Introduction to Foundational Articles

Humanity is in a unique period of our history. We are facing a confluence of many streams each of which is difficult in itself. By 2012 it is estimated that there will be 7 billion people on this planet, which is an increase of 5 billion in only 60 years. Please consider that for a moment, because it is a truly an awesome fact. We are benefitting from major advances in health care so that our average life span is higher than ever, which simultaneously puts a tremendous strain on our resources and environment. We are in a kind of pickle, for we must address many environmental issues at the same time that we are running out of many needed resources such as water, oil and useable land.

Where We Are Now

We have great faith in our technology. Many believe that we will find our way through these perplexing problems by making new scientific discoveries which could lead to the finding of solutions to these complex issues. Perhaps this will help us. But during the past 10-20 years, we have had the knowledge to begin to make strides toward dealing with the emerging problems and have not done so. Massive denial has been and still is being fueled by wealthy and powerful “interest groups” and their politicians who care little about any long-term consequences. “Take maximum profit now and deal with the future later” is the underlying philosophy of our modern political and economic system.

A Paradigm Shift

Our recent history proves the point that it is unrealistic to believe that technology by itself is capable of solving our growing problems. It just isn’t enough. What also must occur is an increase in the awareness of a sufficient number of people such that a “Will” to take these problems on will begin to develop. Without that, there is no way to know how bad things could get in the near future. This awareness must go beyond merely knowing that these problems do exist. It must include a growth in wisdom and intelligence that is so fundamental that we become willing and even desirous of making the necessary changes in both ourselves and in our institutions. We also must see that we won’t be able to change our institutions without also going through a shift in ourselves. For this to happen what is needed is a revolutionary change that is a deep paradigm shift which changes our very way of Being-in-the-world. The nature of this leap is described in the 5-part article in this section. The concept that is being introduced is the term “Wisdom-Intelligence’ and is designating the very paradigm shift that is needed.

The Nature of our Articles

The nature of the writing of most websites is often brief and concise. They are easy to read but may not say all that much. The approach being taken here is different. Being clear and concise is good. Dumbing down is not. The articles in this section are written in a way that describes where we are and where we may need to go. They are not shortened artificially. More significantly, they may go against some of your beliefs, especially since these beliefs are regarded as objects of our inquiry. All beliefs and assumptions must be discovered and questioned or we cannot hope to venture beyond what we already know.

The Enlightenment Intensive

This approach is one way to arrive at one’s own experience of this evolutionary leap. It is not the only one. But given the nature of the modern life style in which we live, it is one of the ways to move beyond mere thinking so that a direct experience of higher consciousness becomes possible. There are many people who have had this type of experience from this technique and yet its nature is such that each person’s actual experience is quite unique. The major difference between these Intensives and how they are conducted elsewhere is not in the Intensive itself. It is in the fact that it is placed in the context of a School rather than just an event. Though the E.I. can be intense and transformative, it is only a beginning. So, where can a person go after they have completed an Intensive? That’s the main purpose of the School of Wisdom. It is to assist a person to find and walk their own path.

The Wisdom School is Not a Religion

The School does not promote specific belief systems, dogma of any kind or a way one should be. What is promoted is an environment whereby each person might gain in Wisdom-Intelligence so that can find their own path in life.

Please take time to read this 5-part article. They are not difficult, but they will introduce new ideas and concepts. It takes time to get accustomed and be able to absorb these. In fact, you may reject some of them. Or you may affirm them. Whatever you think about them, however, is just a “thought” in operation. The main concept being introduced is the idea that “Wisdom-Intelligence” begins when the mind is quiet. That is our starting point and that is what the Enlightenment Intensive can help us experience.

Our Blog section will be developing and has the purpose of expanding on what is being presented here and with which the intention of the School is concerned. To get started, please begin by reading the first part of the article in this section – “The Need For an Evolutionary Leap”.

