Vision
The Awakened Life Project is a bold, contemporary experiment in authentic spiritual awakening and the evolution of consciousness and culture. The visionary seed was planted at the abandoned mountain farm of Quinta da Mizarela in Central Portugal by co-founders Peter Bampton and Cynthia Lea Rose in 2007. Since then the Project has since flowered into a growing network of co-creators and communities dedicated to an evolving vision of manifesting the spiritual truth of unity in this world.
What do we mean by Awakening? In short, we mean waking up from the dream of our separate, limited existence as a psychophysical self to the utterly liberating, indefinable yet tacit, mystery of who we really are - the Spiritual Heart, Consciousness Itself.
Consciousness, Spirit, God, the Divine Reality—whatever name we want to give the unnamable wonder of existence—simply IS.
Free to take the shape of all experience and yet independent of all experience, we recognize that the deepest Truth of who we really are is always already here and now. This discovery signifies the ending of the story of separation and seeking that is the source of all human suffering, conflict and insanity, and the beginning of a Great Adventure - the adventure of Consciousness knowing and creating itself anew as our very own Awakened Life.
What do we mean by Awakening? In short, we mean waking up from the dream of our separate, limited existence as a psychophysical self to the utterly liberating, indefinable yet tacit, mystery of who we really are - the Spiritual Heart, Consciousness Itself.
Consciousness, Spirit, God, the Divine Reality—whatever name we want to give the unnamable wonder of existence—simply IS.
Free to take the shape of all experience and yet independent of all experience, we recognize that the deepest Truth of who we really are is always already here and now. This discovery signifies the ending of the story of separation and seeking that is the source of all human suffering, conflict and insanity, and the beginning of a Great Adventure - the adventure of Consciousness knowing and creating itself anew as our very own Awakened Life.
Spiritual orientation
Humanity has generally lived believing in either the reality of Consciousness or God and the illusoriness of Creation, as in the traditional spiritual culture of the East, or in the reality of Creation and the illusoriness of Consciousness or God, as in the modern West. But the reality of the human being is that we are both together, we are a tremendous harmony between Consciousness and Creation. Creation is the outer or exterior face of Consciousness and Consciousness is the inner or interiority of Creation. In the most profound and comprehensive vision these two poles are recognised and experienced as of ONE Divine Non-Dual Reality.
The spiritual orientation of the Awakened Life Project reaches for the realization and fulfillment of our human potential as integral expressions of the Divine Reality.
We like to use the word "Di-vine" to refer to the two "vines" or poles of Non-Dual Reality encompassing the Transcendent Eternal Present Moment of Being "vine" and the Immanent Creative Process or Becoming "vine".
What does this mean in practice?
It means that we know ourselves to be spiritual beings having a human experience, not merely human beings potentially having a "spiritual" experience. It means that, in the deepest dimension, we understand ourselves to be Eternal, Transcendent Consciousness or Being, radically Free, untouched and unaffected by all that arises and passes away. And, at the same time, it also means that we understand ourselves to be unique embodied individuals awakening to a Creative Process. Embracing this totality reconciles the demands of matter, life, mind and spirit in an integral harmony.
The spiritual orientation of the Awakened Life Project reaches for the realization and fulfillment of our human potential as integral expressions of the Divine Reality.
We like to use the word "Di-vine" to refer to the two "vines" or poles of Non-Dual Reality encompassing the Transcendent Eternal Present Moment of Being "vine" and the Immanent Creative Process or Becoming "vine".
What does this mean in practice?
It means that we know ourselves to be spiritual beings having a human experience, not merely human beings potentially having a "spiritual" experience. It means that, in the deepest dimension, we understand ourselves to be Eternal, Transcendent Consciousness or Being, radically Free, untouched and unaffected by all that arises and passes away. And, at the same time, it also means that we understand ourselves to be unique embodied individuals awakening to a Creative Process. Embracing this totality reconciles the demands of matter, life, mind and spirit in an integral harmony.
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This full-spectrum, integral, body-mind-world embracing spiritual orientation is essential as we live in a tipping point time of great peril and great potential that is unprecedented in the history of humanity. More and more of us are becoming aware that we are living in a period of immense upheaval and transition on all levels with converging crises of ecological destruction, economic collapse and the breakdown of traditional philosophical and religious paradigms.
