Lesson #1: Pathway of Awakening
Introduction
Awakening is the first Pathway, for without awareness, one cannot even see the way. Spiritual Awakening is the process of becoming more aware that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. All of life is spiritual.
Awareness is defined as “conscious knowledge that something exists.” Another definition is “understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience.” Our understanding is a reflection of what we have learned or are learning and our life experiences. We understand things differently as an adult than we understood as a child. It is a natural process to grow in understanding. Waking up to our spirituality is also a natural process.
The new Science of Spirituality defines awakening as “the process of becoming aware of our spiritual nature to experience our true self.” We realize that we can perceive with our spiritual senses, not just with our physical senses. We all have these experiences of simply knowing. The practice is to be consciously aware of when we switch from knowing with our physical senses to knowing with our spiritual senses.
Deepak Chopra says that “you become awareness itself; the omnipresent witness of everything in existence.” Being aware or awake is the process of being able to witness or perceive Oneness in ever broadening revelations.
Prayer for Awakening
Divine Spirit, Creator of All That Is, guide my mind to a greater understanding of what it means to be awake and aware. Open my heart to experience awakening to a new world of Spirit. I am so grateful for the blessings of a new way of being in the world. I am so grateful for my awakening. And so, it is.
Affirmation for Awakening
I am a being of many dimensions. My Spiritual Self is my true self, a being of Light. I allow my true Self to guide me as I awaken to the spiritual world within and around me. I rejoice in my Spiritual Self.
Meditation: Awakening to Your Spiritual Self
Sit quietly and calm the mind and emotions. Breathe deeply a few times to bring yourself to a relaxed and open state. In this calm, serene state, feel your mind and heart flowing together in unity inside your body. Awaken to the feeling of all your parts merging into Oneness. As you breathe in, let your Soul join with your heart and mind. This feeling of Unity is you awakening to your Spiritual Self. Continue to breathe deeply into Unity until there is no distinction between your inside Spiritual Self and the outside Self of All That Is. With every breath you take, breathe in awareness and breathe out Oneness. Stay in this Awareness of your Spiritual Self for as long as you can. End the meditation with a few more deep breaths and gratitude for your Unity. And so, it is. Do this Awakening meditation every day for thirty days.
Spiritual Practices
Week 1 - Awakening: How do you know? Take time to think about how you know something. Notice the difference in what you have learned about something and how you have experienced it. For example: What have you read about Love? How have you experienced Love? Did you know there are different categories of Love? What do you feel like when you feel loved? What do you feel like when you give love to someone else? How do you feel the Love of God? Reflect on other aspects of your life and how you are aware of them. Write down in your journal your thoughts, feelings, and observations about how you know about the world.
Week 2 - Awakening: Seeing the spiritual self within you. You are a beloved Child of the Divine. As a Child of the Divine, you are also holy. Perhaps you never thought of yourself as being holy, but you truly are. The sacred Spiritual Self within you is part of the sacred Divine Consciousness. As you recognize the sacredness of yourself, you will change the way you treat yourself. You will be reverent with your words. You will honor your body as the temple of your Spiritual Self. You will infuse yourself with Love. This week be mindful of your sacredness. Speak only loving words to yourself. Treat yourself with love and compassion. Be quick to forgive yourself and to reassure yourself that you are a lovable person. Take only loving actions toward yourself. At the beginning and the end of each day take a moment to be grateful for your sacred Spiritual Self. Write in your journal how it feels to embrace yourself as sacred.
Week 3 - Awakening: seeing the spiritual in others. Wherever you go this week, open the spiritual eyes of your heart to see the true essence of the people around you. Set your intention to see the spiritual essence of another before you open your mouth to speak. Look for the spiritual essence of those you love and also of those you care less about. An important way to use this spiritual practice is to see all the people in the news with the spiritual eyes of your heart. Quiet the comments of old critical tapes and simply see the person as a spiritual being. Make notes in your journal about the difficulty or ease with which you can see the spiritual essence. How has this changed your perspective?
Week 4 - Awakening: Broadening your spiritual perspective. We often make judgments about people, situations, and circumstances without thinking. We have trained our ego habit to be judgmental in order for us to learn to make choices. It is time to move beyond judgment and re-train our ego habit to see the world through spiritual eyes. This week be mindful of when you begin to judge a person or a situation. Set your intention to stop, take a breath, and return to seeing the spiritual essence in each person and in the situation. Remind yourself that everything is in Divine Order, even if you don’t see it at the moment. From the level of your spirituality consciousness everything is whole, complete, and perfect. An additional practice is to go back to your past experiences and look for the blessings of people and situations that helped you grow and transform. Write down in your journal what you learn about broadening your spiritual perspective.