Strategies for Managing post-awakening "blues" (KW webcast)

Just came off a tremendous KW webcast on Integral spiritual center, the first since Ken's return from harrowing health crisis; he was in fine spirits, and such clarity of expression (lisp and all!)...seek to make some sense here of this influx from the philosopher-sage...

Some great new material elaborating a dual self-sense center of gravity, oriented towards both states and stages (with these variables functioning relatively independently) was discussed, that will be forthcoming when the new transformations of consciousness is released

he also discussed distinctions between relative and absolute boddhichitta, boddhicitta meaning "enlightened mind".  Enlightenment traditions such as Mahayana have historically emphasized the development of relative boddhicitta (e.g. via tonglen), before allowing individuals to have access to absolute teachings (e.g. dzogchen, pointing-out-instructions for ever-present suchness)

part of the debate on this centered around  the observation that  motivation often falls away when individuals have satori -type experiences;  immersed in lived experience of Great Perfection, the feeling of needing to do anything in particular recedes, often dramatically; thus, the importance of having previously trained one's relative boddhicitta, such that post-awakening one serves others, rather than just sitting on a park bench for the rest of one's days...

in terms of possible pathologies, the forthcoming transformations of consciousness work will complement previously described stage-based pathologies, with innovative new material on state pathologies, which are problems that occur at the points where disidentification is required when moving from state to state (gross-waking to subtle-dreaming to causal-formless to nondual).  Ken termed these "switch-points" alpha, theta, delta and gamma. 

My intuition and hope is that understanding these switch-point issues will aid in the amelioration of psychopathologies such as anxiety and depression

but back to post-awakening "blues" -- perhaps we can think about post-awakening blues in light of a "switch-point" issue occuring between subtle and causal.  Abiding in formless Emptiness, there is no motivation (nothing is moving, after all).  But as one "switches" into the subtle, form arises, which is evolving and therefore is subject to the drives of Eros/Agape.

A switch-point problem could occur here, perhaps, where the relative boddhicitta-fueled motivation does not kick in sufficiently on the descending arc (can think of this in terms of microcosmic orbit in the body, as well, perhaps, not just through the changing states of the day)

leaving a person with a bad case of post-awakening "blues"...

that's the pathology -- what's the therapy?  well, perhaps look to the traditions, no?  not only can we do tonglen (compassion-practice) before awakening, but we can practice it post-awakening.  Also, gratefulness practice, or many of the positive psychology practices I blogged about recently could also be helpful.