DR. JAY KUMAR

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook - Dr. Jay Kumar
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www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook - Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter - docjaykumar

UNIVERSITY OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH 

 PUBLIC LECTURE 

"Neuroscience & Consciousness"
March 24 (Saturday 10:30-12:30)
Los Angeles, CA
Cost - $20

 JOIN US FOR an exploration into human consciousness and the mysteries of the brain from the various disciplines of neuroscience, psychology, and spiritual thought. Each of these perspectives provides a key understanding regarding the nature of human cognition and notions of reality. Recent discoveries in neuroscience continue to unravel the mysteries of human consciousness, while possibly also reconciling the traditional rift between science and spirituality. This engaging and multimedia workshop advances a new understanding of human consciousness, of our place in the universe, and of our connection to the divine. (Cost $20) REGISTER NOW!

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY  

PUBLIC LECTURE

 "The Neuroscience of Health & Happiness”
April 21 (Saturday 9am-12pm)Los Angeles, CACost - $25

So what makes you happy? Are you curious to discover the connection between your brain and health? We all want to lead a happy and healthy life, but the possible key to embodying health and happiness may actually reside in your brain. Integrating science with spirituality, this inspiring workshop explores the latest research in neuroscience and mind-body medicine how to cultivate more happiness and wellbeing in your life. After all, health and happiness are not things that happen to you, but rather what you choose to be. (Cost - $25) REGISTER NOW!

NEW ONLINE SELF-STUDY COURSE

"Rigveda: Exploring Yoga in the Vedas" 
(Self Study 10-hr course opens Mar. 5)
Self-Study Online
Cost - $195, 1-unit course
 

While the notion of Yoga flourishes in later Sanskrit literature, does a nascent philosophy of Yoga exist in the earliest Indian literature of the Rigveda? This online and 10-hr self-study course provides an overview of Vedic religion and myths with readings in translation from the Rigveda and from contemporary sources. Students will learn how Vedic concepts such as Ṛta (cosmic order), Vāk (sacred speech), Yajña (ritual), and Manas (mind) suggest possible evidence of an early framework of Yoga philosophy. This class is ideal for students yearning to deepen their exploration of Yoga philosophy in the earliest period of Indian literature. (Cost - $190; 10 hours self-study; 1-unit credit) REGISTER NOW!

Dr. Jay Kumar is an internationally known Yoga & meditation instructor, university professor, Vedic astrologer, spiritual counselor, and former Contributing Editor at Yoga Journal. Jay also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show “AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar!” and currently teaches courses in Hinduism, Indian and Yoga philosophy, and consciousness studies at Loyola Marymount University and Chapman University. Integrating 20 years as an educator, entrepreneur, media figure, Yoga & meditation instructor, Jay intimately understands our fundamental human need to feel honored and recognized for the value and light we each uniquely bring to the world. Learn more at www.drjaykumar.com  

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Happy 2012! So how many of you who made a New Year’s resolution are still keeping up with it? Believe it or not, studies show that 90% of you will break or abandon your New Year’s resolutions by the second part of January! Do you wonder why that is? Well, I have a couple of ideas. One reason deals with language and the word “resolution” itself. The other key entails your brain and the emotional place from which you make your resolutions. In fact your language, brain, and emotions all are factors in determining if you’ll succeed or succumb to your New Year’s resolutions. Curious to learn how you can stick to your New Year’s goals?

Let’s start with the power of language and thoughts and explore the word “resolution.” When you break down this word, a “resolution” is in reality a “re-solution” When you “re-solve” to do something, you’re generally “re-solving” a problem or a situation. So if your New Year’s resolution sounds something like, “I resolve to eat more properly, I resolve to quit smoking, I resolve to exercise more regularly, etc.” the underlying message is that you’re attempting to “solve a problem” in your life and judge aspects of yourself that you dislike. While I agree that all of these resolutions are worthwhile to make, if you’re making them all from an emotional and mental place of low self-esteem, self-judgment, and self-pity, it only makes it that much harder to continue with your goals and intentions for wanting greater health and happiness.

