Why I decided to become a monk
As many of you already know, I live half time here in Damanhur Community. Living in community helps our illumination, especially a spiritual community like Damanhur that is filled with healing technologies and self development programs for our greatest evolution.
So you may be wondering why I decided to become a Monk. Some of you may also be wondering, how can a modern day woman, New Yorker, LA transplant, world traveling, former reality star, doctor become a monk?
The funny thing is, since my spiritual awakening I’ve had the desire to be a Monk. Call me strange, but there’s a part of me that really loves silence, solitude and simplicity. I love to meditate for hours. Perhaps my love for monastic life began after doing Vipassana, 10 days of silence, twice. It was an amazingly life changing experience and I highly recommend it.
Be careful what you wish for–it will come true! In June of 2016 I was visiting my parents in New York, and vividly remember saying to them in the kitchen, “I’d really love to be a Monk.”
First, I’d like to share that my choice to be Monk isn’t a forever decision. It’s for right now. I decide how long I wish to be a Monk and then I can renew this choice for however long I wish.
This opportunity is possible because in Damanhur, there’s a beautiful underground temple that is filled with art work and some of the purest healing energies I’ve personally experienced in the world. There are also spiritual paths that initiates of the Damanhur School of Meditation (which I am a part of) can join for personal development. The Monk path is one of these. Many people in Damanhur have been a Monk for various amounts of time–6 months to 20 years.
How is it to be a monk?
For me, it’s easy. I am a pretty disciplined person already. Most of the rules I’ve already implemented on myself at some point over the past few years–not eating meat, two meals a day, celibacy, morning and evening rituals, not wearing black, time for fasting and periods of silence. There are other rules too but I won’t bore you with the details.
Why did I decide to become a monk?
At first it was more of a feeling than anything else. I knew I had to do it and I wanted to. As a healer, I knew this would be a time for purification, healing and optimization. As well as a time to connect with divine energies even more. This has also been an opportunity to observe, study and refine the use of sexual energy, which happens in many contexts, not only in relation to sex. Being a monk also helps one to get centered and clear because every action and choice becomes intentional.
Ultimately, I feel like a modern day monk. I still wear the same clothes, live with others who are not monks and continue my work as a healer, coach and consultant. The only difference is I’m more mindful about how I spend my time and energy, and Sunday mornings I spend in the Temples of Humankind. Life is lovely at the moment.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday season! Please feel free to reach out to me for life coaching to help make 2018 your best year yet! I have effective online programs and packages that are designed to make your new year's resolutions a reality, empower your goals into action and inspire you to create a life you love!
With love always,
Dr. Nikki Starr