Category: Under the Stone Paw

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Unity Consciousness

In Three Awakenings: A Spiritual Memoir, I explore three experiences of Unity Consciousness I’ve had in my life. All were a surprise—a welcome surprise. All were in different circumstances involving different spiritual traditions.

In my novels, many of my characters go into altered or higher states of consciousness. I’ve based these on the teachings of the Vedas and Western Metaphysics, but in truth, all the world’s traditions recognize heightened awareness as our true human potential. Some say that living in enlightenment is our birthright.

I open Three Awakenings with this description of spiritual illumination:

I felt the ripple that was both Maharishi and I extend out of the room, across the mountains, and into the night sky. Everything was the same. One unlimited consciousness.

We looked into each other’s eyes and burst out laughing. We laughed long and full at the delightful joke of it all. About how one piece of infinity came to another piece of infinity asking to be made infinite. Asking in desperation, out of a crying need, in deep pain. And the joke was not only that this piece of infinity wanting so desperately to be infinite already was. But that I could not even have been searching, could not have even conceived infinity if I hadn’t already been exactly what I was looking for.

In Under the Stone Paw, the experience of Unity comes at the end when all the crystal holders come together to perform their appointed task of opening the Hall of Records:

Something coiled at the bottom of the Nile, down deep near Elephantine, woke and stretched its head. Power stirring from far south flowed down river, gathering force as it came. From Khnum’s island and the island of Bigga it flowed, from the root of physical form to the womb of the world, then to Kom Ombo where the great crocodile dove in and swam northward. The river of power rolled on through the great temple at Karnak, Dendara, Abydos and Edfu, the essence of each temple they’d visited joining the flow, braiding in its particular frequency, its special light. The vast flood reached Giza, the crown jewel in the spine of the Nile, and the Keepers were inundated. Just as a river surrenders to the sea, all their limitations simply washed away.

Tahir describes the experience as Unity Consciousness. Unity is the seventh state of consciousness in the Vedic (Hindu) system. It is that state in which we experience that we are the One Consciousness that has created and makes up the universe and that everything and everyone else is too. We experience this directly—not intellectually, but literally, like you know you’re sitting in a chair or holding a phone in your hand right now.

Tahir smiled. Now they knew. The quest was over. Every single human being was a living, breathing library of cosmic knowledge. All humanity would return to this high state of consciousness, this exquisite unity that could never be written down, that had to be experienced. Just as the first lines of the Tao said and the Rig Veda. Hadn’t all sages said this down through the ages?

Even this description focuses on knowledge, while the actual experience is more a vast sea of eternal awareness that supports and upholds us.

How do we achieve Unity? Most of these sages recommend meditation. Daily practice of meditation in which you allow your consciousness to go from your regular, daily reality and settle into the One Consciousness that supports you and everything. Some people use sound or mantras. Some use their breath. Some use mindfulness. I think you must find the meditation that resonates with you. Since it is a natural state, once in a blue moon it just dawns on a few lucky folks.

Meditating between the paws of the Sphinx

Power places can help—places that have naturally high frequency because of their location on the planet. Perhaps because of crystal in the rock, water, and sunlight. Places where people have done spiritual ceremony for a long time. The third experience I write about in Three Awakenings takes place at an ancient Templar tower in the South of France, an area replete with structures and natural caves that form sacred geometrical alignments.

Just regularly turn inward without focusing on the content of thoughts. Use a point of focus that allows you to sink into your deepest Self. Keep returning. Don’t worry about how long it will take. The universe is a big place and there’s plenty of time.

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The Crocodile Initiation

Halfway down the Nile in a sleepy little town originally called Nubt is the temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to the crocodile neter Sobek and the hawk Horus. Here is where we face our fears. I wrote about this temple in Under the Stone Paw.

Image by Makalu from Pixabay

There’s a tunnel that runs from the holy of holies niche under the paving stones and comes out near the wall to the east. It is said in the old days that the area was flooded and the crocodiles would sun themselves around this pool. Initates had to swim through this tunnel and emerge without becoming any reptiles’ next meal.

