Belsebuub’s Searching Within course was perhaps the most impactful thing I experienced in my life. The information he presented resonated with me greatly, but most importantly the practices really worked and I managed to begin to overcome many debilitating negative states and experience things like peace and clarity on a level I had never experienced before.
First Starting to Practice
For me, the main introduction to Belsebuub’s Searching Within course was his book The Peace of the Spirit Within. A few of the catchphrases on the cover caught my attention when I first glanced at it, such as: “Look for the peace of the spirit within you – that which is permanent… That which is permanent is the consciousness.”
I read through it but noted how Belsebuub made it clear that change would only occur through practice and personal experience, so I knew I needed to actually do the things I was reading to make any progress. However, the way Belsebuub wrote was so easy to understand and relate to that I already felt I learned a lot just by reading. In particular, I learned a lot about how it was actually possible to make lasting positive changes to how you were and to profoundly connect with the spiritual within.
Reading about the consciousness and its spiritual aspects reminded me of several points earlier in my life such as being in nature and spontaneously becoming completely clear internally. For example, I have memories of walking by the creek near my family home and just stopping all of a sudden when I felt somehow truly “myself.” It was as if my consciousness at that point had become strong and overridden the train of thoughts I had been going along with automatically up until then. At the time, I had no idea what this feeling was, but it certainly felt good. Of course, it didn’t last very long as I began to go back to daydreaming as usual.
After reading through The Peace of the Spirit Within I set a day to begin to practice the basics of what Belsebuub was explaining. To begin with, this meant being aware in the present moment. I brought my attention to my five senses to really “be” where I was – in this case it was in my room after waking from sleep. As I got up and got prepared for the day I tried to be as aware as possible, observing not only what I was doing but seeing the thoughts and emotions come and go, not feeding into them or getting sidetracked. I kept with it the whole day getting odd jobs done around the house and whatever else I had to do. By the end of the day I was amazed at how much I had gotten done by not giving into laziness, but beyond this I felt very good at just being aware and seeing things in a completely new way. Life seemed to take on a pleasant new dimension.
Those first few days showed me I was onto something real. The practices worked, the information resonated with me, Belsebuub shared his work without profit, and what’s more because the Searching Within course was free I was keen to attend next chance I had. I simply didn’t see this combination of factors in any other spiritual offerings around – and haven’t since.
Life before Searching Within
Daydreaming used to be one of my favorite hobbies. I spent most of my waking hours doing it. Whether being a passenger on the bus or in a car, sitting in class at school, zoning out while lazing around at home, and while doing all sorts of mundane everyday tasks like sweeping leaves outside the house.
All this fantasizing seemed very enjoyable, but it would also often lead to depression and negativity. Inevitably I would imagine of all sorts of negative outcomes and scenarios based on what had happened at school, arguing with my parents, and so on.
It got to the point where I felt pretty much trapped in life due to negative thoughts – about my job, my friends, my education, my future – basically about everything.
I had always believed there was “something more” out there than just ordinary everyday living, and was interested in reading about paranormal things, religion, spirituality, history, and philosophy. These interests helped me to eventually come across Belsebuub’s work online. Once I did, it was reading other people’s experiences, particularly regarding changing themselves based on his Searching Within course, that encouraged me the most to start trying it for myself.
Some Experiences on the Course
It was life-changing to personally experience what an active consciousness feels like. I was able to “feel” firsthand what it was to be aware in the present moment and clear, something that once experienced I knew I wanted to continue to strengthen and grow. I was able to verify what Belsebuub wrote – how this part was the real us, while the egos (subconscious thoughts and emotions) were not, and were actually the cause of harm and misery in life.
I also found learning more about overcoming addictions particularly helpful, as I had struggled with quite a few up until that point. Knowing through Belsebuub’s work that they could be broken by continually strengthening the consciousness, and by observing, analyzing and removing the egos which caused the addictions, gradually allowed me to break their grip. I was then able to replace them with beneficial activities such as physical exercise, cleaning the house, helping my family, and so on.