This idea of making resolutions from a psychological state of negative thinking connects to the other piece regarding your brain and emotions. The latest findings in neuroscience state that your brain is biologically wired to remember more negative thoughts and emotions over positive ones. The neuropsychologist, Dr. Rick Hanson, sums it up nicely by stating, “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” I’m sure many of you can relate to this idea, but why is that your minds tend to remember the painful, negative experiences but not so much the joyous, happy moments? There’s actually a neurobiological answer that has to do with something called a “negativity bias.” At the University of Washington a study revealed how a negative experience remains wired into your brain more strongly than a positive one. In fact, it takes up to five positive experiences to outweigh a negative thought!

So whenever you perceive aspects of your life as a problem, your consciousness automatically perceives them as negative or unwanted aspects of yourself that you have to rid in order to be perfect, happy, etc. This type of thinking only generates and perpetuates low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness that in turn compound your attitude of failure and frustration. So it’s no wonder that you might lack commitment and abandon your hopes and dreams that you made with enthusiasm at the New Year. So what’s the answer to stop your unhealthy thoughts of shame or guilt when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions to aspects you perceive as problems in your life?

I invite you to consider the possibility that rather than making a New Year’s “re-solution” you make a New Year’s “re-affirmation” for what you want to manifest in 2012! How does that sound to you? Say to yourself – “I’m making a New Year’s REAFFIRMATION!” When you say this phrase, you begin to “affirm” aspects of your life that are already great and working for you. By making a reaffirmation you focus on all the empowered positive choices you’ve already made, rather than on “re-solving” all the problems you believe exist in your life.

In the fields of cognitive psychology and neurolinguistics, the language and words that you use have a very powerful impact on how you act and how you live. In neuroscience, this concept is known as creating a “neural net.” The thoughts and words that you choose to believe about yourself rewire your brain physiology eventually creating a neural net that reinforces these patterns of consciousness. In essence, your thoughts literally influence your health and wellbeing. As the Buddha eloquently stated, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make our world.” This quote is relevant to our discussion. When you shift your thoughts and language from “re-solving” a problem to “re-affirming” an intention, you in turn alter your consciousness from viewing your life as a series of pesky problems to one of joyous affirmations.

So here are two great exercises you can do. The first is to reword your New Year’s resolutions into reaffirmations. Taking the examples of resolutions I used earlier, you can rephrase them by saying, “I reaffirm to continue being happy, healthy and to love myself in 2012 by eating more properly, by quitting smoking, and by exercising more regularly.” Can you feel a difference in the language of this new affirmation from the previous resolution? The fundamental shift is that your reaffirmations begin by “re-affirming” the positive and joyous aspects of your life, which in turn make it easier to create the changes you want.

The second tool, which addresses the “negativity bias,” is to make a list of five aspects or qualities in your life that you already do well. If you recall it can take up to five positive thoughts and emotions to outweigh an unhealthy one. I encourage you to have this list near you at all times by keeping it on your cell phone, in your wallet or purse, or on your office desk. This is your “affirmation” list, which will help alleviate any frustration and disappointment you might have as you move forward in your goals for 2012. Repeat these affirmations to yourself on a daily basis, or whenever you feel the need.

These exercises of rewording your resolutions to reaffirmations and of creating your “affirmation list” help you to focus on those aspects of life that empower you, instead of shame or guilt you. In turn, cultivating more emotionally and mentally healthy thoughts creates the foundation for more transformation to occur in your life. In just a short time, you will quickly learn to use these newly created New Year’s reaffirmations and begin the gradual steps to realize your goals. The key word here is gradual. Deep and profound change rarely happens instantly or overnight. So be patient and compassionate to yourself, knowing the great news is that you can enjoy your New Year’s reaffirmations all throughout 2012! Watch the full video clip on Youtube here to learn more!

So if you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolutions, I’m here to tell you that there’s still hope. The answer for you to fulfill your dreams and goals for the year and beyond is to transform your New Year’s “resolutions” to New Year’s “reaffirmations.” Have a wonderful day and an amazing 2012, as you continue Living Your Lightâ with your new reaffirmations!

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar 

Keep on Living Your Light® in health and happiness in the New Year.

