Roots of consciousness . Nurturing neuro-divergence and Spirituality. Bridging Science and Spirit.
Invitations for Inquiry :
What if there is NO gap between neurodivergence and spirituality/ non- duality , and even science … and all the dichotomies are less rigid as we think of them ?
What if all challenges presented by ND community were to be understood based on a #EmpowerInformedPractice ? Rather merely on a #TraumaInformedPractices ? Can we hold both perspectives at once ?and how ?
What if we keep being curious so we discover together , more nuances of truth in our collective ? To keep returning to the land of humility and knowing nothing
Lastly , what if , we blindly trusted our Neurodivergence alongside our spiritual awakening experiences, to reveal nuanced , subtle , and incredibly creative ways of being lived by life , and ways that could contribute towards a revolution of the mind. A revolution of the heart . An opening of the infinite mystery.
From Conception to Creation- The process
#RootsofConsciousness. Nurturing the relationship between Neurodivergence and spirituality. Bridging the gap between science and spirituality .
(Link to the community here https://www.facebook.com/share/gJF53geANdV3r3HY/?mibextid=K35XfP )
This blog was birthed as an adjunct sharing of the creation of the community. It is marking my U - Turn back to whole of ME, and in this I hope to resonate with you too.
I have had to sit with buckets of resistance putting this out there . Fear of being seen, fully , whilst shedding the need to be seen. I wasn’t let to give it a pass though as I initially thought .
( A week before the idea of this communityI received a message in my dream “The tree of life , the tree of life , the tree of life” whispered /shared to me 3 times. It was clear upon waking up, that three times felt ( a knowing) significant but I wasn’t sure what this yet meant. I am used to not attaching to meaning and let things go whilst trusting that clarity will ensue,effortlessly , at the right time.
When the idea to create something to bridge this gap arrived , my mind tossed for a few months on its title or even on the motivation to action it. (#helloAdhd)
Then one day, I was sat on my sofa resting in silence and the dream emerged as a guide to inspire.
The title simply revealed itself through the “memory” of the dream. I still remained sceptical about the “three times Tree of Life”; which shown me that it was meant to be created as the third community created by me). It was then I knew I was being guided to action it. In surrender and trust life shows the direction .
The tree of life is a symbol found in Mythology and mystic studies . You can read about it at the site at the end of this blog , but Jung s says it beautifully.
The alchemist saw the union of opposites under the symbol of the tree… the symbol of the cosmic tree rooted in this world and growing up to heaven -- the tree that is also man. In the history of symbols this tree is described as the way of life itself, a growing into that which eternally is and does not change; which springs from the union of opposites and, by its eternal presence, also makes that union possible.” (Carl Jung, CW 9i, para. 198)
I am sharing my process as I trust a lot of ND people will relate to this way of living life following pure intuition. Authentically US. Process- Led is vital for my functioning in this world. May it be helpful.
WHO AM I ? TRUNK OF THE TREE
I’m Maria Kefalogianni, a weaver , an aspirant writer and contributor in the studies of consciousness and understanding of our true essence and more recently an (unexpected ) in writing mystic poetry. I am an embodied living paradox perpetually unfolding into the mystery of me.
What is experience of your host ?
In terms of my training background and experience : I am a qualified and experienced ®Presence Centred Psychotherapist with over 16years of practice ,a PCS PresenceCentred Supervisor , trainer in University of Salford , across MSc Bsc MSc Advanced studies programmes to qualify as : Psychotherapists And Supervisors in the field. I m keen to do more research in this field and I’m an aspirant writer in studies of consciousness .I am also sound healing practitioner with the voice and currently a non- dual guide/mentor . I have done some more training in Reiki and shamanism which I continued to integrate in my life . I have led many many groups in my so far clinical experience and I believe in community. The power in the individual AND collective . I am also a wife to an Irish man and a mother of 3 - enough to keep me grounded!!!!!!Feet on the Ground.
