Welcome to “Healing From Within.” I am your host Sheryl Glick author of
The Living Spirit Answers for Healing and Infinite Love which shares
stories of spiritual awakening spiritual communication healing energies
miracles and a way to know your soul presence for intuitive guidance and
direction. Today I welcome a former guest of the show Arjuna Ardagh to
discuss his book Radical Brilliance an innate quality within each of us
that can easily get covered by conditioning and diminish our personal
power to thrive and evolve as we can accomplish when aligned to our true
nature as soul beings.
As our listeners well know Sheryl and her guests seek to share intimate
stories and insights into the metaphysical nature of human and spiritual
aspects of life, for by knowing how life actually works we may develop
greater self-awareness and master our emotions so we can find liberation
and freedom from the outside world and experience peace happiness joy
positivity and a productive life journey using our innate inner
resources.
In today’s episode of “Healing from Within” Arjuna Ardagh author of the
Translucent Revolution as well as eight other books offers a compelling
and practical model for the hidden components which together make up the
components for creating a brilliant life. Supported by cutting edge
research into brain chemistry, nutrition and “bio hacking,” Ardagh
offers us not only a map to navigate the ever expanding field of
research and methodology for developing spiritual talents with tools,
techniques and lifestyle enhancements to help you reach the most
brilliant version of yourself.
When Arjuna is asked to think back to his childhood or young adult life
to remember a person place or event that may have made a lasting
impression on him he describes his family as well as the different
phases that his life has been through: being raised by a predominately
intellectual family…seeking freedom from that conditioning through
spirituality …exploring various kinds of psychotherapy in his twenties,
and finally exploring how to make money and to create worldly success.
He talks about the hollowness of each of these pursuits and then
questions what would actually create a life of deep fulfillment. This is
his journey of discovering real happiness.
In his book Radical Brilliance describes a cycle of different kinds of
subjective experience and brain activity which he says will make someone
innovative and original.
We discover that not all thoughts are created equal. We distinguish
between repetitive, imitative thoughts, things that we may have heard or
read from other people and the rare occurrence where a new fresh and
original impulse arises from the depths of our being. We explore the
parallel between Newtonian and Quantum physics: in one case things are
predictable, the other case they are not but lead us into a world of
magic. Perhaps if we knew more effectively how to access the origin of
original thoughts we would inevitably lead a brilliant life.
We explore four different phases of subjective experience, activity and
brain functioning, which while very different, when they co-exist can
lead to brilliance. I would think that brilliance means illumination of
the truth of who we are as spiritual beings having a physical life and
responding often to the prompts and pressures of the outside world often
forgetting that within us is the innate wisdom and guidance of Universal
Spirit and eternal life.
Kute Blackson wrote the foreword to your book suggesting that brilliance
is actually our natural state but it gets covered over by conditioning.
You talk about that in the book as different kinds of blockage. We
understand that the brilliant cycle, as described in the previous
chapter, is mostly theoretical and what we actually discover in human
lives is various ways that the cycle gets stuck.
We discover four kinds of blockage:
Addiction, which means wanting to stay in one phase of the cycle at the
expense of the others.
Judgment, which means wanting to avoid one phase of the cycle.
Aspiration/Resistance, which means that moving forward in the cycle
looks amazing, but out of reach, and Looping, which means that we become
a “specialist” and spend our lives getting very good at one tiny part of
the cycle. We discover that all of these kinds of blockage inhibit the
expression of real brilliance.
You go on to describe practices that enhance and move people through the
different phases of the cycle and the free website that accompanies the
book that lists 108 practices.
As we explore four different phases of subjective experience, activity,
and brain functioning which are very different from each other we make
the comparison to a clock, with 12 at the top, 3 on the right, 6 at the
bottom, and 9 on the left.
The four phases of the brilliant cycle are:
12 to 3; Awakening to Creative flow. The arising of fresh impulses out of
spaciousness and emptiness which become creative expression.
3 to 6; Flow to Accomplishment. This is the arena of getting things
done, and learning to operate within the boundaries of time deadlines,
budgets, agreements, contracts. It is the domain where we are forced to
make decisions and take responsibility.
