‘Live your Passion!

’
For all people who want to discover and live their Passions.
This handbook guides you in living from ‘Heart and Soul’.

Martijn Raaijmakers
Every person can fully experience Passion
at each moment in his or her life
‘Live your Passion’

United by Passion Foundation

Internet : www.unitedbypassion.com

Information
For more information about Speaking, Writing and Coaching by Martijn Raaijmakers,
please visit the website www.unitedbypassion.com

Concept, text and photography

© Martijn Raaijmakers

Cover concept and design

Martijn Raaijmakers and Steven Broeren / Zichtbaar Graphic Design

Translation
Jeroen van Swaaij / Pen and Sword Translation Services

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other che-
mical, electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain
other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write
to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address above.

With all my Heart, Thank You, Tom Kokke!

This English publication of ‘Live your Passion’
would not have been possible without you.

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Table of contents

Preface 7
Reader’s guidelines 12
The contents of this book 16

‘Waking Up’
Definition of Passion 22
Spiritual growth 23
The Passion Pyramid 26
Expanding awareness 34
The awareness ladder 44
The path to an enlightened society 56
Harmony 60

The Passion of the Heart

The seven Passion Drives 66
Core-Gifts 72
Core-Values 78
Core-Activities 84
Core-Beliefs 90
Core Growth 98
Core-Contribution 116
Core-Contact 122
Putting the Passion of the Heart to practice 132

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The Passion of the Soul
Essence of the Passion of the Soul 144
Always realizable 148
Connected without limits 152
Ending the primal entanglement 160
From relaxing to Being 166
Waking up and being free in now-awareness 170
Breath journey 174
The sense of ‘I am’ 178
Focusing awareness 182
All forms are objects of awareness 186
Separating the observer from the observed 188
World 192
Thinking 196
Feeling 204
Getting tangled up in forms 210
Pain and gain, two sides of the same medal 214
‘Presence’ 220
Meditation 226
Position of your Soul 232
Putting the Passion of the Soul to practice 236

Brief summary
Brief summary 244

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It is the 21st century’s turn now
‘Living history’ 254
The ‘positional dance’ 256
Necessity 266
Intelligence 270
Reforming from now-awareness 274
The new leader is a passionate guide 280

In closing
Afterword 286
United by Passion Foundation 290
List of works cited 292
Supplementary questions 293

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Preface

‘Who am I?’

This is a question that matters to all of us, including you as the reader
of this book. It is an essential question. This book will direct you on
your way to finding the answer. Two answers are possible. The first
answer, which is also the best answer, is the same for all people: ‘I am’.
Of course, I realize that this will strike you as a rather vague answer, if
you’ve just begun reading this book. A second option is perhaps more
recognizable. It is simply stating your name and telling ‘something con-
crete’ about yourself. I might say: ‘I am Martijn Raaijmakers, author
of this book on Passion’. Actually, your answer to the question of ‘Who
am I?’ can come from two different layers. These are different layers of
awareness. Your Passions are connected to them.

As soon as you know what your passions are, you will know who you
are as well. Once you know that, you can be yourself. Once you know
that, you can truly become yourself. Sadly, however, so many people
are unable to answer the question, ‘What are my Passions’. Despite be-
lieving that living their Passions is essential for a fulfilling life, they find
themselves drifting further and further from them. And once Passion
starts to fade into the background, you run the risk of letting life pass
you by in a blur. Soulfulness will remain hidden, and your inner fire will
be reduced to a tiny spark.

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I have lived like this for a long time. I was unaware, and all I did was
try to keep my head above water. I experienced moments of beauty, as
well as very difficult and often lonely moments. I was lonely because
I chose not to talk about it with other people. In a way, I was an
Olympic Gold Medalist in repressing feelings of ‘sadness, anger and
disappointment’. Sometimes, I would make myself bigger than I
really was, hoping that I would be seen and heard. I was hoping to
experience self-esteem, to feel stronger. I was so focused on the out-
side world that I tended to forget about my inner world. All because I
was hoping to find my Passion in the outside world.

Only when I turned my gaze inward, did searching turn into finding.
Intuitively, I then realized that through all my years of personal and
professional experience, in providing leadership and working with
hundreds of managers and directors, I could really make a difference. I
could do this because I believe(d) in the following principles: Everyone
wants to be happy. That is connected with our desire to live and work
with ‘Heart and Soul’. We want to be strong, feel free, live consciously
and aware, enjoy. We want to know our Passions from deep within and
draw upon them in our communication, our relationships, our work and
in leadership. I wanted to provide a professional answer to help and
support people in fulfilling precisely these essential requirements. It felt
(and still does) like a calling. Providing professional services aimed at
motivation, leadership, HRM, communication, teamspirit, career advice
and sustainability, where the starting point is Passion. The ultimate

8
goal; a world society that lives with ‘Heart and Soul’.

This is how I started up my own business in 2001, which eventually

gave rise to the United by Passion Foundation. Right after starting my
own business, I suddenly and ‘intuitively’ envisioned a pyramid. I im-
mediately knew it was a model for an outlook on life that was full of
meaning. Soon, the pyramid received a name: ‘The Passion Pyramid’.
Over the years that followed, this model for an outlook on life served
as the foundation, on which the entire Passionary’s outlook on Passion
unfolded. This was based on many experiences in my own life. Step by
step, I was growing more aware, more ‘awake’.

From the very start, I shared my insights about Passion with all the
people around me. Among them were people I was guiding in my work
as a Passionary. By 2010, the year in which the Passionary’s outlook
on Passion was completed by experience, I had been guiding many
hundreds of individuals and a substantial number of teams. By doing
so, I discovered the universal value of the Passionary’s outlook on
Passion. It brings anyone who is truly willing to be open to it, anywhere
in the world, to the experience of Passion. Nobody is an exception to
this!

The process by which this outlook presented itself to me, reached a

climax in April 2010. I was with my colleagues when I had a series of
flashes of inspiration. I was intuitively being ‘called’ to travel to Nepal,

9
‘inviting’ me to let go of my life in the Netherlands for a few months.
My professional life as well as my private life. I decided to act upon this
call. I was fully supported by my family, my business associate, and
my colleagues. A week and a half later, I was on a plane heading for
Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Leaving my family behind all of sudden
was hard emotionally, but I knew intuitively that this was the right
thing to do. I sensed that this voyage was linked to my life’s destiny.

Nepal brought a number of special experiences to me. The most impor-

tant of these occurred in a cave at about 4,000-metre altitude, which
had sheltered a Tibetan yogi known as Mirepa in the 11th century.
The picture on the cover of this book was taken near that cave. In it,
I experienced a profound deepening, or expansion as I prefer to call
it, of my awareness. This experience of awareness caused a very real
and lasting change in my life. Ever since that moment, I feel deeply
rooted in Being.

In that cave, I also became aware that it was time to start writing this
book about Passion. As soon as I returned from Nepal, I dedicated
myself to this task entirely. After a ten-year period, the Passionary’s
outlook on Passion was complete. It had been totally lived through
in all of its facets. The time had come to collect all the insights about
Passion in a book and share them with as many people as possible.
You, the reader of this book, are one of them. From the bottom of my

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Heart, I honestly hope that this book will help you experience as much
Passion in your life as possible. That has been my intention from the
start.

Since my Passionary’s outlook on Passion came about in Nepal, you will

find photo’s taken on my journey through the Himalaya illustrating this
book. The contents of what I wrote down in this book have ‘taken me
home’. I have been allowed to experience this wealth of insights step
by step over the past decade. For that, I am grateful. Now it is time
to share it with you. The fact that you are holding this book right now,
means that you are ready to receive and absorb these insights. This has
nothing to do with your age. After all, ‘it is never too late or too early
to live your Passions!’

Namasté, Martijn Raaijmakers

2011, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

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Reader’s guidelines

Every person can fully experience Passion in his or her life. This applies
to you too. Of course, it helps if you know how to do it. This book will
support you in doing so. The words you read, will guide you. They are
simply signposts along the road to personal experience. This is how
you will discover your passions and make them more profound!

First, I want to invite you to clear some inner space. You can do this by
letting go of your ‘existing’ notions for now. By doing so, you will open
yourself up to the adventure you are about to embark on. This will
allow new experiences to actually reach your awareness. As long as
your inner door is closed, new experiences may come knocking, but
you will be unable to experience them. They simply cannot enter.

For now, regard this book as an experiment. In it, you see for yourself
what the ‘Passionary’s outlook on Passion’ means for you personally,
and how it affects you. The best way of doing that is fully engaging
in the adventure with an open mind. My use of the word experiment
is intentional here. Once the experiment is finished, it is up to you to
decide what to do with all of your experiences.

From now on, there is one specific idea that you can let go of. That idea
is the ‘classical’ notion of Passion. There is a misunderstanding about

12
Passion in our society. Many people regard their Passion as a single
thing or a single form. Based on this notion, they start to look for their
Passion outside of themselves. They try to find that one form that fits.
This approach is hardly successful. You will keep on searching, without
finding anything.

This book, by contrast, guides you inward. This is the only place where
searching makes way for finding. That is how Passion enters your
awareness from within. You will discover that Passion is much more
than just one form. As you continue reading, you will grow fully aware
of the true meaning of Passion. This is a very real insight. It will enable
you to fully live your Passions.

Living your Passions means ‘awakened’ living. Your own experiences

will make this clear as you make your way through this book. The
awareness exercises, included throughout the text, will help you at it.
That is why I want to urge you to consider doing these exercises. They
will support you in living life from ‘Heart and Soul’. Or, as I prefer to call
it, from the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul.

‘Live your Passion!’ is a guidebook that guides you towards the expe-
rience of Passion. The book is meant to be used in an active way. By
all means, please work with it as you prefer. Some will read the whole
book with ease and put it into practice without too much effort. Others
may run into bumps along the way, as could happen in the section on

13
the Passion of the Soul, for instance. Please don’t worry if this is the
case for you. It is perfectly all right to encounter obstacles on your way.
Simply leave that particular section for later. Work with the insights you
have gained so far. Allow them to take root inside you, talk about them
with other people, and fit these insights into your everyday life. When
you feel an impulse to reread a specific section, then by all means do
so. Practice the awareness exercises and repeat them. Notice how all
of this affects you.

Then, after taking a break for a day, a week, a month, or even a year,
when you feel you want to pick up reading from the point where you
ran into that bump, follow your impulse. You may well notice that you
can read on with ease, without any further bumps in the road. Some-
how, you will recognize the insights you read about. You will feel the
need to spend more time on them. Simply because you are ready to
do so at that moment.

As you proceed, you will gradually expand your awareness further and
further. You keep on ‘waking up’. Then, suddenly, you get to the point
of total awakening and become fully aware. That is the point at which
you have realized the highest state of awareness. This will feel like
‘coming home’ for you too. The Soul that you are has come home. You
melt away into ‘Being-Aware’, experiencing the radiance and the infini-
tely profound inner peace that comes with it.

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This experience of awareness is vitally important for you. You ex-
perience how you are connected with everything there is. In full
awareness, you will discover who you really are. This ‘awakened’ state
of awareness will flow out into your everyday life, too. Increasingly,
you will be present ‘in the here and now’ , witnessing what is there
at each moment. ‘Awake’ and connected to Being, you will live every
moment straight from the Heart to the best of your ability. You practice
the art of living from ‘Heart and Soul’, which will make you a source of
inspiration to others in turn.

Enjoy your experiences!

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The contents of this book

What is the true meaning of Passion? What does Passion have to do

with ‘awakened’ living? Which two types of Passion do you carry inside
you? What drives you and how can you map this clearly? What is your
true face; who are you really? How to live from ‘Heart and Soul’ in
everyday life?

All of these questions are answered throughout this book. Practical

examples are included throughout the text, clarifying the Passionary’s
outlook on Passion described. The book has been compiled using a
logical structure. This allows you to take in all of the insights, step
by step. This is why I suggest reading this book from start to finish,
when you read it for the first time. By the end of the book, you will
come across a summary, restating the essence of this work on Passion.
I have tried to make it as easy as possible for you, to discover your
Passions, and start to live them.

The common thread

The theme of this book follows a common thread, which will help you
improve the quality of your life.

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Definition of Passion
Gives you an insight into what Passion is. The definition is phrased in a
single sentence. Reading this sentence will help you to get a clear idea
of the essence of Passion. This enables you to focus your awareness
on it.

The Passion Pyramid

Gives you an insight into the picture of yourself as a passionate per-
son. This model for an outlook on life shows you the meaning of your
human existence in a single glance. It allows you to see all dimensions
of yourself. Acknowledging these dimensions and maintaining them will
make you feel a sense of harmony.

The awareness ladder

Gives you an insight into the fact that Passion is closely connected
to awareness. You understand how Passion builds up as awareness
grows. The model of ‘the awareness ladder’ shows you four different
levels. They provide a pathway to expand your own awareness.

The Passion of the heart

Gives you an insight into the seven universal Passion drives. You
discover how you can live from the Heart, as any other person can
anywhere in the world. Using these Passion drives, you will map your
own Passion of the Heart on a large sheet of paper. This will then serve
as your personal compass. It shows you the specific inner conditions in

17
which the energy of your personality is able to flow freely. When you
live these inner conditions, your personality will flourish. Regardless
of your life circumstances, you will begin to commit yourself to this in
everyday life. It makes you live more from the Heart, with every step
you take.

The Passion of the Soul

Gives you an insight into your true identity and your true Self.
Repeating the awareness exercises will lead you to your own essential
discovery of these. Being connected with your true Self will result in
the experience of radiant and infinitely profound inner peace, flowing
into your awareness. An inner peace that is always and unconditionally
present deep within you. It is there whether times are good or bad,
in the life of your personality. This realization will make you live this
Passion ever more intensely. This will make you live ever more ‘awake-
ned’, causing you to spread a radiant glow. You will become a source of
inspiration to other people.

21st century - it’s your turn

Gives you an insight into why it is crucial to make as many members
of society as possible discover their Passions, and live their Passions,
in the shortest possible time span. You will become aware of your own
meaningful contribution to this process. By living with ‘Heart and Soul’
yourself, as much as you can. And in this, you are not alone. The leader
of the 21st century - the new kind of leader - is following this inner

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flow as well. Such a leader uses this flow as the basis for unconditional
commitment, to guiding others towards an ‘awakened’ life. This calls
for major change and reform in our society, of which the new leader
is aware. This is the only way to break through the barrier of ‘living
history’, which stands in the way of experiencing Passion. In this way,
collective space will be created for a new experience - one that is linked
to the very core of every human being; a core that is all about Passion!

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20
‘Waking Up’
21
 Passion
is experiencing that which,
deep down inside
at your very core,
you truly wish to experience.

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Spiritual growth

Today, many people still feel uneasy about the word spirituality. This is
caused by several factors. People are often fearful, for instance, about
how their lives could change once they start developing spiritually.
Without being aware of it, their ego can be a major influence here. This
is because the ego knows that spiritual development will eventually
lead to its unmasking. This happens when you discover by your own
experience that your true nature is pure awareness. In other words,
you experience that your personality is not your true identity. The ego
fears this discovery, as it worries about its continued existence.

Many people automatically link the concept of spirituality with speci-

fic subjects and negative experiences; such as religious movements,
clairvoyants, magazines or perhaps just people from their own envi-
ronment. This is sad, because if you find spirituality a tough concept,
you will generally be less open or completely closed to what makes life
meaningful. You will easily become trapped in patterns that you are not
aware of. These patterns bring pain and suffering, and make them last.

This is why people often say ‘spirituality is woolly’, or ‘I’m too down-
to-earth for that’. These perceptions frequently block the experience
of Passion. Because let’s face it: as long as these thoughts about
spirituality occupy your mind, how willing are you really to engage in
an experiment? Could you be completely open to new experiences?

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Practical experience shows that your chances are very slim at best.
You will be unaware of how new experiences are automatically being
rejected. This is a pity because after all, spirituality simply means living
life from ‘Heart and Soul’. In other words, living the Passion of the
Heart and the Passion of the Soul.

Personally experiencing these Passions is crucial. This book comes from

personal experience and its goal is to give you an opportunity to have
your own experiences. The notion of awareness is the key concept
here. You can make awareness grow. You can expand awareness, if
you really open up to it. You need a real interest in your true nature
and to be willing to commit yourself to it. The fact that you are hol-
ding and reading this book right now, shows that you are ready for it.
Apparently, you are ready to let more Passion flow in your life!

The experience of Passion does not have to be limited to certain spe-

cial moments in life that happen accidentally. You could choose to
live like that, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Gaining insight into
your Passions gives you a chance to start working with them, actively
living your Passions anytime, anywhere. Random life situations, will no
longer distract you from your Passions. On the contrary, you will
use every situation to express your Passions. That is a spiritual life.
Of course, this will not happen overnight. As you ‘do’ and ‘put into
practice’ what is described in this book, there will be perfect moments
as well as imperfect ones. Use these imperfect moments to feed your

24
growth. Accept it as it is and become more aware. Spiritual growth
means expanding your awareness. You will climb the steps of the
‘awareness ladder’. You are ‘waking up’. Moments of imperfection are
a part of this too. Becoming aware of them, gives you an opportunity
for taking the next step in the process of living your Passions more
strongly.

Depth of your breathing

Take a moment to investigate your breathing as it is right now. How
deep does your breathing go? Notice how each inhalation and exha-
lation passes, without changing anything. Perhaps your breathing is
located high up, with each breath ending in your upper chest. Your
breathing may be fast-paced. Or it may be very calm, if you breathe all
the way down to your lower abdomen. Be aware of your breathing as
it is right now. Repeat this awareness exercise a few times every day.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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 Physical Thinking
body (thoughts)

Soul

Feeling Non-physical
(feelings) body

Model 1: The Passion Pyramid

The Passion Pyramid

The Passion Pyramid shows how you look as a passionate person. It

is a model of an outlook on life, telling you what your being-human
consists of, in one single glance. It makes you see all the dimensions
of yourself. By acknowledging and maintaining these dimensions, you
will feel harmony and wholeness. The Passion Pyramid is the central

26
instrument, to help you know yourself and live your Passions. That is
why the entire ‘Passionary’s outlook on Passion’ is linked to it. You can
use this model as your personal compass. Once you know everything
this outlook on life entails, The Passion Pyramid will serve as a remin-
der of everything this outlook represents. As such, it will guide you on
the path of your life. This is because it shows you who you are, and
what you can do to let your Passions flow freely.

Everything about The Passion Pyramid has meaning and is associated

with elements of this outlook on life. The tip has meaning, as do the
corners, the base, and the top section. These are the visible parts
that make up the pyramid. Together, they show you what your ‘being-
human’ means. They make you aware of ‘who you are’.

The base of The Passion Pyramid, symbol of your personality.

The Passion Pyramid stands firmly. This firmness comes from the four
lower corners, making up its base area. This base surface represents
your personality. Each of the four corners, indicates a specific dimen-
sion of your personality.

Corner 1: physical body

The first randomly selected corner of The Passion Pyramid, symbolizes
the dimension of your physical body. This is the most tangible element
of your personality. After all, your body is something you can grab hold
of and touch. It is a tangible ‘thing’. You could regard your body as a

27
‘vehicle’, because you can use it to move around from one place to
the next. You could also regard your body as an ‘instrument’, used to
perform specific actions. Whatever you feel or think in your head, can
be expressed by using your body. For example, you could tell about
‘something’, or write something down, or make something. Your body
makes all these things possible, provided that it is working correctly of
course. We have partial control over the performance of our body. We
can influence it in a positive way, by taking good care of it. If we care
for it, our body’s physical condition will benefit.

Corner 2: non-physical body

If you rotate the pyramid by 180 degrees, you will see another corner
directly across from the corner of the physical body. This corner sym-
bolizes the opposite of your physical body. The opposite of physical
is non-physical. Therefore, the opposite of your physical body is your
non-physical body. Synonyms are used for it, including aura, subtle
field and body of energy. So what is this exactly?

Every person’s body radiates energy. You can detect it, if you direct
your senses at it in full awareness. Then you can feel it as well as see
it. This energy field has an oval shape and is present around the body
of every person. You can compare it to the magnetic field surrounding
a magnet. Magnets also consist of a tangible part and an intangible
part. This intangible part is the magnetic field that surrounds the mag-
net. You can feel it when you separate two connected magnets. Turn

28
one magnet around and then slowly move them back towards each
other. At some point, you will feel how ‘something’ seems to be present
between the magnets. It happens before they actually make contact.
Between them is energy, a magnetic field.

Something remarkable is going on in our society today. Everyone rea-

dily accepts the existence of magnetic fields around magnets, no ques-
tions asked. At the same time, however, many people still dismiss the
presence of a non-physical body as nonsense. This is in spite of the
striking resemblance, between the non-physical field surrounding the
human body and the magnetic field surrounding a magnet. In fact, it is
very easy to experience.

The rejection of the non-physical body is unfortunate, and it has conse-

quences too. Anyone who dismisses it as nonsense is depriving him- or
herself. If you do this, it applies to you too. Then you are denying a
part of yourself. This will disturb your balance by definition. You are
unbalanced because part of your personality cannot enter your
awareness. This in turn may result in symptoms and problems for other
elements of your personality. Your personality is a system in which all
the individual elements continuously affect each other.

Of course, such potential unbalances can be restored. This happens

when you, as a ‘denier’, start to experiment with the presence of the
non-physical body. At a certain point, your non-physical body will

29
reveal itself to you. This will change many things. The non-physical
body will no longer be someone else’s story. You have personally ex-
perienced its presence. This experience will allow you to definitively
accept this part of your personality.

Corner 3: thinking
One of the two remaining corners symbolizes the dimension of your
thoughts. This is your power of reasoning. It is an ability that enables
you to think, reason, analyze, remember, plan ahead, consider and
decide. Thinking is ‘something’ that probably occupies a major part of
your everyday life, as well as the lives of most other people. In fact, it
occupies so much of our time that from the perspective of adequately
caring for this dimension, it is probably better to think less often. I will
give this more attention later on in this book, in the chapter on the
Passion of the Soul.

Corner 4: feeling
One corner remains, directly opposite the corner symbolizing the di-
mension of thinking. This corner represents the dimension of feeling.
This ability is also part of your personality. In a way, many people
experience this ability as entirely different from thinking. They are
each other’s extreme counterparts, so to speak. This is reflected in the
opposite positions of ‘thinking’ and ‘feeling’ at the base of The Passion
Pyramid. Feeling is something that you can do as well. Just like anyone
else, you are able to perceive not just thoughts, but feelings as well.

30
Feelings like happiness, anger, sadness, and love, for instance. It is
important for each person, to let his or her feelings run freely. Without
running into obstacles. On the other hand, it is also important not to
get carried away by your feelings. You should not let your feelings take
possession of you. I will explain more about this too in the chapters on
the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul.

An image of your personality

All in all, the base surface of the Passion Pyramid is a symbol of your
entire personality. The corners indicate the four dimensions that make
up your personality: your physical body, your non-physical body, your
ability to think, and your ability to feel. These last two elements,
thought and feeling, combine to form a psychological totality. This is
your psyche or ego.

Each person’s personality, with all four of its dimensions, will flourish
under specific inner conditions. Deep down inside, you have a pri-
mal longing to live these conditions. By personally creating them and
making them into your everyday reality. This is the realization of the
Passion of the Heart. Once you discover and express it, the energy of
your personality will be able to flow most easily. At that point you are
living life from the Heart.

The tip: symbol of your true identity

We still have one dimension left, and that is the tip of The Passion

31
Pyramid. This tip symbolizes the true identity of all people. This is
why it is also called the true Self. Synonyms used for the notion of
true Self are Soul, higher-awareness, spirit, pure-awareness, witness-
awareness, perceiving-awareness and silent witness. These are diffe-
rent words, that cover the same meaning.

The Passion of the Soul is linked to your true identity. It is the primal
longing, present in you too, to discover and experience your true iden-
tity. To permanently hold this discovery in your awareness and to make
it more profound. You can only experience the presence of your true
Self in the ‘here and now’. It is an identity level that goes beyond your
personality. The Passion Pyramid makes this clear. The base surface is
at a level below the tip. I use the word level, to point out a different
level of awareness. In other words: when you expand your awareness
to a higher level, you get in touch with your true Self, seemingly
without effort. We will now look into how you can do this.

32
Feeling energy between your hands
Firstly, take a few moments to observe your own breathing as it is
right now. Follow a few breathing cycles with all the awareness you
have in you. Then, spread your hands apart at shoulder height, as if
you were holding a box about three feet wide between them. Make
sure your hands are directly opposite each other and press the fingers
of each hand together. Now, cup your hands into the shape of a little
bowl. Direct your awareness at the sensations you feel in and around
your hand. Now move your hands towards each other very slowly.
Make good use of your feelings to sense whether you experience a
sensation between your hands. It may feel as if a balloon or a large
inflatable beach ball is present between your hands. You could also
feel a kind of ‘pressing force’ in the palms of your hands. Whatever
sensation you may have, this is how you experience the presence of
your non-physical body.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

33
 High Now-awareness

Ego-awareness

Low

Model 2: Expanding awareness

Expanding awareness

The essence of living from ‘Heart and Soul’, the Passion of the Heart
and the Passion of the Soul, is all about living in awareness. A life
of awareness, a life spent living your Passions, is also a spiritual life.
Spiritual growth comes down to expanding your awareness. Resisting
this growth of awareness, means resisting the experience of Passion.
You are slowing down the experience of Passion in your life, or even

34
blocking it completely. Sadly, this type of resistance is still very
common today. And it has been since the beginning of human history.
This slowdown or blockade causes us, the people of today, to face huge
social challenges.

These social challenges are so enormous, that it is absolutely crucial for

large numbers of people in our societies to take a leap. A leap from what
I call ego-awareness towards now-awareness. This is a collective leap,
which requires a critical mass of people to awaken in now-awareness.
This leap is predetermined by evolution. Still, actual success is by no
means certain. It is up to us - humanity - to go ahead and take that
leap. If we don’t, humanity will suffer tremendous blows, at some point
between now and the next few generations. We may not even survive
at all. We could perish, for instance, due to climate change or deploy-
ment of weapons of mass destruction.

Once large numbers of people start living their Passions, a meaningful

change will come about. This change will be so powerful, that we will
naturally turn away from the path we have followed until the present
day, and start to rearrange our society. These rearrangements will
revolve around the central hub of our soulfulness. We will do whatever
it takes to live with as much soul as we can, supporting each other as
we go. This may sound like a vision of some distant future, but you can
start to contribute right now. How? By starting to live your Passions to
the fullest, taking the leap from ego-awareness to now-awareness.

35
Taking this leap, means becoming (more) ‘awake’. You become aware
of more. Compare it to wearing a set of ‘blinkers’ that you have worn all
along without being aware of them. It is precisely because they enter
your awareness, that you can start to widen these ‘blinkers’, and even-
tually cast them off altogether. In practice, this means expansion of your
awareness. You grow aware of more. Both in your inner world and in
the outside world of your personality. You start to perceive more, within
yourself as well as in your surrounding environment.

Later on, we will have a close look at the model of ‘the awareness
ladder’. It will reveal a distinction between four levels of awareness.
Your own awareness may be on any one of these levels. The essence
of these four levels can be reduced to two main levels. These are ego-
awareness and now-awareness.

What does ego-awareness mean?

When your awareness is at the level of ego-awareness, you are tangled
up with your personality. You are not aware of your true Self, your true
identity. In this state of awareness, you associate the essential emo-
tional notion of ‘I am’ with your personality. You make the mistake of
thinking that you are your personality. In terms of The Passion Pyramid,
you are not aware of its tip. Only the dimensions of the base of the
pyramid are in your awareness. This state, in which your true Self has
become tangled up with your personality, is also called identifying with
your personality.

36
A typical feature of ego-awareness is that in this state, you are unaware
of being ‘trapped’ in your own personality. This means losing yourself
in the activity of your psyche, which consists of thoughts and feelings.
You are stuck in it. Thoughts and feelings come and go all the time. The
psyche of your personality is constantly in motion. Each activity keeps
triggering new activities. This just keeps going on all day long. All these
thoughts and feelings are like clouds in the sky, hiding the presence of
your true Self.

Ego-awareness is a state of limited awareness. In this sense, you are

less ‘awake’. The awareness that is you, is stuck in the activity of your
psyche. This is mainly because of the ‘thinker’ in you. This ‘thinker’ plays
the starring role at the level of ego-awareness. Although you are usually
unaware of it, the thinker in you sits on his throne and rules with an
iron grip. Thinking uses up all of your awareness. The thinker labels,
interprets, and analyzes just about anything it sees, hears, feels, tastes
and smells in the world around it.

Because of this, you experience many things in a superficial way. You

will not be able to really see ‘something’, because as soon as you see
it, the ‘thinker’ in you will explain what it is. It labels things. An instant
and automatic mental filter stands between you and your perception.
This filter blurs the image that you see. You can’t really see it, and so
you remain stuck in brief and superficial perception. In fact, all that
you will ‘see’ is the thought of what you ‘see’. In other words, seeing

37
without thinking, or pure sight, is impossible. This process doesn’t just
affect the experience of sight. The same happens to the experiences of
hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. All of this happens automatically
inside of you.

