I believe in enlightenment. Do you?
"The Buddha's simple definition of enlightenment is "the end of suffering." Of course, as a definition, it is incomplete. It only tells you what enlightenment is not: no suffering. But what's left when there is no more suffering?
The Buddha is silent on that, and his silence implies that you'll have to find out for yourself."
- Eckhart Tolle
I have always believed in, and have been drawn to, the concept of enlightenment ever since I was a young girl. I can't explain why, except to say that my soul wanted to dive into the human experience of the mystical, and chose to incarnate as a person who would carry that through?
In my 20's, there was a part of me that liked the idea of enlightenment for all the wrong reasons. I was insecure, confused and lived a very destructive life. I was looking to fill a void. I idealized the possibility of enlightenment because I thought it could help me escape myself and reality. My ego viewed it as a glamours accomplishment to strive for, and back then, I had a big chip on my shoulder with something to prove.
Over the years, my relationship and understanding of enlightenment has drastically evolved and deepened. I no longer grasp at it from a place of lack. I no longer think of it as some exalted, super-human accomplishment. I am no longer embarrassed to admit that I would love to become fully realized in this lifetime, because I have a clearer understanding of what enlightenment actually means to me, and also what's possible.
Not just for myself, but for anyone who is earnest about truly knowing and seeing themselves clearly, because those who seek in earnest, find. But let's not confuse earnestness with desperation or attachment. To be earnest is simply to be sincere and of the heart.
All of this leaves room for me to interact with life and enlightenment from a place of curiosity and PLAY! Which is what I want for you, too.
There are many stories of people who wake up one day from a deep trance of unworthiness who suddenly become enlightened. In the case of Buddha, he is said to have reached enlightenment after meditating beneath the bodhi tree for 49 days. What I have personally seen and experienced in my life are people who come to this state steadily, organically, over time. Day by day, year by year, they shed all the false layers until they gradually come to sense and know their true form (and formlessness ;)
There is no one way to it, and I believe that it's totally, 100% possible.
But what is enlightenment anyway? How do I define it?
To start, I've observed that enlightenment is a very personal experience that looks + feels very different, person to person. It’s not something that can be understood intellectually, with the mind. It’s ineffable, and meant to be felt and experienced, rather than measured and understood. It’s embodied, organic, lived connection with the IS-NESS of all that exists and doesn't exist, which some may call consciousness or awareness itself. It is love awakened, alert awareness as a total state of mind, a welcoming of everything, a rejection of nothing. It’s the conjoining of the etheric and mystical with the earth and the material, with no separation or polarities, but only unity and paradox. I get glimpses of it when I am living beyond my mind, and I concede I will never be able to know it through mind alone.
That's my metaphysical answer.
AND. I also believe that enlightenment is....
Any time time we’re able to choose a different, more liberating response to an old, toxic situation to finally exit out of the loop.
When who you are Being is so clear, sovereign and in your own lane that you inspire and model for other people how to Be, simply by being yourself fully and unapologetically
When we learn how to let your body and soul lead the way more than your analytical mind
When you increase your capacity to live intimately with the present moment, on a moment by moment basis. This focused state of mind is a muscle you can train over time.
When you allow yourself to be so free that everything is welcome (including any and all emotions, reactions etc regardless of how “base” or inappropriate you think are). It’s when you are no longer afraid of yourself.
When you learn how to skillfully question what you're thinking and believing, with discernment (which is not the same thing as second-guessing yourself and over-analyzing)
When you begin to live in deep connection with the mystery, the unknowable, just as much as you do with the tangible, the material and mother nature herself
Anytime we choose love over fear, which brings us further from suffering, and closer to the truth of who we are
I believe that enlightenment is possible for both you and I. It is not an end point. It’s a state of Being. It can happen in an instant, or little by little over time. I believe there are varying degrees of enlightenment, because it’s a spectrum. You can unlearn and evolve to be more enlightened this year than the year before, and so on. One of my great teachers once likened it to a ball of yarn. You slowly undo yourself, until one day, there’s nothing left.
I know that I have experienced more and more of "it" as I continue on my path. And as I become more free, I desire for us to become more free, together.
If you are ready to embark on your personal path towards enlightenment, I am offering you a doorway in.
If this resonates with you, send me an email so we can discuss next steps and see if working together is right for you.
In love, gratitude, and play,
Eva