This Journey- a path to simple enlightenment

Part one

What went wrong and how to right it

Your life is your journey. The goal is to enjoy, embrace… really embody the being you are meant to be, savoring your steps along the path of life. The goal is to be you, with grace and power, with health and happiness. Wherever you are on your path, or if you’re seeking your path, this book is for you. We are all right where we’re supposed to be. Experiencing your power and wisdom doesn’t come some day. It should come today, every day. Now is your time and you are ready.

Simple enlightenment

I was seeking more in my life. Where is my nirvana, the Samadhi, the host of heavenly angels singing? But life never brought me those big mystical awakenings. I was drawn to study and practice the metaphysical, but never resonated with finding spirit guides that talk to me. I felt fake if I would call in this archangel or that. I explored many traditions and religions. I always found the most peaceful direction within myself, naturally and alone. I found a knowing inside that I could trust. Life went on and eventually I discovered the path I’m on is working really well for me. I have connected to my higher self and that brings me a power and peace beyond anything I hoped for.

When I unite my physical, visible, logical self with my aspects of spirit, the invisible, the magical- all the pieces click together for me. I found something I can rely on. There is a great power within me. I didn’t have to call out into the darkness and hope something heard me and came to help. My higher wisdom is always here inside me. My gut was always onboard to give me direction and help make choices. I realized that this intuition or direction is a very simple, practical, accessible and understandable form of light/spirit/source. This internal voice is something I could actually explain to people. I knew that I wasn’t the only one wired this way. So here we are.

I know my use of the term simple enlightenment will raise a few eyebrows. Many of us associate enlightenment with a difficult-to-reach state of spiritual knowledge that some study a lifetime for and few feel they achieve. The term enlightenment has a perceived religious connection, as does the word spiritual. The association with religion makes some folks resist the idea of enlightenment, as they don’t see themselves as religious. I am sure that many of us might wish for enlightenment, but we feel challenged to actually define it. So I have concluded that my title might crank some people off, but the truth is most of us see enlightenment as something outside of our reach or potential. So I have chosen to remain unconcerned about my use of a word that most people have written off, anyway? (grin) Rather than judge me, allow me to bring a fresh focus to enlightenment and explore why you have found yourself drawn to this open-to-question term. 

To clarify, let’s define the word enlightenment.¹

enlightenment

1. the action of enlightening or the state of being enlightened. Similar words: understanding, insight, education, learning, knowledge, awareness, information, wisdom, instruction, teaching, illumination, light, edification, awakening, refinement, cultivation, civilization, sophistication, advancement, development, broad-mindedness, an aha moment. The action or state of attaining or having attained spiritual knowledge or insight,

2. a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition.

3. Suni’s definition- A state of deep knowledge which allows us to live in purpose, peace, serenity, bliss as we choose to. We engage this natural state when we live as physical and spiritual beings, using the powers of both aspects together.

Notice the similar words in the dictionary definition. Most of those words are things that we all seek. Funny how the word enlightenment feels out-of-reach to many of us. In this book, I’m bringing you a message that enlightenment IS for all of us. I believe you were born enlightened. I hope to help you find your way back to that truth. 

We are living in changed times. Note I didn’t use the word changing, but changed. There is a new energy here on the planet. I and many others see this new energy as supporting global awakening. That’s a big statement to wrap your brain around. As the book progresses, I’ll touch on many aspects of this changed world that might facilitate your seeing the changes more clearly. For now, imagine that our changed world has rewritten the rules, the roles and the ideals. In this new world, simple enlightenment means seeing oneself as not just physical, mental, emotional, but also connecting to and using the wisdom of the spiritual/energetic self. I am referring to spirit as an energy, your life force energy. Spirit/energy is the part of you that hangs around after your body has worn out. This is the invisible you, the ah-ha moment you, the where did that great idea come from you. 

The energy of spirit, the invisible, is in us all. You might consider yourself an atheist. That title doesn’t remove you from the world of energy/spirit. Science has hit a wall in research where, sometimes, they just can’t explain things. Einstein used a phrase, spooky action at a distance to describe the phenomenon of entanglement. He couldn’t explain it based on knowledge of the time; therefore, he labeled all of quantum mechanics as wrong. But, in the 1980s, entanglement was validated as an entirely new kind of phenomenon. We have entered a world where many things cannot always be explained as true or false, black or white. It is a time to open to energies in life that we don’t totally understand. I’m calling one of those energies your spirit or consciousness. Consciousness is becoming part of science. Consciousness studies explore this undefinable term combining perspectives from philosophy, science, and spirituality. I suggest we all remain open to the idea that there is some spark of life or consciousness, a part of the human body that doesn’t show up on the anatomy chart.

