Diving Beneath the Surface: Embracing Awareness and Our True Nature

My journey toward understanding and realization has been anything but typical. It all began with the experiential realization that I am more than my physical body, a journey greatly influenced by my dad's Hemi-Sync audio cassette tapes and CDs in the early 2000s. Through achieving states of non-physical awareness, such as "mind awake, body asleep" or "Focus 10" as Robert Monroe famously labeled it, I discovered that awareness remains even when bodily systems go offline. Awareness can move focus around the body, the physical world, and even into the non-physical realm.

In these non-physical states, a seemingly infinite number of experiences can arise, commonly referred to as astral projections, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, lucid dreams, ordinary dreams, and more. Humans have used language to label and categorize these subjective experiences. To me, all non-physical and physical experiences exist on a spectrum of awareness. It's simply a matter of how much awareness is brought to the experience. Awareness itself doesn't seem to change; it’s like an all-seeing eye, with experiences—both physical and non-physical—paraded before it, like a king being entertained by court jesters. No matter the experience, awareness remains constant.

The Spectrum of Awareness

At one end of the spectrum is complete unconsciousness—deep sleep, blackout states, etc.—where there is no recall of any experience, no awareness of time or existence. Awareness is always present, but the faculties for memory recall are inactive. I don't claim to know what occurs at these levels of deep unconsciousness, but it seems there is an absorption into a larger system, preventing individual memory formation and recall. This may be awareness rejoining the absolute or completely leaving the body to facilitate repair and recharging during deep sleep.

At the other end of the spectrum is complete physical awareness and absorption in the present moment—being entirely mindful without thought. Interestingly, peace and fulfillment can be found at either end of the spectrum. In between, we experience various states of being out of alignment with the moment, such as daydreaming or thinking about the past and future during waking consciousness. Becoming aware of where consciousness is functioning can help realize that you are more than your physical body, more than the mind, more than anything you are aware of. Ultimately, the only constant is awareness itself, which seems to rest deeply when fully absorbed in both physical and non-physical experiences.

Embracing All Experiences

Regardless of the arising experience, it is simply what is arising in that moment, whether in a non-physical or physical reality. I propose that neither of these is "reality," but rather waves on the ocean of absolute reality. If we describe people and things as arising waves on the ocean, then this must also apply to the collective of people and things. All experiential reality would be like the surface of the ocean, including all waves arising and passing. At no point do the waves or the surface of the ocean cease being the ocean. While we may be described as a wave, so too is everything else.

The deeper below the surface awareness dives, the calmer, more serene, and more peaceful the experience becomes. This isn't because we're improving on awareness or adding to it, but because we are moving closer to our true nature as the entire ocean. When on the surface of the ocean, the rough waters toss us about, but if you move awareness to the depths, just as you move awareness around the body, you'll find you don't have to remain focused on the rough surface. You can rest in your true nature as the entire ocean, which includes both the rough waters of the surface and the deep abyss of the unknown.

The Overlooked Value of Non-Physical Experiences

When surrendering to or accepting what is, we must include all experiences. However, many people aren't willing to accept physical reality, let alone non-physical realities. Without a doubt, there is awareness of non-physical experiences within realities other than the physical reality we awaken to each morning. Since we spend a third of our human lifespan asleep, the average person is shutting out 33% of potential experiences in realities beyond the physical. This is fascinating to me.

Experiences outside of physical reality are often labeled as dreams and not given much attention. Simultaneously, we are so wrapped up in our mind activity that we are always living in a dream. Dreaming while the body is awake is considered normal, but dreaming while the body is asleep is often seen as less valuable.

Awakening to All Realities

Here’s an interesting thought experiment: What if we awaken not only to this physical reality but also to the non-physical (dream state) each night when we sleep? Instead of thinking of it as being awake or asleep, consider it as always being awake, with the content of awareness flowing. With practice, non-physical realities can feel as real as the physical reality we know and love. This potential is missed by nearly everyone and discussed by almost no one.

The moral of the story is that awareness is clearly seen as constant. While everything that arises changes, awareness remains whole, complete, and unchanged. Embracing this understanding can profoundly impact how we navigate both our physical and non-physical experiences, allowing us to live more fully and deeply.