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You are This

Awakening to the Living Presence of Your Soul

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

THIS Kingdom is Within You

What you are looking for is found within. But the paradox is, once you find it within, you realise that it's here, there, and everywhere. It's in the space directly in front of you now, in the stars floating across the night sky, and in the depths of planet Earth, for THIS is the foundation, substance and all-permeating Life-force of everything and nothing.

It's always closer than you think, because THIS is beyond thought. It's THIS – the here and now before you engage in thought. And yet, you can know and live THIS. For when the individual strips away the superfluous mental and emotional dross and merges with the Awareness of Universal presence, subject and object fade, and all is realised to be the One inseparable and indivisible THIS. And although it often seems hidden, it is no secret. It will cost you nothing, and everything. But if you really look with all your heart, you will find THIS, the Truth of what YOU are, the One True SELF.

We human beings have been seeking a deeper sense of identity for thousands of years. When guided by the ego, we have outwardly searched high and low, overlooking the Truth at our core. For within each one of us, there is the Divine everpresent foundation of Life itself, which can be glimpsed should we have the courage and determination to let go and dive into the depths of inner-being.

Throughout history, increasing numbers have suggested that what we are all seeking is THIS, the here and now – the transcendental Reality of Consciousness. It is here and now in you – but do you know that to be true? For it is one thing to understand, say or think, another to believe or hope, but to really know THIS means simply to realise it. Then it will no longer be an opinion you cling to, but an unshakeable Truth which simply IS. And although THIS is always here, that doesn't mean there is no need for you to look for it. For if you look deeply, with all your heart and soul, one day you will find THIS and the looking will be over, because there will be no seeker. The question of seeking something 'other' will no longer arise. You will realise and live THIS.

Awakening to the Awareness of the One True SELF arises from the individual diving into the Universal. The consequences of THIS are always the same, yet explained in a myriad of ways according to a number of factors; the timeline in history, the culture, philosophy, the individual's education and more. None of these matter in the end, for the fundamental and consistent message repeatedly reminds us there is only One Awareness, Source, Essence, Consciousness, Brahman, SELF, God from which all apparent forms arise. We share a unified ever-present 'coreless core' which is both the basis and content of all that IS.

Remembering THIS (the Awareness of what-YOU-really-are) requires courage and commitment, for it is deeply challenging to face and accept the embedded mental and emotional patterns and personal glitches accrued in the comings and goings of life. But if you begin to accept what appears in your mind rather than choosing to avoid it, then you will be heading in the 'right' direction for you will be facing what you need to face and letting go of what is truly in your way. Of course letting go is not as simple as dropping a banana skin into a bin, but with courage, effort, time and space, these self-addictive patterns lose their hypnotic power to dominate your consciousness, and eventually fade away like imaginary ghosts into the nothingness from which they came. Then Universal Awareness is realised to be the everpresent anonymous THIS because all forms and layers of separation are seen through. Unlike the sporadic patterns of the mind THIS does not come and go, because it is constant, inseparable and always here. So from the introspective action of emptying the wandering mind of ego, you uncover THIS.

THIS is always present, always here and now. The very belief that there is a separate somewhere 'else' or 'an-other time' to find THIS, is itself the misleading thought. There is nowhere 'else' to go 'to', and nothing 'other' to 'get', which is all very disappointing for an individual mind firmly rooted in seeking and separation. As this isolated state of individuality and disconnected mind derives its identity from the perspective of the 'me', for clarity's sake, let's call it the mego.

Of course, there is work to do for the mego, but no 'other' can tell you the detail of that work, for the crux of it is whatever arises in your mind. Those addictive self-revolving patterns and obstacles are there for very good reason. The wonderful 'loving' reality is that the undoing of those same obstructions allows us to glimpse THIS ... and more.

The non-conceptual Awareness of THIS is inconceivable to the conceptually-based mego. Perhaps more distressing for the mego still, is that at the coreless core of what-YOU-really-are, there is no sense of 'I', for the One True SELF of Awareness is anonymous and 'Iless'. At the Heart of Consciousness, there is not even a sense of 'we' or 'us' – for underneath all imagined identity, invention and pretence, Awareness is simply the eternal infinite THIS. It is non-desiring choice-less Being and timeless Truth.

Some believe that killing the mego is the way. And yet it is clear that real and lasting Change only comes from Love, so the answer must be to love it to bits. Some hold fast to the belief that individuality, character and uniqueness have little or no role in spiritual fulfilment, believing that should we see THIS, then we would reach the finality of being 'awakened' and therefore be, look and act in certain stereotypical ways. But is that an Authentic experience or the mind's imagined outcome?