The Need for an Evolutionary Leap – #1

We are living in unique and challenging times. If we look at the great number of complex and interconnected problems the human race is facing, we see that they have never been as difficult to solve as they are today. We are in a stage of history where new models of spirituality, intelligence, and higher states of consciousness are no longer optional. Today spirituality is seen as a luxury or indulgence when pitted against our need to survive. Yet, the awareness to be gained from Wisdom-Intelligence is what enables us to successfully navigate our way through the everyday difficulties of life. These new models are necessary and go to the core of what it is to be human.

Humanity needs an evolutionary leap that goes beyond the old paradigm where spirituality and living in the world were divided into separate concerns and were pursued just as separately. Higher states of awareness are exactly what we need today, not just as the concern of the spiritual seeker residing in a monastery, but to be applied to all of the problems the human race is facing. A connection between the two worlds must be achieved, at least by as many people as possible, if we are to survive the challenges of the next fifty years.

A Look at the History of Living a Spiritual Path

I was 8 years old when I was first confronted with an attitude that was later to become one of the most important issues of my personal life and which may be one of the most significant philosophical issues in modern spirituality today. I was in my second year of Hebrew school when I asked my teacher to tell me about the Kabbalah. I don’t know how I heard about it, but I knew that somehow it was important for me to know about and understand. The teacher’s response, delivered in the stern tone that was warning me away from an unknown danger, was that I was not to study it until I was 40, if then. He didn’t explain this, but I still remember the dismissive tone of his voice. Now, I know that behind both his words and his tone was a very long history.

That history not only exists in Judaism, but in many of the world’s religions and traditions. In many of the Eastern traditions as well, it was necessary that a person complete their obligations to family and their society first, and then perhaps in their later years, one would have the time to devote to one’s spiritual practices. So, why has this split between ‘normal’ life and the spiritual life been so prevalent? The answers do seem legitimate. In addition to the necessity of taking care of one’s family and community responsibilities, the fact is that the pursuit of a spiritual path is a serious and time-consuming matter, requiring a deep level of devotion and commitment. Further this type of work demands a psychological maturity and understanding that usually comes with age and experience. Thus it does seem valid that there be a split between living an ordinary life of fulfilling one’s dharma and the seeking of spiritual transformation and developing a mystical connection with the Divine. Yet, the times in which we live demand that we ask if there is a way to safely bridge the gulf between this divide.

The development of the so-called New Age is important to consider here for it has prepared the way for what is to come. Its beginning actually occurred around 1880 with the formation of the Theosophical Society created by Helena Blavatsky and her followers. Later, many magical societies seeking higher levels of consciousness and a connection with one’s Divine essence began to be crop up in parts of Europe, such as the Golden Dawn, O.T.O., etc. At the same time there were a number of teachers bringing sacred wisdom into the West which had been quietly held in monasteries of the Middle East and the Orient. Thus, we see that the movement of Wisdom into the main culture has been developing for the past 100 years. However, in most of these cases, the fundamental split between normal life and the pursuit of enlightenment, the awakened state or higher awareness was not challenged and did not change.

In the latter half of the last century this assumption has begun to change. Perhaps this is due simply to the fact that more people were living in a way that allowed them the time and freedom to explore the spiritual aspects of life. Many more people than ever were able to live both a normal life and also be free to pursue a spiritual path. Many new spiritual paths began to emerge that did not require the leaving of a regular life, but urged that one actually ‘use’ that life as a means for one’s growth. And yet, for the most part, these teachings were completely marginalized by mainstream religion and society and so could not, except in rare cases, have an actual effect on the way of life of the average person.

The Effects of the Split Between “Normal” Life and the Spiritual Path

While it seems that in the past, the world has not been ready for the split between spirituality and normal life to be eliminated, there has been an undeniable downside to the existence of this split: the most spiritual among us have had to leave the world to its own devices, restricting the breadth of vision and depth of understanding to only a few disciples and adherents. The chief asset of what can be called ‘mystical understanding’ is that a person KNOWS that one’s own life is never separate from other people and the world as a whole. An individual’s thoughts and actions send many ripples out from oneself into the world at large. If the majority of people on this planet understood this one fact clearly, the world would be a vastly different one from what we see today. Humanity would have begun to tackle the interconnected environmental, ecological, and economic problems long ago. There would have been no dispute about the necessity of this and therefore no delay in confronting the nature of the required changes humanity must make if we are to survive on this incredibly beautiful planet.

