Early cave dwellers, upon the life-changing moment when they discovered fire, didn’t have to live in the dark anymore.

Light began shining where it never had before. Over the years light became readily available, pushing back the darkness and encroaching upon the peace of night.

Today, we don’t need to live in the dark. We can have light wherever we go.

We have also been blessed with a world in which enlightenment is possible. However, enlightenment doesn’t seem to be accessible to many of us. Whether we admit it or not, most of us live in spiritual darkness. We live unaware of who we are, our place in the universe, why we are here or what the purpose of our life really is. We live asleep, and those who live enlightened are few and far between.

I am not suggesting that we should be more enlightened than we are—I am pondering what life will be like as enlightenment becomes more common and more available to human beings.

What will it be like if most of us realize our enlightenment?

I have been exploring personal growth and spiritual awakening for thirty years now. In that time, I have had many different glimpses of enlightenment. I have traversed terrain in which enlightenment seemed unattainable, already present and irrelevant.

I have watched people perceive enlightenment, and I have also observed as people wake up.

As I see it at this moment, enlightenment and awakening are fundamentally different. Awakening, the lesser of the two, is about relating to “what is,” while enlightenment is experiencing oneself as light.

Awakening isn’t easy. It requires being present no matter what—being present when you are hurt, when you are happy, when your dog just died and when your first child is born. It is about being present, honest and available as a servant to what is. It is about living the best life you possibly can on Earth.

Awakening begins and ends on Earth.

Enlightenment isn’t partial to Earth.

Light is a traveler; it keeps moving and cares more about moving than location. It vigilantly travels the universe exploring and spreading the word. The word is “let there be light.”

As people awaken, they live better lives. In the process, they make Earth a better place in every way imaginable—mostly in ways that we will never imagine. Enlightenment doesn’t directly influence awakening, other than making it possible. Things get a little complicated here: please allow me to explain.

Enlightened people make awakening possible, but they do so at some expense. The expense is their experience of living on Earth. The Enlightened ones sacrifice worldly experiences so that the rest of us may live better here. They forgo personhood and they offer a bridge between you as a human and you as a spirit. They offer a constant reminder that we too are enlightened (seriously) and that we don’t have to be (lightly).

So remember to thank your Guru.

~

Jerry Stocking is a non-guru who will twist your idea of reality on its head and leave you laughing.

The root of all of his advice is that life works best when you don’t take it too seriously. Visit his blog, Lightening Up and Letting Go, and discover your personal road-map to spiritual and worldly success.

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Ed: K.Macku/Kate Bartolotta