What This Discovery Will Teach You

Have you ever wondered if enlightenment is real? Many people imagine it as a finish line—something you cross and then you’re done, completely transformed forever. This article reveals a different truth: enlightenment isn’t a thing you get. It’s more like growing up. Just as you learn and change throughout your life, your spiritual awareness keeps expanding too. There’s no final destination, only deeper understanding available in each moment.

Whether you’re deeply interested in spirituality or completely new to these ideas, you’ll discover practical ways to:

• Notice your own inner wisdom and intuition
• Feel your heart’s natural guidance
• Sense subtle energy shifts in yourself and others
• Grow your awareness day by day
• Learn from teachers without giving your power away

Think of this article as a friendly guide that helps you discover what’s already inside you. You won’t need special training or years of study—just an open mind and willingness to try simple practices.

The Myth of Permanent Enlightenment

Ancient Stories and Modern Confusion

You’ve probably heard stories about spiritual masters who suddenly became enlightened. Maybe they sat under a tree, had a powerful experience, and—boom—they understood everything in the universe. Forever.

These stories sound amazing, but here’s what they leave out: they’re simplified versions of what really happened. The person in the story had a profound, life-changing experience. That’s wonderful! But calling it ‘complete enlightenment’ creates an impossible standard. It suggests there are two types of people: the totally enlightened and everyone else.

Reality is more interesting and more hopeful. Every person—including you—is constantly learning and growing. Your soul matures with experience, just like your mind matures as you age. Some people have more experience and deeper wisdom than others, but nobody reaches a final state where they stop growing.

You Are Already on the Path

The Spectrum of Awareness

Imagine awareness as a spectrum, like a rainbow. Everyone exists somewhere on this spectrum. Some people are less aware, some are more aware, but there’s no magical point where you suddenly become ‘enlightened’ and different from everyone else.

Think of it this way: A first-grader knows less than a high school student, who knows less than a college professor, who knows less than they will in ten years. At every stage, you can learn more. There’s no graduation ceremony where you know everything.

This understanding is actually freeing. It means:

• You don’t have to judge yourself as ‘unenlightened’
• You can celebrate small growth instead of waiting for dramatic transformation
• Today’s awareness is perfect for today; tomorrow you’ll be even more aware
• Everyone around you is learning too, including teachers and spiritual leaders

PRACTICE: Feel Your Own Growth

This simple exercise helps you notice how your awareness is always evolving. You can do it anywhere, anytime. It takes less than two minutes.

1. Close your eyes and take three slow, comfortable breaths. Notice how your body feels right now.
2. Place your hand on your heart. Feel the warmth of your hand and the gentle rhythm of your heartbeat.
3. Ask yourself quietly: ‘What do I understand today that I didn’t know last year?’ Let any answer come naturally—big or small.
4. Notice the feeling of this realization in your body. Maybe it’s warmth, lightness, or a gentle opening. This is what growth feels like.
5. Thank yourself for growing. Smile if you feel like it.

That’s it! You just experienced noticing your own evolution. This awareness itself is enlightening.

Why ‘Perfect Enlightenment’ Is a Problem

The Hidden Costs of Putting Teachers on Pedestals

When we believe certain people are completely enlightened—perfect and beyond all problems—several unhealthy things happen:

For the student:

• You may feel ‘less than’ or incapable of similar growth
• You might give away your power by worshipping instead of learning
• You could ignore your own inner wisdom in favor of the teacher’s words
• You may deny evidence that the teacher has flaws, leading to disappointment later

For the teacher:

• Their ego might inflate, believing they’re actually perfect
• They may hide or deny their ongoing challenges
• This self-deception can lead to harmful behavior

Think of it like this: If you believed your favorite basketball player never missed a shot, you’d be setting yourself up for disappointment. More importantly, you’d miss the inspiring truth—they became great through practice, mistakes, and continuous improvement. You can do the same.

Everyone Has Their Own Special Gifts

Different Types of Awareness

Here’s something important: people express higher awareness in unique ways. It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example:

• Some people feel deep wisdom through their emotions and heart
• Others access it through clear, logical thinking
• Some carry a peaceful, calming presence
• Others radiate joy and lightness that lifts everyone around them
• Some have powerful healing energy
• Others offer brilliant insights and creative solutions

Your way of experiencing and expressing higher awareness is unique to you. Don’t compare yourself to others. Instead, discover and develop your own natural strengths.

PRACTICE: Discover Your Natural Way

This practice helps you identify how you naturally connect with deeper awareness. There’s no right or wrong answer—just discovery.

1. Think of a time when you felt truly peaceful, joyful, or connected. Maybe it was in nature, with loved ones, creating art, or solving a problem. Pick one specific memory.
2. Close your eyes and recall that moment. Where were you? What were you doing?
3. Notice how you experienced that good feeling. Was it:

• A warm sensation in your heart or body?
• A clear, quiet mind?
• A sense of lightness or energy?
• Deep knowing or insight?
• Something else unique to you?

4. Place your hand on that area of your body where you felt it strongest (heart, head, belly, etc.). Breathe slowly and let that feeling grow stronger.
5. Say to yourself: ‘This is my natural pathway to deeper awareness. I can return here anytime.’

Remember this discovery. It’s your personal doorway to inner wisdom.

How to Learn from Teachers Without Losing Yourself

The Mirror Principle

When you meet someone with deep peace, wisdom, or love, here’s what’s really happening: they’re showing you what’s possible for you too. They’re like a mirror reflecting your own potential.

Instead of worshipping them or feeling inferior, you can:

• Notice their qualities
• Feel those qualities resonating in your own heart
• Activate similar qualities within yourself
• Develop your own unique expression of those qualities

This approach empowers you. You’re not taking anything from the teacher—you’re awakening what’s already sleeping inside you. The teacher simply reminded you it was there.

PRACTICE: Learn Without Giving Your Power Away

Use this practice when you admire someone’s wisdom, peace, or any positive quality. It transforms admiration into personal growth.

1. Think of someone you admire—a teacher, mentor, friend, or even someone from history. It could be someone spiritual or simply someone wise and kind.
2. Close your eyes and imagine them in front of you. Notice what quality they have that you appreciate. Is it peace? Joy? Wisdom? Compassion? Strength?
3. Now shift your attention to your own heart. Place your hand there. Take a slow breath.
4. Imagine that same quality beginning to glow softly inside your own heart—like a gentle light warming from within. You’re not taking it from them; you’re activating what’s already in you.
5. With each breath, let this quality grow brighter and spread through your body. Feel it in your chest, your belly, your arms and legs.
6. Say quietly to yourself: ‘This quality lives in me. It is mine. I am growing it right now.’
7. Breathe normally and let yourself simply feel this quality for a minute or two. Notice any warmth, peace, or energy in your body.
8. When you’re ready, open your eyes. Thank yourself for activating this quality.

You can repeat this practice whenever you want to grow a particular quality. Each time you do it, the quality becomes stronger and more natural in you.

Sensing the Spectrum of Consciousness

Everything Is Energy

You might think of people as solid and separate, but there’s another way to perceive the world: everything is made of energy vibrating at different speeds. This isn’t mystical talk—it’s actually what physics tells us.

Just like radio stations broadcast on different frequencies, people radiate different energy patterns. Some people feel heavy or tense (lower, slower vibrations). Others feel light, peaceful, or energizing (higher, faster vibrations).

You already sense this naturally, even if you’ve never thought about it:

• Walking into a room and feeling tension
• Feeling calm around a peaceful person
• Knowing someone is upset before they say a word
• Feeling energized by enthusiastic people

These are all examples of sensing energy. The next practice will help you develop this natural ability more consciously.

PRACTICE: Create Your Own Frequency Scale

This hands-on exercise makes the invisible visible. You’ll create a simple tool to help you sense different levels of awareness in yourself and others. All you need is paper and a pen.