In Part 2 we will look at the fundamental causes of this split and begin to examine what we will need to do to create the bridges that can bring this split to an end.

Nature of the Split – #2

I feel fortunate to have had the privilege of receiving a very good education all the way from middle school to college. I loved learning about the sciences, reading great works of literature, discovering the value of understanding history and the many varied interpretations of it. Yet, throughout my education, I felt that something important was missing. I was surrounded by brilliant people, many of whom ended up in Ivy League colleges and other prestigious schools. Though society regarded these young people as the cream of the crop in their intelligence, I couldn’t shake the sense that somehow they weren’t intelligent enough to be aware of the importance of many societal issues, such as poverty, overpopulation, environment, and other emerging concerns. And what was even more ignored was the importance of finding out whether we ever could make contact with our own spiritual nature. Was it intelligent to never even ask about these things?

At this time, I was also meeting people who I felt were spiritual. Some were religious, but many were not. They seemed set apart from the mainstream as they had different values and understandings from the ‘intelligent’ people I knew. They were able to see what we were doing to the environment, the price we were paying for being so focused on making money that we were not able to see how this was affecting both the world around us and the quality of life for us personally. Some of these people were educated (though often disillusioned by the educational system) and some were not, but they did frequently disparage the ‘intellectual elite’ who they saw as often being unconscious and destructive. I and others like me often felt that we were living in two very separate worlds.

The Biggest Fear, the Biggest Assumption

It became necessary to find out why this gap existed, for without that there would never be any hope for bridging it. The first opening was when one of my ‘intelligent’ friends told me their view of people who meditate. They were afraid that if they meditated they would become stupid, blank, empty, etc., and that meditation would leave them unable to think. They believed that to have a silent mind simultaneously meant that they would no longer be smart or able to be successful in the world. I didn’t dismiss this. I began to inquire into the question since it did seem valid. After all, until I had my own experience of no-mind, I would not know for myself if this was an irrational fear or something to avoid. My goal was to know about this without prejudice or bias.

The Underlying Cause of the Split

The journey led me to an examination of the history of our religious, philosophical, and spiritual underpinnings. In the last 400 years many people in the Western European world have made an intense effort to free themselves from the control of religious institutions and their dogmas. Many of our best minds have had to vehemently oppose any group that uses non-rational logics to legitimize their authority. This emphasis on rationalism and its opposition to anything that denied the importance of the individual was an important factor in this bid for freedom. From the time of Descartes and Bacon, the philosophy changed to regard the search for meaning and purpose as existing in the human self alone. Conscious intelligence therefore could not be of a supernatural nature but must reside within the human mind. This went beyond the rejection of religious authority to include any belief that a connection with something outside of own self is possible. Any person who believed that one could communicate with nature, the Cosmos, God, etc. was merely projecting human meaning onto an inanimate, non-human world. It became the common view that such beliefs were at best naïve and childish or even worse, in need of psychiatric assistance. One’s mind became everything and this meant that the world and life itself was devoid of meaning. The Mind became ‘Everything’ as Descartes’ famous quote tells us – “I think therefore I am.” Richard Tarnas has referred to this as the “disenchanting of the universe.” And although it was a necessary phase for human development, the time to go to the next level is upon us.

This philosophical history tells us clearly why the notion of an ‘empty mind’ would be regarded as anathema. It shows why modern definitions of intelligence are ones based solely on the contents of one’s own mind and the ability to use it. So, we have a seemingly endless debate between faith and rationalism, spirituality and materialism, and the sense that there is an inherent meaning in existence vs. the belief that the existence is essentially meaningless.

