Embodying the Light
Stephan Bodian, has a wonderful chapter in his book - Wake Up Now: A Guide to the Journey of Spiritual Awakening - titled - "Embodying the Light." I finally came around to finishing this book, having chosen to "savor" the final chapters. The trip to Palm Springs gave me the opportunity to finish this book and read Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight, which I will write about at some point.
The chapter in question in Bodian's book begins with this this wonderful quote that I think summarizes what many of us need to learn and "embody" if we are to live without suffering in our lives:
I've chosen to highlight some of the sections of this chapter that I found particularly significant:
"Many seekers think of spiritual awakening as an instantaneous transformation that emerges fully formed and never develops or deepens...Even those who practice for years to attain enlightenment expect it to occur once and for all and ever after, like the happy ending in a fairy tale...
More often, however, the initial awakening is more subtle and tentative - like a flickering candle that barely dispels the darkness rather like the midday sun...You may keep forgetting who you are, and the light of this self-recognition may not be powerful or clear enough to penetrate to every area of your life...
The reality is that awakening generally occurs instantaneously but the process of transformation that awakening initiates is often quite gradual and may take a lifetime...
In the light of awakening, many people find that their old identities and their accumulated beliefs about themselves and others no longer hold any meaning and gradually drop off like ripe fruit from a tree...Or you may find that old, unresolved emotions such as resentment or grief start bubbling to the surface to be faced and released...
When the truth of your being is fully embodying itself from moment to moment, you're no longer struggling to maintain control of your life. Instead, you're surrendering to the current, at one with the flow, and life is living itself without effort or conflict...You welcome what is just the way it is, because everything is experienced as inseparable from you, and you find profound contentment in the realization that this timeless moment is perfect and complete exactly as it is...
Ultimately, the process of embodiment demands that you live with integrity in the true sense - that is, in alignment with the deepest truth of your being...When you life in harmony and attunement with the movement of the whole, responding to situations with the knowing that everything both 'inside' and 'outside' you is an expression of who you really are, you're living in integrity...
Financial issues may keep disturbing you until you relax your survival fears and remember that your true nature can never be destroyed..."
There is enough to digest here. This chapter brought clarity to a number of experiences and questions I have had for a long time. More tomorrow...
The chapter in question in Bodian's book begins with this this wonderful quote that I think summarizes what many of us need to learn and "embody" if we are to live without suffering in our lives:
"When I cease to own (physical or emotional pain),
I liberate myself from its bondage
and see it simply as it is."
- Tony Parsons
I liberate myself from its bondage
and see it simply as it is."
- Tony Parsons
I've chosen to highlight some of the sections of this chapter that I found particularly significant:
"Many seekers think of spiritual awakening as an instantaneous transformation that emerges fully formed and never develops or deepens...Even those who practice for years to attain enlightenment expect it to occur once and for all and ever after, like the happy ending in a fairy tale...
More often, however, the initial awakening is more subtle and tentative - like a flickering candle that barely dispels the darkness rather like the midday sun...You may keep forgetting who you are, and the light of this self-recognition may not be powerful or clear enough to penetrate to every area of your life...
The reality is that awakening generally occurs instantaneously but the process of transformation that awakening initiates is often quite gradual and may take a lifetime...
In the light of awakening, many people find that their old identities and their accumulated beliefs about themselves and others no longer hold any meaning and gradually drop off like ripe fruit from a tree...Or you may find that old, unresolved emotions such as resentment or grief start bubbling to the surface to be faced and released...
When the truth of your being is fully embodying itself from moment to moment, you're no longer struggling to maintain control of your life. Instead, you're surrendering to the current, at one with the flow, and life is living itself without effort or conflict...You welcome what is just the way it is, because everything is experienced as inseparable from you, and you find profound contentment in the realization that this timeless moment is perfect and complete exactly as it is...
Ultimately, the process of embodiment demands that you live with integrity in the true sense - that is, in alignment with the deepest truth of your being...When you life in harmony and attunement with the movement of the whole, responding to situations with the knowing that everything both 'inside' and 'outside' you is an expression of who you really are, you're living in integrity...
Financial issues may keep disturbing you until you relax your survival fears and remember that your true nature can never be destroyed..."
There is enough to digest here. This chapter brought clarity to a number of experiences and questions I have had for a long time. More tomorrow...
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