Three Steps to God Consciousness: A Journey from Self to Source

From ‘Becoming’ to ‘Being’: The Direct Path to the Divine

by author, Midjourney

Stop Waiting for Some Magic

Look around. Everybody’s meditating, doing hot yoga, chanting mantras, and talking about ‘higher frequency.’ It’s cool — for a while. But then you realize something’s off. You’re still stuck in the same mind prisons and negative self-talk. Meanwhile, your teacher insists that more half-lotus poses and maybe another retreat will fix you.

Spoiler alert: It won’t.

Take Jason, for example. He spent years chasing enlightenment, bouncing from one practice to another. Silent retreats, breathwork, ayahuasca ceremonies — you name it. And yet, the same restlessness followed him everywhere. One day, he met an old teacher who asked him, “Who is it that seeks?” That single question stopped him cold. It wasn’t another method he needed — it was to see through the illusion of seeking itself.

That’s the Indirect Path. It sets you up with good vibes but rarely destroys the biggest illusion — thinking you’re separate from the divine. The Direct Path, on the other hand, doesn’t add more stuff to your to-do list. It rips away the masks so you can see the ‘I AM’ you’ve always been. No fancy headstands required.

Let’s be real: if you’re done messing around and want to embody God consciousness — like, for real — the Direct Path is your roadmap. Three steps, no BS, straight to the source.

Understanding the Two Paths: Why This Journey Matters

Before outlining the three steps of the Direct Path, let’s first explore the Indirect Path — what it is, how it works, and why it differs from a direct approach to awakening.

The Indirect Path (Progressive Path): Patch Jobs, Mindful Band-Aids, and Why They’re Still Worth It

The Indirect Path — also called the progressive path — is basically the long road of gradual self-improvement. You do meditation, breathwork, yoga, shadow work, and all the nice stuff that’s supposed to clear your energetic gunk and make you more ‘spiritual.’ You cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and all those fancy virtues. Here’s the thing: it works… up to a point. You’re building a solid foundation by clearing out trauma, healing old wounds, and prepping yourself for something bigger.

Advantages

• Preparation for the Direct Path: Clearing emotional baggage makes the leap into God consciousness smoother.
• Structured Framework: It’s comforting to have a step-by-step approach.
• Personal Growth: You get to wrestle with your issues in real-time and slowly watch yourself become less of a trainwreck.

Disadvantages

• Endless Seeking: You can get stuck chasing self-improvement forever.
• Ego Involvement: Focusing so hard on ‘becoming better’ can supercharge your ego.
• Spiritual Ego: Accumulating certifications can make you think you’re above others.

The Indirect Path preps the soil, but it doesn’t necessarily plant the seed. Eventually, you realize there’s a more direct way to see who you truly are.

The Direct Path: Immediate Recognition, Zero BS

The Direct Path doesn’t gently invite you to the truth; it slaps you with it. You. Are. Already. Divine. There’s no need to chase special states or do a million hours of yoga. The point is to recognize, right now, that everything is perfect and complete.

Advantages

• Immediate Realization: No waiting — wake up now.
• Effortless Awareness: Rather than striving, you rest in what’s already here.
• Non-Dual Understanding: It shatters the illusion of separation.

Disadvantages

• Challenging for Beginners: It can feel like hitting a wall.
• Risk of Spiritual Bypassing: Ignoring unresolved wounds in favor of ‘oneness.’
• Lack of Structure: The ‘no roadmap’ approach can feel confusing.

Each path has its perks and traps. The real question isn’t which path is better — it’s whether you’re actually walking it.

The Teachers of the Direct Path: Two Masters Who Cut Through Illusion

Nisargadatta Maharaj: The Firebrand of ‘I AM’

“When I met my Guru, he told me: ‘You are not what you take yourself to be. Find out what you are. Watch the sense “I AM,” find your real Self.’ I obeyed him because I trusted him; I did as he told me. All my spare time, I would spend looking at myself in silence. And what a difference it made, and how soon. It took me only three years to realize my true nature.” — -Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Nisargadatta Maharaj’s method? Brutally simple: Focus on the raw, wordless sense of ‘I AM.’ Strip away the fluff, the stories, the identities. What’s left? You. The real You. The eternal awareness that was never born and never dies.

This is the practice of self-abidance — abiding in the sense of “I AM” without distraction. It involves turning inward and focusing on the feeling of existence itself, rather than the objects of experience (thoughts, sensations, or external phenomena).

How to Practice Self-Abidance

1. Sit quietly and bring your attention to the feeling-Sense of “I AM.” This is not a thought or concept but a direct, intuitive sense of being.
2. Let go of all mental activity. Do not analyze, interpret, or judge. Simply rest in the awareness of “I AM.”
3. If thoughts arise, gently return to the feeling of existence. Nisargadatta often said, “Stay with the ‘I AM’ until you are the ‘I AM.’”

