Awakening can seem like a dramatic contrast between realization and the recognition that you have always been the infinite being. But for most people, I find the term self-realization more useful, because it points to the realization of what is already the case—what is already present—rather than suggesting that we have to shift into some new state of realization.

The term enlightenment can sometimes feel a little overblown, because of its long association with Eastern philosophy. Ultimately, people tend to gravitate toward whichever term works for them.

For me, though, awakening has another important meaning: awakening to the way the world functions. There is a mainstream version of reality that many people subscribe to, and doing so can limit the frequency of their experience. I like to use the word awakening in the sense of beginning to see the structures that exist in the world.

There is also another way the term awakening is sometimes used—as something that precedes realization.

For many of us, this involves a period of deep spiritual experiences. This happened for me for about 20 years. You may experience bliss, expanded consciousness beyond the boundaries of the body, a sense of unity, deep love and compassion, synchronicity, telepathy, and many other experiences that seem to go beyond the ordinary human experience.

When we move from the mundane, everyday realm into these deeper spiritual experiences, it can feel like an awakening because we are experiencing something beyond the ordinary. The mind then assumes that these experiences have something to do with realization, and we begin pursuing those experiences.

One of the most common things that happens prior to realization is that we think self-realization is an experience. As we become more familiar with subtle levels of experience, particularly through meditation and similar practices, we may begin to interpret those experiences as glimpses of realization.

People sometimes talk about having a “glimpse” of realization. But a glimpse is never actually a glimpse of realization; it is a glimpse of a more subtle experience. For example, experiencing silence in the nervous system or a profound sense of peace can be interpreted as a glimpse of realization. In fact, these are still subtle experiences.

Our true nature is attributeless. Realization is seeing that what we are is that which precedes all experience: attributeless awareness.

I’ll be diving deep into this at our next online event and would love to see you there…

With love,

David Bingham