The Unfolding Now : Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence by A. H. Almaas

The keys to self-knowledge and deep contentment are right here before us in this very moment—if we can simply learn to live with open awareness. In The Unfolding Now, A. H. Almaas presents a marvelously effective practice for developing the transformative quality of presence. Through a particular method of self-observation and contemplative exploration that he calls inquiry, we learn to live in the relaxed condition of simply “being ourselves,” without interference from feelings of inadequacy, drivenness toward goals, struggling to figure things out, and rejecting experiences we don’t want. Almaas explores the many obstacles that keep us from being present—including defensiveness, ignorance, desire, aggression, and self-hatred—and shows us how to welcome with curiosity and compassion whatever we are experiencing.

A. H. Almaas is the pen name of Hameed Ali, the Kuwaiti-born originator of the Diamond Approach, who has been guiding individuals and groups in Colorado, California, and Europe since 1976. He is the author of Spacecrusier Inquiry, The Pearl Beyond Price, Facets of Unity, and other books.

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A.H. Almaas – ‘The Unfolding Now – 1′

A.H. Almaas is the pen name of A. Hameed Ali, the originator of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization. The Diamond Approach is a path of wisdom, an approach to the investigation of Reality and a method of working on oneself that leads to human maturity and liberation. It is a spiritual teaching, a method of connecting with our spiritual nature and bringing it into our life. The Diamond Approach represents a new paradigm in human/spiritual knowledge and understanding. It is not a synthesis of existing knowledge, but rather a new, more integrated understanding of the entire human psyche – ego, personality, soul – and the psyche’s relationship with its fundamental nature.

A.H. Almaas – ‘The Unfolding Now 2′

A.H. Almaas – ‘The Unfolding Now 3′

You Are More Than That A Guide to Embracing the Spiritual Being Within and Becoming Fully Human ~ Rajiv Juneja

Too many people go through life racing after proof of their self-worth along an external loop: the finest shoes or watch, the most expensive car, a bigger house – or a better-looking mate, a brighter child, another academic or professional degree, a promotion at work. Some of these items may be briefly satisfying . . . but soon the old hunger returns. You can avoid this senseless and exhausting pursuit by reconnecting with the spiritual Being that has lived inside you from birth.

In this compelling and enlightening book, Dr. Rajiv Juneja shows how acknowledging the spirit within offers new insights about the biological, psychological, and social aspects of our lives – helping us manage mindless responses, build emotional intelligence, find a life partner, enhance our relationships, and follow a purpose-filled highway at work. You Are More Than That describes rich strategies and practices for mastering your emotions and walking out of the comfort zone that hinders your growth. Your internal sense of soul will release your mind’s full energies and let you fall in love with life.

This book clearly demonstrates that you are more than the limited creature you may perceive, and you can follow a different story than the often-negative narrative cobbled together unconsciously from childhood experiences. You are more than that.

T. Rajiv Juneja, MD, MS, is double board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. Currently, he is a fellow at the University of Arizona, studying Integrative and Alternative Medicine under Dr. Andrew Weil. He also chairs the committee on public education for the American Psychiatry Association’s New Jersey chapter.

At the age of six, Dr. Raj moved to the United States from India with his family and began what he later recognized to be a journey of transition and transformation. His initial desire to become a doctor mainly stemmed from cultural and familial pressures to ‘do the right thing’. Only much later when he completed his medical degree did he begin looking for real understanding of self. He says, ‘I realized that self-worth is something we’re born with, and a sense of purpose can never come from the outside; it must be found within. We want to address our problems before they lead to complete breakdown and result in illness. Insight and prevention are the key to a more fulfilling life.’ doctorraj.com

Collision with the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self by Suzanne Segal

She thought she had gone mad, but she was enlightened and didn’t know it! Some people spend years in caves trying to experience what suddenly happened to Suzanne Segal. This is the incredible story of a young woman who irrevocably lost all sense of personal self, or an “I”.

It is the story of her mind’s desperate attempts to come to grips with — or deny! — her spiritual condition, a process which took eight years.–

Collision with the Infinite is an extraordinary work. One day over twelve years ago, Suzanne Segal, a young American woman living in Paris, stepped onto a city bus and suddenly and unexpectedly found herself egoless, stripped of any sense of a personal self. Struggling with the terror and confusion produced by that cataclysmic experience, for years she tried to make sense of it, seeking the help of therapist after therapist. Eventually, she turned to spiritual teachers, coming at last to understand that this was the egoless state, the Holy Grail of so many spiritual traditions, that elusive consciousness to which so many aspire.

This book is her story, her own account of what such a terrifying event meant to her when it crashed into her everyday life, and what it means to her now. Her sense of the personal “I” has never returned, and she lives in that heightened spiritual awareness to this day. Stephen Bodian, the former editor of Yoga Journal who wrote the introduction, found her to be “a fearless, joyful being who radiates love and whose spiritual wisdom was equal to that of the masters and sages I most respected.”

