More about the false center or ego self . . .

“We all sit around in a ring and suppose, while the secret lies in the middle and knows.” Robert Frost.

The ego self or false self, is always looking for attention, for recognition and for validation.

The ego self thrives on attention. It is totally dependant on others for the attention it needs and when positive attention is lacking, negative attention will do. No attention at all is totally unacceptable to the ego self!

For the person who has lost touch with the Real Self or Intuitive Self, they identify fully with the ego self and these people become slaves to and totally dependent on the attention of others!

This is how some people exist. Even when people are abusive towards them it is better than not having any attention being paid to them at all!

The real beggar is the one who begs for attention! The real King is the one who lives from within, sensing his connection to the Real Self.

Whenever you feel miserable, close your eyes and try to find out where your misery is coming from.

You will find it is coming from the ego self, which has somehow been shaken.

Egos are always in conflict with other egos as every ego is unsure of itself.

The more unsure some egos are, the more these egos will try to fool others by appearing confident!

The path towards the Intuitive Self is a path passing through the territory of the ego self, where, very often intuitive nudges are hijacked!

It is very easy to identify the ego in others. But that is not the point. The point is to be able to identify when YOUR ego is in control.

Start looking out for your own ego, not the ego in others, as that is really none of your business.

A Zen master was walking down a street one day when a man running in the opposite direction knocked him down. The Zen master got up and continued walking in the same direction as before without even turning around.

A passing man was shocked by what had happened and asked the master. “Who was that man? Are you not angered by the way he has treated you?” The master answered, “I am not angry, his behaviour is his problem, not mine!”

Ego or intuitive nudge?

Several distinctive qualities make your intuition different from your imagination. The most important being: Intuition does not explain itself! All you get is an idea and the urge to act!

Your logical rational mind on the other hand, needs to reason everything! Herein lies the difference, as intuition does not! In other words ... if there is no reasoning, it's your intuition guiding you.

Your mind, which is really the ego, is going to resist your intuition every step of the way. This is why so many intuitive nudges are ignored!

What then is ego? Your ego is a reflected version of how society and those closest to you actually see you. The ego is established and develops as we do. Babies and young children have no ego. Their awareness is of the real Self (the inner self) looking outwards at a world outside of themselves.

As children grow up however and begin to interact more and more with their parents, peers, and society, they begin to identify with who they are, in relation to what others think of them. At this early age we lose touch with our sense of Self and begin to identify with our ego which is established through what is being reflected back at us by those around us. This is how we lose our sense of the real Self, which is the inner Self, the real immortal Self and the Source of all intuitive nudges. When you trust in yourself, you trust in the wisdom that created you!

The ego is totally dependent upon others and being accepted by the society we live in. This is why a poor self image, results from the way other people see and treat us. A poor self image establishes itself when we do not have a strong intuitive link to the real Self, the true Self or what is sometimes referred to as the Soul Self.

The collective unconscious

"No matter what the world thinks about religious experience, the one who has it possesses the great treasure of a thing that has provided him with a source of life, meaning and beauty and that has given a new splendour to the world and to mankind." C.G. JUNG

Through lack of scientific proof our culture does not recognize a dimension of reality beyond the physical universe and labels any reference to one as “taboo.” Nor does our culture acknowledge any form of consciousness transcendant to our own. This leaves us with nothing to connect us to something beyond ourselves. There is a growing need within the human psyche to bridge the gap between the physical reality we know and the unseen reality referred to as Soul or Spirit or God.

Carl Jung’s contribution to our understanding of the human psyche is that he found it to be accessible through what he referred to as the “collective unconscious.”

Carl Jung realized that man knew of and understood very little of this “other side”, man’s deeper ground. He diagnosed neurosis as a state of incompleteness and realized that real health represented a state of wholeness. This wholeness was brought about through reconnection of the left hemispheric mind, the logical rational side, with the unrecognized and essential counterpart of itself, the intuitive side. Jung wrote, “In the end the only events in my life worth telling are those when the imperishable world interrupted into this transitory one”.

Jung’s theories have re-awakened a curiosity in man to discover this concept of Soul.

Normal waking consciousness is but one type of consciousness. Parted from it by the most delicate of screens, lie other forms of consciousness entirely different. Most of us go through life without ever discovering their existence but when we apply the required stimulus whether by choice or by accident they appear to our wonder and amazement.

