How Do You SEE Your Self? Is the Answer Waiting for You?~ (part 1 of 2 parts). Originally called: “Are You Living as a Divine Soul?”

“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself? “ ~RUMI

Rumi, the 13th Century Sufi mystic, poet, and scholar, poses a question that reminds us that self-exploration is a journey; the journey of a lifetime that is a vital quest for understanding and restoring our true greatness.

Rumi is also known for another heart-provoking directive: “Your task is not to seek love, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

These sentiments in these quotes lead me to ask you, the reader,

How do you see yourself?

Do you walk around feeling like you’re floating on soft clouds, basking in sunlight, or do you feel like you are trudging through dense fog, often getting stuck in the mud of life, struggling to find your path?  

Or perhaps you find yourself somewhere in between, navigating the shifting landscapes of your  thoughts and feelings.  How would you describe your present state of being? How do you see yourself?  I invite you to pause and reflect to explore the thoughts you have about yourself, before reading beyond this paragraph. You may even wish to record your response and date it…letting it be a snapshot of your current self-perception. I also invite you to keep track of how your self-image transforms as you read this book, letting today mark the beginning and/or deepening of your journey toward Ultimate Freedom-the liberation of your spirit from the confines of limiting beliefs and the rediscovery of your authentic self. You may also wish to ask yourself: How often do I feel successful? What emotions arise when I encounter challenges? How often do I feel  small, fearful, and/or out of control like a pawn in someone else’s kingdom? This is your moment to self-reflect…

I welcome you back with another thoughtful question…which I shall address.

What determines how accurately you see yourself and how well you treat yourself? 

If I think well of myself, I will treat myself and others well!  This points to the importance of  weeding out any false beliefs or projections-like lingering echoes of criticism or doubt- that I picked up along the way during my formative years.  False belief systems can include anything that doesn’t serve me from the past, but which  continues to effect me in the present. Just as a gardener must remove weeds to allow the flowers to bloom, I must clear these beliefs to nurture my true self.

When you were born, like most babies, the innocence and purity of you, the freshly bloomed flower, shone brightly, effortlessly revealing the natural state of the soul, untainted by the world’s expectations.  Each moment was an unfiltered expression of who you truly are.   You responded to life without the acquired mechanisms of ego and not so positive patterns of thinking and conditioning.  The world and your own karmic accounts had not yet played upon the soul’s innocence to give you a reason to develop any false or protective ways of being human.

To lose this true natural sense of self is akin to a bird forgetting how to fly-trapped in a cage of its own making.  And yet, most of us don’t realize we have lost one of the most important jewels we could ever possess!  Instead, once the soul merges into the background and the ego starts living as though it were you, the mind becomes dependent on the external environment for its identity and fulfillment.  The less we look inside, the more we tend to look outward, projecting responsibiity onto others.

A very dear soul, named Anthony Strano  noted in his book called  – The Alpha Point that:

“Every projection creates another bar on the cage. The key to open this cage is always within reach, for it is inside. When someone acknowledges the personal potential for freedom and finds and uses the key to leave the cage, it is called enlightenment. Enlightenment is nothing more than realizing where the key is. To believe in the key and use it requires assistance.” When we use this key, we are able to fly out of the cage and have a new vision of ourselves and our lives. Our attitudes can change as well as the old, worn out lyrics  that caged birds sing about “blame, complain, pain, and compare”. 

 Unless and until we look inward and find and use that key, the ego, like a chameleon, changes its colors based on external stimulation – people, places, possessions, position, social media, obsessions, compulsions, and addictive behaviors that allow you, the soul, to feel temporarily good about yourself and which even define your sense of who you think you are and who you think you are not. The ego’s dilemma is that it is constantly looking for stability and validation in an ever-shifting outward world.

Your vision of yourself becomes clouded by the external, changeable, and temporary things of the world- like a clear sky obscured by passing clouds, the true essence of your being is hidden from view. 

Until we recognize the difference between the true self and the false self,  we remain adrift without  the power of awareness to choose which identity to give life to.  As we awaken and understand the anatomy of the Soul- we are able to draw the power to choose which identity to nurture- the one that reflects our light, peace, love, and happiness.  

Building soul-awareness brings us in touch with our intrinsic value and with the fundamental goodness of ourselves and others.  Without the knowledge of soul consciousness, it is easy to forget that we are not just bodies experiencing a 3D world; we are beings of light-radiating positivity, love and a serene peace that transcends time. 

My heart-felt reason for writing and studying about the soul – stems from a personal journey of restoring this sense of Self within myself-a journey which I warmly invite you to join.  Together, we can explore methods that have been tried and tested, lighting the path toward our collective awakening.

In the next section (Part 2) I will share a more poetic, personal reflection from someone very close to me, which reveals an intimate glimpse into the answer that awaits inside each one of us.  Prepare to be inspired!

Blessing: As you embark on this journey, may you be embraced by an Ocean of Peace, that allows you to hear the whispers of the soul guiding you into the Blissful Awareness of the True You-radiant, empowered, and free.

Slogan: I am claiming my true nature of peace!