1. Draw a vertical line on a piece of paper, about 6 inches long. This is your Frequency Scale.
2. At the bottom of the line, write ‘Lower Awareness’ or ‘Heavier Energy.’ At the top, write ‘Higher Awareness’ or ‘Lighter Energy.’
3. Take a slow breath and center yourself. Place your finger at the bottom of the scale.
4. Think of yourself. Very slowly move your finger up the scale. As you do, pay attention to any subtle feelings, tingles, or sensations. Your finger will naturally want to stop somewhere. Trust it.
5. Notice where your finger stopped. This represents your current awareness level. Make a small mark. There’s no judgment—just noticing.
6. Now try it with different aspects of yourself:

• Your emotional awareness (How in touch are you with your feelings?)
• Your mental clarity (How clear is your thinking right now?)
• Your spiritual connection (How connected do you feel to something greater?)

7. Next, try sensing other people you know. Think of a friend, family member, or teacher. Move your finger slowly up the scale and notice where it naturally stops. You’re sensing their overall energy level.
8. Compare different people. Notice how each person has a unique energy signature. Some higher, some lower—and that’s perfectly okay. Everyone is where they are.
9. With practice (try this for 5 days), you’ll notice you don’t need the scale anymore. You’ll naturally sense energy differences as feelings, intuitions, or subtle knowing.

Important insight: When you check the same person different days or even different times of day, their energy might be in different places on the scale. This proves that awareness constantly shifts—it’s not fixed!

Your Daily Enlightenment Practice

Small Shifts, Big Impact

Forget waiting for dramatic transformation. Real growth happens through small, consistent shifts in awareness. Each moment offers an opportunity to become a little more conscious, a little more present, a little more awake.

Think of it like turning up the brightness on a light. You don’t have to flip from total darkness to blazing sun. You can gently, gradually turn the dial brighter. That’s what this next practice teaches.

PRACTICE: Turn Up Your Awareness

This is your go-to practice for raising consciousness anytime, anywhere. Use it in the morning, during breaks, or whenever you want to feel more aware and alive. It takes 2-3 minutes.

1. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes if you like, or keep them softly open. Take three slow, deep breaths. Feel your body relax.
2. Notice your current state. How do you feel right now? Tired? Alert? Calm? Scattered? No judgment—just notice.
3. Imagine an invisible dial in front of you—like a volume knob. This dial controls your awareness. Right now, it’s set to your current level.
4. Very slowly, imagine turning the dial up—just a little bit. Not too much. Just enough to feel a subtle shift.
5. As you turn it, notice what happens. You might feel:

• A gentle lifting sensation
• Warmth or tingling
• Your breath becoming smoother
• Colors seeming brighter (if eyes open)
• A sense of expansion or spaciousness
• More alertness or clarity

6. Breathe into this new level. Let your body absorb it. Take 5-10 slow breaths here.
7. If you want, turn the dial up a tiny bit more. See what happens. There’s no rush. Small shifts are powerful.
8. When you feel complete, take a moment to appreciate this higher state. Know that you can return here whenever you choose.
9. Gently open your eyes (if they were closed). Notice how the world looks and feels from this slightly elevated awareness.

Try this practice daily for a week. You’ll discover that raising awareness becomes easier and more natural each time. Eventually, you’ll be able to shift your consciousness with just a breath and an intention.

Finding Enlightenment in Everyday Life

It’s Already Here

You don’t need a mountaintop, a temple, or a special teacher to experience higher consciousness. It’s available right now, wherever you are. The sacred isn’t separate from the ordinary—it’s woven through everything.

Look for these small moments of natural enlightenment in your daily life:

• The peace you feel watching sunrise or sunset
• The joy of genuine laughter with friends or family
• The clarity that comes after solving a puzzle or recognizing a deeper truth about the universe
• The love you feel holding a child or pet
• The awe of looking at stars and sensing the infinite universe
• The satisfaction of helping someone or blessing someone
• The quiet contentment of a simple moment
• Quietly recognizing that there is a deeper unifying reality that everything in the universe has in common.
• Sensing the sacred space within you that shines with your true essence

These aren’t just nice feelings—they’re glimpses of higher consciousness, embodied within you. When you recognize them as such, they become doorways to deeper awareness.

