I have been in the process of writing a book with the provisional title of “Awakenings are for Skeptics Too!” for about ten years on and off - mostly off. As I showed an early outline of the book to a meditator friend, he commented that it should include a section about my own path since that is what some readers will be most curious about. I omitted it at first because everybody’s path is different and reading about someone else’s path may distort your interpretation of your own experience. However, I have found, after sharing some of this story verbally with fellow practitioners, that it can be inspiring for some people to hear what is possible to have access to even as a lay practitioner. So, with the caveat that it is preferable to read several accounts of awakening from several authors, I include my own and make it available before the rest of the book is ready. Also, remember that this is a snapshot at the time of writing. Things are constantly evolving. There does not seem to be any end to awakening if you define awakening broadly enough. And that is good news!
In this chapter there is little interpretation, speculation, or attempt at relating this material to theory or to other authors’ experience. That is reserved for the rest of the book under production. This stand-alone chapter is an account of my own experience as well as I can remember it now, aided by my meditation journal.