Beloved Students:

As you enter into the last month of 2002, recognize this is a good time to take stock of what the year was about for you. In fact, I would recommend a sort of mini life review. As you carefully look over 2002 with all its interesting challenges (personally, collectively and globally), you will have a better understanding of what elements you choose to release with the year's end. It is paramount that you complete the year with clarity and understanding if you are serious about your service to the Earth at this time.

With all the chaos, confusion and disturbances so abundant in the world currently, it is very important for you to stand as an example of basic sanity. This is not so much for the world (although it certainly makes a needed contribution of focus and energy) as it is for maintaining your own stability and focus. Most of you have recognized how easy it is to be drawn off track when you find yourself being pulled into chaos, confusion and frenetic disturbances. Promise yourself that you can and will be in the world to spread kindness and compassion, but that you will not lose yourself in the chaos, confusion and disturbances. I believe it was Jesus who admonished His disciples to be "in the world, but not of the world." These are words that have particular meaning to you at this point in time, as well.

I urge you to do your mini life review, knowing that something in you will be dying as 2002 dies. Take stock of what you would like to be finished with in your own growth process. Then, effort to see what you need to do to renounce those areas and let them go. It is only by letting them go (and I mean really doing it this time), that you make room in your life for what you want to draw in 2003. Never was it so important to pay attention in this way. Whether you have figured it out yet or not, 2003 is going to bring you to a new level of mindfulness. Of course, such will come about either through your full creative participation, or through your resistance. I would suggest that you spend some time considering this matter and discovering just how you can fully participate in the process, rather than simply allowing your resistance (or stubbornness, pride, envy, self-doubt, anger, laziness, or whatever) to define your course of action.

Left to its own agenda, the ego/mind will not only select your path, it will implement it quickly and with so much ease you won't even see what's coming. You will, however, find yourself back in that mindless rut, recreating all those old patterns that you end up detesting after the fact. What the New Year will bring is opportunity after opportunity to see your mind for what it truly is. You would be well advised to walk around all day asking yourself: "What is my mind doing now?" "What is my mind leading me to believe?" "Who (or what) is thinking these thoughts, experiencing this situation, drawing conclusions, forming these ideas, projecting notions?"

Those of you working with psychotherapists might want to ask their help in exposing your mind's strategies - particularly the ones that work you into the familiar corners of the box you know so well. For others of you, ask your friends to point out how they see your mind working. You'll probably hate the feedback you get, but such is the most rapid way to neurotic and delusional exposure. When you get feedback, watch you ego's tendency to defend, blame or make the one who offers insight wrong. Such is all part of the transcendent journey. When you see your mind fully, you will understand what mindfulness really is, and you will understand why it took so long to see through its antics.

True mindfulness will, in the end, bring you fully into your heart. To be aware of your ego/mind's agenda is to see at every moment where your mind is resting, where it slipped off to when you weren't looking. Do not think this practice will fill you with "warm fuzzies." Indeed, it will be an arduous process, but it will free you from the tyranny of that ego/mind. Notice right now: where is your mind resting? Has it moved into fear or resistance? If so, can you gently bring it back to the palace of your heart? Can you see your Teacher radiating from that lotus throne? You are learning that with your mindful awareness, you can reclaim your wisdom heart at any moment you attune to it.

You see, your heart center is not just a vortex pulling in your own love and joy. While love and joy clearly nourish the heart, and are indeed the fruits of a mature heart, there is simply more to the matter. Your heart is the source of your wisdom factor, the seed energy for the Bodhisattva arising, the palace of splendor you make available to house your beloved Teacher. Your heart wisdom is your gift to the world, not something you came to possess for yourself. Your job is to make the Heart Palace big enough to contain and cherish the entire world, powerful enough to dissolve the suffering of all sentient beings.

Please join me this month in listening to Yoga of the Heart, a talk I recently gave in Denver. Make an agreement with yourself to listen with your heart wide open, so that you may receive the full benefit of the ideas presented. Recognize your heart is the point into which your ego dissolves, and it needs all the loving support and encouragement you can offer. With each listening of this lecture, invite your Teacher into your Heart Palace, and imagine you are listening together. Ask for special input from your Teacher regarding the lessons for you to harvest, and hold gratitude for the opportunities you have been afforded.

