I’ve talked about ways of knowing in several articles. For example, The Seeing Seer, which explores the stages of knowing towards cognitions of reality. Or On Knowing, which explores the difference between conceptual knowing, experimental knowing, and being.
In this article, I’m going to be more practical and talk about ways we bring in information that can become knowledge.
I’ve talked here about the head, heart, and gut model that relates to the stages of awakening and the 3 levels of identification. These are key centres in the energy physiology known as mahamarmas. They’re also 3 centres of nerve concentration or “brains” in the body.
We used to think we had just the brain in our head. But we now know that each of these areas has large nerve centres. It’s now recognized we have a “heart brain” and a “gut brain” too. Each has different functions and they all communicate with each other. However, our awareness of them requires shifting modes (head, heart, & somatic). For example, if we’re in our head a lot, we may not notice how we feel and our “gut instincts” may be purely subconscious.
1) Head: this one processes most of the external senses and makes a conceptual map of the world and a narrative about who we are. This is dominant in modern civilizations, and our school system works to develop it.
2) Heart: this is the “feeling” brain and relates to the limbic system. It’s the highest energy of the three. It’s closer to memory and habits. If the heart is unfettered, it supercharges the intellect and intuition.
3) Gut: this is the somatic brain that’s more connected to our body’s intelligence. For many, it’s the least conscious. Some consider the instinctive brain primitive, but it’s the most grounded and runs the body and keeps us healthy and alive. It’s a rich source of pre-cognitive information and our earliest memories (in this life).
Heart and Gut can also tune into the collective and pick up on movements through the group.
It’s easy to see how access to all three modes of knowing can be advantageous.
Davidya
Hi Davidya
In Adyashanti’s “awakening of the mind, heart, gut” model, is what we call “Self realization” just the awakened mind? Or do we need to become conscious of and develop all 3 aspects to achive the first shift (Self realization)?
Thank you, for all the information on your blog.
Hi Giovanni
To be precise, it’s head, heart, gut. This isn’t about awakening them per se but rather the location of our primary identifications, what I jokingly called the 3 am-egos.
The “head” identification is the sense of personal ego at the core, with our various narratives about who we are around it. That identification ends with Self Realization. There are a few ways that may be recognized (Self, no-self, devotional, etc).
“Heart” is usually crusted over in protection. The identification here is to its protection and the emotional drivers that motivate the narratives above. Broadly, this release is associated with the God Consciousness shift and the awakening heart, but often doesn’t happen until later in the process.
“Gut” is the core or existential identity our name is associated with. This is somatic and unconscious until shortly before its release. Ideally, it happens with the Unity shift, but again is often later. I know people in Brahman who have not even had heart yet. Was just discussing why this can happen earlier today.
There are quite a few articles where I explore this from various angles, some going back to the early days of the blog when this was unfolding here.
Note that we don’t try to actively release some concept of a head identification, etc. This is a way of describing the process to help the person experiencing it understand when happened.
Awakening happens through grace. It allows consciousness to get “louder” than the ego, then it’s seen and ego identification is seen through. Then it depends on how much prep we’ve done as to if it can be sustained.
Note: in A Map of Embodied Awakening, I described a different model of these 3. But thats not the model Adyashanti and I use.
Okay thank you, so these realizations don’t happen in a linear sequence, they are more 3 different processes that can happen, for example a person might start healing emotions and trauma (heart) before self realization.
Hi Giovanni
OK – there’s a few things here.
The stages of awakening in consciousness do happen in a sequence. (SR, Unity, Brahman)
The 3 identifications do release in a sequence (head, heart, gut).
However, they may not be synchronized to the above stages.
The stages of refinement can similarly be delayed. Their character changes based on the stage in consciousness that’s happening when they unfold. For example, GC arising post-Brahman will not be the same as in Self Realization.
So parts are linear but may not happen together.
But yes, a person can start healing long before Self Realization. In fact, I recommend it. The clearer we are, the clearer and smoother the shifts will be. And the higher the quality of life meantime.