The problems facing modern man are rooted in the increasing polarization between the conscious mind and the unconscious, between thinking and feeling, mind and Soul. The disassociation of the rational mind from the primordial or instinctual one is a growing danger to humanity. The more dependent we are upon reason and the rational logical mind, the more our instinctual side appears to drive and overwhelm us. We need to create a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious elements of man’s psyche. We need to convey a sense of wholeness through the acknowledgement of the multifaceted nature of man. In separating nature from Spirit and excluding Soul from physical matter an essential part of man’s wholeness has been lost.

The wholeness of mans nature is available to us through the founding of a relationship with a deeper center of consciousness. By establishing a dialogue with the unconscious, we are able to develop Spiritual insight.

More and more people are finding that our belief system of the past no longer serves us. What we need is a pathway to Spirituality grounded in introspection, self-knowledge, and intuitive insight. This belief system should include an ethical responsibility to life in all its forms - both the seen and the unseen.

The evolution of man’s psyche has brought about the gradual differentiation of consciousness from the purely instinctual and unconscious drive of an animal, to the development of the capacity for reflection through a highly skilled intellect. Through the process of evolution however our most fundamental aspects have been shattered. We have separated mind from body and spirit from nature. We have lost our sense of interdependency and our participation in a sacred universal contract.

As with all species living on planet earth at the deepest level we are connected. In addition to holding instinctual drives, the collective unconscious pools all intellectual experience. The collective unconscious is the heritage of our species and what each individual does affects the whole.

Self-awareness grounded in Soul is our connection to a new Spirituality.

The psyche of modern man is once again awakening to the fact that the Spirit is not something separate from the body but is the life force itself. Man is not something separate from nature. Man is a part of nature, a part of this universal intelligence. We are only now beginning to awaken to our interdependency - to the necessity of the interconnectedness of all aspects of life.

Einstein understood this as he wrote “A human being is part of the whole we call universe. A part limited in time and space. Man experiences himself as something separate from the whole, a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This delusion has imprisoned us. We are restricting ourselves to our personal desires and to the affection of only a few persons who are nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this illusion by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

Body and mind, or matter and psyche are two aspects of an underlying intelligence using them as vehicles of expression. The psyche of man extends into a dimension beyond time and space and there is a continuity between the physical world and this other dimension. An awareness of the connection between ourselves and the infinite, is an essential part of the development and evolution of our individual psyche as well as for the collective benefit to our species.

Every thought we have affects every cell in our body in turn affecting the whole of nature. Human consciousness is at the very heart of our universe. Since the nature of consciousness is the key to our awareness of this other dimension then a study which welcomes the experiences of each and every one of us including our feelings, insights, intuitive promptings and imagination is long overdue.

Wisdom

“Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair and against our will, comes wisdom, through the grace of God.” . . . Eascalus

Wisdom is not anything that can be learned – the only way to acquire wisdom is to earn it.

The ability to accept and grow from life’s lessons is the beginning of wisdom. Sometimes when we cry out to life for the answers we receive wisdom through a life challenging lesson. It is through wisdom that a tragedy becomes a teaching. This is the way of wisdom. It teaches us how to understand and learn through acceptance.

Sometimes we have no control over the life situations we face. Our control lies in how we react to the life situations we face.

The way to take control of your life is by beginning to live it consciously, compassionately, joyously and with love. We were not born to live in pain. We can choose to learn through pain or joy. We were born to learn how to transform our lives through a greater understanding of the Divine and the way to do that is through developing Self-knowledge.

Learning to listen

Intuition is Soul guidance appearing naturally in man during those instants when his mind is quiet.





The trick is learning to listen to the silence. There is nothing mysterious about meditation and anyone who has thought deeply about any one idea or focused intently on a personal problem has unconsciously been meditating. As a tool of the mind however, meditation is much more effective if you are able to consciously turn it on and off at will.
There are a number of fears and misconceptions surrounding meditation. One such misconception is that it is very difficult and great efforts of concentration are needed. Others believe that they may lose control or float away and yet another objection is that meditation is some form of religious practice.
So, what exactly is meditation and how does one learn to turn it on and off at will?
Perception, conscious choice and intuition are all employed on the path of meditation, creating the awareness of our thoughts and emotions as being the disturbance separating us from our profound peaceful selves and the wisdom within. The goal of meditation therefore is to calm the mind so that it may hear, without distortion, the infallible counsel of the inner voice or Soul. It is the simple process of reversing the outward flow of energy in the form of thoughts until the mind, no longer dependent upon sensory perception, becomes the dynamic receptor of energy in the form of “pure awareness” which is the experience of Truth.