Talk about scary (except Stephen and Hakim always said the crocodiles were well fed).

Image by DEZALB from Pixabay

The tunnel is closed now, but when I first visited this temple when Hakim was still leading tours, it was open and we all got to experience the initiation — sans the water and crocodiles. I crawled in and about halfway through, a huge bolt of energy hit me right in my sacrum and ran up my spine to my head. Wow! I felt like a crocodile for a moment and I was filled with energy the rest of the day.

Here’s a video of Stephen explaining the process.

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Unity Consciousness

In my novels, many of the characters experience altered or higher states of consciousness. I’ve based these experiences on the teachings of the Vedas and Western Metaphysics, but in truth, all the world’s traditions recognize these as our true human potential. Some say that living in enlightenment is our birthright.

In Under the Stone Paw, the experience of Unity comes at the end when all the crystal holders come together to perform their appointed task of opening the Hall of Records:

“Something coiled at the bottom of the Nile, down deep near Elephantine, woke and stretched its head. Power stirring from far south flowed down river, gathering force as it came. From Khnum’s island and the island of Bigga it flowed, from the root of physical form to the womb of the world, then to Kom Ombo where the great crocodile dove in and swam northward. The river of power rolled on through the great temple at Karnak, Dendara, Abydos and Edfu, the essence of each temple they’d visited joining the flow, braiding in its particular frequency, its special light. The vast flood reached Giza, the crown jewel in the spine of the Nile, and the Keepers were inundated. Just as a river surrenders to the sea, all their limitations simply washed away.”

Tahir describes the experience as Unity Consciousness. Unity is the seventh state of consciousness in the Vedic (Hindu) system. It is that state in which we experience that we are the One Consciousness that has created and makes up the universe and that everything and everyone else is too. We experience this directly, not intellectually, but literally—like you know you’re sitting in a chair or holding a phone in your hand right now.

“Tahir smiled. Now they knew. The quest was over. Every single human being was a living, breathing library of cosmic knowledge. All humanity would return to this high state of consciousness, this exquisite unity that could never be written down, that had to be experienced. Just as the first lines of the Tao said and the Rig Veda. Hadn’t all sages said this down through the ages?”

Even this description focuses on knowledge, while the actual experience is more a vast sea of eternal awareness that supports and upholds us.

How do we achieve Unity? Most of these sages recommend meditation. Daily practice of meditation in which you allow your consciousness to go from your regular, daily reality and settle into the One Consciousness that supports you and everything. Some people use sound or mantras. Some use their breath. Some use mindfulness. I think you must find the meditation that resonates with you. Since it is a natural state, once in a blue moon it just dawns on a few lucky folks.

Power places can help—places that have naturally high frequency because of their location on the planet. Perhaps because of crystal in the rock, water, and sunlight. Places where people have done spiritual ceremony for a long time. Just regularly turn inward without focusing on the content of thoughts, but your awareness itself. Don’t worry about how long it will take. The universe is a big place and there’s plenty of time.

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The Power Places New Editions

I’m happy to announce that new editions of the Power Places Series have been published. They have new covers and the second book is freshly edited.

CoverFinalMD-UnderTheStonePawA forgotten family legacy.

Six crystal keys.

One shot at unlocking the secrets beneath the Sphinx.

Anne Le Clair, a successful, young attorney, has always managed to remain free from her family’s gothic past—until now. When she inherits her eccentric aunt’s antique necklace though, she finds no escape from its secrets. Anne is immersed in a crash course of forbidden wisdom, secret societies, and her family’s own legacy. She soon discovers that her aunt’s necklace is one of just six powerful “keys” that, when combined with the other five at the appointed time, unlocks the legendary Hall of Records. However, another group, the shadowy Illuminati, is working behind the scenes to uncover the same powerful secrets—and make them their own.

