Ascension: 5 Practices To Navigate Transformation With Grace

In times of global uncertainty, many feel an inner call to rise above old patterns and align with higher states of being. But what does ascension truly mean, and how can we navigate its challenges? Drawing from personal experience—spanning war-torn Lebanon, Parisian runways, and deep spiritual inquiry—I share in this talk five transformative practices to ground and uplift you during this shift.

From meditation to movement, gratitude to kindness, these tools will help you embrace change with grace. Join me on this journey of awakening.

Transcript

From Parisian runways to Bali's rice fields,

I've tread a fine line between chaos and stillness.

And today I'll be sharing with you five practices that helped me find grace amidst the struggle and how you can.

Hi,

I'm Bassem.

Thank you for joining me.

I'm excited to be with you today.

We'll be speaking about ascension,

A topic that's been on many people's minds lately and not surprising,

What with the increasing global instability and all.

I'll be keeping it personal,

Referring to my own experience with ascension.

If you have ever stood at the edge of a cliff feeling vertigo,

Sensing that change was at hand but you couldn't quite put your finger on it,

Chances are you are already familiar with ascension,

Expressing in your life as that quiet ache for transformation,

Even as the world around you trembles and all systems collapse.

It's a paradox,

Isn't it?

We long for change,

But at the same time we resist it.

In essence,

Ascension refers to the process of aligning with higher vibrations,

Which involves shedding skins and rising above old behavioral patterns.

But ultimately,

Ascension is about much more than that and leads to self-realization beyond the physical.

Traditional science tells us that consciousness is the product of the mind,

Though this narrative is quickly changing with modern science increasingly recognizing consciousness as primary.

And as consciousness research continues to bridge gaps between scientific disciplines and philosophy and even spiritual traditions,

So too will our understanding of ourselves.

A little about me,

I am Lebanese born and raised,

Living in Australia.

My ascension journey began at the age of eight.

One evening,

My father returning from his coffee roasting factory,

Tapped me on his lap and whispered,

God made everything,

Bassa.

God is beautiful.

It was during the 70s Lebanese Civil War.

Later that night,

Falling asleep,

Huddled between four of my six sisters,

Big family,

Echo of explosions and rattling gunfire in the background,

I wondered,

If God made everything,

Who made God?

And when my family fled the war to Sydney,

And I was 12 at the time,

This question of cause and effect was put aside momentarily,

But only to be revived later in my late teenage years.

Grappling with the divergent cultures,

I sought answers in books in the local library and would sit for hours exploring spiritual texts.

Then around 21,

Lo behold,

I became a fashion model,

Working on and off internationally for the next 25 years.

And so my journey progressed from Muslim roots and early Catholic school education to the mystical aspects of spirituality and now Parisian runaways.

Throughout,

My question was kept alive by daily meditation.

When my friends would be out building business,

I would be in my room honing my practice.

In Paris,

I did finally get an answer,

But it was fleeting,

Like waking up out of a dream that's still there,

But you just can't quite grasp at it.

I was reading Making a New World by John Bennett,

A student of the teacher-chief.

Putting the book down,

Looking up to reflect on what I had just read,

I suddenly found myself in this state of transcendence that I can hardly say anything about except that it had no opposites,

Just a vast,

Neutral space of awareness.

I understood that somehow this was the answer to my question,

The non-dual reality that the likes of Eckhart Tolle describe as spacious awareness.

Spacious awareness is at the heart of ascension,

Which dissolves the illusion of all apparent separation,

Whether progressively over a lifetime,

As is the case for most of us,

Or suddenly,

As happened to Ramana Maharshi,

That great Hindu saint who,

At the age of 16,

Simulating the experience of dying,

Suddenly realized that consciousness transcends the physical body,

Leading to a spontaneous enlightenment that completely transformed his life.

When we talk about ascension,

Then,

We're not just referring to raising our vibration.

We are,

In fact,

Talking about a fundamental shift in perception that transforms our very understanding of ourselves.

We are spacious awareness.

Somehow we forget and lead compromised lives of scarcity.

I wanted to know why.

Is it by design,

Or does something happen to us that causes us to forget?

The idea there could be a smoking gun,

A single cause for this forgetting that is at the root of human unhappiness fascinated me.

We're not born unhappy.

We're born fearless,

Trusting,

Curious,

Playful,

Loving.

Somehow,

Along the way,

We become armored.

Then,

Ironically,

We spend thousands and thousands on therapy and healing,

Trying to recover what was ours in the first place.

From the first breath we take,

We are trained to focus our attention awareness externally,

Chasing worth in achievements,

Likes,

Bank accounts.

I explore this topic in depth in a premium talk,

The stunting of human consciousness,

The error of our perception,

As well as the idea of a smoking gun and how the birth trauma and social conditioning shape our perspective.

Also discuss what we can do to reclaim our innate wholeness.

Birth is a trauma,

My friends,

And we really need to be talking more about it.

The most thrilling thing about ascension is that while it is a personal process,

It is at the same time universal.

And by that,

I mean the Earth herself is ascending.

Earth's electromagnetic frequency,

The Schumann resonance,

Which is a heartbeat,

Is rising.

And in so doing,

It is sounding a call to all of us to match her frequency and harmonize,

To get on board,

As it were.

Let's now talk about some of the symptoms experienced during ascension.

Obviously,

We're not talking about a disease.

Think rather that you are birthing a soul and your body is changing.

Adapting.

Physically,

You might experience aches and pains,

Hot flushes,

Flu-like symptoms even.

And of course,

The classic,

Why am I always so tired?

You could also experience heart palpitations or digestive issues,

Bloating,

Indigestion,

Or sensitivity to certain foods suddenly.

It happened to me with coriander.

Until the age of 27,

I never noticed coriander.

