I suppose the best place to start would be in the description of what Keepers of the Earth actually is, and hopefully clarify some of the terms and definitions so that everyone who is coming here can be on the same page, literally and figuratively.
Our primary intention behind the creation of this School of Yoga & Mystical Arts is to preserve Natural Law and Sacred Wisdom.
Now, exactly what do we mean by this?
At KotE, we hold the belief that there is a wisdom embedded right within our hearts and all around us in the Nature that created us. However, we have observed that this “natural wisdom” has largely been lost (or perhaps simply obscured) due to the advent of modern culture. We have lost our innate ability to commune on deeper levels with the sub-structures of Reality and instead relate to the world on a very surface level, material-oriented view. “Modern culture”, in this context, is the way our lives and the capacities of our organism have been shaped by today’s technology, nutrition, and lifestyle. At one point in our history, we required a highly refined and tuned-up biology to survive our day-to-day. Now, this is simply no longer the case. The wisdom that is right underneath our noses, buried as a potential within each of us, has been obstructed. We have “built on top of” older structures but they have not gone away. We have just lost contact with them. This is the secret hidden in plain sight. Everything in the Universe has evolved in a similar fashion — newer structures replacing older, out-dated structures. And the cycle continues.
However, a problem arises when we are no longer paying attention to the knowledge inherited from the past. The past exists as a puzzle piece to unlock a greater future for all of us. It is here, in the present, where we can integrate the past and take better steps forward. If the past is not supportive to our growth — evolutionarily, emotionally, spiritually — then what purpose does it serve? Is there a purpose?
The ancient people would say, YES. That the past, which in the Yoga tradition is viewed as karma, is the way that we learn how to escape what is called “the wheel of suffering”, or samsara. What this wheel truly represents, beyond the concept of reincarnation in which it is commonly associated, is the wheel of repeating behaviors. When we repeat a lesson that we have not yet “learned” or “integrated” into our being — perhaps this integration occurs at a cellular level — what is happening is we are allowing energy to stay stuck in the past. This “energy” is the potential for newness, for Creation … however, if the energy is “stuck energy”, it is looping to give life into a previous patten, behavior, or quality. When that stuck energy is liberated from its karmic cage, it becomes pure potential once more. This movement of stuckness to liberation is the movement of what is known as Kundalini. When Kundalini is aroused, according to the tradition, the life-force energy (referred to as Shakti; She) at the base of the spine rises upward to join Her consort at the top of the skull (in our tradition we refer to this as Shiva). What this really process is literally explaining is the “stuck energy” that is trapped, or “dormant”, becomes freed from the material in which it is enmeshed, and that free energy immediately travels backwards towards the Source — pure potential, pure Awareness. Why this is important to realize is that this refers to the mechanics of spiritual transformation, and it is what our great tradition of Yoga and its related Eastern wisdom sciences (such as Tantra) were attempting to help us understand.
As we are learning in the modern age, it is difficult to make real changes. Change occurs, fundamentally, at a biological level within each organism. Once an actual change has taken place in the neurobiological patterns of an individual, they are now interacting with life in a completely new way. Unless and until this has happened, the same patterns of thought leading to the same patterns of behavior is likely to occur. The Yogis believed that there was a way out of this mess, so they devised the entire system that we see today as “Yoga”, however what see as Yoga in modern culture is still only a fraction of what is possible with this spiritual science.
Understanding this process — which we have referred to here through terms such as karma, samsara, kundalini, Shakti, and Shiva — is part of what we are doing with Keepers of the Earth. These concepts are not rules or dogmas to believe in so much as they are principles in observable nature meant to be acknowledged and appreciated. Learning how to interface with our ancient wisdom in such a way that allows us to view the world we live in today with a little more freedom and appreciation to the sublime intelligence of our Creator is really the goal of studying & learning these topics.
Keepers of the Earth, ultimately, was created to serve other humans who found value in preserving and upholding the integrity of these teachings in such a way that allowed them to truly take care of the world in which we live. If we desire change, it happens within — we know this much. And protecting our Earth is a far more complicated and complex question than finding solutions to problems that have arisen due to our consciousness becoming misguided and fragmented in modern society. We believe the real answers lie within — they lie right in front of us, in the very nature we are seeking to preserve. Yoga and the Mystical Sciences help us remember and re-awaken these innate powers … the powers of our own consciousness …. and use them for good — true good. Good that is not tainted by human desires but rather goodness that comes from the Earth, as part of the natural & intrinsic wish of Life to preserve and take care of Life.
We (and I, Grant Ifflander), hope that this post gives you insight, inspiration and clarity around what we are doing with this Yoga School. We hope that you sense the deeper nature of our work. We hope that this helps us attract the right individuals to study and train with us, and that over time we build a network of strong, power Earth Keepers and people dedicated to the preservation of Natural Law. Our next blog post will be a bit about the upcoming training happening January 15th to February 5th, 2023 and what we intend to cover in those 21 days, so stay tuned for that.
Remember that applications close October 15th for this upcoming training, so if you are wanting to attend, be sure to read through the material on this website as it may help answer questions you might have, and submit your application if it is something that feels inspiring to you.
With love and prana,
Grant Ifflander & Keepers of the Earth