Ramana Maharshi: The Silent Master of ‘Who Am I?’

“Without abiding as the Self (I AM), the teachings remain on the level of the mind, the infinite nature of the Self is not revealed, and the ‘Ananda’ or blissful aspect of the Self is not realized.” — -Ramana Maharshi

Ramana’s message? Find the source of the ‘I’-thought, and the illusion collapses. Every answer that relates to mind, body, or history? Throw it out. What remains when everything false is stripped away? Pure awareness.

This is the essence of self-inquiry (Atma Vichara), the central practice in Ramana’s teachings. Self-inquiry is a relentless investigation into the nature of the “I”-thought, the sense of individuality that arises as “I am this body” or “I am this mind.”

The Method of Self-Inquiry

Ask the Question: “Who am I?”

• Begin by directing your attention inward, toward the source of the “I”-thought. The goal is not to generate a conceptual answer but to turn awareness back upon itself.
• Example: When you say, “I am angry,” ask, “Who is this ‘I’ that is angry?”

Trace the “I”-Thought to Its Source

• The “I”-thought is the root of all other thoughts. By tracing it back to its origin, you discover that it arises from the true Self, which is pure awareness.
• Practice: Sit quietly and focus on the sense of “I.” Observe where this sense arises from. Do not engage with thoughts or distractions; simply stay with the feeling of “I.”

Abide in the Source

• Once you trace the “I”-thought to its source, rest in the awareness that remains. This is the true Self, free from all limitations and identifications.
• Example: Imagine the “I”-thought as a wave on the ocean of awareness. By tracing the wave back to the ocean, you realize your true nature as the ocean itself.

Whether through self-abidance or self-inquiry, the goal is the same — direct recognition of your eternal, unchanging nature.

Both masters pointed to the same truth: Stop pretending to be what you’re not.

Three Steps To Take You Straight To The Source

Step 1: Know Thyself — Wake Up to ‘I AM’

Practical Ways to Discover Your True Nature

Why do these direct methods work? Because they strip away illusion instead of adding more beliefs. They aren’t about achieving a mystical state or acquiring knowledge — they are about dissolving the false and revealing what has always been true.

When you practice meditation on being, the I AM, you stop feeding the mind’s endless need for distraction. When you engage in self-inquiry, you cut through the story of ‘me’ and find what remains beyond it. These aren’t exercises to do; they are doorways to step through.

Once you see, you can’t unsee.

1. Meditation on the Feeling-Sense of I AM: Just sit. Ask, “What’s left if I drop the thoughts, identities, and drama?” Wait for that silent aliveness — the deep, wordless presence beneath all thoughts — the I AM. Sense it. Feel It. It’s not something you create; it’s something you notice.

2. Self-Inquiry: Keep asking “Who am I?” until you run out of labels. You’re not your name, job, or past. So, who’s left?

At first, there might be silence — a gap where the mind scrambles to find an answer. Stay with that silence. It’s not emptiness; it’s presence. If you sit long enough, something shifts. Instead of identifying with a story, you begin to notice the awareness behind it all. Thoughts come and go, but you are the one watching. Stay there. Let the answer reveal itself, not as words, but as direct experience.

Step 2: Love and Accept Thyself — Stop Waging War Against Yourself

Why Self-Love Is Non-Negotiable

You cannot reject yourself into awakening. If you believe your flaws make you unworthy of the divine, you’re missing the point — there is no ‘flawed’ version of you. There is only you, already whole, already complete.

Self-judgment is the mind’s trick, keeping you in a loop of unworthiness. Imagine a sculptor chipping away at a block of marble. If they focus only on what’s being removed, they miss the masterpiece taking shape. You are not your self-criticism. You are what remains when that noise is silenced.

Look in the mirror. What do you see? A collection of mistakes and imperfections? Or a being that has moved through heartbreak, loss, and transformation — yet still stands? The moment you stop resisting yourself, you stop resisting the divine within you. The temple you’ve been searching for is the body, mind, and heart you already inhabit.

Two Practices for Breaking the Cycle

1. Soul-Level Gratitude Journaling: The mind is wired to scan for problems. Reverse the habit. Every day, write down three things you are grateful for — not the surface-level stuff, but the deep truths. Instead of “I’m grateful for my job,” try “I’m grateful for the lessons disguised as challenges.” Instead of “I’m grateful for my health,” try “I’m grateful for the resilience of this body that has carried me through every storm.” Shift the lens. See what happens.
2. Eternal Self Affirmations: If standing in front of a mirror and declaring your divinity feels ridiculous, start smaller. Close your eyes. Place a hand over your heart. Whisper, “I am here. I exist.” Feel the words settle. Stay there until they stop being words and start being truth. And when you’re ready, look in the mirror — not to judge, but to witness. Say, “I am a vessel of divine love.” Not as a forced belief, but as a remembering.

