Katie Davis is a Satsang Spiritual Teacher of Advaita, Non-duality, Self-inquiry, enlightenment, spiritual awakening, the power of being now and presence. Since 1999, she has been traveling to offer satsang in communities worldwide. The Awake by Katie Blog is moderated by Katie Davis, author of "Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment." http://www.AwakebyKatie.blogspot.com
Sundance Burke, Author, "Free Spirit and Scott Kiloby, Author, "Love's Quiet Revolution" are interviewed by Richard Miller on Chicago's Never Not Here Show in November 2011.
Self-realization is complete and utter fulfillment. It is the end of all suffering and the perception of separation. It is also the conscious beginning of deep, sacred peace and realizing the radiant love that you already are. However, this is far more . . . Click Here to Continue
"Seattle Eastside Satsang" October 2-December 29
Every Sunday, 4:00-6:00 pm, Sundance and Katie
Every Thursday, 7:00-9:00 pm with Katie or Sundance
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"NOW" New Music Video by Songwriter, Jim Angus
"Humanity's Last Superstition" by Sundance Burke
Just now, a sliver of yellowish light appears from under a bank of night clouds just above the horizon. It is moonset time. I feel the lovely approaching. As though suspended on a string, the sun's pretty sister . . . Click Here to Continue
"Rumi Lover's Delight"
What is the Heart? It is not human and it is not imaginary. I call it You. This is how I would die into the Love that I have for You . . . Click Here to Continue
"What Is Simply Being" by Sundance Burke
Simply points to that which is timeless and thus beyond effort or practice. Being is your presence; the Isnss of consciousness . . . Click Here to Continue
Free articles on spiritual awakening, radiant love, Non-duality, Self-inquiry and Self-realization
This Issue Includes:
"Before the Awakening: Forgiveness and Allowing"
Article by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"
We enter the temple of the Heart as love and you are already the Abode of radiant love. Yet, when we begin shifting attention out of the head and into the physical body to be present, we become aware of emotions that were previously unnoticed . . . Continue reading by clicking HERE
"Simply Being Free"
Article by Sundance Burke, Author, "Free Spirit"
The great Indian sage, Ramana Maharshi, once said, "Our duty is to BE and to not be this or that. Of course, he said that in the Now, as that's the only reality of Being. Accordingly, the impact of the expression is to be realized now. So what is the distinction between . . . Continue reading by clicking HERE
"Today: Better Together Discount at Amazon for All Three Books"
"Awake Joy," "Free Spirit" and "Conversations on Non-duality: Twenty-six Awakening"
"Who You Really Are Is Love" by Katie Davis, Author, "Awake Joy"
Rumi, a thirteenth century Sufi poet, defines love as the magical moment when two spiritually connected individuals first meet. We call that love at first sight. In this meeting of eyes, Rumi romantically shares that we not only experience the union of two loving souls, but also the Love that is the crux of the universe. According to Rumi, when we fall in love with one another, we are actually experincing the Divine.
While not the Absolute, upon spiritual awakening, one of the first miracles that we realize is that we are Divine Love. This realization is an explosion of Radiance, whose magnitude had never been consciously experienced. Far beyond the relative love that seemingly requires another, Radiant Love is a mystical wholeness that is utterly beyond understanding and too overwhelming to even express. In this writing, not one word is able to properly define or contain it.
All love is one Love. Whether ethereal or everyday love, such as mother for child, when this cherished moment appears, we often have the misperception that someone or some other thing caused this rising as Love. In reality, we lose ourselves and for at least a moment, we are free of desire. This disappearance of the ego creates a crevice through which shines the Radiant Love that we genuinely are. We realize that there is only This Love and it is ever-present, since it is who we naturally are.
What I often refer to as the Beloved is the sacred substratum of the life situation, which is free of lovers all together. It does not reside within the confines of space and time. It is discovered in the twinkling of an eye of no time at all. This realization allows unconditional love to emerge into our life situation, our relationships and into the world.
