Clarifying the Stages: A Moment to Reflect
LET’S GET CLEAR
After describing the various stages of transformation and what can happen to you when you being to wake up, let’s take a moment and go over some of the key concepts previously discussed. We began looking at purification, opening the door of the mind, and beginning to view life with the observer. From there we transitioned into merging, isolation, contemplation, and the dark night of the soul, fear and darkness, letting go, and finally reemerging back into life. A few other topics included feeling energy within the body and the changes that may occur, relationships during transformation, fits of anger, and feeling victim to the process. All of these subjects, and so many more that we did not discuss, are simply part of the undoing of our ego self, our small identity that we think is who we are.
Transformation is about the layers of this false image being stripped away and disintegrated, so we begin to see the much larger essence of who we are. This larger awareness has been with us our entire life, or lifetimes if you will, and is difficult to discover as the ego mind keeps us distracted at all costs. Because our thinking mind seems to be who we are, its mental chatter and back-and-forth inner conversation is somewhat of a trick, a masterful way to keep us from seeing clearly. If we see clearly, then we begin to shift how we see life, we lose the attachment to the self-gratifying aspect of our mind, and we stop believing in the illusory game.
It’s easy to say the mind is a game, yet quite another experience to deal with it every day! If you really learn to step outside of it and see it for what it is, you’ll soon realize it is completely and totally insane! It works to keep you believing in cycles, believing in its false perception of yourself. The ego feels justified in everything it does, it has a story and validation for everything. The purpose of the egos pitch to you is due to a very real threat. It will stay dominant in your life, just to keep itself alive. Survival is the main motivator behind the egos playbook. When you understand the playbook, then everything starts to make sense, and you can begin to choose another way to see life.
BABY STEPS
Why is it that we don’t just wake up instantly? Why does it seem to be a long process we just can’t seem to figure out? Most of us need a very slow unraveling process. Waking up instantly would be shocking, to say the least, and for those people that have that experience, it takes incredible adjustment and time to process. However, most of us need baby steps. Uncovering the truth about yourself and the world we are living in is so painful to our ego mind, that we prefer to be coddled, to take things slow, and to have subtle realizations only when we are truly ready for them.
We do not realize the extent of how truly lost we are, or how much we believe our special ego thought system. The vast majority of people have not yet seen that the identity self is merely a front into a much larger world that we don’t even know is there. Our beliefs are so incredibly strong, yet we have no clue we are holding on to these either. We have layer upon layer to protect this system at all costs, and we are completely oblivious to it. The thought structure we are so committed to, who we think is working on our behalf, is our big dilemma. This cover-up is completely hidden from us until we start feeling a rumbling within. This rumbling allows us to embark on an undoing process of the actor we thought ourselves to be.
There is no need to attach to the order within these stages. This is how my own personal experience unfolded, but doesn’t mean anyone else will follow in this way. In fact, respecting each person for where they are in the process, and the decisions they make are all opportunities for them to see differently. You will receive life lessons exactly how you need them, so consider your awakening process a personal private lesson suited for where you are in your life, and what you need in order to remove the obstacles blocking you from who you are.
You may experience some of them, all of them, and even more of them. You will experience stepping stones in any way you may need them. Your awakening process is yours and yours alone. The classroom of life will deliver you whatever you need to learn or unlearn in this world. If you remain open to what is happening in your life, and the challenges presented to you, and you are willing to be a student open to see what your particular situation has to offer you, then you will most likely shorten any type of struggle you may have. The more accepting you can be of the process you are experiencing, the less difficult it will be.
BIG TAKEAWAY
All of the stepping stones we walk, all of the stages we encounter, are always there for our best interest. It may not seem so to our ego minds, yet from the eyes of our larger teacher, we are always given what we need to wake up. This is where the battle lies. We think we know what we need, what is best for us, and it is a very arrogant position to be in. How do we really know what is best for us? Is there a way to know that for sure? The only way to know is to gauge what is happening. In each moment, am I choosing to see confusion or peace? Am I choosing to see separation with my ego self, or am I choosing to see unity with spirit? This is the big takeaway from all of the so-called stages we may go through. As long as we are living in this world we will be granted lessons to see differently. It is simply a choice in the mind if we choose it or not.
The power of our mind is extraordinary. The mind dictates what we do, what we think, how our bodies should look, how we behave, how we conduct ourselves in front of others, what we believe, the opinions we hold, and so and so on. In the contemporary spiritual world, it seems the power of the mind has been hijacked into believing that getting what we believe we need or want is somehow a spiritual endeavor. There are countless courses, books, podcasts, articles, workshops, retreats, affirmations, you name it, on how to manifest your reality. It’s a full-blown industry now. You can certainly practice these techniques, mental exercises, positive thinking modalities, etc, however, just know what you are doing. Be very clear on what side of the mind you are working with. Are you seeking outcomes and expectations, or you okay with whatever happens?
When you are assuming you know what you need in life, that you are driving the ship, the ego is in charge of that outcome. This type of thinking may bring you physical things of the world, a better monetary position, and temporary happiness, but it ultimately leads to wanting more. The ego will continue to dictate whether you are on the side of creating positive experiences or negative ones. It’s meaningless in the eyes of who we really are.