Can this Debate Ever End?

I assert that it cannot end until we find a much needed bridge between these two world views. And that bridge is what I’m calling Wisdom-Intelligence. In order for it to be a bridge that can take us somewhere, we will have to personally and seriously inquire into it. We must assume as little as possible and eschew blind faith. But it is also necessary to recognize that rational thought alone cannot help us. To believe in rational thought as the only way of knowing is itself a mere belief or bias.

What is going to help us is a personal experience of Wisdom-Intelligence. The experience must be clear and direct. It will need to regard all theories, all viewpoints as separate from any direct experience, whether they may be the beliefs of the religious and spiritual or the automatically accepted logics of science. What this does is leave room for the possibility that there may be more ways of knowing than what our limited mind tells us. The healing of the split takes us to a new way of experiencing and being in the world.

In Part 3, we will suggest a new view of Intelligence and how it can be experienced.

The Beginning of Intelligence – #3

In Part II, I have discussed the nature of the split between the “normal”, secular world and the spiritual path, the limited nature of intelligence as it is commonly conceived, and the need to create a bridge to a new way of regarding intelligence. I have suggested the term Wisdom-Intelligence as a way of referring to this expanded form of intelligence. While we must redefine the term itself, we must do more than that. We must question how we will have to approach this very process.

The Value of Examining our Definitions and Assumptions

In many discussions with psychologists, philosophers, linguists, and teachers as well as many students with whom I have worked, I’ve noticed that the word ‘intelligence’ is one of the most emotionally evocative, troubling, and divisive words I’ve encountered. While we often assume that everyone knows what it means, in actuality nothing could be further from the truth. What we are dealing with here is a word that means many different things, so much so that perhaps it is so overused and under-defined, that it doesn’t have any meaning at all. This is a helpful thing to know for this discovery shows us where we must begin. The effort to create a bridge must begin with an inquiry into the fact that we have many beliefs and assumptions about this word, since the examination of this may become the very doorway we need to discover the nature of Intelligence.

The Beginning of Inquiry

What approach must we take to explore our beliefs and assumptions? We may not know how to do this or even what we are up against. We may not know exactly what our preconceptions really are. But if we see the need to discover more about these things for ourselves, we can recognize something important about the general nature of assumptions themselves. When we look in this way, we can come upon the uncomfortable fact that our assumptions are based on what we’ve been told by others. Maybe these were formed when we were very young, even pre-verbal. The more we look at our assumptions about intelligence, the further this extends. When we look at our very thoughts, we see that we have been conditioned by parents, teachers, religious authorities, media, and by our very culture. This realization can lead us to ask if there is anything we actually know about this that comes from ourselves alone. I once read that in certain ancient Wisdom schools, a task sometimes given to a student was to ask the question – “What do I know and what do I do not know?” This was to be contemplated upon until the student gained the very understanding I am describing here. Imagine you are contemplating this in great detail and with a strong intention. Is all that you know actually coming from others? How conditioned are you? Exactly what can you identify as what you know from within yourself? And finally, is this way of knowing sufficient for us as we engage in this important question?

To know for ourselves is going to be challenging, even daunting. The reason is that the moment we see that all of what we have called knowing is mere assumption or belief, we come upon the realization that we will have to discard all of it and start fresh. The wonderful philosopher and teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti addressed this specifically when he said, “One has to discard all the premises, all the experiences from others, all the mystical assertions. One has to start as if one knows absolutely nothing.”

