This session addressed widespread misconceptions about enlightenment that are causing people to miss moments of awakening because they were looking for something other than what was actually present. Bartholomew emphasized that many assumed enlightenment could only occur during states of happiness, health, and external alignment, when in reality an awakened being is always present regardless of circumstances. He used Christ's final days as an example - despite tremendous pain and unhappiness, there was simultaneously full conscious enlightenment present, demonstrating that God's presence didn't come and go based on moods or external conditions.

The teaching challenged both ends of the spiritual spectrum: those who believe suffering disqualify them from awakening, and those who think suffering is a prerequisite for spiritual progress. Bartholomew explained that neither happiness nor misery is required - both are temporary states that enter and exit consciousness. He stressed that people can never succeed in "clearing up" all past karma since they are constantly creating new karma, making the attempt to perfect the ego before awakening a futile endeavor that can literally take lifetimes to complete.

A central theme involved the impossibility of perfecting the ego, which Bartholomew described as merely a combination of thoughts that fluctuated between "good" and "not so good." While having better-behaved thoughts might make one more likeable, this has nothing to do with enlightenment or awakening. He clarified that as people begin practicing inner silence, they often notice their negative voices and judgmental thoughts even more dramatically, which could create the false impression that they are moving backward spiritually rather than simply becoming more aware.

The session distinguished between therapeutic work (which is valuable but is not enlightenment) and the process of awakening, which involves relaxing into what is already present rather than striving to achieve something distant. Bartholomew used the metaphor of a king who had forgotten his identity and lived as a beggar in his own palace dungeons - the awakening process was simply remembering who one already was rather than becoming someone different. This remembrance happened through repeated exposure to truth until enough people had said "you are Consciousness itself" that one finally began to believe and experience it directly.

In terms of practical guidance, Bartholomew focused on developing the skill of inner silence while remaining active externally, using examples like nighttime fears as maximum opportunities for awakening rather than problems to solve. Instead of following fearful thoughts into endless mental stories and scenarios, the practice involves stopping the mind completely and being willing to feel whatever fear is present without explanation or resistance. Bartholomew revealed that fears appearing at night are rarely based on actual events but are phantom projections that dissolve when faced directly rather than mentally analyzed.

The teaching addressed addiction as fundamentally the same mechanism underlying all human seeking - a massive hole of longing for God that people attempt to fill with external substances, activities, or achievements. Rather than fighting addictions or trying to fulfill them, the prescription involves sitting with the raw yearning itself without running toward or away from it. This principle applies to all intense feelings, from terror to ecstasy, since they all contain the same essential substance when experienced without the overlay of mental stories.

Bartholomew concluded by emphasizing that enlightenment is not reserved for special people or perfect circumstances, but is available to anyone with even the slightest stirring of desire for awakening. He stressed the urgency of the time period, describing unprecedented opportunities for mass awakening, and encouraged students to stop waiting for better conditions or more knowledge. The final instruction was remarkably simple: stop thinking constantly, learn to be internally silent while externally active, and trust that every sincere attempt to "knock" through inner silence will be answered, as this has always been the promise of authentic spiritual awakening.