Meditation, sometimes referred to as the “royal path of yoga” (yoga being the science of Self-realization) involves working towards mastering consciousness by stilling the flow of thoughts and emotions passing through our conscious awareness. By doing this, we seek alignment with an overriding state of serenity beyond the disturbance of our thoughts and emotions.

The first step towards reaching this state of serenity beyond our thoughts and emotions is to recognize that our emotions are the false layers often referred to as “veils”, which obscure the True Self. We are not trying to deny our emotions their reality, we are seeing them for what they are, temporary ripples of disturbance. Once we become aware of our thoughts and emotions as they arise we can learn how to dismantle and dissolve them.

What we are aiming at in doing this, is the opening of the subconscious mind. Through the subconscious, we are able to reach the highest “super conscious experience” or what is sometimes termed universal consciousness. In order to get from the conscious state of “ego” to the state of higher awareness via the subconscious, we use the mind as a bridge to cross the expanse dividing the two.

Meditation is therefore not forcing the mind to be quiet it is finding the quiet that is already there. It is allowing the waking, conscious, thinking mind to stop thinking. When we permit this to happen our attention focuses on the peaceful, unchanging level we call the Self. When we become consciously aware on this deeper level of Self, we infuse our mind with the same peace and silence. In this silence the mind has transcended the activity of thinking. At first this will only happen very briefly. With regular practice however the waking mind will begin to let go of any thoughts and emotions resting peacefully in this gentle state of pure awareness.

Each time you go into a state of meditation it will take you deeper and deeper inside yourself where you will experience a place untouched by fear or negativity. This place is a very real part of you.

Why is this connection to the silent deeper level of Self so important? Because silence is the birthplace of happiness! In this silence we receive our bursts of creative inspiration, intuitive insights, tender feelings of compassion and empathy and a total sense of joy. These delicate feelings, emotions and intuitive flashes are easily drowned out by the chaotic roar of our internal dialogue or ego and never reach our conscious awareness.

There are many different meditative techniques but the basic requirements of all forms are :

· breath control

· a relaxed body

· a quiet mind

Find a quiet place somewhere in your home where you will not be disturbed. It need not be a large space - a comfortable chair in one corner of your bedroom will be all you need. Try to meditate in the same place and at the same time everyday. This will assist your mind in letting go as it will associate the time and place with relaxation. Meditation in the morning will help prepare your mind for the day and meditation in the evening will help rid your body of tension and your mind of mental activity before sleep.
Begin your meditative session by making yourself comfortable either sitting erect or lying flat. It is important to keep your spine straight in either position. Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath. Do not try to alter it in any way. Just observe your breath as it enters and leaves your body. Sense a letting go of thoughts, emotions and any tensions with each exhalation. Do this for five or six minutes.

Awareness of the breath is one of the most basic and widely practiced forms of meditation. It is particularly effective for calming the mind and releasing the body from tension arising from anxiety and confusion. It helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which exerts a calming influence on the muscles of the body. Focusing your attention on the breath also helps disengage thought and leads the mind effortlessly and naturally to more subtle levels of awareness. As the breath comes and goes in one’s awareness, the mind begins to seek more subtle levels of thought until eventually all thought is left behind. At this point we say the mind has transcended. The mind is now in touch with its own deepest nature – pure awareness.

When your mind begins to wander or you experience distracting thoughts permit these thoughts to pass on through your conscious awareness without allowing them to hold your attention. Experience every new thought that enters your mind as something you have the conscious choice to focus on or not. When you do not focus on the content of the thought it will pass on through your mind without causing too much of a disturbance to your growing awareness of inner peace.

