I’ve read The Power of Now, Barrington Bunny, The Giving Tree, Illusions, The Prophet, The Greatest Salesman in the World, The Way of the Wolf, the bible, the Tao Te Ching, The Tao of Pooh, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Art of Happiness … you get the picture. I’ve laughed, cried, meditated, and prayed … but … then what? What happens when nothing happens?
It wasn’t until I discovered the silence that resides beneath desire that I began to understand the true meaning of enlightenment. It isn’t about gaining something. It’s not about being more (or less) than the other mortals. No one gains special power. There are no psychics or intuitives. There is no such thing as an empath. Medium is a size, not an ability. Anyone who makes a claim that they possess “special” power is either wishful thinking or lying to you, or both. Once we make peace with our normalcy and what it is to be mortal and give up the notion that we were meant for “something greater” or that we are “special” we begin to comprehend that there is nothing more miraculous than breathing in and out. There is nothing more precious than being exactly whom and where we are, at this moment. Consciousness is magical. Think about it for a second. Think about the fact that you are a tiny representation of the entire universe riding around in an earthly suit. It’s mind blowing.
Conversely, there is thoughtfulness and observance. There is intuition and empathy. As with anything else, these traits must be exercised and honed if they are to be useful in our daily lives. Otherwise, they lay dormant. If we apply the same effort to awakening these traits as we apply to our 9-5 jobs, something breaks open. We DO seem to be able to read minds. We DO seem to have abilities beyond that which others possess. We DO appear to possess something "special." There is an awakening. When we take the time to hone these traits and when we practice, practice and practice some more the art of observation and empathy, when we consciously practice feeling our aliveness by focusing on ... being alive ... as with any skill that is repeated many times over we become better at it. In a state of surrender to what is and with complete acceptance of the now (as it is), we awaken. Is enlightenment really that simple? Can we transcend these earthly bonds and find inner peace by simply being aware that we are alive? Is it that simple? Yes.
