Alison Whittall SUBSCRIBE
Imperishable and Unchanging
‘Firstly to say that in truth this body and form here, even if to live for 100 years, is fleeting in the infinite expanse of being, but the true nature here is imperishable and unchanging.
In other words. Who ‘I’ am is, and is not this personal story you see here written below, so please read it lightly with that greater awareness.
The story is accurate of course – but there is a deeper identity that has nothing to do with any personal ‘life’ or story.
I am not an object
No ‘one’ can claim awakening as a personal small self. As Mooji says – ‘Freedom is not for the ego! It is from the ego.’ It feels more true to say ‘I’ am on one level a human being. We can see this. But also ‘I’ am no – thing (not a ‘thing’, not an object, essentially). What do I mean? I mean in essence the life here that permeates this form and everything is non phenomenal. What Mooji calls ‘unborn awareness’. Human form is here and finite and sacred, but there is something infinite here also. This true identity is invisible to the human eye, but glaringly obvious to one who sees clearly with the ‘inner eye’. One with the source of all life, in harmony with the divine. This is our True nature.
We may not know it, but it is so.
However ‘if we believe ourselves to be separate, then we are bound’ (Mooji)
All paths to God are honoured and loved
Alison loves universal truth. For her all paths to God are honoured and loved. All ways to love and peace and reality are seen to be from the one source, the absolute, the supreme intelligence, the unity of God, beyond the conceptual understanding of such things. For God cannot be described with words really. These words are only signposts to reality.
Non duality and self enquiry give us the keys to unlock doors to understanding our true nature. For Alison this has been a pathless path. What is meant by that? In truth there is only God, no separation and therefore no path to God! A path appears for the seeker who still believes itself to be some distance from the divine.
Wake up sleeper
In more recent years Alison has enjoyed an in-depth exploration into the life of Christ and the early church that was perhaps more contemplative and mystical than the church of today. Deep gratitude to Richard Rohr for speaking of the non duality of Christ and honouring the teachings and pointings of Jesus whilst also having the wisdom and clarity to look deeper and uncover some of the ways in which Christianity has not always grasped the full power of the transformation that Jesus calls us to. Christ calls us to wake up! ‘Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you.’ Ephesians 5:14
The Story
Alison was born in 1966, in Gloucester, in the UK. From a very young age Alison was fascinated by God. Her deep love for people, nature and for life was and is palpable. She grew up in the beautiful hills of Devon in the southwest of England and initially became a teacher in schools. Alison’s great love of music and singing led her into leadings choirs and singing workshops here and abroad for many years and writing songs of peace love freedom and joy. Heartsong.
Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Advaita
Alison questioned the literal meaning and interpretation of the Bible sitting up late at night to discuss this with a Christian friend whilst still at school. Alison’s enquiry into world religion and the nature of reality and God deepened as she studied at King Alfred’s College in Winchester (B. Ed Hons Art) and began to explore in the religious studies department the essence of Buddhism and the ancient scriptures of Hinduism (and later Advaita Vedanta). She loved it all as an unfolding discovery and open enquiry.
A Universal perspective
Alison travelled extensively in Europe initially, then in India (aged 25), South East Asia, Africa and America in her youth particularly fascinated by, and in love with, the amazing diversity of humanity in its expression of love for the divine. For over twenty years now Alison has immersed herself in this field of unitive consciousness. She never seemed to be drawn into identifying with one religion, as opposed to the others, as she saw they seemed to all come from the source. Alison seemed to always have this universal overview, this stepping back into a deeper awareness. In essence Alison has always had a deep conviction that all the religions have their own unique expressions and manifestations and they all point to one universal truth. In essence they are one. They also all come from the one infinite creator, the source of all life that permeates everything. Over the years it also seemed to Alison that much of the initial revelation and transmission of such sacred and pure messengers of God, like Jesus for instance, has to at least some degree been lost, and corrupted over the years. Distorted, perhaps even unintentionally by human motives and the need for power and control and manipulation from within the organised religion of the day. Jesus was certainly to some degree misunderstood and his name even used to inflict violence and condemnation on people of ‘other’ faiths. Nevertheless the original essence, still alive, as life itself and truth, if discovered, is as pure and everlasting as ever it was. It simply IS.
