Extricating Our Self from the Content of Experience

In this meditation, we let go of everything that is not essential to us. We understand and feel our self to be the presence of awareness, within which all experience is known and arises. We need not make any effort to become the presence of awareness; we simply recognise our self as that. Every time we extricate our self from the content of experience and return to our being, we weaken the power that objective experience has over us. As a result, we begin to find our self not just glimpsing our true nature from time to time but established in, and as, our true nature. We live there as that, and from this place of aware openness we face the entire content of experience, and our responses are an expression of the presence of awareness.

A woman, who describes a loss of tolerance for people and conflictual relationships, asks if this is egoic. Rupert suggests that the intolerance that we object to in others is a reflection of our own intolerance.

A man asks about the continuity of experience from deep sleep to the waking state. Rupert elaborates that conditioning is at work both in deep sleep and in waking experience, so patterns are repeated and appear to be continuous.

A woman from Mexico who previously has been involved with A Course in Miracles asks for a practice to maintain the awareness of self she experienced after watching one of Rupert's videos. Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to show her the way to connect with her self.

A man says he had the understanding, but still wants to feel himself as consciousness, which he likens to a spoonful of sugar in a cup of tea. Rupert elaborates on this metaphor, suggesting that the recognition of ourself is the water in the tea rather than the sugar, or even the tea.

A woman asks if the world is the activity of consciousness, then what is the purpose of the diversity of appearances. Rupert responds that consciousness's nature, compelled by love, is to manifest the formless in form.

A questioner asks about devotion and the desire to prostrate before a transcendent other. Rupert replies that it is okay to make the gesture without worrying about the dualistic implication.

A man speaks of the explosion of bliss in recognition that, after ten months, turned into the fear of death, which is overwhelming and persistent. Rupert responds that an opening was created for all the fears and anxieties that were repressed to bubble up and be exposed to the light of awareness.

A man with a scientific background asks how to reconcile direct experience with that which appears to be outside of his experience, such as scientific facts like ribosomes. Rupert responds that he doesn't mean to suggest that what is outside our experience doesn't exist, because that would be solipsism.

A man asks for clarification about matter and consciousness. Rupert responds that matter is how the activity of consciousness appears as the objects out there, as well as objects inside of mind, such as thoughts.

A woman describes the experience of everything falling away about twelve years ago, but realised that she had to integrate the trauma that was showing up in her body. Rupert suggests that yoga meditations are helpful in this bodily integration.

A man asks for advice on a conflict between his belief in his own healing capacity and the need for vaccination in order to visit his father, who is seriously ill. Rupert explains that he needs to get clear about what is most important in this and any other conflicting situation.

In this meditation, we let go of everything that is not essential to us. We understand and feel our self to be the presence of awareness, within which all experience is known and arises. We need not make any effort to become the presence of awareness; we simply recognise our self as that. Every time we extricate our self from the content of experience and return to our being, we weaken the power that objective experience has over us. As a result, we begin to find our self not just glimpsing our true nature from time to time but established in, and as, our true nature. We live there as that, and from this place of aware openness we face the entire content of experience, and our responses are an expression of the presence of awareness.

A woman, who describes a loss of tolerance for people and conflictual relationships, asks if this is egoic. Rupert suggests that the intolerance that we object to in others is a reflection of our own intolerance.

A man asks about the continuity of experience from deep sleep to the waking state. Rupert elaborates that conditioning is at work both in deep sleep and in waking experience, so patterns are repeated and appear to be continuous.

A woman from Mexico who previously has been involved with A Course in Miracles asks for a practice to maintain the awareness of self she experienced after watching one of Rupert's videos. Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to show her the way to connect with her self.

A man says he had the understanding, but still wants to feel himself as consciousness, which he likens to a spoonful of sugar in a cup of tea. Rupert elaborates on this metaphor, suggesting that the recognition of ourself is the water in the tea rather than the sugar, or even the tea.

A woman asks if the world is the activity of consciousness, then what is the purpose of the diversity of appearances. Rupert responds that consciousness's nature, compelled by love, is to manifest the formless in form.

A questioner asks about devotion and the desire to prostrate before a transcendent other. Rupert replies that it is okay to make the gesture without worrying about the dualistic implication.

A man speaks of the explosion of bliss in recognition that, after ten months, turned into the fear of death, which is overwhelming and persistent. Rupert responds that an opening was created for all the fears and anxieties that were repressed to bubble up and be exposed to the light of awareness.

A man with a scientific background asks how to reconcile direct experience with that which appears to be outside of his experience, such as scientific facts like ribosomes. Rupert responds that he doesn't mean to suggest that what is outside our experience doesn't exist, because that would be solipsism.

A man asks for clarification about matter and consciousness. Rupert responds that matter is how the activity of consciousness appears as the objects out there, as well as objects inside of mind, such as thoughts.

A woman describes the experience of everything falling away about twelve years ago, but realised that she had to integrate the trauma that was showing up in her body. Rupert suggests that yoga meditations are helpful in this bodily integration.

A man asks for advice on a conflict between his belief in his own healing capacity and the need for vaccination in order to visit his father, who is seriously ill. Rupert explains that he needs to get clear about what is most important in this and any other conflicting situation.