6 to 9; Accomplishment to Humility. This phase begins with the often
painful experience of making mistakes and the feelings of shame, regret,
failure, and remorse which often follow. As we move around the cycle
towards 9 o’clock we shift towards learning, self-reflection,
forgiveness, and humility.
9 to 12; Humility to Awakening. This is the phase of the cycle in which
spiritual and religious activity finds its home, it is the movement from
recognizing the smallness and irrelevance of the little me to a
recognition of something much bigger and more abiding.
A meditative approach leads to the awakening of true nature, a more
religious approach leads to a discovery of the love of God.
Arjuna tells us if he had adopt just one practice tomorrow to enhance
brilliance it would be based on an extensive interview with Eric
Edmeades, the founder of Wild Fit, we learn about the diet that our
ancestors followed, more or less unchanged, for hundreds of thousands of
years, and how far we have drifted from it. We focus specifically on
diet, not just for physical health, but for clarity of consciousness. We
learn specifically about the foods to eat, and to avoid, to give your
brain the greatest chance of having brilliant new ideas.
We learn about the 10 most important supplements to take on a daily
basis to increase the likelihood of thinking in a brilliant way. Based
on interviews with a number of experts we learn why, for example,
mineral supplementation is so important to brain functioning, as well as
many other easily obtained nutritional supplements.
The book was based on 420 interviews with extraordinarily brilliant
people who have made undisputed contributions to human evolution. A
great many of them referenced the use of supplements (either in the past
or more recently) that are currently deemed to be illegal in most parts
of the world, such as LSD, psilocybin, and others. The author reports on
these anecdotes without advocating the use of any particular substance.
We discover that the use of these substances is very different with an
understanding of appropriate dosage and setting.
Arjuna discusses brain activity and a number of world-renowned
scientists he interviewed telling us what is going on in the brain in
the different phases of the cycle. Based on research with some of the
most cutting-edge scientists alive today, we discover how each of the
phases of the Brilliance Cycle described in chapter 4 can be attributed
to particular neurotransmitters, the activation of different areas of
the brain, and to brainwave coherence. Arjuna describes interviews with
many leading people in the scientific and spiritual fields and their
discoveries for enhancing patterns that enable greater awareness and
productivity.
The author describes his meeting with Barbara Marx Hubbard, and then
describes her connection with Jonas Salk, who inspired her. We encourage
the reader to seek out role models and to invite them for lunch or a
short interview. We describe how making personal connections with people
you admire can be a powerful catalyst for brilliance. Most of this
chapter is dedicated to the jaw-droopingly inspiring story of Lynne
Twist and how she founded the Pachamama Alliance. We recognize that a
life dedicated to something beyond your own needs produces much more
fulfillment meaning, purpose, and energy (and often more money and
success as well) than simply thinking about, “What’s in it for me?
Arjuna advocates getting up insanely early in the morning in order for
our brains to be producing the most innovative and useful new ideas. The
author points out how, through the advent of electricity, we have
drifted away from being in balance with circadian rhythms and how we can
restore that.
You have written a book about innovation and the creative process and it
has a chapter about sex. That may come as a surprise but perhaps not.
Sexuality can be a way to enjoy physical pleasure, to share intimacy, or
to give birth to children. Here we discover how sexual energy, when
enhanced and cultivated in a conscious way, can become a potent portal
into brilliance. Based on interviews with several experts, the author
specifies sexual practices for men, for women, and for couples to wake
up energy and then allow it to flow freely through the rest of the body,
in support of creative expression.
Sheryl works as an intuitive energy practitioner as does Arjuna with
people one on one as a coach and helps them see what the most frequent
obstacles that get in the way of brilliance are. In Sheryl’s book The
Living Spirit she address happiness and the many of the obstacles that
get in the way of our soul power and full potential in the following way
and writes, “ Many seek to the best they can be and are encouraged to be
perfect. They do not allow less for themselves than what others deem to
be perfect for them. But since we are always in a state of change, the
ideas and wishes of others are not nearly as important as our welcoming
the experiences and challenges that surface and handling them to the
best of our ability. We should aim to become a person who doesn’t find
fault in others, moving past personal obstacles with courage, hope and
faith to find peace. Be free of any influence of others that take that
state of mind-peace away from you.
