Toward Wholeness
Today, more and more people are awakening spiritually. This website presents information about science-based awakening—an approach to awakening for spiritually open-minded people who are curious about the nature of reality and who strive for more love, peace, and joy in life.
Humanity’s quest for peace and happiness and the meaning of life is universal. It’s really a search for spiritual wholeness. The “toward” in the heading represents the journey, and the “wholeness” is the essence of who you are. The reality is that you are and have always been whole—never separate, for there is no separation.
Science-Based Awakening
Conventional materialistic science holds that physical beings originated by chance in a random universe, and their purpose is simply survival and reproduction. This position is unfounded given the modern scientific evidence establishing the existence of nonlocal consciousness (for information about this evidence, see the Science of Consciousness page under Resources).
Becoming spiritually awakening is a journey of the mind. It is the process of dissolving the unconscious ego. You wake up from the dream of everyday, mundane material life, in which you are consumed by striving and craving. Thus arriving at a transcendent level of truth — transforming to a higher reality of spirit, and finally shattering the illusion that you are separate from oneness.
This realization is not a belief or an idea. Rather, it is a heartfelt, inner knowing of one’s eternal, infinite nature—a gateway to love, peace, and joy. A spiritual awakening is a path toward growth and self-transformation.
There is a common core of beliefs about awakening in the world’s spiritual traditions—such as Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sufism, Jainism, and mystical Christianity and Judaism. These beliefs are different articulations of the same fundamental truths.
Spiritual awakening is an individual experience that can happen suddenly or gradually. It requires the courage to break free from conditioning and dogma and to open one’s mind to an expanded perception of reality. An integral part of awakening is gaining an understanding of our immortal, multidimensional nature. This website provides a wealth of information to help you become aware of your immortal self and your continuing existence beyond your body and matter.
Lessening Role of Organized Religion
There is a dramatic ongoing shift in the U.S. population away from organized religion. The percentage of Americans identifying their religious affiliation as “none” increased from only 6% in 1991 to 25% in 2016. Young adults are driving this trend. In 1986, for example, only 10% of young adults (ages 18–29) claimed no religious affiliation, versus 39% in 2018. Americans’ chief reason for leaving their childhood religious identity is that they stopped believing in their religion’s teaching.
The following article discusses reasons for this trend: Exodus: Why Americans are Leaving Religion—and Why They’re Unlikely to Come Back
Increasing numbers of people are unable to find purpose and meaning in organized religion. It appears that more people recognize that religion is human-made. They are less willing to abide by the teachings and codes of behavior set forth by the founders and religious leaders.
The shift away from organized religion is counterbalanced by more Americans identifying themselves as spiritual. A 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 27% of U.S. adults think of themselves as spiritual but not religious, up from 19% five years earlier. For more details about this trend, see More Americans Now Say They’re Spiritual But Not Religious.
Loneliness
Today there is a loneliness epidemic in the United States. A 2018 Cigna study found a shift occurring in the last 50 years: rates of loneliness have doubled in the United States. Almost half of the respondents reported feeling alone, left out, and isolated. Persistent and pervasive sentiments of isolation can be harmful to our health. Loneliness is commonly correlated with mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and suicidality.
Consciousness is a continuum, and separation is an illusion of our three-dimensional thinking. A fundamental cause of the loneliness epidemic is the widespread false belief that we are separate from one another and the world. This is a major cause of suffering. Perhaps the greatest fear is held by those who believe that they are a separate mortal body. These people falsely believe that they will cease to exist once their body dies.
However, even awakened human beings are social beings. Aside from the occasional hermit, to live a healthy, balanced life, people need to participate in supportive community life. Fewer people partaking in community creates more loneliness. In fact, the primary benefit of organized religions has been the communities they create for their members.
For a discussion on loneliness in the United States, see: Americans Are A Lonely Lot, And Young People Bear The Heaviest Burden.
I invite you to believe in yourself, find the truth in your own heart, and not believe in any authority outside of yourself. Experience transcends belief; direct experience is the final authority of what is true.
8 Ways to Take Your Spiritual Growth to the Next Level
- Nature—Spending time in nature can be a peaceful, restorative experience. The busy, judging mind can be given a rest. Is a tree too big or too small, good looking or not, in the right spot or not? No, trees are simply existing as they are. Peacefully take in their beauty.
