Jan Frazier is a spiritual teacher and author of When Fear Falls Away and The Great Sweetening, among other books. In our interview, I found Jan’s emphasis on allowing and unfolding a nice counterpoint to my usual drive to find practices and tools to speed up the spiritual search. I hope you find this Jan Frazier interview interesting, as well.
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Selected Links and Notes from this Episode
- The beginnings of Jan Frazier’s conscious spiritual search in her 30s. [4:18]
- On not thinking that awakening was possible for her. [6:08]
- Jan’s teacher for many years, Gurumayi. [12:00]
- The primary environment in which so-called spiritual progress is actually made is in not-knowing. [23:00]
- Advice on handling negative emotions. [35:04]
- Advice for getting more in tune with being in the body. [46:10]
- Attention, consciousness, and awareness. [52:57]
- Awareness of awareness. [57:54]
- Sam Harris’ book Waking Up. [1:00:55]
- “We can’t make ourselves not be reactive. All we can do is see ourselves being reactive.” [1:06:55]
- Earnestness and the spiritual path. [1:10:20]
- Our willingness to sacrifice or suffer anything without conditions enhances the ability of life to teach us. [1:11:30]
- On being stuck on the path. [1:15:20]
- After our interview, Jan mentioned that Nisargadatta Maharaj‘s I Am That is another book that she loves. [1:17:30]
- Films that make the viewer feel very still, such as Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … And Spring [1:18:15]
- The consciousness of a cat…. [1:22:20]
- Jan Frazier’s website is janfrazierteachings.com
Being in nature slows the mind. The beautiful thing about animals is that they live in immediacy and process only what’s necessary. Probably why it feels good to be around them. Our minds are very busy all the time, and all we need to ever do is notice: what we’re thinking, that we’re thinking, and that the thinking stops or slows when we are observing it. No judgment, just watch.
Yes! 🙂
Awareness observing awareness. This was my favorite part of the interview. Though it seems expressing this always seems a difficulty and a prime pointer. An attempt at getting to zero to paraphrase Bob Ferguson. The Vedantins have 1000s of years devising methods and concept to progressively move ones perception towards reality. Western teachers without this foundation of thinking struggle to reinvent the wheel it seems.https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fIz3qcwKjqY