Without being aware of it, you end up in an imaginary world. You are
completely under the control of your personality’s thoughts and feelings.
They hold you in their grasp. Automatically and unconsciously, you just
follow all thoughts or feelings that come and go. This is how the thinker
in you controls your existence. In a way, living in ego-awareness is like
being ‘asleep’. Even though you get out of bed as soon as you wake
up, you will still spend most of the day in a world of your imagination.

You could also call this imaginary world a psychological world. That is
a world in which ‘time’ exists. Thinking works by arranging experiences
into past, present, and future. This means that you will rarely be pre-
sent in the ‘here and now’. In ego-awareness, time is a major factor.
You spend most of your time thinking about what happened in the
past, what is happening in the present, and what could possibly happen
in the future. These thoughts give rise to feelings in turn. And the
awareness that is you, gets lost in all these thoughts and feelings.

You could look at it like this. The ‘here and now’, in which your perso-
nality exists at some point, is not really where you are. This is because
you are lost in thoughts and feelings about ‘something’ you experienced

38
in the past, or ‘something’ you experience in the present, or ‘something’
you could experience in the future. You don’t notice what is present in
the ‘here and now’. In ego-awareness, you will also feel separated from
your environment. You experience an ‘inner world’ and an ‘outer world’.
Everything that falls within the limits of your personality’s body, is part
of your ‘me’. Everything that falls outside of these limits, you experience
as ‘not-me’. In your experience, that is the outside world.

In ego-awareness, you completely overlook the fact of experience, that

‘time’ and ‘separation’ are just creations of your own psyche - your own
brain. Getting tangled up with them, means missing the most valuable
experience there is. You miss what is present in the ‘here and now’. This
will keep you unaware of your true Self. You will also miss the radiant
and infinitely profound inner peace that unconditionally accompanies it.
What you deal with in ego-awareness is suffering. Mental, emotional,
and physical suffering. This is the direct result of being tangled up with
your personality. I will explain more about this at the section on the
Passion of the Soul.

Of course, you can experience a certain degree of relaxation in the

state of ego-awareness. Still, the experience cannot be compared to the
unconditional experience in now-awareness. In ego-awareness, relaxa-
tion is always conditional. There can only be relaxation, as long as your
personality is enjoying its situation. As soon as the situation changes,
the sense of relaxation will usually vanish. The inner peace that results

39
from ego-awareness, is also very limited in nature. The experience of
the radiant inner peace associated with now-awareness, is infinitely
more profound.

The state of ego-awareness lasts, until you free yourself from the
shackles of your psyche. At that point, there is more space in your
awareness. You need this space to enter into the experience of now-
awareness.

What does now-awareness mean?

As your awareness expands and merges with the ‘here and now’, you
enter into the experience of now-awareness. You, pure awareness, will
no longer be trapped by thoughts and feelings. You free yourself from
them, by transcending them. Transcending your thoughts and feelings
means rising out above them. This is symbolized by the tip of the
pyramid. Even though thoughts and feelings still come and go, they
no longer hold you in their grasp. You observe them ‘awake’ and in
awareness, from a kind of helicopter perspective. Without being
dragged away by them. From this perspective, you can ‘watch’ your
thoughts and feelings come and go. You are ‘present’ as thoughts and
feelings drift by, without being them. You can now ‘watch’ how many
thoughts you often have, and the dazzling speed at which they come
and go. You become aware of the similarity between your psyche and
a fast-flowing river current. It often rages furiously, and sometimes, it
turns into a calm and gentle stream.

40
In now-awareness, you become aware of a new reality. One that is
very real, and one that rises far above your personality. This reality can
only be experienced in the ‘here and now’. That is why it is called now-
awareness. As your awareness expands and rises above your persona-
lity, you break free from the constant buzzing of your psyche. This clears
the way for a radiant and infinitely profound inner peace to present
itself. It is the experience of unconditional bliss, which starts to flow into
your awareness.

As you proceed, you will notice how this state of awareness is always
present deep down in your personality. You can always experience it.
Regardless of whether your personality’s living conditions are pleasant
or unpleasant. All you need to do for this experience, is to ‘wake up’
and connect to this level of awareness. This connection is also the
connection to your true Self. You experience that pure awareness is
your true identity. As the mask of your personality slips, your true Self
will suddenly emerge from behind it.

As you continue to delve deeper into now-awareness and fully ‘wake

up’, your experience of separation is replaced by the experience of
oneness. This state of awareness is free from all limitations. You will
experience that pure awareness is the source of all life. Deep within,
you are at one with that source. The awareness state of total awake-
ning, is also known as the oneness-experience.

41
 Recognizing ‘thinking out loud’
The state of ego-awareness is closely related to thinking. This is why it
is so crucial for you to start recognizing the ‘thinker’ in you. Sometimes
your ‘thinker’ openly reveals itself. It happens at moments when you
are talking to yourself out loud. Become aware of these moments. Pay
attention to moments when you ‘think out loud’. At such moments, the
‘thinker’ in you manifests itself even more clearly. Become aware of
the sense of being tangled up that accompanies these moments. It is
the ‘thinker’ in you, trying to make itself heard by thinking out loud. As
long as you keep taking this seriously, you will remain unaware.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

42
43
High All

Higher

Core

Diffuse

Low

Model 3: The awareness ladder

The awareness ladder

You have just seen how your awareness can be categorized into two
main levels: ego-awareness and now-awareness. By now, you have
come to understand the basic difference between these two levels.
This allows us to take matters one step further. I will show you how
both ego-awareness and now-awareness can each be divided into two
sub-levels. This subdivision gives rise to a total of four different levels

44
of awareness. Together they form the model of ‘the awareness ladder’.

‘The awareness ladder’ organizes the expansion of your awareness into

four distinct steps. Ordered by increasing degrees of awareness, these
levels are diffuse-awareness, core-awareness, higher-awareness and
All-awareness. Together, these four distinct levels of awareness form a
kind of inner stairway. You can climb that stairway and use it to expand
your awareness in a practical way. Each individual level brings new
experiences. With each step you climb, you will expand your awareness
further. You keep becoming more ‘awake’.

This process of ‘awakening’ means that you are growing aware of more
things. What you were already aware of will remain, and new things
are added. Compare it to wearing a set of blinkers, which keep opening
up to a wider view. Just cup both your hands to the sides of your face,
imagining that they symbolize a pair of tight-fitting blinkers. This is the
most limited state of awareness, which I call diffuse-awareness. Now,
gradually move your hands further apart. At some point, you will reach
a stage where all limits fall away. This point represents the highest and
most ‘awakened’ state of awareness. This state is called All-awareness
in the model of ‘the awareness ladder’. At that point, there is only
space. The motion of your two hands, widening your view from limited
awareness to unlimited awareness, is reflected in the model of the
‘awareness ladder’. In the model, the white color indicates how far your
awareness has expanded.

45
Many words can be used for this process of ‘awakening’. Other words
I will use in this book include expanding your awareness and spiritual
growth. If you look closely at this last phrase, you will notice that it
includes the word ‘spirit’. This word is synonymous to all the words
that can be used to name the top of The Passion Pyramid. That is why
expanding your awareness equals spiritual growth. It means growing
towards the experience of ‘Spirit’.

It is important to realize that, once you raise your awareness to a

higher level, it will not stay there forever. Staying alert and ‘awake’
requires your continuous effort. If you fail to make that effort, your
awareness may suddenly ‘fall back’ to a previous level. This makes
sense for the following reason. You have become used to the condition
of ego-awareness since childhood. This is because most of the peo-
ple around you, live their lives in that very same layer of awareness.
More specifically, this is the condition I call diffuse-awareness. In other
words, you have grown up in a world full of ego-awareness. Once you
start looking around in an ‘awakened’ state, you will notice that the
world is still full of ego-awareness today. It keeps bombarding you with
temptations every day. By temptations I mean impulses, that keep you
unaware or invite you to return to a state of lower awareness. All of
these impulses require the activity of your psyche. As such, they trigger
all sorts of feelings and thoughts. When you respond to these invita-
tions, giving in to the temptations, you will drop down ‘the awareness
ladder’ and end up at a lower level. You will be stuck at that level, until

46
you get back on your feet and start moving up the steps again.

I will now explain about the specific characteristics of the four different
levels of awareness.

Diffuse-awareness
In this state of awareness, you are tangled up with your personality.
You are not aware of your true Self. Living from the Heart is not going
as well as it could. Without really knowing it, this condition causes you
to live on autopilot. At this level of awareness, you are unaware of how
your thoughts and your feelings automatically control your actions. You
are unaware of how your behavior is full of automatisms, patterns and
conditioned responses.

Defense mechanisms will emerge as well, in response to what happens

around your personality. They cause you to repress certain feelings
in this state of awareness. These feelings will keep piling up inside,
bursting to the surface in uncontrollable and completely random ways,
in all sorts of situations. But even when they do, you will only be slight-
ly aware of them, or not aware at all.

In this state of awareness, the environment surrounding your persona-

lity - the outside world - becomes the measure of all things. In a way,
this causes you to live your life from the outside to the inside’, which
has serious consequences for your personality’s energy level. Conflicts

47
come and go, both in your inner world and in the outside world of
your personality. They drain much of your strength and energy. Such
limiting factors can easily take root in your personality, which will cause
permanent energy leaks. As a result, many people carry along multi-
ple energy leaks. Examples of such leaks are restrictive ideas about
oneself, deep fears, or unprocessed events from the past. And unfor-
tunately, it doesn’t always stop there. As long as you remain unaware,
your existing energy leaks will grow larger, and you will often gain more
leaks along the way.

At the level of diffuse-awareness, you will experience a sense of being

separated from the outside world. You also start to judge what hap-
pens in this outside world. In addition, you will have judgments about
your own personality. When you live in this state of awareness, you can
easily overlook one of the four dimensions making up your personality:
physical body, non-physical body, thoughts or feelings. You could even
label them as ‘woolly’ and dismiss them as fairytales. This will disturb
the balance in your personality. As a result, the healthy condition of
each of the four dimensions comes under pressure.

Diffuse-awareness is the least ‘wakeful’ state of awareness. In other

words: only a small portion of your awareness is ‘awake’ in this state.
As such, you live largely unaware. You are wearing a set of enormous
‘blinkers’, as it were. This state of awareness still holds the great
majority of all people in its grasp, every day, and all over the world.

48
Core-awareness
At the level of core-awareness, you live less of your life on autopilot.
You become more aware of the automatisms, patterns, conditioned re-
sponses and defense mechanisms, which you carry along with you. You
are working on letting go of these things. You also acknowledge the
four dimensions of your personality - physical body, non-physical body,
thoughts and feelings - and you do your best to take care of them.

In this state of awareness, you aim to live entirely from your Heart.
You are aware of your seven Passion Drives, which together form the
Passion of the Heart. You try to express this Passion as well as you can
in everyday life. This becomes apparent from the things you do, as well
as from how you go about doing these things. You try to express the
voice of your Heart in the things that you do. That is what you long for!

Once you have started to live from core-awareness, you make a con-
scious choice to live ‘from the inside to the outside’. Following your
intuition is part of how you do that. You also pay attention to so-
called energy leaks. Whenever you find a leak, you use the chance to
close it. This will increase your strength. All in all, at the level of core-
awareness, you live your Passion of the Heart to maximum effect. By
doing so, you let the energy of your personality flow smoothly.

But even at the level of core-awareness, you will still regard your per-
sonality as the only reality that exists. This is because, just as in the

49
state of diffuse-awareness, you are unaware of your true Self. It is still
hidden behind all the thoughts and feelings, running around in your
personality’s psyche, demanding all of your awareness for themselves.
Because your true Self is missing from your awareness, you will still feel
separated from your environment. You will only experience the limited
and conditional sense of inner peace, which accompanies relaxation.

Higher-awareness
This level of awareness is different from the levels mentioned earlier in
an important way. There, you experience your personality as the only
reality that exists. Once your awareness starts to expand, towards the
level of higher-awareness, you break free from being tangled up with
your personality. You move from ego-awareness to now-awareness.
You are rising above your personality. You become ‘more awake’, and
in the ‘here and now’ you discover that your personality is not your
true face. Behind the mask of your personality, you suddenly see your
true identity appear. It is pure awareness, which you experience as
your true Self.

This makes the experience, of a radiant and infinitely profound inner

peace, flow into your awareness. This will occur regardless of your
personal circumstances at that moment. It doesn’t make a difference
whether your personality’s living conditions are pleasant or unpleasant.
This experience is always there, unconditionally present, deep down in
your personality. So you can connect with it at any moment. As soon as

50
you make that connection in full consciousness, the experience of this
higher state of ‘awakening’ will flow into your awareness.

In this state of awareness you experience the world ‘in the here and
now’ very consciously and intensely. This happens in your inner world
as well as in the outside world of your personality. Your body, thoughts
and feelings are all part of this inner world. Your personality’s environ-
ment is the outside world that you experience. In higher-awareness
you approach it all in a state of being ‘awake’. This is an open state
without judgment. You can do this by being detached and full of
acceptance, as you observe what is present in the ‘here and now’, from
a position of higher-awareness. That position is the tip of The Passion
Pyramid.

Higher-awareness is linked to realizing the Passion of the Soul. This

means discovering, experiencing, and digging deeper into pure aware-
ness as your true identity. It means breaking the link between your
awareness and your personality. This is also called deidentification. The
more confident you become in living at this level of awareness, the
more intense your experience of a radiant and infinitely profound inner
peace will become. You become aware that this experience is linked to
your true Self. The space in which this experience occurs, is the aware-
ness that you are. You could also put it like this: the awareness, which
is you, starts to become aware of itself as awareness.

51
All-awareness
The highest state of awareness is All-awareness. In this state of aware-
ness, your awareness is unlimited. It is the state of being comple-
tely ‘awake’. Here, you experience that deep down inside, at the very
core of our own being, we are essentially at one with everything. At
one with the source, with All, with the manifest as well as with the
non-manifest. Various words can be used for the experience of All-
awareness. All sorts of synonyms are used for this ‘enlightened’ state
of awareness. Examples include mystical experiences, experiences of
oneness, unlimited emptiness, cosmic awareness, absolute awareness
and first reality.

All-awareness reaches well beyond the limits of human imagination. It

is almost impossible to put the contents of this experience to words.
By definition, no attempt at doing so will do justice to the experience.
In spite of this limitation, I will hand you a metaphor, to give you
some sense of direction. Visually, you can regard All-awareness as a
‘boundless ocean of awareness’. It is a space that lives. Everything is
included and at one. That which has form as well as that which is form-
less. In fact, form cannot even exist without this awareness, without
this space. It justifies the existence of all forms.

The Soul of every person is essentially linked, to this ‘boundless ocean

of awareness’. In this metaphor, you could view the Soul as a single
‘drop’ out of this ‘boundless ocean’. Yet at the same time, this ‘drop’

52
has ‘temporarily’ made your personality its home. This is often called
incarnation. In other words, this ‘drop of awareness’ - your true Self -
has ‘temporarily’ incarnated in the form of a human being. When you
experience the level of All-awareness, that ‘drop’ has briefly returned
to its source, ‘the ocean’. It has dissolved into its source, returning to
oneness. The experience of this ‘boundless ocean’, is the experience of
All-awareness.

In the state of All-awareness, the experience of separation is replaced

by the experience of absolute oneness. This experience is accompanied
by an unprecedented sense of bliss. You experience All-awareness as
infinite, formless, loving, impersonal and alive. This level of awareness
is the full realization of the Passion of the Soul.

53
 An aware cup of tea
Have a cup of tea, which may be unlike any cup of tea you had before.
You can do this, by quietly spending about fifteen minutes on the act
of having tea. In this exercise, you experience the cup of tea with
great awareness. Do this by perceiving the cup of tea through each
of your individual senses, one sense at a time. Try to direct all of your
attention at each sense. Focus your full awareness on the particular
sense that you use at that moment. Be mild on yourself if you drift off
and get distracted. Simply return your awareness, to experiencing the
cup of tea, and start again at the sense where you left off. Take about
four minutes for each of your senses. Start out by looking at your
tea. After looking, you can close your eyes. Now, focus on feeling the
warmth of the tea. Then move on to smell the aroma of your tea, with
all the awareness you have in you. Conclude by tasting its flavor in full
awareness. Take your time to let the tea and its flavor linger in your
mouth. As soon as you swallow the tea, you can follow its course, by
using your inner sensations.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

54
55
The path to an enlightened society

Reaching the level of now-awareness does not mean that you are
‘done’. Staying at this higher level of awareness, requires constant
alertness and ongoing effort, all day long. If you forget about living
from your ‘Heart and Soul’ for just one moment, a (substantial) part of
living in awareness just ‘slips away’ instantly. At these moments, you
become less aware, sliding back down to a lower level, or the lowest

56
level on the awareness ladder.

You can be in a state of now-awareness for a moment, only to return

to the state of ego-awareness the very next instant. When this
happens, limited reality returns immediately. This reality is the expe-
rience of core-awareness or diffuse-awareness. You become tangled
up with your personality again. This is caused in part by all the temp-
tations that surround you in everyday life, inviting you to think of feel
without awareness. However, by taking one step, your constant efforts
will help you stay at the level of higher-awareness ever more often and
ever longer. That makes a very real difference.

As your awareness keeps on expanding, you become more ‘awake’

and more aware. In other words: more and more will appear in your
awareness. Because you create more space, the experience of the
Passion of the Soul can flow freely. This causes the light of your
awareness to shine stronger. Your inner strength will grow as well.
What used to be dark, is now lit up. What used to grow in the darkness,
now suddenly burns away in the light of your awareness!

The drop is the ocean and the ocean is the drop. You are the society
and the society is in you. This is precisely why you can contribute to
an enlightened society. As you make the light of your awareness shine
brighter, your light will kindle sparks of light in others around you. In
this way, more and more lights are lit up in the world around you, as

57
we start to move towards an enlightened society together.

Living at the level of higher-awareness has universal value. Moving up

the awareness ladder towards this level of awareness, matters to all
people around the world. This is the only level of awareness that does
true justice to Being Human. A society where people collectively live
at the level of higher-awareness, is a society full of passionate people.
That truly is an enlightened society!

People have the power to create. That which we create from diffuse-
awareness, is essentially different from what we establish from higher-
awareness. If we create from this higher level of awareness, a new
reality will come about. This new reality, is a path set out for us by
evolution. It is up to you to make this reality manifest. First in your
inner world, and then in your outside world. The Passion Pyramid will
help you do this.

58
Seeing energy around people
Everyone has a non-physical body. You can become aware of this.
This exercise will help you perceive it. Start out by arriving in the ‘here
and now’, by following your breathing with awareness. If possible,
shut your eyes for a moment, and be as aware as you can of each
individual breathing cycle. Focus all of your awareness on following
your breathing. Keep on breathing in awareness as you reopen your
eyes. Now, direct your awareness at the people around you. Use your
peripheral sight. This is the opposite of a narrow and highly focused
gaze. Broaden your field of vision. Perceive the totality of the space
surrounding a person. Ask yourself if you detect a ‘subtle radiance’, at
a hair’s breadth from the contours of that person’s body. At first, this
exercise works best, if you look at people standing in front of a plain
and light-colored surface, such as a wall.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

59
Harmony

The Passion Pyramid is a model of harmony. In it, all four dimensions

of your personality are equally balanced. Your higher-awareness has
a central position above them. This balance in your personality is im-
portant. As soon as you start to deny or forget one or several of these
dimension, the balance is disturbed. A lack of balance directly prevents

60
you from experiencing the Passion of the Heart. This is because this
Passion is linked to your personality. A lack of balance in your persona-
lity prevents an optimal flow of the Passion of the Heart.

The Passion of the Soul is linked to the tip of The Passion Pyramid. As
long as people do not know or experience that this level of awareness
is present within themselves, they live in a state of spiritual unaware-
ness. It means not (yet) experiencing your true Self. Although some
people must have reached this level of awareness over the past
millennia, we have not yet seen a major breakthrough on a collective
scale. Today, the great majority of people still don’t experience a
connection of awareness with the Passion of the Soul. By definition,
this means that these people remain ‘trapped’ in ego-awareness. In
spiritual terms, they remain unaware.

We can see the results of this ‘imprisonment’ in ego-awareness all

around us. Just pick a random page in any newspaper or Internet
news feed. Most articles that you see and read - if not all - are a direct
result of this ‘imprisonment’. In fact, the reporters who put the articles
together, are likely to be ‘trapped’ in ego-awareness as well. All things
considered, a society where the Passion of the Soul can flow freely,
is still a long way off. This is the root cause of the disharmony in our
present society. The result is the long sequence of painful experiences,
which marks our society.

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In the state of higher-awareness, you experience a radiant and infi-
nitely profound inner peace. This is the experience of total harmony,
which is also called the experience of Being. As your awareness exer-
cises take you to a firmer position in higher-awareness, this profound
and meaningful inner harmony, flows out into your outside world more
strongly. It affects the surroundings of your personality. This is how,
from an inner harmony, you contribute to outer harmony. This is why,
probably as early as in the sixth century B.C., the ancient Chinese phi-
losopher Laozi (also known as Lao-Tzu or Lao-Tse) noted that: “Leaders
should do less and Be more.” Words of wisdom that still apply to our
modern times, although our leaders rarely express them.

The Passion of the Soul resides deep within, at the core of every human
being, just waiting for us to connect with it. The moment you make
that connection, the first experiences will flow into your awareness,
even though these moments will be brief at first. In a spiritual sense,
you are starting to awaken. These experiences will make you discover,
that ‘separation’ is in fact an illusion. You will find out, that the deepest
essence of being human, is oneness and All-awareness.

All in all, The Passion Pyramid is a model for a way of life, which helps
you discover and live your Passions. The harmony of the model comes
from your awareness of the four elements that make up your persona-
lity. These are represented by the base surface of The Passion Pyramid.
You know that the energy of your personality flows best, under specific
inner circumstances. This is the Passion of the Heart. You try to express

62
it in the best possible way. You live from the Heart as much as you can.

You are also aware of your true Self. The tip of The Passion Pyramid is
its symbol. You experience that your true identity is pure awareness,
and that at this level of awareness, you are at one with everything.
You express this higher state of awareness in everyday life as well. You
are ‘awake’ and present in what happens in the ‘here and now’, both
in your inner world and in the outside world of your personality. The
‘things’ that you think, do and feel occur in full awareness. You live with
Passion. That is how you contribute to an enlightened society!

Speed of speaking
Speaking quickly often means doing a lot of thinking. These two usually
go hand in hand. If you speak quickly, you may well be seriously tangled
up in the state of ego-awareness. Pay attention to how fast you talk.
Slow down the pace of your words to a very calm manner of speech.
Hang on to this slow pace for a while. Then speed up again, returning
to your previous pace. Experience the difference between your various
paces of speech.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

63
64
The Passion of the Heart
65
 Core-Values Core-Beliefs Core-Gifts

Core-Growth
Core-Activities
Core-Contribution

Core-Contact
Core
re Beliefs Co
Co es Gif re
lu ts
Va

s
C o ow t
e

G
tie
Ac Cor

r
re h
i
tiv
n
utio

C on
Core t
Core
Contrib

tac

Model 4: The seven Passion Drives

The seven Passion Drives

Your personality defines itself by a set of character traits and a specific

structure. Like any other person, you flourish under certain inner
circumstances. Those are the situations where you experience strength.
It is when you feel like a fish in the water, completely in your element.
At times like these, there is flow in your personality.

66
On the other hand, there are situations in which strength drains away
and you experience inner conflict, uncertainty, worry and doubt. At
those moments you are unbalanced, experiencing how the stability of
your personality is undermined. As long as you live a life of routine,
without being fully aware of the circumstances in which your perso-
nality can flourish, such moments will be far more common than they
need to be. This is because your personality creates these moments of
instability. These ‘unsteady moments’ will keep repeating themselves,
until you manage to make a change. And change them you can!

Making a change does not mean that you can just change any situa-
tion. Sometimes you can, and sometimes you just can’t. Suppose you
receive a phone call right now, and you hear that someone dear to you
has passed away. Of course, there is nothing you can do about that.
You have to deal with this situation, even though you never asked for
it. What you can always affect, however, is how you deal with each
situation you face.

You can choose to live every situation from ‘Heart and Soul’. To express
your Passion of the Heart and your Passion of the Soul in it. If you ac-
tually do this in a specific situation, you experience the situation from
now-awareness. You are ‘present’ in it. That is living the Passion of the
Soul. In addition, you behave in line with your seven personal Passion
Drives. At such times, the doors of your Heart are wide open. You can
see it in the way you deal with that situation. In it, you live the Passion

67
of the Heart.

Once you start living the Passion of the Heart as a person, anything you
do comes from the Heart. This Passion comes about in a universal way.
It is the same for all people around the globe. Regardless of age, sex,
culture, intellectual ability or health. Everyone’s Passion of the Heart
stems from the exact same seven Passion Drives!

Although these Passion Drives are the same for anyone, their content is
strictly personal. You could also say that the energy of every individual
flows best under specific inner conditions. And the contents of these
conditions vary between people. You could regard the seven Passion
Drives as a coat rack. On it, you can use the pegs of the seven Passion
Drives to hang up and arrange your personal characteristics. If you use
this coat rack, you will have a very clear picture of your Passion of the
Heart. You will grow fully aware of it. From this awareness, you can live
your life in full accordance with this Passion. You are taking the step
from diffuse-awareness to core-awareness. You start to live as - deep
within - you truly want to live. You start living from your Heart, from
the core of your personality.

I often use the colors of the rainbow as a metaphor to illustrate the

seven Passion Drives. I will explain this choice of imagery. A society
that is aware, can also be called an enlightened society. When I men-
tion light, you might think of sunlight. If you catch a ray of sunlight in

68
a crystal, a prism, or a Passion Pyramid made of glass, the seven colors
of the rainbow will appear. This is caused by the prism, which refracts
the sunlight into its individual parts. In science, each color is called a
frequency of light. So in fact, (white) sunlight is what you get, when
you add the seven colors of the rainbow together.

In the model of the Passion of the Heart, each of the seven colors
represents a specific Passion Drive. These are all equally important.
Each Passion Drive is meaningful and sparks the experience of Passion,
when you express it. If you live life in a way that fully expresses and
reflects all your Passion Drives, you will experience the Passion of the
Heart in the broadest sense!

Anyone can use the seven Passion Drives to map his or her Passion
of the Heart, and start living accordingly. Obviously, greater under-
standing of your own Passion, makes you more likely to express this
Passion in all sorts of real-life situations. No situation is an exception
to this rule. You could use the insights of this Passion to choose the
education that ‘fits you best’, as well as the profession you would like
to work in, and the way to raise your children. You can also express
this Passion in your private relationships with other people, including
your partner, your child(ren), relatives and friends, as well as in your
contacts with everyone else.

You can engage in and maintain professional relationships based on

69
your Passion of the Heart. These could be relationships with your
colleagues, management, customers, and suppliers. You can provide
leadership to others that stems from this Passion. A clear view of your
Passion of the Heart will allow you to point out where it hurts, when-
ever you feel dissatisfied. This works in any situation. Just look at the
map of your Passion of the Heart, and point out the parts that are
under pressure at that moment. You can also use the Passion of the
Heart during job interviews, both as an applicant and as an interviewer.
The opportunities and forms for bringing this Passion into your own life
are simply countless!

Just as the Passion of the Soul is closely linked to ‘Being’, so the Passion
of the Heart is linked to ‘Doing’. As soon as you let your actions come
from what your Heart tells you, the experience of the Passion of the
Heart will make itself felt. It really is that simple!

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‘Shaking awake’ your body-awareness
Get out of your head, out of your thoughts, by directing all of your
awareness at your body. Increase your body-awareness by ‘shaking it
awake’, as it were. Tap your fingertips on any part of your body you
come across. Be sure not to miss any spots as you make your way from
the top of your head all the way down to your toes. Take the time to
do this calmly. Be present at this with as much awareness as possible.
Observe all the body-sensations that present themselves, as intensely
as you can.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Core-Gifts

The Core-Gifts Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What am I really good at?’

Every person has a set of highly developed personal characteristics.

72
To many people, these characteristics are so self-evident, that they
are not even aware of them. This makes it hard for them to point
out where their strength lies, if asked to do so. You could call these
characteristics your Core-Gifts. They are also called core-qualities,
talents, competences and strong positive traits. All of these words are
useful. Feel free to pick the one that suits you best. After all, what
matters is what a word stands for, rather than the word itself.

It is important to be keenly aware of the strong characteristics, which

you naturally carry with you. That is because you have them for a rea-
son. When you realize where your strength lies, this insight will make
it much easier to say ‘yes’ in situations where you can let that strength
flow. You will also start to look for and create new situations, in which
you can express all of your Core-Gifts. Through these initiatives, you
will create even more Passion in your own life. You do not have to
depend on anyone else for it. It is up to you!

Imagine you and me sitting in a single room. At some point, people

start to enter the room one by one. They aren’t just any people; they
all know you, and you know all of them. Some of them you know from
your current life phase, and others you know from the past. These
may be ex-boyfriends or girlfriends, old acquaintances, fellow students,
relatives or former colleagues. They could just as well be your current
colleagues though, or the family you are living with right now. As these
people walk into the room one at a time, we ask them what they value

73
in you as a person, and where your strength lies.

Sure enough, these people will mention many of your characteristics.

