Achieving Illumination

The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation

Four Steps You Need to Take to Achieve Illumination
Believe. Courage. Surrender. The Relinquishment of the Ego.

Let me start with the premise that I’m not an enlightened master—not yet, although I’m working towards it. This blog is about my discoveries so far. It’s based on my real-life experiences, and I write about them in the hope that they might help someone on the path.

Like a seed needs to decay before it sprouts, we must deconstruct ourselves before we are reborn as enlightened beings. This rebirth can be metaphorical or literal, depending on personal circumstances.

As far as I can tell, it is a painful process. That’s why, I guess, we’re often subconsciously hesitant to commit to the spiritual path, taking untold incarnations before we choose to do so.

Is fear justified? My response is that it is not—since God always takes care of us. However, one must believe, and this is the most difficult part. We need to refine our intuition first and then trust it, because we will always be required to risk everything, quite literally.

The interesting thing is that we usually lose everything, hence the pain. To believe, you must make a covenant with God, offering Him your sincerity and love. Ask Him for a signal, and when it arrives, you’ll know you’re on the right path.

We are built upon countless certainties accumulated over many incarnations. These certainties are shortcuts our subconscious uses to make quick decisions and keep us within our comfort zone. However, that comfort zone is like a maze, and we need to find a way out if we are to avoid returning indefinitely to this plane.

There will come a moment when you feel utterly alone. Nobody will understand you or care about your predicament. When that moment comes, you’ll have to leap across the dark void, knowing there is no turning back. This takes courage.

Faith and Courage. Now, Surrender.

I was blessed with one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever received. My guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, came to me in flesh and blood on the night of August 15, 2010. For those who don’t know, Yogananda was a great enlightened yoga master who brought the science of Kriya Yoga to the West in the early 20th century. He died on March 7, 1952, in Los Angeles. I had prayed for a sign that Jesus had sent Yogananda to lead me to illumination, and God answered my prayer in that marvelous way.

The event was so unique and grand that it seemed enough to ensure I’d never stray from the path to illumination. I felt so empowered that, for a moment, I believed I had already reached the heights of yoga. I was in ecstasy for several days.

Soon after, I heard the sound of Om enveloping my whole body. A visible light surrounded me, and an incredible magnetism radiated from me. Yet, I was about to learn that this glorious blessing was only a lifeboat to keep me afloat through the storms ahead.

During this blissful state, I dumped a damaged cellphone down a slope into a ravine. Although I immediately regretted it, it took me four days to retrieve and properly dispose of it. When I finally did, the phone—drenched, with a dead battery and no SIM card—rang. As I answered, a strong wind knocked me violently into the ravine. I fell headfirst between two massive stones, miraculously escaping unharmed.

That was the first sign I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of what I was experiencing.

Soon after, I went on a pilgrimage to India, where I lost my left hip and had to get an artificial replacement. Upon returning to Italy, I developed purulent wounds on my shins. Over the next two years, I suffered memory loss, disorientation, a near-death experience, a liver tumor, and the loss of all my possessions.

Despite these trials, I recalled my covenant with God: to do everything I could to please Him if He showed me the way. This promise, along with countless miracles, kept me on the path.

Eventually, I realized that surrender—complete acceptance of God’s will—was the key to liberation. When I fully embraced this, joy and peace returned to my life.

The Relinquishment of the Ego

When we realize we are all part of the same consciousness, it becomes easier to let go of uniqueness, separateness, self-importance, and ego. We’re all manifestations of God, who created the veil of illusion, or Maya, for His enjoyment. Maya makes us believe we’re separate, but in reality, we’re one.

Understanding this allows the ego to fade away. No matter where we are on our spiritual journey, comparing ourselves to others is futile; everyone has unique lessons to learn.

For me, the journey has been about depending solely on God, letting go of attachments, and burning past karma. Although I am still a work in progress, I trust that hatha yoga, Reiki, meditation, a balanced diet, and a simple life free from distractions are helping me bear fruit.