Posts by Andrew Cohen
VIDEO: Evolution from the Inside Out
When most people think of evolution, they think of the growth and development of the exterior dimensions of reality—the biological evolution of natural species, the development of the cosmos from the Big Bang to the present, or the rapidly accelerating advancement of technology. But much less often spoken about is the evolution of our interiors—of
In Defense of the Soul
In her new romantic comedy, 2 Days in New York, musician, actress, and screenwriter Julie Delpy proclaims, “You know why I don’t believe in the soul? Because the soul would probably mean an afterlife. And if there was something, my (late) mom would have tried to communicate with me somehow . . .” Then she
An Inner Contract
Something profound happens at a soul level when someone makes a commitment to their own spiritual development. No one forces you to do it. It’s freely chosen. And, of course, when you make that commitment, you don’t really know what you are committing to. But what you do know is that it’s a commitment to
Peace Is Not the Answer
I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately about what spiritual development and spiritual attainment actually mean these days. What is the purpose of being on a spiritual path for the most progressive people on the planet today—those of us who have grown up in an environment of unprecedented wealth, education, and personal freedom? As a spiritual
Evidence for Reincarnation?
Anybody who doesn’t believe in reincarnation should check this out! Andrew will be speaking with integral philosopher Ken Wilber about the nature of the soul, including a discussion on reincarnation, in a free webcast on October 20th at 2pm ET (USA). Register here.
Put Yourself in God’s Position
The whole idea behind evolutionary enlightenment is to become a liberated human being who is a real player in the life process. Because it is only in and through individuals who are real players—who have awakened to what an extraordinary privilege it is to be one of the luckiest people to have ever been born—that
A New Kind of Human Being
In recent years, the term “emergence” has become popular among scientists to describe the seemingly inexplicable leaps that occur in the evolutionary process when greater complexity bursts forth from lesser complexity. For example, the material universe miraculously burst forth from primordial emptiness. Something came from nothing. That’s emergence. Approximately 3.8 billion years ago, biological life
God’s Choice
It is my firm conviction that Spirit as the Uncreated, Unborn, Unmanifest, timeless Ground of Being “chose” to create the universe. How do I know this? Because from our vantage point in the 21st Century, we can look back and see where we all came from, which is no-thing whatsoever. God or absolute Spirit must
The New Spiritual Ideal
After I finished giving a lecture at the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, an American rabbi approached me. “I’ve been following your work for some years now,” he said, “and you’re doing something very important. You are defining a new position for spiritual aspirants, uniquely suited for the time we are living
Is Your Ego Big Enough for God?
The traditional teachings of spiritual enlightenment tell us that in order to be one with Spirit we need to shrink our egos down to the size of a pea. Those rare beings who are considered to be saints are said to be “selfless.” Higher spiritual development, whether Eastern or Western, is generally determined by
A Ceaseless Creative Striving
When we awaken to the evolutionary impulse, as the urge toward higher creativity, it becomes apparent to us that the energy that is driving the process as a whole is inherently spiritual or divine. Spirit created and is creating the universe. What is this ceaseless creative striving in matter, nature, and culture? And where does
Creating the Future Unceasingly
Evolutionary Enlightenment is about awakening directly to the energy and intelligence that created the universe and is creating the universe. The Big Bang, the birth of the universe, was the unimaginably powerful expression of that energy and intelligence—and still is. The nature of what I call the “evolutionary impulse” is an ecstatic urgency that is
A Different Kind of Transparency
There’s a lot of talk about transparency these days. In the internet age we are letting it all hang out—whatever it is—for better and for worse. And it looks like there’s no going back. Democrats want to know about Mitt Romney’s bank accounts and tax returns, while many government agencies from all over the world
No End
In an evolutionary context, development has no end. That means we can always develop more, further, higher, and deeper. In Traditional Enlightenment, it’s possible to become “fully enlightened.” In Buddhism, they call it “cessation” or “the end of becoming.” In Evolutionary Enlightenment there is no final resting point—it is about infinite becoming for eternity.
The Holy Life
There is something so incredibly life-affirming about the kind of joy and fellowship that emerges when many human beings, inspired by spiritual values and a higher sense of purpose, come together. The Buddha, when asked if association with like-minded people was a part of the holy life, is reported to have declared: “Association with like-minded
Taking God Seriously
It’s a big challenge being a spiritual teacher in a secular culture. What could be more disconcerting than being a religious authority in a world where there is no consensus about whether God actually exists! In traditional cultures at least, there was some agreement as to who God was and where He lived and how
The Advance of Love
I recently read the new book by Bruce Sanguin, a revolutionary ordained minister from Vancouver, BC who is pioneering a new evolutionary interpretation of Christian theology. In The Advance of Love: Reading the Bible with an Evolutionary Heart, he creatively integrates the latest insights from cosmology, biology, cultural studies, developmental and integral theory with his
The Infinite Depth of Your Own Self
In order to discover the infinite depth of your own self, you must find a way to enter into a very deep state of meditation—such a deep state that your awareness of thought moves to the background and eventually disappears. When awareness of thought disappears, the awareness of the passing of time disappears along with
The Case for Certainty
People with deep spiritual conviction—from religious fundamentalists to high Himalayan mystics—possess the greatest existential gift of all: certainty. But these days, it’s not a gift that we find it easy to appreciate. And for good reason. For the last 60 years or so, ever since the unthinkable devastation of the two great conflagrations of the
The Source of Real Contentment
Practicing meditation for long periods makes it possible, at least temporarily, to know what it means to have no relationship to the passing of time and the movement of mind and memory. And not only that, it provides us with access to our own primordial depths, which inevitably gives rise to a profound and abiding
Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, founder of EnlightenNext, and the author of 
