Flowering into Awareness

 Flowering into Awareness by Pathik Strand from www.o-books.com

Flowering into Awareness explains the non-dual vision of life in a clear and straightforward way, and also puts that understanding into the context of life’s numerous challenges and the problematic state of the world. This book outlines the root causes of humanity’s challenges, and also explains what it will take to evolve from our present state of ignorance and conflict into realising the full flowering of our highest potential.

A recurring theme in this book is the supreme importance of self-knowledge. It is very important to realise the true nature of who we are, because the root cause of all our conflicts is precisely the mistaken idea that we are all separate entities competing with each other for survival and prosperity. The other aspect to this is the belief that we live in a world that exists independently of consciousness. An alternative view, which is elaborated upon at length in “Flowering into Awareness”, is that universal consciousness is our true nature, and that this is the ground of all being and existence.

The world is our joint creation and will change for the better only when each and every one of us goes through a fundamental inner change. This is the only revolution that will ever make any real and lasting difference, and it can come about only through the spiritual awakening that happens when we as individuals realise the truth of our being, and realise that we are all one in consciousness. Only then can unconditional love effortlessly flower, and only then will the world finally know peace. We will be able to reach our full potential only when our flowering into awareness has become a living, manifest reality. 

Spiritual transformation is not an abstract idea or a fancy notion dreamt up by some philosopher or guru somewhere. It is quite simply the transmutation of fear into love, greed into generosity, competition into cooperation, conflict into harmony, war into peace and separation into oneness. This process of spiritual transformation and awakening can only happen through the individual, and can never be brought about by political manoeuvring and legislation.

Humanity is at present involved in a challenging and often painful process of spiritual awakening, but this is a process that has become an urgent necessity for us to survive as a species. Our collective addiction to technology and power has lead us onto a very dangerous path where we risk ending up in a transhumanist dystopia, which would be the end of humanity as we know it. Therefore our collective responsibility is to create a new world inhabited by a new human being, who will effortlessly manifest a world of love, peace and harmony. At that point in our long and colourful evolution, life itself may well be the only religion, nature our only church and loving kindness our sole spiritual practice. This is the greatest revolution of all, and the only one that will ever make a real difference.

This revolution will also lead to a unification of science and spirituality, in the sense that science will shed its materialistic philosophy and embrace a spiritual approach to its view of nature and the world. It will also lead to religious belief and dogma becoming obsolete, which means that humanity will mature spiritually, thus embracing a scientific approach to life and spiritual inquiry instead of the majority of us clinging to outdated and limiting beliefs and practices, which is presently the case.

A fundamental change in the human psyche is essential for humanity to survive, but because this inner revolution is of a spiritual nature, it is very important to clarify what is meant by the word spirituality. A spiritual way of life must necessarily include the qualities of compassion and unconditional love, mindfulness and presence, and a high degree of authentic self-knowledge. It can be argued that self-knowledge is the most important of these, because unconditional love and being present in the eternity of now are the spontaneous and natural flavours of true self-knowledge. The realisation of your true nature also means that you know that form and formless are one, and that everything that seems to exist on the level of form is merely an expression of that which is beyond and independent of all forms.

There is no such thing as time in the sense we usually think of it; there is only the eternal presence of now. Creation didn’t happen an incredibly long time ago, but is a ceaseless process of unfolding and flowering in the eternal now. The creativity and supreme intelligence of universal consciousness are far beyond anything that the human mind can ever understand, yet we are all parts of this miracle of creativity, actively involved as co-creators and custodians in human form of the unfathomable unfolding of divinity.

To be here at this auspicious time in the history of humanity is certainly a great gift and privilege, but it also carries with it a very serious responsibility. We are now fundamentally challenged to be the channels through which humanity finally comes of age, reaches psychological maturity and manifests its full spiritual potential. It may be that many were called, but we are the ones who have chosen to fulfil humanity’s great potential and embody the new human populating a new Earth. This might seem like a daunting prospect and a nearly impossible task, so we need to realise that we do have what it takes to rise to this challenge. As long as we do so without fear, but with love and compassion, we may indeed live to see the dawn of a new world, a world in which peace is the natural order of life, and unconditional love is the guiding light for all our relationships and how we live in the world

Peace on Earth will be a reality only when the power of love is greater than the love of power. Love is intrinsic to our nature and thus we all have the ability to love unconditionally, and create a world of harmony and peace. To manifest and share unconditional love is the greatest gift we can ever give to anyone. Love is also the only thing that can truly make a difference in the world, the only thing that can change this mad, tragic, dysfunctional and self-obsessed world for the better. Love depends on nothing else and is owned by nobody. It cannot be quantified or made into a commodity. It is just too vast, wild and powerful for anything like that. Love is the only thing in the world that is ultimately real, but then it’s not a thing and it’s not of this world. It is the transcendent reality of what we are. 

As long as we remember to be kind and loving to all living beings, live lightly and consciously, we will inevitably make a positive difference to the world and help to create a new Earth. Be a light unto yourself, and never look for or desire rewards, recognition or praise, because ultimately they are all worthless. Love is its own reward. Sharing your love with the world and everybody you meet is the only true benediction, and the greatest gift you could ever give to anyone. 

Flowering into Awareness by Pathik Strand is available from www.o-books.com and from wherever books are sold.

Book Link: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/o-books/our-books/flowering-into-awareness-spiritual-manifesto