Seeing the Nature of the Difficulty

The effect of this realization can be astonishing, for by recognizing that we are limited by our conditionings, we may have taken our first step towards the experience of Intelligence. Of course, it is only a beginning because this very discovery can also be disturbing. We have built up strong concrete-like structures to support our belief systems. We have lived our lives with them and are invested in them. They are keeping us psychologically comfortable and secure. We’ve relied on authorities to tell us what is true and right and now we’re supposed to rely on nothing outside ourselves? That can be terrifying. We feel vulnerable and can even sense an urgency that was not there before. This is a necessary stage for us. We might now be able to embrace this sense of urgency and its accompanying feelings of fear and insecurity. The truth is there can be no sense of urgency as long as we believe somebody out there will solve the problem for me and give an answer. The recognition that “I” must do something is an essential quality to this process. It is the necessary attitude to have in order to being to contemplate our preconceptions, the hundreds of beliefs (conscious and unconscious) we’ve inherited from others throughout our life, and to then be motivated to inquire into the depths of this question. To see we know little or nothing, to really see it, is the beginning of intelligence and is what enables us to become open to something truly new.

Long ago I read that humans use only a small portion of our brain. This is certainly an interesting fact. The brain is an incredible storehouse of memories and adaptations. It responds (reacts) instantly to every situation whether it be challenging, terrifying, or pleasurable. However, these are not only from our own life. This storehouse goes far beyond personal experience to include centuries upon centuries of conditioning. What is important to understand is that all this is conditioning, is quite limited, and operates automatically. It seems that the small part of the brain that we use is the past. So, is there are a part which has not functioned at all, a part that is open, empty, and new? Let us ask what would it take for us to begin to activate more of it? It seems self-evident that as long as we operate safely and comfortably within the realm of the known, that we will never be able to broaden the unused portions of our brain where all of our potentialities must reside.

The Quiet Mind

K. offered the idea that “when the old part of the brain is in operation, that it can’t discover anything new.” We can infer from this that since the contents of our mind are completely composed of conditioning from our past that “it is only when the old brain is quiet that something new can be seen or discovered. Nothing new can ever emerge in us until that very mind is still, quiet, and open. This is why Krishnamurti wrote that “Intelligence comes into being when the brain discovers its fallibility, when it discovers what it is capable of and what it is not.” The development of this is a process. It is rare for this to occur suddenly or spontaneously, which is why K. also mentioned that ‘for this to happen, one must be serious”. One must devotedly regard this task as being “something I am going to pursue to the end.”

In Part 4, we will examine the tools we will need to actually begin to inquire as well as look at any assumptions that could block us from being able to even start.

The Tools of Our Inquiry – #4

Upon recognizing that as long as we function from the limited and conditioned brain, we cannot experience anything new and that we must quiet our mind if anything new could ever hope to occur, we are faced with a real puzzle. How can I quiet my mind? An even better question may be the more basic one – can I quiet my mind? Let us continue to do what we’ve been doing and look at our assumptions and beliefs that are operating within us as we propose this question.

Can we Change Ourselves?

We live in a culture that is seemingly ruled by the notion that in a fundamental sense we are not OK as we are. The dominant religion tells us that we are a state of “sin” by the very act of being born. And even if we don’t consider ourselves to be adherents of this view, we find that every ad, every promotion, and nearly everything we think about ourselves comes with a basic sense that there’s something wrong with us and that to fix these problems we must change ourselves. We must buy this or that product, have a certain type of friend or mate, and wear this type of clothing, etc. The libraries and bookstores have large sections devoted to self-help books, magazines, and articles all of which claim to offer solutions that will make us better, happier, richer, more successful, and fix all that is wrong with us. This operates so deeply that as a therapist I have become aware that it is difficult to recognize exactly how deep it goes. One example is the degree to which we ask our friends for advice. Ask yourself how comfortable you are working something out for yourself and refusing to seek any input from anyone you know. Why is this so hard? Do you trust yourself enough to be satisfied with your own discovery or knowing? (I’m not referring to the asking of something from an expert on something about which you have no knowledge).

Is It OK to be Who We Are?

It is important to look deeply at the question of whether or not we truly believe we are not enough, that we must change ourselves in order to fix what’s wrong with us, etc. We need to see how far this goes. To do this all we need to do is listen to our thoughts. Just sit down and do this. Listen to the words. Write them down if you need to. And when you do this, you might wonder what would be left from all those thoughts if you began to consider that you are simply who you are, that you are OK, and that there’s nothing to change about all that. Would your mind be silent or at least very quiet if you ceased to be a problem to yourself?