As time travelers, we are identified with being a lover who loves someone else. As long as this subject-object relationship remains, true love cannot thrive. We expect and demand this or that to satisfy our self-created sense of lack. This lack is the ego’s belief in individuality as identity that is based on separation. It manifests in this world as the never-ending search for personal love, gratification and acceptance.
The false sense of “me” hopelessly pretends to separate from Totality and then expects someone else to fill the resulting pain gap. It fears the loss of a lover; it feels jealous, competes and needs. It may even voice its love for the Divine and faithfully express deep longing, while mourning its aloneness and separation. Yet, it stubbornly insists upon maintaining its sense of separation and of course, the result is suffering. Nonsensically, it then blames someone else for the emotional pain. It is the divided one, who is longing and searching, that sustains the delusion of estrangement.
Love is not really personal. It cannot be gained through any other. Love cannot be given to you, nor can it be threatened or taken away. It is essentially who you are. When you are seeking a lover, you are actually searching for love and its fulfillment. You are overlooking that you are what you are seeking, which is why it cannot be found.
Before you continue this search, my invitation is to discover that you are love’s conscious fulfillment. In this discovery, you then have the opportunity to meet romantic love as wholeness. You are free of the pre-existing condition and pain gap. At last, you no longer need to complete yourself.
If you are already in a problematic relationship, such as many personal relationships may be, as true lovers, you can disappear together. Free of “you” and “me,” we intimately rise above the push and pull of personal relationship and preciously rise as the Pure Love that we genuinely are.
In its purity and wholeness, Radiant Love is synonymous with Self-realization. It is the realized maturity of Pure Beingness. Then, romantic love does not need to bloom. When the perfect lover appears, the Rose already is.
"Who You Really Are” by singer/songwriter Kirtana from the CD “This Embrace.”
In this song, Kirtana points to the Ultimate Reality.
As Sri Atmananda Krishna Menon is quoted as saying, "I am the Abode of Love."
At Kirtana’s website, enjoy samples of all of Kirtana’s songs from all six of her CD releases.
Also available is a new songbook with lyrics that is entitled Singing This Love Kirtana
The Friends of the Heart May Newsletter by Katie Davis, author of "Awake Joy" has now been published for viewing on the Katie Davis website with articles on Non-duality, spiritual awakening, enlightenment and Self-realization.
In This Issue:
"We Have Relocated"
"The Goat, the Meditator and the Sky of the Dormant Mind" by Katie Davis
"Conversations on Non-duality: Twenty-Six Awakenings"
"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Katie Davis MP3 Download
"A Conversation on Non Duality" with Sundance Burke MP3 Download
The invitation of this reading is to allow it to be "multi-dimensional." That is to say, the words are flowing as a river through consciousness and are only pointers. There is something deeper here, something ineffable; the radiant stillness within. This stillness is behind and permeating every word.
If you are not aware of the stillness now, please take a moment to be conscious of the breath and follow it into the silence. While reading, if you find that you are only reading intellectually, please take a moment to stop; consciously breathe. Are you aware of being? The truest teaching is not within the words. The words always point to the stillness.
The phantom named ego is an altered state of consciousness, whose primary belief is the mental idea of "me." Its false assumption is that its identity is the body and that it was born and therefore must die. In identification with the mind-made self, you cannot be conscious of the magnificent Heart that you genuinely are. Instead, the ego believes itself to be only a fraction and its mantra is "me against the world."
This sense of separation creates the delusion of a tremendous pain gap that manifests in the life situation as all forms of negativity; from a general sense of unease, impatience or frustration, to anger or rage, sorrow or misery and fear, dread or even terror. I suppose that one could say that in its altered state, Ego-ji is fear.
For the ego that thinks it is the body, the deepest fear is the threat of death, annihilation and extinction. With great compassion and understanding, we could note that anyone who still believes that their identity is the body is under a constant sense of threat and more likely than not, unaware of the related stress and negativity.
This fraction is in constant search to complete itself through some other, causing anxiety or trying to escape all that it suspects to be a threat. Whether seeking pleasure to avoid pain or trying to escape what it fears, its baseline within time will always be some form of fear.
