‘awakening’ & ‘enlightenment’ can be carrots-on-sticks
🍃 time to undercut this misleading conception
note: as i shared yesterday on my other substack blog, i am gifting the world a free 3-week digital retreat called simple freedom starting january 22nd. this retreat focuses on an ever-available freedom to be as you are now. you can learn more and join here:
though i find words like ‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ to be beautiful, i have also come to see them as often substantially misleading
one of the most liberating discoveries on my path—and one that is central to the inspiration for my upcoming digital retreat, simple freedom—has been the recognition that words like ‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ point to nothing other than your present experience, just as it is
when wisely dispensed, the words ‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ simply point to immediate all-inclusive reality itself — fully inclusive of all its modes and expressions, including those that are painful or messy or supposedly ‘non-spiritual’
of course, some people may use the words ‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ in other ways — but the teachings i have found most heart-resonant & liberating simply repeatedly point back to right now, as it is
undercutting fantasies of a destination
‘awakening’ and ‘enlightenment’ often unfortunately become spiritual ‘carrots-on-sticks’ — mythical prizes on an ever-receding horizon that play upon our feelings of shame and not-enough-ness, luring us into a never-ending hamster wheel of ‘spiritual self-improvement,’ in hopes that we might someday be ‘enough’ and discover ‘final liberation’
a key purpose of the simple freedom retreat will be to undercut this misleading conception — and to invite a direct feeling & noticing that NOW is already the miraculous fullness of the entire universe dancing itself forth as exquisite beauty, intimacy, lusciousness, completeness, & heartcracking relational poetry
in this way of seeing, we can notice that the whole universe is already fully free to be as it is in every moment — and that you are this simple freedom, being entirely non-separate from reality
in this approach, we are invited to play with re-framing ‘awakening’ as a natural never-ending unfoldment in which already-whole reality endlessly blossoms into more of itself, exploring & drifting through an endless array of modes & perspectives & experiences, all of which are valid expressions of actuality
through this seeing, we can discover that all of life is awakening. we can see that every moment of our lives has been a new revelation — an ever-fresh immersion in new modes, angles, flavors, & ways life can be with itself
this can allow us to deeply relax into unending unfurlment
we can discover an ever-deepening sense of innate wholeness, natural rest, organic thanksgiving, wild fun, heartful devotion, naked honesty, embodied trust, spontaneous intelligence, artful aliveness, & effulgent juiciness here and now — and a freedom to simply be as we are
instead of frantically seeking a spiritual destination as if we are ‘not there yet,’ we are invited to rest as already-wholeness now and to become sensitive appreciators & participants in life’s open-ended exploration of its own subtlety, grace, fierceness, poignancy, tragicomedy, & striking radiance
releasing fixation on ‘final answers,’ we are invited to discover that life’s unpindownability is its un-cage-ability. said another way, because we have ‘no place to land’ in terms of final absolute answers, we are actually vastly more free to enjoy the spontaneous unfoldment of life’s full range of flavors & modes — and to fluidly find our natural ‘center of gravity’ moment by moment, day by day — allowing any given context to call forth the version of our honest flowing expression that plays most artfully & auspiciously with that particular context
this whole dancing exploration can be resoundingly fun, freeing, enlivening, healing, & life-affirming! — not to mention heartbreaking, humbling, & tearful
you know, like life ❤️🔥
through this inquiry we can deeply notice that NOW is already the ‘finish line’ while also fully affirming our immediate individual-relational-universal incarnation as the knife’s edge of reality’s ever-evolving & ever-surprising adventure of discovering itself as a boundless fractaling infinite-dimensional kaleidoscopic jewel — abounding with numberless ‘pearls beyond price’
though these words may sound lofty, the crucial invitation — which i’ll repeatedly return to on retreat — is to notice that your ordinary everyday life right here and now is already the astounding treasure chest which inspires me to sing such soaring praises
Hallelujah! ❤️🔥
with Love from the ever innocent Heart,
jordan ❤️🔥
🍃 join us for simple freedom if you feel inspired to do so
as i said, you can learn more about the retreat here, or you can already go ahead and join us in the simple freedom telegram community, where all official communications for the retreat will take place:
🍃 jordan bates is a dad, husband, friend, author of 5 books, rapper, space-holder, world traveler, and passionate explorer of what is. you can read kind words people have shared about his work here
🍃 a recent video by jb that expands on themes related to this post:
p.s. if you feel inspired to make a donation in relation to this retreat or to support my art/work/play generally, you can became a paying supporter here on substack:
or make a one-time donation here:
