It was in connecting with nature that I truly found myself looking inward at the beauty that had been there all along.
“When I looked for God, I only found myself. When I looked for myself I only found God” -Rupert Spira
Moving back to Canada and embracing the Rocky mountains and rolling prairie fields I learnt to live with an open heart; to be vulnerable and to truly love myself. I recognized through the readings of Viktor Frankl, Pema Chodron, Eckhart Tolle’, Brene’ Brown, Dr. David Hawkins and many more spiritual authors, that my human incarnation is simply a physical vessel for my infinite and vast spirit. That, “I” am (as all humans are) a powerfully interconnected Spiritual being consciously observing a human experience, in an unique and ever-beautiful human form. Its this human form that was born, grows, and will die. My Spiritual self will continue the journey in this or other dimensions, as it has done infinite times before.
It was during an especially cold (-18C) winter hike on Lake Louise, Alberta, that I experienced my Satori moment. I must have been one of 5 insane or fool-hardy hikers on the lake that day. My own family had deemed me insane and left me for the warmth of the Chateau at the edge of the lake to complete the hike on my own. As I neared the back of the frozen lake that led up to the glacier, I stopped walking and noticed an intense bright light emanating from the lake, under my feet. This light coursed up through the bottom of my feet, into my body and exited the top of my crown to illuminate the entire landscape in blinding brightness for what seemed like an eternity. In reality it was less than 3 seconds, however, I instantly knew this was a profound moment, and I immediately felt sure of two things in my heart. One, like every human on this earth, I was part of a fully interconnected, powerful infinite Spirit, and second, I was put here on this earth to experience with joy all that was being brought to me, here and now. Also, I couldn’t stop smiling. I looked around to see if anyone else had experienced what I just had. Nobody else was around.
I wish I could say, this experience was one of those life-altering experiences that took away all my suffering. It wasn’t. What it did do was point me in the direction of my inner spiritual compass. More than ever, I now wanted to better understand what it is to be a “human-being”. To discover the limit or boundary of my inner-space and to explore the “real me” along the way. I started to study energy healing, and became a Reiki master. I researched heart and brain scientific studies published on meditation, prayer, chanting, Shamanic and Reiki healing, and every form of “alternative” healing available. Thus began this life chapter, my warm handshake of science and spirituality.
After much studying, and many deep intuitive meditation sessions, I started to examine the interconnected true One Self, One Source housed in my human body. I learnt how the physical, form-attached and externally driven ego shadow-self only makes us suffer and robs our awareness from One Source. I learnt that humans can return to this true self through meditation practices such as Tonglen, mindfulness, self-reflection and other simple daily methods that allow the shift from spiritually asleep, to being awakened to all that life brings us here, now. We can be ready to ask these very simple yet important questions- “Who am I” and “What did I incarnate in this life to do?” I believe, when awakened, all humans are fully capable of sowing seeds of peace, kindness and joy and thus growing the collective human consciousness, moving gently from ego into the power of true human spirit.