My ND diagnosis
I am Neurodivergent with official ADHD and self diagnosed Audhd. The journey has been both liberating and deeply grieving. I spent most of my life in emotional and sensory overload,stigmatised and shamed for my intense life force . Told that I’m too much too quickly , too honest , too forthright . Too much of a woman. I was plugged into a universal pulse from a very young age. Do not ask my why or how. I call it Grace, but it seems to be my path.
As an ND I have been blessed with the gifts of my neurodivergence which took time and a lot of shadow work to unravel. I am super duper aware of its challenges . There is a daily determination to align and balance body-mind-soul and alongside this an organic unfolding / undoing BACK into my essence , which is the human beyond the human.
Some of the challenges ( brain fatigue , burn out , sensory overload , angry / emotional outbursts and more ) are real and NOT to be dismissed, And I believe they are here to be reframed into our own very strengths, too.. I can speak from direct experience - only -
I do NOT dismiss science around ND nor medication for it. I let it inform me but not box me into the infinite of my true essence. Im an academic after all, and a forever curious learner and unlearner. My spirituality and spiritual practice has meant for me I never needed medication. It allows me to ground this life force gifted to me.
As I’m being unravelled and decolonised from a merely trauma informed perspective towards a deeper #empowerementInformedpractice ( which can deeply hold the wounding ) to a place that can hold and bridge both, I am being oriented by life from a deep sharp inner compass with deep embodied discernment. We must ground this expansion in our awareness / consciousness in our human form, but not limit out sense of self/knowing in the physical only, in the world of “form”. We can be BOTH/ AND , spirit and matter. A lot of contemplative traditions talk about the path to Self Realisation is steep and takes a inner willingness to discover the truth . I was obsessed with finding Truth since being a child .
I’m passionate in the evidence that we can gather from studies around consciousness ,spiritual emergency and spiritual emergence, alongside Neurodivergence and how the two can complement and/or support and enrich each other, and where that is not the case.
Science keeps our spirituality grounded. This to me is hugely important . Our FORM is the vessel through which we draw our infinite light in.
The ancestral Gifts - The ROOTS of my Tree
My homeland of origin is Crete. My ancestors were the most fantastic loomers, seamstresses and bakers (lineage of women) and shepherds, farmers (male lineage ); guided by nature in their daily wisdom and creativity. In both of my ancestral sides they were Lovers of music and dance. Celebration and joy from the heart is the signature trait of a Cretan life. I’m at a point in my life , after hollowing enough this bone / identity / self , through years of spiritual practice, incessant shadow work, where I am being weaved in their gifts and rooting deeper into my humanity- i hope! As my life s purpose is unfolding it feels fit that im the host of communities - a bridge maker a paradigm shifter.
I am being weaved in those gifts and I may not use real fabric but i use the fabric of existence given.The Cretan soul-runs in my veins and with a family lineage of singers/ in traditional Cretan music, it was no surprise to me to witness life taking me (literally by the hand) into the path of shamanism and In Particular exploring the potency of sound as a healing agent .
Spirituality was always my language as a child even though it was unbeknown to me ( I KNOW im NOT unique in this as an ND).. In my conscious seeking days, I used shamanic practices/ and the power of sound and overall my internal guidance/ compass as part of my unfolding and to meet life's hard challenges : my miscarriages , my births , deaths ,illness , ailments. To support and offer healing of family members, in physical proximity and distance. I cant claim i understand any of it. I just know it is something vaster than me.
Finding hope amidst chaos , love IN fear and resilience in suffering seems to always have been a consistent thread in my life since childhood despite the traumas endured ( I had good parents and the most golden chunk of trauma too) . Havent we all ?! The miracle of being a human, through our precious wounding.
I have lived in a liminal place , as my grounded reality since being a child ( unbeknown to me that was the gift of my ADHD and gift from Grace ). This liminality , I feel, is where our infinite creativity lies dormant as neurodivergence people . This is an ongoing deepening that requires me to remain humble , committed and surrendered whilst disciplined.
