The Experience Of Lack and Fear

For millennia, human minds have identified within their experience a pervasive sense of something missing or lacking that inspires unsettlement and even fear. Though they may try to quell this by seeking various experiences, it never entirely goes away. It is only when we turn inwards that we discover the permanent solution to this pervasive sense of inner lack, disconnection, fragmentation, and fear. Living free of this finds a whole new aliveness and joy to living.

Some say this natural state of wholeness, or other names meaning the same indescribable reality, is rare, but it's uncertain if we can honestly know that. Many minds no doubt experience it but choose not to mention it. It could turn out to be the world's best-kept open secret. Let's demystify this. It’s less about achieving enlightenment or other such terms and more about giving ourselves a gentle, friendly reminder and a nudge to honour what is most likely already being experienced but perhaps not fully recognised.

A multitude of paths have evolved worldwide to return minds to their source of inner wholeness. This is as it should be, for this discovery is constantly refreshed by new understanding and insights. Its language and methods find new formulations that are in keeping with the times. At no time should any of these teachings be set in stone.

Central to many of these paths are the teachings of non-duality (not two), which, although traditionally regarded as only for those spirituality inclined, are actually rooted in logic and practical experience. In the contemporary world, where traditional practices may often feel restrictive, modern teachings of non-duality offer a new and refreshing viewpoint.

The Experience Of Wholeness

The benefits of this experience represent an entirely new, wonderful, and fruitful experiment in living, as attested to by countless people. While discussing practical benefits may not thoroughly do it justice, they broadly include at least the following:

Mental Wellbeing

  1. Reduced Anxiety and Stress: Engaging in non-dual awareness practices often results in decreased levels of stress and anxiety. Meditation practices promoting non-dual awareness have shown significant reductions in cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress.

  2. Enhanced Well-being: Non-dual experiences often lead to increased feelings of peace, joy, and contentment. A study by Josipovic (2010) indicated that non-dual awareness could contribute to an improved sense of well-being and life satisfaction.

  3. Increased Emotional Resilience: People who experience non-duality may have greater resilience to emotional distress. This is due to an increased understanding and acceptance of emotions as transient phenomena.

Balanced Living

  1. Improved Brain Function: Non-dual consciousness can lead to changes in brain activity. Research shows altered brainwave patterns, including more significant alpha and theta brainwave activity, which is associated with relaxation and mindfulness.

  2. Heart Health: Regular practice of non-dual awareness can positively influence cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and heart rate through the relaxation response.

  3. Enhanced Nervous System Regulation: The experience of non-duality can promote balance in the autonomic nervous system, thereby improving overall physical health and reducing symptoms of chronic pain.

Social Harmony

  1. Greater Empathy and Compassion: Non-dual awareness fosters a sense of connectedness with others, often leading to increased empathy and compassion. This can enhance social relationships and community bonds.

  2. Conflict Resolution: An understanding of non-duality may contribute to improved conflict resolution skills, as individuals recognize common humanity and interconnectedness.

  3. Social Cohesion and Harmony: Societies with members who frequently experience non-dual awareness may experience greater harmony and cohesion as individuals understand their part in the larger whole.

Research References:

1. Josipovic, Z. (2010). "Neural correlates of nondual awareness in meditation." *Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences*.

2. Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). "The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience." MIT Press.

3. Newberg, A., & D'Aquili, E. (2001). "Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief." Ballantine Books.

These benefits highlight the multifaceted advantages of experiencing non-duality, impacting psychological states, physiological health, and social interactions in a way that can yield profound transformations in individuals and communities alike.

An Experience Relevent For Everyone

Though all minds can benefits from this experience, it has particular relevance to the following:

Those working in
mental wellness

Those seeking
balanced living

Those seeking
social hamony

Why The Universal Family?

The Universal Family represents more than just a name; it's an innovative organising framework born from a direct realisation years ago. It aligns with Buddhist and non-dualistic teachings, as well as scientific psychotherapeutic insights. Removing the need for intermediaries typically present in conventional religions or prescriptive practices invites individuals to discover their inherent sense of wholeness directly.

At its essence, the Universal Family guides us directly—intuitively and robustly—toward the non-dualistic realisation and cultivation of unwavering psychological safety, peace of mind, and joyful, enthusiastic aliveness, reflecting the innate impersonal nature of all minds.

By consciously embracing this impersonal nature, we adopt the role of an ever-present, unchanging, and entirely whole-life-affirming parental reality that harmonises with its vehicle, the mind-body and the world.

A Robust and Intuitive Orientation That All Minds Can Readily Grasp

As a metaphor, the Universal Family offers a solid internal orientation for minds to quickly reconnect with their awareness and experience the complete, safe aliveness of their true nature through this. By experiencing this consciously, our lives are healthily transformed as we view the universe with deep respect and intimacy as an evolving flow of this nature. We discover that the impersonal motivation of this flow always inclines toward life-affirming action and expression, accompanied by profound recognition and trust in the universe's miraculous synchronicity. As a natural authenticity of behaviour emerges, the need for the mind and body to hide behind defensive behaviours and form unhealthy attachments diminishes. It becomes clear that we need not worry about outcomes as we once did. We embody the natural, indestructible wholeness and aliveness of our true nature and let life's flow occur. The mind and body are guided by this impersonal flow to protect themselves and enthusiastically honour and express their parental nature's life-affirming qualities.

The Universal Family's straightforward simplicity makes it a compelling way to convey this understanding. This experience provides a powerful context for psychological healing and can be seamlessly integrated with other psychotherapeutic tools. It also aligns harmoniously with all non-dualist meditative practices.

The Universal Family stands as a metaphor for our era, illustrating how human intelligence can come together to address social issues for the common good. It symbolises a community of like-minded individuals who support each other in applying the understanding of its fundamental principles to everyday life.

All the core principles are explained in the book Naturally Being by Freyja Theaker.

This book is available on Amazon.

Please note. The Universal Family is run on a social enterprise basis. Beyond the teaching fees paid to guides and running costs, a capped amount of profit is shared between those involved in teaching and running the organisation and the rest is invested in the development of the project.