The most armored state of the ego and therefore the most fearful is anger. When we encounter an angry ego, the misperception is that it is very powerful, when in fact it is demonstrating the strongest need to control in order to protect itself. When we directly investigate and allow anger to consciously arise within us in order to feel it fully, understand its structure and how it perpetuates, in that acceptance, the anger begins to dissolve.
Just underneath the anger as it fades away, we then encounter the next protective layer of the ego, which is sadness. Some cultures have conditioned the ego to believe that crying is a weakness. When in fact, this ego state of consciousness is allowing more vulnerability and is therefore less fearful. When we allow the sadness to fully arise consciously, after first resisting the emotion, it is similar to a floodgate opening. The emotion gushes forth and allows a certain freedom in the release. In its emptiness, one may even realize the birth of true compassion.
Once again, if there is a willingness to attend, allow and understand the accompanying psychological voice and how it perpetuates negativity, we have brought what was previously hidden and subconsciously operating into the light of consciousness. When we completely allow and accept the emotion, it begins dissolving.
If you are courageous and curious enough to investigate the next layer of the ego's negativity, you will encounter fear; the least guarded and protected human emotion. As with all of these negative emotional states, there are many degrees of intensity within the same emotion. So if you are inviting in fear for the purpose of investigation, why only allow a little bit? Let this be the opportunity to follow it from fearful to terrorized to petrified of death or extinction.
A helpful question might be, "Is there anything deeper?" Follow it into the "valley of the shadow of death" and find out whether death is a reality.
Psychological fear is always based on what the ego imagines and never on what is actually happening. For instance, the survival instinct might arise if a tiger jumped out right now from behind your computer screen. For certain, the body intelligence would immediately jump to safety. This is not the fear of which I am sharing. Psychological fear is purely psychological, without clear and present danger. Fear arises due to imagining what might be, so it is a chronic future fixation that is based on separation.
Without time, the ego does not exist. The identification with the ego-I requires the delusion of time and separation. So when we are fiercely being now, separation and its fear are not possible.
Likewise, when we apply the Self-inquiry question, "Who am I?", the mind's attention is turned inward and therefore the veil of ego is immediately dropped. Instead, we look to see from whence that thought is arising.
In either case, whether being now or through Self-inquiry, whatever is subconscious or unconscious will eventually arise into consciousness. This is important, since the darkness cannot survive the light of consciousness and this is the true liberation to which I point. This liberation is not possible if you assume what I am sharing to be true as another belief. It is only available to the brave heart who wants to know the truth by directly investigating.
One could say that there is no escape. In fact, the sooner that you are willing to allow and investigate the deepest fears of the psyche, the sooner those imaginary fears will dissolve into the pure love that you genuinely are right now.
Listen ...
Ego-ji is scared because it imagines that is is separated. It is then angry, because it is imagines its weakness in sorrow. It is sad because it is defending against what it imagines fear to be. It greatest fear is the imagination of what death is.
The truth of the matter is that Ego-ji was never born and cannot die. Ego-ji itself only exists in its imagination. Upon this revelation, it all seems quite amusing and yet when caught up in the dream, it is a nightmare. The opportunity of the awakening is to free all of these ghosts and see things aright. In this, you are fearlessly free. In fact, you are free now and yet may not be conscious of the fact.
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In Hawaii, the pink rose is named the Lokelani and symbolizes compassion.
We enter the temple of the Heart as love. You already are the Abode of Radiant Love.
Yet, when we begin shifting attention out of the head and into the physical body to be present, we become aware of emotions that were previously unnoticed, perhaps for many years.
With the ego's idea of self-protection, these emotions will often prevent the deeper inquiry required to enter the inner body, which is the only gateway to stillness. This inner sanctum rests just underneath the painful emotions; ego's separation theory and therefore personal desire and fear.
If the ego tries to avoid the negative emotions by escaping, the ego succeeds and your opportunity to realize what is already free of the ego and its emotional states will vanish.
