Ascent to the Center of Being

By Eric Icen

This book describes my spiritual journey. What may be unique about that journey is the most transformational portions of it took place through a long, but progressive, series of mystical dreams and visions. The experience culminated in it being given me to witness Creation from undifferentiated Awareness to final form.

The Journey transformed me energetically. A balance has been struck I can draw upon; in any circumstances I find myself in. Also, my inner life has become rich beyond measure, yet I’m also free to live in this world, on this Earth, with joyous abandon!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781387331079

Book preview

Ascent to the Center of Being

1st Edition

Copyright © 2022 Eric Icen

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-387-33107-9

Imprint: Lulu.com

Foreword

Quoting from an article on the ancient city of Teotihuacan (lying at the southernmost edge of the geological area known as the Mexican Plateau) Mesoamericans of the time envisioned the world as being born of complete darkness, in this case aqueous. Shaer, Matthew. Passage to the Gods. Smithsonian Magazine, June 2016.

I first learned of what I have come to call mystical dreaming in several written works of Carlos Castaneda. I was intrigued by it. Based on stepwise instruction provided in some of those books, I endeavored engaging this dreaming modality myself. Initially, I progressed through the first few steps in the order and semblance Castaneda presented them. Then, for the remainder of what turned out to be an epic mystical journey to the Center of Being, the dreaming experiences took on a life, direction, and expansion pattern of their own.

It wasn’t that I ever entirely ceased having common human nighttime dreams, but rather they were rendered insignificant and insubstantial. The mystical nighttime dreaming experiences, in contrast, were riveting. Even after the eventual return to common human awareness the following morning, I could recall every detail.

Fairly early in my mystical dreaming journey, I wrote a few dreams in emails to my energy healing mentor, Bonnie H. She found them interesting, and encouraged me to continue to write them as they occurred. The energy released by these dreams was always potent, and often off-the-chart. I felt compelled to express them in some way, as they could not be contained.  Writing them, I discovered, not only allowed the energy the dreams released to expand and moderate, but also engendered my awareness of deeper layers of meaning. Over a period of some months, an email distribution group of perhaps six or eight energetically compatible people developed that became my audience. What follows in this book are the emails I communicated to that group; in the order they were experienced and written. I’ve included subject lines and date stamps for each.

I always felt the dreams chose me, rather than me them. Since I didn’t know my journey’s destination until after I reached it, I had no way to plot my own course. And it was by no means a linear progression. I’ve experienced that the landscape of the human perceivable unknown, but not unknowable, is vast beyond my ability to map it or witness all its wonders. And OH, the wonders I have seen!

The Ascent

Dream Detail

Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006

When you sent me your last email, you remarked on my ability to recall details of some of my dreams. I believe that is because the dreams I can recall with that detail represent a different sort of awareness than that of ordinary nighttime dreams. Making a connection to that awareness can be accomplished by an act of intent such as finding one’s hands in a dream. You may want to try it. Once the connection is made, the awareness initiated takes on a life and growth pattern of its own. At least that's what's happened with me. Some of the richest and most profound experiences I've had have come through this awareness.

A Dream and Vision

Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009

A couple of nights ago, I had another of my somewhat novel visioning experiences.

The Dream: I am riding in a car with my wife. She is driving through a town. Suddenly I am alone, as if she has dropped me off and left. I look around, and realize I am witnessing a dreamscape. It appears as a suburban neighborhood with modest homes and clean streets, but no cars or people.

The next thing I know I am outside the town, facing a grassy earthen bank topped with a chain link fence. The fence has a sign on it, which seems to be some sort of warning. The bank is quite steep, and a foot or two taller than I. Reaching as high as I can, I grip the turf tightly. I have a clear impression the sod is just sturdy enough, and my grip barely strong enough, to heave myself up. I do so. Atop the bank, I lean slightly on the fence; it starts to give way. I observe there is very little earth to support it on its other side, and that in fact I am staring into an abyss. I can't see the bottom, as the view is shrouded by mist or fog, and it seems thousands of feet deep. With no forethought or consideration, I fling myself over the fence and into the emptiness.

After an initial downward rush, I feel a deceleration; something I've come to expect in these falls. By this time, I’ve cleared the fog or mist, and can see a large, dark body of water below. It’s difficult to gauge its distance except that it’s streaked with tiny white triangles of moving boats, followed by white wakes. The next thing I know, I’m in the water near the surface. The water is cold. I look over and see a single large