Is the World Real? ~ Katie Davis, Awake Joy

What is the true nature of the world? Is the world real? Yes, no, relatively so, yes ... depending on who is asking. As I said in my new book, Awake Joy, the perceptions change according to where you are looking from (your reference point). Once all reference points are surrendered, there is only the Self and you are That.

Nothing can truly be known conceptually. Concepts are ideas. I can share what has been directly realized, but until someone directly investigates it, it remains a concept. Once one realizes who THEY are, they then directly realize what the world is beyond all ideas and doubt. So, first things first. Continue the investigation until it is directly realized as true or false rather than accepting it by concept.

Further, there is nothing that can be truly known objectively. We can have ideas about other things and describe their attributes, but we have no idea of how it would be to BE those things. Also, the Self is not a thing, so it cannot ever be found. Since it is who you are, it can be realized. We can only BE the Self that you are right now.

As the ego, we believe we are separate and therefore can only perceive separation, so we see a separate world. Then, we begin waking up and realize that we are not the mind-body; suddenly the world is unreal. This is good, since it points us deeper into formlessness and its deeper inquiry to realize that we have always been Self-realized. We realize the false, it is eliminated, and what remains is who we have always been ... true Self.

Upon Self-realization, the world as consciousness is my inherent power. It is not that the Self creates the world, dreams the world or thinks the world. That would slip us back into separation ... Self and world (world includes here the mind-body). There is only the Self and its Self-illuminating power.

The Self-realized one sees no "inside" or "outside." That is another mental construct that will be eliminated. Instead, I am the Totality. I am Pure Awareness and my power ("my body") is the appearance of the universe. Form is Essence and Essence is form. There is only the Essence that is the Totality.

Within that Totality, Katie, mind-body and world are appearing. Self appearing as Katie. Self appearing as body. Self appearing as world. This is why we say that it is all dependent on the Self. The Self can only be Self.

For clarity, virtually every night, you fall asleep and the body and world disappear. Beyond deep sleep is the Self and we "go back Home" every night (without ever having truly left Home!) When we regain body consciousness in the morning, suddenly the world appears. Without the mind and body, there is no world. The world is dependent on the body and mind, which is dependent on consciousness which is dependent upon Self. All of that is only the Self appearing as ...

So, we now we have to say that the world is relatively true and not absolutely true, since it does not stand by itself, whereas the Self, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent CAN stand by itself, whether the body mind (world) appears or not.

A paradox? Yes, it is all the Self that I am and my inherent power. My power cannot exist without me and my power IS me ... therefore the world (my power) is as real as I am.

For enlightenment, we surrender all that can be surrendered until only the Self remains; Pure Awareness. For Self-realization, we consciously realize the Totality.

Really the mind will never be able to really get its head around it.

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