Mental exercise is no different from physical exercise and it will take perseverance and regular practice in order to see results. Sessions should not be too long to begin with as you may find yourself becoming bored or falling asleep. Start with five or ten minutes and build up your mental stamina slowly. Work towards a forty-five minute session at least three times a week. With regular practice it will become easier, your concentration will improve and your nervous system will benefit from the periods of relaxation and stillness.

"The beautuful things in life cannot be seen or heard, they must be felt with the heart." . . . . Helen Keller

The human energy system

"Not only is the universe more complicated than we suppose but it is more complicated that we can suppose." Albert Einstein

Light or energy is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Light visible to the human eye, occupies that part of the electromagnetic spectrum from a wavelength of 0.000038 cm to 0.000076 cm. There is nothing sacred about light that occupies that part of the electromagnetic spectrum outside of this range, it is just that for practical purposes we cannot see it.

When dispersed by a prism, light is seen to be composed of various colours ranging from red, having the longest wavelength through to orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet having the shortest wavelength. Just beyond the range of human vision at either end of the light spectrum, are the higher frequency colours of ultraviolet and the lower (?) frequency colours of infrared.

It was thought by many around the end of the 19^th century that a medium was necessary for light to travel through, just as sound waves must have a medium. This medium was called the “ether.”

Einstein’s theory of relativity postulates that the speed of light is dependent upon the motion of its source. In layman’s terms this means simply that the wavelength or colour of light is dependent upon the density or vibrational frequency of its source during refraction.

When light enters a glass prism, it’s vibrational frequency is slowed down by the density of the glass. Inside the prism the light is split into different frequencies or colours. Since each frequency or colour has a different wavelength they are each bent at slightly different angles. Those colours with the shorter wavelengths are bent at a greater angle than those colours with longer wavelengths.

Not only do colours have different wavelengths, they also have different temperatures. This was discovered by the scientist William Herschel, in 1800. The difference in the temperature of colour is due to the fact that each colour is vibrating at a different frequency and producing a different wavelength.

This was brought home to me when I was told the following story by a chemistry teacher. She had been a volunteer caring for disabled children. One day, one of the children a little girl aged about twelve, who was born blind, turned to her excitedly and said “ OOOH you are wearing my favourite colour!” My teacher was astonished! She looked at her in amazement. The child could sense the vibrational frequency of the colour she was wearing and knew exactly what it “felt” like. In fact it was her favourite “feeling” but she called it colour as that was how she had learned to interpret it.

Life is a sensory experience! Sometimes when our sense perception is compromised our sensory experience is heightened as in the case of the blind child.

According to the quantum theory of light, developed by Albert Einstein and Max Planck, at the beginning of the 20^th century, light is emitted and absorbed into tiny bundles of energy called quanta. Light quanta or photons as they are sometimes called, provided the first example of particle-wave duality. This is important to what I am building up to, so please bear with me. When interacting with matter, the tiny bundles of light energy, known as photons or quanta, behave like particles. When travelling through space however they behave like waves.

So, what has all this to do with the human energy field and our intuitive experiences?

The physical body is exactly like a glass prism. It absorbs light waves turning them into tiny bundles of energy particles and refracts these tiny bundles of energy particles back into the ether in the form of light waves. We have all met someone we did not like and could not understand why. It is because the tiny bundles of light energy being refracted by their body did not “feel” good when they passed through ours.

Just as a glass prism breaks up white light into separate colours so does the human body break up white light or energy into separate colours through a system known as the chakra system. When white light (energy) enters one of the seven major chakra’s, its vibrational frequency is slowed down by the density of physical matter. Each chakra is responsible for intercepting and transforming energy and refracting it back into the ether as a wavelength or frequency displaying a distinctive colour.

These colours emanating from the body are not seen by the human eye as their frequency wavelength lies outside the normal range of human perception.

We are truly beings of light. Through the medium of a physical body we absorb and transform energy (light) into different frequencies and refract it back into the ether.

For centuries, it has been claimed that all living creatures have a life force or energy (light) body surrounding them. This vital life force, which psychics call the aura, is now known to create order in living systems. This energy is able to influence cellular patterns of growth in both positive and negative directions and it is constantly building and re-building the cellular structure of our bodies. Life-force flows through the body as if it were following an invisible circulatory system, charging every cell in its path. With the help of Kirlian photography, modern science now has empirical proof of its existence and that every living cell is surrounded and nourished by it.