Because the world says depression and struggle are bad, we are always seeing them as what we DON’T need. But, what if that experience pulls us to the hidden gem covering up our chance at awakening? What if these experiences, as negative as they may seem, grant us the power of the mind to choose to see from the larger awareness? If it is true that our minds are really that powerful, then why don’t we use them to choose another way? Instead, we focus on repositioning ourselves back into the small mind.
CLEARING UP THE SPIRITUAL CONFUSION
The confusion lies in allowing things in the world to somehow change who we are from a spiritual perspective. We are always whole and perfect in spirit. It’s impossible to change this. Who we really are beyond this world is not concerned with what the ego deems necessary. What we think we need is often so far removed from what we are really seeking. We avoid what we are really seeking because waking up from the illusory game is very painful to our minds, and we desperately want to resist it. This desperation is shown in our incessant need to control and manifest what our heart desires.
As long as we believe the world is where our answers lie for happiness, we will remain stuck in the ego's game. You can absolutely manifest things in your life if you choose, just see what you are doing. See through the ego’s hold on you and accept whatever happens. When you drop the reigns and the need for controlling everything, life simply unfolds as it should and you see through anything that comes your way. You are more concerned with finding the inner path to peace permanently than playing the next game in the external world for only temporary relief.
So, if you find yourself manifesting and thinking it is part of your spiritual growth, keep in mind your spirituality and who you really are beyond this world has nothing to do with getting a new house, advancing in your career, manifesting a spouse, or receiving millions of followers on social media. These are simply things of the world, which work to lure us in at every corner, even into the world of spirituality.
Science does it too. People are researching and trying to find some sort of proof that what we think dictates our life. And maybe to the ego mind, it does. What a clever trick the ego plays, attaching itself to all avenues that could lead us Home so we remain in a constant repetitive cycle. The ego’s playground, which is the world, controls everything. The larger essence of spirit that you are, is not concerned with your status in the world because it does not see you as an individual separate identity. Spirit’s eyes are whole, they are purely one. Spirit has one purpose, to wake you up from the dream.
HOW DO WE KNOW?
How do we know if we are listening to our ego identity or our higher self? How can we differentiate between the two as we are living our lives in the world? How do we know which voice is creeping in? The easiest way to see this is to use the observer, which we discussed in much detail throughout these stages of transformation. See with the eyes of the observer, from that place of pure non-judgment, just simply watch. This will help you distinguish between these two aspects of our minds.
If the mind you are listening to has a motive, is expecting a certain outcome, is desiring control, or a need to know you can be certain the ego is in charge. If you assume you know what is best for you and everyone else around you then you can also be sure this is the ego. If you self-sabotage in any way or feel better than others around you because you live differently and have accumulated more material possessions or success than others, this too is from your small self.
If you are resistant to what is, if you tend to judge others, yourself, and the experiences you find yourself in, then the ego is talking. If you belittle others, feel you know more than they do, or think you know what they should or shouldn’t be doing, the ego is talking. It doesn’t take long to realize who most of us are siding with, after all, it is who we put our faith in until we begin the awakening process. When the light within turns on and begins to shine, eventually it will melt away this smooth talker, this meaningless voice from your life, and you will begin to see from the larger side of yourself, the one who’s been knocking on your door the entire time, and finally you are answering the call.
The higher self has no judgment on what you are doing in the world. It merely waits patiently, awaiting you to make a choice to see peace. This peace is within, it is not of the world, and will eventually guide us back to our real home. If you are participating in your passions and creating a life you wish, have detached from expectations, yet remain open to where life leads you, then you are listening to the higher self. If you take anything life presents you as a learning opportunity in the classroom of life, spirit is alive in you. When you deeply connect to something beyond yourself, and you are willing to put this relationship first and foremost, then you will know you are listening with your right mind. When you desire true inner peace over anything that is happening in your life, you are seeing through the symbolic eyes of who you really are, which brings you back to your true nature.
LIVE LIKE EDEN
Using EDEN as a symbol, this is the place of peace within, the only connection we have in this world to our larger place in God. Going within as we walk this world clears the fog from our once blurry vision. The undoing process brings us to this symbol of EDEN within. Whether it was a physical place that once inhabited this world long ago is irrelevant to what it can offer you now. It is simply an inner reminder of Home, we can take it with us everywhere we go. What an amazing gift, to have this sacred space, always available, so unbelievably patient with us, never wavering, never judging, just waiting for our return.
The entire purpose of LIVE LIKE EDEN is to point you in the direction of your own inner peace. Creating your own inner pathway to what is awaiting you, giving you the strength to see through the mind’s mental illusions, and to understand that you are much more than any label you give yourself in the world. This is your ticket to real happiness, to the recognition of a much larger essence than you previously believed yourself to be.
Life will keep giving you scenarios, chances, and opportunities to discover this inner EDEN. Why not utilize the power of the mind to choose another way? Why not see through the same playbook and wake up to what life can really offer you? It is offering you the ability to free yourself, to lighten up, to see the humor behind the mental construct, and know your real home has nothing to do with this world.