Earlier, I spoke of “What Remains“, the qualities of person that may appear to continue after one is fully awake. You have probably heard talk about the process of the dissolution of the ego concept of the “me”, the separate self. How the concepts and beliefs fall away around the time of first awakening, with the ego itself “popping” when we fully surrender just for a moment into who we are.
As L&L recently put it, “Being remembering itself is the individual forgetting itself.”
In a similar way, with the approach and realization of Unity, the core identity falls away, then its mesh of needs drivers in the lower energy centers. These are a little hard to describe as they are usually completely subconscious until after the opening of the divine heart, the casting off of the crust. But you may feel them as a gripping or clinging drive to be a certain way: to possess, to control, to know, to be seen – the residues depend on the person. But if we have done the work to cleanse the ego beliefs consciously, some of this will be familiar, but its form may be a surprise. There may not be a clue to the seeds of our ego dynamics.
After awakening, Adyashanti describes silence moving forward and absorbing head, heart and gut. This leads to the loss of identity and second waking. Then the Self moves forward and clears the lower centers and with that, moves out into our world. We continue to empty the container of person.
In the past we may have experienced the release of knots or holdings or resistance. They may have arisen as emotional or physical release. Now we find the “body” includes the environment. Our possessions and surroundings may be pleasant, neutral, or may hold residual drama*, just as the mind, heart and body did prior.
It can be surprising where you store your junk. Or maybe not surprising. I’ve commented prior of how outer clutter can be an expression of internal clutter. (or personal style) But understand it’s not the book or shirt or piece of furniture itself that is the stress. It’s the way we’ve been holding it in our awareness. Our relationship with it, we could say. The grip or craving are the giveaways. It is not held easily. It’s a little like someone being possessive or overly protective about something like a new car, only more fundamental. In a way, more animal.
This description brings ideas like Ho’oponopono to life. I don’t know much about it but it seems there is a traditional version that was made famous and adapted by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len who is said to have healed a criminal psych ward without seeing any of the patients, as told by Joe Vitale. He simply healed what was in his experience. The environment is none other than you and everything that occurs within it arises from within. Purify yourself and you release the holding that caused the apparent suffering. Interesting that they describe it as releasing memories, given that awakening is a process of remembering.
The Person doesn’t really end. What ends is our association with the person as me, the crud inside it that created suffering, and its limitations. Indeed, the person becomes cosmic. Not of course the person of illusion but the person that contained that, that we were gifted for this chapter of our journey.
Of course the cosmic person is One, One cosmic person. The holy spirit. Purusha. The world is it’s body. All of creation is the mind. And you are that. Superman ain’t got nothin’ on you.
Davidya
* these qualities are determined by the fundamental qualities or gunas of expression – Sattva (purity), Rajas (fire or kinetic energy) and Tamas (inertia). Think of how consciousness moves – is it smooth, agitated, or sluggish. This is the basic nature of everything we experience, everything of the world, internal and external.
Last Updated on December 11, 2013 by Davidya
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Hello David, it’s me again 🙂
Can you please expand on “Being remembering itself is the individual forgetting itself.“ and “…awakening is a process of remembering”.
For the past year, I have been feeling that I have been here before, I have lived this before, I know this… I shared with those close to me that I felt I was constantly in a state of dejavu… I also experienced being out of my body. But, what is different is that this time I feel I am trying to remember to be aware when taking my next step, instead of reacting. I am realizing that I have a choice. When I was a child, I knew much of what I am remembering now but as I was growing I stopped being myself and tried to fit it but then I never fit in because I was always in a struggle to find myself, and now I am remembering.
Hi Masi
First thing to understand here is that I’m describing the dissolution of the Identity that happens before and after the realization of unity. Typically, this is quite a bit after self realization. I describe it here as some people are going through it.
The remembering here is also a deeper kind of memory. It is not the person or the souls memory or even the memory of the universe. It is the memory of creation itself, the memory of God. In Sanskrit, Shruti. What we are doing is remembering what already is. Self is remembering who it is. Thus awakening is a remembering of what already is.
We can say that in a sense, existence exists because it is remembered. If it falls out of attention, it ceases to be.
Because the individual is a memory of the person, when one remembers Being, one forgets the individual so it ceases to be.
What you’re talking about is a little different. Time is an effect that arises from the process of experience. The mind remembers, so we seem to have a past and it dreams of the future, creating that. But they are only in consciousness, so they are only now. As the grip of the person and the persons memories soften, time collapses into the moment, where it’s always been.
I go into this in more detail here:
https://davidya.ca/2007/10/10/the-past/
So there may be a little dejavu time shifting. Or you may be remembering hints of your deep past. Your life has come back to a place where you’ve been and you’re now picking up where you left off. Only this time, you’re a little more conscious.
If this is taking place, don’t hold too hard to remembering. It will come naturally if it needs to.
You might find the new ‘Lessons of Life’ post illuminates that.
You’ll also find that life comes in cycles. We have a period of opening, then some mundane focus, then more opening again. All of it has value to our journey, not just the flashy bits.
It is also a characteristic of the ego to feel it didn’t fit in and something is wrong. That’s just a story. Why would you want to fit in anyway? (laughs)
Wiser people than me have suggested that spiritual progress is made by integration of spirit, mind, body and emotions. While we may have an experience of ‘leaving the body’ it’s better not to encourage that as it can lead to reduced integration. The “astral” planes are also where the most crap is. Better to deepen the connection to consciousness. When that is rooted enough you are unbounded and you can travel anywhere without leaving the body.
Keep it up. Remembering who you are is what awakening is all about.
Hello David,
Thanks for your response 🙂
My self has realized that I need not hold on to the ‘dejavu’ sensation. At times, I felt that I am being born again or starting a new cycle and ‘picking up where I left off’. And other times, it feels like I am remembering or seeing my self. Now, I am most content when I am Still, just like I knew how to be when I was younger.
As for fitting in – it was more that my mind was constantly in the past and the pains of my childhood, while my self was resisting. It was a period of 10 years spent in much suffering in my body and my mind while my self sought comfort in any spiritual opportunities that came my way.
I am now thankful, for where I am now.
Hi Masi
Yes, you are the experiencer, so your job is to experience. Not to hold or resist or whatever, just experience. See where it goes.
Yes, the mind can very absorbed in it’s stories, regurgitating all the “evidence”. Been there.
Yes, where you are now is perfect. It’s where you’re meant to be.
Thank you, sincerely, Davidya 🙂
You have a wealth of information here.. your writing is familiar, it is enlightening, and it gives me a good feeling so I’m hitting the archives as I await your new posts.