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook - Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter - docjaykumar
 

“Don’t Buy More, Just Be More!” As much as our culture wants you to believe, material success does not equate to happiness. As I discussed in “Being Happy during the Happy Holidays,” authentic happiness cannot be measured by a price tag. In fact, researchers Ed Diener of the University of Illinois and Martin Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010 published findings in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest that while U.S. wealth has tripled over the past 50 years, our national wellbeing and happiness have been flat. It’s just as the famous line from The Beatles goes, “Money can’t buy me love.” While having material and financial stability are vital for your way of life, the point is that the real indicators for happiness are not found in your bank account, stock portfolio, or the size of your car or house. Rather, focus on what truly is of value in your life—family, friends, loved ones, and enjoying life! Studies conducted by Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky at UC Riverside show that people who are happiest also have strong social connections and deep personal relationships with friends and family. We humans are social animals, after all. We need to feel a sense of belonging and connection to the greater whole. So the next time you get stressed, feel anxious about finances, or worry that you can’t afford that luxury car or home, remember that the real treasures in life, the love of our family and friends, are free!

 “Gratitude is a Healthy Attitude” Expressing gratitude for what you have, no matter how small it is, can also contribute to your greater health and happiness. In the past few years, scientists now recognize that gratitude is one of the most powerful and healthiest of human emotions. Studies at University of Miami, UC Davis, and other universities successfully demonstrate that remembering to be grateful for what you have in life can greatly outweigh any sadness, stress, or challenges you might currently experience. Further discoveries in neuroscience suggest that when you experience gratitude, the left pre-frontal cortex of the brain, an area that correlates to emotions of love and compassion, begins to activate. As I like to say, “Gratitude turns WHAT YOU HAVE into enough, creates contentment for WHAT IS, and manifests greater joy for WHO YOU ARE!” If you can’t express gratitude for what you already have, how can you expect to be grateful for all the prosperity and abundance that awaits you in 2012! Read more on gratitude in “Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude” 

“Practice Compassion and Kindness” As His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says, “If you want to be happy, make others happy!” In the past two decades, research into the human brain has discovered that we possess a peculiar thing known as a mirror neuron. Scientists know believe that these mirror neurons are the reason why humans, along with certain primates, elephants, dogs, and dolphins, are biologically wired to experience the emotions of others. Mirror neurons suggest that the human brain has evolved to experience both the pain and euphoria of others. It is this biological conditioning that may account for human empathy and compassion. Brain scans reveal that expressing more compassion and kindness helps you develop these mirror neurons, and it is this notion of compassion and empathy toward others that ultimately allows you to experience greater happiness and wellbeing on a daily basis. So the more kindness you practice toward people, the happier they become and the happier you become! Learn more about mirror neurons and the mind in “The Neuroscience of Health and Happiness." 

“Keep Thinking Good Thoughts” Did you know that it takes at least FIVE good thoughts to outweigh a negative one! Neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson states, “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” I’m sure many of you can relate to this idea, but why is that our minds tend to remember the painful, negative experiences but not so much the joyous, happy moments? There’s actually a neurobiological answer that has to do with something called a “negativity bias.” At the University of Washington a study revealed how a negative experience remains wired into your brain more strongly than a positive one. In fact, it takes up to five positive experiences to outweigh a negative thought! Neurobiologists believe that this “negative bias” of the human brain was an evolutionary trait that helped early humans survive by allowing the brain to react to, remember, and recall life-threatening experiences. Imagine you were an early human chased by a lion; your brain would store that information into a neural net, recalling that memory as a survival mechanism. The lesson is that in order to experience authentic happiness, you actively have to focus on the positive to overcome the negative experiences in your life that your brain has imprinted into your consciousness. Learn more about how your psychology influences your biology in the“The Healing Power of Thought.”

“Just Breathe!” One of the simplest and most effective tools you have to alleviate stress and create more happiness in your life is to create some sacred, personal time in your day. I find that one of the easiest ways to do this is to focus on your breath for as little as five minutes a day. Dr. James S. Gordon, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Georgetown University Medical School, states, “Slow, deep breathing is probably the single best anti-stress medicine we have.” You may be surprised to learn that doing mindful, calm breathing exercises for just five minutes a day can begin to shift your emotional and mental health. In the growing field of mind-body medical research, studies show that focusing on your breathing, specifically on the quality and state of your breath, might be the key to unlock your potential for health and happiness. Let’s face it, most of us do shallow breathing, i.e. not connecting our breath deep into the belly. Deep-belly breathing has now been shown in numerous studies to have a significant benefit on your neurophysiology, calming and soothing both your mind and body. When you connect and focus on your breath by taking deep and slow inhalations and exhalations, your nervous system and brain waves begin to come into balance and coherence. When your brain and body are in alignment you tend to cultivate the “four C’s” of calmness, contentment, caring and creativity. Watch the Self-Guided Breathing Video to learn how to alleviate stress and to experience greater happiness in your daily life.