Their stories about you will differ from each other too. Nonetheless,
certain aspects will soon start to stand out. As we get to the second,
third or fourth person, you will start to see a unifying thread, which
connects what they tell about you. These characteristics keep surfacing
again and again. Everyone seems to find them typical of who you are.
There may even be traits that you were unaware of. That is because
they are so familiar to you. These are often characteristics you don’t
have to make much effort for. You simply carry them along with you,
and they just seem to come naturally. You can call these characteristics
your Core-Gifts. Do something with them, in a form that fits you. Allow
the power of these abilities to flow. You’ll enjoy doing it, and you are
good at it too.

In terms of strength, every individual person is unique in his or her

own way. Even Core-Gifts that have the same name, will differ in the
way individual people use them. Compare it to personal fingerprints.
People also have the potential to complement each other. Where one
person is very strong in a specific area, the next person will be weaker.
Of course, this works both ways. When these strengths come together,
they can be combined from the Heart to serve the same goal. This
results in a powerful palette of different strengths. When this happens,
everyone gets invited to contribute their personal strengths to the

74
whole. When people do this, straight from the Heart, serving a meaning-
ful goal, they can rise out above themselves. It follows that as a per-
son, we can achieve amazing results, which are meaningful and make
a real difference. That is something we all long for.

Even though this may sound obvious, it turns out that things often
work differently in real life. Many people, for instance, (still) find it
difficult to list all of their Core-Gifts when asked to do so. They are
usually better at listing their ‘shortcomings’, meaning anything they still
‘need’ to develop further. It is also common for people in organizations,
to focus on activities that fall outside their area of strength, without
being aware of it. This has a negative impact on the flow of the Passion
of the Heart. These people are blocking their strength, preventing it
from flowing freely.

You too may be blocking part of the flow of your strength at this
moment. You can change this if you want to. The first step is becoming
fully aware of your Core-Gifts. Make a map of your Core-Gifts. Then
ask yourself: ‘how freely do these Core-Gifts flow in my life at this
moment?’ If you discover that you are not using all of your strength,
think about how you can change that.

75
Live your Core-Gifts

Let your strength flow!

You carry all sorts of characteristics along with you. Some charac-
teristics are more developed than others. You could picture these
characteristics as a circle of light bulbs surrounding you as a person.
Every bulb represents an ability. All the bulbs are shining. And some of
the bulbs shine brighter than most. These bright bulbs represent your
Core-Gifts. Be aware of them and let their strengths flow, as long and
as often as possible.

76
Sketch a map of your Core-Gifts
Grab a large sheet of paper. Work out for yourself where your strengths
lie; your strength in general, your strength in social settings and your
strength in creative activities. Now, describe each Core-Gift using one
to a maximum of three key terms. For each Core-Gift, write down a
single powerful sentence to describe what it stands for. This will result
in descriptions of the meaning of each individual Core-Gift’s content.

General
Core-Gift Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

Social
Core-Gift Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

Creative
Core-Gift Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

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Core-Values

The Core-Values Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What is important to me?’

Everyone has values. The Passion Drive of Core values invites you

78
to envision these values, to stand up for them and to express them,
by living in awareness.

Your Core-Values indicate what you value in life. If you clearly picture
this Passion Drive for yourself, you will have a broad overview of what
is important to you. You will have a clear idea of your ideals in life, and
what you value in specific contexts. This includes what you find impor-
tant in dealing with other people, in the relationship with your life part-
ner, in raising your child(ren), with regard to your living environment
and your educational preferences. You will also have a good impres-
sion of what you find important about your working environment, the
content of your job and your dealings with colleagues and executives.
Your Core-Values will show how you prefer to receive guidance. You
will also see how you prefer to guide others. Your own authentic style
of leadership, will become apparent from your Core-Values.

You can make a personal inventory of all the context-specific values

and ideals in life described above. You can do so by directing your
awareness at all of these different facets. Ask yourself the simple ques-
tion: what is important to me in these facets? Feel which circumstances
allow you to bring out the best in you. Become aware of them and write
them down. Picture all your Core-Values in this way, one at a time.

Another way of understanding your Core-Values, is not only focusing

on what you find most important, but by paying attention to the

79
opposites of your Core-Values as well. You can do this by asking
yourself: ‘what do I really detest?’, ‘what do I find truly annoying?’
and ‘what can really get on my nerves?’. You can then use the ans-
wers to these questions, and find their ‘positive counterparts’. Suppose
you thoroughly dislike dishonesty, then a positive counterpart could be
‘honesty’ or ‘sincerity’. Apparently, this is something you value deeply.

Once you complete your inventory of Core-Values, you can start to

live accordingly in awareness. You can do this anywhere and anytime.
When you do that, you are truly being yourself. This will not only feel
good for yourself, because it makes you experience strength. It will
also make other people feel good. That is because they will experience
you as an ‘authentic’ person. You stand for what you believe to be
important and you act accordingly. This provides clarity. Other people
will know what to expect. In addition, people will be inspired when
they see others remaining true to themselves. And yes, it can mean
standing out from the crowd, as your actions differ from what you see
that other people are doing. It takes courage to be yourself sometimes.
Nonetheless, it is very rewarding. Similar to the other Passion Drives,
expressing your Core-Values in awareness, causes the experience of
Passion. Being true to your Core-Values, is being true to yourself, and
that always feels good.

Naturally, the opposite is true as well. Being untrue to your Core-

Values, automatically means being untrue to yourself. This always

80
comes at the cost of losing strength. That is because it destabilizes
your personality. Not living according to your Core-Values gives rise to
inner conflicts. With all the thoughts and feelings that accompany it.
These can be feelings of fear, disappointment or anger, for example. If
your personality has a tendency of repressing such sensations, rather
than using awareness to face them, then this doesn’t mean that they
are not there. Compare it with the metaphor of an ostrich, hiding its
head in the sand. This way of dealing with inner conflicts will only force
them to rage on, beyond the reach of the ‘awakened’ part of your
awareness.

So your Core-Values indicate how you prefer to be in any situation.

This corresponds to how you experience it, from your core, deep down
inside. Living a life that is completely in line with these Core-Values,
is a source of great strength. And that strength will shine out into the
world around you. On the other hand, if you don’t act on them, the
exact opposite will shine out from you.

An important part of mapping this Passion Drive, is asking yourself

whether your Core-Values are really your own. If you look closely, you
could stumble upon Core-Values that are less important to you than
others. Perhaps you picked these up at some point in life and adop-
ted them. Maybe you have heard other people talk about them. Such
people could be your parents, teachers, friends, relatives or colleagues,
for example. If you decide that a specific Core-Value no longer fits you,

81
then let go of it. Symbolically speaking, it is time to put those Core-
Values in your personal museum.

Live your Core-Values!

Stand up for what you find important in life!

Be aware of what you believe to be important in life. In your private

life and at work, but in a more general sense as well. Picture all your
Core-Values. Once you know what they are, you can bring them to life.
You can do this by always standing up for your Core-Values, wherever
you are, expressing them in any situation you encounter on the path
of your life.

82
Picture your Core-Values
Grab a large sheet of paper. Consider what you find generally impor-
tant in life. These are the values and ideals that matter to you, any-
where and anytime. Add to these, by listing the values that you find
important in your private life. Consider your living environment as well
as the relationship with your life partner (if applicable) and the way
you raise and treat your child(ren). Express all of your Core-Values by
using three key terms at most. Use one brief and striking sentence
for each Core-Value to describe what it represents. These sentences
describe what the content of each Core-Value means to you.

General Applies anywhere and anytime

Core-Value Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

Private Living environment, relationship and children

Core-Value Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

Work Working environment, job content and management

Core-Value Brief and striking description (use a single sentence)
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………… …………………………………………………………………………

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Core-Activities

The Core-Activities Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What activities do I like the most?’

The experience of Passion also makes its way into your awareness

84
once you start doing what you like to do the most, as often as you can.
These are the activities you never grow tired of. Time and again, you
commit yourself to these activities and enjoy them. Do note, however,
that there is a difference between what you like to do and what you
are good at. Many people have several activities that they may be good
at, even though these activities give them little enjoyment, when they
actually engage in them. The same may be true for you.

Bring (even more) Passion into your life, by doing the specific activities,
that you like to do and that make you feel happy. As with the other
Passion Drives, clearly mapping all of your Core-Activities is valuable.
When you do that, focus your awareness on private activities as well
as on the activities you like to engage in at work. Sit down and take
the time to delve into your personal history. See through the lens of
this Passion Drive and search your life to find all those activities that
still give you warm feelings. Some of your current activities may be
among the list. You could also recall activities that gave you much joy
in the past, until you stopped doing them at some point. They have
faded into the background since then. But while you are mapping this
Passion Drive, you discover that you would love to pick these activities
up again, as they return into your awareness.

Use a beachcomber’s approach to collect all those activities, that you

still love to engage in. Look back on your early youth and rediscover
what you liked to do as a child. You may find something that is still

85
valuable today. Ask yourself questions, such as ‘what did I enjoy doing
back then?’, ‘what were my hobbies?’ and ‘what was I interested in?’.
After that, you can check your answers to see if they still apply at this
moment. Have you found any activities that you would like to pick up
again?

As you sift through your life’s history, looking for ‘fun activities’, you
could also look into your experiences of side jobs, work placements,
and other jobs you have had. Zoom in on the tasks and activities your
work used to consist of. Then pick out those activities that you still like
to do. Of course, you can also include your current job in this. Distill the
most enjoyable activities and then bring all of your Core-Activities toge-
ther in a single overview. You can then add the activities that you have
never done before, although you would really like to do them. This will
show you your favorite ‘office hours’ activities. You have pictured the
activities of your ideal job!

Mapping your Core-Activities makes you aware of what you like to do

the most. Once you know this, choose to live your Core-Activities in
full awareness. Engage in the activities you really like as often as you
can and stick to them. Live these activities, because they are linked to
your core. Doing them allows your Passion of the Heart to flow. Do this
at work as well as in your private life. Ask yourself if your current job
offers you enough of what you like to do the most. If it doesn’t,
consider talking to your current employer and work together to inves-

86
tigate your opportunities for finding a better match between your job
and your Core-Activities.

Of course, you could also decide to move on to a new job, which

offers you what you really like to do. Or you could create your own
job. Sometimes, you can’t find a form that provides you with a perfect
fit. In that case, you have the option of creating a form for yourself. You
could, for example, work together with your current or new employer,
to create a job that does fit you. Or you could start your own business
and be an entrepreneur.

Live your Core-Activities!

Do the things you like to do, as long and as often as you can, in your
private life as well as at work!

Create even more Passion in your life, by focusing on doing your favo-
rite activities. Make a personal inventory, and you will see what these
activities are. Look closely at your (distant) past, the present and the
future. Work towards a total overview of all your Core-Activities. Your
overview will make you realize ways to bring them to life and engage
in them (even more often).

87
 Picture your Core-Activities
Grab a large sheet of paper. Find out what your Core-Activities are.
Create a map of your favorite activities in private and at work. Don’t
just look at the present. Delve into your recent and distant past as
well. Look ahead into the future too. What activities, which you have
never done before, would you like to do?

Private activities
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Work activities
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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89
Core-Beliefs

The Core-Beliefs Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What are my guiding principles?’

Your beliefs are often deeply rooted in your psyche. They have a huge

90
influence on your life. Whether you like it or not. As a consequence,
many of your life experiences originate from the beliefs you carry in-
side. This applies not just to your past, but to your present life and your
future as well, because there is something special to tell about how
beliefs work psychologically. All beliefs have a special quality to them.
It is the quality of the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. It means that: ‘what you
believe to be true, also has a tendency to come true’.

The quality of a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ works both ways. It works in

a positive sense, but also in a negative sense. If a believe is ‘positively
charged’, it will confirm itself in positive ways. If, for example, you
carry the belief ‘I matter as a human being’, then life will confirm you
in this belief. The same holds true for beliefs such as ‘people can be
themselves around me’ or ‘living my Passions will be a huge boost to
the quality of my life’.

However, if beliefs are ‘negatively charged’, you will experience how

these are confirmed in your life too. Examples include ‘it’s impossible
for me to work my way up the social ladder’, ‘people can’t be trusted’
and ‘I am a terrible control freak’. Of course, if you have beliefs like
these, you have them for a reason. At the same time, though, they
have a limiting effect on your experience of Passion. That is why I call
them limiting beliefs. In practice, it turns out that the great majority
of people hold such beliefs. Therefore, they suffer the consequences.
The thing about limiting beliefs, is that they lead to a negative world of

91
experiences. This is one of the factors that keep you ‘trapped’, at the
level of diffuse-awareness.

That is why you should be very aware of what you choose to believe.
Test all the beliefs you have in you. Observe in full awareness, as you
take each of your beliefs, one at a time, and wear them like you would
wear a coat. Check whether the coats of your beliefs feel as if they fit
you. Ask yourself these questions: ‘what kind of experiences do I get, if
I hold on to this belief?’ and ‘how much stronger does this belief make
me in experiencing Passion in my life?’. After checking all your beliefs,
you can start to decide which ones you wish to keep. Embrace only
those beliefs that are sure to bring you many positive experiences and
those that will give you strength. Let go of any beliefs, which have a
limiting effect on your life. Take them to your personal museum!

One way of doing this is by checking whether the belief is correct, and
by playing with it. You could turn the belief around, for example. Simply
state the belief as its exact opposite. When you do that, the limiting
belief of ‘inner peace, that’s not my kind of thing’ turns into the belief
of ‘inner peace, that’s just my kind of thing’. Now find the arguments,
which prove this latter belief to be true. Please do take your time to do
this. You could, for instance, write a list with your positively charged
belief written on it. Whenever a new argument occurs to you, simply
add it to your list. Use this method to find at least ten reasons for
the truth of this ‘new’ belief. Look at all these reasons and feel what

92
effect they have on you. You will notice the difference it makes. In the
example used above, the positive difference is caused by changing only
a single word.

Another way to work on your belief, is taking a close look at what

it means, and then ‘polishing’ your belief. Describing your belief with
more subtle shades, will make the negative charge disappear. This
could change the belief of ‘I am a slow reader’ into the belief of ‘I like
to read calmly and with full awareness, to really take in what I read
and experience it’. Or into the following variant. ‘I prefer to read calmly,
because I like to let all the feelings I get while reading, sink in’. Adjust-
ments like these often make the negative charge disappear.

Working on realizing the Passion of the Soul, is a different kind of

approach. The experiences you get from it will put all your thoughts,
and therefore all your beliefs, in a completely different light. That is the
light of your awareness. I will return to the subject later on in this book,
in the section on the Passion of the Soul.

So your beliefs are a major influence in your life. They are part of how
you decide where to spend your time, money and energy on. That is
how your beliefs ‘help’ you make all sorts of decisions in everyday life.
As a consequence, your beliefs are always connected to ‘something’.
All of your beliefs are about ‘something’, they are connected to specific
topics. This is true for your Core-Beliefs as well. These are the beliefs

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that strengthen your experiences of Passion in life. They can be con-
nected to a range of topics. Some Core-Beliefs can be connected to life
in general. These beliefs apply to everyone, really. One of these beliefs
is ‘seize the day’. Other Core-Beliefs apply only to your own personality.
An example is ‘I like to enjoy life’. Then there are Core-Beliefs, which
apply to a professional context. An example is the belief ‘Passion can
be experienced within an entire organization’.

The beliefs that people hold, don’t just appear out of thin air. They
spring from personal experience and the experiences of other people.
This is true for you too. ‘Sooner or later’, you will draw conclusions
from all of these experiences. Of course, all kinds of aspects play a
part in this process of acquiring beliefs for yourself. Examples include
the culture you grew up in, the way you were raised and the education
you have received. But even though these beliefs obviously have their
origins, that does not mean they are set in stone for the rest of
your life. You have seen how you can change them if you want to.
Incidentally, these changes do not just affect beliefs held by only a
single person.

There are also beliefs that are held by large groups of people in
society. History is full of examples, showing that these beliefs can
change as well. After all, until a few centuries ago, we all thought that
the world was flat. If at that time you had announced the belief that the
earth was round, you would have ended up being burned at the stake.

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Nonetheless, today everyone believes that the world is round.

The fact that your beliefs are so decisive for many of your life expe-
riences, is precisely why I invite you to stay alert to the beliefs you
hold. Test ‘the charge’ of each belief. Think about the consequences
for yourself if you start to or continue to believe it. This will make you
discover whether the belief strengthens or limits your experience of
Passion. Furthermore, don’t just copy the beliefs of other people. Keep
in mind how easy it is for beliefs to take hold of people. On average,
beliefs are based on just one to seven experiences. This means that
people tend to draw conclusions, from a limited number of experien-
ces, which will then become leading beliefs in their lives. For many peo-
ple, this results in carrying those beliefs along for the rest of their lives.

Live your Core-Beliefs

Choose the beliefs that strengthen you in living from your Heart!

Mapping your Core-Beliefs is important. These are the beliefs that are
meaningful to you. They give you strength and support you on the path
of your life. Choose them with full awareness and let their power work
to your advantage. Do so because of the quality of the many wonderful
experiences and opportunities they bring. They strengthen you in the
experience of your Passion of the Heart!

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 Picture your Core-Beliefs
Grab a large sheet of paper. Use it to describe your Core-Beliefs. Di-
vide them into three categories. The category of ‘general beliefs’ is
where you write down the beliefs that actually apply to all people.
The category of ‘personal beliefs’ is for beliefs that only apply to you
personally. The final category of ‘professional beliefs’ is intended for all
your work-related beliefs.

General beliefs
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Personal beliefs
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Professional beliefs
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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97
Core-Growth

The Core-Growth Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What areas in myself do I want to develop?’

Everyone has the intrinsic need for self-development and growth. This

98
applies to you too. Pursue this type of growth, and please do so at
your own pace and in your own form. Because you have your own style
of development. This is your own preferred way to develop yourself.
You can see this as a kind of blueprint you carry inside. This blueprint
indicates how you prefer to take steps, as you grow in the process of
acquiring knowledge and skills.

You should also follow your inner longing while developing yourself.
Because in practice, it often happens that people ‘forget about’ them-
selves in choosing their points of development. They will obediently
develop according to themes, which their environment views as the
themes they should be developing in. Without checking whether those
themes actually fit their inner longing. They are missing a great oppor-
tunity. Because this often causes people to head in a direction, which
doesn’t take them where they want to go. If you would look into their
Heart, you would find that they would rather use the time for other
purposes. Don’t do this to yourself. As with the other Passion Drives,
follow the flow within. Notice the longing for growth that lives deep
down inside of you. This longing points in your own preferred direction
of development. You can then proceed to realize this, in the way that
fits you.

Distinction between two types of points of development

When mapping all your various points of development, it is helpful to
work with two different categories to distinguish between all of these

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points. This will help you see matters clearly. Because there are diffe-
rent points of development. The first category I call Core-Challenges.
This category covers all topics related to knowledge and skills. There
are also topics that help you increase your inner strength. These topics
belong to the second category, which I call Core-Freedom. The word
‘freedom’ is related to the experience of psychological freedom. By this
I mean, the inner experience of the freedom and strength to live your
Passion of the Heart, anywhere and anytime. It means being authentic
as a person. Without any limitations or blockades.

Core-Challenges
As mentioned above, Core-Challenges cover all topics related to know-
ledge and skills. These are the challenges your personality wants to en-
gage in. You may well be hard at work on these, at this moment of your
life, or maybe you plan to take these up soon. Another option is waiting
just a little longer, until the time is right for it. Your Core-Challenges
are connected to all the contexts of your life. They may include topics
that you want to tackle in private life, or topics that are most closely
related to your job. Still other topics are connected to your private life
as well as to your work.

Sometimes, potential areas of development are accentuated by

people around you. They could, for instance, advise you to attend
a certain education program, or encourage you to attend a specific
training course. Another example is people telling you that learning to

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play a certain musical instrument is fun. Or it is said that acquiring a
certain skill is important for your job. You may be asked to put one of
your less well-developed characteristics in the spotlight, by focusing all
of your energy on it and getting to grips with it. The ultimate goal will
then be to develop that characteristic into one of your strengths.

These kinds of advice are often given with the best of intentions.
Sometimes, however, they are related to the personal interests of the
advisor. That is why it is important to check what you want, whenever
you get advice. You can do so by turning your gaze inside and ‘feeling
your way’, to find the areas you want to develop yourself in. You can
use your intuition for this. The way to do this, is described in the sec-
tion on the Passion Drive Core-Contact. If you conclude that you really
do want to work on that specific point of development, then you should
seriously consider doing so. Apparently, you have a longing to start
working on it at that moment. If you conclude that you don’t really feel
like doing it, or if you feel resistance, then let it go. Follow your Heart
in deciding on your points of development. Preferably, you should only
develop yourself on those points, which fit your inner longing.

While working on and realizing your Core-Challenges, you can turn to

the American professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi for inspiration. He has
spent much effort on an in-depth study of the experience of ‘flow’. He
spent 25 years conducting extensive research into this phenomenon,
prior to publishing his book on the subject. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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states that ‘flow’ represents the optimal experience. In his book, he
describes it as follows:

It is what the sailor feels as he darts across the water flying be-
fore the wind, the wind blowing his hair into his face while the boat
cuts a thunderous path though the waves - sails, hull, wind and sea
humming to a melody that reverberates in the veins of the sailor. It
is what the painter feels when a certain tension rises between all
the colors on the canvas, bringing forth a new thing, a new shape
right before his eyes. It is what the father feels at his child’s first
response to his smile. These events do not occur only in favorable
conditions: survivors of concentration camps or people who lived
through life-threatening situations often recall moments of great
beauty occurring during these great tribulations, such as hearing
a bird’s song in the woods, completing a difficult task, or sharing a
crust of bread with a friend. Contrary to our usual beliefs, moments
like these are the best moments of our lives, instead of the passive,
receptive, relaxing moments - although these can be pleasant too,
especially if we worked hard for them. The best moments usually
come when people attempt to reach a difficult and worthwhile goal,
setting themselves a task that demands the utmost of their body
and mind. Therefore, the optimal experience is something that we
make happen.1)

Mihaly Csikszentmihelyi explains that for the experience of ‘flow’, it is

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important that the challenge that a person sets for himself, must be
more or less balanced with his skills in that area. A lack of balance can
result in either boredom or fear. In that case, the experience of ‘flow’
will be absent. I will use the two examples below to explain this:

Example: mountaineering in the hills

Imagine being an expert mountaineer. You have conquered a num-
ber of mountaintops, including some in the Himalaya. You have been
scaling sheer slopes for years. You may even have done this without
climbing tools or safety lines. Then, someone invites you on a trip
to the hills, to go climbing. If you decide to come along, it may be
a sociable trip, but with your mountaineering background, there will
be no real challenge in it. You will probably experience boredom.
Because there is a lack of balance. The challenge is much too small
compared to your skill.

Example: climbing Mount Everest

Now, imagine having no experience at all in climbing mountains or
scaling steep rock faces. Then suddenly, someone invites you to go
along and climb Mount Everest, the highest summit in the world.
You say ‘yes’, and soon after, you find yourself dangling from a cliff
six hundred feet above solid ground. You look down below and ex-
perience fear. Here too, there is a lack of balance. In this case it is
because the challenge is far too great compared to your skill.

Free translation of: Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Boom, 2001
1)

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When you feel that you want to develop yourself in some area, take a
moment to think first. Have a look at the ratio, between the scale of the
Core-Challenge you want to accept and your level of skill in the matter.
Always make sure, that these aspects are balanced. That is how you
can realize ‘flow’ in your development.

Core-Freedom
Eventually, what nearly everyone wants the most, is to fully live their
Passion of the Heart. To react spontaneously and freely, to go about
their life course without limitations, to live a radiant life. Doing that
is rarely easy. Many people run into inner obstacles throughout their
lives. These obstacles block the flow from within. To some degree, the
same is probably true for you. Right up to the moment when you be-
come aware of it. Then you start to work from your awareness, taking
these obstacles to your ‘personal museum’, one at a time. As you do so,
each obstacle you let go of, will benefit your experience of Passion. Of
course, all the problems we face, have their origins. Nothing that you
‘think, feel and do’ just appears from thin air. The question is, what is
the best way to rid yourself of such obstacles. You can use a number
of ways. All of these ways aim at bringing the burden you bear, to your
‘personal museum’. Many of the roads you can follow, work at the level
of your personality. I will describe two of these, one that uses a bio-
graphical approach, and one that uses a so-called systemic approach.
Both forms, as well as many others I will not list here, work at the level
of your personality. They all act on the layer of ego-awareness. Another

104
road to follow, is letting go of a burden from now-awareness. I will
describe this road further on.

Biographical approach
A common approach at the level of ego-awareness, is directing your
psyche at your life history. This can happen in many forms. The
approach invites you to look at what lies behind you. That is often
connected to your present life. Sometimes, looking back means going
beyond your present life. In that case, attention is paid to what is
known as past lives.

The approach in which your life history is the focus of attention, is

aimed at looking into the situations you have come across in life. You
may find situations that are the cause of the burden, which you are
carrying along with you ‘to the present day’. Becoming aware of
these situations, and maybe even experiencing them again in your
psyche, can result in being liberated from that burden. I will give you
an example from practice.

Example of a biographical cause: ‘clamming up’

A man told me he was suffering from ‘clamming up’ in case of unex-
pected criticism and threats. He had read books on the subject and
attended courses. Sadly though, he had not yet succeeded in solving
his problem. And he wanted to get rid of it badly. As we soon found
out, he had been about five years old, when he experienced it for

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 the first time. It was the first time that he had been unexpectedly
confronted by criticism. He was in school, and his mother came to
pick him up. He had asked her if it was okay for him to go ahead and
walk home alone. Since his home was less than half a mile away, his
mother agreed and gave him the key to the house. Just as he ar-
rived at the front door and slid the key into the lock, he heard noises
behind him and turned around. He saw several older boys, who were
looking at him and uttering threatening words. At that moment, the
boy instinctively chose a specific type of defense. He clenched his
right fist around the key, hunched into a crouching position and anxi-
ously waited for his mother to appear. His hunched and tense body
posture said it all. It was a clear-cut case of ‘clamming up’. Over
the course of his life, he had experienced many more episodes of
‘clamming up’. This went on until he was forty years old. He then
came to me because he wanted to get rid of it. It turned out that his
‘clamming up’ had a clear cause. And this insight proved vital in his
attempt to let go of ‘clamming up’.

Systemic approach
The biographical approach shows, that you are sometimes obstruc-
ted by ‘situations’, which happened earlier in your life. In that case,
these situations are the cause of the burden you bear. However, the
system that you are a part of can also be the cause. A system can be
understood in terms of the family where you were born, your current
family situation or the organization you work in. The systemic approach

106
zooms in on systems like these. It looks at the systems of which your
personality is, or was, a part. The reason for this, is the possibility of
finding causes, which can explain the burden you experience. The bur-
den that you want to get rid of.

Burdens like these come from being connected. Because all the people
in a system are connected to each other. Also, in a system, there are
always interactions and influences that work both ways. It happens not
just by verbal and nonverbal communication. Interaction also happens
by means of energy. It is also called energetic transfer. This is a more
subtle and ‘invisible’ way of interacting. I will illustrate how it works
with the following example.

Example: plastic cup

Imagine standing in the center of a square room of about 30 by 30
foot. In the middle of the room is a table with a plastic cup on it. The
cup is filled to the brim with water. The room also contains a huge
set of audio equipment. Imagine this to be the same kind of equip-
ment used at rock concerts, like the stadium type of events. You are
wearing the best earplugs in the world. Suddenly, the music is turned
on at full volume. When we look at the cup, what do we see? We
will see how the cup starts to vibrate, along with the water in it. As
a result, the water spills over the brim.

In this example, the cup resonates to ‘invisible’ sound waves. Like other

107
forms of energy, these sound waves have a certain vibration frequency.
This is what causes the cup to vibrate. Even though this may be new to
you, systems work in the same way. The energetic forces in a system
resonate in every individual, who is part of that system. In a way, you
can view the body of your personality, as a kind of ‘resonance body’.
This is because your body resonates to other people, who are also part
of the system.

It could happen, for instance, that you can feel what someone else
feels, without being aware of it. Regardless of whether you know that
person or not. You simply ‘resonate’ along with the other person. This
could cause you to pick up someone else’s mood, for instance. Since
your psyche is a system, this mood may call forth certain thoughts in
turn. This can make you experience the same dynamic as the other
person. Eventually, it could even result in a connection of fate, a
common destiny. All of this is possible, in spite of the fact that the
cause of all this, essentially, comes from outside your personality.

Transfer of energy between people is a common occurrence. It’s just

that people are usually not aware of it. This is caused in part, by the
fact that people simply don’t know about the existence of these trans-
fers. And those who do know it exists, will not be likely to talk about it
to other people. This is often due to their fear of being called ‘crazy’.
Nonetheless, you should try it for yourself. Experiment with energetic
transfer if you can. Suppose, you walk into a room with one other

108
person, and suddenly, you get a headache. For the sake of this experi-
ment, get the other person involved by asking a question: ‘do you have
a headache at this moment?’ Notice what happens.

So, energy fields exist in systems. You could also call them force fields
or dynamics. Some of these strengthen you as a person, while others
weaken you. These weakening influences have a way of taking root
inside you. If that happens, you become tangled up with ‘something’ or
‘someone’ from the system. This kind of entanglement presents itself in
the form of a ‘burden’. That burden is the ‘complaint’ you carry along,
and it is also what you want to get rid of. The systemic approach will
help you with that. I will explain this by using an example from practice
as well.

