Awakening

From Guest Writer The All That Is:

Awakening on the spiritual path can be an elusive experience. We hear about the journey of enlightenment that many of the great yogis have made. This is all well and good, reaching for the highest most illuminated state of consciousness. It is important to highlight in the same breath, there is nothing to obtain. The awakening process is as slippery as a snake, especially when there is a goal in mind, an idea of what samadhi is or working on specific practices to raise kundalini shakti. Who is that which wants enlightenment? Who is that which longs to raise the kundalini?

For me, I feel the most important attribute to cultivate on this path of spiritual awakening is to direct the attention inwards. This inquiry inwards, of this inner dimension is about as much as is needed, for the experience of becoming one will happen of its own accord. No practice can categorically bring this experience. We can create beneficial spaces and environments for this to occur yet ultimately, no practice will make it happen.

That is not to say, to lose motivation in the practices that have bought you peace, inner stillness or some other beautiful space. We can cultivate non attachment to our practices. In fact it is from this type of detachment that a deepening of experience can emerge. When we let go of the need or the perfection of a practice or anything external to our own experience, we flow with a current of life that is not dictated by the mind/personality. When we cultivate an attitude of surrender into the moment, whether that be to a sensation, a thought, we give up the individualized experience to the greater pool of eternal oneness.

We can acknowledge different types of awakening experience. For me, I have felt shifts in my awareness that have been triggered by revealing knowledge from books. I have had energetic experiences that have caused bouts of tears of joy. I have felt myself dissolve into the heart of my lover and psychedelic journeys on cannabis and other medicines. All of these in my eyes are shifts of consciousness. It is hard to know that these experiences, in and of themselves, are awakenings, yet one thing, I feel does ring true, is that the World/my experience was seen from a different perspective, after the events.

Matt Kahn calls these awakenings new plateaus. New vantage points to see the World from and each time we have a shift, we unlock our remembering who we are.

There is nothing to do for we already are..

It has been presented by the great philosopher Ken Wilber that there are three developmental stages into maturity Waking up, Cleaning up & Growing up. Many of the New Age communities and conspiracy theorists have gone through some kind of Waking up process, whilst many of the conservative, political & corporate systems have gone through a Growing up process. To find balance in these areas, it is clear there needs to be focus on other developmental stages, growing up for the spiritual communities, whilst waking up for the corporate capitalist demographic. It is pretty clear, we all need to clean up. Something that is obvious in both spiritual communities, through fasting, detoxing, etc. Whilst also seeing a similar drive from the office heads who have become fitness fanatics. This is a good thing. We all need to clean up, to heal, so we can grow into true maturity. Those of us on the spiritual path can look to the professionalism of the office crowds to strive to succeed and to believe and embody a integrated growth to the second tier of development. Those on the capitalist gravy train can do with some spiritual depth and fairydust in their lives, to bring a deeper understanding of the reality we live in and laws that govern it.

There are so many perspectives and experiences we awaken to.. The Ultimate Truth being the absolute, void, known as Nirvakalpa Samadhi. There are subtle states of consciousness that layer experiences in form to the formless through identification where the subject becomes the object. Other awakenings come through energetic experiences that can be triggered by physical practices and awareness of the body. Astral & meditation visions & journeys can be seen as shifts of consciousness.

Emotional openings too, can be seen as aspects of awakening, especially through heartbreak, experience and grief and despair.

One paradox of discussing the process of awakening, is the limiting words we have to describe an experience, that is beyond words. Like the analogy of the finger pointing to the moon.. all these perspectives and definitions are simply the finger pointing towards the truth/moon. They can never be the moon, or the truth.. It is our experience that reflects our truth to us. Can you see it?

We can cultivate a desire to know and to create space for internal inquiry is the most direct path to that knowing, whilst coming into relationship with this reflective nature of reality. Once we wake up to this knowing, we become lucid in the waking dream.

I invite you to invest some time reading or listening to a master teacher who has remembered their greatness and is transmitting this wisdom. These guides can provide great insights to navigating our personality and outer projection through their experience of waking up. Creating space to take on their teachings will provide great opportunities for deeper Self study.

Take some moments to close your eyes…. Allow the breaths to release any stress or agitation from your day to fall away. Connect to the deepening breath, becoming aware of the pauses between inhalations & exhalations. Become the stillness you are within.. Asking the question Who Am I?

Allow this concept to arise naturally in a passive state of witnessing the experience of that question, without labeling or searching for the answer. Who is searching?

This inquiry into Awakening, has been written to be part of a tutorial series, that is part of an amazing meditation app called Souse Guru. Created with Martin Bone’s vision and guidance of meditation. I am honoured to be asked to contribute to this beautiful project, to spread this sacred art form we know as meditation.

You can download the app for free via this link which gives you access to the basic content. With monthly donations you gain access to a library of wisdom, including guided meditations, breath work, techniques, practices & podcasts.

Original article – theallthatis

Awen.

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