Know Thyself - the Path to Enlightenment

Know Thyself is an ancient Greek aphorism or principle. To truly know yourself you have to understand the "I" that exists outside of time and space. The "I" is pure consciousness, the foundation of all existence. I like to call it the energy of the Universe, the energy of Spirit.

The "I" is neither in the physical body, nor in the physical mind, which operate in time and space. Both body and mind represent biological processes undergoing change, of arising and subsiding, of birth and death. In other words, the body and mind are subject to the continuum of life. You are not your body. For example, you are not your hand, for you don’t say I am hand, you say I have a hand. You are not your thoughts nor are you your feelings. You "have" these experiences. Again, you are not your environment, you are not your relationships or your family. You are not even your name, you "have" a name.?Personality is similarly a time-based construct within the timeless "I"; personality is built up over time and is an accumulation of things that we identify with, such as shifting circumstances, situations, events, feelings, sensations, emotions, possessions, relationships, etc.

The “I” in contrast is in the eternal now and is not enslaved by time or space. The "I" is the source of perception, thought, emotions, memory, desire (intention), imagination and volition (act of will or choice). The "I" interprets all perceptual experience, whether the experience is through the physical 5 senses, through thought, feelings and emotions, through imagination and memory or through intention or choice.

So who the heck are we? We are pure consciousness – the ground of our and all existence. A possibility field that interacts with its own self and in every moment of existence. It experiences itself as the observer, and identifies with the process of observation and the interaction with that which is observed. The "I" in me is the same as the "I" in you. The "I" of all existence - hence Universal energy.

The Problem of Suffering

Humans are the only life form on the planet that are subject to self-inflicted suffering. This is because humans yield to an existential crisis, a search for identity, relevance and meaning.

1. They do not know who “I” is.
2. They grasp and cling to something that can’t be grasped or can't be clung to. Because you can't grasp a ceaseless activity which is the "I". It's like trying to grasp or cling to the breeze.
3. They're afraid of impermanence, within the flux that is the field of all possibilities.
4. They identify with the false, constricted, habitual self, that is called the ego.
5. They fear death (which follows from 3 above).

(Source: Deepak Chopra)

The Challenge to Move from Mindlessness to Mindfulness

So how to extricate ourselves from this existential crisis? The answer is in the awareness of the present moment, of the "now". This is what mindfulness and meditation are all about. It's about connection to the "I" behind the multi-layered onion of the ego mind and body. It's connection to the spirit of who we are behind the illusions of fear, around who we are, what we need and where we are going.

“We are asleep.?Our Life is a dream. But we wake up sometimes, just enough to know that we are dreaming.” ―?Ludwig Wittgenstein

Many people resist stillness in the moment (meditation/mindfulness), because it is very contra to our conditioned way of living and the way our body and mind like to simplify activity through mindless habituation. We become very much enmeshed in mechanical energy.

The other issue is that our focus always seems to be on the external appearance of things, of having and doing, rather than on simply being. This gives rise to an awareness of neediness and illusion, that our identity is externally defined and that what we need is on the outside of who we are within. There's a perception that we're in pursuit of something that hasn't been attained yet (this "grasping" idea). There's always a lack and need for something more. We're never truly happy or content, and are always chasing rainbows.

To disrupt these patterns, we have to work at introspection, fullest self-awareness in each and every moment. We have to embrace a "willingness to look deeply at one's present moments, no matter what they hold, in a spirit of generosity, kindness toward oneself, and openness toward what might be possible" (Jon Kabat-Zinn from his book Wherever you go, there you are").

Awareness of Contrast and Challenge

There will always be ups and downs. That is the Law of Rhythm. There'll be times when we feel like we're flying high as a kite and other times when we feel down in the dumps, sad or grief-stricken. But to smooth the bumpiness of life, we have to be aware of the choices we make and how we respond, rather than react, to an event, person or set of circumstances. We have to be ready to make choices about our perceptions, beliefs, emotions and actions that will support us rather than hinder the experience of calmness and happiness in our life.

