This month Betty invites us all into her special experience of the New Equations 18-Day Practice. This practice gives each student in NEATO a greater understanding about relationship to self, and to the universe, in a unique and different way. Betty allows us to take part in her personal development for which we are so grateful.
— Siska Tovey, Director New Equations
A New Stairway
A New Stairway
Betty Kraus
I was so filled with love and energy from the widening experiences of the first two practices, that I was about to turn my life inside out. My joy was spreading like mercury, all over the place, with greater and greater ideas forming inside my head. Siv, my New Equations guide, stayed by my side, and lovingly and patiently held my energy and listened to my outburst of ideas, then calmly suggested to me: Betty, why don’t you first do the 18-Day Practice and then we will see what is next. Happily, life gave me some time to be by myself—perfect timing!
I slipped into the 18 days remembering words Siv had said: This time, you do the practice all by yourself—privately—and connect with me if you want to, but it’s not necessary.
Her words wrapped me up in the joyful freedom of being by myself, lovingly supporting my relationship with my soul. Images of life experiences started to flow through me, crossing from past lives to present life, and into the future, while I experienced a new innerness. I felt like a bird, using the wind of my soul to fly high, while going deeper and deeper and closer into oneness with nature, oneness with myself, and union with my soul. I fully trusted the 18-Day Practice as it brought up and healed unresolved issues. This process continued in my sleep.
Ever since I was a young adult, I had the same horrible nightmarish dream over and over again—it had a huge affect on my life and I was never able to change it. This dream haunted me for decades. During the 36-Day Practice the dream was brought back to me, and during the 27-Day Practice, something was added to it that changed my dream into something better, opening for new possibilities. The healing and transformation came while doing the 18-Day Practice—my dream was transformed and all of the horrifying experiences were not only gone, but a totally new picture emerged, giving me certainty that the issue was released and healed.
There were beautiful times and revelations during the 18 days that were exciting and deeply touching, but at the same time I was unexpectedly struggling with resistance, anxiety, and angry feelings. The “old” me wanted to hang onto unhelpful, old energy—only my commitment kept me going when pain came to the surface that revealed long-forgotten emotional issues.
With the support I felt from doing the New Equations Spiritual Postures and listening to New Equations Music, I was literally being worked through a brownish-gray layer, which seemed to be a consciousness layer, and ended up in a space of nothingness. As the process continued, I stayed upset—it felt as if the whole universal collective was stuck inside me. I kept going, feeling more and more vulnerable while I had the sense that old energy was leaving my consciousness and my body.
As I moved through the 18 days, the struggles from my past started to vanish and I began experiencing the nine Spiritual Portals on a new level. Joyful compassion entered my being—a metamorphosis had happened.
Following is my story—you will have your own story about your relationship with your soul. I hope my words help you to know a little about what my metamorphosis was like:
New consciousness was floating throughout my body. A female soul came to me—beautiful, shining, dressed in a white robe, and wanting to talk to me. She guided me to a gathering of soul-beings. I was surrounded by soul-beings: female and male, and more and more were coming—it was going to be a celebration—for me! The soul-beings were happily whispering to each other in joyful anticipation. I was taken away to be refreshed. I was bathed in something unknown to me—my body was jubilant. More and more souls came. It was for an initiation. I wanted to hide until a tall male soul took me by his hand and instantly I relaxed into the certainty of his protection. All the souls formed a circle around us as he guided me into the middle and gave me a loving embrace before leaving. I was decorated with flower ribbons and a new dress out of the finest fabrics. Each individual soul gave me a gift that represented a soul gift that resides in me. I felt at home within the circle of loving soul-beings.
The 18-Day Practice was about to end—only a few minutes of music were left to play—when the process culminated in a special gift:
I was floating through the universe and my chest opened as I went higher and higher until I reached a throne in the universe. My soul sat on this beautiful chair and greeted me and invited me into a loving embrace. We merged into each other and became one.
Being in the new awareness and presence of my love for myself, and meeting my soul, has made me ready to climb new stairways in the magical universe.
And, yes, the 18-Day Practice was very personal and all about (the new) me!
There is so much to share, so much to give to the world.
Thank you for reading.
Betty Kraus, Soultype 8, is a student in the NEATO Level 1 – New Equations Essence program. Betty lives in Freiburg/Black Forest, Germany. She is a Spiritual Grandmother and healer, and offers seminars and transformative journeys in Europe and South-India.