As you begin 2012, a phrase to remember is that “happiness is not something that happens to you, but rather it is something you create.” I hope you enjoy integrating these five tips for happiness and wellbeing into your daily life. For those who would like to cultivate greater health and happiness in 2012, I invite you to join me at the Health, Wellness & Gourmet Living Retreat in the Loire Valley of France May 27-June 2, 2012. Enjoy a week of learning how to implement these tools into your life in the relaxing and healing French countryside with yoga, meditation, gourmet food and wine. Lastly, always remember that you are powerful, whole, amazing, and unique in every way. Never be afraid to let your light shine forth fully and brightly, for the world would be a much dimmer place without you in it! Keep on Living Your Light® in 2012!

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope this message finds you all celebrating this sacred and special time of year with joy and abundance. While the Holidays are a time for good cheer and happiness, many of you might be experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or even panic entering into the Holiday season. Basically, it can sometimes be hard to find the “HAPPY” in the customary “Happy Holiday” greeting. The demands, obligations, holiday travel, coping to be with the family, or perhaps remembering loved ones who are no longer with you, these all can contribute to the Holidays being one of the most stressful and anxious times of year. It is during these tough economic times that you might be additionally burdened with lack of means to celebrate the Holidays, as you once were accustomed. For some of you, this could mean cutting back on gifts for the kids, not having the money to visit your relatives, or quite possibly spending the Holidays literally without a home. All of these factors can make us feel unworthy or ashamed for not having enough!

If this rings a bell for you, please know that despite all the hardship and lack you might experience, I encourage you to be grateful for all that you do have! In our consumerist culture, the Holiday season is predominantly about shopping and gifting. While it’s perfectly fine to do so, we sometimes get trapped into the belief that the larger or more expensive the gift, the greater the expression of love it conveys. Contrary to what we hear and see on TV, billboards, and the internet, this time of year is not about getting the best deals or wanting the perfect present from your partner, spouse, or parent. Rather, it is a time to pause and reflect on all that truly brings value in your life. As I like to say the key to happiness and true joy is, "Don’t Buy More, Just Be More!” A phrase that is even more relevant during the Holidays. 

I’d like to share a brief lesson regarding the ancient origin and meaning of the Holiday season. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or partake in the Holiday spirit, there is a very interesting history behind the sacredness of this time of year. Well before Christmas was established to fall every year on Dec. 25^th, several early cultures and religions marked this holy time of the year. (In fact, the word holiday derives from the term holy day). It might surprise some to know that the date of Christ’s birth and of Christmas was actually decreed in 350 CE by Pope Julius I to coincide with the ritual celebrations of the indigenous European religions, in the hope to convert them to Christianity. The festival that we today know as Christmas actually has its origins in the Winter Solstice, the day marking the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Around Dec. 21^st, ancient people in pre-Christian Europe and the Middle East commemorated this day as the renewal of the sun and the increase of light on the planet.

Another Holiday festival, the Twelve Days of Christmas, also has an astronomical origin. Since the lunar calendar is shorter than the solar calendar by about 11-12 days, this gap between the two systems had to be reconciled in the timekeeping of many cultures. The answer was to make these “twelve days” special and appear to be outside of normal time, a period that was considered to be sacred and holy.

The point is that the Holidays were never meant to be about getting the best shopping deals or having to buy the most expensive present to convey your love to those in your life. As you celebrate the Holiday season, I invite you to remember one very important point—the best gift you can ever give or receive is not measured by what you buy or do; the best gift is sharing your light and joy with others. In essence, despite the tough economic times you might be experiencing right now, always remember to be grateful for what you have in life. The best gifts you can ever give or receive are the love of your family, joy of friends, blessings for good health, and the gratitude for what you have. On an interesting side note, studies now indicate that there is a direct correlation between our level of gratitude with our happiness! A finding from the University of Miami actually suggests that the more gratitude we express, the better is our general state of health and wellbeing. Read full article here.

