One of the concepts that I learned through my readings is the idea of self-realization, being the doorway to enlightenment. I had always thought of enlightenment being a realization of our infinite nature that is connected to all that is. I have always seen Jesus, Buddha and other Prophets as one and the same, incarnations of God, who realized their own divinity. While reading Midnights with the Mystic by Cheryl Simone and Sadhguru, my understanding of the concept grew. Our ability to experience self-realization, and even further to progress to enlightenment, is dependent on our experiences. I have never heard a story of a powerful figure who had not been through suffering. It is through these traumatic tribulations that humans seek deeper purpose and understanding. When we’ve hit a bottom, that is when the quest begins. Until you’ve hit the void within, you do not seek the light for healing. The story of both Buddha and Jesus, are miraculously different, but they convey the same message. Jesus, came from a family with no significance, and I believe it was through his own ordeals that he came to realize his own divinity. It is my belief that the hardships of life, and his ability to overcome them, opened a portal into his godliness. Jesus is famous for saying that the kingdom of God is within you, which is him telling us that we are no different than he. Through the inner spiritual awakening he experienced, he came to realize his connection to source, the creator of life. Whether you believe that God is a primordial deity, the universe, or simply atoms, is a debate for another time. Gautama Siddartha (Buddha), another significant figure who helped shape our world, came from a very different background then Jesus. He was born a prince of a powerful empire on the border of Nepal and India. His father Śuddhodana sought the advice of a group of eight Brahmins to predict his son’s future. Seven of the eight mystics of Hinduism told the king that his son would grow up to either be king of his empire, or a śramaṇa, which is one who seeks higher spiritual purpose. One of the seers, told the king his would become a Buddha. Knowing this, the king set forth to banish Gautama Siddartha (Buddha) from experiencing any suffering. His father surrounded him with women and other pleasures so that he may never leave his home. Buddha lives this life until the age of 29, finally departing his home in search of saṃvega – the desire to escape the suffering of saṃsāra (the tedious wheel of life that has us running in circles within a mundane existence). There are many interpretations about how this came about, one that has drawn me in is the belief that angelic beings lured him out into the world. When he took to the roads, he realized how much suffering the general populace experienced. This journey outside of the palace was known as the four sights, the catalysts for his spiritual transformation: senescence (the consequence of aging), disease, death and asceticism (self-denial of wordily pleasures in pursuit of spirituality). Of the four sights, the final one was what Buddha truly was molded by when he began the quest for self-realization. Buddha’s leaving of the palace is known as The Great Departure. Over the next 6 years he journeyed from one city to the next, until finally finding a tree in Bodh Gaya – he meditated here for many days until reaching enlightenment (at the time known as Bodhi). Enlightenment, or “Bodhi” is best defined as the process of spiritual awakening, where an individual realizes the collective consciousness that connects us all. This awakening is an indescribable connection between all things, an infinite energy or God, which connects us all. For me, it did not happen until 25 after many near death experiences and life altering run ins with the law. I had come from a life of privilege, and my ego would never have allowed me to believe as a mystic does. In order for me to uncover my own purpose, I had to suffer as those with great knowledge had. I had become sick with disease, one that could not be cured. My life had turned upside down, everything that I had sought after, had lost its appeal. I did nothing for almost a year, suffering in silence and telling no one. One day I was provided with a hallucinogen by a friend, which I was scared to consume because of my own dark thoughts. I was desperate for answers as to why I was going through this sickness, why had God forsaken and cursed me? The story of my spiritual awakening is the topic of my next post, and not the aim of this article. However, the self-realization that followed, changed everything about me. I was no longer so caught up in what others thought of me, this disease had made me so sad for so long, that I no longer feared judgement. I told my friends of my situation fearlessly, and they all supported me. That is not to say I was not still lost about the circumstances, but I felt that it had all happened for a reason. Without this illness, I would never have fallen to such a low that I was willing to believe in something more than what I could see. Up until that point, my belief in anything mystical was nonexistent. Today, I believe in so many things that I couldn’t capture it all in one blog post. This willingness to seek answers from outside sources, was truly an invitation for me to connect with my higher self. The spirit within all of us, the higher voice we can choose to listen to when we are at a crossroad. I had ignored that voice for so long, that I thought it was my erratic mind. This higher self, our spiritual nature – maybe the holy spirit
Tag: shadow work
Our innate desire to find meaning is both a blessing and a curse
The deeper the suffering, the greater the soul
The deeper the suffering, the greater the soul. Most people are not aware of their soul self until later in life. The trials and tribulations we undergo are what develop our persona. The easier life is, the more you take this experience for granted. It’s through experiencing loss, betrayal, abandonment, fear and even spite that we grow to forgive. Whether our pain is self-directed or external, forgiving ourselves and those who have hurt us; is how we begin to heal the wounds. In order to forgive, we have to accept our circumstances and move on. When you truly forgive, the inner angst will dwindle and you’ll feel the emotional rebirth in your life. Gratitude will follow. As your vibration shifts from negative thought patterns, you will begin to attract better outcomes and experience less suffering. Your energy is either magnetic or repelling, so make a conscious effort to elevate.
