You probably feel like an individual, limited in space and time.  You probably feel you are your identity, your body.  That’s definitely how I felt for most of my life.  Then, on March 31, 2019, I awoke from sleep (like my literal nighttime sleep – not metaphorical sleep) and the quality of my awareness had changed.  It became full of bliss.  It felt eternal like the night sky.  It was not bound by the body or identify. 

This experience recurs for me on a daily basis.  Before that date, it was the kind of experience that I had only ever read or heard about, and frankly, I couldn’t understand it just from the words I read.  Somehow in my brain, whatever change occurred lasted.

Before that day, I had meditated for 25 years, on and off in the course of daily life.  For about the first 15 years, I used techniques created by others.  Then for about 10 years, I had been meditating using a set of techniques I had created for the purposes of helping people feel more connection and love and to better understand the people in their lives.  These are the techniques I have also researched at Harvard Medical School.  For beginners, they have shown benefit for reducing depression and increasing happiness over a 4 week course. 

What happened to me after my own awakening was that my body felt like it was filled with more energy.  It was hard to sit down; I wanted to get up and wander, and experience life in its glory.  I started writing poetry, some of which I will share on this blog. When I looked around in this state of bliss, the natural experience was one of love for each thing as it was.  That is why I say that bliss powers love. Love for existence, love for creation, love for the breath.  

True bliss powers love.  One way to discover this bliss is to stop doing routine things for a few minutes.  Pay attention to your awareness in the space of the heart.  Notice it with full attention.  It might not feel like much, but it is a beginning that you can feel proud of.