This isn’t about ‘fixing’ yourself. It’s about seeing yourself clearly — maybe for the first time. Fixing is what self-judgment does. Trashing your human flaws also trashes your divinity. When you constantly berate yourself for not being ‘spiritual enough’ or ‘awakened enough,’ you reinforce the illusion of separation.

Step 3: Become Thyself — Living as God Consciousness

How to Integrate Your Divinity Into Everyday Life

Living as the eternal Self doesn’t mean withdrawing from the world — it means showing up fully, with awareness. Every moment is an opportunity to embody your divine nature. Here’s how:

• In Relationships: Speak and listen from presence. When someone irritates you, instead of reacting, pause and observe the moment from awareness. Ask yourself, “Who is the one that is upset?” This simple shift dissolves old patterns and allows true connection.
• At Work: Approach your tasks with a sense of sacredness. Whether answering emails or leading a meeting, do it as an expression of the infinite. Not for results, not for recognition — just for the sake of being fully present in the act itself.
• In Challenges: When life throws obstacles your way, instead of resisting, meet them with curiosity. See them as part of the unfolding of consciousness. Ask, “What is this moment showing me?” Every difficulty becomes a teacher when viewed through the lens of awareness.

This isn’t about adding something new — it’s about removing the illusion of separation in the middle of life’s ordinary moments. The divine isn’t found in escape. It’s found right here, in the heart of everything.

1. Morning Vision Ritual: See yourself as infinite awareness.
2. Mindful Co-Creation: Whether cooking or coding, do it as an expression of divinity.

The Magic (and Science) of ‘I AM’ in Action

When you live as the eternal Self, things align — not by magic, but because you stop resisting what is. Decisions become clearer, relationships deepen, and opportunities unfold effortlessly. Why? Because you’re no longer moving from fear or grasping, but from presence. Instead of chasing outcomes, you move in harmony with life itself. What once felt like struggle now feels like flow.

The Tough Part: Obstacles on the Direct Path

The Usual Traps

• Spiritual Bypassing: Skipping over real inner work in favor of feel-good spirituality. It’s easy to convince yourself that you’ve transcended suffering when, in reality, you’re just avoiding it. True awakening means facing everything — including the hard stuff.
• Loneliness: The ego panics when it senses its dissolution. Friends might not understand your shift. Conversations that once felt engaging may now seem empty. That’s okay. Loneliness isn’t a sign you’re lost — it’s a sign you’re shedding old identities. Find a community, even if it’s just one person who sees what you see.
• Doubt: Some days, everything clicks. Other days, it feels like nothing has changed. The mind will try to convince you that you’re failing, that this path is a dead end. It’s not. The fact that doubt arises at all means you’re on the threshold of something real.

Staying on Track

Integrate awareness into daily life. The path isn’t just about sitting in silence — it’s about carrying that silence into every moment. Washing dishes? Be fully present. Stuck in traffic? Use it as a reminder to drop back into awareness. The Bhagavad Gita nails it: “No effort on this path is ever wasted.”

You will stumble. You will forget. And then, you will remember again. That’s how this works.

The Invitation

Pause for a moment. Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the quiet awareness beneath your thoughts — the presence that has always been there. That’s you, the boundless I AM. Not the roles you play, not the stories you tell yourself. Just pure being.

This is self-abidance. Resting in the ‘I AM’ without distraction. The mind will want to analyze, label, or grasp at meaning. Let it go. Return to the pure sense of existence Itself. Stay there.

Then, turn to self-inquiry. Ask: Who is the one that has walked this path? Who is the one that sees, feels, and experiences? Do not rush to answer — just follow the question back to its source. What remains when all labels drop away?

How would I move through today if I truly knew I was divine? Hold that vision. Let it shape the way you stand, speak, and act. Because small moments like this don’t just shift perception — they shift reality.

Final Word

The time is now. Not tomorrow, not when conditions are perfect, not when you feel more ready. This is it. This moment is the doorway.

Step through.

True transformation doesn’t come from wishing — it comes from being. Self-abidance is not passive; it is the most radical act of presence. When you shift into alignment with your I AM, everything around you responds. Clarity replaces confusion. Fear dissolves into presence. This is how the world changes — one awakened being at a time.

Self-inquiry cuts through illusion, revealing what has always been true. Choose now to act from your highest Self. Let every breath, every movement, every word flow from truth. Live as if you are already free — because you are.

The light isn’t somewhere outside you. It’s you. So why keep it hidden?

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