This integral embrace of our human lives as Spirit-in-action emboldens us to take responsibility for the evolution of humanity as ourselves. Will we break down or breakthrough? Are we ready to take responsibility for life, evolve together and create the New? Are we facing the inevitable end of everything? Or are we experiencing life conditions that - painful and chaotic as they are - will catalyze a more enlightened and loving future?
For those of us with the eyes to see and the ears to hear we stand at the head of a new age of development. Our present crisis cannot be explained or solved only in social, political or environmental terms. As Einstein famously said, "Our problems cannot be solved from the same level of consciousness that created them". At heart we are facing a crisis of consciousness, a spiritual crisis, that demands a radical and integral response.
The Counterforce
Realizing our Divinity and releasing that Evolutionary Love demands everything from us. It demands that we purify and free ourselves from the agenda of the ego—the counterforce that blinds us to the glory of who we really are—not only for our own sake but also for the sake of Life as a whole.
"Ego" in this context does not refer to our experience of individuality, but to the powerful illusion of independent self-existence. This illusion is created by our deeply ingrained need to identify with our separateness as standing outside of and independent from all "others" and all of manifest reality "out there".
What is Ego?
Ego is the "I" that feels limited, the "I" that feels habitually alienated and unhappy. It is the "I" that always has a problem to overcome, the "I" that is convinced that there is "something wrong". It is the "I" that needs to be in constant control of "my" life, the "I" that is devoid of genuine spontaneity, compassion and love. It is the "I" that is constantly checking inwardly, "What's in it for me?" Ego is at the root of all the suffering, projections and division that plague us and our relationships to all apparent others.
But the good news of Awakening is that the ego is not truly you or I or anyone else and never has been. For in truth who we are is not a static, wounded, deficient, unhappy entity that goes by a particular name and is defined by a particular personal history. The apparent solidity and continuity of the ego "I" is nothing more than a deeply conditioned activity of identification with a complex web of psychological and cultural patterns that bind us to an illusory sense of independent self-existence. It is nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.
To awaken and manifest the fulfillment of our True Self we must break free of the walls and chains created by the ego. Only then can our individuality be founded on Truth, only then can we expand and inhabit a wider cosmic "I"— an Awakened or Enlightened "I"—that perpetually transcends and includes the psychophysical dimensions of body, sensation, emotion and mind. Then, in proportion to the degree that we can free ourselves from the self-contraction of ego, we live a life of unlimited potential, interconnectedness, wonder, wisdom, gratitude, happiness and freedom.
This integral embrace of our human lives as Spirit-in-action emboldens us to take responsibility for the evolution of humanity as ourselves. Will we break down or breakthrough? Are we ready to take responsibility for life, evolve together and create the New? Are we facing the inevitable end of everything? Or are we experiencing life conditions that - painful and chaotic as they are - will catalyze a more enlightened and loving future?
For those of us with the eyes to see and the ears to hear we stand at the head of a new age of development. Our present crisis cannot be explained or solved only in social, political or environmental terms. As Einstein famously said, "Our problems cannot be solved from the same level of consciousness that created them". At heart we are facing a crisis of consciousness, a spiritual crisis, that demands a radical and integral response.
The Counterforce
Realizing our Divinity and releasing that Evolutionary Love demands everything from us. It demands that we purify and free ourselves from the agenda of the ego—the counterforce that blinds us to the glory of who we really are—not only for our own sake but also for the sake of Life as a whole.
"Ego" in this context does not refer to our experience of individuality, but to the powerful illusion of independent self-existence. This illusion is created by our deeply ingrained need to identify with our separateness as standing outside of and independent from all "others" and all of manifest reality "out there".
What is Ego?
Ego is the "I" that feels limited, the "I" that feels habitually alienated and unhappy. It is the "I" that always has a problem to overcome, the "I" that is convinced that there is "something wrong". It is the "I" that needs to be in constant control of "my" life, the "I" that is devoid of genuine spontaneity, compassion and love. It is the "I" that is constantly checking inwardly, "What's in it for me?" Ego is at the root of all the suffering, projections and division that plague us and our relationships to all apparent others.
