The essence of awakening is extremely simple. Right now you hear a sound or see an object, but who is this “I” that hears and sees? When we look into this “I” we discover consciousness, awareness. It has no boundaries. It is silent, still, and full of creativity and humor. It is the solution to our problems. It is love; it is love itself. Awakening means realizing who you really are, and recognizing the nature of consciousness itself.
Arjuna Ardagh
One of my ongoing intentions for my personal journey in this life and specifically in the work I do with clients is to move closer to a sense of the deep Self. Most of us, including myself, face resistance when it comes to going deeper than we think we can go. Yet, when we are able to relax that resistance, soften it, there is no separation from who we truly are. So, our work must be to recognize and dissolve our resistance through understanding, compassion and patience.
One of the things I know (and that Dr. Sue Johnson teaches incessantly) is that Love is part of our basic survival code and is an essential duty of our mammalian brain…. we interact with others, receive or react to cues and build our lives accordingly. Ironically, being able to depend on others for emotional nourishment is one of the things that makes us most powerful.
Rejection and abandonment are serious danger cues that tend to plunge us into real pain. Sexual infatuation and relationships “on the fly” can feel amazing for a moment or two but tend to leave us feeling sad, resentful and even bad about ourselves. These experiences occur whether we are engaged in romantic partnerships or not, however I believe we are all seeking authentic connection on a deep level and do our best to cope with that potential for rejection.
Which brings me back to the deep Self.
Loving and being loved, seeking pleasure and connection, knowing and being known…all of this seems to stem from the inherent pull to know our own deepest Self.