Therapeutic awakening, like life, is essentially paradoxical.  It balances, reconciles, integrates, and coordinates the seemingly incompatible pairs of opposites that compromise what we call “reality.”  Each moment, life serves up packages of dilemma, only, not black-and-white certainty.

Paradox is a “both-and,” compromising, and integrating type of awareness (“Paradoxese”), which can make sense of these contradictions.  It supplements and cooperates with the more prevalent “either-or,” splitting, and perfectionistic style of reasoning (“Linearese”).  Paradox is dynamic,  present, versatile, poetic, humorous, and adaptive.

Examples of such pardoxes include, “The situation is hopeless, but not serious”; “Enlightenment is free, but it will cost you everything”; and “No delusion, no awakening.”  We’re all so mistaken during the first decades.  It’s nothing personal.

Higher awareness or consciousness is, and will remain, uncommon.  It is an acquired taste and skill, requiring training, practice, forgiveness, and, above all, a gentle sense of humor.  It takes time to mature into such profound, higher consciousness.  In addition, and unfortunately, you can’t “get it” for others.