What does it mean to awaken to the truth?
Awakening is the return to your true Self.
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“The world is changing, and I’m on the transition team. Awaken and shine your light for others to follow. The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~Carl Jung [This last line is also attributed to Joseph Campbell.]
When I named my Substack newsletter Awakening to the Truth, I wondered how I could describe what awakening felt like to you.
Awakening to the truth is a deeply personal and often spiritual experience — a moment (or series of moments) where you begin to see beyond illusions, conditioning, and surface-level reality, and start recognizing a deeper, more authentic understanding of yourself, life, and the universe.
Seeing Through Illusions
Awakening often starts with realizing that much of what you have believed about yourself, others, and the world may have been shaped by fear, ego, societal conditioning, or outdated narratives.
It's like taking off a pair of tinted glasses and seeing things more clearly for the first time.
You might begin to question:
The roles you've been playing.
The beliefs you've inherited.
What success or happiness really means.
I was conditioned by my father not to be dependent on anyone. Dad meant well. I took a belief he told my sister and me to heart, but it got buried in my subconscious until I was in a car wreck in 2017.
The first call I made from the hospital was to my sister. One of the first things she said to me was, “I think God wanted you to slow down.”
“Yes,” I answered. I was driven to work by the belief it would give me freedom and independence.
My sister said, “Don’t you remember what Dad drilled into us girls?
Don’t depend on anyone. You have to take care of yourself.
In recognition of the truth, my entire body began shaking as I heard this. The body never lies; the mind (ego) lies constantly. Your body is your truth teller.
Here was the belief that had driven me to become a workaholic.
I’d wondered during my working years whether I'd ever be able to retire.
Our marriage counselor, Matt, had told me a year after my recovery from the accident, “I don’t think you would have been able to stop working if you weren’t in this accident, what do you think?” “I agree with you, Matt,” I told him. “This was the only way I could be stopped.”
This is how powerful our conditioning and beliefs become.
My father’s belief was rooted in my subconscious mind, akin to the written code of a computer. It was my operating system, running outside of my awareness, until that moment.
I felt that if I stopped working, I would lose my independence and freedom. But that was not true; it was a conditioned belief.
I was brought up with the idea that success meant obtaining a college degree, securing a good job, buying a car, getting married, having children, and acquiring material possessions. These steps would lead to a fulfilling life, the American Dream.
Material things are illusions.
In reality, the American Dream rewarded those who hustled, worked long hours, and spent time taking care of material things - the house, the yard, and the car.
In the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, a "hungry ghost" refers to a psychological state of deep dissatisfaction, restlessness, and a lack of connection to oneself, others, and the world. It's often described as a state of being disconnected from our roots, whether familial or spiritual, leading to a feeling of emptiness and a constant search for something to fill that void.
The gift of the accident in 2017 was that it helped me come to a complete stop.
Once I recovered, I was able to live a slower, more meaningful life. A near-death experience (NDE) taught me the spiritual lesson of choice and why God gave us free will.
The voice in the NDE asked me, You get to choose how you go through this experience. What will you choose?
I didn’t want to become a victim. I chose to take the high road and use love and gratitude to heal.
My life moved from a focus on the outer world to my inner world. I thought if I worked hard and were successful, I’d make enough money to feel safe and secure. But nothing in my outer world would help me become safe. People who have a lot of money feel they never have enough. Money is a black hole. There’s never enough.
The truth is that feeling safe and secure is an inner state —a way of Being.
I experienced my true Self after the NDE. My state of Being was calm, peaceful, and filled with love for all things. The true Self doesn’t chase outer-world success, material things, or status. It’s there to express the truth and love.
I was on a collision course with death, but my body saved my life.
This experience changed my life. I realized that my role in life is to bring awareness and love to those I encounter, and to help people like you overcome emotional suffering caused by negative thoughts or limiting beliefs.
Awakening to the truth of my experience is what has helped me live a more purposeful and meaningful life.
Have you had an experience where you saw through the beliefs you were conditioned to hold as you grew up? I’d love to hear about it.
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P.S. I’m hosting another four-week group coaching program beginning Tuesday, June 17, from 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. PDT for 1.5 hours. It will be a small group of four people, each of whom will receive coaching one to two times during the four-week session.
Dates: Tuesdays, June 17, 24 & July 1 & 15 (we skip a week between the last session)
Time: 1 pm PDT / 4 pm EDT
Investment is $97.
Questions? Please email me at sherold@sheroldbarr.com
“Sherold has been my trusted advisor and coach for 10+ years! I've learned through working with her that the quickest way to change is to examine our thoughts. Sherold is a master at guiding you through this process, and to my delight, relief, and growth, it has been pretty immediate. I've often gone from fear and frustration to freedom and peace when working with Sherold. It's a no-brainer to work with her if you're ready to level up in any area of your life." Natasha Lakos