FEATURES
Many Ways to
Awakening
by Miriam Knight
A
S
As a reviewer of books and films in the body-mindspirit genre, I have noticed that topics seem to come
in waves – the Law of Attraction, animal communication, near death experiences, after-life communication, spiritual awakening – each wave leaving
ripples on the surface of global consciousness.
ometimes a book or film will have
such an impact that it changes the
public’s perceptions in its wake.
Think of “The Power of Now” or
“What the BLEEP do We Know” or
“The Secret” or “Proof of Heaven”;
with each of them there was a palpable advance in conscious awakening.
You can see it reflected in everything from the demand for organic food and clean air, to alternative
health and spiritual choices, to political and social
activism. The most important feature of conscious
awakening is the dramatic expansion of our perception of who we are. When viewed through the
telescope of eternity, our ethnic, social or religious
identities become merely the backdrop for experiencing life in a rich variety of ways. When we observe those around us from the cosmic level, we
see only fellow human beings inhabiting this big
blue marble in space.
For our book, “ What Wags the World,” we interviewed credible people from all walks of life, including doctors, engineers, military officers, scientists
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and stockbrokers, about their stories of personal
awakening. Some of their experiences were gradual, others traumatic, but they all support the notion that we are the physical manifestation and
creative expression of an unlimited consciousness;
that we are all connected to, and part of the eternal source of creation, or what many people would
call God. We are all part of the human family, and
when seen in this context, the importance of our
dramas and our differences shrink dramatically.
The many different ways that all these people came to the same conclusions are fascinating as the implications of accepting their
experiences as valid. If our essence, our soul
continues beyond death and we do have a
life review each time we pass, what would
we feel about this lifetime? Have we grown?
Did we leave a positive legacy? The stories
suggest that there is only loving acceptance
on the other side, but that we would be our
own harshest critic.