Last time we looked at the crises that can precede spiritual awakening on the path towards Self-realisation. In this post we explore the kinds of experiences that can happen as a result of awakening and the problems they can lead to. The following notes are taken from Psychosynthesis by Roberto Assagioli: “The opening of the… Continue reading Crises Caused by Spiritual Awakening
Our story continues: the deal has been made and three years have passed… At last, the dreadful day arrived when the devil would come to claim his payment: the maiden. That morning, the girl washed and drew a circle around herself with chalk. The devil appeared, but couldn’t come near her. Furious, he demanded she… Continue reading The Handless Maiden part 2: Dismemberment
Continuing the extracts from Free Your Pen: Mind Training for Writers. In the last few posts we explored why the mind is such an unruly place and what we can do about it. Now we dig deeper into the source of mind training practice and look at some of the ideas that underpin the teachings… Continue reading Free Your Pen: Lojong for Writers
Continuing the extracts from Free Your Pen: Mind Training for Writers. Last time we looked at why mastering your mind is so important. In this post we’ll have a closer look at the real cause of the problem with another extract from chapter one: Meet Your Mind Although everybody writes for different reasons, the fears… Continue reading Free Your Pen: The Real Cause of All Your Problems
This week I’m reading The Way of Liberation: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Adyashanti. This is a great little book that packs a punch and doesn’t let you off the hook. If you want to wake up, or think you’re already on that path, this book will give you a stripped-down practical guide… Continue reading Review: The Way of Liberation by Adyashanti
Last week I talked about how I stumbled into joy and how strange it was to be so happy for no reason. It shouldn’t be strange because joy is my true nature. But as anyone who has suffered with depression will know, that’s not an easy thing to remember. Especially on a bad day. Depression… Continue reading Unreasonable Happiness: or How to Be a Dog
Extracts from some of the later chapters of the classic mystical text The Cloud of Unknowing. Here our anonymous author explains how to forget the self and some of the dangers of the contemplative path and how to deal with them: from Chapter 43: A naked awareness of self “Make sure that there is nothing… Continue reading Cloud of Unknowing: Death of the Ego
Earlier this week we looked at the process of feeding your demons, which is a way to make friends with your shadow. In this post we’ll dig deeper into the various types of demon you might find skulking in the darkness of your worst fears. But first, what is a demon? In this practice, demons… Continue reading Shadow Companions: Types of Demons
Recently I realised that I’d spent my whole life fighting against the darkness. But my demons won’t die, no matter how many times I bash them over the head. It’s exhausting. So I was open to trying anything that might help when I came across the practice of Feeding Your Demons in the book of… Continue reading Embracing Darkness: how to feed your demons
As a kid I spent a lot of time thinking there was something wrong with me. I was totally convinced that my lowly opinion of myself was true, and there were plenty of so-called facts I could use to back up my claim. I wasn’t a happy bunny. It was only when I discovered psychology… Continue reading The Twin Fears that Shape our Identity
Awakening is a tricky business. Pre-satori, I believed that if I could see clearly, all my problems would be solved and I’d live happily ever after. My hang-ups and fears would magically dissolve and I would be free. Ha! It’s a little more complicated than that. To grow on the spiritual path you must become whole,… Continue reading Shadow Attack: Instant Karma & a Wake-up Call
We’ve already explored how consciousness evolves from birth into a fully mature ego, plus some of the problems encountered on the way. To finish, we’ll look at where we can go next. Assuming all has gone well and we don’t have too many hang-ups or kinks in our development, it should be possible to evolve… Continue reading Evolution of Consciousness: The Growing Edge
Jessica Davidson 