In Demystified Mystic, Scott Ambrose, a trial attorney and lifelong student of spiritual practices, offers the route to enlightenment: how to get rooted, explore the whole self, and revel in connection, even in a busy life—no mountaintop retreat required (just a quiet space to “help us settle, focus, and reconnect”).
Through stabilization, purification, and expansion, anyone can raise his or her consciousness to “choose to live in alignment with universal wholeness,” notes the author. Ambrose starts with why readers may be feeling frustrated and lacking in purpose and notes that self-criticism, inner conflicts, and repressed emotions keep humans separated and suffering.
He moves on to the stabilization phase, training the mind and body to, among other things, settle through meditation and breathwork, feed and fast, and align with the day’s natural rhythm.
The purification phase includes uncovering and resolving hidden wounds and harnessing the power of forgiveness. The expansion phase allows for ego dissolution, “a transformative mystical process in which our usual sense of identity fades, allowing us to enter a deeper recognition of unity.”
This isn’t for those looking for a quick path to contentment. Ambrose is asking readers to “embark on the task of relinquishing our personal identity to merge with a connected source.” Mastering the mindset of a mystic will take years of study and practice.
It’s unfortunate that the author regularly digresses into the religious beliefs and scientific facts underlying many elements of this practice, which becomes tiresome and diverts attention from the actual work necessary to achieve a state of mind with incalculable benefits.
However, Ambrose is a steady, encouraging guide, offering practical advice and the exact steps to achieve various states— for example, Conscious Connected Breathing, “a master key to connection…and fundamental to the mystical path.” His book delivers inspiration for readers when energy flags or the busy world intrudes.
Overall, seekers will find this a useful guide to obtaining spiritual enlightenment.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.