Katherine Kurtz, author of the Adept series, says “ . . . one of the best esoteric novels of the past decade.  Crater knows her way around Egypt and its mysteries.  Evil Illuminati, ancient artifacts, and conspiracies abound. Surpasses the Da Vinci Code.”

CoverFinalMD-BeneathTheHallowedHillThe Illuminati have opened a hole in time

And now one of them is stepping through

Anne Le Clair travels to Glastonbury with her fiancée, Egyptologist and mystic Michael Levy, to investigate a house she inherited from a mysterious aunt…only to find trouble waiting. One of Avalon’s sacred twin springs is failing. Together, Anne and Michael try to restore the water flow, but discover there is much more at stake: the Illuminati master Alexander Cagliostro has activated an ancient crystal tower, tearing a hole in time which threatens much more than one sacred spring.

Meanwhile, in ancient Atlantis, Megan, priestess of the Crystal Matrix Chamber, flees the destruction of her world carrying with herself a vital artifact.

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Power Places: The Sphinx

The Power Places series are novels set in special sites around the earth. Power places are spots on the earth that radiate a lot of energy that uplifts or energizes anyone who spends time there. One theory is the energy comes from lots of crystalline rock and running water in the ground. Some say these spots are the earth’s equivalent to acupuncture points or chakras on the human body. Myths and legends collect around these sites. Often humans will build shrines, buildings or entire complexes around them.

UndertheStonePaw-99

 

 

 

 

The first novel in the Power Places series is Under the Stone Paw, set in Egypt, a land filled with magic and myth. The title of the novel refers to the Sphinx and the legend that grew from Edgar Cayce who claimed that ancient artifacts from Atlantis had been buried under the right paw of the Sphinx. This famed Hall of Records was due to be opened by the end of the twentieth century and world history would be rewritten. Since I hadn’t heard about this happening—who knows, some secret society might have done it—I decided it was high time and proceeded to open the Hall of Records in this novel. No spoilers. I won’t tell what they found.

Here I am in front of the Sphinx on my first trip in 1999.

Me in front of Tefnut

 

 

 

Many people consider the Sphinx to be male, representing the Pharaoh Khafra, but indigenous legend claims the Sphinx is female. She represents the great mother. Her name according to the locals is Tefnut, meaning the spittle of Nut. Nut is the sky goddess. You’ve probably seen her arched with her feet in the east and her head in the west, with the blue sky and stars above her body. Nut spit on the earth (bodily fluids were considered sacred then) and the Sphinx manifested.
When my character, Anne le Clair, first approaches the Sphinx, it’s late at night. She’s just arrived in Egypt, and they stop in the village of Nazlet el Samman to buy a bottle of water. She approaches the fence of the Giza Plateau, and there in the mist she sees a dim figure, a head looming out of the sand.

“She’s smaller than I expected,” Anne says.

“She’s in a hollow left from the lake that used to surround her,” Michael says.

Then a voice comes from the darkness. “You just wait until I get a hold of you.”

And trust me, the Sphinx definitely gets a hold of Anne in Under the Stone Paw.

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Is Enlightenment Possible?

At the end of Under the Stone Paw, the characters who are carrying crystal keys go into the temple beneath the Sphinx and they all slip into a higher state of consciousness. I describe it this way: “Just as a river surrenders to the sea, all their limitations simply washed away. A door opened in their unified mind, an ancient door containing certain knowledge.”

At the beginning of Beneath the Hallowed Hill, Michael asks Anne if she misses being in that state of consciousness:  “In the temple, when we all merged, that moment of—” he searched for the right word, “—illumination.” Anne turned back to the road. Now they were driving through a tunnel of trees. “It was real, then.” Michael nodded.

All the spiritual traditions agree with Michael. Humans can experience enlightenment. When I was studying to become a meditation teacher, I learned a simple way to describe different states of consciousness in terms of the objective measurements of the physiology and the subjective
human experience. In other words, a physiologist could read our measurements in another room and know which state of consciousness we are likely experiencing.