So as you celebrate the Holidays, whether it’s Christmas or Hanukkah, learn to experience the HAPPY in these Happy Holidays! As I like to say, “Gratitude turns WHAT YOU HAVE into enough, creates contentment for WHAT IS, and manifests greater joy for WHO YOU ARE!”

Have a beautiful, joyous, abundant Holiday season as you keep on Living Your Light® with gratitude, abundance, and plentitude for all that you have. 

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
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"LOVE IS A FREQUENCY, Stay Tuned!"

Download and check out the "The Power of Love" podcast by Dr. Jay Kumar. Tune in every Thursday 6amPT/9amET to hear AWAKE with Dr. Jay Kumar on the Doug Stephan Good Day Show. Catch the show live at www.dougstephan.com

Have an awesome day!

One of my favorite quotes comes from Charles Darwin who says, “It is not the strongest of the species
 that survives, nor the most intelligent,
 but the one most responsive to change.” In essence, change is inevitable! Ironically, change is the only constant of the universe and of life. The more we resist change, the more we suffer, the more we remain in fear, and the more we get stuck on the journey.

However, another way to view change can be as an awakening. One of my favorite movie lines comes from an old 1980’s film Joe versus the Volcano with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It goes, “Almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everyone you see, everyone you talk to. Only a few people are awake, and we live in constant and total amazement.” So when you can begin to see life not as a fearful and dreaded element of change, but as an adventurous, joyous, and exhilarating journey of awakening, that is when you truly start LIVING! 

Whether it was the Arab uprisings a few months ago or the current Occupy movement happening both here in the US and globally, one thing is for sure–the new emerging paradigm on the planet is about BECOMING AWAKE. Awake not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense of feeling alive, whole, vibrant, and most of all individually and collectively empowered. On the contrary, the old paradigm we’re releasing was about being ASLEEP by feeling disconnected, isolated, depressed, devalued, ignorant, and disempowered.

Humanity is in a time of tremendous transformation–all the current long-standing structures of the planet are transitioning as we awake to an emerging worldview of wholeness, interconnectedness, compassion, tolerance, and justice. In order for this shift to occur, all the old structures of separation, domination, oppression, nationalism, and fundamentalism have to come up in our collective consciousness so that they can be healed. Basically, “THE SHIFT IS ABOUT TO HIT THE FAN – BIG TIME!” Depending on what side of the fan you’re standing on, that will determine how easily you’ll make the shift. If you happen to be standing on the side that fears all the changes, you might not like it when the “shift starts flying!”

A few weeks ago, I decided to experience this momentous awakening on the planet by spending a night at the Occupy Los Angeles movement. While there, I could palpably feel the energy and power of transformation taking place. People from all walks of life–students, educators, war veterans, architects, doctors, lawyers, and, yes, even a number of business people were sharing their voices by saying NO to the old ways and advancing social change. In essence, what was happening there at the Occupy LA site and what is currently manifesting around the world is an AWAKENING! In Eastern philosophy, the word for "one who is awake" is known as a Buddha. The renowned Buddhist spirtual leader, Thich Naht Hahn, nicely sums up this notion of global awakening by saying that the next Buddha is not going to be a person, but the actual planet and humanity! THE ENTIRE PLANET AND HUMANITY ARE THE NEXT BUDDHA.

Interestingly, the Biblical concepts of the Apocalypse and of the Revelation both derive from words that mean to “reveal, awaken, lift up the veil.” The word “apocalypse” derives from the ancient Greek verb apokalyptein "to uncover, disclose, reveal," which in the Latin version of the Bible became the word revelatio “to reveal, unveil, uncover, disclose.” So for all you doomsday types out there who fear the Apocalypse or the Revelation as the end of the world, to you I say, “BEWARE, THE BEGINNING IS NEAR!”

As more of us become awake, the more this awakening accelerates around the planet. It only takes a small but dedicated few of us to be catalysts for humanity’s great awakening. As the noted anthropologist Margaret Mead once insightfully observed, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Always remember just how amazing and incredible you are, and just how joyous and magnificent life is. The key to navigating these times of change and transformation is to “change” your attitude toward change. Once you begin to understand that the personal and planetary changes are nothing more than humanity’s powerful awakening, you will be just fine! Keep on Living Your Light® as you keep on Awakening Into Your Light!