- Music—You are made of energy, waves of vibration. Sound is vibration. Listening to music that you find soothing and uplifting has the power to alter people’s moods and mental states. Music has the power to heal.
- Physical Well Being—Embrace a healthy diet, exercise your body, and get sufficient sleep.
- Community—We are a social, interdependent species that need connection. There are many ways to join or create a community. Spend time with people who are kind, supportive, and respectful. Nurture relationships with good friends and loved ones.
- Gratitude—Being grateful for the good things in your life deepens your sense of well-being. Consider starting a gratitude diary with daily or weekly entries. Loved ones and friends could be at the top of your list. This sends a message to your body that all is okay, reducing the stress hormone cortisol. Research has shown that the process of writing down what you’re grateful for seems to retrain the brain to be more positive and less consumed with worries and resentment.
- Laughter—Laughing is a perfect antidote to stress. Laughter is typically an expression of joy and stops the thinking mind in its tracks.
- Creativity—Life is expressing in you, as you, and through you. Creative expression is the essence of Life. Some of our deepest guidance and messages come through the creative process. Music, writing, artistic hobbies, cooking, and business are just a few of the endless ways we can create.
- Limited Media Exposure—Media programming in the U.S. is heavily oriented toward violence and consumerism. Much of it is directed at preying on peoples’ fears. How much of your media exposure consists of accidents, murders, robberies, assaults, fires, natural disasters, war, political turmoil, social injustice, and problems in the economy and financial markets? All of this undermines your sense of well-being. Watch less and enjoy life more.
This website is a gateway to a wealth of information and personal reports about the afterlife on the Near-Death Experience (NDE), Reincarnation, Mediumship, and Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) webpages. After reading hundreds of these reports one gets a sense of the afterlife.
Out-of-Body Experiences and Astral Projection
The OBE material is unique in that there are OBErs who have each taken hundreds of journeys beyond the earth plane to various dimensions in the universe. In this section, I quote my two favorite OBErs—William Buhlman and Jurgen Ziewe. Both of these remarkable men have documented over 40 years of OBE travels. Their descriptions of the afterlife are by far the most comprehensive that I have found, and I have featured their books on the Out-of-Body Experience webpage. The following excerpts from their books present spiritual perspectives based on their experiences of communicating with and observing souls in non-physical dimensions.
William Buhlman is America’s leading expert on self-initiated astral projection and out-of-body experiences. The following excerpts and the Emotional Frequency Chart are from Higher Self Now!: Accelerating Your Spiritual Evolution by William and Susan Buhlman, 323 pages (2016):
“We are amazing immortal beings using temporary biological bodies for experiences on Earth…We are creative, spiritual souls who shape our reality with the focused power of our thoughts…In place of blind obedience to religious text, embrace your opportunities for growth, awakening, and self-knowledge through personal experience…Spiritual truth is not manufactured through mankind; it is constant, unchanging, and always present within us…Self-empowerment is the art of taking complete responsibility for our entire state of consciousness.”
“Since our state of consciousness is the only thing we take with us at death, it is essential that our mindset be as pristine as possible… When entering our future thought-responsive home, the afterlife, our current thoughts and beliefs will determine our new destination…Because our state of consciousness determines our afterlife setting, it becomes critical for us to focus on our spiritual readiness before our transition…Any low vibrational energy that we hold, such as fear or hatred, can and will negatively influence our current state and our afterlife existence as well…Live an authentic life through your daily actions of love and kindness to all.”
Buhlman’s Emotional Frequency Chart
William Buhlman’s level of experience in the OBE field may be unsurpassed. Over several decades, Buhlman has closely observed the relationship between one’s emotional state at the time of death with one’s potential afterlife environment. He has summarized his observations in the following chart. May it serve to illustrate the importance of leading a life based on love.
Jurgen Ziewe is an artist living in England whose artwork is directly inspired by his OBEs. The following excerpts are from Vistas of Infinity – How to Enjoy Life When You Are Dead, 268 pages (2016):
“One day every one of us will have to pass through the portals of death. …but we can’t ignore the fact that where we are now, emotionally and spiritually, will determine where we will go to spend the next leg of our infinite future. …the content we carry with us in our conscious and subconscious minds will form and attract us to the scenery and environment of our new non-physical state…The place you will live in after you die is a manifestation of your inner life.