The seven major energy centers in the human body namely the chakras are where the life force, (light or energy whatever you prefer to call it) is transformed, slowing it down to a frequency level where energy sustains and becomes matter, giving us our life experience.

The following information about the chakra system will help you understand how the transformation of energy into matter takes place when creating the human life experience.

The chakras, exist within the energy body interpenetrating the physical body. The energy body can be measured as an electromagnetic force field composed of light or energy. The word chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel” or “disk” and denotes a point of intersection between energy and matter - or, consciousness and body.

The chakras are where the energy of our emotions and thoughts meet and interact with our physical body. The emotion of love for example related to the fourth chakra is felt in the center of the chest. As the heart chakra opens to receiving love, it fills with the life force. We experience the physical sensation of swelling or bursting with happiness. When our hearts are broken however, a physical pain is felt in the same area, as our heart chakra shuts down repelling energy and losing power as though it were punctured, leaving us feeling powerless and depleted.

Energy entering each chakra is associated with a form of consciousness and we experience this exchange of energy as sight, sound, sensory experience and intuitive knowledge.

Any blockage in the bodies energy system distorts our perception, numbs our feeling and sensory experience and generally dampens our experience of life.

As a human being grows from a baby into adulthood, the chakras develop according to the psychological pattern unfolding in the individual’s life.

Whenever we experience anything unpleasant our natural instinct is to try to block or numb our feelings. This inhibits the natural flow of energy though our system causing blockages. Someone who is continually rejected when trying to give or receive love, will eventually try to stop the energy flow from the fourth or heart chakra resulting in emotional withdrawal and the possibility of the physical manifestation of disease in that area.

When functioning normally the chakras are fully “open’ and spin in a clockwise direction drawing the life force needed into the energy field.

When the chakra s are spinning counterclockwise however, the life force is repelled eventually compromising the metabolic process at cellular level. This chakra is then seen to be “closed” to incoming energies.

This is how we create our individual life experience. Everything has a vibrational frequency. Love has a certain vibration, fear has a different vibration to love. Money has a vibration, generosity has a vibration, anger has a vibration, jealousy has a vibration etc, etc.

The vibrational frequencies entering your energy field are dependent upon those of your chakras, which are open and spinning in a clockwise direction. Those chakras spinning in an anti clockwise direction are repelling vibrational frequencies away from you, sending them out into the cosmos for someone else who is “open” to absorb and transform.

The following is a brief description of each of the seven major chakras, where they are located in the energy body and their psychological and energic function in relation to the physical body.

Chakra One: Located at the base of the spine, it faces downwards. The base chakra is red in colour therefore having the longest wavelength. In Sanskrit it is called Muladhara, meaning root support. The vibrational frequency being slower and it’s density heavier than the other chakras. Energy transformed by this chakra is associated with the adrenal glands and is responsible for our physical survival. E.g. The flight or fight response.

Chakra Two: Located in the lower abdomen halfway between the sex organs and the navel. Having the colour orange, it is known as Svadhisthana in Sanskrit, meaning sweetness. Energy transformed by this chakra is associated with the male and female sex organs, sexuality and our emotions.

Chakra Three: Located in the solar plexus. It’s colour is yellow. In Sanskrit it is known as Manipura meaning lustrous gem, is associated with the adrenal glands as well as the pancreas. Energy transformed by this chakra is responsible for our feelings of personal power, mental activity, self will and self esteem.

Chakra Four: Located in front of the sternum. It’s colour is green. Known in Sanskrit as Anahata meaning unstruck it is associated with the thymus gland. Energy transformed by this chakra is responsible for our feelings of love.

It is worth noting here that the first three chakras are largely associated with the phycial body, whereas chakra’s five, six and seven are connected to and associated with our Spiritual aspect. Chakra number four, the heart chakra, is seen as the bridge uniting these two aspects of our nature.

Chakra Five: Located in the throat area, it’s colour is cobalt blue. Known in Sanskrit as Visuddha meaning purification. Energy transformed by this chakra is responsible for communication and how we express ourselves both verbally and creatively.

Chakra Six: Located in the center of the forehead. Sometimes known as the “third eye” it’s colour being indigo. The Sanskrit name is Ajna meaning to perceive. It is associated with the pineal gland and energy transformed by this chakra is responsible for our imagination, visualization, vision, intuition and clairvoyance.

