Earlier this year, I shared with you my personal story of a mystical experience that blew open my cognitive mind and left me reeling. Today, I’ve had more time to integrate the experience. After revealing what I did, I’ve been fielding a lot of questions from readers who have had similar spiritual experiences, so I decided to reflect with some spiritual Q&A, based on some of the questions that have come in via email and Facebook.
Let me start with a disclaimer. I certainly don’t consider myself any sort of expert in spiritual awakening, and I don’t identify myself as a spiritual teacher. This experience has left me with more questions than answers, and I’ve depended heavily on my own spiritual advisors, most notably Rachel Naomi Remen, Tosha Silver, Martha Beck, Sera Beak, Christine Hassler, Sarah Drew, Elisabeth Manning, and Adyashanti. I’ve been very blessed to have the most amazing support and direct guidance.
Because more and more people are going through these kinds of spontaneous spiritual experiences, let me do my best to share my answers to these questions from readers, with the caveat that I’m still learning. Many of you know more about these issues than me, so I invite you to inform us all on Facebook and ‘comments’ on the website.
Spiritual Awakening Q&A
Q: In the wake of your experience, does anything feel different?
A: Yes. Something feels vastly different, and it’s hard to explain. Adyashanti writes, “Most of what we are told about awakening sounds like a sales pitch for enlightenment. In the sales pitch, we are told only the positive aspects; we may even be told things that are not actually true. In the sales pitch for awakening, we are told that enlightenment is all about love and ecstasy, compassion and union, and a host of other positive experiences. It is often shrouded in fantastic stories, so we come to believe that awakening has to do with miracles and mystical powers. One of the most common sales pitches includes describing enlightenment as an experience of bliss. As a result, people think, ‘When I spiritually awaken, when I have union with God, I will enter into a state of constant ecstasy.’ This is, of course, a deep misunderstanding of what awakening is. There may be bliss with awakening, because it is actually a by-product of awakening, but it is not awakening itself.” Continue reading →
J.B. Shurk – If I believe myself to be a fork, must society be made to agree? Should I be encouraged to hang out near salad bars with the expectation that diners will trust me with their food? If I continue to get passed over for other silverware, should I be allowed to sue for discrimination? Or worse, if someone has the nerve to call me a spoon, will the government step in to punish that “bigot” for mis-utensiling me?