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Biography
Leonard Jacobson was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He studied at The University of Melbourne and graduated with a law degree in 1969. For ten years, he practiced as a defense attorney, before giving it up in search of something more fulfilling. In 1981, he experienced the first of several spontaneous spiritual awakenings that opened him into deeper states of human consciousness, altering his perception of life, truth, and reality. These experiences form the foundation for Jacobson’s teachings and writings about spiritual awakening.

Teachings
Leonard Jacobson teaches a path of spiritual awakening, containing two steps. The first involves learning how to become present and the second involves learning how to become a master of the mind and ego, so that you are no longer involuntarily pulled out of the present moment. To be present is to be in a state of consciousness which is free from thought and is characterized by peace, love, wholeness, oneness and deep inner silence. Jacobson teaches that the fully awakened state of consciousness is available now. It is not something that occurs in the future. It is not something that can be arrived at through spiritual practice. It is already here, waiting to be revealed. "As we awaken into the present moment, thoughts stop, the mind falls silent, and we awaken to an inner silence and peace that is beyond understanding."

To come out of the mind, simply become present with something that is already present in the moment with you. If you can see it, hear it, feel it, taste it, touch it, or smell it, then you can be present with it. The moment you are truly present with something that is of the moment, thoughts will stop. Your mind will be silent. In those moments of deep Presence, you are an awakened Being.

The awakening process
Jacobson teaches that to become spiritually awakened or enlightened simply means that you are fundamentally established in the present moment. Your mind is silent. All sense of separation has dissolved. You are no longer lost in thought or identified with the story unfolding within the world of time. To directly experience the awakened state is an essential first step in the process of awakening.

He teaches that in order to become fundamentally established in Presence, we must learn to identify when and how we lose our connection with this awakened state. What events, thoughts, feelings, desires, fears and circumstances catch you into the world of the mind? What takes you out of the present moment into the remembered past or imagined future? This leads to mastery of the mind and ego.

Overcoming the resistance of the ego
The ego is the main obstacle to human awakening. It does not matter how much you experience and appreciate being present. Until you come into right relationship with the ego, you will not truly awaken. Overcoming the resistance of the ego is an essential step towards true awakening.

Healing the past
Many people have experienced Presence and have recognized the transformative value of being more present, and yet they are unable to maintain Presence in their day to day lives and in their relationships. There are two reasons for this. The first is that an unhealed or traumatized past will not release them from its grip. The second is that many people have emotions from the past repressed within them. They cannot be fundamentally present, because those repressed emotions are constantly being projected onto the present moment, distorting their experience of life. Jacobson’s teaching on awakening includes ways to heal and release the past so that we are more available to the present.

Books

 * Journey into Now: Clear Guidance on the Path of Spiritual Awakening, Conscious Living Publications, March, 2007 ISBN 978-1-890580-03-2
 * Bridging Heaven and Earth: A Return to the One, Conscious Living Publications, 1999 ISBN 1-890580-02-3
 * Embracing the Present: Living an Awakened Life, Conscious Living Publications, 1997 ISBN 1-890580-01-5
 * Words from Silence: An Invitation to Spiritual Awakening, Conscious Living Publications, 1991 ISBN 978-1-890580-00-7