I would like you to continue doing the November meditation during the month of December. You will find it given again below with some small changes. A number of you have fallen off your meditation practice, and I want to encourage you to resume your sitting for 30 minutes daily. Your meditation is not only a gift for yourself, it is the most precious thing you can offer your Teacher. Begin by sitting quietly with your eyes open, gazing at the floor some two to three feet in front of you. If you would like to place on the floor at your gaze point a colored sheet or piece of fabric that is uniform in color, please use a solid color, choosing from among blue, yellow, red, green or white. Follow your breath for 15 full breath cycles. If you lose track of the count, simply start over. When you complete the cycle of breaths, close your eyes, and feel yourself to be in the presence of your Spiritual Teacher. Make the feeling as real as possible, engaging as many of your senses as you can. Feel true reverence and respect for your Teacher, and allow yourself to be fully appreciative for His/Her assistance in your life.

See yourself sitting before your Teacher, who is seated on a platform or lotus throne about eye level in front of you. Think of some quality of the Teacher's that is very precious to you, and bow before your Teacher as a sign of respect to the Teacher and the quality you are cherishing. Be aware of your Teacher's love streaming to you, and feel deep appreciation for this gift. See yourself making a physical offering to your Teacher - something that the Teacher would know came from you. As your Teacher receives your offering, feel a loving smile coming to you from this Precious One. Feel yourself nudged to make a deeper offering - perhaps your promise to meditate daily and to dedicate whatever goodness that comes from your meditation to your teacher.

Review your life for the past 24 to 48 hours. Think of your most negative moment, and notice whether it was due to your thoughts, your words or your actions. Let yourself experience some genuine remorse for this, and then make a promise to your Teacher that you will not do this again for the next 24 hours. Next, think of a moment of kindness that you generated in that same period. As this memory arises, allow a feeling of warmth to arise at the heart level. Promise yourself that in the next 24 hours you will look for more opportunities to create goodness and kindness in your life.

Next ask to see the Teachings in every aspect of your life. Ask your Teacher to witness for your thoughts, words and actions in all situations. In difficult situations, ask to see the Teacher's face on the face of those who try your patience, as well as those you serve in love and kindness. Try to see what each situation would be like if you could experience as your Teacher in each case. Have a sense that your Teacher is not only watching your every thought, word and action, but that your Teacher is ardently holding forth that you will make the best decision in every situation for all concerned.

Now ask your Teacher to stay with you for the duration of the next 24 hours. In the palace of your heart, create a room for the Teacher that is quiet and filled with love and reverence. Visualize the Teacher becoming small enough to fit into a beautiful pearl. Open the petals of your lotus crown, and allow the Teacher to descend through your Crown Chakra on an energy flow that brings the Teacher to rest on a lotus throne in your lotus heart. As the Teacher sits there in dignity and serenity, ask Him/Her to be both witness and coach to/in your life. Ask help in seeing your own thoughts, words and actions, that you may continually increase the purity of your motivations, and see through the controlling parts of your ego/mind.

With the Teacher enthroned in your heart, bring your focus to the floor or colored cloth before you. Using it as a backdrop, try to hold the image of the Teacher. See Him/Her as a living person (not just a photo or statue), and envision Him/Her doing the kind of things He/She would do were He/She in physical form today, such as giving a Teaching, or conducting a blessing ceremony or an empowerment. Try to hold this living, working image as you simply remain aware of your breath. Watch the Teacher performing virtuous tasks as you simply say "rising" on your in breath, and "falling" on your out breath.

Try to hold this image and stay connected to your breath for at least 15 minutes. Should you find it difficult, forgive yourself and just keep trying.

When complete, become aware once more of the qualities of the Teacher you wish to manifest in your own life. With each breath, draw those qualities into yourself, receiving them as a gift from your Teacher. Appreciate your Teacher's example, as well as your own opportunity to receive precious teaching at this time. After about 5 minutes, let yourself arise with royal dignity, knowing yourself to be purified by this work, and trusting it has generated transformation for yourself and Earth.

Walk in peace, give peace, share peace, and above all, become Peace.

Djwhal Khul