There are some who sit on a podium selling you something you think you don't have. This is what the mego wants to see. The mego wants confirmation that what it is lacking is actually present in somebody 'else' because it cannot be felt within. It 'looks' outwardly for nourishment because it has a palpable sense of inner absence and lack. The irony is, the only place you will ever find THIS is within you. You may sense a reflection of THIS in another, but in the end, it will come down to you. We are Awareness; it's just that the mego lacks the direct experience of THIS.

A person who sees WHAT-they-really-are does not necessarily conform to societal expectations, for they are no longer hypnotised and misled by mental and emotional patterns or 'hooks'. They will not necessarily act to save face or follow certain ways that acquaintances or society expects of them. They are moved to act from the Heart Stream of Consciousness, and have surrendered to what IS rather than being lost in the wandering imaginations of what could, should or might be.

To touch, glimpse or realise THIS, all you need do is accept and let go. Let go of all the attention grabbing thoughts in the way. You can. All it takes is for you to let go of what you are not. And if you do, you will not lose anything, but rather glimpse the One True SELF. You will feel and sense the aliveness in all things, in all people, in all life. You will touch the depths of the fundamental Consciousness we all share. The paradox here is, THIS is yours, but you can never have it, for it is also everyone's and everywhere.

Letting go ...

Letting go is an organic process born out of love and acceptance. In order to truly let go, do not attempt to force the issue, as that would be futile, for the addictive patterns will just repeat, repeat, repeat. Unlike the physical dimension, it is not a question of sheer brute strength. And neither does it mean fooling yourself by ignoring or hiding what arises in your mind. The way to really 'let go' is to develop the focus and attention to face and embrace what arises in your mind, for from this conscious Action comes resolution and freedom. Don't push negative, fearful or guilty thoughts away in an attempt to avoid them simply give them your full attention. Watch them, but don't get caught up in them. You are not these thoughts, and you remain free to choose whether to 'run' with them or not. Observe them with the unbiased neutrality of full awareness. Watch and listen deeply to what is arising in your mind without judgement, for then those thoughts and addictions reveal their loving catalytic potential as true contributors to the realisation of THIS. In this sense, they are actually helpful tools. Once we accept and allow the pattern or thought to simply arise and be, we begin to sense from a deeper level of being, as we come out of the confines of the megoic 'head' and attune to the Heart Stream of Consciousness, wherein the answer or resolution naturally unfolds from Intelligent Love.

One example of THIS in worldly action can be found in the Bible. In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:39 Jesus says: "But I say, do not resist such evil. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

And here's a very similar example from the Quran 41. [34]: "The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel the evil with one which is better, then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, will become as though he was a close friend."

Spiritual wisdom is ageless and without borders. The symbolism of turning the other cheek means far more than not retaliating – which in itself is an action contrary to antiquated societal expectations of what is considered to be a 'normal' response. Countering violence with the intelligent choice of nonviolence is one thing, but when it arises from the core of one's being, and is then brought into the world, it is the actualisation of our innate Spirit; and the embodiment of THIS. A nonaggressive response from the 'victim' is at some point transformative for the 'doer' because it reflects the action back to the source of the problem. Because of the apparent lack of response, and the arising of spaciousness, at some point, the doer sees, feels and senses the ignorance of their actions reflected back at them. The stillness of a non-response acts like a mirror, allowing the doer to sense and feel the ineptitude of their aggression. Love attracts Love. Now I am not advocating how you should or shouldn't act, for you have the freedom to do as you see fit, all I am doing is commenting on how THIS may directly shape how we think, speak and act. Real forgiveness is not a thought, but the manifestation of Being.

A little word with unlimited spiritual power ...

THIS is a remarkable little word, for at its deepest meaning is a key to Awareness.

THIS cannot learn or be taught anything. It has nothing to achieve or attain. The main reason you don't always see THIS (the ever-present Universal Awareness we all share) is because imprinted patterns held within the individual mind incessantly interrupt the permanent peace and beauty always here. A distorted, separate and somewhat superficial version of life (the mego) appears, covering the unchangeable Truth of what-YOU-really-are. But when you manage to stop and empty the commentary of the mind for long enough, THIS can be seen and acknowledged as our One unified Reality.