Dr. Jay Kumar
www.drjaykumar.com
Facebook – Dr. Jay Kumar
Twitter – docjaykumar

With Halloween approaching I fondly remember as a kid, and even now as an adult, why it is one of my favorite times of the year. Of course, getting to put on a fun costume, trick-or-treating with friends, and eating lots of candy certainly makes Halloween a great time. However, it wasn't until I took a college class in ancient cultures and religions when I discovered the true significance and sacred origin of Halloween. It may come as a pleasant surprise to learn that the original sacred tradition of Halloween can actually offer valuable and important lessons as you embark upon your quest toward health, wholeness and integration.

Trick-or-treating, playing pranks, scaring one another, and dressing up in costume are some of the things that we generally associate with the festive spirit of Halloween.  For many of us Halloween is the one day of the year when we can enjoy becoming our alter ego, disguising ourselves behind an anonymous mask, and perhaps even letting the trickster in us all to come out of hiding without fear of being judged. It may be surprising to learn that the original sacred and holy traditions of Halloween offer valuable and important lessons for us as we embark upon our quest toward health, wholeness and integration. Halloween can actually be a wonderful opportunity for us to expand on our healing and spiritual journey, to embrace a greater sense of self-awareness, and to put our personal spiritual beliefs into actual practice in the world. You might be saying to yourself, “What does Halloween have anything to do with healing and spirituality?” To answer this question and to see how this is possible, let us briefly explore the origin and original spiritual significance of Halloween.

The word Halloween is actually an abbreviation for Hallow Even(ing), the night of the year when both the dark and light energies on the planet are considered to be the most hallow. You might wonder how can there be anything sacred about the dark. The best way to answer this is to look at the English word hallow itself. The word hallow refers to that which is sacred and revered, being etymologically related to the words holy, heal, and whole. While the Winter Solstice is technically considered to be the longest night of the year, many cultures and spiritual traditions of the world recognize that this time of the year is the energetically or "spiritually" darkest night of the year. It is during this time of year, when the planet and each of us has the capacity and the means to experience true wholeness, holiness, and healing of both our own light and dark.

Many indigenous traditions and ancient cultures of the world have viewed this time of the year when the thin veil that separates the darkness and light of the world, as well as the dark and light within the human psyche, disappears. The origin of Halloween goes back to pre-Christian Celtic Europe when the last day of October known as Samhain, an Old Irish word that roughly translates as “summer’s end,” was the day that marked the beginning of the pre-Christian New Year. At this crucial point of the year the light of summer ends and the darkness of winter begins. The pre-Christian religion believed that on this day of the year the barrier between the world of the living and the realm of the departed becomes the most transparent.

Interestingly, one finds this concept shared by the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead, a festival that perhaps is a remnant of the earlier Aztec culture. The Day of the Dead is celebrated each first day of November and commemorates the ancestors that have crossed the veil to the darkness of the other world. With the arrival of Christianity into Europe and later into the New World, the Christian religion recognized the relevance of this time of the year and commemorated these indigenous traditions by creating All Saints Day and All Souls Day to honor the various departed saints and beloved souls in our lives.

For many of us Halloween is the only time of the year when society gives us permission to let the hidden and perhaps repressed parts of our individual and collective consciousness come out and be seen in public without fear or shame. These parts of our self, sometimes referred to in psychotherapy as the shadow, the alter ego, the lower self, or the disowned soul, are merely aspects of our greater whole that are not fully integrated. Many of us earnestly guard or actively invest energy concealing these parts of our self from the outside world out of fear that they will be exposed, judged, or ridiculed. During this one day of Halloween, our society provides the safe and culturally sanctioned space for the underbelly of society as well as the darkness within us to have a healthy opportunity to be brought from occlusion into openness, from exclusion into inclusion, from fear of being judged to being accepted. In fact, I believe the reason why Halloween is such a popular holiday is that it is the only time of the year when society gives us permission to let our hidden shadow and disowned darkness be seen and come out of its cave where we may have forced it to hide for the other days of the year.