But the good news of Awakening is that the ego is not truly you or I or anyone else and never has been. For in truth who we are is not a static, wounded, deficient, unhappy entity that goes by a particular name and is defined by a particular personal history. The apparent solidity and continuity of the ego "I" is nothing more than a deeply conditioned activity of identification with a complex web of psychological and cultural patterns that bind us to an illusory sense of independent self-existence. It is nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.
To awaken and manifest the fulfillment of our True Self we must break free of the walls and chains created by the ego. Only then can our individuality be founded on Truth, only then can we expand and inhabit a wider cosmic "I"— an Awakened or Enlightened "I"—that perpetually transcends and includes the psychophysical dimensions of body, sensation, emotion and mind. Then, in proportion to the degree that we can free ourselves from the self-contraction of ego, we live a life of unlimited potential, interconnectedness, wonder, wisdom, gratitude, happiness and freedom.
What would it be like for our energy and attention to be freed from fear, self-infatuation, selfishness and psychological suffering?
What would it mean to be more interested in what is real and true than in how we feel from day to day?
Is it possible for human beings to live together in a context of absolute trust, honesty and love in which all difficulties are faced and resolved with maturity?
What would it mean to be more interested in what is real and true than in how we feel from day to day?
Is it possible for human beings to live together in a context of absolute trust, honesty and love in which all difficulties are faced and resolved with maturity?
What would it be like for our energy and attention to be freed from fear, self-infatuation, selfishness and psychological suffering?
What would it mean to be more interested in what is real and true than in how we feel from day to day?
Is it possible for human beings to live together in a context of absolute trust, honesty and love in which all difficulties are faced and resolved with maturity?
What would it mean to be more interested in what is real and true than in how we feel from day to day?
Is it possible for human beings to live together in a context of absolute trust, honesty and love in which all difficulties are faced and resolved with maturity?
The Practice
Contemplating such questions within ourselves and with others opens us to infinite possibilities for human development, but bringing the potential for a new consciousness and culture into manifestation does not simply happen spontaneously as a result of spiritual insight and experience. Meeting the challenge of Transformation entails being fundamentally converted from seeking Truth to surrendering to Truth. We want to be liberated not only for our own sake, but also for the sake of the evolution of the human race. We want to take responsibility for Life and become living, breathing expressions of actualizing a new possibility on planet Earth. This is where commitment to ongoing spiritual practice and the creation of a spiritually awakened culture lies.
To help to facilitate this emergence we are committed to a regular practice of meditation and ongoing group inquiry in the form of men's, women's and mixed groups, both in person and online. These groups provide a forum for the exploration and integration of the Awakening Process in all areas of life and are under the guidance of co-founders and teachers Cynthia Lea Rose and Peter Bampton. Through commited practice we ground ourselves ever more deeply in the liberating discovery of our essential prior unity and freedom.
We are coming together in a profound trust that transcends the fears and desires of the separate self and provides a container for the challenging ordeal of ego-transcendence. In that communion we are co-creating a new culture.
As we progressively align our lives with the energy and intelligence of the One Consciousness and Life, our individual and collective evolutionary unfolding has the soil and sustenance to flower in its innate Truth, Goodness, Freedom and Creativity.
To help to facilitate this emergence we are committed to a regular practice of meditation and ongoing group inquiry in the form of men's, women's and mixed groups, both in person and online. These groups provide a forum for the exploration and integration of the Awakening Process in all areas of life and are under the guidance of co-founders and teachers Cynthia Lea Rose and Peter Bampton. Through commited practice we ground ourselves ever more deeply in the liberating discovery of our essential prior unity and freedom.
We are coming together in a profound trust that transcends the fears and desires of the separate self and provides a container for the challenging ordeal of ego-transcendence. In that communion we are co-creating a new culture.
As we progressively align our lives with the energy and intelligence of the One Consciousness and Life, our individual and collective evolutionary unfolding has the soil and sustenance to flower in its innate Truth, Goodness, Freedom and Creativity.