The core essential Awareness we all share is Consciousness without distinction. Ordinary unmodified Being. These words are simply clues or pointers and not the reality of THIS. At the root of life THIS is all you can ever truly be. To be anything 'else' without THIS present requires the imaginary dissection of a permanently unified Reality. In the anonymity of the One True SELF, the mego and all its burdens and pretence does not exist. When the mego is no longer the foreground of consciousness, it surrenders to the stillness of reality like a dying storm. Peace of Mind and Intelligent Love become increasingly apparent. For underneath the mego's concept of its own exclusivity, all is the One True SELF.

Awareness is always here, always present. It is presence. Whether you recognise THIS is only ever down to how much the mego covers over that truth – for ultimately, there is no one 'else' or something 'other' to obstruct you. To imagine THIS doesn't exist or that you are separate from the Whole is a disjointed version of human consciousness. How can you be separate from everything that IS? Only the mego stops you from knowing THIS. In reality, the essential Oneness of THIS is ever-present, all-encompassing and inescapable. THIS does not 'exist', for it is existence itself.

In glimpsing THIS, we make ourselves available to Wholeness and Authenticity. For if we directly realise the basis of our unified relationship with one other, Nature and the Universe, then we will naturally live a life which exemplifies connection, balance and harmony. Act not for yourself alone, but for the Whole, for YOU are THIS!

Mego & Personality

Mego

The mego is individuated consciousness, the 'me' based fantasy of who you are; the ego of the distinct and separate 'me'. It is a fragmented identity, an archaic and outdated form of human consciousness wherein the individual mind imagines itself to be the epicentre of life.

The presence of the mego is not necessarily proven by witnessing how noisy and expressive someone is, but by it's selfpivotal nature, because it is always attempting to attract unwarranted attention and recognition. It is present in the loud or quiet, extrovert or introvert, for these are all ways and methods of attracting (or repelling) attention. Every mego wants to be appreciated, loved and fulfilled, so it seeks substitutes to replace that sense of lack according to its conditioning or patterning. The mego seeks what it thinks it lacks, introducing a multitude of substitutes to plug the gap it feels in consciousness.

Living your life indefinitely from the viewpoint of this partially sighted psychotic identity not only leads to addiction, depression, loneliness and separation, but it's also the mental barrier which prevents THIS from arising consciousness. We can't really say that THIS 'arises' for it is always here and now, but when the fractured identity of the mego is dropped, what underpins it has the 'space' to appear as the foreground of consciousness. So when we drop the mental commentary of the mego for long enough, we become present, because we revert to pure minded Awareness. THIS is the true meaning of presence.

Every mego is self-addicted to varying degrees. This can appear as an addiction to food, drugs, gambling, sex or alcohol, but many other forms also exist. Shopping, money, looks, gaming, texting, persistently worrying about the number of 'friends' or 'likes' one has on social media – opinions, criticisms, even work, exercise and so on. Work? Surely the act of work can't be a megoic addiction? Well it can be. For example, when driven by the goal of accumulating personal wealth so that the individual can establish power and control over others.

In the early part of the twenty-first century, materialism in all its 'forms' remains the most widespread addiction. Looks, money and possessions outweigh our essential spiritual values. The most common of these addictions to form is the mego's fervent belief that it's body-mind identity contains the absolute view of existence.

At the coreless core, YOU are THIS. THIS is what YOU essentially are. THIS is not a thought. Awareness is ONE, yours and mine, all of ours and none of ours, for having no personality or individual tendencies it is simply pure Consciousness, or Awareness itself. Consciousness and Awareness are pure Energy, the enlightened Reality present within each one of us. When you realise THIS, you will never be lonely again, for you will know that it is absolutely impossible to be alone. Only the mego can be lonely, for only the mego lives life from the fragmented perspective of separation. When all is realised to be the One True SELF, loneliness has no separate identity to cling to. There is no 'I' for THIS is One without any 'other'.

The mego sustains itself by clinging to separation, and in doing so thrives on distinction and constant comparisons of better and worse, greater and lesser, either/or, superior and inferior. The mego will do all it can to maintain the mirage of separation, for if it were to step aside and allow the anonymous THIS to naturally surface in your consciousness, it would be exposed as the isolated and incomplete identity it actually is. It would inevitably lose all power and become immersed in the Non-dual ocean of Awareness. So hold on tight, that's exactly what we're going to do.

The confined and confining mego exists as an illusory dam to the waters of unmodified Consciousness. That's why it's always under immense pressure; burdened to hold on, to perform, to prove itself, to continually strive for something 'other'. In the end, one way or another, the self-constructed dam of the mego will burst and be washed away by the waters of pure Consciousness, for in the end, THIS is all there is, all that is; the Sole Cosmic Constant.

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Excerpted from You are This by J.M. Harrison. Copyright © 2015 J.M. Harrison. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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