Becoming our authentic selves is about rediscovering who we innately are. The expedition we need to take for the reawakening to occur is the journey back to spirit. Only through our connection with Source can we unearth our innate selves that the egoic mind has forgotten. We must remember who we really are.
We base our spiritual growth on what our soul needs to expand. For it to arise and be the voice we hear and follow its guidance instead of the egos. It’s not about a particular religion, spiritual practice, or specific pathway because this journey is entirely personal for each individual.
Why is Our Awakening Vital?
In modern society, priorities seem to be skewed. We will spend time exercising, learning a new piece of software for work, or binge-watching that popular television show. But we don’t prioritize our spiritual growth. Connecting with our authentic selves isn’t crucial to the egoic mind. It is, however, the only part of us we take when we die. That’s why it’s vital for us to awaken.
The egoic mind has worked at burying our authentic selves for years as it did its job of protecting us. But we are here in this Earth school for our souls to expand and grow. By opening up and living from the heart and not the mind, we align ourselves with Spirit. We put ourselves into the magic of flow and synchronistic moments begin to occur regularly.
Once we allow the heart to take the lead instead of the ego, we begin to live out our dreams. The dreams we have were put into our hearts by Spirit. Those visions we have are our mission here on this planet. We have a purpose. If we follow the soul’s voice, it provides us with the means and opportunities to accomplish our hearts’ soulful assignment.
All our lives, the soul has been speaking to us so we can accomplish the mission we were born to do. If we don’t awaken, who will accomplish that which we were created to do? We need to wake up and take hold of our dreams.
So, What is Spiritual Growth?
Us becoming who we’re meant to be isn’t about being more of anything but ourselves. This awakening isn’t something we can compare with another, as our journey differs from anyone else’s. No one else can be a more authentic version of us than we can. And no one can take this journey for us. This adventure we must take by ourselves.
Our authentic selves are already within us. Spiritual growth is about uncovering who we authentically are. Who we are has been buried by layers of protection by the ego. We all come to a place when we realize that the egoic mind is more of a hindrance than actual protection. And if we keep allowing it to be in control, we will lose ourselves to the unfulfilled life the egoic mind creates.
As we reach this realization, this need for something more meaningful, we also see that no one can help us but ourselves. No one knows what hides in the marble that surrounds our authentic selves. We must be the ones to strip away the layers to show ourselves and the world the greatness that lies beneath what the ego has buried.
Who Am I?
For many, the realization that we don’t know who we are is disturbing. If we don’t know, it’s because we’ve allowed the egoic mind to rule our lives. The ego has created mental pictures of who we are: child, parent, spouse, employee, co-worker, artist, etc. These are the labels we wear, not who we are. To see who we are, we must get quiet. In the silence, we discover our soul’s voice. As we listen, we begin to learn who our authentic self is.
Part of our journey is to look back at ourselves when we were small children. When we knew who we are. The authentic part of us still sees wonders all around, like we did when we were kids. It wants to explore, create, and live this moment in its entirety. Our real selves love unconditionally and are fearless because it knows we’re connected to Spirit.
As we assimilate into our families, we begin to forget who we are. This egoic process is called domestication. We learn what behavior they desire through reward and what actions are unacceptable through rejection. Thus, the egoic mind buries our authentic selves that others deem undesirable. And this starts the forgetting process.
But our souls remember. The heart knows we’re pretending to be something we aren’t. And this is how our self-worth begins its downward spiral. When we can’t be our authentic selves, we become depressed and incomplete.
What is the Awakening of Our Authentic Selves?
What the ego has been seeking out there in the world, it will never find. The love and acceptance it looks for must be found within, where it’s always been. The ego is fearful of rejection, but the heart is always accepting. For us to accept ourselves, we have to stop being something we aren’t and allow our authentic selves to emerge.
We have to be honest with ourselves and trust our instincts. That gut reaction is our souls speaking to us. Learn to listen.
Stop judging ourselves. Accept who we are, as we are, right now. Release the shame, the guilt, the blame, the excuses, the expectations, and the perfectionism. Instead, forgive ourselves. By letting go and allowing ourselves to forgive our sleepful state, we become conscious of the soul’s voice and its encouragement.
Recognize that self-care and alone time are vital for this awakening to occur. Taking care of the body is the understanding that it is a sacred vessel for our soul, and it has needs for it to be at its full potential. Through our solitude, we create the space for our authentic selves to emerge. To realize the amount of domestication we have assimilated, we have to spend time alone. To see the world as it is and not from an egoic perspective, we need to get quiet.
How Do We Forge Our Path?
The pathway we follow doesn’t matter as long as we follow one because all the spiritual traditions have the same goal: to awaken us. I believe that all paths lead to the same spiritual truths: we aren’t alone, and we are all connected. If one specific trail is comfortable for us to follow, fine, walk that path. Be careful not to get trapped in any religious dogma that the ego uses to keep us under its control. Our goal is to be taking consistent steps forward along our authentic journey.
