263. T Jonathon Proctor

T Jonathon Proctor is the creator of Being Real—Being Embodied. He works with individuals and groups to balance and integrate the “ascending” currents of awakening and the “descending” maturation of embodiment. T has a background in physical therapy and bodywork, Vipassana meditation and non-dual realization and has spent the last decade as a student of the Diamond Approach. His own journey, his work with others, and years of experience as a Hospice bereavement facilitator have inspired a deep appreciation for the individual narrative as a well of meaning; seeing self-understanding as a powerful movement of compassion. His orientation arises out of a heartfelt knowing that every aspect of our human experience is essential to the process of Awakening and Self-realization. Embodiment is functional awakening. Being Real—Being Embodied is designed to integrate the boundless presence of Essential Being into the ordinary life of the individual. Instant awakening(s) may occur but it is a myth that total ego annihilation and transformation certainly follow. This is demonstrated in the lives of gurus and teachers who, while undeniably awakened, make a mess of their own and others’ lives. Awakening and embodiment have a reciprocal relationship. Put in a simple way Awakening is absence and Embodiment is presence. Awakening reveals the emptiness of separate selfhood. We awaken from thoughts, emotion, relationship, history, roles and body as our ultimate identity. As these awakenings happen space becomes available for the various qualities and capacities of Being—intelligence, strength, discrimination, compassion, love and presence—to transform the individual. Embodiment calls us to transform our shadow; meaning our inner animal, wounded child, our hidden trauma, and even our drive for destruction. We are further enjoined to cultivate our capacity in the world—in work, in community, in love, and in play. The individual person becomes more real, a movement of unified reality rather than an island of ego. This is a process in time that requires devotion, sincerity, and humility. We as individual human beings live as the meaning of Being. Website: beingrealnow.org Transcript of this interview Interview recorded 10/26/2014 T Jonathon Proctor in panel discussion: Birthing Radiant Being into Our Humanity YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction: T. Proctor and Being Embodied 00:02:47 - The Experience of Not Being a Person 00:05:04 - Mental Pathologies and Fragmented Self 00:07:21 - Fragmentation and Integration 00:09:52 - The Power of Spiritual Practices 00:12:25 - Pathologies in Different Buddhist Traditions 00:14:41 - Overcoming Fear and Finding Stillness 00:16:53 - The Physiology of Enlightenment 00:19:31 - Embodiment and Transformation of Consciousness 00:21:59 - The Cycles of Integration and Transformation 00:23:59 - Awakening and Returning to the World 00:26:10 - Discovering My True Self 00:27:59 - The challenges of integrating spiritual practice with worldly life 00:29:53 - The Growth and Development of Awakening 00:31:43 - The Frustration of Connecting with Skeptics 00:34:01 - Awakening the Heart 00:36:19 - The Importance of Validation and Verification of Awakening Experiences 00:38:20 - The Two Specialties of Waking Up and Embodying 00:40:24 - Awakening and Enlightened Relationships 00:42:45 - Walking around with tombstones in their eyes 00:45:49 - A Global Awakening 00:47:59 - Living with a Prayer 00:50:21 - Coming Into Deeper Contact with Ourselves 00:53:01 - The capacity for integration and regulation 00:55:50 - Giving Away Your Power, Reverence, and Equality of Being 00:58:30 - The Total Equality of Being 01:00:40 - Leveling the playing field and standing on one's own responsibility 01:03:04 - Devotion and the Evolution of Religion 01:05:49 - The Importance of Embodiment