Example of a systemic cause: claustrophobia

A man told me he suffered from fear of small spaces and dark rooms.
He badly wanted to be rid of it. As we talked, he discovered what his
‘burden’ was linked to. It turned out that his grandmother’s brother
had been taken prisoner on a warship, during the Second World
War. The ship was hit by a torpedo and sank. His great-uncle died
in the attack. The fear that the great-uncle must have experienced,
trapped in his dark and tiny cell, ended up inside the man sitting
across from me. This insight alone was hugely liberating for him.

109
Combination of causes, both systemic and autobiographical
Up to this point, I have told you about two different possible causes,
which can result in a burden you bear as a person. Burdens can come
from one or several situations that occurred in your life history. Burdens
can also result from the system, of which you are or were a part. There
is another possibility, however. This is when your burden has roots
that are both systemic and autobiographical in nature. Here too, I will
provide an example from practice.

Example of a biographical and systemic cause: migraine

A woman told me she suffered severely from migraine. So severely,
in fact, that she sometimes had to spend several days at home,
lying in bed in total darkness. At such times, she couldn’t bear any
external influence at all. She was amazed to discover that, through
her migraine, she was connected to the death of a colleague she
had been very close with, many years ago. Her colleague had died
of a brain tumor. As we talked about this, she felt the migraine
coming up. As soon as she made her discovery, however, it vanished
instantly. It turned out to be a healing insight for her.

Healing power of now-awareness

Although the above examples show how different approaches were
healing for the persons involved, I want to add a critical remark here
too.

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Your psyche loves problems and challenges. It can really sink its teeth
into them, and it keeps doing so all the time. Your psyche is filled with
thoughts and feelings each day. Later on in this book, in the section
on the Passion of the Soul, you will discover that this is precisely how
your psyche works to keep you trapped in ego-awareness. It is in fact
precisely this activity of your psyche that gets in the way, when you
take the step from ego-awareness to now-awareness. Your psyche
often delays the state of ‘now-awareness’ for a bit, if it is aware of that
state at all. The reason is that first, it wants to solve the problems of
your personality and tackle its challenges. There can only be space for
‘now-awareness’, after that process is finished. If you let this happen,
you will stay tangled up in ego-awareness, no matter what you do.

All forms of suffering essentially result from being tangled up with your
personality. As long as your personality is your only reality, you will
keep running into it. Good moments and not-so-good moments will
keep alternating. If you fight your burden, your suffering, only by ana-
lyzing your psyche and investigating the systems you are part of, then
you are fighting an uphill battle. The reason is that the activity of your
psyche, keeps overruling your true Self. As long as that happens, you
will have to keep dealing with suffering. That is why you should take
the time to let the following sentence sink in:

‘That which festers in the dark, dissolves in the light of your awareness.’

111
Moving up the awareness ladder, and lifting your awareness up to the
level of now-awareness, is precisely what makes the light of your aware-
ness shine brighter. In this ‘awakened state’, you immediately detect
specific ‘complaints’, as soon as they enter your awareness. Regardless
of whether their nature is physical, non-physical, emotional or men-
tal, and regardless of their cause. By permanently staying deep in the
state of now-awareness, these complaints will simply dissolve sooner
or later, seemingly ‘without effort’. This is why I want you to consider
the following. Choose a straight path to the state of now-awareness,
as much as you can. Don’t let yourself be ‘caught up’ in the idea of
having to do a few other things first, before being able to head in that
direction. This idea is what keeps you tangled up in ego-awareness.
And after all, what is the point in all of this really? Is it a matter of
mentally unraveling and analyzing the causes of problems, in order to
‘hopefully’ be able to let go of them in time? Or do you want to get
straight to the point, experiencing the radiant and infinitely profound
inner peace, which is connected to now-awareness? You want to let go
of the obstacle, don’t you? Do it in the ‘here and now’!

As long as you keep approaching your personal obstacles from the

biographical, systemic and intuitive viewpoints, you remain stuck. Even
though you may take steps mentally, you will still be ‘trapped’ at the
level of ego-awareness. In addition, practical experience teaches that:
‘The more you know, the more you realize how little you know’. There
are always new things to discover and to know. More to think about.

112
This is why the road of the psyche never ends. If all you ever follow is
this road, then the dimension of your true Self will remain hidden, like
the sun behind the clouds. It will never be able to do its healing work.
Now-awareness can be realized in the ‘here and now’. You can already
access this experience right now. Don’t delay it, do it now. Be ‘awake’,
see what is there, without connecting to it or identifying with it. What is
there, comes and goes. Be aware of that. Observe your limiting beliefs,
your emotional suffering, your physical suffering and your unhealthy
habits and tendencies. Aim the light of your awareness at it, be present
with it. As you do this, dive as deep as you can into the state of now-
awareness. Be as ‘awake’ as you can. The section on the Passion of the
Soul, will guide you on your way.

Live your Core-Growth!

Develop yourself only on those topics, in which you feel deep down
inside, that you really want to develop yourself!

Map your Core-Growth. Be aware of the things you really want to

develop yourself in. Not because your environment tells you to, but
because deep down inside, you feel the longing to get to grips with
them. Then get to work, and do it at the moment of your choice.
Master it in your own way, and at your own pace. Follow your personal
style of development, as you work on each point of development. Be
aware of the necessity of balance, between the Core-Challenge you

113
accept and the level of skill that you have. Realize that as you work on
the subjects of Core-Freedom, ‘true’ freedom can only be experienced
in ‘now-awareness’. Here, you are free from all suffering.

Map your Core-Growth

Grab a large sheet of paper. Use it to describe all the topics in which
you feel you want to develop yourself. Distinguish between different
areas. List all the topics that are associated with gaining knowledge
and skills, and label these areas as Core-Challenges. Use the label of
Core-Freedom, to list all the topics, associated with increasing your
inner strength and your inner freedom.

Core-Challenges (increasing knowledge and skills)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Core-Freedom (increasing inner strength and freedom)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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115
Core-Contribution

The Core-Contribution Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What do I want to contribute to society?’

Like everyone else, you have an intrinsic longing to put your life to use,

116
to contribute ‘something meaningful’ to the world around you. By your
contribution, you add to the well-being of ‘something’ or ‘someone’ in
society. It could be that you choose to commit yourself, from the Heart,
either to the environment, to animals, or to people. Thereby, your
contribution is valuable by definition.

Naturally, the scope of contributions varies. Your contribution could

concern only one person, for instance. Or it can be a contribution to
many people all over the world. In both cases, it is a contribution to
society that matters. They are both equally important. The exact same
quality flows in both forms, as well as in any form in between. These
forms need each other, and in fact, they complement each other!

The term Core-Contribution is synonymous with the concepts of perso-

nal mission, life’s work and calling. Some people discover theirs early
on in life. They follow their personal mission in life from childhood.
For most people, however, Core-Contributions come from various fun-
damental experiences they encounter on the path of their life. These
experiences may come in rapid succession, but they may just as well
be spread out over longer periods. Sometimes it takes decades. Until
a moment comes, when the energy of all these experiences combines
and transforms into a form. That form is the Core-Contribution you
want to make. All of a sudden, it just pops up in your awareness. You
then have the chance to start working with it, and to fully bring this
Passion Drive to life.

117
The moment at which you become aware of your Core-Contribution
may come at age twenty, forty, sixty or seventy. Every person comes to
a point in life, when he or she hears this inner call. That call presents
itself in the form of a longing to ‘make a difference’ in ‘something’.
This comes forth from your own experiences. That is what makes you
so connected to it. And that is why you want to commit yourself to it,
from the Heart.

I will now give you a number of practical examples of this Passion

Drive. They are all examples of people who, after having specific expe-
riences, decided to commit themselves to that particular theme.

A man who, after losing both parents to a certain form of cancer,

decides to commit himself to establishing a new type of clinic, which
produces major breakthroughs in the treatment of that form of
cancer.

A woman who is part of the work process, until she decides to go

against all the social conventions, quitting her job to be a full-time
mother to her children. She does this after a long period of going
against her true feelings, giving priority to her job.

An executive manager who, after having experienced an unhealthy

hunt for profit for a long time, commits himself to a new outlook on
leadership and its application.

118
 A farmer who commits himself to bringing people back in touch with
nature, after often experiencing how far removed from nature many
people are.

A woman who commits herself to children in difficult life conditions,

helping them to give their experiences a place in their lives. She
recognizes their conditions from her own childhood experiences.

Live your Core-Contribution!

Open yourself up to your Core-Contribution, become aware of it, and

make a difference in our society!

Open yourself up to this Passion Drive. Keep a part of your aware-

ness focused on your inner world. Feel how situations in the outside
world affect you. Be aware of the longing that glows inside of you.
A deep longing that wants to be ‘lived’ and with which you can make a
difference in the world around you. That is a difference that matters.
Do not make it smaller than it is. Don’t trivialize it. Acknowledge your
inner wish and act upon it. That deed is a true contribution. It will bring
you the experience of the Passion of the Heart.

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 Picture your Core-Contribution

Grab a large sheet of paper. Use it to write down or draw what occu-
pies your mind. Picture the events that deeply affected you. Visualize
this by using photos or symbols. Look at what you wrote down at the
other Passion Drives. Feel how all these things are mutually connected.
As you do this, become aware of the difference that you can make.
Dare to dream and to realize your dreams.

Core-Contribution
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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121
Core-Contact

The Core-Contact Passion Drive provides an answer to the following

question:

‘What do I experience by intuition?’

The Core-Contact Passion Drive represents the use of your human

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intuition. But what exactly is intuition? I use the following definition:
‘Intuition is the ability of any person, to perceive information within,
without thinking and by immediate inspiration.’ In a flash of sudden
inspiration, you just ‘know’ something. You do this without any
kind of elaborate process, of thinking and information processing,
occurring in advance. The insights granted by these flashes often turn
out to be very meaningful, as long as you make room for them and
listen to them.

How can you do this? By approaching people, situations and questions

of life intuitively. By becoming aware of the information these things
bring, and by acting on that information. Any person is capable of
listening to their intuition and acting upon it. In fact, it is one of the
most common things in the world. Today, there is much to read, hear
and see about intuition. In practice, the way in which intuition is por-
trayed, causes many people to close themselves to their own intuitive
abilities. They lose interest or dismiss intuition as a fairytale. This auto-
matically causes them to shut the door that leads to their own intuition.

This happens for a number of reasons. One of these is the view of

intuition as a special ability, to which only certain people have access.
Another reason is that the few people who display their intuition in
public, are portayed as being in some way mysterious. Television shows
us images of candles suddenly lighting up, and soft music rising to a
climax, when contact is made with someone who has passed away.

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Intuition is relevant to everyone. After all, it is one of the seven Passion
Drives. And yet, at the same time, I have a critical remark about intui-
tion. I do this because intuitive powers do not make you any more or
less spiritual than other people. The Awareness Ladder has demonstra-
ted that spirituality is more than ‘clairvoyance’. Please keep both feet
firmly on the ground. When all is said and done, ‘clairvoyance’ is just a
synonym for ‘clear sight’. Seeing things clearly, still means seeing. And
seeing is connected to your personality, regardless of whether you are
‘seeing normally’ or ‘seeing something more’. ‘Seeing something more’
in the sense of ‘clairvoyance’.

So even if you have strong intuitive abilities, you can still be badly
tangled up with your personality. Or, to put it differently, trapped in the
state of ego-awareness. This explains why so-called ‘mediums’ can be
unfamiliar with the experience of ‘now-awareness’. It is because they
are tangled up in ego-awareness. To them, their personality is the only
reality. That is why they base their identity on their ‘intuitive abilities’,
without ever having had a single conscious experience of now-
awareness. In this context, I would like to quote a few words by
Williges Jäger, Benedictine monk and Zen Buddhist. as he describes it
in his book ‘The wave is the sea’.

At any rate, I will point out certain dangers. And the greatest danger
is to end precisely halfway down the road. And by the way, this is not
my own discovery; the great mystic traditions of the main religions

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 have repeatedly warned against attributing too much weight to spi-
ritual side-effects, such as telekinesis, prophecy, visions, ecstasies,
levitation and so-called reincarnation experiences. Of course, such
experiences can be meaningful to a specific person, and perhaps
even to an entire group, but they are not an end as such. And above
all else, they must not be interpreted as signs of being chosen in
some special way. For after all, these paranormal gifts have little to
do with spirituality. They are about potentialities possessed by all
people in rudimentary form, which some can develop while others
cannot - just like there are people who are musically gifted and other
in whom this disposition is less developed.2)

Intuition is a natural ability that you, just like everyone else, have at
your disposal. Don’t associate your ability of intuition with ‘something’
you saw on TV, or with a ‘clairvoyant person’ you may know. These are
very different things altogether. Allow yourself to open the door of your
intuitive abilities. Listen to it often, and develop yourself in it. Do it in
your regular everyday life, without making it ‘mysterious’. Let yourself
be amazed and bewildered, by what crosses your path every now and
then. Without making it the ultimate truth. It happens at the level of
the personality, and it is relevant for you as a person. Just like the other
Passion Drives. Nothing more and nothing less.

Every day, you can approach people, situations and questions of life in-
tuitively. By questions of life, I mean questions about matters that keep

Free translation of: Jäger, Willigis. Elke golf is de zee, Rotterdam: Asoka, 2005
2)

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you occupied in life, questions you would really like to answer. These
can be essential questions of life, but they can also be questions about
everyday situations. Present these questions to your ‘gut feelings’ from
a state of ‘inner peace’. Then wait until you notice how an answer
suddenly appears in your awareness.

Pick a quiet moment for this approach if you can. A moment when you
are alone and able to focus your awareness on the theme, the question
or the situation you want to work with. Phrase what is on your mind
in a brief and open question. Then let this question cross your mind a
few times. When you have done this, let go of the question, close your
eyes, slightly dip your chin down to your chest and rest your hands on
your underbelly. The best inner attitude to do this, is an alert and in-
quisitive attitude of waiting for what will come. Right up to the moment
when ‘something’ suddenly appears in your awareness.

The ‘answer’ that appears in your awareness can be an inner image,

similar to a photo or film. It could also be a word, a phrase, a symbol,
or a sound, a smell or a feeling. Sometimes it is a complete answer
to your question, and at other times it may be part of an answer. In
any case, the answer is always relevant. You may even notice how
something emerges, which first makes you think ‘well, this can’t be it,
let’s keep searching’. Don’t do that. Be aware of the very first thing that
comes to your awareness, after opening up to the question you have
asked. Register the initial ‘answer’ as a valuable piece of the puzzle.

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Experience has shown this to be true every single time.

Sometimes, the meaning of the ‘answer’ is clear right away. In other

cases, this will not happen immediately. Cases like these simply need
some time to ripen, as it were. Their full meaning will usually become
apparent at a later time. I will give you a few examples of ‘intuitive
moments’.

Example from practice: sudden stomach-ache when mother passed

away
A man told me about an experience in his life that only his wife
knew of. At some point in his life, he was at a meeting. During this
meeting, he was suddenly struck by a fierce bout of stomach-ache.
The pain was too intense for him to ‘brush aside’. He was literally
doubling up in pain. This baffled the people around him, who knew
him. After he had caught his breath and was able to stand upright
again, he heard his mobile phone ring. When he answered the call,
he heard a relative asking him to come home right away. On arrival
he learned that his beloved mother had passed away at the exact
moment of his intense stomach-ache.

Example from practice: desire to have children or not?

A woman with a university degree and a high-responsibility job told
me that for a very long time, she had been trying to find an ans-
wer to her question of whether or not she wanted to have a third

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 child. I told her I was convinced that she already knew the answer.
The answer was already within her. She gave me an incredulous
look. She replied by telling me how she had been pondering this
very question every single day for the last two years now. Then she
asked me to help her find the answer within herself. I explained
about the exercise I described earlier. She did the exercise. A few
seconds after closing her eyes and putting her hands on her under-
belly, she reopened her eyes. Tears flowed. She told me she knew
the answer. In this instance, the answer was ‘yes’. A little over a year
later, she, her husband, and her two other children celebrated the
birth of their third child.

Example from practice: seeing the children after the divorce

A man had run into a completely unexpected divorce from his wife.
His wife had left him, and took their children along with her. He
found out that she had been having an affair with another man all
along. He was badly hurt by what happened. Overcome by emotion,
he told me he had been talking to lawyers and that he was searching
for the most positive way to deal with the divorce for the children’s
sake. The next day he called me. He had engaged in the ‘intuitive
experiment’. The answer was the exact opposite of his original in-
tention of finding a lawyer, and fighting a fierce legal battle. He told
me how, deep inside, he felt that the best thing to do was give his
children space. To let them go. And even to encourage them to bond
with his ex-wife’s new partner. He encouraged his youngest daughter

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 to draw a nice picture for this man. No matter how hard this was for
him. This was part of how he managed to maintain a good relations-
hip with his children, his ex-wife and even his ex-wife’s new partner.

We all have sudden intuitive inspirations, and each of us can approach

questions of life intuitively. This applies to you too. Perhaps you were
not aware of this until now. If so, then all you really have to do is open
up your awareness to it. Once you do that, moments of intuitive aware-
ness will arise spontaneously. Another thing you should be aware of in
life is the possibility of moments of synchronicity. This is also known as
‘meaningful coincidence’. The concept of synchronicity was founded by
Carl Gustav Jung. Joseph Jaworski, author of the book ‘Synchronicity’,
quotes Jung on the subject as follows:

‘A meaningful concurrence of two or more events, in which something

more than the probability of random choice seems to be at work.’ 3)

From the many moments of synchronicity, in my own life as well as in

those of others, I have been able to determine the existence of a kind
of undercurrent. This undercurrent affects the life course of all people.
Occasionally, the current breaks through the surface in the form of
‘meaningful coincidence’. I will provide an example from practice of
this current as well.

Free translation of: Jaworski, Joseph. Synchroniciteit, Zeist: Uitgeverij Christofoor, 2006
3)

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 Example from practice: meeting a former colleague
After a late-night conversation, a man made wished me good night
as he was preparing to leave. On his way home, he thought about
contacting a former colleague he hadn’t seen in five years. The next
morning, he got up early to beat the traffic, because he was heading
for a different part of the country. He arrived before the office ope-
ned its doors, so he stopped at a hotel to have a coffee. That mor-
ning, to his amazement, he entered the hotel and met his former
colleague, after being out of touch for five years.

Coincidences occur in your life, too. They could be moments of syn-

chronicity. In the sense of serving as a kind of signpost, pointing to
‘something’ that is relevant. Always approach such moments, of pos-
sible synchronicity, intuitively. That way, you can find out whether the
situation really has value for you, or whether you can let go of it. I
give you this suggestion on intuition, to open you up to its presence,
without seeing everything as a sign. Use your intuition to investigate,
whenever you suspect that an event could be ‘meaningful coincidence’.
When you feel intuitively that the situation is important for you, then
see what you can do with it, and act upon it. Be aware how this will
shift your life into ‘top gear meaningfulness’.

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Live your Core-Contact!

Let your mind give shape, to what your gut feelings tell you!

Be aware of your ‘intuitive abilities’, and use them in your everyday life.
This is another Passion Drive that strengthens you in experiencing your
Passion of the Heart. Approach people, situations and (open) questions
of life from within as much as you can. Examine the way you feel about
it, and then act upon it. Keep part of your awareness focused on
potential moments of synchronicity too. Whenever synchronicity
appears to happen in a situation, you can approach that situation
intuitively. If it turns out that the situation is meaningful to you, then
act upon it. Use this to shift your life into top gear. It will help you to
walk a path of life filled with Passion.

Core-Contact
The Core-Contact Passion Drive is every bit as important as the other
Passion Drives. Still, this Passion Drive occupies a special position
among the other Passion Drives. This is because it is impossible to
map your ‘intuition’. It is an ability you carry along with you, which you
can use day in and day out. That is why I encourage you to do just
that. You can do it several times, every day of your life.

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Putting the Passion of the Heart
to practice

The Passion of the Heart invites you, to let the energy of your persona-
lity flow freely. To really live from your Heart. You can do this, by being
aware of the seven Passion Drives. Use them as a basis for a detailed
map of your Passion of the Heart. If possible, use a single large sheet
of paper to do this. You could use the technique called mind mapping

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for it. This is a practical tool to support you in mapping your Passion of
the Heart. Turn this meaningful sheet of paper into a kind of picture.
Illustrate it with colors and images as much as you like. Put it in a nice
frame and look at it whenever you can. This is how you will grow fully
aware of your Passion of the Heart.

Every time you look at it, you can see how the energy of your perso-
nality can flow most freely. These are the inner conditions that you
want to experience as often as you can. This makes you aware, of the
best way to express your personality. This awareness allows you to live
accordingly. And that is what you should do. Actively commit yourself
to the realization of this Passion. Use every situation to express your
Passion of the Heart. As you do this, you are in fact creating your own
‘Heartprint’, to mark every situation you come across. Because, just as
with the Passion of the Soul, the Passion of the Heart is all about ‘the
path is the goal’. There is no need to wait. Don’t confuse this Passion
with something you hope to realize in the future. Make a start in the
‘here and now’. Every situation is suited for living your Passions. No
situation in the world is an exception to this!

Everyone has the power to create. Everyone creates. Of course, that

which you create from a state of diffuse-awareness, will look very dif-
ferent from what you create from a state of core-awareness. And you
are creating anyway. You do it every single day. This is because in fact,
everything that you do can be viewed as a creation. In order to create

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from core-awareness as much as you can, it is important to have a
complete picture of your Passion of the Heart. Because that will allow
you to let your Passion of the Heart flow more freely in everyday situa-
tions. Do yourself a favor, and pin the map of your Passion of the Heart
to a wall in plain view. Put it somewhere you look at often. This greatly
increases your chances of living life in full accordance with these in-
sights. It makes you create your own Passion, and therefore, it makes
you experience it fully in your life.

Moments of reflection
Every time you look at the map of your Passion of the Heart, take the
time to let each Passion Drive sink into your mind. Look at what you
wrote down. Reflect on how strongly each Passion Drive flows in your
life. You may be pleased with it, or you may not. If you are displeased
with the strength of the flow, then ask yourself how you can change it.
Reflect on ways to express this Passion Drive more strongly in your life.

Create moments of reflection, to work on your Passion of the Heart. As

you do this, feel what fits you best. Maybe you should reserve some
space in your daily schedule, or maybe you like the idea of making your
personal action plan for this Passion. Maybe you don’t like the idea of
a structural approach. If so, you may want to realize the Passion of the
Heart by expressing it more spontaneously. In that case, it could be
helpful to use a reminder. You can put a reminder down somewhere,
or pin it to the wall, or put it in your pocket. Every time you see, hear

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or feel this reminder, you can check how your Passion of the Heart is
doing at that moment. Use your creativity for this, because you are
definitely creative!

Relationships
You could think of your Passion of the Heart in terms of a blueprint for
your ideal life. After all, it is a wonderful illustration of the conditions,
in which you live fully from the Heart. Take the challenge of talking
to other people about it. You can have these conversations with your
parents, partner, child(ren), friends, colleagues and managers. They
will get to know you better. And at the same time, you will be a source
of inspiration to them. You may well cause them to see for themselves,
what their own Passion of the Heart really looks like. You will find out
how this changes the way you talk to other people. Your conversations
will become more intense and more substantial.

This intense and substantial contact often makes relationships more

profound. It clears a path that works both ways, allowing you both to
experience even more Passion. You could, for instance, use your Core-
Values to give other people ‘your recipe’ for a flourishing relationship.
In return, also ask for the person’s ‘recipe’ in return. Talk to each
other about what your relationship will look like, once you can both
fully express yourself in it. Create a clear image of how you will treat
each other in practice, once your relationship becomes optimal. If you
continue together by taking that into account, and by acting accor-

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dingly, in full awareness, you will see how the relationship automati-
cally moves to a more profound level. The bond that exists between
you will only grow stronger.

You could talk to your manager, for example, to discuss the best way
of working together. Explain that the more he or she takes this into
account, the more you will feel like a ‘fish in water’. This will stimulate a
natural improvement in the relationship. Not just for yourself, but also
for the organization you work in, as well as for your contact with your
manager. The best thing about this, is the fact that every time you talk
about your Passion with someone, you are dealing with it in awareness.
It penetrates ever deeper into your being. This also shows in your
actions. Doing this will take you into an upward spiral. From there, you
create ever more Passion in your own life. That Passion will affect other
people. By doing this, you invite them to fully live their Passion too.

If you feel dissatisfied

If you feel dissatisfied about certain forms in your life, then the map
of your Passion of the Heart will point in the direction of the solution.
Suppose, for example, that you feel dissatisfied about the relationship
with your partner, about how you raise your child(ren), or about your
job. In cases like these, have a ‘time-out’, and give yourself some time
to reflect. When you do, by looking at your Passion of the Heart, you
can precisely pinpoint what is wrong. That will make it a lot easier to
do something about it. Because once you know what is wrong, you can

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start to look for a matching solution. Find out what you need to stop
feeling dissatisfied. Try to adjust the form, so that it fits you again.
Maybe the solution lies inside of yourself, or maybe you need to talk
about it. It could be both, or it could be more than that. And if a form
really no longer fits you, then consider letting go of it.

New job
If you should conclude that switching jobs is better for your Passion
of the Heart, then go ahead and do it. Find a job that fits you better.
Here too, let your Passion of the Heart guide you. Have a good look at
it, and be clearly aware of the contours of your ideal job. Allow your
Core-Values to be one of your guiding lights in this. They point at what
you find important in life. Both in general and in the organization you
work in, as well as the part you play in it and your relationship with
your manager.

In addition, your Core-Activities indicate what you would like to do

most, in terms of the content of your job. These are the activities
you love to get involved in as often as possible. The job that fits you
best, is also the job that enables you to let your Core-Gifts flow freely,
and to make optimal use of them. Preferably in service of your Core-
Contribution. Your ideal job will come full circle if your organization also
supports you in your Core-Beliefs, and if it gives you the development,
the Core-Growth, that you want to experience.

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All things considered, the seven Passion Drives help you find your ideal
job. If you look at the full picture of your Passion of the Heart, you
get an overall impression of what essentially drives you. Your ideal
job is a good match for this. Using the clear contours of your Passion
of the Heart, you can make an active start in finding that job. As you
do this, be on the lookout for potential moments of synchronicity that
may occur. Practical experience shows that a ‘new’ job, one that better
matches your Passion, can pop up from the most unexpected places.

If you get invited to a job interview, then take the map of your Passion
of the Heart with you. Spread it out on the table and address all of
it, point by point. If the person you are talking to is not open to your
Passion, then ask yourself ‘do I even want to work here?’ An example
of this would be if your Passion is dismissed as being ‘idealistic’. Check
whether you are at the same wavelength. Another thing you should
test, is whether all Passion Drives match the job you are applying for.
If you find mismatches, then think hard about whether you want to do
this job at all. This is because such mismatches will probably get in the
way of the flow of your Passion of the Heart.

Trial and error

Even when you commit all of your energy to working with your Passion
of the Heart, there will still be moments of ‘trial and error’. You could,
for example, slide down the awareness ladder every now and then,
briefly returning to the level of diffuse-awareness. This could happen,

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for example, after you discover that you did not stick to your Core-
Values in some situation, even though you had promised yourself that
you would. And of course, the same thing could happen with any other
Passion Drive. You will experience errors in expressing your Passion.
That is perfectly alright, you are a human being, not a robot. See it as
an opportunity to grow, and to become even more aware. You should
also know that this has nothing to do with your True Self at all. It is sim-
ply a missed opportunity at the level of your personality. That’s all it is.

Mistakes do not exist

As you develop, you start to do things differently. This may lead you
to conclude, when you look back one year later, that you have ‘made
a mistake’ with ‘something’ a year ago. Be careful about drawing con-
clusions like that. They can have a powerful and limiting effect on your
psyche. That is in fact completely unnecessary. You are doing things
differently now, precisely because you have grown in the past year. You
have evolved. No matter how good your intentions were when you did
certain things a year ago, new insights may cause you to see things
differently one year later. In this sense, mistakes do not exist. What
exists, is an evolution of yourself.

Synchronicity
By now you know that your life can shift to a higher gear, if you
are open to potential moments of synchronicity. Therefore, in your
everyday life, be on the lookout for situations that may be ‘meaningful

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coincidences’. Find out whether these situations have ‘something’ to
tell you. As you do this, experience that there are two different ways
to do this, each with their own qualities. One way is thinking about the
meaning of ‘something’. The other way is using your intuition to feel
the meaning of ‘something’. Discover the difference, by experiencing
both ways for yourself.

Keeping the elements of The Passion Pyramid in shape

In a single image, The Passion Pyramid makes you aware, of all the
dimensions of your human existence. In this way, it shows you the
various elements that make up your personality. It also shows you your
true Self. Take good care of all these dimensions. If you do, you will
experience meaningful harmony. Vary between moments of thinking
and moments of not-thinking. Let your feelings flow. Do not stop your
tears when they come. Allow them to be there, and do not identify with
them. Observe how these tears come, observe how they are there, and
observe how they go away again. This applies to all of your feelings.
Allow them to be. Also, take good care of your body, and be aware of
the energy around your own body and those of others. Live as a whole
human being.