I m now living in the paradox of what non- duality talks about, in this for ever deepening of here and NOW.The continuous seamless flow of all our content of experiencing - thoughts sensations sounds.
Some research scientists like Isabel Clarke have written about this “transliminal “ reality we can tap to, on intention and with the right inner work/ and spiritual maturity. I could say this connection with something vaster than me , provided me the structure I never had , both as a child ( unboundaried / invisible / emotionally neglected) and in my spiritual practice.
It has saved my sanity and has been the main reason I never needed medication, though I’m remaining open to it . My always struggle for structure is now merely arising within the current of life. My duty is to follow it. Structure is emerging effortlessly with a simple intention! It’s work in progress but I had huge issues with structure!post it notes and reminders and alarm clocks - all of this collapses for me. It never worked . Now, I see structure emerging as the impulse of life and I marvel at this !if not feeling bemused !!!
The liminality of Spirit/God/Tao/Nature/ LIFE. The Branches of our Tree.
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature” Joseph Campell
This question WHO AM I, Self Inquiry, has been a contemplative practice of all of my life and more consciously since 2008.
In contemplative traditions this is called Spiritual Inquiry and is considered a Direct ~Path to Self-Realisation ( only the journey is not as direct as it sounds). As a child I was obsessed with finding Truth and had many moments to glimpse it as well as mystical experiences. I never used the word mystical as a child , but looking back it s now obvious. We play hide and seek with ourselves , as consciousness .
We all perhaps come to a point to ask this question , from a deeper place in our life . When this longing in us ignites , a conscious spiritual practice begins. “ Who am I” served and serves as my core practice over 17 years.
My journey has gifted me with myriad of small glimpses of deeper dimensions in our reality. Experiences of awakening, glimpses of oneness, non-separation, timeless awareness, out of body experiences and many other mystical experiences. Incomprehensible stories , for the logical mind.
Often people with ND might hide away such experiences, hidden behind the societal “stigma” of being Neurodirgent or mad. An onset of such experiences can also bring a turbulent time for the individual, without a kind of framework, or the right support understanding network around them. Sometimes we don’t take notice of them !!
This s what this group can provide . A space for YOU to inquire deeper. And Integrate deeper your own glimpses. To become curious again.
Two big awakenings occurred A kundalini awake ing and a few months after I awoke into the timelessness of my /this existence . This shift in consciousness back in 2019 left me profoundly shifted and changed, for ever. I didn’t even know this was called an awakening back then . It was spontaneous and not planned . It was a a gift from Grace . All I knew is that something profound occurred that my soul knew .
Likewise I knew little about the dark night of the souls that ensues after such schism in the psyche/ personality .
it blasted my mind and body open to an intense life force, which meant for a while i had to become a hermit from this world with many expansive mysterious and also disorienting experiences..
i had entered a place of spiritual emergency - emergencies ). A long deep dark night of the soul that lasted 2 years . It stripped me back to bare nothing. Back to basics. Back to my bare being . I was pregnant at the time and in the darkest place I had ever being , feeling suicidal. Grace was gifting me creation. Literally.
Despite the depth of this dark crystal clarity arrived that this was a clearing that was occurring purifying me from the inside . I knew in my soul this was necessary . Despite this I still took action to take all necessary steps and feel supported ( we hold the human AND root in spirit at once .
This experience is now continuing to integrate and deepen in my body, but all seeking for completion has left me.Literally. I was being made in my complete brokenness. there is such immense sense of freedom from the extra seeking. All this energy has been catapulted into creation driven from a force beyond me. It takes over . The path of embodiment (the middle path) is NOT about spiritually bypassing but finding LIGHT In the shadow. This a what we re here as ND community to do.
This experience ,in many ways led me right BACK to my senses .. precisely how I experienced my reality as a child. For a while, I became a porous being. Switching on the kettle and feeling its vibrations in my body should give you a glimpse of this. It was bluntly impossible to exist in the 3 D reality as before.
My story is intense and NOT all awakenings have to be this way.
