What does it actually mean to “awaken” or “raise your consciousness”?

To me, “awakening” or “raising consciousness” is simply to cut out the noise and distractions from myself and the present moment. When those distractions and separations are dissolved, I become one with the current moment, which is Now. This has all kinds of practical implications, but the primary one is the realization that I am alive, in a physical body, experiencing something quite fascinating mysterious.

Is it wrong for me to feel/ act/ be negative?

Of course not, negativity is apart of polarity we experience – light and dark, good and evil, happy and sad. In my mind, what helped me reframe negativity was asking myself if it’s moving me closer or further to Truth. For example when I feel dreadful or hateful, I feel more disconnected from the present. The thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are of this caliper and similar are disconnecting me from what I really want, which is love, unity, joy, etc. For me, it’s less about condemning myself when I’m out of alignment from what I truly want, and more about becoming aware of the fact that I do want to be aligned, and then allowing myself to align.

Spirituality? Psychology? Self-development? What’s the difference?

To me, they’re all interconnected — just a different lens to look through. The reason being is because consciousness is unifying — what’s applicable to one area is often applicable to another. I find this similarly with other topics as well such as music, art, nature, all roads lead back to the same source.

Do I need to believe in God for this to resonate?

Not at all, But what I’ve discovered throughout this process is that there is a unifying source amongst all living things and we’re all deeply interconnected through that very source which is happening now.

How is this relevant to my daily life?

I had very similar questions at the beginning of this process, but when I quickly came to understand, is that “daily life” is happening now. The present moment is happening now, and often times the distractions that our daily life are what pulls us away from just how fascinating and mysterious. This current moment is. As I was progressing on the self discovery journey, I grew more and more fascinated the deeper I looked. It makes daily life that much more interesting, that much more fresh, and much less scary. There’s a layer of softness, openness, and curiosity that comes through when I paused for a moment and become Present.

Why does “waking up” feel painful?

this was something I struggled with for a long time, but what I’ve come to understand is that it’s actually the separation from the present moment and from the creator that makes it painful. It’s the unshelling, and the clarifying, And the releasing of attachment that makes it painful. It could’ve been much easier for me had I known that my attachment to my false self was weighing me down.

What is the “false self”?

The false self has many names, I like the term “false self” because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a “self“ that our mind, the monkey mind, has constructed in order to keep us safe and operate through reality in the easiest way possible - an ego. The problem with the false self is that it believes it’s real, and in many ways it is real. Our entire life is constructed around it. The truth of it though, is that our True self can only be revealed in the present moment, away from all the static and symbolic ways in which we interpret the world. That doesn’t mean everything about us is false, but that does mean we have to do a temperature check on who we are and if it’s in alignment with our True Self.

What is the true self?

The true self is the self within us outside of all of the conditioning and impressions placed upon us by the world. The true self is whole and complete, deeply connected with the source. The true self is light and airy, clean, creative open receptive curious present — if we can imagine a child in a healthy environment, that child is so deeply expressive, curious, full of love — THAT is the True self.

Does awakening mean be becoming passive?

For me, it was quite the opposite. I became curious and inspired through awakening, and now whenever in moments of deep presence, I have those same feelings of curiosity and inspiration. Whenever I’m deeply present, that’s when I find that I’m most truly connected to what I actually want and what I actually feel like doing, the pathways open up and everything becomes super clear.

Can inner work actually change the world around me?

Undoubtedly! I found many elements that were out of alignment falling away naturally, almost against my will — when I became deeply present and connected to my truth. Relationship, jobs, old habits, old behaviors, verything that wasn’t in alignment with my truth was removed almost automatically. That’s where the pain can come in, it difficult to see your old life fall apart, but it’s far more rewarding to watch your new life, your True life, flow in effortlessly.

What does integration look like in everyday life?

For me integration looks like down, appreciating the current moment, soaking all in, tapping into my inner world and what I’m actually feeling. What I actually feel like doing. Who I actually want to be, which is present, unified, and deeply connected with the world around me. The practicality of spiritual awakening is ever unfolding because the of this work is to us as human beings, not just a spiritual beings, but beings living a human experience.

What is “inspired action”?

“Inspired action” is what I like to refer to as a spark of desire, it’s the inkling you get to go somewhere, say something, do something. It’s a gateway to your desire (or someone else’s desire), it can take many forms but it’s almost always a feeling, something that comes to you randomly. A spark that lights you up, that pulls you, even if it’s illogical or doesn’t make sense.

Example: I was at a coffee shop working on a project when a song came on — I’d never heard it before. I tried Shazaming it but nothing came up. I almost let it go because I was focused, but something in me wanted me to ask the barista. When I did, she froze — eyes wide. “Really?” she asked. “…yeah?” I replied. It was a brand new song written by her band — and I, a total stranger, liked it. The feeling of confidence and empowerment that radiated off of her from that interaction was infectious. If I had ignored that spark, that moment wouldn’t have existed. Inspired action is that spark in our heart’s that light us up to do something — it doesn’t always have to be quite as random as that example, but it’s always a feeling or a pull towards something.