Awakening
Question: Is 'awakening' the ultimate goal in our spiritual journey?
Answer: Awakening is only the first stage in genuine transformation of the soul, and should never be thought of as being an end in itself. Those who have attained anything real will tell you that there is no end to the ascent, and that while awakening marks a definite stage in one's path, it is only a doorway into the first room of that infinite mansion called the Divine.
(Unpublished questions and answers between Guy Finley and students.)
Question: The sleeping nature rules my life most of the time. If I keep working to come awake in small moments, will there be a full awakening for me at some later time?
Answer: Thinking, or hoping, that any destination we have in mind is going to be superior to where we're presently standing, is exactly why we're still standing in that same place where we have to hope that some tomorrow will be better. Before we can change our destination and arrive in that higher world we want, before we can ever start out in that new direction that leads to liberation, we must wake up to the steps we're being given to take by a nature whose favorite direction is down. Victory over our own lower nature is now or never. It is only what you do right now that is the seed of change. Your conscious choice for real change in the present moment automatically cancels the need for a better you in a better future. All will be better for you now, which is the only time it really matters!
Excerpted from Freedom From the Ties That Bind
Question: I have had moments of spiritual awakening. Yet, these moments seem to fade all too quickly. When such moments arise, I have a new depth of clarity and silence. Are there any specific lessons to apply during these moments to help anchor myself there?
Answer: Nothing is more priceless than those moments when we suddenly are able to see that the world that we took as being everything was only a small part of a greater something. Suddenly, we realize we indeed dwell within ourselves within a much larger world than we could have hoped existed. When these awakenings come, it seems natural to want to hang onto them, but consider the following: In a certain sense, that moment of Light came unannounced. Its presence awakened you to itself and all that it revealed. Now "you" want to be the one who possesses this Light and who can call upon it at will. This "you" is what is standing between you and the Light, and as difficult as it is to do, you must work at letting go of every wish you have to return to any moment once glimpsed.
Excerpted from Seeker's Guide to Self-Freedom
