- Introduction
- What is enlightenment?
- The mechanics of enlightenment
- The role of the ego, emotions, and breathing
- The Quest for Enlightenment
- A map on the road to greater enlightenment
- We need to integrate our 3 centres
- Remember the Heart
Introduction
I have been asked by ~Charley (a 12th-dimensional soul) that I channel, to write on this subject. Enlightenment is a word I have come across numerous times over the past 40 years in my search for meaning and purpose on this Earth.
In many ways, it has seemed shrouded in mystery to me, and even now, I’m unsure if I fully understand it. I’ve sought others’ understanding and read quotes from well-known figures.
Buddha:
“Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light, but making the darkness conscious.”- Perhaps, he refers to our subconsciously fragmented psyche, describing part of the landscape.
Krishnamurti:
“Enlightenment is not a state of mind; it is a state of being. Enlightenment is not a feeling; it is the absence of feelings“. Being-ness is indispensable, and I’ll delve into it later. But stating that enlightenment is the absence of feelings is too cerebral; I strongly disagree.
There is a great deal of confusion between feelings and emotions with most of humanity, it is important to understand the difference so that we may add flesh to the bones of our emerging understanding.
Deepak Chopra:
“Enlightenment is the experience of infinite intelligence, infinite creativity, infinite love, and infinite bliss.”
Err, sorry Deepack, relying on books, not personal experience, weakens the message.
Eckhart Tolle:
“Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it’s about becoming more fully human.”
Yes, Eckart! I couldn’t agree more, BUT, what is the process that will allow us to become more fully human? and what does it mean to be more fully human anyway?
If you read with me we will explore the ego -composed of the physical body, emotions, and the mind that holds us back and our journey to the heart and feelings. For to be in our hearts is to be not just in a state of beingness, but in active connection with our egos.
Enlightenment is not a black-and-white event it is an expanding progression of integration and awareness within our hearts that leaves nothing behind in its wake – not even our egos.
What is enlightenment?
~Charley wishes me to make clear that enlightenment is not a black-and-white state, and that there are many gradations. Whilst by itself it is meant to be descriptive. We use it as a judgemental word whereby we see/ experience ourselves as being less than another, (who allegedly has it).
At one level, we are all equal, as in we are all vehicles for a soul fragment that experiences with us. What separates us as human beings is the facility by which the soul fragment blended with us can communicate its purpose and the degree to which the vehicle can respond.
I have listened to some modern-day ‘gurus’ who speak with a great deal of gravitas, and what appears to be a deep well of knowledge. But then I notice their breathing into their upper chest, referring to ‘I’ as in ‘I am’ this, that, or the other as the constant in their life, confusing and conflating emotions with feelings, and proclaiming that enlightenment is a state of being synonymous with this ‘I’, for enlightenment is not an object to be acquired.
There appears to be a fallacy amongst many individuals that knowledge, i.e. the study of esoteric material be it Western or Eastern, of itself can/will lead to enlightenment. This is a trap that trips many a seeker of ‘Truth’.
The mechanics of enlightenment
1867 –1949
Gurdjieff in his time explored many religions and their wise people. He realized and formulated that as human beings we have three centres, computers if you like, because they can all, be and are, programmed and programmable. I found this blog with some of the sayings by Gurdjieff- pure gold.
The physical – genetic DNA, and repetitive physical actions,
The emotions hormonal system – by responses to our sensations. Do they generate fear or inclusivity and companionship?
The mind –The observer of our emotional intensity and protector of our survival.
Our mental computer can and is programmed by others from infancy and by ourselves. In reaction to our environment.
When all three brains/centres are working in tandem because we are connected with our bodies and emotions, with our minds attentive to both, we can experience the reality of “I exist”, at such times we can navigate the world relative to others with confidence.
Up to this point, we are merely self-aware machines. It is distressing to say that the majority of humanity has fleeting moments of this self-awareness. Why? Because our cultural programming is designed to keep us psychologically fractured, emotionally suppressed, subservient, and non-questioning.
The role of the ego, emotions, and breathing
The quest for the dissolution of the ego appears to play a central role in the quest for enlightenment. This is very much a spillover from the Hindu cult and worship of gurus.
But what is ego? If not, the totality of what should be a well-run machine? And therein lies the problem. We seek enlightenment because we are in pain/distress in our thoughts, our emotions, and even our bodies.
Most of us carry a whole baggage of suppressed emotions, accumulated through our formative years via the interactions of family, school, peers, and society, all kept in place by various flavours of fear. It is the job of our indoctrinated minds to keep our emotions that have the potential to destabilise our integrity with their intensity well and truly under lock and key.
Little do we realize the price we pay for such conformity! Our emotions are the source of our energy in life (hormonal activity). And whenever we are triggered into expressing, even a shadow of those emotions we have so successfully suppressed in ourselves, our minds come to the fore with words to distract us from connecting with that potential emotional intensity.
