me most is to determine what exactly I am feeling and why. The best way that I am able
to distinguish this is through journaling. Writing allows me to vent my feelings and helps me
notice when I have a frustrated reaction that is exaggerated compared to what the situation
really is. Then, I can take some deep breaths and bring myself back into full awareness of the
present moment. By being in the present moment, the little voice inside my head begins to
quiet, as I am no longer focused on it. I am able to accept the fact that the situation is what it
is and that I can only change myself in the situation.
I can have more compassion and
remember to acknowledge the other
person’s point of view and look past
their ego. In doing so, I can truly act
upon the phrase Namaste and look
into their soul. Instantly, my own ego is
reduced in their presence and I can see
and love them for who they truly are.
In this world, we are programmed
to believe that we must compare
ourselves to others and to compete
with one another. This type of thought
is the focus of the ego, which is not the
authentic self; it is the final coat that
we put over our art, thinking that it will
hold everything in place. Instead, it
only separates us. But when we are
intentional about taking the time to
remove the ego layer, we can look at
another’s work and admire all that they
have done, and see how our pieces
of artwork relate to theirs. We can let
ourselves be seen and really see one
another. In doing so, we gain unity;
we are one.
MEDICAL DETOX &
WEIGHT LOSS
Felecia L. Dawson, MD, FACOG
Board Certified
One Baltimore Place, Suite 350
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone (404) 733-6334
wmn4wmn.com
Ayesha Patel is a high school student
who strives to see the bigger picture
of life and existence.
www. AQ -atl.com
•
The Spiritual Side of Conflict
Conflict. What comes to mind
In today’s world, we often associate conflict
with negative images and feelings. We
believe conflict is destructive, unnatural,
and unhealthy. In turn, we approach
conflict from a position of fear and
uncertainty. We do whatever we must to
restore a sense of power and certainty in
the situation. We push to end the conflict
quickly and in our favor, or we go to
extremes to avoid the person and situation.
Is this familiar
In this ego-based paradigm, we view
conflict as a proverbial “pie” to divide,
with winners and losers. There is a model
I’ve adapted from Thomas-Kilmann that
highlights five main conflict styles based on
a scale of assertiveness (concern for self)
versus cooperativeness (concern for other).
Let’s use two people in the process of
getting a divorce for our behavioral
examples. Here is an illustration of how
these conflict styles are defined. I invite you
to reflect on your ways of engaging conflict
and think about the impact on yourself and
your relationships.
(1) -Avoiding – We both lose. One or both
parties delays engaging in the conflict by
being unassertive or uncooperative for
some period of time (or forever). This is the
divorce that gets dragged out for months
or years.
(2) -Accommodating – I lose and you win. I
am fully cooperative and unassertive. I want
to preserve the relationship so I concede
to your demands or needs. In the case of
divorce, this means handing over the keys
to the car, the house, or even time with the
kids to keep the “peace.”
(3) -Compromising – We both win and
lose. We make concessions and divide the
estate equally, giving up things important
to us. We may get bitter later.
(4) -Competing – I win and you lose. I
am fully assertive and uncooperative and
pursue my own interests with little or no
focus on the relationship. I fight for the
house and the kids and will do everything
possible to ensure you get as little as
possible.
(5) -Collaborating – we both win. We seek
to enrich the relationship, explore multiple
perspectives, and strive for creative
solutions. We agree to joint custody and
examine possibilities to nurture sustainable
solutions.
Notice that this paradigm is based on
Darshana Patel is a gifted Energy Healer/
Reiki Master and Spiritual Activist specializing in
energy alignment and pattern release to support
optimal health, joy, and vitality.
separation – I and other. Could there be a
spiritual side of conflict designed to nurture
our individual and collective evolution
towards unity What if conflict is nature’s
catalyst to expand consciousness
A New Conflict Paradigm
The powerful concept of Namaste
embodies the notion that we are all one
divine Consciousness. We are united
once we dissolve our ego and with it, the
illusion of Separateness. We can approach
conflict from this empowering, spiritually
based context. Instead of thinking of it as
dividing a fixed pie, we can view conflict as
integrating different pieces of a puzzle.
We can approach conflict as a creative
force, bringing together disparate ideas or
things for the first time, in a new way.
Conflict can be an opportunity to
harmonize concepts with a focus on
collaboration, creative outcomes, individual
and collective growth, effective problem
solving, and decision-making. This
requires communication and a personal
exploration of our beliefs. We must sit with
the discomfort of discord, realizing our
truths are only partial views of the whole.
Through sharing our perspectives and
openly exploring another’s, we expand the
possibilities for new, creative solutions.
You see, many of the conflicts in our lives
and in the world are often about more than
a mere dispute over some resource. They
often go deeper into our identities… What
do we value What matters to us What do
we believe What do we hope for, need,
and fear Do you think the conflict over
the Gaza Strip is just about a piece of land
Certainly not – it’s about what the land
represents to each side’s identity.
In this new conflict paradigm, conflict is
an access to greater consciousness and
awareness. It is an invitation to explore our
beliefs and needs and realize our shared
humanity. We are all more alike than
different, sharing a common pool of needs,
fears, and hopes. Conflict is a wake up call,
guiding our evolution. It is an invitation
to step beyond our limiting beliefs to cocreate
new realities.
In the spirit of Namaste, I invite you to
step into this new paradigm of conflict to
transform our families, communities, and
the world.
AQUARIUS
•
www.unscriptedway.com.
FEBRUARY 2015 PG 25