Let’s start with the ones we’re most familiar with. In waking state, the brain expressed beta waves, our blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption is at an active rate. Objectively, we experience what we call the real world, external reality.

In the sleeping state of consciousness, the brain goes into theta and delta waves. The heart rate slows, along with blood pressure and oxygen consumption. Objectively, we are not aware of anything. During dreams, the brain goes into alpha and the heart rate and other measurements can rise. We also experience rapid eye movement. Subjectively, we experience our own private movie. Humans don’t call this the real world, but
think of dreams as messages from our deeper selves. Of course, this can be more complicated, but for now, that’s enough.

Maharishi, my meditation teacher, talked about other states of awareness, starting with transcendental consciousness. This is that state we sometimes reach in mediation or listening to music or sitting in nature where the mind quiets down completely and merges with the larger divine consciousness that we are all an expression of. In this state, our brain waves are synchronous across the hemispheres, a very rare occurrence, and we experience alpha and theta waves. Our body’s activity slows to a deep state of rest. The breath rate slows and breathing is shallow. The heart beats very slowly. Yet subjectively, we are cmpletely awake, but the mind is quiet. We are not aware of anything. We become Awareness itself.

The purpose of meditation, contemplative prayer, and other spiritual practices is to reach a state in which this connection with the root  awareness of the universe is constantly there. We do not lose touch with it again. Our individual awareness floats like a small boat on top of the ocean of universal consciousness. Subjectively, we feel whole. What we need to know is delivered to us through that universal awareness. Our actions are in harmony with the laws of nature. Maharishi called this Cosmic Consciousness.

Many spiritual traditions discuss this state of consciousness. Rumi and the Sufis call the Divine Consciousness the Beloved and writes eloquently and poignantly of the human yearning to unite with the Divine Beloved. “A craftsman pulled a reed from the reedbed, cut holes in it, and called it a human being. Since then it has been wailing a tender agony of parting, never mentioning the skill that gave it life as a flute.” We yearn to reconnect.

Christ said, ‎”Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” Western metaphysics speaks of the individual consciousness climbing the Tree of Life like a snake (kundalini) and finally resting its head just beneath the Crown, the great I Am presence.

The spiritual traditions agree. Enlightenment is your birthright. That’s why I love exploring higher states of consciousness in ordinary humans in my novels.

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Everyone Lived in Egypt

In Under the Stone Paw, one of the theories that I researched came from Ab’del Hakim Awyan, who was an Egyptologist and tour guide for many years. He lived a block from the Sphinx and woke up every morning to look at her face. When Stephen Mehler, his student and fellow tour guide, first met Hakim, Stephen had accepted the idea that the high civilization and technology had been imported from Atlantis. This is what most western metaphysical schools teach. Hakim rejected this idea, saying that it smacked of racial supremacy. It suggested the indigenous Africans of Egypt couldn’t have built the pyramids themselves.

Stephen then asked Hakim if he supported the Nile School of Egyptology, which claims all Egyptians were black and that black Africans were the first to develop a high civilization. Hakim said no to this theory, too. So, who were the Egyptians, Stephen asked him.

All races was his answer. Hakim taught that Ancient Khemit, predynastic Egypt, was much larger than the Egypt we know today. He claimed it was the Ib, the heart of the huge continent that then broke up into Africa, Europe and Asia. He even would take it back to when the Americas were attached. Of course, most scientists would say humans weren’t around then. Some anomalous evidence does suggest human civilization is older than western civilization is willing to admit, but this could also be attributed to mythology.

Hakim claimed that Egyptians were all colors. Stephen used to point to the people on the walls of the temples and their various facial types. He’d point out people in Egypt with red hair and blue eyes, whose families had lived there for centuries. Hakim claimed Akhenaten’s teacher, Amenhotep, son of Hopi, was Asian. But now there’s more evidence.

According to DNA testing, the Pharaoh Tutankhamen, King Tut’s genes are predominantly European. So that means Akhenaten and Amenhotep III, Tut’s father and grandfather, were also largely European. Read about the DNA tests here.