If the ego resists the negativity, it will persist. Either consciously or unconsciously, the negativity will continue to have an impact on the body and its life situation. In fact, resistance is likely to make the negativity even stronger.
The only option is to allow the emotion to be just the way that it is and feel it fully in the body. You will notice that the ego's thinking quickly aligns with the negativity, which makes the emotion stronger. With great curiosity and compassion, the invitation is to allow the deeper emotion in order to gain greater understanding about how thinking is directly related to your emotional states and see how the negativity perpetuates.
I am not suggesting that you try to change anything or manipulate the thinking. I am inviting you to merely look and allow it all to be as it is, so that it is directly observed, felt completely and understood. There is really no other choice, since it is as it is anyway! However, in conscious allowing, we may be able to arrive at acceptance.
Acceptance is not resignation. In acceptance, one could say that there is a willingness to suffer and when it arises, it is welcomed. Uncomfortable, yes, but we are genuinely patient, compassionate and it is alright.
Attention and allowing are consciousness and this consciousness is deeply harmonic and unifying. When we watch and feel emotions fully, the consciousness begins transforming the negativity into the perfect love that it genuinely already is. No effort is required and the transformation happens by itself. It does require attention and allowing.
I understand that feeling the emotions may be quite painful or even what seems to be unbearable. However, most of the pain is in the resistance or in our imagination about how difficult these emotions might be. In this, we merely fear our imagination. Instead, become curious enough to find out if the deeper emotions are as they seem.
It is often said that the pathway to freedom takes a courageous heart. While this is true, allowing is also highly intelligent. You may quickly leap to the realization that you are the awareness within which the suffering is appearing. Yet, the suffering will continue to perpetuate, although "no one" suffers.
This is not the true freedom to which I am pointing. Suffering will not be fulfilled until it is known. That which is known is past. You have rightly heard the good news that Self-realization is the end of all suffering. May you equally hear that there is no escape? In fact, IN is the only way out!
Everyone has had painful past situations that they have had to endure. Although the ego would have you believe that yours is certainly unique and the worst!
We do not need to go into the past to process the story. In fact, we cannot keep telling a painful story and get rid of the pain.
Indeed, the hidden emotions will always arise as conditioned reactions to our present life situation. This is the past that still lives on within you. Some are so deeply embedded in the psyche that they do not even surface until we begin to go within.
You may have already tried to forgive the person or situation, yet the forgiveness might have remained only mental and somehow escaped the ultimate forgiveness of the heart. True forgiveness has no external requirement, which means that it is free of dependence. It has nothing to do with anyone else or even the storyline. Real forgiveness is the power of the timelessness within you that is already free of personal history.
One aspect of forgiveness is frequently overlooked. Have you equally forgiven yourself for the perception? While dual in nature, in Hawaii we have a healing practice called Ho'oponopono that is currently spreading worldwide. The practice assumes personal responsibility for all that is resisted, avoided, judged or negatively encountered. Ho'oponopono then addresses the deeper question, "who am I?"
Before the awakening, when we realize that the life story is a self-projection, self-forgiveness becomes primary. Just as a movie projector projects images onto a screen, so that we can enjoy the movie, what remains unconscious and unattended within you is being projected right now in front of you this very moment, so that it can be consciously seen. The world that you are presently experiencing is a projection of altered states of consciousness within you.
In other words, both the victim and the victimizer have their roots within you. While the ego may adamantly deny this and continue to blame so called others, through direct observation you may find that what I am sharing is true. When you have allowed, attended and understood what seems to be within, you are freed.
Of course, you then realize that you have indeed always been free and that you have been needlessly suffering.
Ho'oponopono is based on four beautiful expressions that are directed only within:
"Please forgive me. I am sorry. Thank you and I love you."
In short, please forgive my projection, I am sorry for perceiving in this manner, thank you for bringing what was unconscious into consciousness, I love you, Divine and self."
While dealing only with the ego state of consciousness and the Divine in a dual manner, the healing does take full responsibility for negativity until this responsibility is fulfilled and until you are free of the ego.
