Written by Reverend Dr. Nancy Ash, DD, PhD, Co-founding Chancellor of the NewEarth University and a senior advisor on the faculty of NEU’s School of Consciousness & Spirituality
(Excerpted – with author’s permission – from an article published in Dayspring magazine print-media at her column, Doing a 360: Sacred Spherical Strategies for Optimal Living)
All photos courtesy of the author from her private collection
Sacred Spherical Strategies for Optimal Living: 360 Skillful Means
I was asked recently: “What do you mean exactly by the word spherical, as in spherical strategies?”
Spherical, as opposed to linear, means all-encompassing and multi-dimensional, complete and whole. It is a view that leaves nothing out. Like standing on the top of the tallest mountain, and consciously seeing clearly in all directions… three hundred and sixty degrees.
Linear is in relation to length only.
Spherical is globular. It is any round shape having the surface equally distant from the center at all points.
So, what does all this have to do with living optimally?
Well, as life here on the earth plane continues to shift into higher and higher frequency levels, it is certainly imperative to understand how to adjust and balance ourselves during planetary transformation. With a well-rounded focus — a 360 awareness — we are able to see with mindfulness and clarity, thereby helping those according to their specific needs in the Greatest Degree of Love.
(Photo of the author hiking in New Mexico at 11,000 ft. courtesy of JA)
The Buddha taught 2,500 years ago in a spherical way.
He created one of the most sophisticated philosophical systems ever recorded. His teachings are layered like an onion so as you peel away each piece you come closer to the core, the emptiness, the pith instruction which is realization of your true nature, or ‘buddha nature.’ The word buddha is the past participle of the Sanskrit root word budh which means, “awakened.”
Some may think there is only one buddha: Buddha Shakyamuni. He is the historical Buddha that sat under the famous bodhi tree in India and “woke up.”
There are actually many Buddhas.
Buddhist beliefs and teachings may offer inspiration and deep insight for people of all walks of life. He (the awakened one of our present timeline) designed teachings in a 360-way because we all have different levels of understanding depending upon our disposition, personality and temperament. It is said that Buddha Shakyamuni would give ten different answers to the same question asked of him by ten different students.
A suggested Sacred Spherical Strategy for us in this moment is to practice what the Buddha called, ‘skillful means’ in our methods of helping those that we draw into our sphere of influence – whether they are students, clients, colleagues, family or friends. This has helped me to live in a more balanced, optimal way.
_______ ♥ _______
Skillful Means
Tune-in and focus with love and compassion
while maintaining the View – the big picture
_______ ♥ _______
Be like Buddha — an awakened one — offering a spherical, or well-rounded approach in your daily activities of “doing” consciousness in-action for the sake of all sentient beings.
As my dear mentor, longtime friend (and fellow dzogchen practitioner) Dr. Joan Kaye used to say: “Don’t offer someone aspirin when they have a snake bite!”
If we are truly present in the moment especially while helping others, we are spacious and globular, ‘seeing’ a 360-View that is equal from the center — their center, as well as honoring our own.
That is part and parcel with practicing skillful means… or as the beloved tagline of my ministry states: “love in the greatest degree.”
In Service through Grace,
The Reverend Dr. Nancy Ash, DD, PhD is a modern day mystic and pioneering midwife to the new paradigm since the 1970s. Her heart-centered voice is heard worldwide as a passionate new-thought-leader, author/poet, web TV host, and former radio co-host championing peace for all women, men and children on this planet.
Dr. Ash is Co-founding Chancellor of the NewEarth University, the planetary hub for wisdom-keeping of the NewEarth Project. She is president, graduate/postgrad advisor and Dean of the School of Interspiritual Studies at New Earth Theological University NETuniv.org Her book, Garland of Grace is a college textbook for the course she teaches, InterSpiritual Studies in Sacred Poetry.
In tandem with decades of multi-dimensional work as a Oneness Advocate in the field of evolutionary consciousness, Nancy is deeply honored to serve (2015 – ) on the founding Board of Trustees for the International Tribunal for Natural Justice (ITNJ.org), to ensure that human rights are fairly and nobly upheld, restoring justice-making to the people. She feels that working in this capacity is an enormous responsibility steeped in integrity, diligence and steadfast devotion to a better world through truth and reconciliation, absolution and healing.
A practitioner of Dzogchen in the Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism tradition since the ’80s, Rev. Nancy is also an Interfaith Minister ordained in 1985 (and, in 1998, after more study and vows to help humanity). She is a Ministerial Mentor training and ordaining students; and conferring doctoral degrees for her ministry. Nancy writes from depths of the heart surrounded by New Mexico’s enchanted mountains and to-date has authored two books with another in-progress. For more info: click here