Different People, Different Gifts

As you go through your day, notice the special qualities different people bring:

• Someone who carries a loving, warm energy that makes you feel safe
• A friend whose humor lightens every situation
• A colleague whose calm presence settles everyone down
• Someone whose enthusiasm energizes the whole room
• A person whose wisdom helps you see things differently

These are all forms of enlightenment—different expressions of higher consciousness. Don’t worship these people. Instead, let their gifts remind you of similar qualities sleeping within you. When you feel their energy, ask yourself: ‘How can I activate this quality in my own unique way?’

What to Do When You Have Challenges

Growth Isn’t Always Comfortable

Here’s an important truth: as you grow, old patterns and emotions will surface. Sometimes you’ll have powerful insights one day and feel confused the next. This doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re growing.

Think of it like cleaning out a closet. As you organize, things get messier before they get cleaner. You pull everything out, sort through it, and some of what you find surprises you. Your inner growth works the same way.

When challenges arise:

• Don’t judge yourself. Problems don’t make you ‘unenlightened.’
• Be patient. Deep patterns take time to transform.
• See difficulties as teachers showing you what needs attention.
• Remember that even the wisest people continue working on themselves.

Some days your progress might feel slow. Other days you’ll have breakthroughs. Both are part of the journey. Trust the process.

Your Ongoing Journey

What You’ve Learned

Let’s recap the key insights from this article:

1. Enlightenment isn’t a destination – It’s an ongoing process of becoming more aware. You’re always growing, always learning, always evolving.
2. Everyone is on the same spectrum – Some people are more aware than others, but no one is in a separate category of ‘permanently enlightened.’ We’re all learning and gradually moving forward.
3. Your way is unique – You express and experience higher consciousness in your own special way. Don’t copy others; discover your natural path.
4. Teachers are mirrors – When you admire someone’s wisdom or peace, they’re showing you what’s possible for you. Activate those qualities within yourself rather than just worshipping them.
5. Small shifts matter – You don’t need dramatic transformation. Gentle, daily increases in awareness add up to profound change over time.
6. It’s available now – Higher consciousness isn’t reserved for special places or times. It’s accessible in every moment, wherever you are.

Your Daily Question

Instead of asking ‘Am I enlightened?’ or ‘When will I become enlightened?’ ask yourself each day:

‘What enlightens me today?’

The answers will surprise you. Maybe it’s:

• A conversation that opens your mind
• A moment of unexpected kindness
• Nature’s beauty touching your heart
• A problem that teaches you something valuable
• A quiet moment of simply being present
• Your willingness to slow down and relax with each breath

Tomorrow Is a Fresh Start

If today felt slow or difficult, that’s okay. Tomorrow offers a new opportunity—not to be enlightened (since there’s no such final state), but to have enlightening experiences. These you can have in abundance with each breath you take.

Your evolving enlightenment is part of your life, woven into each moment. It’s not a frozen belief or rigid concept. It’s how you approach each experience with curiosity, openness, and awareness.

Final Practice: Your Personal Commitment

Choose just one practice from this article to try for the next seven days. Which one called to you most? Pick that one. Here are your options:

1. Feel Your Own Growth – Reflect daily on what you’ve learned
2. Discover Your Natural Way – Identify how you uniquely connect with higher awareness
3. Learn Without Giving Your Power Away – Activate admired qualities within yourself
4. Create Your Frequency Scale – Develop your ability to sense energy
5. Turn Up Your Awareness – Raise your consciousness intentionally

Commit to practicing your chosen exercise for just a few minutes each day for one week. Notice what changes. Then, if you like, add another practice. Build your awareness gradually, enjoyably, sustainably.

A Blessing for Your Journey

May you discover that the light you seek is already shining within you.

May you trust your own inner wisdom and intuition.

May you grow gently, joyfully, at your own perfect pace.

May you recognize that every moment offers an opportunity to awaken more fully to who you truly are.

Welcome to your enlightening journey. It begins here, in this moment. Breathe it in, and savor it.

Joel Bruce Wallach