By Georg Feuerstein
(Published by Inner Traditions)
Book
Summary by Debbie Leighton
What does it mean to be in the state of Lucid
Waking? Is it possible to be completely and totally aware of who we are both
physically and spiritually at the same time? If we as human beings find this
state achievable, then the possibilities for the existence of humankind are
limitless. We would become a people who act only out of love for each other,
aware of all that the universe holds and be in direct communication with the
divine. Is that what we’re meant to be?
There is a path we must take to reach this goal.
Realizing the final outcome, this path is understandably long and complicated.
The first approach to our goal is to realize we must understand that our nature
is to be philosophical beings. Many of us stroll through life barely awake and
completely unaware of the possibilities of enlightenment. Living a life of pure
philosophy is the first step to awakening the parts of us that are wisdom,
beauty, truth and the passion of our humanity. If we don’t stop once in awhile
to smell the roses, or even to notice them growing, then we are missing out on
life around us. How then could we possible achieve a life within?
The first question then to ask of ourselves is,
“Who Am I?” Are we physical beings with a spirit, or are we spiritual beings
trapped in a physical cage? Some may try to find the answers by tapping into
their consciousness through altered states. Meditation, prayer, drugs, will all
lead to a place where we can get a glimpse of our purpose and our identity.
While altered states may bring us messages, they don’t carry with them the power
of wisdom to define the meaning of what we experience. Asking the questions are
the beginning, finding the right answers takes the commitment.
In achieving enlightenment, it is important to
realize that while we can make great strides through altered states of
consciousness, it means nothing unless we can take into account our physical
self. That is the ultimate challenge. Our bodies are more than just flesh
holding our spirits in, they are part of our manifestation here on earth and in
the universe. We see, hear, feel and touch all things material to us and it is
vital that we be able to incorporate all our senses, both in the physical and
spiritual, if we are to live in a wakeful state through our higher
consciousness. This becomes a little more complicated a task because our egos
get involved and in the way. The goal is not to do away with our ego but to be
able to let ourselves become the observer to the process and not the director.
In order to achieve our highest destiny we must be able to embrace our humanity
including our ego as part of our identity.
Of course, to get through to our higher
consciousness we must first realize that we have a soul. With the growth of
science and technology over the past century, the western world has pushed aside
the thought of a soul. However, we have never lost the notion of a
soul. It filters into our language very easily with the use of expressions such
as: the heart and soul of the matter, soul mate, and he’s a troubled soul.
Since we’ve become more metaphysical, and with the blurring of the lines between
the sciences and philosophies, we have begun to accept ourselves as beings with
souls. Not only that, we have begun to realize that our soul is just as
essential to us becoming whole as our physicality. In order to receive the
answers to the important questions we have begun to ask ourselves, we must be a
whole person. Soul and body integration is achievable and necessary. The
combination of the soul and the body is what makes us Spiritual beings.
Culturally, in denying our soul we have lost our Spiritual self. In the sense
that we are regaining our soul, we have also come to realize that it is through
Spirit that we will be able to reach past the limits of our embodiment and come
to live in the state of Lucid Waking .
We were brought into this world and
this universe through Spirit and given the tools we need to achieve our
enlightenment. One of the most powerful tools we have is our imagination.
Imagination allows us our creativity, both for good and evil. The power of
imagination is what has led us over the centuries to become the people we are
today. All of our modern inventions came about first as the seed of someone’s
imagination. During the rise of scientific thought the imagination was denied
and treated as though an unnecessary indulgence. In the not too distant past,
scientists came to realize the importance of being able to imagine as a vital
part of being able to create. Through our imagination we begin to get a sense
of what freedom from the bonds of our psyche feels like. Using this tool helps
to elevate our consciousness into realms we’ve never been before. The entire
universe is at our beck and call and it is only through our habitual ways of
thinking that we limit ourselves and what we are possible of achieving. It is
a disciplined imagination in our daily life that allows us to travel further
along the path to Lucid Waking.
Since it is possible to use the tools to
enlightenment in a negative way, it is important that we maintain a keen focus
on the more positive actions of our psyche. Once we have attuned ourselves to
Spirit, we are responsible for our thoughts and imaginations and thus liable to
the consequences of negative intentions. In keeping our focus to the positive
and maintaining our goal of achieving enlightenment in the Lucid Waking state,
we are training ourselves to that end. Another important tool we have at hand
and no less important is our intuition, it is the part of us that knows without
knowing. We are beings, who through our connection to the universe have
knowledge of all things within our grasp. Part of becoming Lucidly Awake is
finding the ability to access the knowledge that the universe has waiting for
us. We reach through to this level with our intuition which helps us understand
our spiritual and physical selves in a way that can’t be done through rational
thought.
What we can imagine, we can create. But how dare
we open that door? Who do we think we are? Using our creativity will help us
to transcend the human bias we have of not being one with the whole Universal
consciousness. As we transcend our ego we become closer to attaining the
ultimate state of freedom, bliss, happiness and the knowledge that we have
become one with Spirit. We are like the flea in the flea in the jar
experiment. The flea only knows that it can jump no higher than the jar it’s
been put into. Once the jar is removed, the flea still only jumps as high as
when it was enclosed in the jar. In the same way as the flea, we have become
trained by our habits into thinking we can go no higher and no further into our
Spiritual selves. We think we are not worthy of becoming greater beings, in
connection with the whole. It’s also a little frightening, too. We must be
able to stand aside and be the observers completely without ego in order to
reach the highest level of consciousness. Through altered states, deep
reflection and meditation we bring our focus into jumping out of the jar we’ve
been taught to live within.
Living a spiritual life is essential. It is our
spirituality that makes it possible for us to transcend our lower consciousness
and helps us to see ourselves in all our aspects. Our physical nature, our
light our dark our ego must all become totally integrated in order to become
closer to Spirit. The strength of will and internal discipline it takes to
accomplish this task is enormous. Being creatures of habit, when we delve into
intense introspection, we tend to want to return to our more comfortable ways of
thinking. What will help us with this process is the knowledge that the current
thinking of science is becoming more integrated with nature and how the workings
of the universe (ourselves included) are all part of one cosmic whole. We are
meant to be free and this principle explains itself through the theories of
Quantum physics. The impact of Quantum theory is in the infant stages of
explaining all of whom and what we are, yet it all points the Universal
Consciousness idea of oneness.
We are spiritually evolving beings. It is
important and essential that we have been through many different stages of
consciousness since the beginning of humankind. However, we are approaching the
time when the final destination seems reachable. We are at the point where we
have the opportunity to create the universe we were meant to live in. The
journey has been and continues to be a difficult one, and, in all probability
will take a lifetime to attain, but we are at the time of man where we can see
the greatness that can be achieved. When we can transcend our lower natures
to embody Spirit, it may be possible to finally reach the age in which we will
enjoy Love, Peace and Harmony with all the creatures of the Earth and the
Universe.
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