Coming Home. Ending the search. Living a deeper life.with Sandra Bravo
If you’re reading this, you already know something: life is hard.
It’s full of beauty and wonderful things – but it’s also full of heartbreak.
Life feeds us but it can also break us.
So, how do we deal with it?
In truth, I don’t completely know. But I can share what I’ve discovered in the hopes it will be useful.
It’s not an answer but a paradox I want to invite you to sit with me as you read this (we’ll come back to it later): You have to do this by yourself but you don’t do it alone.
If you’re reading this, then my guess is that you have been broken down a little or a lot by life (maybe slowly over years or maybe all at once) to a point where you know you need to dig deeper. But there’s a good chance you feel lost as to how to go about that.
And I’d like to talk about a different path to spiritual growth you may not have tried (or even considered). And to invite you to come to a retreat that’s coming up soon.
A lot of women I speak with secretly wish they could let go of the pressures of living in the rat race and come home to a deeper peace… the kind that many of the great spiritual teachers of the ages have spoken of. They want to feel more alive, happy, inspired and fully engaged with others. They would feel a sense of harmony with life and be a lot freer to totally be themselves.
But right now, they walk, talk, sit, drive, work, buy, eat, sleep and dream in an endless daily cycle.
At the end of the week, they may stare into the TV wondering “is there more than this perpetual treadmill?” and ask “What am I obviously missing here?” There’s restlessness like something is shifting or fragmenting. They don’t know what it is or what needs to change or even if it’s a good thing. Something deep inside is calling their true self to come out and play but they feel trapped in the way they are socially supposed to be.
Some of them tell me that they’ve come to the conclusion that they don’t know the one that’s been living their life. They just have no idea. Sometimes the emptiness is downright painful. Most of them hide it well (some very well and you’d never guess) but it’s deep…slowly eating their soul.
They’ve tried the latest self-help books and videos about affirmations, positive thinking and “the secrets” but they didn’t do the trick. They actually made them more confused. The hype hurts. Some have explored the “isms” and different philosophies, crystals, chakras, gone to healers, etc. Some have tried a religious path for awhile. For most, it’s helped them become calmer and more relaxed… but the big promised “aha” just hasn’t happened (they’ve been told it takes a long time).
And, for many of them, the whole guru/student thing gives them a rash so they’ve tried being an independent non-follower for awhile. But they’ve gotten lost and the truth is that the solitary approach feels incredibly lonely.
It’s not just that they’re alone. It’s that it feels lonely. It’s vital to remember that we’re talking to human beings. Their problems are not mechanical. They are deeply felt.
I’m guessing that, in some way, you can relate to this.
And if you can, this is what I want to say to you: What you really need to do is give up.
That’s right…give up trying to find the answers on the outside. These are just ideas, thoughts and concepts. They are in the head. They are like a menu. They are not the food. You need to take a 180 degree turn away from books and find a proven technique that will help you experience the truth for yourself. And let go of the idea that awakening takes a lifetime. That might just be another belief to become trapped in.
I know what it’s like…
Coming Home to the Amasssing Ladies Retreat in Gold Coast
What is Coming Home?
Coming Home is a simple but beautiful process that weaves together community and inner contemplation to bring you back to an experience of wholeness, completeness, peace and lightness. It’s like coming home after you have been lost for many years… only you come home to yourself.
Awakening
But here’s my best take at explaining it: This phenomenon of ‘coming home’ in the west has been called, by Abraham Maslow, “Unitive consciousness” or “Self-transcendence”. In eastern traditions it is labelled as awakening, enlightenment, illumination, self-realization, cosmic consciousness or satori. Just as technology has advanced in modern times, so too have spiritual and transformation techniques. When safe communication structure is added to the eastern method of contemplation, the results are remarkable. That moment of ‘coming home’ usually occurs to 30-90% of participants. Many of them are caught off guard and amazed at no longer having to spend months, years or even a lifetime to have that moment of ‘awakening’.
Is this just another “You’ll be happy for the rest of your life” thing?
To be realistic, awakening does not mean that you will no longer have any problems or you will be in a state of bliss or happiness for the rest of your life. What it does mean is that you will be living the rest of your life more from the inner strength of your real self and less from the insecurity of a social personality. You will be more able face and transform the obstacles of your life into valuable growth experiences and achieve the kind of success in life defined by who you really are, not others.
For me it’s this: Coming home to my true self (the real experience of it in my body not the theory of it) is the most precious gift I have ever given to myself. And because we all want to relate to others who are real, you are the best gift you can give to the world.
After our Amasssing Ladies Retreat participants commonly report feeling:
- More authentic
- Peace, contentment and lightness permeating their body
- Totally embodied as if they have finally come home to themselves
- Loving-kindness towards themselves and others
- Greater self-acceptance
- Psychologically whole
- More inner strength and inner resolve
- Freer to express themselves around others
- Improved intuitive ability
- Enhanced and balanced energy levels
Since joining Amasssing 12 months ago, I’ve retired from engineering, started my own copywriting and marketing strategy business, moved to Melbourne to run our manufacturing business, written my first solo-authored book and gained the confidence to speak on stage to over 120 business owners. - Irene Scott - Melbourne
Why can’t I just do this on my own?
This question can be answered with another question. If you were able to do this alone how come you are still searching?
And we’re back to the paradox: You have to do this by yourself but you don’t do it alone.
There is a great power in coming together as a group. The energy of the group is more than the sum of everyone’s individual energy. That energy propels you to make much greater progress than doing this on your own within the ongoing distractions in life.
Who the retreat is for?
- You are looking back on your life and wondering what it is all about?
- You are feeling empty and you are asking “who am I really?”
- There’s a sense of meaningless about life.
- You’ve been on a spiritual path for a long time and never had the big“AHA”
- You are a seeker and not interested in following a religion or taking on more beliefs
- You are able to take 4 days away from your job and family
- You resonate with what you’ve read here so far and feel open to exploring the process for yourself.
- You resonate with the idea that, deep down, we know (or are) the truth. We just often need support in finding it.
Are there any pre-requisites to take the retreat?
If you have not done any of our retreats before I ask that you attend this orientation call with me. Together we will explore where you are at in your life and what you want from the retreat to find out if we are a good fit.
I’ll explain the schedule, the guidelines and the self-inquiry technique used. I’ll go over any concerns you have about diet, accommodation and health challenges you may have and then you can decide if the retreat is a fit for you. There are no subtle sales techniques. I only want Women on the Amasssing Retreat who are right for it. It makes for a better retreat for everyone.
Remember to be amasssing,
Sandra Bravo
https://www.amasssing.com/retreat