If there were a structured course called "Awakening 101", what would the outline look like?
1. Enhance the desire to awaken. No desire, no awakening. Awakening has to be the TOP priority in life. Actually with a strong desire to know god everything else just falls into place (eventually).
2. Learn to trust inner guidance. Inner guidance may lead you to outer guidance.
3. Tame the mind. Thoughts which are a result of reacting to the physical environment do not lead to peace or awakening.
4. Learn to honor karma. Karmic lessons, judgments, causes, seeing injustices, and getting caught in the illusion hold the keys to freedom.
5. Learn what is possible. To seek enlightenment we have to know that enlightenment is possible. Since we start without an understanding of spirit and the power/glory of spirit we refer to books and teachers to learn. Later it is mostly an inside job.
6. Don't paddle upstream. Believing that we know better than spirit what would improve our life experience results in paddling upstream. This results in pain, struggle, disappointment, sorrow and the breakdown of the body. Going with the flow results in reduced pressure, better health, and relinquishment of our false gods like money, relationships, status, reputation, etc.
7. Try not to reject the truth of the universe. Advanced concepts which don't quite mesh with our present understanding should just be placed on the mental shelf for later consideration. Advanced concepts can fly in the face of logic. Advanced concepts can sound 'absolutist'. Advanced concepts include:
God is love
Everything is god
We are not separate beings. There is only one of us
The universe is on our side, we can't lose
We have created our personal reality 100%
No guilt you have ever had was justified
Earth is a school, voluntarily enrolled in
Karmic lessons are a great blessing
Everything is OK just the way it is
Our normal, natural state of being is so much grander than we can conceive of that faith is required
Trust would solve every problem now
To release karma resist not evil
All things are possible
All healing is possible, inevitable actually
All paths back to the awareness of god are the same and all are unique
There is no time, it is a special effect created for the movie (life)
Since there is no time, holding a loving thought in the present moment converts all past and future illusions into love
Ah, but all paths are unique. So what is your curriculum outline for your path?