In my 20’s, my spiritual pursuits led me to the “Law of Attraction” and authors like Louise Hay, Napoleon Hill, and Neville Goddard. I listened to Abraham-Hicks audios nonstop in the car, in the shower, and while falling asleep. I practiced meditation, yoga, qigong, and considered myself to be a “spiritual person.” I wasn’t particularly interested in pursuing “enlightenment,” but concluded it must be the pinnacle of experiences.

I thought “enlightenment” was when a person has unfettered access to the cosmic symposium of information, knowledge, and superpowers. For instance, I automatically assumed an Avatar – an omnipresent being who can cause mystical experiences for others – was an enlightened being by default. I figured with enough practice and discipline, I would reach that state and then I’d know I was “enlightened.”

Several mind-blowing mystical experiences brought my awareness to things like oneness and cosmic consciousness, and those experiences launched me out of my depression. Although, as I went further along the spiritual path I was on, no mystical experience could satisfy what this existence craved. Each new experience – from telekinesis and manifestation to seeing through a blindfold – ended with, “nope, that’s not it, either.”

I woke up within the dream many times. And I went right back to sleep.

When I woke up from the dream – what some call “The Maya Matrix” – everything changed. Prior to direct experience, I pictured Awakening as the end of suffering – the dawning of eternal bliss with a few super powers sprinkled in-between.

What I got was something far more profound. The experience did come with a side of super powers, although in relation to being Awake, powers are irrelevant. Superpowers turned out to be the booby prize.

Here’s an analogy:

Imagine being given $500,000,000 in cash and then being immediately exiled to live the rest of your life in a country that doesn’t accept or convert USD. The paper in your pocket that was worth so much where you came from is now worthless.

What else can you do except burn it or flush it down the toilet?

After the Awakening experience, that’s exactly what I did with super powers, unity consciousness, and other spiritual achievements that are supposed to be the height of attainment. I threw them into the fire. Burn baby, burn.

To be clear, I didn’t burn the powers or my achievements; that’s impossible. I just burned the significance I had placed on them. And then I ate the ashes.