Satsang Singing and One Spirit
Alison spent time over the last 25 years on many silent retreats and in satsang in particular (Sanskrit word meaning ‘association with truth’) Around age 30 Alison followed seminars and retreats of Emaho,
Then she discovered the teaching of beloved Satyananda and spent at least 8 years going regularly to retreats in Cornwall. The lineage of Ramana Maharshi (The Direct path of Self Enquiry).
Alison then discovered Mooji and has spent many years also going to satsang with Mooji in India, London and Portugal which has been a huge blessing and a deeply transformational time. Find out about the incredible blessing of the presence of Mooji here.
Meanwhile Alison taught in schools in London and Devon also and then led community choirs and singing workshops for many years based in Devon where she now lives. Her main beloved choir in North Devon is Ploughcappella and they are celebrating 20 years of singing together in May 2020. Singing in harmony was her love and devotion – it still is. She has written many beautiful songs for choirs in harmony. Have a listen her to some of her own heartsong compositions. She was married in 2003 and later amicably divorced in 2018 and has a beautiful son. Alison has been ordained more recently as a One Spirit Interfaith Minister and loves to bring people together of different faiths, or none, and build bridges of peace and understanding. Alison is at present an active member of Devon Faith and Belief Forum and Devon Faith and Belief Forum which ‘brings together people from different faith and belief traditions to build a better society through promoting good relations, encouraging better understanding and developing stronger bonds between our communities.’ Devon Faith and Belief Forum in Exeter.
Unity and Death to Self
Unity and oneness is underlying all she does and is. Her sense, since childhood has been that this life is miraculous and we can either be essentially asleep to this, in a kind of hypnosis of delusion, or awake! But if ‘we’ truly awaken it is like a moth to the flame. The spiritual ‘seeker’ is burnt and consumed by the divine flame of love. No thing remains. This is the ‘no self’ of Buddhism and the powerful metaphor of the cross of Jesus – illustrated beautifully when Paul says ‘My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.’ Galatians 2:20
Liberation – East meets West
What IS this Christ? This living light of God? Does it have a form in reality? Or is it formless but very much alive? In Advaita Vedanta ‘liberation’ (realising the True Self as one with God – or ‘Brahmin’) is perhaps the very same transformative power that is entered into through the metaphor of the cross. Could this be true?
Perhaps this ‘resurrection life’, this ‘Christ that lives in me’, referred to in Christianity as the transformed ‘True Self’ actually is the very same ‘True Self’ that is referred to by Ramamna Maharshi and other sages of India. ie ‘Self realisation’. This link between the ‘west’ and the ‘east’ seems to be very rarely seen. Religious tribal identity very often can prevent us from seeing this unifying discovery can it not? Didn’t Jesus challenge the religious leaders of the day with a mighty passion and say that they were missing something obvious about God? He spoke of unity, love for ALL and oneness with the Father and the kingdom of God which lies ‘within you’.
Because of Alison’s deep love of truth and universal approach to religion, she has looked far and wide for confirmation of this universal truth. Beings like Mooji, Adyashanti, Ram Dass, Eckhart Tolle, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (13th Century Sufi poet), Bentinho Massaro, Ananda Mayi Ma, Rupert Spira, the beloved messenger of God, Jesus Christ, have all it seems confirmed the same beautiful truth that dissolves, de thrones and transforms ego identity ‘I me’ into True Self, the I AM. Actually all these beings listed here, we could say are really expressions of the same one infinite creator, the spirit of God, because they have humbled themselves, realised they are ‘no-thing’ and paradoxically ‘every-thing’ and given their life in service of truth.
In truth, in essence, we are no different – unless we believe we are! If we believe we are separate and isolated mind you, then we can believe this into existence and it appears to become our reality,
Falling in love with God
Alison was baptised in 2016 which for her represents dying to what is false and living in and as what is universally true. Christ is quoted in the bible to say that he is ‘truth’.
