Sacred Processes of Awakening
Never before in Human History have more people been seeking practical and spiritual guidance beyond the typical cultural norms no longer serving us. Welcome.
Sacred Processes
What are Sacred Processes of Feeling, Healing, and Awakening?
The ongoing self defeating habits, divisive beliefs, exclusionary mindsets, and destructive trends of humanity are proving a fundamental shift in how we orient our attention and interest is more relevant than ever. One or some combination of Sacred Processes are offered in all trustworthy spiritual guidance focused on feeling, healing, and awakening unto the truth of us. Below, you will find guidance from several different spiritual masters and teachers.
Since the beginning of human experience there have been a diversity of awakened beings guiding humanity toward truth of existence – toward peace and conscious clarity within. All of them in their unique expression offer effortless guidance and effort based methods from what I call Sacred Processes of Awakening: Meditation, Yoga, Introspective Self Inquiry, Surrender (letting go), Nature Immersion, Receptive Silence, or Prayer. The natural intent of Sacred Processes and any true spiritual guidance is to help ‘you’ become aware of what is you and what is NOT you, beyond the limitations of belief.
That is to say, there is a profound distinction that could be made with respect to spirituality and mainly religious practices. True Spirituality or True Sacred Processes are ultimately about discovering the absolute nature of reality or existence, not merely practices to feel or look better; and, not another belief system, but guidance one can discover to be true in their direct experience.
Discovering Meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any such technique or methodology that: (1) assists in transcending the primal addiction of being identified as the body-mind complex; (2) illuminates awareness as to the illusion of separation; and or (3) focuses or relaxes attention inward toward bodily sensations and mental processes. Please note this: although it appears meditation requires effort as a type of event with a beginning and end, our essential being is meditative and it is the aim of every true spiritual teaching toward that Self Realization.
Discovering Yoga
Yoga
Just like the basic description of Meditation above, Yoga can also be viewed as any such technique or methodology that: (1) assists in transcending the primal addiction of being identified as the body-mind complex; (2) illuminates awareness as at to the illusion of separation; and or (3) focuses or relaxes attention inward toward bodily sensations and mental processes.
However, there is one major distinction between Meditation and Yoga. Meditation often appears to be utilized primarily using the mind; whereas, Yoga techniques and methodologies could be understood as body oriented, and less mental; although focusing or strengthening concentration is typically part of any meditation or yoga practice – at least in the beginning of the process.
Discovering Self Inquiry
Self Inquiry
Self Inquiry could be viewed as a type of meditation technique where the term meditation in this instance is a type of focusing the mind on a specific task. More specifically, Self Inquiry or Meditative Self Inquiry is primarily about directly asking oneself questions inwardly. For instance, isolating a thought and asking, “Is this thought true? Is this thought true, absolutely?” as in The Work of Spiritual Teacher Byron Katie.
One may say that at a deeper level the most fundamental self inquiry question is asking oneself, “Who or What am I?” as the Great Hindu Sage Ramana Maharshi suggested. The questioning of oneself may seem obvious, elementary, or even easy, however, the most profound benefits or insights arise when asking questions inwardly and NOT mentally answering them; yet, allowing the mind to open in the vast essence of infinite patience, self honesty, and unbiased interest.
Letting Go or Surrendering to God
Letting Go or Surrendering to God
We could say that the ultimate pointing or teaching of all Sacred Processes of Awakening is this: Allowing everything to be exactly as it is. That is to say, through the mystery of innocently identifying ourselves as the body and mind, we somehow empower the thinking-mind to live our lives for us. In other words, we empowered the survival based energies of our experience to constantly be manipulating the true spontaneous felt sense of life. Through obsessive thinking and acting out compulsions of the body we become lost trying and striving to manipulate life so it will provide happiness, joy, serenity. The thing is – that never works in providing the absolute fulfilment and wholeness and worthiness we are seeking. The guidance of letting go or surrendering to God, Higher Power, The Universe, etc., is always about awareness – about allowing everything to be as it is without buying into the mental stories that oppose the peace of this here now – God – reality – the Cosmos.
Nature Immersion
Nature Immersion
Why is it that no matter who or what you think or believe yourself to be, that spending time immersed in nature somehow relaxes the body and mind? The funny thing is this: Everyone knows that consciously choosing to go hiking, sit by a lake, visiting the beach, or walking in the forest is more emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healing than entertaining our obsessions, compulsions, and addictions, don’t we? It is as if we know there are certain changes in our habits and routines we could implement that could benefit our overall wellbeing, yet, we appear to struggle letting go of over analyzing, worrying, and acting out our compulsions. The bottom line is this: when it comes to consciously changing our daily patterns to include immersing ourselves in nature, we know, we absolutely know communing with the trees, fresh air, mountains, streams, lakes, birds, animals, bees and so on would help us in many ways – many ways we may not even be aware of just yet. One fact of life is this: We ARE nature yet we seem to be unaware of that deeper reality of our existence. Honor your nature – take a walk in the forest or visit a lake alone. Let your mind detox, calm, or relax.
Receptive Silence
Receptive Silence or Meditative Contemplation
Receptive Silence could also be considered Meditative Contemplation because at the heart of both is the willingness to discover or understand aspects of reality, a solution, or insight out of awareness. However, a subtle difference is Receptive Silence suggests one is open to somehow receiving or illuminating ‘answers’ beyond the mental commentary of mind. That is to say, abiding in innocent receptivity to whatever may arise in consciousness without expectations or making a story about it. Receptive Silence, in essence, is probably another name for mediation, but again more along the lines of being completely open, like willingly walking alone in the forest, alongside an ocean or lake with a heartfelt non mental openness to feel, heal, and awaken.
Meditative Contemplation is included here because it is very similar to Receptive Silence as a type of meditation. For example: reading a passage from a spiritual text and consciously contemplating the words in receptive silence. Not to create meaning mentally, but to allow the deeper wisdom of the words to illuminate themselves.
Prayer
Prayer
For centuries to millennia, the essence of prayer has evolved many meanings, ideas, and seeming techniques. At the heart of all prayer whether one believes in the spiritual qualities of it or not, there is deep willingness to be free of suffering – to be free of the illusion of separation humans suffer. Traditionally, prayer has grown accustomed to asking for help with a specific problem or challenge one is faced. Yet, by the nature of the asking for “God” to fix or solve a problem there is a subtle ignorance or turning away from acknowledging a deeper aspect of Truth, of God. And, a subtle illusion of control. For instance: One loses their job or a loved one and the immediate response is to pray for a new job or pray to “God” to get rid of the painful feelings, thoughts, or sensations of loss, rather than this: with an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude, asking for the wisdom or conscious clarity or grace through which the experience is offering. As implied with all Sacred Processes of Healing, Feeling, and Awakening, the essence of Prayer is to wake up unto truth of existence – to dissolve the illusion of separation between one’s self concept and Reality – God.