We hear of the most common questions which people have asked the author
in seminars and trainings over the last years and his responses to them.
The questions are…
Just since I heard about this cycle, I have noticed my creative energy
has been flowing much more. How is that possible?
What happens if we try to go through the cycle the other way, or skip
over a step?
You talked earlier about how addiction to any phase always coexists with
judgment. Why is that true?
Do we stay in 12 for a while and then go directly to 3, or are there
other points in between?
How do I know what practice to do?
Ideally, over what time period should you pass through the cycle?
How does the idea of enlightenment fit into this model of the Brilliance
Cycle?
When I meditate, I always feel like I could go deeper, that I have not
really arrived.
I find it hard to accept what you say that shame and regret are also a
healthy part of the cycle.
Why do we need 12? Can’t people just be creative anyway?
What about deeper trauma we have accumulated over a much longer time
period?
You say that accomplishment will inevitably result in a feeling of
failure, shame and regret. That sounds a little pessimistic. Aren’t
there people who achieve great things in life and then feel really
satisfied with what they have accomplished?
I feel like there are tons of creative people who don’t necessarily
access infinite consciousness in the way you’re describing, and who don’t
utilize practices in this way.
And Arjuna that state of mind-peace I believe is Radical Brilliance
Arjuna might like readers to take away with them after reading Radical
Brilliance ideas based on some of the people who have made lasting
impressions on him such as, Dawa Tarchin Phillips, a Western born
Tibetan Lama and a world recognized expert on mindfulness: we recognize
the importance of sitting quietly, each and every day, for the mind to
operate in its most brilliant way. We demystify sitting from the often
complex and onerous pressure of “meditation.”
We also discover that a great majority of brilliant people talk about
brilliance coming “through” them rather than “from” them and we posit
the question: If something is flowing through you, what is its actual
source? Although this question cannot be answered, we can evoke that
source, beyond the human mind, through activities which have been handed
down for millennia, known as prayer, devotion, and surrender.
We discover how going for a walk with a friend, or inviting people over
for dinner, with a particular intention and dedication can act as a
catalyst to bring out the most brilliant ideas in everyone involved
Arjuna Ardagh author of Radical Brilliance has shared many thoughts of
remembering and enhancing our natural state of living with infinite
potential and having all the resources within and around us to achieve a
fruitful and joyful life journey by moving beyond any limiting obstacle
and creating new patterns for success.
In summarizing today’s episode of “Healing From Within” we have become
familiar once again, with a part of ourselves ultimately connected to
the Universal Force of Life and Energy that encourages us to remember
our natural state of divinity and path to create lives of our own
making. Moving past the thoughts fears and limitations of others and the
patterns of our childhood or blockages, we achieve a sense of freedom
and liberation and know ourselves the world and Universe in a more open
minded way. During the process of remembering our soul brilliance we are
able to find peace and a new reality for what we wish to achieve in this
time and place or simply what we wish to experience and enjoy.
Arjuna wrote, “ Most people have an intuition of some magic ingredient
which, if it was found and added to their life, would make everything
okay. More money, better health, find your soul-mate, become
enlightened, the chapter explores all of them as well as the
disappointment which they usually yield. We recognize however that some
people are, in fact, deeply fulfilled, have lots of energy, and life
goes well for them in almost every way. When we reverse “engineer” what
we learn from these people we find that the magic ingredient has to do
with a strong sense of contribution and purpose.
Arjuna and I would have us all begin to share the passion sincerity
humility and vulnerability that brings a sense of gratitude love and
awareness to the most rewarding moments of life, and continue to
self-investigate from within our hearts, to find again and again, the
exhilaration of joy in simply being alive with hope and trust in the
Universal Plan for us all.
Today’s Guest