The Art of Awakening
Waking Up in a World Trying to Lull Us to Sleep
There’s nothing like the experience of feeling dwarfed by an endless expanse of high alpine valley or a wall of rugged snow-capped peaks.
My passion for the rugged mountain landscape has guided my life for decades and eventually sparked a deep spiritual inquiry.
After years of living in the Himalayan foothills and studying with my spiritual teachers, my meditations led me to the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, where I’ve lived for over thirty years.
What Does It Mean to Wake Up?
We wake up every morning, right? So what do I mean when I talk about waking up?
Waking up to the truth of our situation or rather the Truth of our lives is the essence of a spiritual path. We embark on an inquiry in the hopes of expanding our awareness and developing a connection to our higher self.
If you are happy to live a superficial life, chasing fame and fortune, seeking success, guided by envy and ever-increasing opportunities for distraction, you’ll probably want to skip to the next article at this point.
But if you want to go deeper into the experience of a life well lived, inviting deep peace and transformation, then you are in the right place.
The Path of Awakening
In the name of transparency: I am not “woke” myself. I have traveled the path, and I have absolutely evolved from the wild and whiny teenager I once was, but I’ve no right to claim that title. A buddha is awake (it literally means “the awakened one.”) And no, you don’t capitalize it when it’s “a” buddha, but you do when we are talking about “the” Buddha. There are many buddhas who have attained various levels of awakening. But there is only one Buddha, who went the whole way.
I’m just a practitioner, and I like to write about my experience. A buddha-wannabe, if you will.
My journey started simply, messily, when I learned to meditate during my graduate program at Naropa University while earning a psychology degree.
I discovered Ashtanga yoga the following week, and my life changed, if not overnight, then within a few months.
What started out as a simple daily practice turned into two decades of travel throughout South Asia to study with my teachers refine these practices.
Waking Up is Hard to Do
When I first started this journey in the early nineties, many spiritual communities were forming around the world, where Westerners could learn to meditate. Over the years, many of those communities have dissolved, often amid troubling drama and abuses of power.
I look around me these days and have trouble locating authentic spiritual teachers who have survived that era, and who are still offering opportunities to practice and study the techniques designed to wake us up.
Many of my teachers have died, or have stopped teaching altogether.
There are plenty of people who claim to have answers, but waking up is not about finding answers.
It’s about posing bigger questions.
Awakening with Art
I decided on the name of this publication as a double-entendre. Waking up is an art, not a science (despite the scientific research supporting the process). We each come to the path with our unique gifts and challenges, all of which will be addressed during an authentic spiritual inquiry.
And, in my own life, making art has played an increasingly important role on my spiritual path. Making art is a practice in itself, allowing time and space for the mind to rest while focusing on showing up each moment with a fresh perspective.
Many spiritual traditions recognize the value of art as an invitation to expand our consciousness. In my own life, this has become the focus of my meditations.
As this publication grows, I welcome you to share your own path to awakening. Please reach out if you’d like to consider submitting an article. Just leave a comment below.
