Enlightenment
Day 4: Abiding as I AM
Day Four of 30 Day Wake-Up challenge
with Adya (Solana’s insights)
Day four begins with a reminder that these teachings are meant to be experienced, to experience the truth of your Being, not just thought about.(This again is emphasized because it can be a turning point to realize that for us to really get it, we need to get if from within ourselves as an insight, as our own realizations. Otherwise it does not go very deep and we are missing the pointer. Also when we realize this, it can help us to realize that this is also true for others, in case you are spending a lot of energy trying to get someone else to realize something.)
Today’s practice we are deciding to Abide in the I Am, before all its personal identities. We generally define ourselves through our thoughts. Remember thoughts are just thoughts, they are not who we are, even though they may create feelings that make us believe that we are those feelings.
(I have heard this many times, but it is only recently that I actually looked to see what it means. When we have feelings, especially intense feelings, we feel them and we naturally associate them as our feelings, that they belong to us, or they are my feelings. That sense of mine, is what makes us believe there is an individual ( I )connected to the feelings, rather than realizing the feelings are just present in a space of awareness. If we realize this it can give us a sense of distance, which can give us some space to see the reality of the truth. People also talk about people can use this as a spiritual bypass of feelings. That is not what we are discussing here, you can realize, yes these feelings are present, and be fully present with them. If you are feeling angry about something it is good to acknowledge that the anger is present. Then it can be released, rather than allowing it to be suppressed in the subconscious, which will rear its head in other ways if it is not acknowledged. The way I deal with these emotions is to acknowledge their presence, and see them as small hurt children that are abandoned, so I welcome them into my heart. That welcoming, that sense of acceptance, is what dissolves them. When we do this, it does benefit the Whole.)
How could a mere thought or collection of thoughts be who you are?
So say to yourself, I Am and feel the stillness afterwards, and again I AM, notice how quiet and silent the experience of I AM. Stay with that for a while.
(There is also a proverb in the Old Testament that says BE Still and know I AM God, that has the same purpose if one contemplates it, and one can drop the word God and say Be still and Know I AM if the word God does not agree with your mind).
The rest of the practice is to notice that thoughts are just thoughts, abstract ephemeral creations of your mind. When the mind has moments of silence you still are, but not as a thought, not as a someone or something to be evaluated or judged. Then to rest in that pure still Sense of I AM, the key word is Sense. Remember we are feeling this to have the sense of experience. Again just I AM, prior to thoughts.
Just rest in the direct awareness of I Am
The I am is awareness’s recognition of itself as awareness. So just rest in this recognition of your true being, of your formless being
And Enjoy!
All of these practices are so powerful, and any one of them can be life transforming. Even just the reminder to Enjoy the practices. It is extremely enjoyable for the Presence to recognize itself. Sometimes I move into great feelings of ecstasy when this happens. So Enjoy.
Many Blessings to you All,
Solana Tara
Day Two 30-Day Wake-up Challenge
Day Two – 30-Day Wake-up Challenge with Adya
Day 2: The spacious and empty nature of awareness
Today Adya asks us to look at the nature of awareness as being spacious and empty.
The practice begins by releasing hold of what is in the mind, just letting what it there be, not trying to figure things out.
I have noticed in the past the mind wanting to figure things out, this has been a powerful pointer for me, because it helps to bring consciousness to what was unconscious before.
Rest in the knowing that everything is happening in expansive awareness. Notice awareness is effortless.
YOU do NOT need to do anything to make awareness more aware. This seems like common sense, but when I hear this pointer, I realize on some level I have felt like I needed to make awareness more aware, I guess that is like trying to make water wetter.
· Rest in awareness and notice it is open,
· Notice felt sense (this is a pointer that has been very helpful, to notice there is a feeling sense)
· You are not trying to do anything to change content
(what is happening in the mind, this is also helpful to notice because usually if I notice there is an upset feeling, I want to change that)
· Notice awareness has open feeling, let yourself rest in this spacious, sense and feel the it, that is what we call Presence.
· Take a moment to rest into this observation it’s knowing that all of your thoughts and feelings is happening within expansive awareness
You are resting in the fundamental sense of your own being.
So this one pointer has made a huge shift, the noticing that this is really who I am. I notice that it is very helpful to remind myself of this often.
Adya says, That it is important to understand otherwise you will relate to this as sort of a spiritual practice and you will forget that, “wait a minute I am actually EXPLORING my Being, I am exploring who and what I Am. I am not just doing a technique, I am actually exploring and experiencing my own true nature.”
Again to emphasize, that this pointer has been extremely helpful and I hope to continue to use it, because I can feel the power of the potential for the continuing deepening of realizing, I AM.
So many things that Adya points out in these pointers are so potentially powerfully, that I could continue on but in the name of blogging, I offer this to you today in the hopes it touches something within you.
Many Blessings to you All,
Solana Tara
Spiritual Awakening
Are you ready and willing?
Introduction to Adyashanti's 30 day Awakening ChallengeAdyashanti 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:
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What people wanted the most were teachings that people could take into themselves, that were short and daily.
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There is incredible power to some skillfully put together pointers that point to parts of our own experiences that we tend to overlook.
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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.
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The purpose of these pointers is to call forth a domain of consciousness that we tend to overlook.
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Awakening is more like a recognition of what was always present.
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When someone does two things:
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1) Points out, says look here, this is what it is like, this is how to intuitively sense what is already there and
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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.
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Awakening is an essential and relatively spontaneous shift of our identity, of how we feel, sense, think about our self.
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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.
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A shift of identity is the hallmark of what any awakening experience is all about.
Awakening is Breaking Free
Spiritual Awakening, I got it, I lost it.
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.
No Experience Can Limit You
This 11 minute clip can help to instantly move through what you feel is a personal challenge.
Letting Go into freedom
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.
Letting Go,
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.
More in part two…
Words of Enlightened Teachers
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.
More in part two…
Spiritual Awakening, I Got It, I Lost It!
Spiritual Awakening is Breaking Free from
the Gravitational Force of our limited Beliefs.
Spiritual Awakening, I got it, I lost it.
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.
May we all Awaken to the truth of our Being.
Blessings, Solana
Solana Tara 