We then get confused and identify with the word in our heads as though we are the words. In the process, disconnect from our emotions and or bodies.
Creativity is much sought after but requires allowing our imagination free rein –even to imagine the unthinkable. We are so constrained by our indoctrination, that we even self-censor the images in our heads!
To make matters worse, the only way the mind can suppress emotions apart from drowning our thinking with meaningless words, is via muscle tension, when we are overcome with intense emotions our breathing accelerates, hormones are released to prepare our muscles, internal organs, and immune system for fight-flight responses.
The mind interferes by contracting the abdominal muscles, which places the internal organs into a semi-stasis state, the diaphragm struggles to expand downwards, and the human is forced to breathe from the upper chest.
The lower abdomen has traditionally been recognized as the seat of emotions, In Daoism they perceive the lower abdomen as the hub of a wheel from which a connection is made like spokes radiating out to all parts of the body At this moment I can’t truly give a concise theory as to why it is, or should be the seat of emotions, but experientially I can categorically state that it is.
Other areas in the body can also go into muscle spasms. Commonly the piriformis in the hips/gluts, back muscles, and neck muscles, seem to be the most common ones.
This is why as long as we are trapped in the unnatural breathing pattern that isolates us from the second chakra, we will still have major emotional blocks interfering with progressing towards the relative enlightenment of, firstly “I am”- connected with all 3 centres, and secondly experiencing the serenity of being a unified organism in one’s heart (4th chakra).
Conversely, breathing into our lower abdomen by default does not make us more enlightened than others – we still have to clear the emotional blockages, but, it does increase our resources and support to fully experience our suppressed emotional pains.
The Quest for Enlightenment
ALL human beings trapped by deeply unresolved emotions and belief systems that subjugate them are by default fearful, needy, and insecure, they will experience themselves as victims and invariably guilt-ridden. In such a place, there is no “I am” except for fleeting moments here and there. The mental-emotional conflict that gives rise to such ways of being in the world we typically refer to as an ego, so no wonder we want to get rid of it!
Let me share a true measure and description of the holy grail we have labelled enlightenment.
Enlightenment is a road our ego travels divesting itself, of mental limiting programmes, whilst releasing its stranglehold on our emotions. This is a journey that begins by re-owning our humanity as we allow ourselves to experience emotional intensity.
Emotional intensity is our capacity to experience greater, intense emotions (without blowing a fuse). People confuse the experience of emotions with reactive emotions, the explosiveness of which we fear and, (our minds) must keep in check. It reminds me of the old coal/wood powered locomotives with a steam whistle/ safety valve to release the pressure if/ when it went too high
At the end of the day when all is said and done. True enlightenment is where we are one in our hearts, so yes anyone can be enlightened, Ok ~Charley disagrees! He says “There are many young souls on this Earth at the moment who are too traumatized and inexperienced to separate their emotions from their minds”.
And you who read this are, perhaps, not enlightened enough just yet, as you work to free yourselves of your deep grief and anguish. You don’t need to go to a charlatan who offers you the mystique of the supernatural. We all have moments when all our three brains are aligned, connected, and our feelings flow in our hearts.
But that moment is soon gone, swallowed by our fears, anxieties, deep out-of-awareness needs, and subconscious iron chains that stop us from deviating from set belief systems which keep in check our deepest hurts.
A map on the road to greater enlightenment
Ok, So I am connected to the supernatural Oops! 🙂 And yes, you don’t need to come to someone like me. ~Charley, the 12th-dimensional soul of the one Soul, shared with me some years back a chart of our possible ascension towards enlightenment, that place within our psyche where we can dwell more and more regularly, namely – Our hearts.
So far in this article, I have spoken of a human as a machine and to speak of ‘me’ (fragmented ego) or ‘I’ (unified ego) is to acknowledge this possibly clever, and maybe self-aware – machine). I speak of ‘soul’ because if we are machines then who is driving the vehicle? Many think of themselves as having free will and autonomy. Here is an article to state otherwise. Do human beings possess free will?
To the degree that the highway to our heart/soul is obstructed by our fears, hurts, and sense of being a victim, or self-limiting mental control, we disconnect from our hearts and we don’t hear the messages /prompts from our soul fragments.
Do you want to be enlightened? Forget books and gurus you are more than likely already partially enlightened The rest of your journey has to be experiential and for this to succeed you need to release your emotional traumas and loosen the reins of your belief systems
At a physical level- ask yourself where is the centre of my being? Wherever it is at present you want to end up experiencing the world from your heart. When we were born we began our journey through life in our hearts. Unfortunately, we live in a dystopian emotionally repressed and mentally controlled world. To protect our hearts our centre of gravity like a balloon gradually rose to our heads.
