First of a two-part series from, “The Edge” magazine, by Tim Miejan

In this age of heightened security, global uncertainty and climatic change, many spiritual teachers and guides continue to lead the human race toward conscious evolution. Leonard Jacobson is one such awakened soul who urges us to temper the desire of the ego for power and control, and to “integrate awakened consciousness into everyday life, enhancing every aspect of life and relationships.”

Jacobson, 65, has been guiding people on the path of awakening for more than 20 years through three previous books [Words from Silence, Embracing the Present, and Bridging Heaven & Earth] and workshops in the U.S., Europe and his native Australia. In 2007, he brought to us the book Journey Into Now – Clear Guidance on the Path of Spiritual Awakening (Conscious Living Publication) in which he shares the details of his six remarkable awakenings, or peak experiences, and guides the reader out of the mind and into the present moment.

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Second of a two-part series from, “The Edge” magazine, by Tim Miejan

In the conclusion of this interview, Jacobson speaks with us about duality, the role of religion in the process of awakening, and about belief in God.

How would you describe the current state of human consciousness in terms of its level of awakening? Is it easier to awaken now than in the past? Are more people awakening?

LJ: Absolutely! I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, since my first awakening. In those early days of teaching, I would have to work with people for a year or so, for them to really open into Presence and Oneness, but now that process is rapidly accelerating. In just one day or a weekend, people can have a very deep and lasting experience of the awakened state. People are much more interested in being present today than they were 25 years ago.

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Leonard Jacobson explains how we leave the present moment, become imprisoned by thought forms and function in the world as egos. He describes a second level of ego, which is completely independent of us and reveals the way to overcome its dominance in our lives.

We are living in difficult times. We are in the throes of a financial, environmental and social crisis, which we have brought upon ourselves, as a result of our unconsciousness. But a crisis is also an opportunity. It depends on how we respond.

Greed and self interest prevail upon this planet. Unconsciousness prevails. The way of the ego prevails. We believe in our beliefs, which then define us and limit us. We live in a remembered past or an imagined future, and we miss the only life that is really available to us, which is the present moment. We are constantly absorbed in thought and we do not realize that we are lost in illusion, nor do we have any sense of the implications of that simple truth.

We are the dreamers, dreaming that we are awake?

What will it take for us to awaken. What will it take to shake us out of our dream?

I have observed over the years that very few people have any interest in awakening from a happy dream. If things are going well, and the stock market is booming, and life is full of happy memories and a promising future, why would anyone choose to wake up out of that dream? I have also observed that when the dream becomes unbearable and full of suffering, most people simply try to change the dream. They live in the hope of a happier dream. They too have little interest in awakening from the dream.

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