Chakra Seven: Located at the top of the head it faces upwards, The colour of this chakra is violet and in Sanskrit it is known as Sahasrara, meaning thousandfold. Energy transformed by this chakra is associated with the pituitary gland and is responsible for our spiritual knowledge, wisdom, understanding and transcendent consciousness.

You will have noted by now, that the colours of the chakras in the human energy field correspond to those seen in the colour spectrum of light when it is passed through a glass prism!

We really are beings of light. Our bodies refract light. Consciousness enters our body in the form of energy or light where it is transformed and sent back out into the cosmos. In other words, you create your own reality through how you transform or refract consciousness in the form of light or energy.

The sixth chakra, situated in the middle of the forehead, is responsible for transforming energy associated with telepathy or intuitive knowledge. Frequencies associated with this chakra are known as higher vibrational frequencies as they are coming from a higher source of awareness or consciousness - i.e. they have a faster vibration. When the sixth chakra is open and fully functional we are able to tune into and intercept information on a vibrational frequency at this Higher level of awareness.

My very first experience of knowingly receiving intuitive knowledge came to me in a dream many years ago. I was worried about someone close to me who was about to embark on a business trip to China. He had been invited to attend an international conference on global energy. It was during the latter half of the eighties and there was a lot of unrest in China after the Tiananmen square incident. This particular night I had gone to bed feeling very unsettled about the impending trip. A few hours later I awoke from a dream in which I had seen a rainbow. The strange thing about the rainbow was that it was only three or four inches long. Stranger still was the message conveyed to me by the rainbow. Intuitively I knew it was symbolic of a safe passage and return journey from China for my partner.

Now I know what you are thinking, “that sounds silly” and I agree with you it does. The profound thing about the dream was the “feeling” I experienced on seeing the rainbow. It was a feeling of ABSOLUTE certainty. Not even the tiniest hint of a doubt was in my mind. I was one hundred percent sure of the significance of the “four inch” rainbow. It meant a safe passage to China for my partner. Simply that, there was no maybe, perhaps or possibly. In fact I could say with confidence that the entire journey would run exactly as planned. There were to be no delayed flights, no lost luggage or any hitches along the way.

It is very difficult to convey an experience like this to someone who has never had one. Those of you who have had similar experiences will know what they “feel” like and understand why there is no room for doubt? This is intuitive knowledge and it comes from an aspect of the Self, rooted in Higher consciousness or awareness.

Information coming from this source is transformed by the sixth chakra or the “third eye. “ It is not uncommon for it to be presented symbolically as this seems to be the universal language of the human psyche. Most importantly though, is the “feeling” attached to the symbol or symbols as they are presented.

Self-worth, self-esteem and self-confidence

Receiving clear intuitive guidance requires the ability to respect your own impressions. High self-esteem is necessary for this type of inner listening.

From the moment we are born we are forced into submission. Firstly to the will of our parents and care givers, then to our teachers, our clergy and religion, the ruling power or government, our bosses, our doctors, etc. etc.

Society and our environment demand that we conform. Conformity results in the loss of self-expression. It takes energy to swim upstream against the norm. It takes courage to express oneself when our support system does not relate to or understand that which we are expressing. Sometimes our desire to please overrides our desire to create at the expense of our self-will, self-worth and self-esteem.

When we lack self-worth we also lack self-confidence and will often crawl into a safe rut and stay there. This dampens our experience of life. We become insular, losing our spontaneity, enthusiasm our dreams and desires.

This is how we lose our connection to Self and our inner power. Instead of self-referral we begin looking outward for guidance and begin to doubt our inner impressions.

Self-dicipline is not self-punishment as it is so often portrayed, but rather self-development. When we lose the connection to Self we also lose our need for self-discipline which opens us up to temptation. We begin to over indulge ourselves. Without the connection to Self we are powerless against temptation.

Our personal power is lost when we begin to look outside of Self for security, guidance and direction. We stop taking responsibility for our choices and actions and we become victims of our society. We begin to experience fear as we become powerless and we withdraw. When we give our personal power over to objects outside of Self we experience a sense of being out of control and we become afraid. We then try to regain a sense of control and we focus on objects outside of the Self which are impossible to control. We may consciously believe ourselves to be safe but at a deeper level of existence we are afraid and powerless.

