Enlightenment Intensive and the Mind, Part 2

In the previous video I explained that the Enlightenment Intensive is structured to facilitate the revelation of your true self through contemplation and honest communication….. but due to the ego’s inhibition for telling the truth or it’s inclination to hide the truth ….a healing crisis arises in respect to who you are. In effect it is a battle between your True Nature and the egoic defence of your mistaken identification.
This crisis of identity and authentic relating began when you originally made a decision to not be or live from who you truly are. 
It was made innocently enough usually at a very young age, but continues to remain with you throughout life even if it is buried and unconscious.
And it lives with in you when you arrive at the Enlightenment Intensive. 
It’s a crisis of denying your true self and it takes place at a primal moment of trauma when you feel it is not safe to be in a body, to express yourself and to be who you are.  At that primal moment of fear toward others you become alienated from the Homeland of your being and wander in a spiritual and psychological diaspora leaving the abode of innocence and unconditional loving acceptance that is your birthright. 
   Charles Berner, the originator of the Enlightenment Intensive describes the denial of self and offers a metaphysical explanation of it’s origins in his book, You, God, Love, Life: Self Transformation Principles, It’s available on Amazon.
  The author and psychologist, Arthur Janov, offers a psychological origination for this split and describes the crisis that one suffers from this mind/body/spirit fracture in his book, The Primal Scream, that was first published in 1970.
  From the time of this fracture forward you do not relate and live from conscious, direct knowing. Instead of relating and communicating yourself directly, you relate yourself indirectly using attitudes, personalities and various states of being.  States of being like, “I’m not good enough.”  Or “Life is a struggle.”  Or “I’m not safe with those I love …..or it’s opposites…that is higher states of being that are more pleasant to be in, like I’m fantastic,..or I’m wonderful. Both are fake. ” 
You will use states of being or attitudes to communicate what it is about yourself that you want another to know.  These personalities or states of being are communication devices because there is an underlying fear in demonstrating your true self and being direct.  You fear being made wrong, being criticised, being denied.  You fear not existing.
   During the retreat you are encouraged to ‘continue contemplating’ on the object of your enlightenment and to take full responsibility, to the best of your ability, for what arises in your consciousness. This is what creates the intensity at the Enlightenment Intensive retreat.
Ramana Maharshi, the Twentieth Century’s non duality teacher and advocate of contemplating ‘Who Am I’ was one of the inspirations that inspired the creation of the Enlightenment Intensive.  He often said that the mind is like our shadow. Wherever we go, we take our mind with us.   He said that the mind is the obstacle to knowing the truth of yourself and wherever you go your mind will be with you and so you should always take the remedy of self enquiry with you. 
   The Enlightenment Intensive is always a valuable growth experience because of the power and value of contemplation combined with communication. 
In the next talk, Part 3, I’ll continue sharing with you about what may arise in your awareness at the Enlightenment Intensive.