A THOUGHTFUL MESSAGE FROM A BEREAVED

Thanks goes out to author Jamie Mason for posting this very thoughtful message in response to a correspondence he had with Zeena relating to his mother's recent death. Below you will find his kind message, and below that, the letter from Zeena to which he's responding.

If there are any other requests for blessings at next week's Summer Solstice ritual, please write clearly what the blessing is for (i.e., deceased being, or sick person or animal), briefly state what the purpose of the blessing is. They will be added to the ritual.-Om Ami Dewa Hri-
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Jamie's message below:

Of interest to my friends who are Left-Hand Path. Facing all the usual challenges of the grieving process following my mother's death and finding no comfort in mainstream religion, I reached out to Zeena Schreck. Since her departure from the Church of Satan/Temple of Set, she has become a practitioner of tantric Buddhism and returned to the public sphere, after a brief retreat, to again offer herself as medium and teacher with a series of public rituals. I wrote to request blessings for my mother in one of these rituals and received a lengthy, personal reply from Zeena herself - one filled with compassion and thoughtful, practical advice. It is amazing to personally encounter one of your heroes and have them exceed your expectations. Zeena Schreck's reputation as a spiritual teacher of rare excellence is richly deserved.  

​--Jamie Mason

The following is the email from Zeena to Jamie to which he refers:

Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2017 6:30 PM
Subject: Re: Letter to Zeena Schreck [pls. forward]

--[BEGIN]--
​Dear Jamie,
 
Thank you for your recent letter. I appreciate your explaining the complicated and challenging upbringing you surely experienced. 

For now, because of the timing, I will address the issue which first inspired you to write: 

I'm very sorry for what you are experiencing surrounding news of your estranged mother's death (which is now over a month ago) and the accompanying hostility from family. 

I understand and empathize with your mixed emotions about your mother's passing, a once in a lifetime experience. Such dysfunctional family situations are especially difficult at the time of death, when unexpected behavior among family inevitably arises and emotions are raw. 

Nonetheless, right now, your mother's consciousness is still wandering within the 49 day transition between this life and where she will take form next. Her Bardo phase will end approximately on June 29, so her consciousness is still able to perceive faint traces of this world, and connections to it, albeit it with more difficulty with each passing day. 

However, she can still be contacted. So it was very fortunate that you happened to make contact at this time and that the time coincided with this Summer Solstice ritual.

The mother-child bond is very revered within the Tibetan tantric practices and teachings. With applied focus techniques I've learned from my heart lamas (the old-school first-generation of exiled lamas), I will focus especially on the aspect of dissolving the karmic sources of pain and suffering on both of your sides so that there should be no clinging to resentments, animosities or hostilities. Such destructive emotions only cause worse problems for all concerned. There is nothing more she can do to you now. Now you are in a stronger position to be for her what she couldn't be for herself or others.

The part of the ritual where I do the blessings and release for the deceased will occur at roughtly 9:45PM CET, which would be about 12:45PM PST. It would be good if you could simultaneously perform whatever mind clearing meditation that you know, focusing on only peaceful thoughts. If it helps stabilize your visual field, and the mind from wandering, use the support of a white candle flame to gaze upon, allowing yourself to become relaxed within the warmth of the flame for several minutes, keeping the breath even and relaxed.

From that warmth, allow peaceful, loving thoughts to emanate for your mother, visualizing her perfected self, free of the defilements she had in worldly life. Then visualize her being absorbed within the Pure Light, released from cyclic suffering and uncontrollable rebirth. Try to not think but just experience non-judgmental loving-kindness. This is one reason why these practices are called "the Heroic Path." Because to emanate loving-kindness, especially to those who've hurt us most, requires a heroic constitution, carried out from a place of strength, understanding and compassion. 

May you have Peace within the Eye of the Storm,

Om Mani Padme Hum

Zeena
--[END]--

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​Jamie Mason's books are available online and personal writings on his blog at ​https://jamiescribbles.wordpress.com/