Introduction to Adyashanti's 30 day Awakening Challenge
Adyashanti and Tami Simon from Sounds True introduced the 30-Day Wake Up Challenge. When I heard it, I knew I wanted to do it. Some of the highlights of the video that I noted were:
What people wanted the most were teachings that people could take into themselves, that were short and daily.
There is incredible power to some skillfully put together pointers that point to parts of our own experiences that we tend to overlook.
These pointers tend to be the most revelatory, transformative aspects of our whole Being. Having our attention drawn to these certain areas can be as powerful as our regular spiritual practices.
The purpose of these pointers is to call forth a domain of consciousness that we tend to overlook.
Awakening is more like a recognition of what was always present.
When someone does two things:
1) Points out, says look here, this is what it is like, this is how to intuitively sense what is already there and
2) Articulates it in a way that can evoke a realization that we knew it, but we did not know we knew it until someone articulated it and brought it to our attention in a very specific way.
Awakening is an essential and relatively spontaneous shift of our identity, of how we feel, sense, think about our self.
We feel and sense, we are not an individual moving through life, we feel a deep connection to the totality of life itself, we feel more of life itself, appearing as a particular person, also as a particular individual as well but also we feel as if we are the whole of life. We feel it not just as an experience, but we feel and know it is essentially what I AM. That is a shift of identity.
A shift of identity is the hallmark of what any awakening experience is all about.
Many people, including myself, have had Moments of Awakening, Clear Seeing. This is where the realization that we are more than a small, unworthy person. We see that what we are is THAT which sees, sometimes called The Presence.
I have also had moments of seeing all is right with the world, and that the same Spirit that is in a Holy person is the same Spirit that is in all other beings. This seeing may last a few moments, a day, week, month, or even years, and then is lost again.
Here I review chapter three in, The End of Your World, by Adyashanti. He calls the Seer, the Abiding or non- abiding Self. If it stays, it is called Abiding. But even if it is non-abiding, there is a part of us that does not forget. We can never return to the same level of unconsciousness as before.
I have seen a few people suffer from the idea that they had it and lost it. It is a feeling that we did something wrong and want so much to get it back. Adya comforts us by assuring us that it is just part of the natural awakening process.
Here Adya uses a great rocket ship metaphor for awakening. “A rocket ship takes a tremendous amount of thrust and energy to get off the ground and then to break the gravitational field as it travels through the sky and ultimately into space. If there is enough fuel in the rocket and it gets far enough from the Earth, it can eventually get beyond the gravitational field of the planet. Once the rocket is beyond Earth’s gravitational field, Earth no longer has the power to pull it back down.
He is calling the ego structure, aka the dream state, as the Earth. Its gravitational force tends to pull consciousness down to itself. This force is what one is dealing with throughout the entire spiritual journey.
Awakening is Breaking Free from this Gravitational Force.
At first, awakening may be a realization that there is not a separate ‘me’. Here is a key point:
“Because we have awakened does not mean that consciousness has gotten past the gravitational pull of the dream state” (aka the ego structure).
‘Thus the I got it, I lost it phenomenon. The rocket ship has gotten off the ground, gone a few miles up into the atmosphere, and ran out of fuel and is being pulled back to Earth,’ (the ego structure, that which suffers, that which believes it is separate, that which believes things should be different than they are, that which resists what is.)
Awakening happens in just a moment, but the dissolution of the ego takes time, the process that takes one beyond the gravitational force of the Earth.
The above point has been pivotal for my understanding of my awakening process. This is why I am sharing this now. I feel like I am in a major recycling project. There is a noticing of situations that still create a sense of contraction. Now I see, anytime there is a resistance within me, that is the ego gravitational force. Some thoughts are easier to release into the recycle bin than others. And there are still a few that show up that are quite a bit heavier. Although it may be uncomfortable when they arrive as a roommate in my consciousness, I am grateful to work on letting go of whatever takes me away from the Truth of my Being. I am working with being Present with that which is feeling uncomfortable, and bringing in a sense of compassion.
This process is happening to the Consciousness of Human Beings as a whole, and we are all asked to participate if we are aware enough to do so. So know it is part of natural awakening, to get it and then to lose it and that we are being asked to look at that which resists what is, and release that into the Grand Recycle Center of the Universe.
May we all Awaken to the truth of our Being.
Blessings, Solana
P.S. This is a re-write of an earlier post and I still find it relevant now.
