Some will suggest that the deepest truths pertaining to life and ultimate reality are already available, and indeed have been for millennia. Those who say such things will point to the fact that saints and sages of long ago broke through the ceiling of human limitation and discovered penetrating and enduring truths about who we are and our place in the enfolding cosmic order. Since these consciousness giants shared those insights via ancient, transcendent teachings, the argument is that everything you need is there on the written page.
Now, on the one hand – and in a very real way – this notion is correct. Truth is truth, no matter where you find it, as the saying goes. And many of the deepest, most consequential revelations regarding reality have already been explored and elucidated by those consciousness pioneers whose shoulders we now stand upon. And, yes indeed, those truths can be found, for instance, in some of humanity’s most ancient and enduring spiritual texts.
However, on the other hand, this belief that simply digesting truth by reading about it, in a purely cognitive exercise, is how these truths are metabolized, is one of our most enduring (and misleading) modern myths. Yes, initial insights can emerge simply by hearing about these foundational truths, but actually grounding, that is to say — integrating — these truths, into our very being, is something else entirely. That takes practice. That requires wisdom. That takes what in Buddhist tradition is known as “skillful means”.
Some teachers will refer to this kind of truth communication as being “more caught that taught”, which is to say, while concepts are helpful – because they help us to stand up some initial scaffolding to play with – ultimately these truths, skills and competencies are learned by seeing them in practice via those who’ve already somatically embodied them. And that’s because of course they are much more than ideas — much more than mere conceptions we upload into our minds.
At a deeper level of understanding we’re really speaking of energetic resonances. And in a culture that has largely forgotten, avoided, or voided these notions, the only way one really begins to grok them is by seeing them in action; even more so, by feeling them in action. This process of energetic transmission is exactly what is encapsulated in the lineages established within various spiritual traditions.
This is precisely why the Expanding Awareness course is as much a workshop as it is a passing on of ideas. As we begin to embark on this journey, being with those who can help host a space for this energetic resonance to manifest is key. Using the analogy of scaffolding again, doing this with those who’ve already established these competencies helps both define the borders and prime the energy for the experience — which we can then learn to host within ourselves. Furthermore, doing this with others is paramount because, together, we are not only much more than we are alone, but we’re also much more than the sum of our parts. Together we form a powerful coherent field of awareness that is felt in our most innermost selves.
Those who’ve only ever taken traditional concept-based courses often find these kinds of embodiment programs to truly be a breath of fresh air. And that’s because, not only do they help to teach us new skills, but just as — if not more importantly — they help awaken a long dormant part of ourselves. The truth is we’ve always possessed the innate, base capacity for a deeper and broader energetic awareness, it’s just that this aspect of ourselves has been left woefully underdeveloped in light of our modern society’s focus on a purely physical universe. The Expanding Awareness course is designed with the sole purpose of reacquainting us with this capacity; a capacity that is a human birthright.