One thing that really surprised me was that just being aware and looking around my room was a somewhat enlightening experience. To look around while aware was a whole new experience for me as the norm up to that point was to look without really seeing.
Walking in nature became an almost otherworldly spiritual experience at times. I had enjoyed family trips to national parks many times in my childhood, which were very nice, but now knowing the techniques for being in the present moment and coming out of ego states I was able to enjoy outings in nature to a much greater degree.
Practicing mantras became a daily activity for me after reading about it in Belsebuub’s Searching Within course. One mantra he taught was simply the vowel ‘O.’ I had enjoyed singing previously, but this was a whole other experience for me. I loved preparing for meditation by sitting comfortably, relaxing, and then singing the mantra – taking a deep breath, and pronouncing the vowel in a long even tone, then repeating. The effect of the practice seemed to continuously build up that by the end of it I would feel very clear and peaceful. This was by myself, but doing mantras in a group with others on the course was exponentially better!
Other parts of the course that really resonated with me included learning about the different places in the psyche where the egos manifested, and understanding how to create a framework in life in which to allow spiritual practice to become a focus. Having a framework like this allowed me to generate even more results than I had seen up to that point.
Because of the Searching Within course structure that built upon itself from week to week, I found I was able to give a good focus to each of the topics and practices that Belsebuub explained. There was plenty of discussion and questions answered which also helped my understanding to be fostered throughout.
Beyond Searching Within
After the Searching Within course, I was super enthusiastic about learning more, as the progress I had made up to that point was beyond what I ever thought was possible. Being able to overcome depression was such a relief, like a huge weight was lifted off, and I now knew how to overcome thoughts of past mistakes and regrets that would bring me down and stop me moving forward with my life.
So I continued on with further courses and books. Since then I haven’t seen or gotten elsewhere anything like what I learned in the Searching Within course. I have Belsebuub and his breakthrough work in self-knowledge to thank for the changes I was able to make that improved my life so much, and for the beginnings of my spiritual journey.
~ Jon
:-) When reading, it shows just how much joy the introduction of these techniques and information brought into your life.
I can see why. If within we yearn for a more conscious perception of life and yet have been stuck in our own… subconscious or darkness let’s say up until that point, without knowing how or even if we can get out of it. To then be given the tools to finally break out of it, wow! What a gift.
It’s inspiring to read how you made use of it in practise straight away. Doing rather than just reading. I know what you mean about the being in a room thing, that merely the perception of life can be so breathtaking and wonderful.
I like what you mention on concentrating on tasks as well. It still amazes me how going through the day while concentrating on tasks leaves me so full of energy and my mind so clear after. A simple enough idea, but very difficult to achieve. At the same time making the many little efforts to maintain that approach pays off.
My experience was the same with the online forums. The discussions there helped me with questions I was thinking about myself. Hearing people’s experiences seemed to amount in helping me to reach a correct initial understanding of things that somehow clicked with me or my own understanding. From there I could start learning more for myself as well.
Wishing you all the best in your continued journey :)
Thanks for sharing your account of practicing the course techniques Jon. I could connect a lot with what you said, but particularly with a few points you made. Like you, I remember having that feeling of the consciousness manifesting while being aware in nature, but didn’t really know how to develop it prior to finding out about the Searching Within course.
I could also relate to what you said about how much more efficient we can become, if we overcome some of the negative inner states that push us to pursue pleasure and wallow in laziness. I’d struggled with procrastination and disorganisation for many years before finding this course, but was amazed at how significantly these inner states could be changed, particularly as I thought they were a fundamental part of my character.
The other point you made about how Belsebuub gave the courses without profit also really struck a chord with me. I was unemployed when I first found out about his work and I know that if there had been a charge to attend the courses, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend in person and practice with others. I’d taken part in some other spiritual groups prior to finding the Searching Within course, but although I got some benefits from being in those groups, such as when I practiced mantras, the act of charging money for spiritual teachings never really rang true for me. It was therefore a real eye opener to find someone who not only gave his courses for free, but whose teachings also had far more depth than all of the other groups I’d attended before.