Co-Opting Truth: Questions and Answers by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"

Questioner:

You brought my attention to a quality of my mind that recognizes an idea and latches onto it. I don’t remember the term that you used. It had to do with taking an idea as my own, essentially. It is knowledge masking as being. You mentioned that it is subtle. You were wrong. It isn’t subtle! I will be vigilant. I have seen other people do this in groups. I left a group once because this was going on. It left a big hole in me too. I had been in that group many years. I intend to not run this time. Do I understand correctly what you explained?

Katie:

Co-opting is a masquerade. This is the ego dressed up in spiritual cloths and attempting to hide, out of the fear of being recognized. It is the thief dressed up in policeman’s clothes and pretending to guard the jewels. Truth cannot be used. It is not a concept. It cannot be learned and it cannot be studied. Spiritual books can be very helpful on this path, but when they are used to learn Truth, books are hindrances. It is knowledge masquerading as Truth.

When you have been on this path for a long time and had glimpses of Truth, it is not uncommon for the spiritual ego to arise. Yes, the “advanced student” can be a troublesome concept. The “I” has slipped through the back door unrecognized. It co-opts the concepts and it is a trap. Now, it is the “I am an advanced student.” You can hear the positionality in this statement, right? “Me” who knows and you “others,” who do not know. This is duality. We are here to transcend both the subject “me” and the “others.”

Truthfully, only you can recognize this, inquire, and see that there is no student. You are identifying with the “I know.” Until the “I” drowns and totally dissolves in this Ocean, never to emerge again, take the advanced student back to the Source. Take the projection of thought outward toward “some other,” back to the advanced student and then inquire “Who is this student? Who am I?”

Take the outgoing statement and follow it back the way that it came, back to Source. “I am an advanced student” becomes “Advanced student am I.” Same sentence backwards. Who knows? Who am I? The direction is “not knowing.” Truth cannot be known. Who is the knower of concepts? Not knowing anything. Being nobody and not knowing anything. Let object consciousness (the world) “be” for now. Go deeper, Beloved, to where You truly are.

This “hole” that you speak of is the most precious gift. Yes, a gift. There is no escape from this hole, this void. We run from it not even knowing what it is. We try to cover it up. We have been running a lifetime, maybe lifetimes. This is beyond the intellect, so there is fear. Fear of the Unknown. The Unknown is the answer. Why are you running? Stop and be caught.

Perhaps, there is a fear that you are nothing. So, go ahead, enter this void and investigate for yourself. See what naturally arises. If you meet anger, become anger. What would it feel like if you were the anger of the entire collective consciousness? I am not speaking of someone being angry. I am asking you to be anger. “Being anger.” Be it fully. Is there anything deeper? Whatever appears, be it. This is deeper than the personal story. It is not about you being angry. It is not, “I am so and so and I feel angry about this or that.” This is the personal story. Go deeper.

I recognize that the hole is not a comfortable place to be. Can you sink in total surrender and willingness, deeper into to this void? Being the void? I am not asking you to fabricate the void. If it comes up, it is your teacher. Be everywhere fully. Being nobody and not knowing anything.

Katie Davis Website: www.katiedavis.org