We need to integrate our 3 centres
The physical -Learn to breathe properly. Practice being in your body, when going for a walk be aware of how your feet grab the ground and propel yourself forward from the balls of your feet to your toes let there be a little spring to your step. you can practice your breathing as you walk too. Focus on the expansion of your lower ribs and the relaxation and outward movements of your abdominal muscles with your breath.
Become familiar with this active meditation to connect with and release physical tension from your body.
Next time you have an accident and hurt your body, however slightly, pause and contemplate that ‘you’ have done this to yourself. Feel tenderness for your body and the location of the pain, don’t distract yourself, give your pain ALL of your focus, tell your body, “I am sorry” and mean it!
The emotional – open yourself up to emotional intensity, listen to some classical music, sit by a stream and lose yourself in its gurgling, stare at the flames of a log fire, lie back and gaze at the clouds, watch ‘weepy’ films that will facilitate emotional experiences. Gaze deeply at your eyes in a mirror for 5 minutes regularly until you are emotionally spent.
When you have successfully connected or been triggered into an emotion – revel in it! Where are the sensations in your body? What is the tension like? What does this emotion bring up from your past? Is it a recurring emotion? BE curious. Magnify all the sensations ‘in your body’, cry with passion don’t hold back! Let emotional pain grow to a crescendo inside you and express it in your body. Let the tears flow and the nostrils run – let yourself be messy! Learn to enjoy the release of emotional intensity.
***Caveat, emotions that are not fully experienced in the body can re-traumatize us.***
**No half-measures, go the whole hog!**
The mind- are you a know-it-all all? Are you continually judging others by their clothes, the way they speak, and their education? Notice your bias. Question the words in your head. Learn to realise YOU are NOT the words in your head. Are you a LIAR? do you lie to yourself? others? Promise yourself you will from this moment forward be 100% truthful with yourself and 95% with others. It’s okay to have a little wiggle room when it comes to another’s ego.
No more self-criticism! there is already plenty of that in the world. From this day forth notice when you judge yourself or others, does it remind you of someone in your past that criticised or put you down? If there is something truly unacceptable about you then experience regret for your thoughts, reactive response or actions.
When you have had an altercation with another, your emotional feathers may have been ruffled, you may feel like a victim, unfairly accused, unable to express your viewpoint. You walk away and your mind is going ten to the dozen, as you replay the scene in your head you might have said this, that, or the other in your defence, or you might want to vent your anger and imagine a different scenario. It can be so exhausting! Then you can’t sleep because the thoughts keep going round and round!
I imagine very few if any have not had that experience. The answer lies in our emotions. Ask yourself, what was the emotion? do your best to capture and experience the emotion in your body. This might be a struggle because the emotion was more than likely intense and your mind is trying to protect and diffuse the emotional intensity with a barrage of never-ending words. In such a state, it is very difficult to be detached from the mind and yet you must! (move into your body) practice makes perfect. The chances are that the emotion is a familiar one, allow yourselves to remember other moments from earlier days in your life.
Remember the Heart
Hopefully, you will work on all the above but there is one important piece of the jigsaw puzzle still missing – the heart.
The heart is the glue that keeps our three centres communicating with each other, and yes, it needs to be the centre of gravity that defines us as human beings. But how to get there?
All the human attributes, of love, kindness compassion, and appreciation, emanate from the fountain of our hearts. Let’s begin with kindness, not for others but for ourselves.
I gave the example of looking at a mirror before. Try it now, gaze and drink deep from yourself. Be aware of how damaged you are, emotionally, psychologically, and perhaps even physically, gaze deeply, and allow yourself to feel kindness for the broken human ego that you are. Open your heart and surround this damaged ego with your warmth, appreciation and acceptance. All it has ever wanted was to be loved and to love another.
Is there a special someone in your life? You may not be ready for this yet in which case there may not be, but as you work on opening your heart the right person/animal will be there. Every night before going to sleep give this person or animal 5 minutes of your focused feeling, remind yourself of the laughter you have shared, and your joy in the way your partner/animal navigates his/her way through life. Remind yourself and savour the felt connection of understanding and safety at the way you can express yourself and be you without judgment.
Remember, to get to the heart you have to let your body and emotions express themselves. So practice like crazy at accepting and experiencing your body and emotional dimensions.
Quite a few people get seduced by the cult of the Hindu guru, tantra and sexual control, as well as the chakras- Kundalini, and some weird belief about gaining spiritual powers, and or going beyond ego. I will be writing an article devoted to the subject but for now, let me express that the only path to real enlightenment is the one I have shared here in this article.
Amidst numerous interpretations surrounding the concept of enlightenment, the genuine path unfolds as we forge a deeper connection with the soul within. Achieving this requires a comprehensive integration of all our centres and facets of the ego. It beckons us to become our own best friends and shower ourselves with unwavering self-love.
Progress becomes evident when we embrace the simple truth that none of us are or ever will be inherently special, regardless of how far we have travelled.
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