Unlike so many spiritual accounts, Collision with the Infinite is written in a completely lucid, nonmystical, straightforward manner, instantly understandable to Westerners and filled with luminous clarity. Nowhere in these pages, in fact, do we have the sense of invasive ego or self-promotion, and Ms. Segal presents us with a remarkable glimpse into “the mystery in which all abides,” that egolessness which seekers have pursued since spiritual quests began.

Suzanne Segal (1955–1997) was a New Age writer and teacher about spiritual enlightenment, known for her sudden experience of depersonalization which she wrote about in her book Collision With the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self. In addition to gaining note in the spiritual community, Segal became a model case of the dissociative condition known as depersonalization disorder (DPD).

Along her journey some therapists formally diagnosed her with DPD, while others did not have clear explanations. The books Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self and Stranger to My Self: Inside Depersonalization; the Hidden Epidemic profiled Segal’s experience and writing. Two years after the shift into a sense of unity, Segal relapsed into the uncomfortable state of constant anxiety she had first experienced. At this point she returned to exploring psychological themes…

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Are You Self Actualized? ~ Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD

Self actualization is one of the highest levels of humans’ growth. It is not superior since everyone can get there, it is just a stage of being. Here are some of the characteristics of self actualized people:

1. Real not ideal: Self actualized people have a healthy relationship with reality and are more comfortable with it and do not deny it. They accept the good and bad as parts of the same spectrum where one is in balance and the other out of balance.

2. Accountability: Self actualized people do not get into the blame game but look for their role in a situation to make improvements.

2a. Open to making mistakes: Self actualized people give themselves and others the right to make a mistake and do not limit their life’s experience because of fear of mistakes. At the same time, they take reasonable cautionary steps not to repeat the same mistake over and over again.

3. Acceptance: Self actualized people have acceptance of self, others and the world around them. They are objective in general but also aware of their subjectivity and how it may deceive them.

4. Spontaneous: Self actualized people are grounded but at the same time learn to be open to new experiences, bring the inner child out and have fun with life. They don’t force themselves to be as others think they “should” be and go with what feels right to their core. At the same time, they do not try to intentionally hurt others and are sensitive to what is good.

5. Problem focused: Self actualized people focus on the solution from a more multi-modal perspective and are open to new ideas and options. They also look at a problem from above their emotions as if they are standing outside the chaos to see what is happening to make an unbiased judgment about it.

6. Desire for detachment and privacy: While interactive and well connected with their surroundings, self actualized people have also a need to have time to themselves for quiet time and reflection and do not always have to be with others to enjoy their time. While with other people whom they feel connected to, the presence is enough and there does not have to be any open communication all the time.

7. Autonomy: Self actualized people are independent of their culture and their surrounding while are aware of them fully. They make decisions on their own without being conditioned toward any particular culture, religion and else. They are aware that conditioning can be limiting and illusive and need to be used with full awareness.

8. Appreciations of simple things: Self actualized people learn to enjoy simple things in life and to connect with nature. They take time to find joy and content in daily things that come to all of us for free without any effort. A walk in the park, looking at the moon at night, listening to a bird singing are activities that are close to her heart.

9. Honest: Self actualized people are honest but know the fine line between honesty and being blunt. Others always know where they are standing with self actualized people and relationships with them are usually drama free since they won’t say yes where they feel otherwise. In other words, they are assertive.

10. Mystical and peak experiences: Self actualized people have regular mystical and peak experiences and have the ability to find and connect with their authentic self. During these experiences, they feel at one with the world around them.

11. Oneness: Self actualized people become more of a global soul where their concern is more toward all mankind not just what they have been conditioned to feel more similar to.

12. Healthy interpersonal relationships: Self actualized people have clear boundaries therefore, their relationship is free of drama and anxious attachments. They have more profound relationships with other adults on a deep level. They are capable of greater love and focus on the good few rather than a large number. Their relationships are very meaningful and positive.

13. Equality: Self actualized people tend to believe in the equal nature of humans and believe that each person has certain strengths and weaknesses.

14. Playfulness: Self actualizing people are playful in nature, love to laugh, and make jokes but not at the expense of others. They are open to new things in life.

15. Creative: Self actualizing people are creative and express themselves in many positive forms like writing, speaking, playing, painting or else.

16. Resistance to inculturation: Self actualized people resist transcendence to any particular culture and go above their culture and maintain a strong individuality while learning and at times, practicing what seems positive in their as well as other cultures. This is done by choice not any force of attachment. They can evaluate the culture objectively to see what works for them and their loved ones. They can also assimilate naturally into a new culture if they live in it.

17. Imperfections: Self actualizing people are aware of the fact that they, like others, are imperfect because they are humans. But this awareness brings them opportunities to constantly learn new ways to grow. While being content with themselves but they never stop striving.