Who is the real you?
Is it under the mask that you wear? Is it the face that you find in the darkest hours of the night? The parts you show no one else? Or is it the spiritual self?
Who is it?
The truth is it’s all “real” – the mask, the deeper aspects, the facade – all of it. We create our world, and it is a many layered one. Even the so called real self – the spiritual self is only realized by us when we choose to pay attention to it. It is still there if we do not – we simply lose our connection to it. The same goes for anything.
Energy goes where attention flows.
Just because something is hidden doesn’t make it more real -just because something is obvious doesn’t make it less real. Sometimes we get so caught up in the mystery that we want to deny what is right up in front of our nose.
We realize power when we choose to give power to the aspects that we want to grow. The parts of us that we want and desire to illuminate.
This is the reason that people can get trapped in trying to be aware. When we are simply aware of what we have always known we get trapped in our “story”. All the reasons why we are who we are. It is awareness – but it is awareness limited to a certain space – a limited area of our mind.
Expanded awareness is literally that. It is to stretch our awareness of ourselves to see what else is there. When we look over the hills we realize there is more to us than we thought.
For people who are not used to stretching their awareness in this way it will seem like there is nothing to stretch – we may understand the concept but not the reality – how it feels to stretch. This is as it should be. In fact – this is how the stretch feels in the beginning. Like we don’t understand. Like it is unknown. A kind of void.
The greatest folly of the human ego is to think that because it doesn’t understand something that it is not worth or possible to ever grasp. And so it continues to do what it has always done.
Stretching consciousness begins with imagination. Imagination takes us into the unknown and begins to make sense of it. In the beginning we need to look and almost guess for what else is there in our minds and senses.
How many aspects of yourself are there? How many “truths?”
How many masks?
There may be one for family, one for work, one for sport, one for catching the bus, one for driving, one for shopping. Then there is angry one, the tolerant one, the obliging one, the fun one, the serious one, the perceptive one, the ignorant one, the arrogant one, the humble one, the spiritual one, the crude one. How many can we have?
The mind is infinite. We can keep on creating another aspect for another occasion just like that.
We truly are creators aren’t we?
Creativity and life are inseparable – and where would creativity lead without imagination?
A spiritual person becomes spiritual not because they have no masks or because they have no “non-spiritual” attributes (whatever the hell they are!). A person becomes spiritual because they focus their energy and attention on that part of themselves which they would define as spiritual.
A person becomes courageous not because they have no fear, but because they focus their energy and attention on that part of themselves that aligns with courage.
What we call a mask is often defined only because it is at the very least semi acceptable in our society. What we often label our “true” or deeper self is usually only the parts that we are afraid or ashamed to reveal to other people. None of this actually makes any of these selves our true self! They are still all just reflections of society. We’ve just assumed that the hidden self must be true and that the mask must be false. What if they’re all masks?
Moving on a moment.
The myth of the pure seeker is what holds so many back from being what they truly want to be. They believe that they must be purified of their “taint” before they can be “good.”
In truth we bring the “light” to the “darkness” and then we can see clearly.
In other words – focus on your solution – on your goal and destination and all else will fall into place.
Pure awareness will not take you to your goals unless that in itself is your goal. We need awareness plus conscious direction.
If we are trapped in a cycle, a pattern or “story” we can play this out until eternity if we choose to simply remain aware of this part of reality. Acknowledge where you are – but focus on where you want to go.
Be there now and you will draw it to you.
Here is an exercise to stretch your awareness into a direction of conscious and nurturing empowerment. It will help you to move out of cycles or patterns you are ready to leave.
Connect to all the reasons that you cannot achieve what you want in life. Feel all the emotions and feelings that hold you back. Be aware of all the reasons why you are “not good enough.”
Sit in it for a moment – right now.
Allow your awareness to encompass it all – all your feelings, thoughts, emotions. All the hurt, doubts and pain.
Take as long as you need to connect.
Hear what you are thinking. How does it make you feel? Feel how you’re feeling – how do you react to this?
Let yourself be in it.
Observe how you “sit” in it. How you react, think and feel “in it.”
Now imagine a feeling, a consciousness, an energy – however you would like to define it – imagine this consciousness as one that can hold all of the hurt, the doubt and pain. Imagine how this consciousness has to feel, how expansive it needs to be, how gentle and nurturing and sincerely compassionate it is to be easily capable of holding all that you are in it’s embrace.
No matter how guilty or unworthy you may feel. No matter the hurt, the doubt, the pain. This consciousness is able to hold you easily. It’s compassion is totally unconditional. It’s love is totally unconditional. Total acceptance.
Observe this feeling.
Do not be concerned with how weak or strong this feeling should or shouldn’t be. Simply imagine and know that your mind is beginning to connect with it.
Let yourself feel it.
It is there. You simply need to look.
Infinite compassion and love. The very definition of unconditional support and acceptance.
It meets all your pain, all your doubts and fears exactly how they are.
It asks no more of them than to be how they are.
Let yourself be here now.
Take how ever long you wish.
To some this is god. To others their higher self, or spirit. The name is unimportant. It is the meaning that has power. The strength of our connection to this essence is through how much we can learn to open our minds to it. Open our minds and pay attention. Attention expands and nurtures the connection between you and spirit. The more we nurture the connection, the clearer we perceive spirit or god.
Most people who have been in a cycle or pattern have been feeding and putting energy into the conduit between themselves and their patterns of pain, hurt, doubt and fear. By connecting to the essence that is able to embrace us no matter who we are and what we are feeling – we learn to heal that pain and to find a better way to live.
Life does not have to be about more and more suffering and I challenge anyone to truly question themselves if they believe it is. If you practiced the technique above then you already have insight into a connection that can truly empower you. Responsibility and choice are all that are needed to continue to strengthen that connection. Practice is all that it takes to make the connection permanent.
We are all creators. The choice is given to us in every moment. If we are conscious we have the opportunity to move out of a cycle. If we a unconscious we will continue to move in the patterns that we are in.
What do you want? Pain or joy? Self-hate? or Love? For me the answer has always been clear. The application of that answer simply requires knowledge and practice. You now have the means to both.
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