When we block our own power and expression we lack spontaneity and appear cold and controlled. What we are feeling however is a lack of control and a sense of fear. This appearance of control is exhausting and depletes our energy. Our self-expression then turns inwards on itself, resulting in self-criticism, self-loathing and self-persecution. When somebody lacks self-worth and self-esteem they are easier to control and manipulate. When you dislike the way you are feeling you dislike yourself. It is easier to control and manipulate somebody who does not like themself i.e. does not like the way they are feeling. When you do not like the way you are feeling you become focussed on the feeling of discomfort to the exclusion of all other feelings. You anesthetize yourself as a form of protection for fear of further feelings of discomfort. What you also do however is block yourself from feeling joy and desensitize yourself to receiving guidance from within.

Only a connection to Self at a deep level will break this self-destructive cycle. Also an attitude of acceptance of ones shortcomings as well as acknowledgement of one’s strengths in a non-jugdemental loving way will break this negative cycle.

Expressing self-will comes from a connection to Self and a trust in oneself when making decisions. This includes the willingness to face the unknown and take risks and acceptance of responsibility for one’s choices.

It is through using and testing self-will that confidence begins to develop. High self-esteem results in self-confidence, enthusiasm, assertiveness and the willingness to take risks. Self-esteem develops from trial and error and a realistic sense of one’s own capabilities. Experience brings knowledge and knowledge is power.

Once you are confident and trust your own impressions this is the beginning of inner strength and you will be less likely to make bad choices.

It is only when you stop trying to always feel safe and secure that you begin building your personal power from within. Only in a dynamic state of interaction with our environment can we fully express the true Self.

Ayurveda tells us that ill health is the result of an inability to manifest our desires.

The expression of self-will at the deepest level is the alignment of the personality with the Soul. This brings with it the most potential for joy as herein lies the most potential for self-expression.

Having a sense of purpose and experiencing fulfillment with regard to ones self-expression or life’s work affords us the greatest experience of life. This calls for recognition of and striving for a state of interdependence with the Self our society and environment.

The Higher Self

"Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath, and Fire my Spirit!”. A Native American Spiritual chant.

The first and most fundamental step on the path to spiritual knowledge is the discovery that you are not only your personality and physical body. You also have a Soul, which is the most important part of you! From birth until death, your Soul seeks to manifest itself through your personality using your physical body as a means of expression. After the death of your physical body your Soul will continue on its journey.Man is a triune being having three aspects to his nature. These three aspects are:

1. The physical body and personality or conscious self (the subconscious mind is also considered a part of this aspect of man’s nature with DNA coding being the subconscious mind of every cell);

2. The higher self or what is sometimes called the super-conscious mind and

3. The Soul.

The job of the Higher self is to hold a clear blueprint of how the Soul comes into relationship with the personality or conscious self. Your Higher self, your conscious self and your Soul form a triangle. This blueprint, held by the Higher self, holds the key to the perfect integration of your Soul with your personality and conscious self. This is what is known as the mystical marriage. Your sub-conscious mind is like the hard drive on a computer. It only holds information that has been programmed into it. All experiences both real and those that are strongly imagined are stored in the subconscious mind. These impressions lie beneath the surface of our conscious awareness and influence all of our decision making. Sub-conscious impressions are responsible for our survival as they contain the collective instinctual drive of the human psyche. The sub-conscious mind’s reference however, lies only in the past. Since the sub-conscious mind does not have access to events of the future, as its reference lies only in the past, our intuitive feelings, promptings and emotional nudges must surface from some other source. This other source is what is known as the super conscious mind or Higher self. That aspect of man’s nature, holding the blueprint of the Soul’s perfect integration with the personality or conscious self. When we are truly in tune with and listening to the subtle whisperings of our intuition we are in touch with and listening to the Higher Self. The Higher self carries with it a perfect picture or blueprint of the most potential for personal growth offered to us during our lifetime. When we align our personality with this blueprint held by the Higher self, we are aligning to the Soul purpose of this lifetime. When the personality or conscious self is in danger of interfering with the life purpose of the Soul it is guided by the Higher self and nudged back on track. What we have to make sure of, is that we are listening!