It is key as we try to navigate this changed world, to find a connection to our energetic self, our higher wisdom, our spiritual self, our magic. This book’s purpose is to provide information, simple exercises and practices that you can explore to strengthen your connection to the higher self, to the spirit. I didn’t make up these practices, nor am I channeling them from some higher place. These are ideas/practices that I’ve gleaned from a lifetime of study- seeking the keys to happiness, success, and purpose in my own life. I have found within some cultures, at the root of some religions, in modern research and higher thinking- that there are common threads and basic tenets. Understanding these common threads or keys has opened many doors for me to my higher self and deeper purpose in life. 

Our spirit or energetic self is not greater or finer than our physical self, with which we are more familiar. Our spirit self has skills that our visible body does not. Likewise, the spirit/energetic self becomes empowered by living in a body and can take actions that spirit alone cannot. I am calling on you to realize and strengthen your connection with that spiritual/energetic side of you. Embrace the spiritual, not to the exception of the physical. The key is to understand that those two aspects of you together is where your enlightenment lies. The spirit can’t accomplish the same things alone as it can when housed in a physical body. Most of us have experienced life as physical beings without honoring or using our energetic aspects. Now is the time to bring spirit into your everyday life. Our spirit self isn’t just for praying or meditating. I like to imagine we can get comfortable in our body/spirit package when asking directions or listening to a friend in need. 

I don’t ask anyone to follow me or to believe what I believe. I wish to help you build a toolkit to deepen your connection to your higher self. I hope to show paths allow you to make and define this connection to the higher you in your own way. It is only by making this adventure very personal that you connect with your unique strengths and purpose. There is no one path to becoming your best you. Open and allow, receive and release as you see fit. 

You will not find any in-depth dissertations here on individual subjects. I open doors for you that you may not have considered wandering through before. If the concept of meditation your way, or the healing power of your own energy resonates with you, then I trust you will take the small flame that gets ignited here and go learn more. I’m just your guide as we tour the concept of individual enlightenment being your birthright. I trust you will grab onto any topic that lifts you and go dive deeper into the exploration of you.As you explore your true purpose, also consider that enlightenment isn’t just an individual experience. We are living in a time when it has become crucial that we find enlightenment to open us to our role in the community, the whole. As we open our eyes to our true power, may we realize as mature adults, our role is to serve our tribe, our community, our world through love and compassion. 

To connect your physical with your spiritual is my challenge to you. This is the simple enlightenment I speak of. Enlightenment means realizing all you are. That doesn’t require decades of study with a guru, isolating in a cave on a mountainside. It only requires you to learn to look within you.

The moment of awakening may be marked by an outburst of laughter, but this is not the laughter of someone who has won the lottery or some kind of victory. It is the laughter of one who, after searching for something for a long time, suddenly finds it in the pocket of his coat.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice²

Simple enlightenment is for you

The concept of simple enlightenment is to free you. You aren’t striving for some unattainable perfection. You have it all right now. You are a lovely blend of physical and spiritual, human and light, perfect and imperfect. You are all this right now, today and every day. Even the days when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed to find the dog peed in your shoe and you’re out of coffee. Every day, breathe deep, you are the light. 

Simple enlightenment is for the world

This simple enlightenment is not just for you, or for me. It is not individual enlightenment so you can sleep better at night and quit getting lost in your fears. It’s so much greater than that. It is enlightenment for all. We need to connect our human and spirit for all people, for our world, so that we can work together to help more people find their higher wisdom. The new world, the new energy, is calling us to become true adults, taking our place in the community. I wrote this book to help me, to help you, and to help us all get to the next level. 

This changed world

How are you feeling in this changed world? Are you longing for the good old days? Feeling fearful of what might be coming? Are you busy seeking to place blame, or to find the one who can fix all this? 