Before active meditation is possible, the most powerful tools that are readily accessible to everyone are silent sitting, a willingness to look within, allow the emotions, feel them completely and observe how they operate without changing anything, as well as Self-inquiry. You will discover that there is nothing wrong with you!
In this willingness, what was perceived as negativity dissolves and you are able to enter the temple of the Heart as love. You are freed for the deeper inquiry into the formlessness within, realize who is looking and ultimately, realize that which is making everything possible.
In closing, you are already the Ultimate Reality.
If you can already hear what is being shared in the pointer directly above, there is no one who is not ready here and now. Surrender the "I am forgiving" (being this) and "I am unforgiving" (being that) to rest only as "I am." "I am" is the bridge that crosses over to who you already are.
Who am I? is the only essential question, whether questioned now or later.
When all that is impermanent is surrendered, what remains is who you really are.
Every "thing" in the perceivable world of duality is subject to the law of impermanence. This means that everything that appears will eventually disappear. Forms come and they go.
If you are seeking for something permanent and lasting, within that which is impermanent, you will suffer. It is self-evident that the changing cannot contain the changeless. No-thing is permanent.
For instance, you might seek to find stable happiness within relationships, not really understanding that this is destined to fail. Since people and circumstances change, relative happiness will cycle to unhappiness sooner or later. While relationships may provide many moments of happiness, they will always be intermingled with unhappiness.
In fact, it might be quite helpful to note that whenever you feeling unhappy, that unhappiness is just as unstable as happiness. It will inevitably change, within time, and cycle to happiness.
When you give up striving for true and enduring happiness through objects, people and circumstances, it signals that you are closer to realizing the changeless joy that you genuinely are.
After all, if you were anything other than the changeless, you would not even be able to perceive the ever changing.
Your body and its life situation are subject to this law of impermanence. The content of the life situation is always different. It is therefore unreasonable to expect anything other than periods of unhappiness.
Pure joy simply cannot be found objectively.
Who is aware of the body and its life situation? Who is aware of unhappiness? Who is watching?
Does that awareness ever change? Is it not true that it is everywhere you are?
Is it not the same awareness that was looking at its image in the mirror, when you were only six years old?
Is it not the same awareness that was looking at the blue sky at the beach when you were only twenty?
In fact, is it not the same awareness that is looking right now in this moment?
Who is that? Who are you?
You are the only key to realizing pure love and joy that is caused by nothing and never changes. This joy is not some-thing for which "you" strive. It is who you already are.
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IN THIS RADIANT ISSUE:
"Pure I Alone, Prior to Consciousness, Self-realization" by Katie Davis
When we shift attention from compulsive thinking into the physical body, we become more aware of how we are feeling emotionally. The emotion that we are currently feeling is always a perfect reflection of our thinking.
The mind is more than our superficial thoughts. It also includes unconscious patterns, mindsets and tendencies. They may never surface in the form of an observable thought, so it may seem difficult or even impossible to bring them into consciousness.
Yet, the body is the perfect tool. If you are willing to feel the body, it never lies. We bring the feeling or emotion into the light of consciousness and simply allow it to be. I am not suggesting that you try to change anything. That is resistance and just another form of violence that will perpetuate more negativity.
Neither do we need to analyze or interpret "why" the feeling is here or "what" the feeling means. The analyzing and interpreting mind is a good tool for many things, yet not the right tool for Self-realization.
When the emotion is allowed, we are no longer controlled by it, just like when we are watching our thoughts, they can no longer use us. We no longer have emotional takeovers. Instead, we are the witnessing presence that allows everything to be as it is.
This witnessing is a harmonizing and unifying factor. In the light of attention, the darkness of negativity cannot prevail.
I am not proposing that you act the emotion out. That is the emotional takeover that will more likely than not cause another emotional reaction; causing more suffering for you and others. Nor am I speaking of repression. Repression is a form of resistance that perpetuates suffering. I am only suggesting that you consciously feel the emotion in the body and allow it to be. Be the space within which it is appearing.
In your willingness to fully feel the body, all that remains unconscious within you will be revealed until all that remains is the simple joy of being ... and that is love.
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