Realize your dream

Be brave enough to dream out loud about what you want to create,
no matter how new or how different that may be. That dream is there
for a reason. Feel what the subject means to you. Find a way to realize

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your dream. It may take a long time to get there, or it may not. The
timescale is not important, in essence. Start out on your path. Every
step you take towards realizing your dream, no matter how small, is a
real step in itself. As soon as you take steps like this, you are on your
way to make your dream come true. Follow your Heart!

Energetic transfer in encounters

This exercise requires a fair amount of body-awareness. When you
grow skilled at this through practice, you can start to experiment with
energetic transfer in encounters with other people. For instance, when
you know you are about to meet someone, you can focus your aware-
ness on your body right before the encounter. First, focus on your
breathing. Follow a few breathing cycles. Then, focus your awareness
on your entire body. Do this as though you were scanning yourself
from head to toe. Be alert, so that you detect which sensations present
themselves. Then, get moving, and step into the encounter with the
other person. In doing so, keep a part of your awareness focused on
your body. Observe whether this encounter causes a change in your
body. If it does, then voice that change out loud, by telling the other
person about it, and by asking whether he or she recognizes the body
sensation in himself or herself.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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142
The Passion of the Soul
143
Essence of the Passion of the Soul

Every person wants to feel good. Preferably as often as possible. The

Passion of the Soul lets you experience that this is possible. At any
moment of your life, and therefore, in any situation in life!

This is due to the presence of a radiant and infinitely profound inner

peace, deep down within your personality. All you need to experience

144
this, is to connect yourself with it. When you do that, the experience
will effortlessly flow into your awareness. You will discover and realize
who you truly are. Suddenly, the mask of your personality slips, and
your true face is revealed. You ‘wake up’ and experience your own soul.
Who you are is pure awareness.

Pure awareness is not of this world. It is a higher dimension. A dimen-

sion that transcends the human form. The tip of The Passion Pyramid
symbolizes this. Pure awareness is the source of all life. It is the deepest
essence of every form that exists in this world. This includes the forms
of humans, animals and nature. At this manifest level, all is one.
Experience it for yourself. You can do this from a high degree of ‘being
awake’.

Expand your awareness. Transcend your personality. This has nothing

to do with free-floating vagueness. On the contrary, you become more
‘awake’. Experience the radiant and infinitely profound inner peace, and
deepen this experience. In full awareness, allow your soul to find its
way back home, and to dissolve into its source.

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 Basic exercise 1: following your breathing
Arrive in the ‘here and now’ by following your breathing in awareness.
Close your eyes, and focus as much of your attention as you can on
following each breathing cycle. Count every exhalation as you breathe
out. Start at one and continue to ten. When you get to ten, start over
again at one. Be mild with yourself if you lose count along the way.
You were simply not present for a moment. What matters is that you
are now present again. Just start over at one. Keep your awareness
focused on following your breathing. Stay engaged, as ‘awake’ as you
can be. Let any thoughts and feelings drift by, like clouds in the sky.
Let them come and go. You remain undisturbed, as you keep following
your breathing. Counting helps you steer clear of the pulling force of
your psyche. Do this exercise for at least one minute. If you can keep
it up longer, that is perfectly all right.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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147
Always realizable

The Passion of the Soul is a primal longing, which is present in every per-
son. It provides the kick-off for spiritual growth, in which you discover
that your true face is pure awareness.

When you realize the Passion of the Soul, the awareness - which is
you - becomes aware of itself as awareness. This is a pure awareness.

148
It can be experienced as infinite, formless, vibrant, and loving. All that
exists, originates from this source, and returns to it eventually.

Anyone can realize and experience the Passion of the Soul. So can you.
Open yourself up to it. As soon as you do, you will recognize that primal
longing deep within. The recognition that follows from this, makes you
do awareness exercises. You will be more ‘awake’, and you will move
one step up the awareness ladder. The step you take, is the step from
the level of core-awareness to that of higher-awareness.

This will wake you from the illusion of your personality. You will find
out, that your personality is merely a ‘vehicle’ and an ‘instrument’ for
the higher awareness that you are. This higher awareness is your true
Self. It has temporarily made your personality its home. Temporary
because, sooner or later, your personality will cease to exist.

The Passion of the Soul can be realized anywhere and anytime. It

doesn’t matter where you are, what you do or what time it is. It also
doesn’t matter whether the circumstances in the life of your perso-
nality are favorable or not. It can be realized regardless of whether
everything runs smoothly or not in the life of your personality. Because
whether you are healthy or sick, possess a lot of money or just a little,
live in the Netherlands or Australia, man or woman, young or old; the
Passion of the Soul can essentially be realized in any conditions and by
each and every one of us.

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 Basic exercise 2: following your breathing
This exercise is largely identical to basic exercise 1, described in the
previous chapter. Only now, you don’t have to count every time you
breathe out. Instead, you will use your hand as a tool for following
every breathing cycle. Choose whether you prefer to use your left or
your right hand for this exercise. Then, at the first moment when you
breathe in, press your thumb and index finger together. As you breathe
in again, press your thumb and your middle finger together. Then your
thumb and your ring finger. Finish with your thumb and little finger.
Then start over from the beginning. Remain undisturbed in this exer-
cise too, as you keep following your breathing. Pressing your fingers
together and linking that to each inhalation helps you to avoid the pull
of your psyche, just like counting your breaths. Do this exercise for at
least one minute as well.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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151
Connected without limits

Many people find it difficult to truly connect with others. Contacts they
have with other people are often superficial. They lack a more profound
connection. This is a logical result of not being connected to their true
Self. This is because:

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 You only experience an infinitely profound and unlimited connected-
ness, when you are connected to your true Self, in full awareness.

If this connection of awareness with the true Self is missing, then soul-
fulness fades into the background. Only a superficial existence remains.
This is because the only reality that is ‘left’ in such an existence is your
personality. When this happens, the thinker within will rule us. It wants
to clarify, understand and control everything. Before you know it, you
will be caught in a web of thoughts, in which every thought produces
a new thought. And so it goes on all day long. This condition governs
the majority of people, every day, all over the world. This keeps them
‘trapped’ in their thoughts. They cannot find the switch to turn it off.

When the thinker governs our existence, we spend all day hard at
work on processing information. The thinker wants to understand
everything, and for that reason, it splits existence up into information
packages. All information gets its own particular place, and is stored
into a specific compartment, as it were. Thinking is a continuous pro-
cess of ‘this goes in here’ and ‘that goes in there’. In this process, the
walls of each compartment act as limits. This causes everything inside
a compartment to be separated from the rest. In this way, thinking
gives everything a meaning and a label. This is how the thinker makes
the world understandable, manageable and controllable. This is also
the cause of all interpretations, expectations, and judgments. Because
the thinker has an opinion about everything!

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The thinker inside many people is often scared to death, afraid of not
understanding or not keeping track of things. Because if that happens,
the thinker has lost control. The thinker badly wants to avoid such loss
of control. That is one of the reasons why the thinker is so prominent in
everyday life. The world around us adds to this effect. The fact that we
have been ‘trapped’ in our thoughts for as long as we can remember,
without being aware of it, has led to the incredibly complicated world
we live in today. A world that appeals to us to ‘keep thinking’.

As a consequence, all sorts of impulses are coming at us, so much

of the time. These are all temptations that make us think, or keep us
thinking. They keep our thoughts going, in never-ending circles. This
happens day after day, month after month. Before you know it, years
have passed. Because of this, many people cannot find the ‘off switch’
to turn off their thoughts. Thinking has become so natural for them,
that they don’t even notice how they keep on thinking all the time.
They are no longer able to stop doing it.

The fact that many of us keep on thinking, without being aware of it,
has led to the many forms of madness we can see all around us, all
over the world. Together, we have created a world that is focused on
thinking. And even today, the number of impulses causing us to think
is growing. So the madness will keep adding up, until people break
through to now-awareness on a collective scale. Obviously, this will not
happen before people become aware of thinking so much. Aware of

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the fact that, like so many others, thinking will keep them ‘imprisoned’
in ego-awareness. True realization will enable them to break free from
these chains. Simply by taking the step from thinking to not-thinking,
in full awareness.

From now on, you too can choose to use your thoughts only for
practical purposes, and no more than that. You can do this by creating
space, in full awareness, between moments of thinking. These spaces
are moments of not-thinking. As soon as you start to do that, you will
notice that these moments of not-thinking have a positive effect on
you. You will also discover that you can do this every day. While you
are doing this, you become aware of how this makes your life more
profound, in a very real way. It brings you the experience of a radiant
and infinitely profound inner peace. An experience that comes from
within, which is always and unconditionally present.

Do pay attention though! Because there is a catch. That is the thinker

in you, who is scared of these moments of not-thinking. The thinker
knows that these moments limit its control over your life. Like a
balloon that gets pierced and suddenly deflates. The thinker is horrified
by this idea. Because it means a total lack of control. Then fear, the
loyal ally of thinking, will show its face. If you are not alert and ‘awake’
enough, this will cause you to start thinking again. Without even being
aware of it. At that point, you have returned to thinking. Again, without
awareness.

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On closer inspection however, the Passion of the Soul is no threat
to the thinker in you. On the contrary! It will in fact help the thinker
present itself in a better way. By creating moments of not-thinking, you
allow the thinker to catch its breath, as it were. This will boost its thin-
king power. Then, when you use this thinking power in full awareness,
for the realization of your Passion of the Heart and Passion of the Soul,
it can flow in a meaningful way. This will let you experience a great
deal of ‘meaningfulness’.

Free your true Self, from the prison of unawareness built from your
thoughts. Be ‘awake’ as you create space between moments of thin-
king. This space is free from all limits. It will take your soulfulness
from the background and bring it out in the open. You will not just
experience this yourself, it will shine out into the world around you as
well. This connection of awareness with your true Self, also gets you
connected without limits to others around you. It allows life to flow
through you to full extent.

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 Connected without limits
All limits are imaginary.
Letting go creates space.
In this space, more profound connectedness follows.
This is the connection with your true Self.
Your true Self is limitless.
You connect with others without limits.
Passion flows freely!

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 Recognizing the ‘thinker’
‘The thinker in you has a voice. Recognize this voice, and be aware
that you are not the thinker.’

Break free from the voice, which you hear in your head. This is why
you should train yourself to recognize this voice. Close your eyes and
do one of the two basic exercises in following your breathing, for at
least one minute. Then, let go of counting your breaths, or of linking
your breath to pressing you fingers together. Keep following your
breathing, without ‘aides’, with as much awareness as you can. Now,
activate the ‘thinker’ too. Let it talk about ‘something’ in your head.
It doesn’t matter what it talks about. What matters is that you keep
following your breath in full awareness, while at the same time witnes-
sing the inner voice that you hear. This is the voice of the ‘thinker’ in
you. Be very attentive as you observe this voice. Because if you lose
yourself in listening to this voice, thereby ‘forgetting’ to listen to your
breathing, then you become tangled up with the ‘thinker’ again. You
have started to think without awareness again.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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159
Ending the primal entanglement

Most people in our society are not aware of their true Self. This fact is
not surprising. For thousands of years humanity has lived in the belief
that we are our personality. We, the present generation, have also
adopted this illusion from the generations that came before us. It is this
primal entanglement, between our true Self and our personality, that
still holds humanity in its grasp. And right now, our present generations

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is hard at work, to pass on this primal entanglement to the next gene-
ration. The generation of today’s children.

This faulty identification with our personality, is the mother of all en-
tanglements. That is part of the reason why I call it primal entang-
lement. This primal entanglement causes suffering by definition,
regardless of its form. In essence, all the suffering in our society, both
personal and collective suffering, results from it. Not just the suffering
of today, but all the suffering that occurred over the course of history
as well. Suffering has existed since the dawn of mankind, and it lasts
to this very day. That is my second reason for calling it primal entang-
lement. It refers to its long and ancient history.

There are of course people in our society, who have broken through to
now-awareness. They have freed themselves from the chains of ego-
awareness. Such people have been around throughout history. In the
present day though, as in history, most of us are still under the spell
of ego-awareness. The society we created together and which we ex-
perience around us every day, is a society that was ‘built’ upon primal
entanglement. It is a society based on ego-awareness, dominated by
thinking. It is precisely this thinking which clouds the true Self of most
people, leaving them with no other reality than that of their personality.

This causes many people to hold on to the belief, that awareness is a

product of the brain. This makes perfect sense from the perspective of

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ego-awareness. Because after all, people experience their personality
as the only reality that exists. In that reality, thinking plays the starring
role. As a matter of fact, the ‘thinker’ in every personality has given
itself that starring role. If the ‘thinker’ would accept ‘higher-awareness’
as true Self, it would undermine its own position. The ‘thinker’ is afraid
of losing its starring role. This explains why many people experience
resistance from within, when they develop spiritually. The resistance
comes from the ‘thinker’ inside them.

The idea of awareness as a product of the brain, can also be seen in

medical science. You can see it, for instance, in how people regard the
concept of clinical death. Medical science is dominated by the idea that
awareness stops, when heartbeat, breathing and brain activity can no
longer be detected. This is understandable, because the underlying
idea is, that awareness is a product of the brain.

And yet, practical evidence shows that this idea is incorrect. The so-
called near-death experiences are a good example. You will discover
that there are many people who, while being ‘clinically dead’ from a
medical point of view, still had very real experiences of awareness at
that moment. After being brought back by resuscitation, these people
were able to share their experiences with others. Today, many books
on near-death experiences are available. For example, you can read
the book ‘Consciousness Beyond Life’ by cardiologist Pim van Lommel.

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There is more evidence to show that awareness as a product of the
brain, is a misrepresentation of reality. This evidence comes from so-
called ‘out-of-body experiences’. In ‘out-of-body experiences’, people
step out of their body, while they are fully aware of it. They often recall
floating above it, and ‘seeing’ themselves - their personality - lying in
bed or on the couch, for example. This phenomenon occurs not only to
people with near-death experiences. It may just as well be experienced
by people in their everyday lives. People don’t talk much about these
experiences, because their experience differs from the traditional view
and they don’t want to be labelled ‘crazy’. This is why people often keep
these experiences to themselves.

Anyone willing to ‘look closer’ and able to really open up to new

experiences, their own as well as those of others, will discover and
experience that awareness is not a product of the brain. The ‘tradi-
tional’ idea of awareness is in fact reality turned upside-down. The fact
of the matter is that your psyche exists because of your awareness. It
is your thoughts and feelings, existing in space, that you can call your
awareness. So it is your awareness that provides the basis for existence
of your thoughts and feelings. In other words, without this awareness,
there would be no thoughts and feelings at all. For many people, this
insight is revolutionary. It may be as revolutionary as switching from
the notion that the world is flat, to the wisdom of experience that the
world is round, And yet, deep down inside, everyone ‘knows’ that it is
true.

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And this ‘inner knowledge’ has its own force of attraction. It can be
felt as the primal longing, which is present in you and in every other
person, urging you to ‘look closer’. This primal longing is the Passion of
the Soul. It is what causes you to start moving, towards the experience
of your true Self. It is also what will make you discover it, experience
it in awareness, and make it more profound. This is the most essential
form of ‘coming home’.

The Passion of the Soul and the primal entanglement came in to exis-
tence at the same moment. If you open up to it, the Passion of the Soul
will make you start moving. Feeling this primal longing causes you to
start searching for your own answer of experience, the answer to the
essential question of ‘who am I?’ This causes you to discover your true
face, hidden behind the mask of your personality. This is the moment
when you ‘wake up’. You wake up from the illusions associated with
ego-awareness.

The ‘awakened’ experiences of people who lived long ago, have pro-
bably led to the invention of the word personality. This word traces its
roots to the Latin word persona. Among other things, it means mask.
And in fact, this is what happens in the state of ego-awareness. Your
personality hides your true identity, just like a mask. When you realize
the Passion of the Soul, you put an end to this primal entanglement!

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Everyday activities
There are many activities that you repeat every day. You often perform
these activities on autopilot. That is exactly why you should change
them. Turn those everyday activities into the most important thing in
the world at that moment. Bring all of your awareness into washing
your hands, combing your hair, making your sandwich and brushing
your teeth. In full awareness, experience all the sensations that come
along with it. If you notice your attention slipping, then simply direct
your full awareness back at the sensations accompanying the everyday
activity, which you are performing at that moment. In this way, you
turn everyday activities into spiritual exercises. They are spiritual exer-
cises because they help you live from ‘Heart and Soul’.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes

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From relaxing to Being

There is an important difference between the state of relaxation and

the experience of Being. The state of relaxation appears, when you
experience a situation you desire. You experience that situation as desi-
rable, because it is pleasant for your personality. These situations could
be having a good conversation, reading, sports, listening to or making
music, traveling, a walk on the beach or doing nothing at all. Everyone

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has his or her own preferred activities. Although some activities take
more physical effort than others, they all share the similarity to calm
down the psyche. It becomes more relaxed. You may recognize the
experience of doing a work-out to ‘empty your mind’. So indirectly, this
says something about the constant activity of your psyche.

The state of relaxation is related to your personality. You can view it

as a state of relative and conditional inner peace. I call it relative and
conditional, because it depends on the situation. You only experience
relaxation as long as the situation you are in is pleasant. This is ac-
companied by a certain degree of inner peace. However, this state of
relaxation will always turn back into a tense feeling at some point.
This happens as soon as the situation changes in a negative way, or if
you move on to a new situation, which you experience as unpleasant,
uncomfortable, disturbing or unsafe.

Pleasant moments make you relax, physically as well as mentally. You

feel a sense of inner peace rise up inside. Since your personality is a
system, all the facets of that system are affected. In a relaxed state,
your skin is less tight, your breathing slows down and your psyche
is calmer, for example. Those are the moments when you feel good.
As you have seen, this state of ‘relaxation’ is linked to situations that
occur in your life. This makes it form-dependent and time-dependent.
Because it is caused by a certain situation. That situation is a form. And
since it occurs at a specific moment, it is related to time.

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When you only focus on experiencing pleasant circumstances, you
remain ‘stuck’ in a state of limited awareness. In that case, you fail to
experience the dimension of now-awareness. You also make yourself
depend on these pleasant circumstances. That is because without being
aware of it, you assume that you can only relax, if the circumstances
you experience are pleasant. This dependency has a limiting effect.
Your personality is actually connected with the reality of the real world.
This reality is a whole, made up of countless different forms. All of
these forms only exist for a certain period of time. They come and go.
There are no forms that exist forever. And neither do the circumstances
you find pleasant. Of course, pleasant circumstances occur in your life.
But sooner or later, they will go away again. Why should you resist
them disappearing? It is part of life. Enjoy these forms while they last,
and play with them. Without getting attached to them. After all, every
time one form disappears, it opens up space for something new in turn.

Be aware of the fact that the experience of Being is unconditional and

absolute. By unconditional, I mean that the experience is independent
of all the situations occurring in the life of your personality. Therefore, it
doesn’t matter if the situation, which you are in at a particular moment,
is pleasant or unpleasant. For deep down inside, you are always in the
presence of a radiant and infinitely profound inner peace. Experien-
cing it cannot be described in words. That is why I simply call it the
experience of Being. When you experience this state of awareness, in
full awareness, you will discover for yourself how substantial and how

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absolute it is. What you experience then, is infinite space.

The gateway to this experience of Being, can be found in the ‘here and
now’. By being fully ‘awake’ and by being present in the moment with
all your attention, the experience will enter your awareness without
effort. It is the experience of Being, which is connected to your true
Self. That is because the pure awareness, which you are, and the
radiant and infinitely profound inner peace, are one and the same.

Sounds of nature
Step outside to do this exercise. Pick a spot where you would like to
do this exercise. You can either stand or sit down somewhere. At that
spot, first arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your breathing
in awareness. Close your eyes, and spend some time following the
cycle of each breath, with as much attention as possible. Then, as you
keep your eyes closed, focus part of your awareness on the sounds
of nature around you. Observe which sounds of nature come and go.
Meanwhile, keep practicing at breathing in awareness. Do this exercise
for as long as you want to.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Waking up and being free in now-
awareness

By doing and repeating awareness exercises, you keep on moving

deeper into the state of now-awareness. You are waking up, spiritually.
You are starting to experience your true Self, the awareness that you
are, in full awareness.

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Up to that point, your awareness had been ‘trapped’ in your personality
for a long time. You were chained in ego-awareness. And somewhere
deep within, you have always felt ‘trapped’ somehow. That is the very
reason why instinctively, you have always longed for total freedom.
It is because you want to break these chains, to escape from being
‘trapped’, in ego-awareness. If you listen closely to your inner voice at
this moment, you know that this is true for you. Because the Passion of
the Soul that is inside you wants to be lived.

By taking the step from ego-awareness to now-awareness, you sepa-

rate yourself from your personality. You break the chains that held you
for so long. Space becomes available. And instinctively, you feel that
this space is very substantial. It is ‘something’ that rises far above your
personality. It is experiencing yourself, as awareness. So in fact, the
longing for total freedom and space, is really the longing to experience
your true identity, your true Self. That is because you are that space!

In experiencing now-awareness, you wake up from the illusion of your

personality. At that moment, a new and substantial dimension starts to
flow into the ‘awakened’ part of your awareness. It is a formless dimen-
sion, in which a radiant and infinitely profound inner peace is always
present, unconditionally. Human problems, which are always big at the
level of ego-awareness, are small at most here, in now-awareness.
There, a sea of space exists around the problem. That is the space of
pure awareness, which is you.

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 Being present at a tense facial expression
Most people know the experience of tension and stress. When that
happens, you can often read it in their faces. Experiment with how
it is, to observe one of your own tense facial expressions. Do this
exercise as soon as you are in a tense condition. At such a moment,
take a time-out. First, arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your
breathing in awareness. Close your eyes, and for a while, follow the
cycle of every breath, with as much attention as possible. Then, focus
part of your awareness on your tense facial expression, while you use the
rest of your awareness to keep following your breathing. Be especially
aware of the sensations in your face. Be especially aware of the
sensations in your face, focus on them. Check whether, as a manner
of speaking, you experience ‘sunbeams’ emerging behind your tense
facial expression. These ‘sunbeams’ may even break through your
tense facial expression. These are the beams of your true Self. The
radiant awareness that you are.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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173
Breath journey

Realizing the Passion of the Soul is an art of living. It requires constant

attention. Every single day. There isn’t a single day in the life of your
personality that is an exception to this. For you are continuously faced
with temptations, which invite you to become less aware again. These
are impulses tempting you to step back into thinking. As soon as you
succumb to the temptation, you slide back down to a lower level of

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awareness. You get tangled up in ego-awareness once again.

Breathing in awareness helps you to become more firmly rooted in

Being. This is why in this part of the book, you will find many exercises,
which keep focusing on ‘breathing in awareness’. The reason is that
your breathing happens in the ‘here and now’. As soon as you connect
to your breathing in awareness, your awareness arrives in the ‘here
and now’.

As you do these exercises, however, you will notice how strong the
pulling force of thinking is. One moment, you are present at your
breathing, attentive and ‘awake’, and the next moment, you are
unaware again. At that point, thinking has claimed you all for itself
again. You will see this more clearly as you advance. Because the next
moment when you are attentive and ‘awake’ again, you will realise how
unaware you were just a minute ago.

For this reason, realizing the Passion of the Soul is a process of trial and
error. Be mild with yourself, when in an ‘awakened’ state you reflect
on previous moments of unawareness. Accept it as it is. Surrender to
it. Stay ‘awake’. Stay with your breathing. This will help you to stay
present, with what is there. For instance, when you start grumbling
about your numerous moments of unawareness, there is inner resis-
tance. At times like these, you are thinking in unawareness again.

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If you do awareness exercises every day, you will experience a process
of spiritual growth. Gradually, you will be more firmly rooted on the
level of higher-awareness. You become more ‘awake’. Moments of not-
thinking come more often. Moreover, the spaces between thinking and
not-thinking get bigger. And when you do think, you do so in full aware-
ness ever more often. Breathing in awareness helps you in this process
of growth. Because you take your breath with you no matter where you
go. Symbolically, it is like a ‘lifeline’, available at any moment, serving
as an anchor to keep you in the ‘here and now’. This happens as long
as you keep following your breathing in awareness.

One-minute meditations
Pick moments on this day or in this week, to do several one-minute
meditations over the course of the day. Remind yourself of it. You can
have these meditative moments during your everyday life. If possible,
close your eyes, and if you can’t, just keep them open. During these
one-minute meditations, arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your
breathing in awareness. During that minute, use all of your awareness
to follow each breathing cycle. When you are finished, just pick up
whatever you were doing and carry on your activities.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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177
The sense of ‘I am’

Every person experiences the very real sense of ‘I am’. This sense is the
presence of the pure awareness that you are. Many people automati-
cally link this sense of ‘I am’ to their personality. They think that their
personality and sense of ‘I am’ belong together, and that these are the
same thing. This is the primal entanglement.

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By doing daily awareness exercises, you will grow aware of the fact,
that the sense of ‘I am’ is not of this world. It is the presence of
another dimension, existing within the reality of the world. The only
way to experience this is doing awareness exercises. As long as you
only think about it, you cannot have the experience. The important
thing is precisely to let go of thinking, and to step into the experience
of doing. Only then will the dimension of Being reveal itself to you.

The sense of ‘I am’ is not ‘something’ that you can understand. This
is because it is essentially formless. It is also impersonal. This means
that the ‘I am’ you experience, is exactly the same as the ‘I am’
experienced by someone else. It is the exact same pure awareness,
which has temporarily ‘moved in’ or ‘incarnated’ in your personality, as
well as in the personalities of others. When you penetrate deeply into
now-awareness, you will arrive at this experience yourself. However,
most people are not yet aware, of how the sense of ‘I am’ comes from
another dimension, and how it is separate from their personality. I say
‘not yet’, because this can change. That is because every person is
perfectly capable of waking up in now-awareness.

Pure awareness, ‘I am’, can witness what is. When this awareness is
focused on the inner and outside world of your personality, it observes
what happens there. When it is focused on thinking, for example, it
observes the thoughts that circulate in the psyche. When focused on
feeling, it observes feelings. In this regard, you could also call ‘I am’

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observing awareness.

Experiencing ‘I am’ in awareness, is equal to experiencing your true

Self in awareness. These two are exactly the same. This true Self exists
in everyone, always and everywhere. It doesn’t matter whether you
are asleep or awake. The sense of ‘I am’ is here now, while you are
reading this sentence. Just as it was here ten minutes ago. Maybe the
mood of your personality was different at that moment, but it is still
the same ‘I am’ that observes everything. It is aware of what exists,
in and around your personality. In the same way, that sense of ‘I am’
was there a few hours ago, yesterday, a month ago, a year ago and ten
years back. Not-being there is simply not possible.

In other words, you have been carrying this sense of ‘I am’ with you,
for as long as your personality has existed here on earth. The pure
awareness, which you are, has been present in your personality from
the start. Of course, the situations that occur there keep on changing.
So your personality has its own history, in the shape of a life story. Your
personality has a past, a present and a future, too. Nonetheless, the
sense of ‘I am’ is always present, in each of these life situations. There
is always that unchanging and timeless ‘I am’, experiencing everything.
It exists in the ‘here and now’. Whether you are awake, or dreaming,
or deep in dreamless sleep: ‘I am’ is always there.

From 1879 until 1950, a famous wise man named Sri Ramana Maharshi

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lived in India. One of the people who documented his wisdom is the
writer and philosopher Paul Brunton. In his book ‘Conversations’, he
quotes Sri Ramana Maharshi on ‘I am’ as follows:

The three conditions are intrinsic to thinking. The self always remains
unaffected. It is the substance running through all three of these
conditions. The waking state passes, ‘I am’ remains; the dream state
passes, ‘I am’ remains; the sleeping state passes, ‘I am’ remains;
they repeat themselves, but still there is I AM. These conditions
are like images moving across the screen in a cinema. The screen,
however, remains unchanged. 4)

A ‘silent’ hand
Lay your hand on an animal or another person in silence. Close
your eyes if you can, or just keep them open if you cannot. Then,
arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your breathing in aware-
ness. Now, focus part of your awareness on your hand, and on
what your hand is touching. Use the rest of your awareness to
keep following your breathing. Observe all the sensations in and
around your hand, with as much attention as possible. Remain
present with these sensations for a while, in silence.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that
it makes.

4)
Free translation of: Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer: Uitgeverij Ankh-Hermes, 2002

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Focusing awareness

‘Inwards’
Pure awareness, which you are, can be focused inwards as well as
outwards. If awareness focuses inwards, it merges with its source, be-
coming one with it. This is the state of All-awareness. It is the highest
state of awareness. That state is limitless. On the awareness ladder,
this can be understood as the highest step. In this most ‘awakened’

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state, there is only pure and formless awareness. It is unimaginable,
as our human psyche cannot imagine it in any way.

The sense of ‘I am’ remains, even in the state of absolute awareness,

also called first reality by some. In this state, awareness is fully aware
of itself, as formless and pure awareness. Such experiences are some-
times called unity experiences or mystical experiences. Metaphorically,
this is the condition in which The Passion Pyramid, made of frozen
ocean water, starts to melt. As it melts, it becomes one with the ocean,
and then it realizes that it is the ocean itself. At that point, you become
‘aware-of-Being’.

This is the experience that answers the question of ‘who am I?’.

The answer to this question comes from experience, and the answer is:

I am the formless and pure awareness, the living space, in which all
forms temporarily manifest themselves. This can be summed up by
the words ‘I am’.

