The Mandate of the Awakened Family
The time for a new beginning has arrived,
Where family is no longer the chain that binds us
But is the earth from which we blossom
And the sky we learn to fly.
No matter how the family unit looks,
It begins with a parent and child.
A relationship that holds the energy of the sun,
With power to break patterns and resurrect the spirit.
The awakened family waits for no one,
It begins to heal right here, right now.
It recognizes that these sacred bonds
Can revolutionize the planet.
W e awaken when we become aware of who we truly are. This awareness brings a realization of how liberating it is to be authenticto be real, instead of who we think we are supposed to be or who others want us to be. Once we have connected with our sovereign spirit, creating the space for our children to get in touch with their own spirit becomes the critical objective of parenthood. Committed to the manifestation of the true self in each member of the family, the awakened family paves the way for children to own, discover, and express their inner voice, through which they foster connectivity with both their own being and that of others. Cognizant that this right to express their own spirit is the key ingredient for their present and future resilience and empowerment, they become a part of the global evolution of a world built on compassion, nonviolence, and prosperity.
An awakened parent is one who is aware that the traditional paradigms of parenting, where the parent is seen as greater than the child, are obsolete in the modern world, producing dysfunction and disconnection in families. Instead, they are willing to be the architects of a new model of parenthood where parent and child are seen as equal, serving as mutual partners on a path of growth founded on increasing consciousness.
In an awakened family, parents are aware that every relationship in their family exists to help each person grow. Parents view their children as mirrors through which they are able to see how they themselves need to mature and develop. Instead of fixing what they see as faults in their children, these parents seek to work on themselves, raising their own levels of maturity and presence. The focus is always on the parents awareness rather than the childs behavior. This is the core insight of the book.
When parents are aware in the present moment, learning and growing alongside their children, the entire family thrives. Free to actualize their individual destiny, each family member lives unencumbered and unafraid. Empowered with self-awareness, boundless in self-belief, liberated in self-expression, each feels free to explore, discover, and manifest their authentic being. This is the mandate of the awakened family.
Part One
A New Awakening
CHAPTER ONE
Learning a New Way
N o, Mom, I just dont want to! my independent daughter argued. I shouldnt have to go to your friends boring event. I knew Maia had no interest in what I had planned for our afternoon, but I wanted her to come anyway to keep me company. Besides, I reasoned, attending such events was good for her.
She reacted as only preteens can, with just the right mix of indignation, insistence, and cheekiness. She turned her back on me, walked into her room, and shut her door.
I stood there with my mouth wide open. Having raised her to be independent, a part of me had to admire her assertiveness. But then there was that other part of me that felt upset that she would talk to me in such a way. She should, just once in a while, do as she was told, I could hear a voice in my head say.
You can guess which side of this argument won out, and before I knew it, I stormed into her room. You will not speak to me in that tone of voice, I announced loudly. You will not disrespect me. You will apologize and you will attend the event. With this, I turned my back on her, in much the way she had done to me only moments before, slamming the door behind me as I hurried out of her room.
Ha, I told myself proudly, that will show her! No way am I going to have a disrespectful brat growing up in my house. She needs to do as I say, no matter what.
It wasnt the first verbal scuffle my daughter and I had gotten into lately. When she turned twelve, she found herself experiencing a maelstrom of emotions that were difficult for her to understand. Like most mothers of girls this age, I frequently forgot to relate to her in a calm and caring manner, which is what preteens need, and became caught up in a tidal wave of emotion myself.
On this occasion, the cause of our squabble clearly lay not with Maia but with me. Later that day, after I had calmed down, I snuggled with her for a postmortem of this blowup. As we discussed how we tended to trigger each other, I confessed apologetically, I should have known better than to push you in such a way, since Im your mom and the adult.