I am leading a group through a Copper Journey and as a first step, we have been exploring what to awaken means. In recent times you may have become aware of the term “woke human.” What is that? Often in Western thought, it has been wrongly conflated with “enlightenment” – which entails some sort of mystical download. It’s not an experience, it’s a different kind of thing or rather no-thing entirely. Before I go into the four stages of waking up let me explain why I am covering this topic.
Why is awakening important?
Quite often clients come to me because of a deep-seated trauma or because they are experiencing a certain level of anxiety or stress. Through colour I help them see their subconscious patterns and so they can start building their intuitive muscle. One of the ways in is this great question from Byron Katie – Is this true? If they are really stuck they may well say yes. So we explore the thoughts they are having which are causing their anxiety and whether those thoughts are 100% accurate. That usually gives some insights. It is the first step towards letting go of the old ways so you can step into the new. As Cynthia Occelli said:
For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.
This quotation also helps us understand why the process of awakening can be helpful. Now let’s examine the four stages:
1. You wake up out of the socially constructed self: that is, out of the belief that your thoughts, memories, self-images, or ‘stories’ define or describe you. It’s as if you are waking up out of a dream and are realising that your thoughts have nothing to do with who (or what) you fundamentally are. Your image of yourself sits on top/ veils your deeper being.
2. Slowly over time you realise that you are projecting your view of the truth onto everything that happens in your world so you start to see that interpretative overlay and with the awareness comes the ability to say “it is what it is.” As you surrender to what is then you can embody the words of Mother Julian of Norwich all shall be well, all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
3. From there you can wake out of the dream of separation. What that means is you stop seeing objects or people as separate from you, there is merely seamless unity. At this point the opportunity for synchronicities is endless.
4. For some the last piece is waking up out of a belief in objective reality. The easiest way to put this into words is the idea that everything is interconnected.
At this point the only true ‘knowing’ is unknowing everything you ever thought you knew. You start to dwell in raw intimacy with absolutely everything, free of the need to understand or interpret it, and free of the impulse to accept or reject it.
It sounds beautiful and if approached when you are ready it can be a wonder-filled journey. It takes commitment and courage and it often starts when you are feeling a degree of discomfort. It is difficult as Occelli’s words suggest because you have to dismantle everything that helped make sense of the world to allow your full expression the space to come through. Messy like your original birth this is why the process is called death and rebirth. I believe the sacrifice is worth it. It brings freedom and a gift – that fear of lack and having insufficient resources no longer has dominion over you. Ask yourself are you ready to take the plunge?
