Three insights for awareness awakening & the untethered soul

Use these three insights as a basis for a more aware, relaxed, energy-rich life.

Da Vinci Vitruvian man

First insight — live in the seat of consciousness.

1. You are not your feelings, nor your emotions, nor the energy currently flowing through your body. Rather you are that which watches all this — the Self, the Atman, the Soul —the seat of consciousness.
2. Every time difficult energies arise within i.e. something upsets you — you can use this insight. Instead of losing awareness while focusing on this upsetting energy — you can remain in the seat of consciousness and then deal with the energy. This means you do not lose yourself in thoughts, energy, or emotions.
3. How wonderful this is: Every difficult energy becomes a possibility to practice. Whenever you feel something is wrong —it usually means you are lost in thought or energy. Remember to come back to the seat of consciousness and then deal with the problem at hand. This does not mean you avoid difficult energies — rather you are fully aware of them. You do not let them get control over your consciousness.
4. Example: Suddenly you start thinking a landscape in nature that you usually enjoy is not beautiful anymore. Nature has not changed — rather your thoughts and outlook have changed. This negative energy should trigger a warning that you are probably lost in the mind — return to the seat of consciousness and reassess.

Second insight — stay open to the energy of life.

1. You can open or close your heart to the energy of life. This type of energy we don’t often talk about in the west — this energy does not come from sleep or food. This energy is always available to you.
2. Example: Your SO breaks up with you. You become depressed and start staying at home eating pizzas in your bed all day. You lose all energy to do anything. After one month of this misery, your SO calls you and begs you to get back together. Suddenly, all your energy is back and you’re open to living life once more! What changed? What is this shift in energy? You did not change your sleep or eating habits but your energy levels are like night and day.
3. The trick to harnessing this energy is to never close your heart. Just never close. Stay open and let the energy flow through you. This is difficult because we have programmed ourselves to close our hearts to protect ourselves. If someone is nasty or ignores you we tend to close. There are lots of different triggers. Why?
4. These triggers to close your heart do not serve you. As a matter of fact, they deprive you of the very energy you need to live a creative life. So how to fix this is simple: be aware whenever you’re triggered to close your heart and remain open instead. This is tremendously difficult because your programming is strong and has been developed over a lifetime. Practice is needed. Fortunately, every moment when you wish to close your heart is an invitation to practice staying open.

Third insight — release energy instead of keeping it within.

1. Over the course of your life, different experiences have created different energies within you. If you have not dealt with and released these energies, they remain within your heart. This energy in your heart will accumulate and block some of the energy that could flow through you.
2. This energy will come up from your heart at any time (often when you try to fall asleep at night) — in the form of thoughts and emotions. Now it is important to be aware of it, remain open to it, and let it flow through you. Don’t judge, just remain in the seat of conciousness and let it flow through you. Release it. It can be painful — it might burn in your heart — release the energy nonetheless.
3. This practice is endless. Whenever some energy arises, you remain in the seat of consciousness and let it be released. Just release. Be aware. Relax.
4. Example: some passerby laughs and this triggers some memory inside you. Some memory of people making fun of you causes you to close your heart and it remains closed for the rest of day. Too bad! What if instead, you notice that your hearts want to close upon this random passerby laughing and instead you decide not to close your heart? You would experience some pain in reliving this energy stored in your heart — and then you can release it. As many times as it takes — free up your heart.

Some combination of these insights might let you live a less defensive life. A life where you are less afraid. A more creative, energic, and fun life. A life where you are aware of your true being — not one where you identify with your thoughts and emotions all day. Namaste!

Inspired by the untethered soul by Michael Singer.

Thanks for reading.