So in essence, the answer to the question of ‘who are you’ is the same
for everyone. It is ‘I am’. Of all the words that exist, these provide
the best way to talk about the experience of the Passion of the Soul.
Because this experience makes you realize that you are at one with
everything that exists, and that you are only separated on the level
of ego-awareness. Anything you add after the words ‘I am’, will bring

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back the illusion of separation. It invites you to become unaware again.

‘Outwards’
Awareness can also be focused outwards. When it does that, it starts
to detect individual forms. The reality of the world will appear in the
awareness. This is a diverse world, because it is a world filled with
forms. These forms can include the forms that occur in the inner world
of your personality. Examples are sensations of your physical and non-
physical body, thoughts, dreams, feelings and the intuitive impressions
that you experience. In addition, there are innumerable forms in the
outside world of your personality. These include people, animals,
nature, material objects and energies. Everything that is ‘something’, is
a form. You can observe it as a particular form.

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Realizing that you are speaking
Become aware of the speech of your own personality. As your persona-
lity is speaking, notice that you are able to witness it in awareness at
the same time. Talking slowly helps in doing this exercise. You could do
this exercise by yourself, or while you are talking to one or more other
people. Just let your personality say what it wants to say. Be present at
it. Be as ‘awake’ as you can, as you observe every word that is spoken.
Realize that this is your personality speaking, and realize that you are
observing its speech from a higher dimension. Be aware as the silent
witness of speaking.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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All forms are objects of awareness

All is one. All the forms that you observe, in the inner world and in
the outside world of your personality, comes from the same source.
That source is pure awareness. They exist in a space, and that space
is the awareness that you are. This is why forms can be called objects
of awareness. They are objects that come and go in awareness. They
come forth from the formless, and they appear. Then, they return to
the formless.

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So forms can only exist because there is pure awareness, a living space,
in which they can appear. Every form that appears is something. It re-
presents something, and you can observe it. It can be seen, heard, felt,
smelled or tasted. It doesn’t matter what it is. By definition, everything
you can observe is a form, or in other words, an object of awareness.
An object of awareness is an object in awareness.

Be aware of the space

Close your eyes and arrive in the here and now, by following your
breathing in awareness. Spend some time using all your attention to
follow the cycle of every breath. Then, focus part of your awareness
on the world of your personality. Use the rest of your awareness to
keep following your breathing. Be a witness in awareness, of what is
there in the ‘here and now’. Notice the images, sounds, feelings, and
sensations of smell and taste that present themselves. Let them come
and go. Be present as it happens, in silence and awareness. Become
aware of the space, in which these ‘objects in awareness’ exist. Move
deeper into it. Notice how much ‘silent space’ surrounds the object.
Realize that you are that space. This is the dimension of Being. It is
the pure awareness that you are.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Separating the observer from
the observed

As you have just seen, anything you can observe is a form. Every form
is an object of awareness. It is an object in awareness. An object is
‘something’, and you can observe this ‘something’. It follows that there
is a difference, between that which you can observe, and that which
observes. Objects can be observed. That which observes all of these

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forms, is the observer. This is also known as the subject. The subject
which observes, is the pure awareness that you are. If you remove all
the objects, then pure awareness is still there. This is the unchanging
and timeless ‘I am’.

So a big difference exists between object and subject.

This is emphasized by the following wisdom:

‘That which can be observed, cannot be the observer.’

I can make this wisdom more concrete, by specifying it for the different
senses we all have. This results in the following wisdoms:

‘That which can be seen, is not the seer.’

‘That which can be heard, is not the listener.’
‘That which can be felt, is not the feeler.’
‘That which can be smelled, is not the smeller.’
‘That which can be tasted, is not the taster.’

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 Moments of silent awareness in conversations
Moments of silent awareness can also be created in conversations with
other people. An example would be talking to one person, or a meeting
held with several people. Agree before you start, that you will create
one or more moments of silence throughout the conversation, lasting
for at least one minute each. On these moments, everyone breathes in
awareness. When the minute has passed, simply continue from where
you stopped the conversation.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Wereld

De wereld die in jou bestaat, is vol met vormen. Vol met bewustzijns-
objecten. Je neemt deze waar. Zo neem je waar wat er is buiten je per-
soonlijkheid. Dat is je buitenwereld. Ook neem je waar wat er innerlijk
is, dus in de binnenwereld van je persoonlijkheid.

Binnenwereld
In je binnenwereld neem je verschillende soorten vormen waar. Prakti-
sche voorbeelden hiervan zijn gevoelens, intuïtieve sensaties en licha-
melijke sensaties, zoals bijvoorbeeld pijn of tintelingen. Ook neem je
gedachten waar, sensaties die samenhangen met je niet-fysieke li-
chaam en dromen. Want ook een droom kun je tenslotte waarnemen.
Als er een droom is, is er ook altijd een dromer van die droom. Die dro-
mer is dezelfde ware Zelf, het vormloze en zuivere bewustzijn, waarbin-
nen de droom zich afspeelt. Ook de droom is dus een vorm, een object,
die verschijnt in het bewustzijn dat jij bent.

Buitenwereld
Net als in je binnenwereld, zijn er ook in je buitenwereld tal van vor-
men die je waarneemt. Dit zijn alle vormen die zich buiten de grens
van je lichaam bevinden. Praktische voorbeelden daarvan zijn mensen,
dieren, bomen, planten, stenen, verkeerslichten en huizen. Dit zijn
allemaal voorbeelden van materie. Het zijn fysieke objecten die je vast

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World

The world that exists within you, is filled with forms. It is filled with
objects of awareness. You observe these objects. That is how you
observe what exists outside of your personality. That is your outside
world. You also observe what is within, or in other words, what exists
in the inner world of your personality.

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Inner world
In your inner world, you observe different kinds of forms. Practical
examples include feelings, intuitive sensations and physical sensations,
such as pain or shivers. You also observe thoughts, sensations linked
to your non-physical body and dreams. Because after all, dreams can
be observed too. Whenever there is a dream, there is also a dreamer
who is dreaming the dream. That dreamer is the same true Self, the
formless and pure awareness, in which the dream presents itself. So
that dream is also a form, an object, that appears in the awareness
that you are.

Outside world
Just like in your inner world, your outside world is full of forms, which
you observe as well. These are all the forms that occur outside the
limits of your body. Practical examples include people, animals, trees,
plants, rocks, traffic lights and houses. These are all examples of
matter. They are physical objects that you can hold in your hands. They
have a fixed form. There are also objects in your outside world, which
you can experience even though they have no fixed form. Think of
oxygen, temperature, wind and noises, for example.

Temporary nature
All the forms in the world, in your inner world as well as in your
outside world, exist only for a certain period of time. They can exist
for a second, a day, a month, a year, a hundred years or even longer.

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Nevertheless, there will come a point at which they no longer exist.
There is always a beginning and an end. At that moment, the form
returns to its primal origin. That origin is formless and pure awareness.
You can also call it All-awareness or absolute awareness.

Observer in awareness
The forms that you observe, in your inner world and in the outside
world, are objects. You are the awareness, the space, in which those
objects exist. Be present at all the objects of awareness that present
themselves, without getting tangled up with them. Be the observer in
awareness of what is there.

Exercises in Being aware

Allow the following wisdom to sink in, in full awareness:

There are thoughts, but you are not your thoughts;

There are feelings, but you are not your feelings;
There are dreams, but you are not your dreams;
There are longings, but you are not your longings;
There is a body, but you are not your body;
There is a non-physical body, but you are not your non-physical body;
There are intuitive impressions, but you are not your intuitive
impressions;

You are the space, in which all these objects of awareness exist!

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veel gedachten in je binnenwereld. Vaak is het zo, dat de ene
gedachte de volgende gedachte oproept. Zo ontstaat al snel een aan-
eenschakeling van gedachten. Zonder dat jij je daar bewust van bent.
Het denken neemt je dan compleet in beslag. Je gaat volledig op in de
gedachten, die zich voortdurend aandienen. Voor je het weet, ben je
als het ware continu achter al je gedachten aan het aanhollen.

Het is de kunst om deze vicieuze denkspiraal te doorbreken. En dat

kun je. Daarvoor is het belangrijk om te weten wat denken is en hoe
gedachten zich in jou manifesteren. Dat zorgt ervoor dat je gedachten
innerlijk gaat herkennen. Zodra je denkvormen herkent, is het een stuk
eenvoudiger om deze los te laten, wanneer ze zich aandienen. Hier-
door realiseer jij de staat van hoger-bewustzijn. In die toestand neem
je gedachten in vol bewustzijn waar, zonder ermee verstrikt te zijn.
Je neemt iedere gedachte waar als denkvorm, die verschijnt in het
bewustzijn dat jij bent.

Wat is denken eigenlijk? In feite is denken niet meer, dan het innerlijk
gebruik van je zintuigen om te zien, te horen, te tasten, te proeven en
te ruiken. Naast het feit dat jij deze zintuigen inzet, om de buitenwereld
rondom je persoonlijkheid te ervaren, gebruik je dezelfde zintuigen
ook als je denkt.

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Thinking

Every thought is an object of awareness. It is a form of thought, which

appears in the awareness that you are.

Thinking is everywhere in your everyday life. That is because many

thoughts are living in your inner world. Often, one thought gives rise
to the next. In this way, it is easy to generate a chain of thoughts. It

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happens while you are not aware of it. You get completely occupied
by thinking. You lose yourself in all the thoughts that keep presenting
themselves. Before you know it, you spend all your time as if you were
chasing after all of your thoughts.

The trick is to break out of this viscous spiral of thinking. And you can
do that. In order to do so, it is important to know what thinking is,
and how thoughts manifest themselves in you. This enables you to
recognize your thoughts from within. Once you recognize your forms
of thinking, it becomes much easier to let go of them, whenever
they present themselves. That is how you realize the state of higher-
awareness. In that state, you observe your thoughts in full awareness,
without getting tangled up with them. You observe every thought as a
form of thought, which appears in the awareness that you are.

So what is thinking, exactly? What thinking basically means, is the in-

ner use of your senses to see, to hear, to touch, to taste and to smell.
In addition to using these senses for experiencing the outside world
that surrounds your personality, you also use those same senses when
you are thinking.

Seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling

Thoughts present themselves visually, in different ways. This means
presenting themselves through images. Imagination conjures up static
and moving images in your head, before your ‘inner eye’. This ability is

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also expressed in our language. The word ‘imagination’ comes from the
same root as the word ‘image’. This enables you to see images in your
head, almost without effort. You use your thoughts to create them. As
soon as you do that, you will see images that are different from the
images of the environment you are in at that moment.

So one of the meanings of thinking is ‘inner sight’. Like everything else

in the outside world of your personality, these images in your head
come with all sorts of details. There are differences in color, distance,
depth, context, space and sharpness. You can even change these
details. Your powers of imagination enable you to change any of
your inner images. Have a go and see for yourself. In your thoughts,
imagine someone dear to you. Then, when you see this person in your
mind, give him or her a different hair color. As you will notice, this is a
very easy thing to do.

Apart from images, you can also conjour up sounds in your head. This
is the auditory part of thinking. It is all about sounds that, as in seeing,
differ from the sounds that you hear in your surrounding environment
at that moment. These sounds are a product of your brain, too. A fre-
quent occurrence is hearing a ‘voice in your thoughts’. This can be your
own voice or that of someone else. The thinker in you often presents
itself in this form of thought.

For example, you are reading this text right now. Here too, the auditory

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component of thinking is present. That is because when you read, you
hear a voice in your head. Pay attention to it, and you will notice that
you know that voice. It is the voice of your own personality, reading the
text. All of this goes on inside your head, in your thoughts. As long as
you don’t read out loud, other people around you cannot detect it, but
within, it is clear to you.

A fun way of experimenting with this is changing the voice, which you
hear in your head, into someone else’s voice. Find out that this is pos-
sible. In a way, someone else will be reading to you. Like inner sight,
inner hearing is widely varied. Sounds you hear may be soft or loud,
distant or close by, or have high or low tones, for instance.

Your thinking also consists of the ability to touch ‘things’ in your head.
Here too, a wide range of sensations can be experienced. You can
distinguish warm from cold, for example, or solid from fluid, rigid from
flexible or smooth from coarse. Another ability you have is the power to
summon flavors in your thoughts. This brings the inner experiences of
sweet, sour, salty and bitter. And finally, you are also able to experience
very different smells in your thoughts.

The problem of thinking

In today’s world, many people are suffering. Their suffering is the
result of continuous thinking that is not aware. You are thinking
without awareness, if the connection of awareness with your true Self

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is missing during thinking. When you are not thinking in the full light
of your awareness, that is. In that case, you are in the state of ego-
awareness. This state is the cause of all suffering. It doesn’t matter
whether suffering is physical, mental or emotional in nature. The big-
gest factor by far, is that of suffering at the level of diffuse-awareness.

In the state of ego-awareness, you are like a blind person running

after all of your thoughts, which are random, automatic, in most cases
repetitive and large in number. And there are many of these thoughts,
usually. You fail to notice how you are living in an imaginary world of
thoughts. In that case, most or all of real life in the ‘here and now’
simply passes you by.

Thoughts lead your awareness away from the moment. They carry
you off to the past and the future. Or your thoughts may tempt you to
start thinking about the present. And thinking about the present is sub-
stantially different from being in the ‘here and now’, in full awareness.
For thinking reduces the infinite depth of the ‘here and now’, and the
dimension of Being, to a present that is finite and very limited.

There is a constant risk of becoming unaware, in many different forms.

Images may flash up in our heads, claiming our awareness. At other
times, it is the voice of the thinker in us. It can also be imagined touch,
smell, or taste, which drags us away from the ‘here and now’. That is
why staying ‘awake’ demands constant attention.

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Transcending your thinking
All thoughts can be observed. As you have seen earlier: ‘that which can
be observed, cannot be the observer’. So thoughts are nothing more
than objects, in the awareness that you are. You are the observing
subject. You are the formless awareness and the space, in which all
of these thoughts can exist. In that space, all thoughts come and go,
while ‘I am’ remains.

Thoughts are forms. They are objects of awareness that appear all
the time. Thoughts have a strong pulling force. In a way, a thought
will claim all attention for itself. When that happens, you have become
unaware. Since this danger is always waiting just around the corner,
it is important to be on the lookout all of the time. This is a matter of
training your awareness. And you can do that!

Train yourself in being a silent and attentive observer, as thoughts ap-

pear in the ‘here and now’. Without getting dragged away by them. No-
tice how all these thoughts come and go. Notice also that the sense of
‘I am’ remains. Recognize the various forms of thinking. These are the
disguises, in which your thoughts present themselves to your aware-
ness. By now, you know what to focus your attention on. You know, be-
cause forms of thinking can present themselves either as inner ‘sight,
hearing, touch, taste or smell’. As you observe these thoughts, connect
yourself to the sense of ‘I am’. Observe how thoughts come and go,
no matter what their form is. Be aware of the space that surrounds all

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these thoughts. Because you are that space!

Letting go of judgments
Accept the following challenge. Find out to what extent the ‘thinker’
in you judges other people, people you meet on your way through
everyday life. Be attentive to thoughts that arise, when another per-
son enters your awareness. This can happen in all sorts of ways. You
could be thinking about someone, for example. Or you could physically
meet someone. That could happen because you see someone wal-
king across the street, or because you are talking to someone. Notice
whether you have some kind of judgment about this particular person.
If you do, then let go of that judgment. Make it your goal to approach
the other person as free from judgment as you possibly can.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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203
Feeling

Any feeling associated with the personality, is an object of awareness.

It is a form of feeling that appears, in the awareness that you are.

Thinking has an effect on you, which extends far beyond your thoughts
alone. As your personality can be viewed as a system, thinking also in-
fluences the other elements of your personality, such as your feelings.

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This too happens in the state of ego-awareness, usually automatically
and without being aware of it.

Your thoughts and your feelings combine into a psychological whole.

This whole can be summed up as your psyche or ego. So besides
thinking, feeling forms the other half of your psyche. Just like thoughts,
feelings have a strong pulling force. Feelings invite you to become or
remain unaware too. Feelings have the same potential to pull you into
the state of ego-awareness. If this is the case, then these feelings
claim all attention for themselves. In a way, you are the feeling at that
moment.

To prevent this from happening, it is important to know what feeling

is, exactly, and how feelings reveal themselves within you. As with
thinking, this will teach you to recognize feelings, right at the moment
when they present themselves. This will allow you to let your feelings
flow through you, without being tangled up with them. You stay
‘awake’. Then you can observe, from higher-awareness, how feelings
come and go in your personality.

‘Feeling’ unraveled
In our regular everyday language, we often talk about feeling and
feelings. But what is feeling exactly? We all know what we mean by
it, to a certain extent, but what is the difference between feeling and
emotions, for example?

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Feelings manifest themselves in various ways. You can touch some-
thing, for instance, or you can sense something from a distance. You
can also be emotional, experience a certain mood, have feeling for
something, feel intuitively, have gut feelings about something, follow
your feelings and experience bodily sensations. All these feelings
occur, but that doesn’t mean they are all the same. Each of the types
of feelings mentioned has a specific meaning. These are as follows:

Feeling:
The collective name for observing sensations in the outside world of
your personality, by touch, but also by inner observation of emotions,
moods, intuition, gut feelings and bodily sensations.

Touching:
Approaching physical and non-physical objects in the outside world
of your personality, and using your skin to touch them. Either by
actual physical contact, or by approaching the object from a distance
by means of energy.

Emotion:
The energy charge that builds up in your body, resulting from psycho-
logical processes and energy transfer.

Mood:
The mental-emotional state, in which your psyche finds itself during a

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certain period.

Having feeling for something:

The natural ability of your personality to perform certain activities, with
ease and with strength.

Intuition:
The ability of every person to observe information within, without
thinking and by immediate inspiration.

Gut feeling:
A part of your intuitive abilities, enabling you to know something based
on your feelings, without thinking and by immediate inspiration.

Follow your feelings:

Trusting your intuition and acting accordingly.

Bodily sensations:
Feeling the impulses sent by your physical body, and using them to
determine the state you are in at that moment.

All of the forms of feeling listed above are related to your personality.
These too are objects, which appear in the awareness that is you. Train
yourself in observing feelings in the ‘here and now’, without getting
carried away by them. Whenever feelings present themselves, simply

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let them be. Accept it as it is, and stay present at it in full aware-
ness. Without wanting to change anything about it. Notice how all the
feelings come and go. While the sense of ‘I am’ remains. Be aware of
the awareness, in which all of these feelings occur. Because you are
that awareness!

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 Staying out of emotions
‘An emotion arises at the point where mind and body meet, and it is
the body’s reaction to the mind. You could also call it: a reflection of
the mind in the body.’ 5)

This quote by Eckhart Tolle paints a striking picture of how emoti-

ons and thinking are connected. Building on these words, the present
awareness exercise invites you to break free from the emotions, which
present themselves in your everyday life. Root yourself deeply in the
‘here and now’, as soon as an emotion appears. At that moment, close
your eyes, and for some time, using all the attention you have, follow
the cycle of each breath. Then, focus part of your awareness at the
emotion that is there. Be present at the emotion as a witness in aware-
ness, as long as it lasts. You don’t have to change anything about it.
Observe the emotion in full awareness. As you do this, let the following
realization cross your mind: ‘There are emotions, but you are not those
emotions.’ Experience that you are the pure awareness, in which all
emotions can exist.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

Free translation of: Eckhart Tolle, De kracht van het nu, Ankh-Hermes B.V., 2009
5)

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Getting tangled up in forms

Every time you move one step down on the awareness ladder, the aware-
ness that you are, gets further removed from its source. At that point,
forms appear. As soon as you move from the level of now-awareness
to the level of ego-awareness, you get tangled up in these forms. This
is an entanglement, because at that point you are no longer aware of
your true identity. It is being covered up by the activity of your psyche.

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In this state, the only reality that remains is the inner and outside world
of your personality. What happens is that you observe only forms, or
objects, in other words, and take these very seriously. At that point,
you are not aware of how they are only ‘objects in awareness’. All you
‘see’ are the objects themselves, which makes you forget about the
most essential aspect of all: the sense of ‘I am’. This causes all forms
to start pushing you around. You are completely under the spell of ego-
awareness, and without being aware of it, you become tangled up with
the thoughts and feelings of your personality.

When this happens, nearly all of your life becomes dictated by all sorts
of thoughts and feelings. One thought brings forth the next. Obviously,
this is accompanied by all the feelings that come with these thoughts.
These thoughts and feelings take control over you. You lose yourself
in them completely. When you experience someone doing something
that makes you angry, for example, that anger takes control over you.
Tension rises in your body, you go red in the face, and your head is full
of thoughts about the other person and the situation. You are filled to
the brim with these thoughts and feelings. All of this happens, despite
the fact that you never chose to do this in awareness. After all, it wasn’t
you who decided to fill your body with tension, to go red in the face,
or to have all sorts of thoughts running around in your head. All of that
seems to happens by itself.

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You can compare it to visiting the cinema. People watching a movie
often lose themselves completely in that movie. At such moments, the
notion of ‘it’s only a movie’ has disappeared. All that is left is the movie.
This is exactly what happens in the state of ego-awareness. In this
state of (un)awareness, people lose themselves completely in the
thoughts and feelings that present themselves. At such moments,
the awareness of the sense of ‘I am’ has disappeared. It lies outside of
the ‘awakened part’ of their awareness.

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Recognizing thinking in images
‘One of the ways in which thinking manifests itself, is by images that
appear in your head.’

This awareness exercise invites you to free yourself, from the images
that appear in your head. To do so, it is important to recognize such
mental images, as soon as they appear in your everyday life. This exer-
cise helps you do that. First, root yourself firmly in the ‘here and now’.
Close your eyes and for some time, follow the cycle of each breath,
with all the attention you have. Then, focus part of your awareness
on the activity of your brain. Notice the inner images that appear.
Experience them as a witness in awareness. Observe how these
mental images come and go, in full awareness. As you do so, allow
the following realization to cross your mind: ‘There are mental images,
but I am not these mental images. Experience that you are the pure
awareness, in which all mental images can exist.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Pain and gain, two sides of the same
medal

Your psyche tends to be busy all the time, occupied with labeling and
valuing the world around you. All the situations that occur, have occurred
or might occur, can eventually be reduced to a set of two polarities.
These polarities are ‘gain’ and ‘pain’.

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Anything you place in the ‘gain’ category, will be experienced as
desirable by your psyche, and so you usually welcome these things
with open arms. When pain is felt, however, your ego will start to
resist, because it wants to get rid of the pain as soon as possible. The
ego feels threatened. This resistance becomes apparent in a number
of forms. What these forms have in common, is the fact that they are
different kinds of ‘pushing away’.

You could, for instance, build a sort of armor around yourself, to make
the painful situation bounce off, as it were. Examples include ignoring
or avoiding an undesirable situation, which takes place in your outside
world. You close yourself off to it inside. If you still feel the pain in spite
of this, you will typically want to get rid of it as fast as you can. One
of the ways to do so is called projection. This means placing the pain
outside of yourself, as it were, by projecting it onto someone else.

Projection means making someone else responsible for the pain, the
undesirable thoughts and emotions, of your own personality. Your ego
often uses random excuses to do this. Something that occurs is used
as an excuse by your ego, to release the tension that you already had
about something else. In reality, therefore, the tension is not about
the random situation that your ego focuses on. The real cause of the
tension, is linked to something completely different. The ego doesn’t
want to know about that, however, because it is too much of a threat.

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Apart from projection, there are many other ways to redirect pain.
Examples can be seen in sports or sexual behavior. In some situations,
though, redirecting the pain is impossible. In such cases, your ego
can employ its ‘last resort of pushing away’, and that is to redirect the
pain to the deepest catacombs of your psyche. This is the ego’s way of
removing the threatening pain.

This is how, in the state of ego-awareness, many undesirable feelings

are stored out of reach from the ‘awakened part’ of your awareness.
In the hopes of never running into them again. That, however, turns
out to be impossible. In the depths of your psyche, it all festers on. It
will get an even firmer grip on you. You just aren’t aware of it. This is
because it all happens outside of the field of view of your awareness.
It is hidden in patterns of thinking, automatic responses, and reflexes
that you are not aware of. It attaches itself to places in your body,
and this in turn can lead to all sorts of complaints and diseases. And
whenever the pain surfaces anyway, in spite of your efforts, your ego
will try to suppress the pain. It can do so for example by forcing your
personality to eat, drink, do drugs, use medication, watch television, or
other kinds of distractions.

‘Pushing away’ feelings of pain restricts the experience of Passion. Both

the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul. This because life
can be seen as an ever-flowing stream, in which all sorts of situations
occur. Desirable and undesirable situations come and go. As long as

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you keep following the tendency of holding on to what is ‘gain’, and
pushing away what is ‘pain’, you are resisting this natural stream. This
keeps you chained in ego-awareness.

The solution and liberation are very simple matters, really. Accept what
is there, and accept what presents itself in the ‘here and now’. Connect
yourself to the level of higher-awareness. Be present at what is there.
Observe your thoughts and your feelings. Notice which patterns of
pushing away occur within. Also be aware, of how your thoughts often
keep repeating inside. Symbolically, it is like a gramophone needle that
gets stuck. The same thought or line of reasoning is repeated, over
and over again, with all the feelings that accompany it. This repeating
in your head, of what happened or what might happen, keeps you in a
tight hold. This will continue until you break from it, by expanding your
awareness to the level of higher-awareness.

From higher-awareness, you will discover how ‘gain’ and ‘pain’ are two
sides of the same psychological medal. That is because both experi-
ences are linked to your psyche. They occur in your psyche, and so
they exist only at the level of ego-awareness. In that sense, there is no
difference between euphoria and depression. When you live in ego-
awareness, they are two different forms, in which the primal entangle-
ment is expressed. By witnessing your thoughts and feelings in the
‘here and now’, you free yourself from this primal entanglement.

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 Walking in awareness
Train yourself to walk in awareness. To do this, first arrive fully in the
‘here and now’. Close your eyes, and spend some time directing all of
your attention at the cycle of each new breath. After a while, open your
eyes, while you keep practicing breathing in awareness. Then start
moving, by beginning to walk. Silently focus part of your awareness
on your walking. Keep the rest of your awareness focused on your
breathing. Be a witness of your walking in awareness. Let any thoughts
and feelings that appear during walking pass you by, like clouds in the
sky. Keep your awareness rooted in the ‘here and now. Experiment in
varying your walking speed. Walk quickly as well as at a regular pace,
slowly as well as very slowly. Experience how different walking speeds
bring different sensations. Experience, which speed of walking helps
you to be in the ‘here and now’, and to stay there.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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219
‘Presence’

The state of ‘presence’ is linked to now-awareness. The fact is that

when you reach this level of awareness, you are ‘present’ by definition.
This means the following. At such a moment, while rooted in Being,
you are present in full awareness, at what is there in the ‘here and
now’. As a consequence, this is state of awareness that is ‘wide awake’.
This higher state of awareness can be expressed by the single world

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‘presence’. It is the presence of your true Self, which you experience
in full awareness.

The ‘awareness ladder’ shows that now-awareness can be divided

into two levels. These are higher-awareness and All-awareness. At the
level of All-awareness, the pure awareness that you are merges into
its source. The awareness that you are then expands into an absolute
whole. You experience that ‘all is one’. This state of awareness is a
state of total awakening. It is the most ‘awake’ state. It is also called
an enlightened state of awareness. In this state, the aware sense of
‘I am’ expands to the most substantial level. It experiences itself as the
source of all forms that exist.

At the level of higher-awareness, ‘presence’ is characterized by obser-

ving in awareness. This means being a silent witness in awareness,
observing what is there in the ‘here and now’. You are connected with
Being, and from there you observe what happens in the world. You do
so both in your personality and around it. You observe your thinking
with great attention, for instance. You are aware of the thoughts that
present themselves. Without getting tangled up with these thoughts.
All you do is observe how these thoughts come and go.

Sometimes, your thoughts are a turbulent bunch. At those moments,

each thought triggers the next, at breakneck speed. One thought
causes the following thought, and it just keeps going on. In that case,

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your thinking is like the furious motion of a wild river. Sometimes,
however, your thinking is relatively calm. At such times, it is more like
a gently streaming brook. Regardless of the speed of your thinking,
in the state of ‘presence’, you let all these thoughts drift by, like clouds
in the sky. You stay connected, with the higher dimension of Being.

‘Presence’ is about more than just thoughts. From the level of higher-
awareness, you also observe all the feelings that come and go. You
stay present in all of these feelings, as long as they are there. Without
having an opinion about them and therefore without thinking about
them. You remain rooted in Being. You observe all of these feelings,
as objects in awareness. You are aware of the fact that the sensations
of your physical and non-physical body, and every form in the outside
world, are in fact all objects of awareness. The more you are ‘present’,
the more intense your awareness experiences become. Because when
you are deeply rooted in Being, you add depth to your power of obser-
vation too. At that point, you are aware that all forms spring from the
same source.

It follows that ‘being present’ means being rooted in Being, and from
that position, observing what happens in the ‘here and now’, without
attaching yourself to it. This detachment is also called de-identification.
That is because you have separated yourself from your personality. The
primal entanglement has been disentangled. At such moments, you
no longer identify with your personality. The reason is that you have

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become aware of your true identity, and that is pure awareness.

