Who Is This Guy?

I realized from a few recent comments that there was something I was taking for granted that may not be obvious to all readers.

That is the distinction between awakening and who it’s being embodied by. I recently talked about Styles of Enlightenment but wanted to be clear on this point.

The content of this blog is observations from This journey. I write about many aspects we all have the potential to go through. But I have an emphasis on how it has been unfolding here and in those around me. Each of us has our own journey that highlights and unfolds distinctly.

This overall process is quite distinct from the skills and gifts a person may be given.

Other insights I share on this blog, like in Managing the Chakras, are very specific to the experience here. Not everyone will have these kinds of insights – part of the reason I share them. Some will have other related insights and others will be oriented quite differently.

If you’ve seen my BATGAP interview, you know these skills came on-line decades before awakening. The awakening process has enhanced them but they remain distinct things.

The context is also very important. Gifts are like a Muse. They are not who we are nor are they our possessions or something we control. They are something that expresses through us when it so chooses. The more out of the way we are, the easier for that to flow.

Further, I am very much just some guy who has been called to share some of this in writing. That wasn’t my idea and writing skills are not a forte. I now run articles through an advanced grammar tool but still get regular emails with suggested corrections. (laughs)

When I was younger, I got quite negative feedback for sharing. Looking back, that was a good thing as it reduced ego making it special (spiritual materialism).

By way of comparison, Kristen Kirk has a somewhat similar style of experience but her orientation is distinct and her insights mostly support her healing. She is a very different embodiment and application. And so are you.

Interview sites like BATGAP give many examples of both degree and style.

Each of us are born with gifts to be discovered and developed, distinct from awakening. The main way we discover them is through life experience. What you’re good at is normal for you so may be too obvious to be recognized at first. We may assume others are the same. You also may have learned to suppress some when young. This is very common for some types of gifts. The process of spiritual development may also bring unexpected things on-line that will show up here and there.

Having gifts doesn’t mean we’re special or destined to be a teacher or famous. Many work quietly behind the scenes or are known only in small circles. You want to be careful not to have gifts go to your head or isolate you.

Recognizing the distinction is also good for choosing a teacher. Gifts and abilities are not necessarily signs of enlightenment. Especially not charisma, the fools gold of spirituality. The better guide is what I call resonance. Being around them is like a deep meditation. Such a person can help catalyze your process. If it’s just a talking head, then it only serves the mind. That has value but not so much for awakening. If it enhances your ego, it may be very attractive but who does that serve?

People who claim to be an avatar, beyond karma, or perfected are imbalanced or deluded. The vast majority of the awake are still very much human. They are experiencing mostly from there and not somewhere else, they still have their opinions, tastes, and foibles, they are not in control of time and the universe, and are still winding down karma. It’s folly to believe something different or give too much weight to an experience.

Another wrinkle is the inappropriate dominance of a renunciate approach in many teachings. Practices like ego-denial and world as illusion are ill-suited to being a human in the world.

Enlightenment is an upgrade, not a new model. It’s best to live your own life to the fullest of your ability. And know that you’re doing your best.
Davidya