Shedding Some Light on Enlightenment

The other week, I asked myself a thought-provoking question: "What are the characteristics of an enlightened person?"  Then I wrote 12 pages of answers to it in my journal.  I'll share a few of them here today, and I hope you'll add your own ideas in the comments section.  Questions and anecdotes about enlightened people you know are welcome, also!

I don't claim to be an expert on this topic by any means.  I do have some colleagues, friends, and mentors that qualify, at least to my amateur eye.  I also enjoy studying the topic of enlightenment.  So, the ideas about it that flowed out of my pen have been collecting in my head after getting in there by osmosis.

Here we go....

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Marek Uliasz

Enlightened folks are not afraid to show their vulnerability.  They don't have all the answers, and they will admit that right up front.

In my experience, though, these mentors have often asked me just the right question that would help me find an answer that neither of us could have even guessed about before.  It's a very special type of team effort that brings about an interdevelopmental experience for both parties.

These enlightened people ask themselves a lot of questions about the nature of life and their role in it.  Observing the enlightened ones I have studied or known, their answers seem to come from a combination of four factors: 

• listening
• intuition
• accumulated knowledge
• personal experience

If the answers are not forthcoming, they chalk it up to Divine Timing.  Those who are enlightened accept that if and when they are to know the answers, they will be provided.

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Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Steven Robertson

Can you see the radiant glow on the woman's face in the photo above?  I notice this glow on the faces of the people whom I consider to be enlightened.  Does it remind you of anything?  It reminds me of the glow in the faces of babies and young children, who, of course, have a special kind of wisdom all their own!  It has even  become a cliche to say, "...out of the mouths of babes...."  I would add to that their eyes, expressions, and actions!

Unfortunately, many well-meaning adults don't remember this stage of their own development, leaving them confused when their own children or students display it.  As a result we think it's part of our job to root them in what we see as the "real world."  We give them the "roots," but we often forget to protect their "wings."

I think it is a lucky few of us that don't get their wings battered during the turbulent teen and young adult years.  But as we settle into a calmer, more rhythmic life as we age, many of us begin to feel a nudge toward a more spiritual life.  At that point we start paying attention to the fact that we've been "trying to push the river" instead of going with the flow, and that we're exhausted!

The closer we get to an enlightened state, the better we feel.  Flowing back toward the enlightenment zone is a journey worth exploring!

Please click on the comments section and let us know about your experiences and opinions around this topic of enlightenment!


Thanks,
Susan


Mind Spa Coaching and Reiki
with Susan Cleaver

scleaver@dejazzd.com 

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are (c) Susan Cleaver.***

***Member of the TriCounty Community Network at www.tcnetwork.org.***

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