Integration

“…In disowning the parts of ourselves that we believe to be unacceptable or unenlightened, they get thrown into a shadow-bag. And when these unconscious inner forces remain unacknowledged or unexamined, they inevitably take possession of the pristine peace of the unconditioned awake state and play havoc with our internal and external environment, often revealing themselves in distorted and catastrophic ways… every energy longs to come home, to be loved, to be embraced, it knocks on the door, and if it’s not truly met in the light of truth, it smashes the door down…

Even Buddha had to sit under the Bodhi tree, immovable, while Mara, the Lord of Darkness, tempted him with desires and tormented him with fears before enlightenment became his living reality. And even Jesus had to meet his demons in the desert before he could abide permanently in the light of true spiritual awakening…

There seems to be a need for the integration of the shadow, especially in the Western psyche… Here, there is a gentle allowing of all energies while pointing to the unconditioned space of awareness throughout it all. When trauma or emotional suppression run deep, energetic blockages can often more easily be released through bodywork within the same context of awareness. In the bowl of love, without expectation of any particular outcome, there is a natural unfoldment of awake awareness and a stabilization of awakened consciousness.”

~ Amoda Maa’s childhood and early adult years of personal hardship - marked by isolation, unexpected   loss, and depression - were the catalyst for her spiritual search. When her academic career as a psychologist and her long-term relationship collapsed in the late 1980’s, she became penniless, homeless and without an identity. At rock bottom, she found herself fully open to living in the present, and… she stopped searching for a teacher or teaching and life became the real guru. In 2002, an experience of the dark night of the soul led to a profound inner awakening. After a long period of integration, in 2012 she started speaking to small gatherings in the UK… Amoda lives with her husband and beloved, Kavi Jezzie Hockaday… They recently left their home in England to embark on a new adventure on the west coast of America, where they now live.