Turning Point

I AM SURPRISED TO FIND myself writing a post for today, which is Saturday, instead of for tomorrow.  This is a clear sign that Awakening Clarity is once again morphing.  Let me see if I can figure out what's going on so that I can share it with you.  

I DIDN'T START THIS BLOG, and I neither write nor direct it.  It simply happens.  Just like you, I am along for the ride.  My feeling, which is little more than a guess, is that I’m going to be moving into a series of shorter, more personal posts.  With the publication of last week’s column on teachers and our relationships with them, I find that I have written all that I’m interested in writing on Nonduality from an expository position.  I also find that I have nearly zero desire to be an actual teacher.  So, what I’m going to do now—until I don’t—is just share what it’s like here to have awakeness continuing to discover itself, while consciously witnessing the always-functioning awakeness. It seems like something of a paradox, but really it’s not.  At any rate, we’ll see how it goes.

THERE ARE TEACHERS AND THERE ARE MASTERS.   I’m not much of the former, and I'm simply pleased to be rubbing up against the latter.  I have been doing a great deal of emailing with a true Western master of Nonduality, Dr. Greg Goode, for a couple of months now.  He has shown me where my understanding is not yet complete, which is a very handy thing to know.  I knew going in that I wasn’t finished, so to speak.  While I don't expect to ever be "finished", I’ve often said here concerning another of my mentors, Scott Kiloby, that “there is less Scottness there than there is Fredness here”.  I've also referred to levels, which may not be the right word, but I use it, given that I don't know the right word.  So, I knew going in that there wasn't absolute clarity here.  What I didn’t know was that there was an active methodology beyond my reading, writing, and little teaching practice for further deteriorating the Fredness here.  There seems to be.  It’s called the Direct Path, which comes to us from Shri Atmananda Krishna Menon (or Krishnamenon, as Rupert Spira writes it), whom I’ve mentioned here before.  He was a contemporary of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta, and equally as wise and awake.  I had already read Dr. Goode's book on it, and watched his DVD set on it, prior to writing him.  He is an authority on Atmananda’s Direct Path, as well as wise, awake, patient, and generous.

UNDER MY OWN STEAM, I had only seen the Direct Method as a highly refined tool for coming to initial awakening, which happened here years ago, but it seems I had only scratched the surface of its power and usefulness.  This is why we need teachers: we are most blind to our own shortcomings.  As an aside here, if you’re interested in discovering more about it, I highly recommend Greg’s book, Standing as Awareness. (http://tinyurl.com/SAW-Amazon)  He will also have a new book, provisionally titled The Direct Path: A User Guide, coming out this spring from Nonduality Press.  I’m set up to review it, and will probably see a PDF of it earlier than that.  I’ll keep you updated.  You might also want to check out the Illumination video available from the Stillness Speaks website.  http://www.stillnessspeaks.com/.  What I hadn’t seen was that the Direct Path could be a great tool for me, not just to confirm what’s already seen here, but to open that up yet further.  It’s interesting how that path has arrived just where my feet are.  Scott Kiloby uses that method without naming it.  Rupert Spira uses it, and both his teacher, Francis Lucille, and Dr. Goode are authorities on it.  As fate will have it, I’ve found myself strongly pulled to that group in the last year or so.  

WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO ME, at least in regard to my own spirituality, is that I can be useful without being a reigning prince of Nonduality.  I live in What Is, not what isn’t.  Awakeness, which has always functioned through this body (indeed, it is this body), is now conscious of itself.  This is a grand thing; I don’t have any sense whatsoever of lack or incompleteness.  We are complete at every point, which presents no barrier to spiritual evolution.  This unit no longer vacillates between “I got it” and “I lost it”, which is a hell of a comfort.  Seeking, per se, is gone, which is a great relief.  I accept where I am.  I am open to being more open, meaning that I am happy to have awakeness blossom further here if it wants to, to whatever "level" it chooses.  It's all good with me.  If you find this blog useful to you on your path, I welcome you with open heart and invite you to drop me a note.  But in general terms, I think I would treat both this blog and it’s author as friends, not teachers.  You’ll find your teacher when you’re ready; you can’t fail to; that’s just how it works.

IT'S MY HOPE THAT my writings here will help others.  Certainly they will help me.  Given that there is only Oneness, even that should be enough.

Housekeeping Notes: Posts will now be written and published spontaneously. As ever, I thank you for your precious attention.  Namaste, Fred