First Taste of Spiritual Enlightenment
January 5th, 2009 | Posted by admin | Category: Spiritual Books | Tags: Arthur C. Clarke, Spiritual Enlightenment | 1 Comment
You’ve probably heard of the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey”, a science fiction epic by Stanley Kubrick that begins with the evolution of the man-ape and ends with an acid trip in outer space. But have you heard of the book? I had it recommended to me by a friend, and reading it had some rather unforeseen consequenses. You know how many spiritual gurus talk about how we are something bigger than this body and mind we normally refer to us “me”? This “something bigger” is often called things like Higher Self, Brahman or God, and the goal of many spiritual students, including myself, is to let go of the false identification with the body/mind and realize that you are this “something bigger”.
Well, the book goes into this big time. The ending, which is mostly a lot of colors in the movie, is among the most mind-blowing fiction I’ve ever read. Afterwards, I felt I understood so much more of what is meant by all this talk about God/Spirit/Higher Self. I also realized, or began to realize, that the only thing keeping us from the experience of God (I’m going to use the word “God” for this from now on), is the ideas, theories and thoughts we project on the world. If we would just be still and listen even for a second, we would hear the sound of God.
It’s like a conversation between two people, where one of them is going “BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH”, and the other waits, patiently and lovingly, for his turn to speak. Spiritual Enlightenment is shutting up for a moment, and actually listening to what God has to say.
And so that is what I did, or attempted, the night I finished “2001: A Space Odyssey”. I closed my eyes, and stared, but not for anything visual. I listened, but not for sounds. I waited. And there it was.
Or at least a tiny glimpse, because pretty soon the mind went right back to “BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH” again, and so I kind of fell in and out of it for a minute, and then returned to the world of body/mind.
And this is when you wait for a description of this “something bigger”, and I give you the same answer as all those spiritual gurus: it’s undescribable. It’s beyond the minds ability for comprehension. It simply is.
So, thank you, Universe, for this first little glimpse of your greatness. I’m really looking forward to whatever follows. If you’d like to check out “2001: A Space Odyssey” for yourself, I recommend this version, but remember that this is not a complete guide to experiencing the first taste of Spiritual Enlightenment. Probably more important, was the understanding I had gathered from people like Ariel Bravy and the previous lessons learned in life. What the novel did, was tie it all together, adding the incredible imagination and storytelling of Arthur C. Clarke, to really get the point across.
I wish you all a super-exciting 2009! 
Spiritual Enlightenment and Hinduism
October 19th, 2008 | Posted by admin | Category: Spiritual Books | Tags: Bhagavadgita, Hinduism, Spiritual Enlightenment | No Comments
Bhagavadgita is a hinduistic text written around 500 B.C. The title translates “Song of God”, and it tells the tale of the prince Arjuna, who is about to enter battle in an attempt to regain his fathers lost kingdom. As he sees the opposing army, he realizes it consists of his old friends, relatives and loved ones. He is struck to the ground with grief, and wants to abolish his mission. But as Krishna, his charioteer, begins to explain to him the nature of existence, God and purpose, his views change. Krishna, of course, is really God, and the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna becomes something like God’s basic introduction to the Life and the Universe.
There’s many aspects about this book I find fascinating, like how ancient and unchaging the art of Spiritual Enlightenment really is. What Krishna explains in this book, is just the same as a drunk Mykonos talks about in “Wild Nights“, or David Hawkins (soberly) talks about in his works. I believe that when you have Spiritual Enlightenment explained to you in many different ways, something will click with you each time, gradually completing the puzzle.
Another very interesting aspect of the book is Krishnas encouragement of Arjuna to fight. One would expect the words of God to be more along the lines of “Thou Shalt Not Kill”, or “Just give ‘em a hug!” What it comes down to, is the distinction between letting go of the “fruits of action”, and letting go of action altogether. This is, to me, a very crucial understanding, and the book explains it well (there’s also a very good article by Ariel Bravy on the subject).
If you’re interested in this ancient, but very much still valid, take on Spiritual Enlightenment, Bhagavadgita can be found here.
Sex, Booze and Spiritual Enlightenment
October 7th, 2008 | Posted by admin | Category: Spiritual Books | Tags: David Deida, Spiritual Enlightenment, Wild Nights | 1 Comment
Are you seeking to open your Heart? Are you willing to open your mind to the uncompromising lifestyle of an open Heart? If the answer is “no” to any of the preceding questions, this book will be hell to read.
“Wild Nights” is David Deidas semi-fictional account of his time with Mykonos, a rather unconventional spiritual teacher. Mykonos drinks heavily, threatens fellow students with baseball bats and talks about sex 90% of the time. Yet, he radiates Love in a way that it is impossible to remain untouched by, and the same can be said about this book. It will help you open up to life. It will rip apart the myth that Spiritual Enlightenment is about meditating on top of a mountain for forty years. It will show you a lifestyle without limitations.
Oh, and there’s lots of sex in it. It is whole-heartedly recommended, and you can find it here