We need to have some daily practices that help us focus on our voyage. Each morning I meditate for fifteen minutes, write fifteen “I am” affirmations, read a devotional, and write three pages in my journal. This time is sacred to me, and nothing interferes with it. We need to put into place regular practices that allow us to begin the day peaceful and joyous.
We need to recognize that we will stumble and take missteps along our route. There will be potholes to navigate around and rugged terrain that we must traverse. So, we need to be gentle with ourselves and not get discouraged. The expedition to self-mastery is one that takes time and self-care as we look within and uncover who we authentically are.
How Do We Set the Tone for Each Day?
We must consciously be intentional with how we begin each day. Are we waking up before we even get out of bed and immediately focusing on all the things we must do? I used to do this. In doing so, I was unintentionally causing my day to begin and stay in overdrive. It filled me with stress and anxiety, not the best or the healthiest way to start the day.
Now when I awaken, I pray. I fill this prayer with thanksgiving for the blessings in my life. This simple act of praying and being grateful raises our vibrational level and opens our hearts to receive. When our hearts are open, we connect to Spirit. And in doing so, we can receive guidance from the still small voice within us.
By beginning the day connected to Source, there is no fear. There is love, acceptance, and a sense of inner peace that rises from within. Being centered and at peace is the best way to start the day.
Why Does the Ego Believe We are Broken?
Because of our domestication, the ego traps our authentic selves inside the marble for our protection. So, our soul has been trying to get our attention to help us overcome the trap of the egoic mind. The ego doesn’t know how to process these emotions the heart uses to get us to notice it.
So, when the soul says this isn’t the path we are to take, the ego interprets it as a failure. As the heart says, this doesn’t feel right, the egoic mind thinks there’s something wrong with us, and by extension, we are broken. If things aren’t working for us, then we’re not good enough for good things to be a part of our life. And we allow the egoic mind to beat us down so we cannot see the signs of our spiritual awakening.
The ego’s struggle to compete, be perfect, outdo others and ourselves is a futile endeavor because it’s always reacting from a place of fear. That’s its nature. The false belief that all it needs and wants come from outside ourselves causes it to feel broken. It is in this uncomfortable place that growth can occur, and we can find our true selves.
The more we fight against the egoic mind, the more fragmented we feel. The minute we stop struggling and become a witness to the egoic reactions is the minute we start our awakening.
How Do We Align Ourselves with Spirit?
There is no one out there in the world who can improve our lives. When we stop struggling with the egoic mind and allow our soul to lead us, we automatically align with Spirit. The life that the ego has been fighting to create is within ourselves. We need to become conscious of it. The Source inside of us arises, and our life emerges from within. That’s what the Law of Attraction is, our lives emerging from within ourselves, which is connected to Spirit.
As we become conscious, our ability to change the world around us increases. Our awareness allows for more transformation of ourselves and those we influence. We recognize the connection we continuously have with Source, and we know that we are never alone. The egoic concept of duality fades as we start to understand the oneness of the Universe.
Staying aligned with Spirit is maintaining the understanding that who we are, is the soulful self-connected to the Divine. When we believe this reality, we feel loved and supported every day. We know that the life we create is miraculous, and we see the infinite potential all around us.
How Do We Achieve Our True Potential?
Once we are aligned with Spirit, we become more aware that we are already our authentic selves. We recognize that what we need and want we already have. As we develop, we may need to focus on different aspects of our lives.
For example, I went through different phases of activities that helped me grow overall. I decided to become an independent filmmaker to assist me in letting my creativity out. After that, I spent a year taking tai chi classes to help my body get in shape and learn how to meditate. Then I went through a detox for a little bit of time where I no longer ate gluten and artificial foods to keep my body as healthy as it can be.
Each step served me to get to the next level of my soulful purpose, helping others overcome their fears and limiting beliefs. I didn’t have a plan. These activities seemed like a natural course of events and desires — splendid examples of being in and going with the flow of life.
Moving Forward on Our Journey to Authenticity
The limited egoic mind doesn’t solve the problems in our lives. Solutions that arise from the soul bring peace, love, and evolution. The seeds which we sow in our hearts reap authentic returns. It’s the internal mechanisms of our souls that matter, not the external egoic minds.
Grace erases our egoic past. It uproots the seeds that the ego planted as proof that the past doesn’t indicate the future. So, despite the ego’s false belief that we are at the mercy of the world, our lives happen not outside of us but through us. As we awaken our full potential and rediscover who we are, our journey to Spirit is the realization that the Universe is on our side. As we awaken, we are made anew, reborn, so it never diminished our full potential.
Our limitlessness comes from our connection to the Divine. Maintaining this link determine
s our ability to stay authentic and be all we were meant to be. We are infinite beings of light forever unfolding.
As we become more conscious of our awakening, we can control our lives by allowing our souls to guide us on our inward journey.
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