Now here is the thing …
My ADHD diagnosis coincided during/ this dark night of the soul that ensued post this profound awakening experience. Interesting synchronicity right ?!
There is research evidence - which is increasing- to show that deep spiritual experiences change the brain wiring in our brain. I felt it happening !!!! Some might call this unmasking post diagnosis .However im also open to alternative truths.The academic side in me wants to understand the mystery whilst I’m at the same time quite surrendered to it. What paradox!
From talking to so many people and friends , it takes time for such experiences to integrate into our human body. So that the self that totally unequivocally collapsed after the awakening, could re integrate into a newer sense of self, in deeper alignment with deeper authentic beingness in the world/ deeper alignment with my souls purpose.
John Campell has talked on the Hero s journey , and journeying into the underworld . Had i not have done my inner work I imagine that would have been an even more debilitating experience.We must kiss mud to become the lotus we cherish.I am a forever living embodied paradox, deepening into the mystery of me.
Who have been my influences on the path as a seeker ( unconsciously and consciously)
Truly , Life has been my greatest teacher , I have had a few influences on the ( conscious) seeking path along the way such as : Mooji , more recently Adyashanti and finally some women teachers. Gangaji. MY latest teacher’s name was given to me in my sleep state. Then life brought on my path her ex boyfriend who introduced her to me. Life is indeed miraculous and the deeper we open the more effortless Grace flows through.
My ancestors guide me daily . Above all , truly, it was my own direct visceral bodily knowing , which has served and continues to serve as my greatest teacher. This goes hand in hand with the hypersensitivity that often ND community are associated with.
I remain fully aware that some people hold a lot of conditioning and wounding around their spirituality, It is a tender and we must show respect to the diversity of beliefs whilst holding on our own inner truth- have you discovered yours?-. I recognise my deep privilege in how i grew up, as Christian Orthodox, and not so much oppressed by my family member. . Im grateful to them. The way I define spirituality for the purposes of this blog and community is an ALL encompassing and all embracing/ / consciousness / Tao/ Buddha/ God , of our human Diversity . In contrast with religion it holds no authority to dictate what it is.
It leaves the door open for explorations . It includes it all, including excluding. It is the ultimate embrace of a Divine Mother- an archetype i deeply resonate and have worked with- that embraces all differences.
So bring all of you. In which ever way you express your spirituality . In which ever way you experience your neurodivergence.
Convergence points between Spirituality/Spiritual Awakening and Neurodivergence- my direct experience
There are many convergence points between a neurodivergent brain and a spiritual awakening process and how this impacts one person.
* : Expansive awareness and hyper sensitivity .
This is found BOTH in Neurodivergence AND Spiritual awakenings processes which often involve increased sensitivity to surroundings, energies, and emotions, which can feel overwhelming. In my story it took me a while to understand that my levels of anger in the house was a way to process at an emotional level the unexpressed grief and anger in my own household. I was the carrier of the ancestral wounds experienced at a deep level beyond my cognition. I had many experiences as a child . One memory that pops up is sitting on my living room floor listening to a cassette full of mourning songs - the creative intelligence of a child to release|!- and a crystal clear voice, my voice of intuition “ let it all out, its healing for you”. It was only when awakening into the timelessness of my true nature occurred that this voice made sense, that this was arising out of me as “consciousness” giving myself messages through the vessel of this human body. All along. All from a timeless NOW.
Being ADHD also meant that my sensitivity -alongside this awakening- has doubled in intensity. I trusted in time into my interoception sensitivity to follow this path. Or else we ll burn out. This path allows me too, to let go of any rigidity in the system and any fixations for pattern seeking, but harness these skills - like i do here- and align them into my soul s purpose.
2. Altered states of consciousness
Neurodivergence: ND people have a unique way to process and experience the world, such as hyperfocus or daydreaming or even going “blank” into no thought.
- Spiritual Awakening: Awakening can induce altered states of consciousness, including deep meditative states, heightened awareness, and mystical experiences- the latter has been the norm in my life.