“The simple rule to be guided by is to avoid anything that cuts us off from the free flow of love energy, such as narcissism, dogma, selfishness, fanaticism, hatred, bigotry, intolerance and all negative feelings related to our own self-importance, which will restrict the free flow of creative energy…The first manifestation of clarity or higher consciousness is love—to find the way back to clarity—activate the heart…The compassionate heart connects us directly to our soul energy and opens channels for transformation…Love is the shortcut into the higher realms of non-physical reality and the passport into the pleasant lands of the higher dimensions.”
Spiritual Healing
Emotional and cognitive healing is an integral part of spiritual awakening. This healing, sometimes known as “spiritual healing,” begins by taking personal responsibility for your life. In this limited space, I can only highlight what I believe to be some of the most important spiritual healing elements. Much of our emotional wounding and trauma takes place in childhood. Typically, children begin to block painful feelings, unconsciously establishing habitual defense systems. On a quantum level, our bodies, thoughts, and emotions are pure energy, and our habitual defense systems interrupt the free flow of our energy, creating energetic blockages.
Energetic blockages trap distressing emotions such as fear, anger, despair, sadness, and shame. These emotions remain in our bodies and eventually resurface. When painful emotions resurface, most people typically do whatever it takes to avoid them. Often, they mistakenly believe that these feelings will go away if they can distract themselves from the pain. But it doesn’t.
Much of our suffering comes from resisting painful feelings. Sometimes the effort to escape from pain leads to addictions. Physical and emotional addictions are typically an indication that something deeper needs to be uncovered and healed. Healing our energetic blockages, restores the free flow of energy by dismantling our defense systems, allowing us to be more fully present and alive. We become able to open to life instead of defending against it. We can transition from fear-based thinking to heart-based loving. This is the potential for spiritual healing.
Spiritual healing doesn’t come from changing, fixing, or letting go of anything. It comes from embracing all emotions, whether considered good or bad. The key to emotional healing is simply the willingness to be present with your inner pain, accept it, understand its origins as best you can, and allow it to be.
Consciousness is made of light, and if not bound by thinking and addiction to “doing,” consciousness is a healing force. If you hold a painful feeling in your consciousness without judgment, associated energy blockages begin to be released. Forgiveness and tolerance are powerful transformative behaviors for healing.
Note: An excellent book on healing emotional pain is What’s In the Way is the Way: A Practical Guide for Waking Up to Life by Mary O’Malley, 264 pages (2016)
Forgiveness
Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Don’t let someone else’s behavior tempt you to hold negative energy.
If someone has harmed you, you may be holding anger, hate, or resentment. Understanding the other person’s perspective and coming to a place of forgiveness and compassion for both yourself and the other can heal your pain. It is important to understand that forgiveness is not a form of approval of the actions of the one who wronged you. Also, forgiveness does not automatically lead to reconciliation.
Religious and Political Tolerance
Our sense of well-being increases when we accept those with opposing views as fellow human beings worthy of respect. There’s a good reason why some people won’t talk about “politics and religion.” They can be very divisive and alienating. Major factors underlying religious and political views are the basic human need to feel safe. Inevitably, most people don’t hold your particular religious or spiritual views nor agree with your perspective on political issues. Ultimately, however, when you no longer see other people as separate from yourself, these differences seem to melt away.
The following section provides more information about spiritual healing.
For additional information, also see the Energy Healing webpage in the Resources section.
Eleven Symptoms of Spiritual Awakening
- An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
- Feelings of being connected with others and nature.
- Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
- A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience.
- An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
- A loss of ability to worry.
- A loss of interest in conflict.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- A loss of interest in judging others.
- A loss of interest in judging yourself.
- Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return
Reference: A Manual of Developing Humans by P.M.H. Atwater, 321 pages (2017)
A fundamental part of awakening is spiritual healing, so the “Spiritual Healing” section above relates directly to this section.
Accepting what is as it is, rather than focusing on how you think things should be, leads to inner peace. Acceptance is being open to whatever arises, knowing it has value for you regardless of how things turn out. Ultimately, it is about trusting yourself to be ready to meet whatever life presents to you.
