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ecstatic practice
July 2009 
Shadow work as ecstatic practice
Posted on Jun 14th, 2006
by 
yeshe
yeshe
I've developed a new addiction lately. Like the cigarette that leads to the relief of nicotine rush (after smoking for 30 years I know about that one intimately), what I look for in this new addiction is not the next cigarette but the next instance of self-contraction. And when I catch one - whatever I'm doing, I stop... and I surrender.
In my home-baked philosophy of self-observation over the years, I have learned to recognise self-contraction as a knee-jerk reaction to something I've perceived out there in the world - a reaction that says "I don't want to go there". I never really stopped to question what "There" was, let alone what it was like. Then one day I thought I'd go there and see what it was I was expending all that energy and shipwrecking all those relationships on. And what did I find?
Endorphins! Man, it must be the best kept secret in the universe (better than DaVinci code, anyway): releasing self-contraction = ecstasy. Which means that authentic shadow work is as good as an orgasm and generally a lot easier to attain. I have Terry Patten to thank, by the way, for my discovery of ecstatic practice. Oooooohhhh!
So I've started wearing a small pendant in the form of Machig Labdrön's curved knife - you know: the one she uses to slice off the top of her skull so she can use it as a cauldron in which to throw the rest of her body, to boil it up into a broth which will provide the bounty to meet every need and desire of every sentient being in all the realms of existence. Now I know why she did it: because it feels so gooooooood!!!!!!
In my home-baked philosophy of self-observation over the years, I have learned to recognise self-contraction as a knee-jerk reaction to something I've perceived out there in the world - a reaction that says "I don't want to go there". I never really stopped to question what "There" was, let alone what it was like. Then one day I thought I'd go there and see what it was I was expending all that energy and shipwrecking all those relationships on. And what did I find?
Endorphins! Man, it must be the best kept secret in the universe (better than DaVinci code, anyway): releasing self-contraction = ecstasy. Which means that authentic shadow work is as good as an orgasm and generally a lot easier to attain. I have Terry Patten to thank, by the way, for my discovery of ecstatic practice. Oooooohhhh!
So I've started wearing a small pendant in the form of Machig Labdrön's curved knife - you know: the one she uses to slice off the top of her skull so she can use it as a cauldron in which to throw the rest of her body, to boil it up into a broth which will provide the bounty to meet every need and desire of every sentient being in all the realms of existence. Now I know why she did it: because it feels so gooooooood!!!!!!
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Helen,
you are truly an inspiration. It is a pleasure getting to know you over time via your wonderful blog posts. with much thanks, integral sister.
sass
Hey Yesh,
I'm also spending a lot of attention on these shadow questions. God, there is such an amount of learning to be had from those blogs at Ken's, the reactions to it and mainly my own reaction to reading all of it. Love it!
Heyho, Diedo! You up there surfing that shadow wave as well. Why aren't I surprised?! And isn't Ken a lamb! Waggin' his dick about in shark-infested waters like that…
It wasn't until I was really in over my head that I really started to get the enormity of the game he's playing. I'll probably do a separate blog on it. Which will probably sound like moonstruck calf love and uranus satellites and all that, but hell… how many people ready my blog anyway?! (well, nobody with a shadow… ;-))
*jumping up and down in a frenzy*
Tell me yesh, tell me all about your visions!
Ecstatic practice is of course a label first introduced by Adi Da. In the -now not availalble book “Garbage and the Godess” -written by Adi Da 1974 -I saw Terrys name for the first time.
As I was initated student from Adi from 1990 -1995, I come back to his written teaching again and again. Totally agree with Kens ciriticism in all his three letters to the Adi Da community.
But nowhere in the written literature I see a more f orceful, vibrating, clear, passionate and radiating teaching than in some books of Adi Da. Absolutely crystall clear in his adressing a sex positive Attitude as NEVER a lillywhite approach too. (See on IN Stu Davis talk with John Ince……again.).And Adi Da - adressing the yogic addiction of higher Disney like worlds as garbage too.
And David Deida, Saniel Bonder, Terry Patten, Ken Wilber and some others clearly express and incorporate the essence of it.
Do you know the book “Spiritual cannibalism” of Swami Rudrananda? The Practicing Mantra:
SURRENDER, SURRENDER…
and often it isnt even necessary to feel the endorphines and adrenalin roller coaster..simply abiding in the surrender….even in the pain and deserts of boredom, doubt and discomfort, in the pingpong of “poor me” and “fantastic me”..and thousands other forms of garbage which are waiting to be dissolved in the enfolding of Shiva/Shakti in every depth and height of the Spiral.
Cheers,
Albert
Oh Alber, stop it! you're such a turn-on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeshe,
In one of my own blogs someone suggested to me that I was engaged in shadow work. Though I've heard the term referenced quite a bit, I'm not sure where to look further into this. My mind works in the way that I described in that blog…I would like to do more. And - love your blogs.