Note: *The huperfocus and extreme sensitivity means that any spiritual practice we hold can deepen us in our path ( may this be worshiping the Earth or gardening or prayer and meditation) OR being rooted in the liminality of us.
*Note 2: Not having a rigid sense of self it means there s s space for new insights ideas and over seeing links that a or of people cannot see . This is a gift in its own right in being able to find solutions and being an out of the box thinker . I always recall being the child “ it depends” I simply could not think of a straight answer to a direct question. This was not a choice but the wiring of my brain. I used to be bullied for this , incredible gift.
For those with rigid tendencies spirituality helps to break that loop by hosting our awareness into the mystery of life . It requires willingness to begin with.
So many have may mystical experiences that our society would class as mad or crazy. I want to normalise all this, whilst also being rooted in the need for intervention when the time is right. I needed this once when i was experiencing a dark night of the soul.
3. Intense Emotions and Mood Swings:
- Neurodivergence: We live and breathe on an intense life force, its like we are plugged into an infinite universal tap, this inevitably brings an onset of challenges for us: grounding in the body, intenseemotional experiences and mood swings to say the least
- Spiritual Awakening: The process of awakening often includes intense emotional upheavals as old patterns and unresolved issues surface for healing. It is often reported, and from direct experience, that “doors are blusted” your old coping strategies vanisd/dissolve and you simply cant “manage” your feelings any more or you feel you cant be in control like before. This is not ncesssarily a pathology but because there s “more light” in the system to HOLD it. It usually are beliefs scripts and stories we still hold onto that keep blocking us in trusting fully and deeply our inner intuition.
4. Intuition and Insight
ND: Most Nd people that I know have super strong intuition and unique insights. A revelation to my mind in my own therapy was when my therapist told me “ Maria, you assume all people process at your depth , you need to meet people where they re at” . This is not to indulge me ( I wish i could switch off this bloody thing at times!) but to normalise the default processes for many ND .it is INTENSE.
In SA: there is a process where heightened intuition and profound insights come through,
About oneself the nature of reality, drawing information from a well within that you read back and wonder who was the one that wrote it. Phenomena such as : gnosis, knowing things before they happen can also occur here, psychic abilities energetic skills enhancing the already inherent intuition for ND community as well as bringing a whole array of other sensitivities and challenges
5. Search and obsession with authenticity
For both Nd community and in SA experiences, we are sickto our stomach with inauthenticity, that is because we have felt we are a misfit and that we are wrong in a “right” society.
Authenticity is also integral part for a conscious search for lasting inner peace
I would add here that this innate pull towards authentic living is often accompanied with a strong non comformist attitude, and perhaps difficulty or inability to perceive authority in a linear way .
6. Need for solitude and belonging
Both in ND community AND in people who are undergoing spiritual awakenng have an intense need for solitude. This is often because of the heightened ways of perceiving reality, the 100miles speed per second their brains function at .
We need timeto process and release and stuck up emotion in our bodies. In spiritual journeys it simply means its a way for the life force to clear our pathways so a deeper alignment of mind body soul emerges.
There s more points of convergence as am sure there are areas of difference.
rselves
What s on offer here 🙂
I never was one to Join groups. I was mainly alone on this path . I am offering a space here , to be open in inquiry about the ways in which consciousness , spirit is trying to reach through us , but we dismiss or not even take notice. I am a believer Nd community is so GIFTED with opening to this dimension but having said that it doesnt mean all will or can or even want. It is one of the purposes of this community to openly investigate and offer space for this bridging. Í want for yoú to receiveYOUR destined gifts.
In many ways post my awakening / unmasking of my diagnosis , life has been a really intense and messy process for me , yet abundant in its depth of creative expression ( this community that wants to form is part of this expression). Abundant in a new found depth of effortless joy, bliss, and love for the whole. I wear my heart on my sleeve and that can feel so tough at times.
YET peace is also all pervading stillness is deepening ( I even have phases of NO thought: Void. I never imagined this possible !)😅).