Achieve happiness by releasing the weight of expectations.
When we drop our preconceived notions of who we should be, we release the strain of being alive. If you free yourself from the mundane struggle of getting ahead, you will be infinitely happier. Choose to see yourself as a river, flowing through the human experience. Sometimes the rapids pick up, and sometimes they are nonexistent. Don’t try to compete with your friends and peers, for their path is different than yours. We all travel this journey at a different pace, enjoy yourself because that is really all that matters. If you value your own happiness above all else, nothing will matter. It is through understanding happiness, that we achieve the flow state. Life will pass you by if you focus on what you don’t have, rather than what you do. This isn’t to say don’t be ambitious, strive for greatness. If you fall, pick yourself back up. You have to be your own bootstraps in life, because no one else will do it for you. Cherish those who support you and remove those who do not. Life is too short to spend it being brought down by those closest to you. If you do not tend your garden, you will find that there are snakes.
Overcoming mental complacency
It takes immense courage to break out of our mental ruts. It becomes second nature for us to become complacent; life becomes a cycle of eat, sleep, work and repeat. The shadow self takes a hold and we idle until we build the courage to do something about it. If you are stuck in stagnation, do something that challenges you in a new way. Climb the mountain, kayak the river, jump off the plane (with a parachute) whatever it is you are scared of, a new life is on the other side. When we overcome our fears, we tell the universe that we are ready to move beyond that lesson. Those things no longer scare us, and we progress to the next step in our personal development. Personal power is the ability to do what you want to do, regardless of the obstacles holding you back. Once you surmount a mind block, it becomes a muscle you exercise. It gets easier with each attempt. Prevail over your mind and you can exceed any limitations you place on yourself.
A quick poem by me on the difficulties in messing up and healing in love
It’s never enough, To see you here Sorry I’m rough But this is clear I’ve wrote a rhyme With you on my mind Really all the time My one of a kind The words cut deep A slip of the tongue my heart to keep Yet instead I stung A mistake I made Lovely butterfly Forgive my jade Our love, amplify These feelings void, Let me say this last This I can’t avoid my future, my past You are so amazing, I know I’m crazy My love unveiling, I miss my lady
How incremental changes in our thinking produce big results.
The struggle for dominance of the mind is fought between the shadow and higher self on a daily basis. Whenever you choose to do something that you don’t want to do, you are reprogramming your consciousness. Small incremental changes of even 1% more effort, repeated daily, can lead to monumental growth in our lives. Be the kind of person who does the dishes after they cook, completes a project the day it’s assigned, hits the gym even on the hard days, or even just being generous without expectation. When you act from a place of power, you are raising your vibration and giving more life to the light within. The more you push yourself past the hard stuff, the easier everything else becomes. The longer I live the more I realize how difficult but rewarding life is. Life is always going to throw anxiety and doubt your way, only by healing your inner wounds can you overcome them on a daily basis. When you choose to forgive yourself, or those who have hurt you, you are expressing gratitude to the universe and delivering a message of positivity. Whatever you focus your intent on, is what your reality is. Our daily choice to exercise, to work, to be kind, are the things that define who we are. Who you are when everything is going smoothly is important, because that is your character. However, who you are when life is beating you down, is the crux of your soul’s aptitude to evolve. When we do the stuff we love, we are filled with all sorts of chemicals that elevate our moods. When times are tough, the mind can become the enemy and do the opposite! Our mind during anxiety and depression is really “our inner bitch” that is holding us back. This is the part of you that skips the gym, just this one time, then the next. If you want to see your life catapult into abundance, conquer your inner bitch.