We are living in strange times, that is for sure, things are happening in such a way that we are just unsure how to handle life’s unusual circumstances. We might agree that there is a feeling life has intensified. Just as an example, in just the last several years we have all been connected in one way or another with national disasters. We cannot help have some emotional reaction to seeing people suffer some through these situations, or more so when we are personally involved. And what do we do when our employers or our spouses or children are having their own emotional explosions? All these feelings arise within us, accompanied by a whirlwind of thoughts. What do we do with these feelings? Most people throughout their lives repress, or suppress or try to escape their feelings and that energy accumulates. According to Hawkins, “the suppressed energy will seek expression through psychosomatic distress, bodily disorders, emotional illnesses, and disordered behavior in interpersonal relationships. The accumulated feelings block spiritual growth and awareness as well as success in many areas of life.” He goes on to tell us that as a person constantly surrenders, physical and psychosomatic disorders improve and sometimes may disappear altogether, as what happened from his own personal experience.
As mentioned in the previous blog I have been having amazing results with these moments of surrendering. For those non-dualists out there, this could be still looked at from the viewpoint of being in the Now, the Presence. Some people, in the name of spirituality, will deny any emotions, saying they are not true, all is an illusion. One has to be careful in this, because does that emotion then get repressed? In true work, one would acknowledge its presence, whatever it is, and as one acknowledges the energy that comes up, and stays present with it, there will be a sense of the energy dissolving. One must continue with this until that thought or situation that was associated may arise and there is no inner reaction to that thought.
Personally, the universe has been kind enough to present me with the opportunity to witness this within myself. It was almost a repeat of a situation that had happened many years back. I went into an agreement with someone, and then the person decided to attempt to change the agreement without discussion with me, which included some lies. It created quite a challenge for me. In the past, there was quite a lot of drama as I allowed the whirlpool of my mind to have a grand time. This time, I as a witness was much more conscious, and was able to move through the experience from a greater place of balance. When I saw the mind wanting to engage in its entertainment of the situation, I continued to surrender the emotional responses and mind stuff into the great fire of spirit. I felt a greater freedom within myself. I also was able to recycle the energy by transforming into a deep feeling of compassion for the other person and their situation. Of course one must want the freedom and peace of Presence more than the ego wants to see itself as right and engage in drama. It also must let go of what other benefits it may receive from playing a victim, or any other role.
In the next part I am going to share with you more of David Hawkins story from Letting Go, The Pathway of Surrender.
Dr. David Hawkins, author of Letting Go, had a powerful spiritual awakening at a young age. His occupation took him into the field of psychiatry and was involved in searching to find a relief to human suffering in its various forms. He explored many modalities from the mundane to the metaphysical. Through all the explorations he found the mechanism of surrender to be the most practical.
Hawkins had written over ten books previously about understanding enlightenment and consciousness while having thousands of students inquire how to deal with obstacles to enlightenment. What is the best way to deal with the challenges that life offers us, through our disappointment, grief, and stress? How can we free ourselves from the impact of negative emotions that impact our health, our jobs and relationships? How do we handle all our unwanted feelings? What do we do with the whirlwind of thoughts that are chattering in the mind, that create unwanted feelings? Or the thoughts that continuously offering its opinions or judgments?
Dr. Hawkins wrote his final book, his final gift to others before he left this earth plane reality, offering us a simple and effective way to let go of negative feelings and become free. The book is, Letting Go, The Pathway to Surrender.
I have already seen a tremendous shift in myself after reading just the first part of this book and that is why I am sharing this with you. Hawkins says, “the letting go technique is a pragmatic system of eliminating obstacles and attachments. It can also be called a mechanism of surrender.” He warns us that it may sound like a simple thing, so we don’t feel moved to pay attention. His suggestion is to realize it is the trick of the ego to try to get you to not pay attention.
Many people, including myself, have had moments of awakening, clear seeing. This is where the realization that we are more than a small, unworthy person and what we are is that which sees, that Presence. I have also had moments of seeing all is right with the world, and that the same Spirit that is in a Holy person is the same Spirit that is in all other beings. This seeing may last a few moments, a day, week, month or even years, and then is lost again.
Here I review chapter three in, The End of Your World, by Adyashanti. He calls the Seer, the Abiding or non- abiding Self. If it stays, it is called Abiding. But even if it is non-abiding, there is a part of us that does not totally forget and can never return to the same level of unconsciousness as before.
I have seen a few people suffer from the idea that they had it and lost it. It is a feeling that we did something wrong and want so much to get it back. Adya comforts us by assuring us that it is just part of the natural awakening process.
Here Adya uses a great rocket ship metaphor for awakening. “A rocket ship takes a tremendous amount of thrust and energy to get off the ground and then to break the gravitational field as it travels through the sky and ultimately into space. If there is enough fuel in the rocket and it gets far enough from the Earth, it can eventually get beyond the gravitational field of the planet. Once the rocket is beyond Earth’s gravitational field, Earth no longer has the power to pull it back down.
