The draw toward awakening consciousness is as natural an urge and need as that for water, food, sleep and others you might list. We are not always awake to this urge and may at times create great suffering for ourselves through resistance, generally of an unconscious nature. Once we have a glimmer of this natural urge to awakening, we are at least, if not more comfortable with awakening, far less resistant to it, as our self-concept is now a partner in the process.
The trajectory of increased consciousness is not necessarily without conflict, however, and for some it may be accompanied by a hyper-sensitivity, a depression, an immobilizing physical condition for which no medical remedy can be found, or some other stuck state that prevents "normal" function.
Denise Richard, who has chosen Bowen as her new home, has created a very clear mapping of the process and the impasses that are typical to this journey. Through her book Love and Impasse, she takes a look at seven of the most challenging transitions in spiritual development. Her writing is clear, concise, and even lyrical at times. Moving between objective observation and narratives of real-life examples, a great depth of understanding is revealed. Denise's writing style is easy to read, however, the content, being so
deeply experiential rather than strictly theoretical, may require a second or third reading as it did for myself.
Having witnessed Denise's capacity to facilitate someone experiencing such an impasse, I can highly recommend her as a wise counsel and her book as a brilliant overview of the territory. Often just having a bigger picture can comfort us in uncomfortable terrain. Love and Impasse does just that, and the Bowen community is fortunate to have added to itself Denise's compassion and skills.
Richard Best
