THE PRESENCE OF THE SELF
-John McIntosh
There ‘is’ only the SELF. Everything that ‘seems’ to be resides ‘within’ the Nothing-ness, the Emptiness ‘of’ and ‘as’ the SELF.
When one who is still ‘dreaming’ is in the Presence of one who has ‘remembered’ the SELF … that is, is “Free of the blocks to the Awareness of Love’s Presence” [paraphrasing ACIM], the feeling of IT is usually different than what may be expected. The experience a dreamer will have to this un-shielded Pure Light [which they are as well but are hidden from] may be disturbing. The false-self-identity lies naked before this intense brilliance and while there will often be a ‘strange’ calm and ‘exhilaration’ associated with this Divine radiance, fear of being ‘exposed’ for the fraud it is will exist in some way.
There is a wide-spread illusion that spiritual awakening is full of warm fuzzy feelings, unbroken smiles, affectionate hugging, perfect peace and a host of other cozy feelings and circumstances in the company of many like-hearted people. Genuine awakening is very much done ‘alone’ in a blazing fire that strips away the coveted delusions held by the false self. The NO MATTER WHAT choice to be Free for Real brings on this extreme fire and from that moment on it can seem like you are a rag-doll torn limb from limb as the ‘flak’ of ancient conditioning shakes loose.
The spiritually cloaked masquerade of other false selves [there really are no others] will offer the comforting that comes with the belief in victims while the SELF will allow the burning away of conditioning to proceed. Still, there is deep compassion present, but no attempt is made to put out this fire that is freeing the one who is suffering their way ‘out of’ illusion. The death of the false-self-identity is the most fearful experience possible and yet genuine unconditioned Love always surrounds that inevitable gauntlet to Freedom.
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