What exactly is our shadow or this disowned darkness? Simply stated our shadow and our dark are whatever we are unconscious of or have repressed, denied, or avoided in our life. This notion of a repressed shadow manifests both on an individual and collective level. For some our shadow can appear on a personal level as repressed anger, violence, fear, shame, judgment, contempt, or repulsion to others or even to ourselves. On a global or collective level, these same emotions can appear as racism, religious fundamentalism, slavery, misogyny, homophobia, warfare, fear of change, etc.

There are endless ways in which our dark makes itself known. Our shadow surfaces only in the hope that it can be healed. Our hidden shadow speaks to us all the time, but the more we ignore its pleas to be witnessed, the more it grows and surfaces when we least expect it. If you are not aware of what your dark might be, just simply ask your family, friends, and loved ones for they will easily identify it for you. Why it is easy for others to indentify our shadow rests in the notion that whatever aspects of our dark that we have disowned and unidentified, we project onto those around us!

Many of us have been taught and conditioned to believe that our individual dark and the disowned aspects of our consciousness need to be repressed and devalued as society has taught us to equate them as being evil and unhealthy. We need to truly understand that our shadowy dark side is nothing to be feared! It is not, as we are often led to believe, something that is unwholesome that needs to be shunned, repressed, or devalued. This is a common misconception that many people, including myself, bought into regarding the spiritual journey toward health and wholeness. While many of us wish to live from a place of expansion, abundance, and integrity in our light, many of us focus so much on experiencing the light that we completely ignore the dark that exists right alongside it.

I will share with you an opinion that is not often voiced in many circles–the more we actually proceed on our journey toward wholeness and focus only on expanding into our light, the denser, the more pained and more vocal our disowned dark becomes. Our inner dark is an aspect of our consciousness that we must be careful not to ignore. I have finally come to the realization for myself and also have expressed to my clients that the key to expanding on the sacred journey into light is to embrace and reintegrate the dark. As the famous psychologist Jung once asked, “Would you rather be whole or perfect?”

One thing I wish to clarify that the term “embrace the dark,” does not mean being unaccountable for our actions. We need to remember that we are the ones who created our dark, and each of us is responsible for owning it and ensuring that it is healthily expressed. By acknowledging our shadow, we do not in any way mean that we have to become subservient to it. By truly owning our dark, we ensure that it does not have the chance to be expressed as violence, rage, or in any way that is harmful to us, others, and to the planet.

You can perhaps think of it like this–the brighter our light, the more visible our shadow becomes. Just as on a bright and sunny day, we can see our physical shadow more easily as opposed to when the Sun is obscured, so too is the case with our personal darkness. The more we aspire to embrace our light, one thing that we also must do is to examine and embrace the dark aspects of our shadow. This idea is also true on a collective level. The more humanity awakens and continues on its journey toward a new consciousness of wholeness, the more we have to own up to all the shadow aspects in our world. It is my belief that as more light becomes manifest on the planet, the more visible our collective shadow will become. War, terrorism, racism, poverty and neglect of the environment–all of these ‘dark’ aspects of humanity will actually become more pronounced as more light emerges on the planet, until that point when humanity’s collective dark becomes fully reintegrated back into the light.

In fact, this reintegration of the dark with the light is currently happening all around us as we return to wholeness! This process parallels the same course that we as individuals encounter on our healing journey. Just as a person may have to recall and sometimes become present to a past trauma in order to heal, so too do we as a species have to witness and remember the collective trauma of the past several millennia. Again, our light serves nothing more than a beacon to illuminate our inner darkness. Just as a flashlight in a darkened room allows us to witness the things stored there, so too can our light empower us with the gift to witness and ultimately to face and embrace the darkened recesses of our inner being.

The philosophical and spiritual teachings of the ancient Indian traditions of Yoga that date back over 3,000 years state that Yoga is a word that translates as “union.” Yoga psychology aims at bringing into union all the disconnected aspects of our sacred self into a greater whole, which means embracing both our light and our dark! I have always said that there are no such things as negative emotions, as they are just energies disconnected from the greater whole of our being. As I’ve discussed in previous blog posts, the word “whole” is related to the word “heal.” In essence, all are disconnected emotions and thoughts that we label as being negative are really only “unhealed.” Even if you don’t practice Yoga, many of humanity’s great spiritual traditions and faiths teach that we need to explore these disowned and ignored areas of our emotional, mental, psychological, and spiritual terrain that we have not yet dared to enter. Allowing our shadow to be felt and witnessed from a “healthy” place allows the darkness within to become “whole.”  