When you are detached while observing objects of awareness, such as

thoughts or feelings, a meaningful space arises around the object you
are observing. That space is the awareness that you are. This space
ensures that you no longer get tangled up with it. The object of aware-
ness can no longer claim you for itself. Being claimed means losing
yourself in it. When that happens, only the object remains, without any
space surrounding that object. At that point, you have become absent,
and you are tangled up once again.

In detached observation, by contrast, you observe pain in the physical

body of your personality, for example, without being that pain. This
is also how you go about detached observation of your personality’s
mood, without getting dragged away by it. Or emotions, without
sinking down into them. Or thoughts that present themselves, without
being lost in thoughts. Or intuitive observations, without making abso-
lute truths out of them. By detached presence at everything there is,
you experience a radiant and infinitely profound inner peace, which is
inextricably bound up with the dimension of Being.

Absence
Another way of saying that you are living in ego-awareness, is calling
it a state of awareness marked by ‘being absent’. In that state, there is
nobody to witness observations in awareness. This results in a ‘free fall’

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from the level of now-awareness, down to the level of ego-awareness.
Spiritually, you become unaware again. The psychological concept of
‘time’ presents itself, and this brings past, present and future onto
the stage. Inevitably, suffering will come calling too. It can be either
psychological suffering or physical suffering, or a combination of both.

Rooted in Being
When you are firmly rooted in Being, you always keep part of your
awareness connected to this dimension. You can see the connection
as a kind of lifeline, to keep you securely anchored. This anchor serves
to keep you ‘present’ in what is there. This will make you more aware
of the entanglements, tendencies, urges, longings, patterns and
conditionings, which your personality carries along. Becoming more
‘present’ allows you to let go of these things. Because as you have seen
before: ‘that which festers in the dark, dissolves in the light.’ That is the
light of your awareness. The awareness that you are.

Awareness exercises help you make the light of your awareness

brighter and brighter. For ‘presence’ is not some level of awareness that
just pops into existence. It takes effort. You activate this level of aware-
ness as soon as you connect with it. That requires silence, calmness
and attention. If you do ‘something’ in a rush, you will usually lose
your awareness of the sense of ‘I am’. You, the witness in awareness
of your observations, become absent again. This is why the Passion of
the Soul can be regarded as an art of living, one that you can put to

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practice every day. It takes continuous effort to stay ‘awake’ and ‘present’
in what is there. Practicing meditation can help you with this.

Penetrating deeper into Being

Find a quiet place, and take at least thirty minutes to do this exer-
cise. Because this exercise invites you to penetrate deeper into the
dimension of Being. To become even more ‘awake’. To do this, close
your eyes and arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your breathing
in awareness. Focus all the attention you have on following your
breathing. Be present at every breath with your full awareness. If any
‘objects in awareness’ present themselves, just let them be. Become
one with your breathing as much as you can. Allow your breath to
carry you as deeply as possible into the dimension of Being. Expe-
rience how the sense of ‘I am’ keeps existing, even in this very ‘awake’
state of awareness.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Meditation

Meditation helps you in realizing the Passion of the Soul. That is

because when you meditate, you create an exclusive moment of now-
awareness. At such moments, you practice breathing in awareness.
This helps you to be as ‘awake’ as possible, while you stay present in
the ‘here and now’. These moments allow you to root yourself in Being
ever more firmly. With it, you lift your awareness to a higher level. This

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will also affect your everyday life. As you go ahead, you keep becoming
more ‘present’ at what is there.

You can meditate in the traditional way. This involves sitting on the
floor, possibly using a meditation cushion or stool, in a meditative
posture. Different ways are available, though. Meditation can be just
as effective if you do it while walking, lying down, standing or sitting
in a chair. No matter what you choose, make sure that you sit in a
‘wakeful’ position. Don’t slump backwards or forwards, for example.
Sit as straight and upright as you can. Keeping your back straight will
help you stay ‘awake’. It allows the energy of your body to flow freely.

You can also meditate for longer periods, such as half an hour, an hour
or even an entire day. Don’t feel obliged to do so, however. You could
also create several brief moments of meditation throughout your day.
Anchoring your awareness at the level of higher-awareness is perfectly
possible, if you practice ‘one-minute meditation’ a few times a day.
You can do it while you are stuck in traffic, waiting in line in the super-
market, walking to the office, listening to music, cooking dinner in the
kitchen, and while you are washing the dishes. These are all examples
of everyday situations that are perfectly suited for practicing ‘presence’.

Because after all, that is the ultimate goal of meditation. It is not about
being very ‘awake’ for ‘just’ a few moments of your life, due to a few
long meditation sessions. On the contrary, it is about being ‘awake’ as

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much as you can in your everyday life. Brief meditations help you do
this too. They have the benefit of being easy to realize. Brief medita-
tive moments are easier to fit into your everyday life. You can actually
practice it anywhere and anytime. No situation is an exception to this!

What is meditation?
It turns out that people explain the practice of meditation in different
ways. Many answers are available for answering the question of ‘what
is meditation to you?’ Examples include listening to music, doing yoga,
reading religious or philosophical texts, singing, doing relaxation exer-
cises, guided visualizations and many other things besides.

I fully agree that all of these activities can be enjoyable for your
personality. However there is one critical remark that you should bear
in mind. Apart from the ‘pleasure’ these activities can bring, it is also
perfectly possible to practice them from a state of ego-awareness. As
soon as that happens, I no longer call it meditation. I define meditation
in the following way:

Meditation is a spiritual exercise, in which you make the choice to

focus your awareness inwards as much as you can, for a certain
period, in order to penetrate as deep into now-awareness as you
can, and to stay there. All activity is directed at realizing the level
of higher-awareness, or even to transcend it, by being in a state of
All-awareness.

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Let’s have a look at what Ken Wilber, also called the ‘Einstein’ of human
awareness, has to say about meditation in his book ‘Grace and Grit’:

What meditation or contemplation is all about - regardless of East

or West, christian, muslim, buddhist, or hindu - is indeed to free us
from the ‘optical illusion’ of being separate ego’s, isolated from one
another and from the eternal spirit, and instead to discover that,
once we are free from the prison of individuality, we are one with
God, and therefore one with all manifestations, in a perfectly time-
less and eternal manner. 6)

Sri Ramana Maharshi, the famous Indian sage, says the following
about meditation in the book ‘Talks’:

Meditating on an object will not help you. That is why you must
learn that subject and object are one. If you meditate on an object,
you destroy that realization of being one, and so you create duality.
Meditate only on the Self. Try to become aware that the body is not
you, the emotions are not you, the intellect is not you. When these
have all been silenced, you will notice that there is something else;
hold on to that, and it will reveal itself. 7)

Free translation of: Wilber, Ken. Overgave en strijd, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Karnak, 1998
6)

7)
Free translation of: Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer: Uitgeverij Ankh-Hermes, 2002

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The same book includes another quote on meditation from Sri Ramana
Maharshi:

Visions and sounds occurring during meditation, must be regarded

as distractions and temptations. The aspirer must not be seduced by
these matters. Visions simply add to meditation, and no more than
that. 8)

It is certainly true that practicing meditation, as I understand it, has

all kinds of positive side effects for every personality. Meditation can
strengthen thinking, for instance, and increase concentration, bring
relaxation and reduce or even remove physical and psychological
complaints. However, these side effects are not the ultimate goal.

The model of the awareness ladder illustrates that now-awareness con-

sists of two layers, which are higher-awareness and All-awareness. In
meditation, both layers are practiced as well as being put into prac-
tice. The essential purpose in doing so, is to realize a higher state of
awareness, throughout your everyday life. It follows that, at a glance,
meditation can be viewed as the cultivation of now-awareness. In it,
all activities are carried out from ‘presence’, and as such, you are free
from identification with your personality.

Free translation of: Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer: Uitgeverij Ankh-Hermes, 2002
8)

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A warm bath of silence
This awareness exercise is highly similar to the awareness exercise
of ‘penetrating deeper into Being’, from the previous chapter. The
difference is that in the current exercise, you choose to be silent and
‘awake’ for an even longer period. Take at least an hour and a half for
this. Make sure you are alone. Avoid being distracted by other people,
a telephone ringing, an alarm clock going off or music playing in the
background. You can do this awareness exercise either indoors or out-
doors. If you decide to go outside, be sure to pick a quiet spot out in
the countryside, for example.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Position of your Soul

Between ‘heaven and earth’

In ‘The Passion Pyramid’ model for an outlook on life, the tip marks
the position of your Soul. On the ‘awareness ladder’, this is the level
of higher-awareness. These positions symbolize that your Soul resides
between ‘heaven and earth’. Your Soul is situated on the dividing line
between two dimensions. These are the reality of earth, in which your

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personality exists, and the dimension of Being, the formless and pure
awareness.

The reality of earth consists of a world full of forms. Every form is a

manifestation. It is ‘something’. Pure awareness is ‘not something’. It
is the formless source, from which all forms originate, and to which all
forms also return eventually. Therefore the awareness, which is you, is
situated precisely on the line that divides non-manifested and manife-
sted awareness.

The name higher Self, or higher-awareness, is used to indicate that your

true Self rises above your personality. This makes higher-awareness
essentially different from your intellectual abilities, for instance. That
is because an intellectual ability is an ability of thought, and therefore
it is connected with your personality. By contrast, higher-awareness
transcends your personality. It is able to observe thoughts, without
being tangled up with it.

As long as the awareness, which is you, is directed at observing forms,

it will be aware of doing so. At these times, the world will manifest
itself in awareness, as a totality of objects. These are all the forms from
the inner and outside world of your personality. As soon as awareness
focuses on its source, it will merge into that source, and become one
with that source. At that point, there is no longer a distinction between
the observer and the observed. There is only ‘Being Aware’.

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 The ‘presence’ of a flower, plant or tree
Let yourself be inspired by the full ‘presence’ of a flower, a plant
or a tree. Experiment with it. As you do this exercise, start by fully
arriving in the ‘here and now’. Close your eyes, and follow the cycle of
each breath, with as much attention as possible. After a while, open
your eyes, while you keep practicing breathing in awareness. While
doing so, silently focus part of your awareness on the flower, plant
or tree that you are watching. Keep following your breathing with the
remainder of your awareness. Let any thoughts or feelings, which may
appear as you are watching, drift by like clouds in the sky. Keep your
awareness anchored in the ‘here and now’. Notice the full ‘presence’ of
the flower, plant or tree. Become one with this ‘presence’.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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235
Putting the Passion of the Soul
to practice

Make every moment the most important moment of your life, and
experience it from now-awareness!

The Passion of the Soul and the Passion of the Heart can exist along-
side each other perfectly well. The Passion of the Soul invites you, to

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live every moment as now-aware as possible. The Passion of the Heart
invites you, to allow the energy of your personality to flow in full, as
freely as possible, straight from the Heart.

By making every moment the most important moment of your life

and by experiencing that moment from now-awareness, you put the
Passion of the Soul to practice. You keep doing it every single day.
Because you are never finished with the realization of it. For the
realization of the Passion of the Soul, is not a goal as such. The way is
the goal. This way is made up of all the life situations, which you come
across every day on your path through life. That is why you should walk
this path from the state of now-awareness as much as possible.

This will free you from the constraints of time, and keep you out of the
grasp of compulsory and ongoing processes that occur in your psyche.
Because anchored in the ‘here and now’, from a higher level of aware-
ness, you are present at that which is there. As such, you experience
every moment in now-awareness. ‘Awake’, you observe what happens
in the ‘here and now’. Both in the inner world and the outside world
of your personality. You are aware that these are one. Only one single
world exists.

Live! Experience life as intensely as possible. See a flower and keep

watching, be ‘present’ in the experience. Let any possible comments
of the thinker inside, pass you by. No matter what it tells you about

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the flower. Smell it, and allow this sensation to pass through you.
Notice how it is to be ‘present’ while experiencing the flower. Watch the
shades of its petals, and keep watching. Allow its colors to affect you.
Feel the ‘presence’ of the flower, and become one with it. Become
firmly rooted in the ‘here and now’!

Be ‘present’ in everything you do. Allow yourself to be touched by a

sunset, the gentle descent of an autumn leaf, the sight of a child at play,
the sound of a chirping bird. Enjoy, and observe your own enjoyment.
Be ‘present’ in the taste of a sip of tea, the sound of a flowing stream,
feeling the wind caressing your skin, listening to silence, smelling the
fragrance of spring blossoms, following your breathing, observing a
thought, feeling your hand as it touches the hand of another. Live!

Be ‘present’ in the emotion that presents itself, feeling the energy

between your hands, the pain in your body, gazing deep into some-
one’s eyes, allowing someone to gaze deep into your eyes, speaking,
walking, listening, eating and drinking, hearing the rhythm of raindrops
falling onto your roof, feeling the sun’s warmth on your skin, brushing
your teeth, feeling your feet planted firmly on the ground, the tears
that roll down your cheeks, feeling the life in your hands, receiving a
compliment and laughing about a joke. Stay ‘awake’, and experience
everything you do as now-aware as possible!

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Create exclusive and silent moments of intense now-awareness.
Remind yourself of this, by setting some kind of signal or sticking
something in your pocket, to keep reminding you of it whenever you
touch it. Cross out a section in your daily schedule. Or pick a few fixed
moments over the course of your day. At these moments, stand still,
have a seat, lie down or walk, and dive as deep into now-awareness as
you can. Practice ‘being Awake’. Connect with your breath, your loyal
ally, which brings you into the ‘here and now’ and keeps you there.

Experience the ‘presence’ in the form of ‘I am’, in everything there is.

Allow the radiant and infinitely profound inner peace to flow into your
awareness, and let it be there. Sometimes powerful and prominent,
sometimes subtle and withdrawn. Be aware of the bliss that this brings!

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 ‘Seeing’ the true Selves of others
Every person has the same true Self. By doing this exercise, you can
experience what it is like to connect yourself with that. First, connect
with your own true Self. Arrive in the ‘here and now’, by following your
breathing in awareness. Close your eyes, and follow the cycle of each
breath, with as much attention as possible. Focus your awareness on
your breathing as much as possible. Leave the ‘objects in awareness’
for what they are. Be one with your breathing to maximum effect. Let
your breathing carry you as deep as possible into the dimension of
Being. After a while, open your eyes, as you keep putting breathing in
awareness to practice. Let any thoughts and feelings drift by your true
Self, like clouds in the sky. Remain anchored in the ‘here and now’, with
the sense of ‘I am’. Then, go on your way, and walk out onto the street,
for instance. Direct your awareness at the people you see. Realize that
their personalities are masks, behind which there true Selves reside.
Silently connect yourself with the true Selves of all the people you
meet. Do so from a great deal of ‘presence’.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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Korte samenvatting

Passie is datgene ervaren wat je diep van binnen, vanuit je kern, graag
wilt ervaren.

Diep van binnen, in de kern van je persoonlijkheid, verlang jij naar be-
paalde ervaringen. Dit verlangen is in essentie universeel. Het is in jou
en in ieder ander mens, waar dan ook ter wereld, aanwezig en in de
basis hetzelfde. Dit verlangen bestaat al duizenden jaren. In die zin kun
je het een oerverlangen noemen. In de Passionaire visie op Passie is
dit verlangen tweeledig. Jij hebt namelijk twee oerverlangens. Dat is de
Passie van het Hart en de Passie van de Ziel. En deze twee Passies,
hangen nauw samen met jouw wens om gelukkig te zijn.

Vanuit de ‘oude kijk op geluk’, die tot op de dag van vandaag nog
steeds voortleeft, zoeken veel mensen geluk buiten zichzelf. Zij maken
hun geluk afhankelijk van externe omstandigheden, zoals het hebben
van een goede baan of het hebben van succes. Zo lang mensen zich
alleen blijven richten op het leven van deze ‘oude kijk op geluk’, zo lang
zullen zij onbewust blijven.

Het gevolg daarvan is namelijk, dat zij de stralende en oneindig diepe

innerlijke vrede, die altijd onvoorwaardelijk in hen aanwezig is, niet
ervaren. Ook zijn zij zich er dan niet van bewust, dat je iedere situatie
vanuit je Hart kunt leven. Dit alles is het ware geluk, dat overal en altijd

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242
Brief summary
243
Brief summary

Passion is experiencing that which, deep down inside at your very core,
you truly wish to experience.

Deep down within you, at the core of your personality, you long for
certain experiences. In essence, this longing is universal. It is present
in you just as it is present in everyone else, anywhere in the world,

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and it is essentially the same for all of us. This longing has been with
us for thousands of years. It could be called a primal longing. In the
Passionary’s outlook on Passion, this longing has a double nature. In
fact, you have two primal longings. These are the Passion of the Heart
and the Passion of the Soul. Both Passions are closely linked to your
wish for happiness.

The ‘classical notion of happiness’, which is still in use today, causes

many people to look for happiness outside of themselves. They let
their happiness depend on external circumstances, such as having a
good job or being successful. As long as people keep focusing on this
‘classical notion of happiness’ they will remain unaware.

As a consequence of the above, these people cannot experience the

radiant and infinitely profound inner peace, which is always and uncon-
ditionally present inside them. They are also unaware of the possibility
of living every situation from the Heart. This is true happiness, which
can be realized anywhere and anytime. It doesn’t matter whether the
living conditions of your personality are favorable or unfavorable. That
is living from ‘Heart and Soul’. Or, to be more specific, it means living
the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul.

Passion is closely related to a process of ‘waking up’, and this calls

for moments of reflection. Reflecting on your Passion comes down to
switching off your autopilot and actually becoming aware of how you

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live your life. Such moments of contemplation are crucial. Moments like
these can make a difference in your quality of life. Of course, this also
depends on the actual things you do with the insights you have gained
at a certain point. Your moments of reflection may cause you to wake
up from a life of unawareness. Being unaware is not what you want at
all. In fact, it could be harmful to yourself or to other people.

The awareness ladder

The model of ‘the awareness ladder’ classifies the degree to which
you are ‘awake’ in a system of four different levels. These are four
levels of awareness. The model illustrates the process of ‘waking up’ as
you make your way up this ‘ladder’. Discovering your Passions involves
increasing degrees of ‘waking up’. You grow aware of a wider range
of things. In the inner world as well as in the outside world of your
personality. The following overview describes the four different levels
of awareness:

Diffuse-awareness:
Without being aware of it, you live ‘from outside to inside’. The world
around you is the measure of all things. This includes its multitude of
associated patterns, survival mechanisms and conditioned behavior.
Diffuse-awareness means living life largely on autopilot. At this level
of awareness, you experience your personality as your true identity.

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 Core-awareness:
You live ‘from inside to outside’ in awareness. From your Heart. At
this level, your inner world has become the measure of all things.
You are fully aware of your own personality, with all the Passion
Drives included in it. You live these Passion Drives to the best of your
abilities. At this level, as in diffuse-awareness, you experience your
personality as your true identity.

Higher-awareness:
At this level of awareness, you break free from your primal state in
which your true Self is tangled up with your personality. You discover
and experience that your true identity is pure awareness. This brings
the experience of a radiant and infinitely profound inner peace into
your awareness. It is unconditional bliss. This experience is always
present deep inside, regardless of your personal circumstances. It
is the presence of your true Self. In this state of being, you experi-
ence the inner world and the outside world of your personality with
clear awareness. You approach the environment of your personality
free from judgments, expectations and interpretations. You perceive
what is present in the ‘here and now’, without getting tangled up in
it. You are at one with the silent witness, which is the aware witness.

All-awareness:
This is the highest level of awareness, free from any kind of limitation.
This is boundless awareness. Here, you will discover and experience

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 that deep down inside, at the very core of our being, we are all
essentially at one with everything. At this level, you will experience
the awareness, which is you, as infinite, formless, impersonal, loving
and alive. This is the condition of enlightened awareness.

The Passion Pyramid

The Passion Pyramid is a model for an outlook on life. It represents a
whole and passionate person. A person of higher-awareness, living in
complete harmony with him- or herself and with his or her environ-
ment. This person lives from ‘Heart and Soul’. This is why The Passion
Pyramid is a holistic and spiritual model. The four corners that con-
stitute its base provide great stability. Each of the four corners has
a meaning. Together they symbolize the various dimensions of being
human. These dimensions are the physical body, the non-physical
body, thoughts and feelings. Taken together, they form the personality.
Thoughts and feelings make up the psyche or ego. You could consider
personality to be a ‘vehicle and instrument’. The tip of the pyramid
represents the true Self of any person. In practical terms, harmony in
this model is reached by fully acknowledging and taking good care of
all five dimensions.

The Passion of the Heart

Every individual person flourishes under certain inner conditions. Under
these conditions, the energy of one’s personality is able to flow freely.
These inner conditions are easy to map by using the seven universal

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Passion Drives. Each specific Passion Drive covers a unique range of
topics, and each one provides an answer to a specific question.

Core-Gifts : what am I really good at?

Core-Values : what is important to me?
Core-Beliefs : what are my guiding principles?
Core-Activities : what activities do I like the most?
Core-Growth : what areas in myself do I want to develop?
Core-Contribution : what do I want to contribute to society?
Core-Contact : what do I experience by intuition?

Thinking about these questions, and finding the answers, will give you
a complete view of your own Passion of the Heart. It will become clear
to you what truly drives you as a person. This is a process of becoming
aware. It will enable you to live according to your Passion Drives in
awareness. You too have that longing to live a free life from the Heart.
Living such a life will take you directly to the experience of Passion. The
Passion of the Heart!

The Passion of the Soul

Deep within you, at the very core of your personality, is a second primal
longing, residing next to the Passion of the Heart. This is the Passion
of the Soul. When you connect with this Passion, you will set yourself
in motion. You discover and experience in the ‘here and now’, that
your true identity is pure awareness. You experience that you are at

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one with everything. At that point, the awareness that is you, becomes
aware of itself as awareness. This is where you feel: ‘I am’, or in other
words: the ‘experience of Being’. This experience sets in at the level
of higher-awareness on the ‘awareness ladder’. Each and every one of
us can achieve that level. In fact, all it takes is connecting to your own
essence.

Letting go of expectations
In your everyday life, you meet many different people. Experiment
with meeting these people ‘free from expectations’ and find out how
that feels. Just let go of whatever you expect of the person in front of
you. Step up to them from a field of space. Without setting conditions
- without expectations, that is. Experience the free space this creates
in your encounter, with all the awareness you have in you.

Experience what it’s like to do this exercise and the difference that it
makes.

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It is the 21st century’s turn now
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‘Living history’

Many people are not yet aware - to a certain extent - of the insights
described in this book. This limited awareness has immediate
consequences for the quality of their lives. After all, how can you be
yourself, as long as you don’t know your true Self? And how can you
live from your Heart, if you don’t know how to do that? In this way,
living from ‘Heart and Soul’ will remain in the background. This is

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contrasted by the ego, which will keep occupying the front stage. It will
present itself with great emphasis. As a result, the personality seems
to be the only reality that is left. At that point, we are dealing with the
primal tangle in ego-awareness.

The word ‘primal’ refers to the long history trailing behind this tangle.
For thousands of years, people have been under the spell of their
psyche, on a collective scale and without being aware of it. Even
though naturally, there have been some exceptions, the ego has been
festering in our inner- and outside world since time immemorial. With
all the disastrous consequences that accompany it.

Unfortunately, we don’t have to search very hard to see this. Our his-
tory is not the only place where we can find the madness of the ego.
For just as human history is riddled with ‘human suffering’, so ‘human
suffering’ continues to the present day. In that sense, we are dealing
with ‘living history’. All around us, we can see the consequences of our
tangle with ego-awareness. In a way, we have taken over this primal
tangle from the generations before us, like a baton in a relay race.

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The ‘positional dance’

Know Yourself’
Knowing your true Self is important for everyone. This message can be
found throughout history, too. The proverb ‘Know Thyself’ was already
used in Greek antiquity, for example. The phrase was an inscription deco-
rating the temple of Apollo, in Delphi. The Ancient Greek philosopher

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Socrates (approximately 470 - 399 B.C.) is also reported to have used
the expression on many occasions.

Today, more than two thousand years later, the invitation to ‘Know
Yourself’ is still every bit as valuable as it was back then. In spite of all
the time that has passed since those days, we, humanity, still haven’t
made the collective breakthrough into now-awareness. Because many
people still don’t recognize their true Self. This keeps their self-image
limited to a psychological image. If you ask them ‘who are you?’, their
answer will only contain a description of their personality. This shows
how ‘living history’ continues to perpetuate itself.

Who are you?

As we have seen, people often tell something about their personality,
when they answer the question ‘who are you?’. They usually start by
saying ‘I am’, and then they connect ‘something’ to it. This connection
can extend to a wide range of subjects. That is because people have
different doors they can open. One of the options is mentioning their
name. In that case, they say ‘I am’, after which they add their name. Or
they tell something about the family they grew up in. Something along
the lines of ‘I am the youngest sibling in a family of four children’. They
could also mention their profession. In that case, the answer would
sound like ‘I am’, followed by their job title. Or they tell about their
nationality, as in ‘I am a Dutchman’, for example.

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Dozens of other connections are possible, following the words ‘I am’.
Moreover, when answering the question of ‘who they are’, people also
explain ‘who they are not’. This happens automatically. The answer
‘I am a Dutchman’, for instance, automatically indicates that the person
is not ‘an American’. In their everyday lives, people tell and reveal
‘who they are’ by operating in one of two different ways. These are the
‘authentic dance’ and the ‘positional dance’.

‘Authentic dance’
In the ‘authentic dance’, people show themselves exactly as they are.
Pure and authentic. When they tell about the facts of their personality,
these facts are an exact match of the truth, as they experience it.
They don’t hold anything back, and they don’t hide anything either.
They don’t try to present their personality any better or worse than it
is.

‘Positional dance’
This is contrasted by the ‘positional dance’, in which people choose
their position carefully. Here, everything is about creating, maintaining
and protecting a specific ‘image’. This is an identity that has been ‘made
up’. In this way of operating, what is authentic is pushed to the back-
ground. The front stage is occupied instead, by a mode of operation
that matches the ‘image’. Thinking is the creative force behind all this.
Many people spend much of their daily lives working on their image.
This is expressed in the ‘positional dance’. These people often wonder

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about questions such as ‘what fits my image?’, ‘how will this affect my
image?’, ‘how can I protect and maintain my image?’ and ‘what do I
need to improve my image?’.

The carefully selected behavior we see as a result, is the ‘positional

dance’. Unsurprisingly, this dance is often accompanied by holding back
and masking feelings and the truth. It can be regarded as a theatre
play, in which many people still play along today. It is a collective play.
Oddly, this usually happens without the actors being aware of the roles
they play. This indicates how they lose themselves in their image roles.
In a very real way, they have become the image they have ‘made up’.

Boosters and dampeners

The ‘positional dance’ that goes on around an image, is characterized
by certain habits. These are expressed in material forms, as well as in
immaterial ones. Many ‘Harley Davidson bikers’, for instance, would
prefer not to be seen riding their motorcycles wearing a three-piece
suit with a briefcase and a laptop computer. Likewise, the average
corporate executive will prefer not to be seen dining in a fancy restau-
rant with a homeless person. These are both examples of upholding
a certain image. Some aspects match it very well. They reinforce the
image. These are the so-called ‘boosters’. They are prized highly, and
people collect them. Other aspects weaken or undermine the image.
These are called ‘dampeners’ and are avoided where possible, because
they pose a risk. The risk is that when things don’t go well, these

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dampeners can cause the image that was built so carefully, the ‘made
up’ identity, to collapse.

Herd animal
Many people recognize the ‘positional dance’, and yet, many of them
still dance along in their everyday lives. Even though they would love
to do otherwise, if you look deep into their Hearts. So why does that
happen? This is partly because of the way we have arranged our
society. We see so much of this behavior around us, that it seems as
if this is how it’s supposed to be. It causes us to move along unaware
and ‘automatically’, just to fit in. Like some sort of herd animal, we
follow others in this behavior. Without stopping to think about whether
it actually contributes to our happiness and well-being. The ‘historical’
outlook on happiness adds to this effect as well.

The ‘historical’ outlook on happiness

The ‘historical’ outlook on happiness gives people the impression,
caused by a lack of now-awareness, that experiencing a pleasant and
peaceful feeling depends on the circumstances that occur in our lives.
If you adopt this ‘historical’ outlook on happiness, you will focus heavily
on the outside world. You keep paying attention to what happens out
there. Outside world circumstances then become the norm. You do this
without being aware of it. This will make you join the ‘positional dance’
in no time. You do it to affect these circumstances in a positive way. In
the hopes of realizing your happiness in this manner.

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Due to this outlook on happiness, which is included in quite a few
dictionaries, the experience of happiness is shifted to somewhere out-
side of yourself. You make yourself depend on what happens in your
‘outside world’. If those circumstances are favorable, you experience
happiness. If they are disappointing, you experience unhappiness. By
adopting this outlook, you turn the way you feel into a kind of ‘play-
thing’ of external circumstances. Depending on these circumstances,
this ‘plaything’ can move in the ‘right’ direction, or in the ‘wrong’
direction.

If you view happiness as being dependent on external circumstan-

ces, it makes sense to pay close attention to all circumstances, and
to judge every single one of them. This means a lot of work for your
thinking, which plays the starring role in this entire process. The
better your circumstances, the more you seem to experience happi-
ness. Consequently, your thinking will act as the big organizer and
the strict referee, in its attempts to influence the circumstances.
Anticipating potential situations, and reacting to these in the right way,
becomes very important. That is why you keep a close eye on your
surroundings. You pay attention to what happens there. This keeps
your thinking ‘running ahead’ all the time. There is no room for the
experience of ‘Heart and Soul’. That is because thinking demands all
of your awareness for its own purposes. This process keeps repeating
itself every day. Partly because so much happens in your surrounding
every day. Just consider all the impulses that keep on hitting you,

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inviting you to keep on thinking.