So, what does one do now? Can we stop our thoughts? Since the thoughts are constantly going in a manner that one tradition described as ‘the crew that never rests’, we would be changing ourselves to try to stop it. Here is where the work we have done so far can assist us.

True Recognition of the Power of the ‘Old Brain’

When we realize that we cannot experience anything new as long as the old brain is operating and that all our thoughts come from there, we will have recognized a fundamental truth. When one realizes the truth that the old conditioned brain cannot find anything new and cannot change itself, that truth makes the brain quiet. The desire to change ourselves is one of the primary aspects of the brain’s conditioning. Let me put this in a different way. As you read this, do you find that you want to change yourself in order to experience the new parts of your brain? Well, it’s the old brain that’s thinking that. The desire of the old for the new, IS the old! I will repeat: The desire to change ourselves is the old brain in operation. When we fully, totally, and completely see this, the brain will immediately quiet. It will know with total certainty that there is nothing to think about, nothing to change, and nothing to fix. There may be life problems to solve, of course, but that isn’t what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about what is necessary for Wisdom-Intelligence to emerge in us.

When the old brain sees it is incapable of discovering something new, that very perception is the seed of Intelligence. The discovery that I cannot do anything to bring about the new is itself the beginning of the new emerging in us. Why? Simply because it is the truth. The old brain cannot have freedom. As long as we are controlled by all the automatic thoughts composing our internal dialogue we are not free. This very Knowing is the beginning of Intelligence and simultaneously the beginning of the possible emergence of the new. But can we remain in this state of not-knowing for very long? For most of us, it lasts at best for a very short time.

The Essence of the Enlightenment Intensive Technique

In the technique used in the Enlightenment Intensive, (put in link) the practice requires that after one has expressed what has come up as a result of asking the question “Who am I?”, one is asked to return to groundlessness and again contemplate the question. It is this act that is critical for the participant. The content of what is expressed to one’s partner is the ‘old brain’ in operation. What makes this worthwhile is when it is seen as the old brain in operation. That’s the nature of what is expressed. The return to the asking of the question is what creates the space for this to be seen and recognized. The ‘old brain’ begins to quiet the more the contents are seen as simply the same-old thoughts, reactions, feelings, emotions, etc. which have composed our internal life. And when this realization is maintained long enough, something amazing can happen. The truly new can begin to be felt, new thoughts begin to emerge, and we find that we feel a sense of freedom unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.

In Part 5 we will take a look at the experience of Wisdom-Intelligence.

Experience of Wisdom-Intelligence – #5

I have defined the beginning of Wisdom-Intelligence as the moment when a person discovers the nature of one’s own brain and that it is composed of all of the many thoughts, considerations, opinions, etc. which tie us to the past. It is composed of all of our conditioning and cannot experience anything new. Let me add here that I am referring only to that small portion of the brain that is commonly used by people. This implies that human beings may have tremendous potentials if we find a way to access something truly new, something outside and separate from the centuries of personal and impersonal programming that have made us who and what we are.

I have also introduced the idea that our culture is constantly programming us to believe that we must not accept ourselves, that there is something essentially wrong with us and that it must be fixed, usually by doing such things as buying certain products, reading certain books, taking certain seminars, and doing certain spiritual practices. All of these advise us to change ourselves, no matter what it takes, as if this is actually possible. This is what ties us to the limited and conditioned brain. I am asserting that this cannot work and that further it only makes things worse for us, since it ends up validating the very notion that we are not OK as we are. As long as we engage in activities that are motivated by the perceived need that we are somehow not OK and therefore must change, we will always come up short. It creates an ever-increasing spiral of self-abuse which, of course will inevitably lead to our having to take even more courses, read more books, and engage in more therapy, etc. And if we get depressed enough, we can then become medicated, which can only make things even worse.

