Michael Bernard Beckwith thinks he inherited some of his mother's psychic gifts, and that they showed up early. He remembers a sixth-grade assignment to plant a garden, pulling a radish from the soil, biting into it, and realising in that instant that everything was in this radish. He did not have the language for it. He ran inside to tell his mother, who said yes, Michael, uh-huh. There were other experiences growing up, and he shrank every one of them. He wanted to be normal. That did not work. At USC the experiences returned, and with them a recurring dream. Three men were chasing him, and every night they came a little closer, until one night two of them held him down. Behind him, thousands of people were trying to fit into a small tent, and he knew all of them, his friends, who would surely help. One by one they turned their backs. Then the third man drove a knife into his heart. The pain was excruciating, and he died. And when he woke, he found everything around him surrounded by what he calls God love beauty, a love so intense and a beauty so far beyond description that he never returned to ordinary perception afterwards. Tami Simon asks what he makes of the difference between an awakening like that and the gradual kind most people describe. Most are gradual, he agrees, and his was dramatic. But looking back, it had been trying to happen since childhood, and he had kept pushing it away because he did not know what it was. Nobody needs it the dramatic way. Begin a spiritual practice, he says, and some unfolding of the soul will follow. The dramatic version came at a cost. He lost almost every friend he had. Michael freaked out on Jesus, they said, he is not the same person, which was true. His priorities had changed completely. And the awakening did not stop there. Twenty years on he is different again, still awakening, more awake now than then. He gives a recent example, and tells it as he experienced it. Last January, meditating on a couch before a class, he opened his eyes and could not see. He was engulfed in light, an ecstasy that was all-encompassing, and he called colleagues in to help. The class was postponed. After a few moments he could see the two people in front of him, and the light, and within each of them what he describes as a fountain of light that was simply who they were. When we say we are the light, he insists, it is not metaphor and it is not poetry. We are luminous. His sight returned, he taught the class, and through meditation, he says, an experience like that becomes integrated. You arrive at a new norm. Want to go deeper with Michael Bernard Beckwith? Join Sounds True One for more teachings like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d