Lesson 1

You Are Already Enlightened

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Every human being is like a lamp that is plugged into a great power source. But it's a relative few who ever look for a switch to turn on the light. You are one of those people! Acknowledge the light you have brought into your life and the lives of others. I want to start this book and this very first lesson by asking you to pat yourself on the back for the work you've done.

Your story is already a story of enlightenment. Over the past months, years, and maybe decades, you have begun to access the power that you've been connected to since you took your first breath on earth — the power of your soul and of life itself.

You have experienced times of change and challenge. Instead of withdrawing and backing down, you invested in your connection to your own power. You have learned how to help yourself in tough times. And if you're reading this, I would bet that you have more faith and spirituality than the person you were five, ten, or twenty years ago. In short, you have already become a better version of yourself!

Journalist and comedian Mandy Stadtmiller tells with tender humor how a divorce at age thirty served as a catalyst for her to help herself. In her article, "30 Self-Help Books That Permanently Changed My Life," Mandy writes:

If you met me in high school or college, you would not recognize me as the self-assured chick I am today. ... I think that investment in your own personal development is one of the best investments you can ever make in your own life and happiness, even if it isn't cool to admit to doing so.

My progress from a weepy, self-hating, paralytically over-apologetic, constantly worrying shy chick, to a person who is quite the opposite, is absolute testament to that, I believe.

I bet at this point in your life you also have a list of thirty (or more) books you would recommend to others as you tell them your story. Yet while you've learned and done a lot, you find yourself asking, "What now?"

The journey of self-discovery covers varied terrain. Sometimes it's a soft, steady incline, sometimes a mountain so steep it requires you to deploy all the "gear" you've acquired. And sometimes you reach a plateau and are unsure where to head next.

But you haven't been alone on this journey. You've probably sensed a companion along the way, nudging you in this direction or that, offering encouragement. That traveling companion is your soul.

While we in the consciousness community frequently use the word soul, we don't always stop to focus on our soul and its role in who we are and why we're here. Sometimes we take our soul for granted as that companion who's just along for the ride.

I believe the next step towards enlightenment is to develop an intimate relationship with your soul; to learn to harness what I call your creative magic by learning how it is you got here, what it is your soul hopes to experience through you, and how you can use your newfound understanding to give your soul the adventure of your life.

The good news is the adventure has already begun! This book will show you how a more intentional and directed relationship with your soul will result in a "brighter" life for both of you and illuminate your path as you journey into enlightenment.

The Circuitry of Modern Enlightenment

Somewhere in the room in which you are sitting right now, you probably see a lamp or some other kind of lighting. If the lamp is plugged in, it's able to conduct electrical power. When you turn on the switch, light shines because the power can now move through the electric cable to the light bulb.

The process of enlightenment is like turning on lights in your life and discovering what is there. All humans are "enlightenment-enabled." We are all plugged into the power currents of our soul and All-That-Is. But as you can see by looking at your own life or the lives of others around you, being plugged in does not mean the light is on.

In order to turn on the light, we must take action. We must hit the switch. Only then can the energy of your aliveness flow to and through you.

The Energy of Enlightenment

What exactly is the power of enlightenment — this energy that flows through us? Where does it come from?

There are many words for this force or power: the divine, consciousness, the universe, All-That-Is, and of course, God. In my own studies, I like to refer to it as the divine. If you prefer another term, I welcome you to substitute it as you read. I will also use the terms spirit, source energy,creativity, and consciousness as nuanced aspects of the divine. When I do, I'll explain their meanings in the context of the topic.

The divine fuels your soul with aliveness. In turn, the power of your soul enlightens you and guides you to your personal expression of enlightenment. What is your soul, then? It is the power that sparked the creation of you, personally. Your soul's force embodies you and can act through you, if you allow it to.

A Note about "Power"

Before going further, I want to clarify what I mean when I refer to "power." There are two kinds of power: "power over" and "power through." I am not talking about "power over" something or someone; I am talking about a "power through" kind of power. Just as the...