Congratulations to the winner of this past contest, Liana. She wrote, “You are related to Spanish royalty.” I don’t know about royalty, but I am a Spanish baroness since Charlemagne rewarded my family among the “12 gentlemen barons” for pushing the Moors out of Spain. We were all give a barony. Here’s the castle, which is now owned by someone outside of the castle. 

Most would not guess that because I’m such a slob the way I dress and I prefer Target to Neiman Marcus, but that’s okay. I can break a mold or two!

By the way, there are two YouTubers who have commented that Erik has a dark side because of his suicide and that he dishonored God and his contract by taking his life. One even claimed she’s trying to save and heal him. Before Emma and I interviewed King Henry VIII, I asked him about this. You’ll see it when I publish the video, but in a nutshell, these two are dealing with their human feelings and religious biases. He said he doesn’t have a dark side at all. He couldn’t possibly do all the good he does if that were the case. 

Last but not least, if you missed radio show last night, click HERE to listen. The topic: Loneliness. 

Enjoy Part Four of our series on Surrender.

Me: Well, are there any attachments that don’t create suffering?

Kim: Yeah, that’s a good question.

Erik: No.

Me: Really?

Kim: Well, what about my dog? I love my dog, and I love to love him and we have fun and play. He makes me happy.

Erik: Yeah, but when he dies, you’re going to hurt because you’re so attached.

Me: There we go. That’s true.

Kim: Well, what it you’re attached to love and you’re obsessed with loving everything? How could that be hurtful?

Me: Yeah!

Kim: I guess the way I asked him that, vibrationally, shows again an attachment to it being a certain way. Like if you love and just spread peace everywhere and that’s your thing, that’s how you know yourself—

Erik: Then that’s really not an attachment. Actual love, that vibration, can’t hold an attachment.

Kim: Just bear with me in thought here. He’s literally showing me a tube, like a stream of energy with a bunch of little particles floating around real fast and they’re really close together. He’s defining that as love, and he tries to put any type of attachment inside that tube, but it just keeps falling out. It just can’t stay there.

Me: Okay.

Erik: Love is the freest thing there is.

Kim: He’s going into the ego, how we get fooled by even if we’re attached to being happy.

Erik: That happiness—you gotta be really mindful—is most likely ego-based meaning it’s connected to circumstances and events. Ego needs circumstances and events to exist. That’s an attachment that will pass away and cause suffering. The only thing that won’t pass away is love.

Love is all that is!

Erik: Stay in love, and you’re free of all attachments. You’re free of all suffering.

Me: So you talked about this woman who was addicted to her work. You asked her, “What are you without work? What are your likes and dislikes?” How would Kim or me, your mama, see ourselves without attachments? Is it like, “Okay, I like kickboxing.” That’s an attachment, too, isn’t it? I mean, who are we without our attachments? Go with either Kim or me, baby. Who are either of us without attachments? What does that even look like?

Kim: Yeah, he’s showing a pure energy body, just pure energy.

Erik: Even the physical body is an attachment of self that we’ve created. So, kickboxing, poor baby mama, doctor whatever, whatever ways you define yourself, all the hobbies like camping or anything that you love to so—push that all aside, and when you can find THAT sense of self that is aware of itself but without any definitions at all—

Me: Ah, okay. That’s it.

Erik: That’s the true body of self. That is the true consciousness that is you.

Me: Got it.

Erik: Consciousness becomes aware of itself when self is known away from all of those things.

Me: Yeah, I know that Elisa. I totally know that Elisa.

Erik: Good! That’s a pure place of peace. That’s absolute peace.

Kim: He keeps using the word, “absolute.” “It’s absolute.”

Erik: It has to be self-directed, though.

Kim: This is interesting because he’s showing me in the school system getting more and more kids—instead of saying, “You’re bad” or “You’re wrong”—

Me: Oh yeah I know!

Erik: Instead of putting them into the corner to face the corner to punish them, put them in the corner in love and have them spend time with themselves and go into their heart. That would be somewhat productive, but the self-awareness that I just described can only be self-realized. It can’t be taught by somebody else or given to you. It can only be self-realized if you’re brave enough to take away all the labels and definitions and attachments. That’s a complete state of surrender, Mom. It’s a complete state of just being.

Me: Do you have any tips on how a person can get there? I mean, I know what that Elisa looks like and what it is, but there are others, of course, that don’t. What can you say to them?

Erik: It’s just a state of full awareness. It’s more of a state of observation than reaction, thinking and analyzing.

Me: Right. I observe myself, my true “Elisa-ness.”

Erik: Yeah. For one to start breaking down the layers to get to this state of awareness, sit with yourself and take a pen if you want and write down all the ways that you know yourself or at least who you think you are. Get out as many as you can. Do you think you’re tall? Do you think you’re thin? Do you think you’re social? Write down all the ways you define yourself. Then, just push it all away. You have to shove it across the table and know that that’s not you. You have to surrender your identity from those things. And when you have complete awareness that’s not defined by anything, that’s you.

Kim: He says it real matter-of-fact. (smiling) He’s showing this huge heart. The reason why he’s showing this huge heart is because he wants to help people foster that process. He wants to help people foster that process. If he can help foster their ability to be truthful to themselves and get to that place, that’s all we’re seeking.

Erik: We’re seeking awareness, but sometimes we trip up and fall for the illusions one after another after another. Then we get derailed. This will scare the shit out of a lot of people to actually think of themselves, okay, you’re a mom of 4? All right, take that away. You’re not a mom anymore. And take away your wife title. Take away your teacher title.

Me: Those are big ones!

Erik: Take away all those ways that you know yourself or the ways you think you know yourself, and what remains without definition is you. That process would scare the shit out of a lot of people because they’re so attached. On the other hand, people who can detach are often called jackasses.

Kim laughs.

Erik: People think they don’t care.

Me: So if you’re a teacher and you get demoted or get fired, if you’re really rooted in being a teacher, you’re going to suffer a lot, but if you’re not attached to that label, you’ll be like, “Eh, I’ll find another job.” People will go, “He’s a jackass! He doesn’t care about losing his job?”

Kim: I’ve experienced that, too, where people are like, “Oh my god, aren’t you upset about your kids?” and I’m like, ‘No, it’s their journey.’ I try to detach as much as I can and people go, “Well, if it were me, I’d be so upset!” So I’m like, “Well, I’m sorry for you!” There are people who are like, “Man, she’s an asshole!”

She laughs.

Me: I know!

Kim: I try not to be attached.

Erik: So, you’ll see both sides where people will be scared to death to shed those attachments and other people who have that are often criticized for not caring about anything.

Me You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, man! I’m telling you!

Kim: No kidding.

She chuckles.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!