Blog 1: The Illusion of the "Perfect" Awakening
- Petal Nedved
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 21
The Enlightenment Illusion: Beyond the Search and Reconnecting to Your True Self
The Illusion of the "Perfect" Awakening
Many people searching for enlightenment believe it will finally bring them the lasting peace, joy, and freedom they have been seeking.
The expectation that enlightenment is a grand, life-changing moment that will dissolve all struggles.
Where do these ideas come from? Books, videos, teachings, or others’ experiences?
How the belief in a "perfect" awakening creates an invisible roadblock on your path.
What if enlightenment isn’t something to attain, but something that was never lost?
The Common Path: Looking for Enlightenment Outside of Yourself
Many seekers start their journey by looking outward. They read books, watch videos, follow spiritual teachers, and immerse themselves in stories of enlightenment. They search for the roadmap, the step-by-step guide, or the "right" path that will lead them to awakening.
But where did these ideas come from? Are they truly your own, or are they borrowed from someone else's experience?
The Hidden Trap: Chasing Someone Else’s Truth
When we search for enlightenment through external sources, we unknowingly create an expectation of what it should be. We absorb the stories of others and believe that our journey must follow the same pattern. We begin chasing an idea, a feeling, or an experience that may not even be true for us.
This external search creates an illusion—the belief that enlightenment is something to reach, rather than something to recognize.
A Different Approach: Listening to Your Own Truth
When my journey began, I was guided inward. It was unsettling, but I followed it—into the unknown, trusting the process. And something incredible happened—I started listening to the truth that had been with me all along.
A Question for Reflection
What if true enlightenment isn’t about adding more knowledge but about stripping away everything that isn’t yours?
"If enlightenment isn’t to be achieved, but to realize, then why does it feel out of reach? Could it be that the very search itself—this endless seeking, striving, and chasing—has become the greatest distraction of all? In the next post, we’ll explore how the mind’s habit of searching keeps you stuck in the illusion of ‘almost there,’ and what happens when you stop looking for something outside yourself."
The Search That Keeps You Stuck (Next Blog)
Why do people spend years searching but never feel "there"?
The mind’s habit of seeking as a distraction.
Chasing experiences vs. recognizing what is already here.
What happens when you stop searching?