There s abrupt awakenings and more gradual unfolding . We can’t fully know why they occur this way.
My mission and passion is that more people recognise experiences they had and re build the trust in those but find the right peer support for their journey. Not everyone is on a conscious spiritual path . For the sake of definition I don’t separate spirituality to life . To me all is sacred . From the most dirty mud to the most gorgeous flower . We wouldn’t have been able to blossom without being immersed in the mud .
some people come to deep awakening through suffering some through spiritual path others spontaneously . All is welcome
Not everyone will agree with this community. It is not what i expect. But for those who resonate with these words, lets create a global village to ripple far and wide. Together.
Purpose of the community
Art the art of Stephanie Law
I’m an active part of the mycelium collective of our humanity threading together all that must come together in unity , celebration whilst standing rooted in our unique expression and difference ..I created this community to fulfil the role of a bridge maker ( the ancestral weaving skills serve me well here ). Through this inner work , we can delve into healing our intergenerational traumas for our families and descendants. I have seen the potency ofthi healing from direct experience. Imagine a world we all enter with discernment this depth of healing/alignment
I want to contribute towards bridging the gap between science and spirit. I am creating a community so it supports my owning journeying into clarity . There is , inevitably, a global movement of awakening of the heart that is occurring as well as the mind. The ways we have been used to conceptualise our sense of self, our humanity.
There is as i see, a shift in perception, we are invited each to answer. How do we see humanity?how do we see oneself ? It is a deeply epistemological turmoil, mental health is in crisis - i see this as deeply breaking through opportunity for us all .
Western and Eastern traditions are merging and we are expanding our limited Western privileged ways of viewing the world and ourselves . I’m in NO doubt or under no illusion that my journey is unique, AND as common as the sunlight, it’s collective as is personal.
In my journey , I mirror and share any gaps across neurodiversity and spirituality . From where im sat, it is clear to me, but thís s only me : I don’t see these as TWO but descriptions of one multifaceted dimensional reality .
This community isn’t about hierarchies but rather a radical inclusive heart .there s NO clear vision for it. Just sheer passion.
Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.
~ Rumi
I would LOVE to reframe the word neurodivergence as I intuitively feel that there is nothing to diverge from. This is a journey of return to our innate knowing , and YET our struggles are ALSO so real. . A journey of abolishing or be willing to let go of knowledge and immerse in knowingness
To begin letting go of the mastery and seek and immerse abide in the mystery that this life is
Other words I d love to choose are
Neuro emergence
Neuro expansion
Neurofluidity
Two new hashtags i created , feel free to use them
So many alternatives !
What benefits you can get by participating in our community ?
( Art image below Mia Churro)
cross collaborate on projects with people with similar passions like you
If you’re a researcher find a ready group of ND/ spiritual convergence and contribute to the shifting paradigm around studies of consciousness
Recognise and celebrate your unique creativity and expression of this : share this with our community and get the dopamine effect you need to get you going . We ll have share your art/ music/ poetry days .
Gain community support and resources on aspects of ND and spiritual awakening
Gain insights from a psychotherapeutic expertise in integration and grounding for the energy of creation to be embodied and anchored in you
Gain insights on usefulness of mindfulness and meditation that suits YOUR needs fused from principles of TIM - trauma informed mindfulness-
Gain and delve into various spiritual practices such as non dual self inquiry / heart inquiry sessions - group meetings and insights
No more hiding or feeling in isolation!share your adhd story and/ or your spiritual awakening story as an ND and get immediate support and resonance !
RIPPLE your gifts to the WORLD. Not just to be seen BUT to be of service.
REFERENCES/ LINKS
My other Two communities are below. They all link , weaved and are fused with the essence of interconnectedness of our essential essence , non duality . This is what integration means . To return wholly back to our true most authentic selves across all spans of life.
@OneHeartParenting on Facebook and
@Non dual Peer psychotherapy Network (psychotherapists , trainers/ supervisors non dual guides)
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