The vast majority of people take the opposite approach. They continually try to control and manipulate their environment to achieve their desired outcomes. Most often, things don’t turn out the way they expect. When someone has preconceived notions of how things should be, reality presents something different, leading to negative emotions and suffering. Ultimately, it is impossible not to be in the present moment, for the present moment is all there is. However, the egoic mind is absorbed with an imagined past and future—that is, psychological time.
Most negative feelings come from thoughts about the past, and most fear comes from thoughts about what might happen in some imagined future. Absorption with psychological time results in an urge to control reality through thinking and exerting one’s will. Such attempts to control reality make one restless and anxious. In contrast, being receptive to whatever happens in the moment supports living consciously in the present. Only by surrendering your worries and doubts to the wisdom of your own heart will you find inner peace.
You continuously create your personal reality. The most powerful form of creating is self-awareness (being receptive), not based on the will (being active). A basic form of receptivity is listening to your intuition rather than to your thoughts. When you act from intuition, you are being pulled by your heart rather than pushed by your mind. Following your intuition requires a high degree of trust, for intuitive choices are based on what you feel to be right, not what you imagine to be right.
When you interact with reality from your heart, you let reality be, without trying to change it. If you open up to the reality of the heart—of love, you let go of judgment. You accept who you are at this moment. Self-acceptance is a form of love.
Love is completely the opposite of the need to control or dominate. This truth is expressed in the New Testament of the Christian Bible:
“Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs.” —1 Corinthians 13:4–5
Awakening is remembering who we truly are; I thought I was my body, thoughts, and emotions. This perspective changed after I began my spiritual journey. As I became more aware, I realized that thoughts and emotions are not my essential, eternal nature. By ceasing to identify my body, thoughts, and emotions as who I am, but rather by observing them, I became more peaceful. My experience offers a glimpse of an important initial stage of my spiritual journey.
Awakening is an inner journey—looking within instead of looking outside of oneself. Meditation, fasting, self-inquiry, studying spiritual books, devotional practices, mutuality circles, heartfelt service, and transmission of presence from awakened teachers can all support this inner journey.
Awakening Part II
Much of the information on this website is about the soul, which is a unit of consciousness and an extension of Source. The soul is a vehicle for experience. As a soul, you were born from a state of pure Consciousness, and you carry part of that Consciousness within you throughout all of your manifestations in material form. The soul engages in duality—that is, the perception of being separate as opposed to being whole. The soul is affected and transformed by its experiences of duality.
Beyond duality, there is a universal background energy against which everything develops and evolves. This energy is sometimes called Source, Presence, or pure Consciousness. It is the Oneness underlying all duality. Silence—outer, but especially inner—is the best opening to experiencing this ever-present energy, which is your Self at your deepest core.
Connecting with Source inside yourself is like being taken out of duality while remaining fully present and grounded. It is a Divine state, in which your consciousness is filled with a deep mixture of peace and joy—a direct experience of Divine reality. It cannot truly be grasped by the mind; it only can be felt by the Heart.
Gradually, the focus of your consciousness moves from duality to Oneness. Eventually, it is drawn to Silence rather than to thoughts and emotions.
The transition to the Heart is transcendence beyond the level of your soul to Source. This does not mean that the soul is in any way “less” than Source. It’s just that you are greater and more encompassing than your soul. By identifying with the Source within yourself, everything that you have experienced in previous lifetimes falls into place. You rise above your soul’s experiences by no longer identifying with any of them. This has a healing effect on the soul.
A profound expression of an awakened life is compassion. Compassion is the key to Life. It is the answer to the dilemma of mankind. In the words of Dr. Albert Schweitzer:
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” — Albert Schweitzer, physician, Christian minister, philosopher, and humanitarian and recipient of the 1952 Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life.
Being in service is a powerful way to activate the compassionate heart. By providing loving, committed service to others, we become a vehicle for the outpouring of love from Source. This deepens our connection with Source and has a healing influence on others.
Another way to activate the compassionate heart is through our work. Rather than seeing work solely as a means to make money, we can perform it in the spirit of love and dedication. We can use our thoughts, words, and deeds to bring greater well-being to others, as well as to ourselves.
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Believe in yourself, to find the truth in your own heart, and don’t believe in any authority outside of you. Experience transcends belief; direct experience is the final authority of what is true.