The Truth Expressed in Many Ways

In her recent newsletter, Sandy McAlister invited us to explore Cosmic Consciousness Pose. The October “2nd Saturday” teachers’ gathering on Zoom was led by Ev-Hanson Florin; Sandy was traveling. About 30 teachers attended; after practice, Ev shared Justin’s instructions about Cosmic Consciousness from Justin’s Photo Text and the Teacher’s Manual. 

“Standing in the ‘Cosmic Consciousness Pose’… will bring one to a period of rest in which the Yin and Yang Chi, which separated… in motion, have a chance to flow together again and become integrated and balanced,” Justin wrote. He also writes here that the pose is held for one to two minutes. He writes that “We look through slightly spread fingers and try not to have extraneous thoughts. This might be held 30 seconds or more.” In the Teacher’s Manual, “The pose can be introduced at any time, in any lesson. Students must be shown that the elbows are at the same height as the hands, and the right hand is outside at approximately the level of the throat.”

Our discussion was rich and contemplative. We shared ways to help students become comfortable with the pose. If they bring the heels close together, the left heel can simply rotate up onto the right ankle. The hips are level and the weight is balanced; the elbows are buoyant. There was a suggestion that we have a weightless left heel, to connect without placing pressure on the ankle. To some, the stance felt like a bridge; to others, one peg leg. 

My takeaway was to “breathe in as you bring up your arms, and then as you exhale the shoulders drop down the back.” Teachers had different understandings of the ideal level of the arms (from the upper chest to up to across the nose; to heart-level only when needed as an adaptation). We reminded each other to return to the principles during such exploration. What did Justin mean when he said to look through the fingers? Was he talking about the thumbs? If we line up the spaces between the fingers, are we putting undue tension on the wrists? 

There were differences about where to put the gaze but we seemed to agree that the gaze is soft and our focus is inward while still being aware of all around us. One can also focus on something, so they don’t lose balance, and this is a helpful way to start students. We discussed time holding the pose. Sandy had pointed out this changed in writings over the years, but that most practitioners hold the pose about 30 seconds. Sandy wrote that she feels that the quality of the time is more important than the amount. “Settling into the pose, softening, grounding, sinking the attention, allowing for a deep feeling of letting go to pervade the body,” she says. “I don’t think we often give attention to practicing the Cosmic Consciousness Pose. We do work on the physical form, but that is just the vessel for the inner work.” She suggested spending some quality time with the Cosmic Consciousness Pose to see if your relationship with it changes.

One big take-away for Terry from Hawaii (who shared her notes with me) was the idea of a 1,000-mile stare. “See nothing and everything with an all-inclusive gaze.” Have “soft eyes, like the eyes of a doe (deer). Oneness; unity.” The arms are not straight across the chest; there is a roundness, but it’s not a full circle, either. Sense the outside and the inside of the circle and sense yourself in the circle of everything. See with spiritual eyes; look inside the body and into the tan t’ien. 

As our discussion wound to a close, I reflected that saying things in so many different ways can be a good thing because they will resonate differently for different people. Seemingly opposite suggestions become synchronous and part of a bigger whole when I let go of finding the right answer. But we must remember the words and mental concepts are not the whole of it; they are just pointers. I believe there were reasons Justin used the words he did, even those he told us not to get caught up in. After all, the cosmic consciousness is not something that is expressed easily in words.

As Terry noted, “Just be open to what you are experiencing. What a wonderful teaching from Justin for all of us.”