Impulses
Every day, you are bombarded by an incredible number of impulses.
Not just through encounters, telephone calls and messages from the
people you know or meet. They also come from billboards, the internet,
radio, television, newspapers and magazines. One of their sources is
the advertising and marketing business, which has a huge influence
on your thoughts whilst being motivated by the desire for personal or
corporate profit. There are an infinite number of slogans such as ‘you
are what you eat, buy product X’, for example, and ‘product Y is for cool
guys and girls’. These slogans are attempts to make us believe that it
is very important to buy the products and services of some particular
organization. Slogans such as these appeal to your image, directly as
well as indirectly. It seems that these products are necessary to keep
up with everyone else. And that is precisely what many people believe.
Without being aware of it, they accept these opinions as the truth, and
dance along automatically.

To connect, or not to connect?

The ‘positional dance’ produces a strong and compelling urge to test
and judge other people’s behavior. This happens because a ‘positional
dancer’ often regards people as ‘boosters’ or ‘dampeners’ of their own
image. In that case, you check whether you recognize yourself in the
other person, and whether that person matches your image. If so,

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you will tend to connect yourself with the other person. If not, your
tendency will be to avoid connecting with the other person. That means
you reject the connection. Of course this inner decision, of connecting
or rejecting, will determine your future behavior in the situations
concerned. You act in accordance with those decisions.

Rejecting the connection produces a sense of distance. This distance

will express itself through behavior such as reduced eye-contact, for
instance. Or you no longer listen to the other person with your full
attention. Your interest in the other person fades into the background,
along with your sense of empathy. In a way, you step back from the
other person, creating distance. You close yourself off to him or her.
This means closing your Heart. The result in everyday life is that people
no longer notice each other. And if any contact is made at all, it often
goes hand in hand with detachment, rationality, cynicism, coldness,
rudeness, irritation and conflict.

If on the other hand, as a ‘positional dancer’, you recognize (part of)

yourself in the other person, and you think he or she matches your
image, then you will make a connection. Suppose you meet some-
one you never met before, and you start talking. You are a tennis
enthusiast, and at some point, the other person tells you he or she
just loves tennis. You will probably respond in terms of ‘so do I’.
Before you know it, you find yourself in a lively conversation about your
most recent match, the club you are a member of, or Wimbledon. Just

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like that, the connection has been made. You connect with the other
person, because you recognize a part of yourself in him or her. In a
way, you have moved one step closer to each other. You open yourself
up and because of that, you approach each other. You do so because
you experience the other as a ‘like-minded person’. This is how many
close relationships and friendships come about. All of this happens
because we recognize ourselves in the other person. Imagine what
would happen, if people discover on a collective scale, that they have
the same true Self as everyone else?

How long will this go on?

People have been dancing the ‘positional dance’ since time immemorial.
All this time, this dance has held many people in an iron grip, day in,
day out. Because of this, many people still live in unawareness. They
miss the experience in awareness of the Passion of the Heart and the
Passion of the Soul. This also causes the absence of a deep and intense
connection with other people, animals and nature. Today this process
has reached a point where quality of life for people, animals and
nature is under great pressure. This can be experienced all around us
on a daily basis. That is why the time has come to stop our ‘positional
dancing’. Because by now, there is an urgent reason to ‘wake up’!

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Necessity

The quality of our awareness determines the quality of the world

around us. Diffuse awareness creates a world full of suffering. Higher-
awareness creates a healthy and sustainable world. It’s as simple as
that. This explains why we can look at the quality of our ‘outside world’,
to find out about the quality of our awareness. And yes, doing that
confronts us with a very harsh reality. There is nothing woolly about

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that. The menacing crisis that threatens our society today, is a direct
result of the crisis that we ourselves are in. And the cause of that crisis,
essentially, is the primal tangle with ego-awareness.

It is time to end that crisis, and to ‘wake up’ at a large scale. By now, we
have exhausted our planet, our living environment, to a considerable
extent. We have drifted away from nature, and we have the tools at
our disposal to destroy humankind in its entirety. How did we ever get
to the point of creating such tools in the first place?

Our society, phrased in an analogy, is ‘seriously ill’. The present genera-

tion and the one that comes after it, face enormous social challenges.
It is time for the 21st century to make a move. Because the continued
existence of humankind is by no means self-evident. It is naive to
assume that our current way of living will remain successful in the long
run. The ‘serious illness’ that we are dealing with, is the ‘captivity’ in
ego-awareness. More specifically, it is the state of diffuse-awareness.

Continuing to follow our present path is not an option. That has be-
come perfectly clear by now. An evolutionary step in human awareness
is absolutely necessary. Not by a single person or a few people, but
at a collective level. It is necessary for us to engage in a joint effort
for an ‘awakened’ society. This can be viewed as the dawn of a new
dimension. The dimension of an enlightened society. That society is
one in which humans continue to exist as a form, only without the

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tangle with ego-awareness.

A real shift in the way we live our lives will only occur if people ‘wake
up’ on a large scale. A shift that does justice to every human being, one
that will cause us to move towards a sustainable and healthy world. A
crucial aspect of this process of ‘awakening’ is for people to experience,
that the higher level of awareness is already present within them. All it
takes is for people to connect with that level. Every person who really
opens up to this, is able to experience it. In fact, it is even one of our
Passions to keep on experiencing this, and to make it more profound.

These are all very substantial experiences. For we, as humanity, can
only continue to exist in a sustainable way, if we succeed on a global
scale. We will have to guide large numbers of people in taking the
essential step towards higher-awareness. This requires major reforms
in our society. Education is one of the fields that we will have to
change. Because after all: to what extent do children and young adults
receive specific guidance, directed at living the Passion of the Heart
and the Passion of the Soul? Exactly: to a very limited extent, if at all.
From day one, we drill them into using their brains. We teach children
and young adults that their intelligence is what matters most. And
traditionally, when we say intelligence, we generally mean simply the
ability of ‘proper and quick’ thinking.

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Sadly, this often involves teaching children and young adults to repress
their feelings, or even to mistrust them. Regardless of the consequences
this brings along. By doing so, we are pushing them into the state of
diffuse-awareness. From that state of awareness, they eventually grow
up into adult people. How long are we going to keep this up?

We really need to ‘wake up’, and realize that the quality of our aware-
ness determines the quality of the world around us!

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Intelligence

In our society, we attach great value to the concept of intelligence.

It makes perfect sense that this concept is so deeply rooted in our
educational system, as well as in other areas. We have even designed
tests, which we use to measure someone’s intelligence, allowing us to
express it in numbers. Many educational and assessment institutes use
these tests with great confidence and diligence. We use these tests to

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give lessons, draw conclusions about people, plan our careers, and so
on. Such tests have become a major influence on the social positions
people occupy. And yes, people derive self-esteem from it, or in other
words, identity. Intelligence is a key factor in our society.

And yet, how ‘logical’ is it for us to glorify intelligence like this? What
exactly is intelligence anyway? And how does intelligence relate to
now-awareness? These are important questions for us, as people. Let’s
begin by looking at my answer to the question: what is intelligence?

The ability to observe information units in the psyche, to analyze

them, to store them and to connect them to other information units,
with the option of acting upon these information units.

When we look at this definition, we can see that intelligence is essen-

tially a psychological ability. Traditionally, the notion of intelligence is
closely connected to IQ, the intelligence quotient. This figure is used
to express a person’s measure of intelligence. Still, a gradual change is
affecting the way we view intelligence. Presently, there are also people
who put intelligence in a broader perspective. Among the concepts
they use are emotional intelligence, practical intelligence, spiritual
intelligence, creative intelligence, motor intelligence and social intel-
ligence. This demonstrates that intelligence is a psychological ability,
which can be divided into a range of different subjects!

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Intelligence is connected to our personality. It is related to psycholo-
gical activity, which you can convert into actions if you want to. It is
valuable, because we can use our intelligence for creative purposes.
At the same time, however, intelligence is dangerous. This is because
we can literally start to identify with our psyche, which causes us to
become tangled up in ego-awareness. And this has been going on for
thousands of years, right up to this very day. The primal tangle in ego-
awareness is still ‘living history’ today. It is the cause of the current
crisis that threatens our society.

As a result, humanity faces a fundamental choice in the 21st century.

Do we stand by and watch in unawareness, or are we actually going
to commit ourselves to creating a healthy world? We can achieve
that, by joining our forces from ‘Heart and Soul’, and then continuing
together, focusing on the drastic reforms, which are necessary in the
world around us.

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Reforming from now-awareness

The reforms needed in our society start with an individual choice, which
everyone can make for himself or herself. So can you. This choice
consists of your answer to the question: Do you want to live from
‘Heart and Soul’ as much as you can, starting today? If so, then live
that way. Commit yourself to it, and invite others to do the same.
Because if we all sit around waiting for someone else to make the first

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move, nothing much will happen in the end. When you live from ‘Heart
and Soul’, it will have an immediate effect on the quality of life. Be-
cause, as you will remember: ‘the quality of our awareness determines
the quality of the world around us’. That means you can contribute to
making a substantial difference!

Reforming our society goes hand in hand with letting energy flow. If
we don’t focus energy on reforms, then they will simply never happen.
And as you have seen, the flow of this energy starts by making an in-
dividual choice. This is true for you too. One form of energy, necessary
for reforming our society, is money. Money is a tool that can help us.
Therefore, let us have a look at this tool.

Money is a psychological concept. I will use an example to make this

clear. Suppose you were in the Stone Age, carrying a briefcase full of
paper money. If you put the briefcase down in front of the first cave-
man you met, then he would have had a lot of fun with it. However,
the fun would look different from that in our present society. He would
have used flints to set fire to the money, and it would have kept him
nice and warm for a while. Perfectly enjoyable. Now suppose, however,
that you gave the same briefcase to a random person from the 21st
century. And suppose that right away, a thief would snatch the case out
from under this person’s nose and run off with it. Chances are that this
person would end up in a severe depression.

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This example shows that the meaning of money is determined, by the
meaning we attach to it in our own thoughts. And from the perspective
of many people’s psyche, money is considered very important. Because
the general mental image is that money enables you to live in freedom.
This mental image is linked to the ‘historical’ outlook on happiness.

Money is very important in organizations too. In the experience of

many organization executives, everything revolves around money. As
a result, their efforts are all directed at making as much money as
possible. For many leaders, money is the main goal. Practical everyday
reality indicates that many other goals must be abandoned to achieve
this main goal. This causes many organizations to offer little or no room
for people’s soulfulness. In fact, in many organizations, ‘people’ have
been reduced to a production resource. As soon as these resources no
longer serve their purpose, you simply remove them and replace them
with new ones.

In our society, where many people live in diffuse-awareness, the

possession of money equals the possession of power. This has been
demonstrated by a long list of scandals over the course of history. Such
scandals can be found in all layers of society, from families to organiza-
tions, from sports to politics, from commercial organizations to religious
institutions, and the list goes on. Money is often hoarded, causing it to
end up with a select few members of society, sometimes in ridiculous
amounts. This gives them power over other people. And such power

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is generally used on behalf of their own personality. How long are we
going to regard this as normal?

Just look at how many people die due to shortage of food and water
around the world, for instance. This social problem only exists, because
many people in our society are still trapped in ego-awareness. This is
true even though the matter could be settled in no time, if we would all
live from ‘Heart and Soul’. Plenty of food and water is in fact available,
from a global point of view. The problem is not a matter of insufficient
resources either. Just look at the top-grade quality of our technology,
infrastructure and logistics systems, for example. All we need to do is
put these systems to use. The crucial point is, that we have to consider
it important enough. And for that, we need a collective breakthrough
to now-awareness.

People who are (still) trapped in their ego-awareness, attach a different

meaning to money, so they deal with it in a different way than people
experiencing now-awareness. This is because everyone who lives in
now-awareness is free! To them, living is an art of life. It is the art of
expressing ‘Heart and Soul’ in everything they do. I call this living your
Passions, the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul. When
we let these Passions flow freely in our lives, a meaningful shift comes
about.

Living from ‘Heart and Soul’ makes a real difference in many respects.

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Dealing with money is only one among them. If in this state you collect
and use money at all, you will do it in the service of living from ‘Heart
and Soul’. Spending money thereby becomes a direct expression of
Passion. For this reason, an enlightened society will end social disasters
like famine in no time. And it won’t stop there. When people start to
discover and live their Passions, total reform will unfold across our
society in a wholly organic way. This is a substantial and simultaneously
creative process.

At that point, we will let go of old forms that no longer fit, or we will
adjust them to suit our new purposes. We will add new forms, which
support us in living our Passions. This will bring about major changes,
affecting the fields of politics, education, healthcare and business, as
well as family life. All of these changes originate from the experience of
Passion on a collective scale. New leaders are needed, in order to guide
these evolutionary changes in the 21st century. Leaders who choose to
live from ‘Heart and Soul’.

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The new leader is a passionate guide

It is crucially important, for each individual person as well as for society

as a whole, that a high level of ‘wakefulness’ is achieved. For this
higher level of awareness enables us to make responsible and inspired
choices. Our Passions are connected to these.

Therefore, Passion is the key in bringing about an inspired society.

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Passionate leaders play a vital part in such a society. By living from
‘Heart and Soul’, they are an example to other people. They invite
others to join them in living ‘awake’, and to bring out the best in every
individual. New leaders guide the people around them, towards the
experience of Passion. The effects of such guidance can be noticed
immediately. Soulfulness becomes tangible as a meaningful and driving
force. It starts to flow!

The 21st century leader, the new leader, is a person who lives from
‘heart and Soul’ to maximum effect. Such a leader follows the flow
from within. He or she is committed unconditionally to guiding others
towards living from ‘Heart and Soul’.

In organizations, the new leader accomplishes this guidance based on

two essential principles. This can be summed up in two words: ‘Be
meaningful.’ The word ‘Be’ symbolizes the business economics side of
the organization, in the broadest sense of the concept. This concerns
safeguarding continuity in a team, for instance, or in an entire orga-
nization. This principle covers many different forces. Examples include
technology, capacity, logistics, administration, commerce, money and
many more besides. This principle is common knowledge around the
world. Most leaders are clearly aware of this principle, spending much
time on dealing with it.

This is different for the second principle. Here, much still needs to be

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done. That is because the second principle represents safeguarding a
sense of meaning, in a team or an entire organization for example. The
word ‘meaningful’ is a symbol for this. The only way to experience a
sense of meaning, is by allowing people to live - and therefore to work
- from the Passion of the Heart and the Passion of the Soul. The new
leader is clearly aware of this, and is committed to it unconditionally.
The principle of ‘meaningfulness’ is every bit as important as the
‘business’ principle. These two need each other.

The concept of leadership can be understood in a very broad sense.

A leader is a person who leads, supports, or guides other people on
their path through life. Examples of leaders include politicians, CEOs,
managers, executives, coaches, trainers, therapists, psychologists,
educators, tutors, counselors and many others. For all of them, I have
the following message:

You have a substantial part to play. A part in which you support others,
in living and working from ‘Heart and Soul’. Be aware of the necessity
that is present, and of the difference that you can make in this process!
Create space, and step into the experience of Passion yourself, in order
to continue making it more profound. Find likeminded people, because
they are out there! Join forces, and boost each other’s strengths. Do
this to rise up as an ‘awakened’ guide and commit yourself to a better
world, a world that can keep existing in a sustainable way. A world in
which people can fully live from ‘Heart and Soul’!

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283
284
In closing...
285
Afterword

When you live your Passion of the Heart, you express the seven
universal Passion Drives, in every situation, and on every new day.
Living these Passion Drives ensures, that the energy of your personality
flows freely. In addition, you are aware of the four elements that make
up your personality. Your physical body, non-physical body, thoughts
and feelings, these are all in your awareness. You maintain these
dimensions of your personality with all the care you have in you.

By living the Passion of the Soul, you live from a higher degree of
‘wakefulness’. You are aware of your true Self. Who you are, is pure
awareness. This is expressed by the words ‘I am’. You break free from
the primal tangle with ego-awareness, precisely by experiencing this
felt sense. You no longer identify with your personality. There is a
physical body and a non-physical body, there are thoughts and there
are feelings, but you are none of these. You experience pure and
impersonal awareness as your true Self.

You work towards the goal of being connected to your true Self every
day. This allows you to experience the radiant and infinitely profound
inner peace, which is connected to Being. You are aware, that this ex-
perience is always present, unconditional and deep down within your
personality. This is the presence of your true Self. That is why in your
everyday life, you try to act from the highest possible level of ‘wake-

286
fulness’. From this state, you are also aware of the activity in your
psyche. Detached and attentive, you observe the thoughts and feelings
that come and go in your psyche. You live from now-awareness.

In this state, you feel a deep connectedness with everything there is.
You are aware, that everything originates from the same source. This
is also what allows you to connect with the true Self of others, people
you meet on your path through life. In turn they will often be inspired
too. You invite to ‘wake up’ to life too. To join you in living from ‘Heart
and Soul’ to maximum effect. You will also meet other ‘awakened’
people. You will connect with them. This group of people will gradually
expand. In this way, the ‘light of awareness’ will grow ever brighter in
our society.

This is why more and more people practice the art of living from ‘Heart
and Soul’. In school, children and young adults are no longer taught
just to think, but to develop their awareness of ‘presence’ too. What
they learn, is to maintain contact with their source and we adults,
serve as their living example. We achieve this by employing our human
abilities, to create what our Heart tells us to. Thus, we create an
entirely different world. An enlightened society!

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An enlightened society is a society, in which people are freed from
the primal tangle between ‘I am’ and their personality. This is realized
by being firmly rooted in the ‘here and now’. In an enlightened
society, the different dimensions come together in harmony. These
are the worldly dimensions, connected to the Human form, and the
dimension of Being, as the formless source of everything.

During a worldwide shift, from ego-awareness to now-awareness, the

over inflated position of the ego is burst like a balloon. Unawareness,
stress and suffering disappear in the process. This creates room for
‘presence’, space and inner peace. At that point, the experience of
Being flows within us, and that is precisely what we long for.

Life then becomes more like a form of art. In such a life, what matters
to us is continuously realizing the Passion of the Heart and the Passion
of the Soul. Then, we allow the experience of Being to flow, in every-
thing we do from our Heart. In addition, we experience Being, in all the
forms around us. Let it Be so...

Namasté,

‘I am’

288
 The world around us, is the mirror of our inner world.
As it is inside, so it is outside. Our world is our own creation.
When we ‘wake up’, we start to experience Passion within.
If we experience Passion within, we start to create from Passion.
Then, the world around us changes,
into a passionate world!

289
 1

Passiecratie: massaal
Passiocracy: to livevanuit onzeon
together, Passies, op democratische
a democratic basis and on a
basis, samenleven! Voor deze droom zetten wij ons als inspiratie-
massive scale, with our Passions as our mutual starting point!
netwerk in, met krachtige initiatieven. Met ‘Hart en Ziel’ leven,
is de enige weg om een echt duurzame wereld te creëren.
Firm foundations
We operate from firm foundations. These foundations consist of a
Stevig fundament
Wij clear outlook
handelen on
vanuit een Passion
stevige (at micro,
basis. Deze meso,
bestaat uit and visie
een heldere macro level)
op Passie and the
(op micro,
meso en macroniveau)
engine en onze
that drives us,motor
the de United by
United by Passion
Passion Foundation. Via onzeThrough
Foundation. website
unitedbypassion.com delen wij iedere dag gratis inspiratie. Zoals boeken, films, interviews,
our website
artikelen, unitedbypassion.com,
spreuken, e-learning, we Met
livestreamsessies en meer. share
onzeout free
droom voorinspiration
ogen, richten
wij every day,
ons vanuit using books,
dit fundament videos,
op 4 pijlers: interviews, articles, phrases,
e-learning, live streaming sessions, and more besides. With a clear
1. Delen met nieuwe leiders
Via vision of our
o.a. de website dream, we hold
delendleiderschap.nl biedenon to theseenfoundations
wij begeleiding assamen
brengen wij leiders we direct
voor
het nieuwe leiderschap, om visies en ervaringen te delen en te co-creëren.
ourselves at four cornerstones:
2. Delen met kinderen en jongeren
Wij delen op-maat inzichten en materialen over Passie met kinderen en jongeren, opvoeders en
onderwijsprofessionals, en bieden hen daarin persoonlijke begeleiding.

3. Delen met je omgeving

Vanuit de website delen.nl brengen wij met slimme software gratis mensen bij elkaar voor het de-
len van dromen, goederen, ervaringen, netwerk, talenten, inzet en kennis.

4. Delen met evenementen

Wij delen inspiratie en mooie momenten ook via (grootschalige) bijeenkomsten, waarbij veel
mensen tegelijkertijd samenkomen, zoals voor een congres, theaterstuk of festival.

290
1. Sharing with new leaders
Through various channels including our website on shared leader-
ship (delendleiderschap.nl), we provide guidance as we unite leaders
to share their visions and experiences, and to engage in co-creation.

2. Sharing with children and adolescents

We share tailor-made insights and material on Passion with children
and adolescents, parents, tutors, and education professionals, provi-
ding personal guidance along the way.

3. Sharing with your environment

Through our website on sharing (delen.nl), we use free software to
unite people and allow them to share dreams, assets, experience,
networks, talents, commitment, and expertise.

4. Sharing at events
We also share inspiration and moments of beauty by means of (large
scale) events at which many people meet at the same time, inclu-
ding conventions, theatre performances, and festivals.

United by Passion Foundation

E-mail : m.raaijmakers@unitedbypassion.com
Internet : www.unitedbypassion.com

Donations
Bank : 01.97.77.42.63 (all donations)

291
List of works cited

1. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow. Amsterdam:

Boom Publishers, 2001, 4th edition, pages 17 and 18

2. Jäger, Willigis. Elke golf is de zee, Rotterdam:

Asoka, 2005, 4th edition, page 60

3. Jaworski, Joseph. Synchroniciteit, Zeist:

Chirstofoor Publishers, 2006, 5th edition, page 9

4. Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer:

Ankh-Hermes Publishers, 2002, page 95

5. Tolle, Eckhart. De kracht van het nu, Deventer:

Ankh-Hermes Publishers, 2009, 20th edition, page 33

6. Wilber, Ken. Overgave en Strijd, Amsterdam:

Karnak Publishers, 1998, 3rd edition, page 28

7. Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer:

Ankh-Hermes Publishers, 2002, page 59

4. Sri Ramana Maharshi. Gesprekken, Deventer:

Ankh-Hermes Publishers, 2002, page 40

292
Supplementary questions

If you like, you can use the questions listed below to map your Passion
of the Heart. If you decide to do so, allow the questions to sink in after
reading them. You can then set out to find your answer(s) to the ques-
tion. Don’t just think about it, feel what your answer is as well. Invite
yourself, when looking at these questions: ‘why is it like this for me?’
This helps you to get a clear overall picture of all the characteristics
that are connected to your Passion drives. Some of the questions inclu-
ded resemble each other to some extent. This was done on purpose.
Sometimes, if a similar question is posed in a slightly different way, new
information comes to light.

What are your mottos in life?

Which different needs have you had in your life so far?
Which people have been major influences on your life, and how did that
happen?
What have you (actually) been involved in for your entire life? Which
activities keep returning in your life?
What is most important in your life?
What could increase the quality of your life even further?
If there were no limits in terms of money, health and time, what would
your life look like?
In essence, what were the ten most decisive moments in your life so far?
Which ten people have been major influences on your life so far?

293
In essence, what were the ten most crucial decisions in your life so far?
What do you believe in?
What do you find important?
Which activities have you always been good at?
Of what are you certain that it is true or possible, even though others
think it is impossible?
On what point do you make a difference, compared to other people?
If you look deep into your Heart right now, what do you find?
If it were up to you, what would you like to see more of in life?
What would you like to do in life, which appears impossible right now?
What achievements would you like to accomplish at work, which seem out
of reach right now?
If you had magic powers, which currently unachievable situation would
you realize?
What would you like to do all over again?
What do you detest?
What are your most important beliefs in life?
How would your life partner describe you?
What is most striking about you when you are at your best?
What opportunities and limitations apply to you?
What sort of feeling would you like to have more often?
Which aspects of yourself would you like to develop further?
What would you like to become even better at?
What fascinates you?
Which activities are challenging for you?
At what moments do you get bored?

294
To what extent do you have repeating situations when you do things
against your will?
What type of education did you always want to receive?
What sort of course would you like to attend?
Suppose you were allowed to choose a new hobby, what would you pick?
Which themes of life do you carry along with you?
Which opportunities for development have you been carrying along for
some time now?
What challenges would you like to tackle?
How satisfied are you with your living environment?
When you fantasize about your future life, what do you fantasize about?
What longings do you have?
What ideals do you want to realize in life?
What do you want to accomplish one, two, five or ten years from now?
What obstacles do you encounter when you are being yourself and follow
your own path?
Which unpleasant events in the past have made you into who you are
today?
As a child, what were you like at home, in school and in your circle of
friends?
To what extent does some form of religious faith play a part in your life?
What is your very first childhood memory?
What jobs have your parents been in, and how did these jobs affect you?
What did you learn from your father, mother, brother(s) or sister(s)?
What are your close experiences with disease, and how did these
experiences shape your development?

295
What are your needs with regard to your living environment?
How did your choice of secondary education and advanced education
come about?
If you were to follow only your feelings, what would your life look like?
Which lessons are offered by the difficult periods in your life?
What are your preferred ways of relaxing?
Which are the themes in your life that you have been pondering for a long
time?
Which of your needs could you reduce, in order to clear more space for
Passion?
What do you find deeply moving?
Which strong character traits do you carry along with you?
What are you really good at?
What have you always been good at?
What do other people appreciate about you?
What are you often asked to help out with in private life?
What are you often asked to help out with at work?
What do you enjoy doing?
Which things come very easy to you that are in fact quite difficult?
What do your parents appreciate about you?
Which activities can keep you going day and night, without getting bored?
What can I wake you up for in the middle of the night?
What gifts do you have?
What is the added value you contribute to other people’s lives, purely
because of who you are?
What effect do you have on other people?

296
What is a good cause that you feel strongly connected to?
Suppose you have a great deal of money, what would you do?
Ideally, how would you like your loved one to remember you after you
pass away?
What can you contribute to the world?
What is your calling?
Suppose there are only three important things you can pass on to your
children, what would they be?
What are you very proud of?
What would you do in another way than the way your parents did it?
What would you like to pass on to a future generation?
Which conclusions do other people draw from life, because they know
you?
What is the best thing you could do, from which other people can benefit?
What would you like to leave behind for the world?
What were the most wonderful moments of your life so far, and why?
What will you do when you know you are dying, and you don’t have much
time left?
What is your favorite activity?
What would you like to do, which you expect to be a lot of fun?
Suppose you win 20 million dollars in the lottery, how will that change
your life?
What is your favorite way of relaxing?
What is your favorite activity when you are alone, with your family, and
with your friends?
What would your ideal holiday look like?

297
What are the most important moments for you in private life?
What are your hobbies?
What do you consider to be a good balance between work and private
life?
What would you like to do much more often in life?
What do you find important enough in life to sacrifice your life for it, so to
speak?
Which people do you admire, and why?
Which of your decisions in life do you regret?
What do you really despise?
What are things that annoy you?
What are you ashamed of?
What do you like to read?
What are your most important core values in life?
Which people serve as your examples?
What are the values you adopted from childhood?
What do you find important in your work?
How do you like to receive directions?
What does your ideal executive look like?
How do you picture the perfect job?
Looking back at your past (additional) jobs, which tasks were the most
fun to do?
What are your most important beliefs in life?
What will you always keep standing up for?
What can you add to the greater whole?

298
 What is the true meaning of Passion?
What does Passion have to do with ‘awakened’ living?
Which two types of Passion do you carry inside you?
What drives you and how can you map this clearly?
What is your true face, who are you really?
How to live from ‘Heart and Soul’ in everyday life?

This book provides an answer to all of these questions. The author of

this book, Martijn Raaijmakers, has been active as a Passionary and
Inspirer since 2001. He is the writer of the books ‘Live your Passion!’,
‘Leadership of the 21st Century’, and ‘Natural Leadership’. Martijn is
founder of the unique and extensive United by Passion inspiration net-
work. An expert in the field of new leadership, he has managed to
inspire many thousands of people with insight into living, working, and
leading from Heart and Soul. Helping people discover and live their
Passions is his personal mission.

This book inspires. It invites you to bring more Passion into your life.
The unique Passionary outlook on Passion is described by using plain
explanations, practical examples and many exercises. The reader is
effortlessly carried along in the experience of Passion. This is what
makes this book special. It guides you inward. Based on a wealth of
insights, you make a journey of experience into your own inner world.
And that makes a difference. It will let you discover that you can fully
experience Passion at any moment of your life. Reading ‘Live your
Passion!’ is a rich experience. It ‘wakes you up’ and makes you Aware.
This will lead you to experience true Meaningfulness. At last, you can
start living from ‘Heart and Soul’ in full!

United by Passion www.unitedbypassion.com