PARTNERSHIP
Saying “hello” to the authentic self feels like evolution-in-process. Today it feels like the true self is like an inverted teepee that started growing in Mom’s womb, and is still growing, developing, and evolving, moment-to-moment. When the true self is responding, absent reacting to the tugs of either mind chatter, fear, triggers, attachment style, sensual experiences, physical sensations, presented self, spiritual vibes, religion, or a combination of two or more of the noted tugs, the true self can respond and behave with authenticity. Moreover, actual thoughts, words, language, actions, and behaviors are in sync with each other. An alternative is to show up as the ego, the “people pleasing” mode, the thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors that surface based on what is expected of us or based on social or peer pressure. This is living the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered— Mom, Dad, Gma, Gpa, teachers, monks, imams, priests, nuns, rabbis, coaches, mentors, ministers, therapists, military buddies, military brass, professors, classmates, neighbors, bosses, spouses, kids, etc. These programs are the result of our grooming since before birth simply because the conscious mind has been programming the subconscious mind to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered.
The challenge and opportunity are to be the true self and motor along in life as the authentic self. Being able to be present and witness ourselves in action-mindfulness and awareness meditation-is critical to growing awareness of tugs between how we show up in the world and how one desires to show up in the world for ourselves and others. Evolving from witnessed behaviors emerge tiny steps for love of self, learning communication with one another beyond the unhealthy and healthy ego, loving others, and bringing to life the mysterious collective intelligence that lives between and among us, but is not specific to any of us. With passionate intention, 100% responsibility, facing everything and fearing nothing, and action one can evolve into being a good partner who enjoys partnership and collectives.
Andrew Cohen contends,
One of the remarkable discoveries made in many years of practicing a contemporary spiritual path is that enlightened awareness can not only come alive in the interior of an individual-as a ‘Higher I’-but also in the interior of a collective-as a ‘Higher we.’ When this mysterious new kind of enlightenment emerges, it expresses itself in the space between us-and it effectively becomes the intersubjective experience of the whole group. (Manifest Nirvana: A Sanctuary for 21st Century Spiritual Explorers, 1)
Christian Larson’s message in The Great Within is clear: our sickness, disease, illness, health, wellness, and wellbeing are reflections of the language we live in; and since birth the conscious mind (5% of who we are) has been programming the subconscious mind (95% of who we are) to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered. These programs are the result of our past thinking and our tomorrows the result of our present thinking. We have been our mental parents, and we shall be our own mental children. All that a person does and brings to pass is a gesture of thought. What one thinks and passionately or lazily passes along to the body as a “must do” or “should do” is what one gets. The challenge is to close the gap between the authentic self, the language of integrity, and the others’ self that we have chosen to create because of what others have offered and we have chosen. The opportunity is to tell the truth.
As a perfectionist-reformer, know it all, who fears rejection, has targeted having everything right, and has rejected the imperfect for eight decades, recognizing and admitting reality about the presented self is process and invites a bunch of mind chatter. The stir of inner chaos, tantrums, avoidance, and stress is paralyzing and distracting, and generates and reinforces suffering, sickness, disease, and illness.
Yes! We are thinking, personality, character, and wellness reflections of the language we live in. Let’s live in the language of the authentic self! Close the gap between the authentic self and the represented self, the healthy ego, and the unhealthy ego. Simply one step at a time. The vision offers authentic joy, a manner of traveling with strategies as follows:
-Quality, common good, authenticity, and virtue in all we are and all we do.
-Simply model the way as a person, in relationships, socially, institutionally, culturally, and by passionately caring about and helping others.
-Meditate for healthy partnership of the conscious and subconscious minds and for mindfulness, awareness, and self-restraint.
Some Resources
- Evolutionary Enlightenment, Andrew Cohen.
- Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, Joe Dispenza.
- Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon, Joe Dispenza.
- The Great Within, Christian Larsen.
- How Attachment Styles Work, LearnWell Books.
