There’s a curious balance on the spiritual path between being human and being divine, between self-effort and flow.
If we do not act, we see no results, no fruit. But if we act with expectation, life is bound to disappoint. Life flows in the whole, not the me.
After awakening, there is often a period of winding down the old. We unwind remaining attachments related to expectations and grasping for results. Slowly, we learn to allow and let life be as it is in the various parts of our life. We let go of the ego’s need for control. We step into the flow.
Sometimes, there can be a gap between letting go of our old drivers and being clear enough for the flow to step in more consciously. Life can seem to pause a bit.
But as we clear the energetic debris in our system, the flow of the divine in our life becomes increasingly clear. We learn to trust and go with it, enjoying the smooth and easy way of being, perhaps punctuated by the occasional unexpected call for something that stretches us.
But the divine rarely concerns itself with dishes, making a living, fixing the toilet, or other human-based things. So after the flow comes on-line, we learn to start without entanglement, to do without attachment to results. To flow into it without force.
There is also an element of timing to begin things. Gradually, we become aware of the nuances of resistance and learn when to act for best support. We also learn to notice the prods to do what is not planned. We move into the dance of life.
I’m reminded again of the old song:
Row, Row Row your Boat,
Gently Down the Stream.
Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily,
Life is But a Dream (on YouTube)
The stream is the flow. But we still row. 🙂
Balancing the flow with our own intentions is an ongoing process. We go deeper into flow, and we have another rebalancing. We get caught up in life’s busyness – another rebalancing.
With little expectation, we can be surprised by what arises with some action. With clear flow, results are often better than we could plan and come from places unimagined.
But we have to be open to surprise. Life likes surprises and entertainment. 🙂
Enjoy!
Davidya
PS – please don’t confuse what I’m describing with moods or concepts. The above is a post-awakening process in our relationship with the divine. This is not about letting go of self-authority, responsibility or taking cues from “spirit” or the astral.
Can this flow or the gap you refer to above (para 4) occur prior to awakening? To be honest, I do not think I am awake. I would not know what “being awake” feels like. But I feel I am winding down and / or processing events. And that I am on the cusp of flow though not quite there as well. I have a more personal relationship with the divine however. That relationship with the divine part is flowing – i.e. the praying is more effortless and less regimented.
Hi K
The gap I mentioned is specific to a post-awakening period. We can certainly notice the flow and have a relationship with the divine prior. However, until consciousness is clear and unchanging, the depth of that is very muted.
I use “Awakening” as a reference to Self Realization. This is not something that happens to you. It is not a feeling or a thought. We could say it is a shift out of you and into your deeper nature as pure being, pure awareness. That which contains all thoughts, feelings, and sensing.
We can have tastes of this in moments of expansive awe or deep transcendence when the mind stops. But the reality of it is much more than that.
Certainly though, there is often lots of winding down and processing on the journey – both before and after the shift. It gets easier after as it’s not “mine” so much then.
Awake is not something you figure out. It is beyond the mind. It is driven from beyond consciousness and causes that to wake up to it’s own nature, here. It is not something we do. It arises.
Some say awakening happens by accident. And that spiritual practices help make you more accident prone. 🙂
Hello Davidya! It’s been a while. Really loved this article, it does capture what is happening post awakening. So much winding down, undoing, bringing so much in alignment with Reality and Love. It’s a bit relentless at times!!
Thanks, Tom. And welcome back – both here and your blog.
Yes, it can sometimes be relentless but does eventually let up. Some. Mostly. (laughs)
Thanks for the welcome back! I’m enjoying thus far. And yes. I’ve found that the letting up is in direct proportion to my willingness to be congruent. Out of alignment is usually the key. 🙂
Ringingly clear … wonderful! Thanks 🙂
🙂