I’ve noted a common idea in spiritual circles that one must be pure and perfect to have an awakening. I know a few people who have spent a part of their life in deep meditation, in pure secluded spots, eating pure food. These people experienced smooth transitions, like no BBQ in the Unity approach. Just simple, clear steps of waking.
But for most of us, we live in the world, may not always eat ideally, and are sometimes confronted with profound challenges. We may see these as setbacks to our progress though they may actually be designed to build new strengths. In this context, we may come to see awakening as an impossible challenge. I’ve noticed quite a few long term seekers have effectively given up on awakening in this life. Some I know are trying to counteract this trend, for example by interviewing the awake to demonstrate its normality.
Waking doesn’t require great purity or perfection. It just needs some. Enough to see through the veils. Enough to wake up to who we are. The fact that we’ve had clear experiences of our transcendental Being shows us it’s entirely possible.
In an ideal world, we’d take care of our baggage beforehand, ensuring as smooth and clear a process as possible. But there is also something to be said for the clarity and witness of awakening. Much easier to see the story in action and thus release those aspects that don’t really support us.
What needs to be seen will be seen when it needs to be. And when we get to enough, then we’ll see who we are.
That’s been happening in increasing numbers over the last 5 years.
We live in remarkable times.
Davidya
Thanks. Does this mean there could be baggage to clear after Awakening?
Hi Ron
Oh, very much so. There is usually lots to still unpack post-awakening. There is often a wave of clearing and integration shortly after awakening as there is now a larger space to hold that. The big advantage though is you’re now no longer caught in it the same way so its easier and you can go deeper.
As you complete most of your personal baggage, you gradually shift more and more to processing collective baggage. Purification and healing don’t end. But your impact increases.
You also still live in a body with a kind of karmic schedule, which is closely related to our baggage. So that continues to unfold as well. But again, our relationship with it is quite different so it can be resolved faster and with much less drama.