Do not run from the darkness when it appears in your life. Moments of confusion, disappointment, depression or anger can become the most important aspects of your spiritual awakening. Begin your practice by bringing consciousness into your experience right now. First, walk for a few minutes while completely engaged in thought. Then, while standing still, take a few slow breaths and begin to walk consciously while deeply engaged with the world around you. Notice the difference?

The idea is to observe your level of consciousness often throughout the day. This will change the quality of your life experiences. Being aligned with the present moment, tension disappears and the subtle joy of being alive arises.

When you are deeply rooted in awareness, you’ll notice that you eat slower. There will be a new quality in your communication or your work. Life becomes a walking meditation. By extension, when challenges arise, higher consciousness will be easier to access because it is already an active aspect of your daily experience… and from there, transformation is possible.

When we walk through our life situations with the core belief that things will work out just as they should, we have greater access to self-confidence, independence, strength and courage. It’s only when we fall prey to the voice of the ego that we begin to doubt ourselves… What if I fail? What if I get hurt? What if I disappoint?

It’s important to recognize the mechanisms of the mind, and at the same time understand that its purpose is to provide illusions for us to work through on the Path of Transformation. The ego is not the enemy (that’s just another story made up by the ego in order to make itself important), it’s simply one of the aspects of the human experience.

As you increase in wisdom and self-worth and taste the freedom and expansiveness that is discovered, you’ll learn to view the ego as a teacher – nothing more, nothing less. At that point, you’ll begin to rise above illusion and walk forward in courage and truth.

Pay attention to the gap – between words, musical notes, thoughts – it contains worlds of possibility.

Pay attention to the repeating patterns of your life. Their design will show where healing is required. When you feel anger, recognize that it is anger at yourself that is being projected outward onto the most accessible target. Your understanding of this aspect of the journey will increase self-awareness and allow you to take responsibility for creating change through personal growth and evolution.

Awareness heals. It’s not helpful to create another story out of a perceived mistake (thereby adding another layer of energy to an old pattern) but to remain the observer and consciously shift whenever possible.

Quietly notice the various beliefs that have been put into place in our society. Every situation is interpreted through the filters of one’s belief and current level of understanding as repetitive stories, fears and desires are woven throughout every aspect of exploration. The opposing viewpoints and beliefs, opinions and prejudice are all ego-driven distractions that keep us so engaged in conflict with one another that we forget the power of going within to heal.

You are constantly evolving. Layers of illusion that have distracted you from recognizing the infinite beauty of your soul are being washed away. The light of consciousness is guiding you home.

“Spiritual practice includes learning how to open-heartedly receive the shocks of life – the things you don’t like, the people who criticize you, the job that goes wrong, the partner that leaves, the health that fails you – whatever shakes you up.”  ~Ezra Bayda~

As we awaken, the mechanisms of the ego become more subtle by design. One that is most encountered is an inner dialog that says you shouldn’t be facing these challenges because you’re evolved, that you should know better, or perhaps you’re not applying your tools in the right way.

Challenges show us where we are stuck or provide a space to put new ideas into practice. That’s it. There is no commentary from the universe about how we’re getting it wrong or should be doing better. See everything in your experience as an opportunity to awaken or to teach by example.

The twists and turns we experience are part of life. The awakening soul does not seek to avoid problems, but may no longer see them as such. Instead, the foundation of peace and compassion provides stability through the upheaval, and the enlightened soul walks forward, untroubled.

Guilt is one of the most destructive energies in the Universe. It steals the joy from the present moment and blocks one’s ability to be happy. It is quite one thing to feel badly when we have wronged another or missed the mark. We can seek to redress the imbalance and put things right, if possible; however, extended guilt (getting lost in the story) creates clouds of self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness that lead to self punishment… usually in all sorts of creative ways.

While we all ultimately seek mastery and perfection, it’s important to remember that you have always done the best you could with the knowledge, soul experience and insight you had at the time. This is true of everyone. Part of the process of spiritual evolution is to learn from our mistakes, move forward and approach similar situations with a greater degree of consciousness the next time they come around.

The seeds planted by experience take time to mature and grow. Be patient with the process of your awakening. The world has forgotten the beauty of patience. There are many ways to connect to the power of peace within the present moment such as gratitude, meditation or fully immersing yourself in conscious breath work or loving action. Seek beauty and balance throughout the process of action, patience, integration. In the silence, the seeds of transformation continue to grow and the flame of awareness will light your way.