If you're currently experiencing challenge, adversity, annoyance, anger or frustration - ask yourself why? Why are you creating barriers or resistances in your energy? If you find yourself answering quickly, it probably means you have not allowed yourself to dig deeper. If you baulk at answering this question, also ask yourself why.

For me, the challenge has always been around self-worth: understanding and accepting that I am enough, that I matter, that I have a voice that needs to be heard. And that is what I encourage other female entrepreneurs and coaches who suffer similarly to acknowledge, embrace and embody.

When you are aware that what you are experiencing is simply the result of where you're placing your energy and focus, you can change your experience by going back to its origin (thoughts, feelings). This is the Law of Cause and Effect. If you're not happy with your current circumstances, ask yourself what thoughts and feelings have you been entertaining to create such a scenario. In the specific case of not earning enough, ask yourself, do you value yourself, do you value your gifts, your abilities or what you have to contribute to the world? When you start to identify the contrast of what's not right in your life, you can then start to change your perception and your choices, in terms of your thinking, feelings and behaviour.

Your Treasure

To really know yourself, you have to understand what your treasure is, the unique gift you bring to the world. You may have a similar talent or gift to someone else, but the way it's expressed will be unique to you, because each person has a unique energy signature.

To also know yourself you have to understand your highest values. What do you value or appreciate most in life? And what are you trying to achieve? For me, my highest values are love, peace, connection, joy and serving (another expression of which is giving to make the world a better place). But unconditional love tops it all, for that is the abundant energy of the Universe that brings peace, unity and a sense of connection and belonging.

Then the challenge is to ask yourself, whether you are living in alignment with your values and with what you want to achieve. And if not, what is preventing you? What fears, doubts or conditioning are you subject to? And never forget most fears are illusory, they are False Evidence Appearing Real. The only real fears are the fear of loud noises and falling.

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What is Sin?

As a cradle Catholic, I had such trouble with the idea of original sin and being born into sin. But what if sin were really just an old-fashioned way of saying illusion. That makes far more sense and is far more palatable and surmountable.

Because the truth of the matter, is that we were all born into this world “blind”: blind to our greatness, blind to the energy of the Creator in us, blind to our separation from God (or a Higher Intelligence if you prefer), blind to our magnificence. It's not an ego energy to claim our divine inheritance of universal power, truth and oneness with the Creator.

The alternative of not stepping into our higher self, greater awareness of our creative powers is living a life either on someone else’s terms or in victim mode, feeling that we have no direction or control over our lives. Things just seem to happen to us and there’s not much we can do about it! That for me is continuing to live in sin, in negation of who we intrinsically are and not accepting the responsibility of expressing our greatest potential.

Sin is about experiencing that separation and losing sight of who we are and what our purpose is. Our purpose is to create heaven on earth, to live through the expression of love and joy, and help others see that too. It’s not for us to wait and expect salvation and redemption. It’s to go through the process of self-healing and redemption from within and reconnecting to our God-self. For me self-compassion has been the biggest healing agent. It’s how I use that God-like energy to stop the judge in me in its tracks: to halt the inner critic, the judging of others, the judging of situations and circumstances. It's a higher path to healing and to being at peace with oneself and others.

As a reminder, today (Monday, 19th December) at 12.30pm GMT I'm running a free workshop on Alignment for Results. It's all about choosing SMARTIE intentions over SMART goals and why that's important in moving the energy of self towards the embodiment of your intentions and your vision. I will be showing you a unique energy recalibration and alignment method that can give you clarity, can grow your confidence and "flow", and I'll also be sharing a beautiful manifestation meditation. Here's the link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81488401687?pwd=YSthcVRqK1hFTjBtelFHdE5ac21wdz09 .

And here's the accompanying workbook, which in and of itself offers huge standalone value:

https://energy-transformations.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Alignment-for-Results-Workbook-NEW.docx

Do join me. If you can't make it live, let me know and I'll send the link to the recording. Please feel free to share this article or the workshop link. Namaste!