What’s life like after spiritual enlightenment?
I woke up in my house in the woods and by the sea, before dawn. I am conscious whilst sleeping and dreaming, so coming out of the dream state and into this waking state is quite a trip.
I have no idea who I am or where I am for a while and I come into this waking part the exact same way I come into the dream state.
My cat was curled up around my shoulder and neck, with his cheek pressed against mine (he’s been particularly lovey lately…change of seasons and all).
I was overcome with this great, luxurious love…not for anyone or anything, but Love for its own sake. This energy moves much more easily through my body now because I’m used to it. It has a sound and a rhythm and a vibration. It used to kind of knock me out, paralyze me, but I have become accustomed to it.
I got up to feed my cat and feed the wild birds. The chipmunks get in on it, too. It’s quite a show, and they wait for me every morning to come out and feed them. I had my herbal tea by the window and watched them.
Then I checked my emails, paid some bills online, went to the auto parts store to get some new bulbs for my headlamps. I listened to the Economist audio edition whilst driving. I went to the grocers to pick up some food for my daughter and her boyfriend, who are living with me for a couple of months to save up money before moving overseas to Indonesia.
I came home and unpacked the food, did some cleaning, changed clothes. I went out for a hike in a beautiful area that starts as pasture, turns into wetlands and ends at a great wild beach with pounding surf. It was a splendid warm day here in California. There were no people because it was Wednesday at lunchtime, and this beach is far from everything.
I sat for some time, looking out to the horizon, feeling the waves, soaking up the sun. I don’t perceive a separation between myself and whatever I’m looking at, whatever arises. So when I say I feel the waves, well, you know…I really mean it. It’s indescribable. It’s more than communion, because communion implies the meeting of two or more.
At home again, I took a long hot bath, wrote for a few hours, shared the evening with my daughter and her partner. My girl loves to cook, and I often sit and chat with her while she’s in the kitchen. We play music and sometimes get really silly and dance all over the place. I always have a look and smell of what she’s made, and tell her it is beautiful, or we talk about what could be improved or different techniques if it didn’t quite turn out. Sometimes I take photos of her creations and share her recipes with others. I was a great cook all her life, so we bond over food and cooking.
Last night we laughed a lot. They were watching some kind of terrible cooking show where cooks compete under horribly stressful conditions. I was in my bedroom reading a book and surfing online for apartments in Croatia (I’m thinking of spending a couple of months there this winter) and watching a Shakespeare play (Richard II) at the same time, with my door open. These days I find I can do a lot of things simultaneously, whereas before I could only focus on one thing at a time.
They came in from time to time and chatted with me. We all tried to speak in old English, thee and thou and what thinkest thou of my Thai curry? When it was time for them to go to bed, they urged me to come have a look at something in the kitchen. When I came to the kitchen, there was a little gift for me….a tea infuser shaped like a robot. Hilarious! It was very sweet and we all laughed a lot. My daughter’s boyfriend said he just had to get it for me when he saw it.
My cat was happily curled up on the sofa, but my daughter picked him and and came in with her boyfriend to say goodnight and to give me a “cat delivery.” I got hugs and kisses, the cat got cuddles and face rubs. My family went to sleep, and soon after, so did I.
It sounds okay, doesn’t it? Nothing too dramatic there. Left out of this narration is what’s happening in the background, the information downloads, the energy flows, the constant connection/contact I have with everything else, including other beings or entities or groups of entities that are what we would call nonphysical. All of the things that used to be so weird to me, used to stop me in my tracks, that used to be in the foreground of my experience, I hardly even notice anymore because it’s so normal. It’s background. The flow is more even and I know how to manage myself and my environment.
It took some time to get to this place. The first couple of years were the hardest. It would have been immensely helpful to have some practical advice along the way, or even to know of a person who came out the other end, so to speak, without turning into a spiritual guru or some kind of freak show.
The intensity kept increasing, and I had no idea that it would ever settle down. And all these spiritual people only talk about the love and joy and peace. What about the grotty bits? Or are we all to be made saints? I’d just love it if all the dentists and taxi drivers and florists who are enlightened came forward, rather than just the spiritual teachers.
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