The Self

The Real You

“The ego always wants something from other people or situations. There is always a hidden agenda, always a sense of 'not enough yet,' of insufficiency and lack that needs to be filled. It uses people and situations to get what it wants, and even when it succeeds, it is never satisfied for long.”

                                     Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth)

You'd think from reading this quote that all people are simply conniving, evil, con-artists lurking about, waiting to prey on unsuspecting dupes. Not so. Ego is a very important psychic structure and is necessary to keep us held together in some kind of rational whole. But it is not all of who we are—and it is not even the most important part of who we are. If you dial back the inflammatory language from this quote, like taking 'always' out of the first two sentences, you will see that when we are simply being our natural selves, going about the business of life, this is the guiding principle. I want this; I need that; how can I land that job; how can I increase my income, who can I get to do this work, etc. It's just life as we live it.

The challenge is to not get so lost in this part of who we are, that we think it IS who we are. Because underneath this piece of 'everyday me' is a wealth of 'otherness'. The way to get to it is to peel off one layer at a time, starting with the roles we play—for instance, I am a mother, but that is not all of who I am; I am a woman, I am a teacher, I am a bad person, I am a good person, etc. As you strip away each layer, ask the question, what else am I, until you get down to silence. There in the silence, you will find the essence, the level of pure consciousness. It is this silent awareness that is the real you—the rest is like the clothes you put on everyday.

When you make contact with this 'Self' inside, you realize just how expansive you are; how unbound you are from any role you play; how this part of you needs nothing, wants for nothing. It is this part of you that is in touch with spirit. It is a reservoir of never ending inspiration and energy. It makes all the ego's wants and needs less important, less consuming. We can step away from the 'everyday us' and take a breather. The ego's demands wear us out. The Self refreshes and restores.

                                         In the spirit,

                                          Jane