Inner Truth
Have you ever wondered why the “Eye of Providence” is featured on the $1 bills? Next time you’re paying cash glance at the back of the bill and you will see a depiction of an eye within a triangle hovering over a pyramid with light bursting out of it. Originally, this ancient symbol represented the all-seeing eye of God – implying that all our actions are witnessed on a higher plane. Perhaps, it’s just a warning not to fool around with God’s might, for he is eternally watching us. Or maybe it means not to fool ourselves, and instead awaken the inner truth and authenticity.
For centuries this ancient image has adorned the seals of various cities, the stained glass windows of churches, the depictions and carvings at temples, the numerous pages of esoteric books, including the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. And whether it appears the middle eye of Shiva, or the eye of Horus; the horn of the Unicorn, or the temple of Maat in early Egypt it always hints spiritual illumination of some sort. Medically referred to as the lens of the pineal gland, and metaphysically as the seat of the soul, the third eye represents the center of intuition and higher guidance. Once accessed through meditation and spiritual practice this center leads to clear perception that allows us to find the purpose inherent in all life’s cycles, and to acknowledge all the gifts that every situation has to offer.
My first and very mysterious encounter with the third eye was during a coffee reading experience that I witnessed as a little girl. I remember we had some guests over for dinner one night and mom read their coffee. The moment she lifted the cup she started channeling out of nowhere. She went on for an hour, going into details and revealing facts that astounded the guests with their accuracy and poignancy. And when they finally left I couldn’t wait to hear how she did it. She held my hand and placed it right in the middle of the eye-brows: I saw it all with the “inner screen”. I pictured this inner screen as the brain, not yet realizing that it was the brain that had to be suspended for the intuition to arise.
The concept of the inner eye haunted me through school and then in College. I could never really grasp the idea of an inner lens that is so intangible, yet present in each one of us. So I began to drill into the quality of intuition and even made it the topic of my first doctoral research. I still recall how sometimes I’d sit before the computer and type incessantly for hours. Then, I’d read over what I had written, and it seemed as if it hadn’t come from me, but from some higher source of inner knowing. I suddenly realized that intuition had nothing to do with instincts, or gut feeling, but was rather a moment of clarity and inner truth, a moment of intersection when the perception meets the perceiver. I also figured out that it had nothing to do with the intellect of the mind, but mostly with the intelligence of the heart.
Years later, when I began to practice yoga every day I struggled a lot with clearing the third eye, and eradicating all the imprints and veils that impeded me from seeing things in their true light. I taught so many courses and classes on the third eye, but I never really felt it crack. And then one day I physically felt it when I had a moment of truth with myself. Practicing rigorously both on the mat and in life I realized that truth is not found by adopting certain beliefs or by social conditioning. It is the silent voice of the heart that responds to what is, with detached clarity, untainted by emotions. It is always available, but very often ignored. It is experienced by intuitive knowing that sees through the problems, blocks, and barriers conjured up by becoming overly fixated on achieving and attaining. It needs no support or approval. Whenever we are humble enough to respect the integrity of the inner voice and heed its guidance, its effect is a transformative one. The inner voice is the voice of our consciousness that is serene and spacious, and never distorts. It is founded on the recognition that love is our essential reality, and that the denial of love is the source of all illusion, pain and suffering. It is the cool flame of awareness that eternally guards our birthright – the experience of the inner self. Remembering that our perceptions and interpretations are colored by our state of mind not only sheds a different light on what we call reality, but will assist us in taking greater responsibility for our thoughts and actions. Each state of mind can be a shifting and transitory thing, and when it is, it is not truth. Truth is a constant state of gratitude and reciprocity, of intrinsic wisdom and grace.
As we work on opening the third eye we allow this immediate insight to well up from the depths of our heart and we realize that the ego is the ultimate trickster that lures us to deny the truth. It will do anything to keep us engrossed in its fictions as long as we are willing to play the game. However, once we start questioning what lies behind the apparent reality of our life we enter a totally new territory of higher guidance where we are ready to receive the information that we need exactly at this moment. More and more beings are currently experiencing increasing levels of intuitive revelations and are led into unlearning long-standing patterns that made them live for years just in their head, on autopilot. They can no longer bear to live in suppressed fear, in denial. They feel temped to dissolve their fixed beliefs, opinions and habits that served as cover-ups and facing their shadows to embody their inner truth.
As time accelerates and causes the physical body to also upgrade itself to a higher frequency and facilitates a shift in consciousness. It is that perception leap that allows us all to decode and validate all the information that is available through the lens of our intuition. And that is a leap of perception that takes us from the information age to a transformed reality of expanded awareness. Only when we access this place, we understand that the inner truth of each being survives despite our ignorance, endures beyond our occasional acts of selfish immaturity, and sustains us whether we recognize it or not. Acknowledging the gifts of inner sight and being moved by the reflection of truth in others is liberating. As we transform intuition into a practice we hone our ability to see the truth in every situation and a place of inner resonance. And very much like Carl Jung – “We enlighten others not by imagining figurines of light in our third eye, but by making the darkness conscious.”
“Third Eye” Opening Yoga Routine: Inner Truth (open level)
This sequence integrates “mudra” “asana” and acupressure points to stimulate the pineal gland and elicit immediate insight and lucid vision. Kneeling poses alternate with semi-inversions, while forward-bending variations are integrated within the standing poses to invoke a more introspective experience. Third-eye opening mudras are especially introduced within the poses to promote clarity and unleash intuition. The routine encourages the body to crest and dip – like a wave as it is led to explore strengthening, pacifying, invigorating, and releasing poses. Gentle inversions that promote circulation and elicit the relaxation response make for the “icing of the cake.” The introspective flow urges students to track the process of setting an intention into the heart and manifesting it through the third eye. It has both a soothing and a contemplative effect and allows you to build your vision by nurturing the qualities of inner guidance and intuition.
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