Then suddenly,

One day in Miami,

In a Thai restaurant,

I experienced it and it felt like an assault on my senses.

There could also be cravings for healthier foods.

Emotionally and mentally,

You might experience mood swings or anxiety or panic for no apparent reason,

Feeling disoriented,

Brain fog,

Difficulty focusing,

Or just a sense of being disconnected from your body or surroundings.

A very curious feeling,

Being estranged to yourself.

Happened to me in Paris when I had that experience.

And spiritually,

You might have vivid insights or prophetic dreams.

For years,

Around 3,

3.

30 in the morning,

I would wake up with a strong compulsion to write what was on my mind.

I'm sure some of you have experienced something similar.

There could also be pressure or tingling in the area of your chakras.

Also,

Increased empathy,

Compassion.

You might find yourself crying at the strangest things.

You could also sense the presence of spirit.

These symptoms are just some of the things you might experience,

Could be anything.

They come and go,

And not everyone will experience all of them.

Remember,

Your body is trying to adapt to the increase in planetary vibration.

It's not failing you.

It's purging lifetimes of not enough.

You are experiencing a metamorphosis.

Think cocooned caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

Now,

The five practices.

They're simple but profound and offer tremendous support on your ascension journey.

The first is meditation.

When you're going through ascension,

It helps to anchor your energies in the present.

And to my understanding,

There's no greater practice than meditation.

It's not about being in a perfect posture or some ideal location.

It's about cultivating presence.

When I was on the road traveling continuously,

My daily practice offered me a way of coming back to myself.

It will help you do the same.

The second practice is daily gratitudes.

During a particularly trying period of my life,

Gratitudes saved my life.

I would begin and end my day giving thanks for my challenges.

In an instant,

Something would change in me,

Turning the seemingly disastrous into a sacred opportunity for change.

By saying thanks,

We come out of resistance,

Allowing the moment to flow.

And the third practice is movement.

The Chinese have a saying,

100 steps after food and you live for 100 years.

Movement isn't about intensity.

It's about allowing your body the freedom to express itself.

For me,

This was dancing or some might call shaking.

No rhythm,

Just flailing limbs and legs.

Movement grounds the inner storm and brings us back to the basics.

It's alchemy,

Releasing stagnant energy and making space for higher vibrations.

The fourth is perhaps my all-time favorite,

Kindness.

After my mother passed,

I was walking back to my car from the hospital,

My head drooping down.

I looked up and caught a stranger's smile and suddenly I felt my spirit momentarily lift.

And so now I smile at everyone,

Strangers,

Animals,

Even mirrors.

A small act of kindness,

My friends,

Can have an unforeseen ripple effect.

It lightens the heart.

It isn't just a gesture.

It's a mirror reminding us of our innate oneness.

And the last of these practices is positivity journaling.

Journaling is a bridge between the physical and the non-physical,

Helping us to rewrite the narratives that keep us feeling small.

It can also reconnect us with our innate wholeness.

So it's a relationship between the conscious and the unconscious.

Allowing them to commune.

These five practices have helped thousands that I've worked with over the years and they will also help you.

Consistency is the key,

However.

Now and then is fine,

But that's not where the magic is.

In the U-Volve neuroplasticity community,

We practice these as a 21-day challenge in order to ensure that we embody them.

All right,

Let's begin to wind our conversation down by transitioning into a short guided meditation.

Wherever you are,

Perhaps lean against the wall or cross your legs or sit on a chair,

Whatever you prefer.

You may want to place the palms of your hands on top of each other over your heart and begin to feel the warm contact and quiet pulse beneath the noise.

And start to become aware of your breathing.

Don't change anything,

Just notice.

Begin to include your breathing and your awareness.

And as your thoughts swirl,

Let them.

Don't stop them,

Just go on watching your breathing.

Meditation is not about quieting your mind.

It's about cultivating your awareness,

Knowing yourself as awareness.

Sensations will also rise.

Greet them gently as you would an old friend.

You are the sky and all else is passing weather.

Let's rest here for a moment as you observe your breathing,

Allowing your thoughts to swirl and your sensations to be.

Thoughts come and go,

Keep returning to your breathing.

Just watching.

If the mind wanders,

Simply bring your awareness,

Attention back to your breathing.

Now,

Before we open our eyes from this very short sample meditation,

I'd like you to take a moment to give gratitude for this pause of stillness.

May meditation enrich your life.

May it illuminate your journey.

I am not becoming,

I am remembering.

Thank you for joining me,

My friends.

If you're curious about deepening your practice,

Learning how birth shapes consciousness,

And about all we've discussed in this conversation,

You may want to join me in the premium talk where we dive deeper and work together to personalize a roadmap for your ascension journey.

Until then,

May your unfolding be joyous.

The light in me sees and honors the light in you.

Bye-bye for now.

Reviews

Profoundly practical talk that smoothly transitions into a short but gentle breath awareness meditation 🧘‍♀️ enjoy.

A wonderful practice- thank you for sharing your story.

Beautiful. I love your sharing, honesty, with grace. 🙏💗🌻

What a precious summary of the Essence that you want to share with us, Bassam! Thank you so much ☀️🙏🏾🧡🏵🌿

Thank you so much for this beautiful and timely talk and meditation
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Gratitude doesn’t say enough. I’ve been standing on that cliff for at least 5 years now as the agony of the world swirls around me; something shifted inside me with this talk. It may be just a glimmer of what is waiting, but I sense wings forming in my cocoon. Coming back to myself is a challenge. May the light be with you always. 🙏🏻

Ascension is a difficult yet profound experience. Grateful for this talk and thank you for sharing your experience.
May we move towards the inner remembrance of our true nature and help others to do the same.
Thank you 🙏🏼