Any of these feelings are understandable. We were raised in the old world ruled by the energies of fear and greed. That world is fading away. There is a new world here, but we’ve become so ingrained in the old ways that it feels impossible that they can ever change. But the world has and will continue to change. The challenge for each of us is to change ourselves so we can see and assist the new world. We change, our lives and actions change, and those shifts allow others to see the changed world too. 

Yes, I understand that if you’re still stuck in the belief that the world can never change, I sound deluded. I ask you to imagine, just for a few more chapters, that what I’m saying might be true. As an experiment, just play with the idea. I’ll explain more as we move along. But I need you to open your heart and mind a bit. Take a long, deep breath and as you exhale, let a tiny bit of resistance go. You picked up this book seeking new ideas. So let’s carry on and explore new ideas. 

The new world is here. Energies have risen which empower you to do things you never could before. You are the one to help this world fulfill its potential. Your mission is to fulfill your true purpose and use your innate talents to support the planet by engaging with all around you in love and compassion. This is a tall order… in the old world, yes. 

There are many paths to being your best self, finding your higher wisdom. My teaching often resonates with a seeker who may not see themselves as spiritual or woo-woo. Are you looking for ideas that feel comfortable and seem attainable? Things have changed and our paths to being our highest, best self are open as they never have been before. 

Where we once knew the world as real only in the physical perspective, now we must learn to honor the spiritual or energetic aspect as well. In the old world, the visible was all that was real and now we must choose to embrace the invisible. While some still insist they will only believe the practical/logical explanations, we now have been endowed with the magical. 

You are physical and spiritual.

You are visible and invisible.

You are practical/logical and magical. 

When you embrace all aspects of yourself, there is an empowerment that occurs. You realize that there is more to you than meets the eye. There is more to life than who has the most money or the fanciest toys. We realize that we exist outside of our own skin. We begin to see value in all other people, not just the rich and famous. All of us can make time to find the wonder in nature, in a starry night sky. We come to cherish the feeling of a deep breath at an anxious moment. Seeing these dual aspects of life enables us to be more, see more, know more than we ever could before. Being all we can be opens us to embrace our own simple enlightenment.

I have found simple enlightenment and I want to share the basic practice with anyone who is seeking more. This isn’t a religious experience. It doesn’t even ask you to do things my way. I do not believe there is one path for all in this new world. I’ll share simple tools gleaned from a lifetime of studying many traditions. The goal is simply to become a whole, mature human, ready to take a place in helping/serving the world. This wholeness or maturity comes from exploring basic skills of listening to yourself, grounding to something greater (earth, sky, spirit, ancestors, you, nature), then becoming your best you.

Sound too simple? Yeah, it’s simple and no one will complicate it, but you. How do I know these practices will work? I’ve watched life in many cultures and religions, studied history and science to see that the answers, our wisdom and wonder are all within. I have also lived this path. I sought knowledge to fix my broken self. That has taken a long time and I’m still working on it. I don’t bring you new information. I teach you to forget a lot of old lies. I open doors so you might remember the real you. I suggest that all your life experiences (the lovely and the horrible) brought lessons and wisdom. I teach ways you can release the pain, the hangover of trauma, while retaining the power and wisdom that you carried away from those experiences by surviving and thriving. You can release karmic residue/life trauma and embrace your power, listen to wisdom within, stand and shine. You can become the real you. The whole complete unencumbered you is here for a purpose and you are ready now to serve that role. You are ready and now is your time. 

Come with me as I share what I’ve learned to help you find your hope, excitement, and a new level of awakening in this new world. I hope to touch on many topics knowing that the ones that truly resonate with you will move you to find deeper resources on your own. Simple enlightenment is here. It’s not down some winding road. It exists within you. You were born with this wondrous truth.

This first part of the book explains my concept, my understanding of what simple enlightenment is and how we connect with this beautiful power. Simple enlightenment is built into every being. But our old world did not help us learn to make the connection. We have forgotten how amazing we are and how to find our way back to our purpose, our power, and our simple enlightenment. 

Part two of the book will introduce practices common on a spiritual path. This is a sort of guidebook to the land of the mystical. I’m covering the basics here so someone who maybe hasn’t dabbled in the metaphysical (the beyond the physical) realm might enjoy these Cliff Notes. I offer different topics to help you change your habits, releasing old limiting beliefs, and being open to new ideas.

I’m not recommending a deep dive into the land of woo-woo, calling in all archangels