Simon Bartholome: Consciousness, Non-Duality, and the Illusion You Never Really Lost

In this episode of AWAKEN, Ryan sits down with Simon Bartholome — a quietly profound German thinker, writer, and longtime student of non-dual spirituality who Ryan first discovered through his Facebook page, where nearly every post distills the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Eckhart Tolle, Rupert Spira, Osho, and others into something clean, universal, and free from religious baggage. Simon lives in Hirschbeck, Germany, surrounded by soccer posters, and is about as regular a guy as someone who casually talks about the nature of consciousness for an hour can be.The conversation moves from Bruce Lee and Triceratops boxing matches to Sanskrit, Charlie Brown and Lucy, Michael Jackson, near-death experiences, the difference between Ramana Maharshi and Neem Karoli Baba, why Christian theology accidentally puts God on a pedestal instead of pointing you inward, and why Simon thinks the word consciousness is more spiritually useful than God — because it carries no conceptual baggage and nobody puts up their shield when they hear it.Simon's central thread is disarmingly simple: you are not the thoughts, not the emotions, not the body — those are all objects appearing in awareness. What you actually are is the awareness itself. And that awareness, your true nature, has never been afraid, has never been separate, and has never really been lost. The path home is just uncovering what was always there — removing the conditioning, not acquiring anything new.Ryan shares his near-death experience. Simon talks about Ramana Maharshi surviving cancer surgery without anesthesia. They explore why 95-99% of our fears are about things that never actually happen, why joy and love aren't the opposite of fear but rather what remains when fear is seen through, and what it means that even hate — properly understood — is an expression of love.Then Ryan thinks he forgot to hit record. Simon laughs. Everything is fine. They roll with it.This one is for the quietly curious — people who sense there's something underneath all the noise but haven't found words for it yet. Simon is excellent at finding the words.Three quotes from Simon worth writing down:"Fear is just a thought. It is impossible to be afraid without thoughts. So your deeper, true self is always inherently free from fear.""95 to 99% of our fears refer to something that is not really there. In most cases, that which we are afraid of never really happens.""You are nothing special. You are just the infinity — that which is."Connect with Simon Bartholome: Facebook: facebook.com/simon.bartholome Simon posts daily in English and German — quotes, reflections, and excerpts from spiritual teachers across traditions Books: Currently in German only, available on Amazon.de — two more in progress (one on Bruce Lee, one on animals). English translations are being considered for the future. Search "Simon Bartholome" on Amazon.de to find his current titles.Connect with Ryan DeJonghe / TranceWell: Website: trancewell.help Email: [email protected]