Introduction

To start 2023, I offer you a blog about three milestones on the path to personal awakening we reach that came to mind recently. Ideas for blogs are always plentiful. It’s the execution of them in a way that makes sense, is semantically precise, and also hopefully serves your best that’s the tricky part. I invite you to add your comments.

We’ll approach each milestone one at a time to explore the hallmarks of that part of the journey, i.e., what there is to glean and what is better left behind as we proceed.

Our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fortitude at any given moment may determine our pace, or maybe the speed is already pre-determined. We can’t know for sure. What we do know is that seemingly losing ground and then gathering our best strength to keep moving forward helps crystalize our advancement to the new milestone we’ve reached.

With each milestone, true inner freedom increases.

The First Milestone  — Sleepwalking in Our Conditioning

At the first milestone, we appear to be at the mercy of the world around us. Our parents and immediate environment teach us about our world. We are deeply “conditioned” with these “teachings” and often traumatized in ways we know and don’t know. These traumas express via life-taking feelings, beliefs, thoughts, behaviors, and actions, all rooted in the sense of separation from our Source of Being.

While traversing the first milestone, we often feel like life is happening to us, it is the way it is, and we are powerless to do anything about it. In our confused plight, we turn around and blame others for all our problems. In this unevolved victim state of perspective, we suffer greatly and project our pain onto others. We are sleepwalking and deeply misinformed about life and ourselves at Milestone One.

Each milestone holds a treasure

“. . .just like the lotus, we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.” — Unknown

As time marches on, we may be blessed to perceive or to have it pointed out to us that we are engaged in repeated patterns of suffering. We may become sick and tired of old and painful habits, tendencies, and practices that seem to stick to us no matter what we do. We slowly, or occasionally in a flash, eventually realize how we remain the one common denominator in all our suffering. And blaming ourselves is no better than blaming others.

At this point, the pain drives us to find a way to get humble, i.e., flexible in perspective and seek a new perspective to stop the suffering. Here we begin to wake up, but to what, we’re not exactly sure. We do know that we want to forge a new path in life rather than succumb to being controlled by the past or others in ways that are no longer useful at best and life-sucking at worst.

The Second Milestone – Self Discovery

When we reach the second milestone, our newfound flexibility in perspective initiates a new blueprint for further greater self-reflection. Corresponding shifts in our thoughts, feelings, and actions soon begin to occur. The thoughts and feelings of manifesting greater freedom engender a sense of personal power, power to act in alignment with our authentic Selves.

We are the ones, at long last, who get to decide who we will be, what we will do, and how we will live. We arrive at the second milepost ready to become who we are, not what others want us to be.

We dive into self-help and spiritual growth. We affirm “new and improved” personal, communal, and global beliefs that promise to transcend suffering and deliver the new life we are creating. Vision boards adorn our walls as we imagine the creation of the life we desire fulfilled.

We travel. We start companies. We live in ashrams. We dream of futures. We exercise. We raise families. We become Astrologers. Health Care Providers. Accountants. Visual Artists. We skydive. Become master musicians. Teach kids. Politically polarize, Argue over whose values are best, and billions of other things. We feel alive.

At this point in our path, we are determined to recondition ourselves in the image of our desires and, in doing so, embrace a brand new paradigm. And it works — to an extent. We are making our own choices and living up to our potential as human beings. Life seems better than it did before. And yet, there is more in store for us, too.

Here we go again.

It’s not forever before we discover that not every desire that comes to our hearts and minds gets fulfilled. Plus, we see “blind spots” that continue to cause us suffering, albeit less than before. Still, the worst pain is the pain we don’t know we have, and humanity is overflowing with suppressed trauma. We discover we traded victimization, blame, and judging others for empowerment. In our deepening humility and compassion for ourselves and others, it dawns on us that there is another milepost ahead.

Our wisdom deepens. We realize that maybe we don’t have free will as we thought, but we still show up to the play, relax and accept our roles, gifts, etc., as they unfold. We remember to laugh. See what happens. Let go of what goes. The third milestone can be seen from here.

The Third Milestone – Heaven on Earth

As we narrow our gap on the third milestone, our perspective elevates to seeing life through the Heart of Love. Comparisons and judgments no longer exist. We live purely in the present moment, and everything around us is seen with fresh childlike/Christlike eyes.

The tapestry of life is seen with crystal clarity when past the third milestone. Finally, we see with crystal clear vision that we do not have a broken universe, nor are we or others broken as once believed. We feel safe, whole, loved, and trusting as this third milestone of our awakening path of perspective dawns and lights up Reality. Our entire vision fills up with the living dream of Heaven-on-Earth.

At the third milestone, we see our True Identity. We are creative, cooperative, flexible, focused, loving, and balanced. We are all part of the One True Absolute Self. Evil still exists in our world dream but is merely a shadow of its former self, no pun intended. 

Conclusion 

Today, we explored three milestones on the path to personal awakening. The first seemed to portend a victim consciousness, full of suffering and unconsciousness and seemingly conditioned by external forces.

The second milestone on the path was reached when we made a stand and claimed our ability to create our reality with intention. We learned everything about the subject and applied what we learned with due diligence. Our experience broadened, but we saw that our direction was still lacking in the ultimate fulfillment we sought.

We began to let go of everything we once thought we knew and, finally, saw the light of surrender. The third milestone immerses us in the beauty of Love Consciousness, where we are content to let things unfold as they will, without stress, judgment, or attempts of control, i.e., life as it was meant to be.

Write your comments below. We would love to hear them. Thanks.

With love and service to the Divine in us All,
Kaye