When we fully own our dark, we abide in a greater place of integrity with our highest potential self, the place within each of us we strive to manifest as our goal in life. The way that we awaken our highest potential self is to become “whole,” which is to become “healed.” It is through our individual and collective ability to reintegrate our shadow into the greater whole that we experience the true health of mind, body, heart and spirit of which many ancient spiritual traditions speak. By owning our shadow, we take responsibility for our actions, our thoughts, and our words. The more we become accountable for these hidden aspects of our consciousness, the more we begin to live from a place of freedom, health, and wellbeing.

Again, owning our dark and acting upon our dark are two different matters. Although I encourage us to acknowledge the hidden and scary aspects of our consciousness, I’m not advocating that we have to act upon those destructive thoughts and tendencies. The more we actually are able to own our shadow, the less harm it can do. The more we ignore our dark, the more it controls us making us act out in violence, hatred, and rage. I would actually go so far as to say that everyday is Halloween–for everyday is a sacred opportunity to let our dark come out and to be healthily acknowledged as it reunites into the light. When our light and dark can exist as a unified whole, so too do we live from a place of freedom, liberation, and union with our whole self.

On a related note, half way around the world in India nearly a billion people on Oct. 26th will honor the ancient Hindu tradition known as Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Diwali always falls on the new Moon between mid-October to mid-November, and like the Celtic holiday of Samhain and the early Halloween ritual, Diwali is again the time of the year considered to be the energetically darkest night for the planet. During Diwali around the world people celebrate the Hindu lunar New Year by lighting oil lamps, bursting fire crackers, and allowing the light of humanity to shine at its brightest. Like the ancient Celts, Aztecs, and other traditions of the world, the ancient Indians realized that it is in the darkness where we eventually can discover and reclaim our light.

I find it more than just a coincidence that Halloween, Samhain, the Day of the Dead, Diwali, and the Christian holidays all coincide at this time of the year. I believe that there is something inherently recognized at the heart of our human experience that is evidenced in many of our world cultures–during this time of the year humanity acknowledges those aspects of itself that are hidden and obscured from the light.

As many of us begin to celebrate Halloween and the other global festivals that honor the dark and light, please keep in mind that we all hold onto darkness, for it is part of what makes us human. To deny our individual darkness, is to deny our very humanity. I invite you to honor this sacred time of the year as you feel your dark wanting to be heard. Close your eyes, connect to your breath deep into your body, and listen to the words this disowned part of yourself is saying. For many of us this dark speaks to us in the language of emotions–rage, shame, frustration, contempt, disgust, irritation, impatience, sadness, etc. The key to “heal” the dark and bring into “wholeness” the vulnerable emotions that our shadow reveals is to recognize the thoughts and belief systems we have created that fuel these emotions. From a place of compassion and self-acceptance, surrender these self-limiting judgments and perceptions into the breath for it is through the breath that the dark can be at long last reunited with our light.

Our ancient religious traditions believed that during this time of the year we walk between the worlds of the living and the departed, the known and the unknown, the revealed and concealed, and between the light and the dark. Regardless of whether you choose to honor Halloween, Day of the Dead, Diwali, or All Souls Day this week, rejoice in knowing that this is a sacred opportunity for each of us to come to terms with our hidden inner darkness and with those aspects of our consciousness that have been ignored and neglected for far too long in our life.

 Again whatever aspects of our hidden darkness that we choose not to own get projected not only onto others but also onto the planet! To the extent that we each are at war internally with our own dark and refuse to make peace with our unhealed demons and devils, the more we see this battle magnified on a larger scale in our neighborhoods, streets, homes, schools, and lands. By each of us setting our intention to take the personal responsibility to heal the pain of our disowned dark, we each in our own way allow the polarized dark and light of humanity to unite into a harmonious integrated greater whole. Each of us makes a difference! As Gandhi once famously said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” The path to healing the planet and humanity starts within each of us. We each have a vital and important role to play. We each need to be the change. Happy Halloween!

May you always be LIVING YOUR LIGHT® from a place of compassion, intention, and integration as you make whole both your dark and your light.

Dr. Jay Kumar
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