Mooji also inspired Alison to look more deeply into the life of Jesus and the identity of Christ. He came very much from a Christian upbringing and his mother was devoted to Christ all of her life. Mooji’s pointing to Alison’s True position as ‘The Self’ has ignited inside her heart and the joy that this awakens, Alison says, is like nothing else on this earth. She would say ‘I fell in love with God’ Awakening to this love and pointing to this natural imperishable True Self is life giving and profound.
Mooji often says that ‘we have the advantage’ because we already are what we are looking for! We already are ‘The Self’ He often quotes beloved St Francis of Assisi
‘What we are looking for is what is looking’
Timelessly rooted in peace
To really contemplate these profound statements, to really apply them in our hearts cannot fail to call us into a more subtle inner looking that penetrates through delusion and reveals right here and now the light of truth, bringing us home. Many today, by grace, are discovering this light, freedom, peace and joy through this realisation of our very own heart of being. However, of course our minds and our false identity will fight to retain its psychological grip on our being. Mooji is a master at helping people be released from this suffering in a most powerful and illuminating way. It is my joy to point you in his direction if you truly want to discover your True Self and indeed be timelessly rooted in peace.
‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you’
As Jesus says ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you’ The Christ light, the Buddha nature, Shiva being, Krishna consciousness, the Dao. It has always seemed obvious to Alison that all these names and many more point to the one supreme source, the beloved one, permeating everything. Alhamdulillah ‘All praise is due to God alone’
Is the mission tribal or universal?
Whilst there is a deep love and respect for every different and unique path up the mountain of the divine. Whilst there is a great love here for the Christian path of love, the Islamic path of surrender and mercy, the Buddhist path of enlightenment and loving detachment, it is seen here, somehow that perhaps it is the religious, dualistic group identities which can psychologically attempt to divide the heart of humanity. It is wonderful and comforting to belong to a group, family, tribe BUT that allegiance comes with a cost doesn’t it, to the whole?
Inevitably and understandably each group or religion defend their own positions that ‘they’ see as true. There is no blame here – it is just the way it seems to have evolved. Each group tries, it seems, to attain validation for their own tribal supremacy as the one true faith, rather than seeing that we are indeed one human family on this planet. This tiny earth, floating in an infinite universe. All these beautiful gems of universal truth, from the various messengers of God actually are from the one source. Could this be true? Is this way of looking deluded or could this insight be the opportunity for real peace on earth?
Being the unknown. Saying ‘yes’ to truth
Alison says ‘In truth I do not actually know why I am creating this website and where it will lead. I have found that I really DO NOT NEED TO KNOW and am simply following this deep call as I do think this is a time of great change for humanity and the more beings who genuinely speak these uplifting words of unity, compassion, inspiration, awakening and love the more we can together lift the vibrational level of our collective consciousness and truly transform our lives and hearts.’ ‘It is fully possible to discover the life of spirit that has always been here. Silent, empty, peaceful and full of love and grace. I do know that something is compelling me to share in some way and say yes to this truth and this call. My deepest prayer, inspired by the words of Mooji is to say ‘Lord, rid me of ego and replace me with you’. All will unfold by grace.’
Ego is thought believed in
It seems in many ways that so much has been said by many sages and saints across the ages, and perhaps there really is nothing to add to this at all! Also I am not the creator of this flow – it comes through this instrument. It can be a trap of the ego mind to want to somehow be some ‘one’ special, or some ‘spiritual teacher’. But – who really is the separate one that even wants or does not want this? Is it real? This egoic ‘one’ is actually not our true identity. Actually – as Mooji says – we don’t need to ‘kill the ego!’ It doesn’t really even exist as an entity! It is only made of thought, believed in.
The sword of truth slays arrogance
If we discover our True Self and rest in the power and silence of this. If we cease to feed our belief and identity with interest and attention, out of habit, then the power of the egoic identity begins to wane, naturally. But what is left? What remains? What is truly here? This cannot be spoken.
The separate self remains under the delusion of personhood. The divided mind. The sword of truth slays it’s arrogance, not by violence, but simply by true seeing. In the light of truth, all delusion is dispelled just as the darkness vanishes when the lamp is lit.
Jesus says ‘Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.’ Matthew 5:15
‘You are the light of the world’
‘You are the light of the world’. Says Jesus (Matthew 5:14)