When we realize all this and see that what we really need to do is find a way to quiet the mind so that something new might occur, we have taken an important first step. Our focus changes from attempting the impossible of trying to change ourselves to working instead towards accepting ourselves. It is like the realization that one is doing exactly the opposite thing from what is needed. This clear understanding is also an indication that Wisdom-Intelligence is beginning in us.

Acceptance of Self, Acceptance of Another

As we begin to learn how to work with our thoughts and conscious and unconscious conditioning, we find that gaining self-acceptance has the effect of quieting the mind. The E.I. technique however goes beyond self-acceptance. It includes something equally important: acceptance of another person. (Add bubble to describe the job of the receipt point as non-judgmental) Actually, acceptance of self and acceptance of another are reflections of each other. It is analogous to noticing that there are two sides of one coin. They are part of the same coin. Every time we accept self, other, or both, we take one more step toward quieting the mind because we no longer are struggling with life. As the struggle dissipates, so does the internal dialogue. When this emerges our entire orientation to life changes both within our own consciousness and in our relationship with our outer world.

The Development of Presence

The E.I. technique asks the participant to contemplate an essence question such as “Who am I?” This is also a technique that begins what I have also described as inquiry. We then communicate what comes up to our partner and in so doing we find that we are becoming increasingly aware of our thoughts. It’s not just thoughts in general, but specific thoughts and considerations are coming up to consciousness. We begin to watch or witness all these thoughts. We do not try to change them, but seek to observe them only. After all, if we are not our thoughts, why would we try to change them? Just let them be and observe them as they are. This creates distance. We see them better and better, which leads to being able to ask one of the most important questions of our life. “How can I observe these thoughts if I am these thoughts?” One can recognize that we cannot see what we are. We can only see what we are not. The more we observe our thoughts the more distance is created until we completely cease to identify with any of these thoughts which is, of course, the state of quiet mind.

Throughout this effort, something quite special has been developing, almost without any notice. Presence is growing in us. The Presence of what? That answer is known only by an experience as it is beyond words. As our awareness increases, what is growing is our awareness of ourselves as That which is able to observe or witness all those thoughts. There is a process happening which can be likened to a spiral where as we observe our thoughts, we are evoking Presence, which in turn enables us to observe every thought with even more distance than before. At some point, all that is left is the experience of the eternal Now. We haven’t changed ourselves at all, but are now open in a way that is completely new. We are able to connect with Life, with Spirit, or whatever term one wants to use, for no longer are we (our thoughts) in the way.

When we are open to the new, we have begun to experience what I’m calling Wisdom-Intelligence. With this state, many new abilities emerge. We somehow know things in a way that is neither logical nor illogical. This happens without effort. We don’t need to take seminars that will teach us how to develop extrasensory perception (ESP) or some altered state of consciousness. When we are fully present in the now, or in Presence, as some refer to this state, life is experienced in a totally different way. The connection that already exists between us and the world can now be perceived and experienced directly.

From this new way of Being-in-the-World, we look at our old concepts and will begin to completely re-orient. One example of this is the concept of intuition. Webster’s dictionary defines it “immediate apprehension or cognition” or “direct perception of truth.” Let’s look at this in a bit more depth. This very definition implies that there is a direct way of knowing that is not related to the operation of the logical mind. This is why many scientists are criticizing the use of this concept, saying that it doesn’t really exist. What seems evident is that if it does exist, it must indicate a way of knowing that only becomes possible when the mind is out of the way and we are able to access an inner knowing that usually lies dormant in us. This new way of Being enables us to live in a life that is harmonious, joyous and in full participation with family, friends, our community and perhaps Life itself.

Please remember while you read this that until you experience this condition for yourself, that it will be mere hearsay, and can only be a part of your belief system. We need not fool yourself about this for that would just be another example of trying to change oneself.

Soon you will find many articles on this and other related subjects in our Blog.