Stage Eleven - Descent

After experiencing the grace of Stage Ten, we know that the source of power, love, and consciousness is universal. It does not come from us; it does not come from others; it does not depend on the outer events or circumstances in our lives. Instead of a conceptual understanding of our oneness with this Divine Source, we know it to be true at a cellular level. We incorporate this understanding into the deepest aspects of our being.

An interesting aspect of our healing journey is that it involves moving from stage to stage rather than remaining in one stage. Each of the twelve stages is a temporary place of learning on the healing journey toward home or wholeness. We cannot remain in Stage Ten forever. Ascent involves being in a state of Universal Consciousness, healing, and love. But human evolution offers us the opportunity to express this healing, love, and consciousness where we live, which is on the earthly plane. In the words of the renowned mediation teacher, Jack Kornfield, “You have to live your spirituality day to day, at home, at work, in your car. Otherwise, it won’t transform you, and in the end you won’t benefit and transform the world around you.”

The Stage Eleven Experience

If we have fully experienced the rhythms of Stage Ten (Ascent), our lives are no longer what they used to be. Although we are still involved in human relationships, earning a living, cooking meals, and taking out the garbage, in Stage Eleven we now descend into our lives with new perspectives, more energy, and greater understanding. As a consequence, we no longer feel isolated from the Source that we experienced in Stage Ten. We become like the tree that is rooted steadfastly in the ground, whose branches reach into the sky. We begin to live from the experience of being one with the Source of unlimited consciousness and we act accordingly in daily life.

In the Descent stage of healing, our intuition brings us more into alignment with life’s natural rhythms. We perceive ourselves as being conduits of the universal coherent rhythms in all we see, hear, breathe, and touch. We uplift the situations around us because we no longer become hooked into the drama of, or attachment to, our experiences. A basic lesson of this stage is to sustain gratitude and remain in awe of the miracle of life while we perform our daily activities. To the degree we are able to function from our true self and our natural internal rhythms (as opposed to reacting to the alienated, dissonant aspects of our nature, as in the earlier healing stages), we can serve as powerful agents for service and healing in the world. This affects us individually, and it can have a profound impact on our relationships with others and the greater community.

New Perspectives

In Stage Eleven, we attract people, events, and circumstances that offer opportunities to liberate ourselves from old perspectives and help us further our growth and evolution. We are aware that life is attracting them to us. As we move into Descent, we also become aware that our thoughts are essentially distractions from focusing on our inner reality.

Thinking: From Distorted To Magical

Rather than adhering to the past and the future, in Stage Eleven a new kind of thinking occurs that creates new realities for us. This kind of thinking is called “magical thinking” by the noted physician and holistic healer, Deepak Chopra, M.D. He states, “By magical thinking I mean the expecting of outcomes just by the mere desire to have them. We are all familiar with people who have a desire. When it spontaneously manifests in their life without any effort on their part, that’s magical thinking.” He then follows up with a perfect example. “I have a desire for strawberry ice cream. You walk by me and say, ‘Hey, Deepak, would you like some strawberry ice cream?'” In Stage Eleven, our entire lives become strongly guided by this thinking. Rather than just being aware that magical thinking occurs, we now find that it actually becomes the foundation of our thought. There is simply no other way of thinking for us.

Toward Stage Twelve

Stage Eleven Exercise

Stand with your feet apart, shoulder width. Bend your knees slightly and rock your pelvis back and forth (barely noticeable). With your right hand, fold your little and ring fingers against your palm while joining your thumb, index, and middle fingers. This is the traditional hand gesture used in blessing. Hold your left palm open, yet relaxed.

Maintain these hand and finger positions and gently bring your hands to your chest, right hand over left, as if you are cupping your heart. As you do this, bend your neck forward and slightly bend your knees. Breathe in through your nose. Exhale through your nose as you open both hands and slightly rotate them inward as if you were about to clap your hands. Maintain the same right hand and finger position. As you exhale, tilt your neck backward and slightly arch your back. Do this rapidly, about ten times, then let yourself slow to a natural pace. Repeat, allowing the rhythm to connect with you. Hold the position as long as it feels natural.

There’s Magic In A Healthy Spine!