He is calling the ego structure, aka the dream state, as the Earth. Its gravitational force has the tendency to pull consciousness down to itself. This force is what one is dealing with through the entire spiritual journey.
Awakening is Breaking Free from this Gravitational Force.
At first an awakening may be a realization that there is not a separate ‘me’. Here is a key point:
“Because we have awakened does not mean that consciousness has gotten past the gravitational pull of the dream state” (aka the ego structure).
‘Thus the, I got it, I lost it phenomenon. The rocket ship has gotten off the ground, gone a few miles up into the atmosphere, and ran out of fuel and is being pulled back to Earth,’ (the ego structure, that which suffers, that which believes it is separate, that which believes things should be different than they are, that which resists what is.)
Awakening happens in just a moment, but the dissolution of the ego takes time, the process that takes one beyond the gravitational force of the Earth.
The above point has been pivotal for my understanding in my own awakening process. This is why I am sharing this now. I feel like I am in a major recycling project. There is a noticing of situations that still create a sense of contraction. Now I see, anytime there is a resistance within me, that is the ego gravitational force. Some thoughts are easier to release into the recycle bin than others, like a single plastic container, but there are still a few that show up that are quite a bit heavier. Although it may be uncomfortable when they arrive as a room mate in my consciousness, I am grateful to work on letting go of whatever takes me away from the Truth of my Being. I am working with being Present with that which is feeling uncomfortable, and bringing in a sense of compassion.
This process is happening to the Consciousness of Human Beings as a whole, and we are all asked participate, if we are aware enough to do so. So know it is part of natural awakening, to get it and then to lose it and that we are being asked to look at that which resists what is, and release that into the Grand Recycle Center of the Universe.
An enlightened being knows everything. True or False.
False. I used to believe that enlightenment made one ALL Knowing. While enlightenment is a portal into the truth of who we are, it does not automatically make someone all knowing. And while there may be a few great masters out there who can look at us and see into our very nature, it is not the norm for the rest of us. And while a few may see beyond this dimension, if they want to learn a new skill, they still have to go through the process of learning.
Enlightenment is so far out there, I could never achieve it in my lifetime. True or False.
False. While it may have been the truth thousands of years ago, it is not true today. There are many people waking up to the truth of their being. Enlightenment is our natural state and for many of us, our own knowledge of it comes from the great yogic masters who spent years meditating in a cave. (Do you know today you can rent a cave in India?).
But today is a time of great awakening and there is a reach for a critical mass where the influence of this awakening is affecting more and more people. The knowledge of enlightenment and acknowledging the place inside that yearns for the truth is helpful. There are many that believe that the greatest service we can offer humanity is to wake up to the Truth of our Being, so we can lift up the collective consciousness.
When one reaches enlightenment there are no more problems. True or False
True in the sense that they are not seen as problems by the mind. False in the sense that there are still events that come into play in one’s life that one may have to deal with. I used to believe that if one had a health problem after enlightenment, one could automatically heal it. There are those that have moved through their healing process quickly. While there are some Masters, such as Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi who just recognized they were not their body and did not feel a need to have to change the illness to the body.
Enlightenment is a one time Event., Poof! I am Enlightened! True or False
False! This one was a great surprise for me and the most recent of my Enlightenment myths de-bunked by three different teachers. Swami Dayananda says that the Buddha’s story of enlightenment is one that has helped to keep this myth alive. Adyashanti in his book, Way of Liberation says that, “The enlightenment I speak of is not simply a realization, not simply the discovery one one’s true nature. This is just the beginning, the point of entry into an inner revolution. Realization does not guarantee this revolution, it simply makes it possible.”
I highly recommend this book, it is what I am studying at the moment. Here is a link for a freepdf.
Welcome! The intention of this blog is to invite conversations on Spiritual Awakening. I have been studying the subject for over 30 years. It began with my first Yoga Teachers Training with Swami Satchidanada and has taken various routes along the river of life, sometimes straight and narrow and some times wide and zig-zagging. Sometimes this body was in the United States, sometimes in India, Europe, Egypt, Australia, or Brazil. There has been movement through the path of Bhakti (devotion), Jnana (knowledge), dual, non-dual, and Raja (meditation and Eight limbed path of Yoga.) There have been deep connections with Krishna, Christ, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna, Yogananda, Sivananda, Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael and others and moments where all of them disappeared in the Oneness. I have sat in the presence of Amma, Satchidananda, Swami Dayanada, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and Adyashanti to name a few. There have been moments of awakening and moments of forgetting. At this time, it appears, moments of remembering are happening more frequently and that which is always Present seems more present then ever.
I would love to hear from others that are on this similar path (of no path). What are you doing right now to remember? What teachers are with? What is most beneficial to you at this time? How would you define enlightenment? What experiences have you had that revealed to you the Truth?
Solana Tara 