Get Over Your Self ...

Walk toward the door that is opening,

rather than clawing at the one

that is closing.

I HAD IT ALL THE TIME

Alan Cohen

Frequently, I have pondered the disconnect between being born with an incredible sense of my spiritual self, and then forgetting it all while becoming focused only on my physical self.  A child has wonderment, insight, and wisdom with deep appreciation for nature, only to be trapped in a materialistic world.

Alan Cohen is one of my most favorite authors.  He has written numerous books and they all seem to speak to me.   In his writing of I HAD IT ALL THE TIME, he discussed the shift from the spiritual self to the physical self in childhood.  It was all so obvious once I read his reflections and blended them with other insights.

Prior to this incarnation, we are spiritual beings with the Divine, the Universe, Spirit or whatever deity is foremost in your belief system. This spiritual being is the 'self' and a portion of this self takes form in this material existence on earth. While on earth, self plays many roles and wears a variety of masks, but behind it all, it is still the 'self'.  We are not our personalities nor are we the images projected on to others.  The self is still part of the spiritual being.

Once we have taken physical form, our language begins to reprogram who we really are, causing us to forget our spiritual identity.  Our caretakers frequently phrase comments in terms of the physical.  They might say, "What have you done to your self? Did you burn your self? Don't touch your self!"  What would have been more accurate is "What have you done to your arm or leg or body? Did you burn your hand? Don't touch your body!"  Can you sense the difference? Slowly we shift away from being a spiritual self into identifying with our physical body as self. Splitting hairs you may think, but I disagree.

"Get over your self," is a popular phrase, but it is impossible to do so.  You will always be self in the spiritual sense.  It is the ego that you need to get over. Your ego is not the self, but the many masks and projections that have been created in the physical.  It is all of the parts causing you to feel fraudulent.

Our physical bodies need to be nourished, nurtured, and cared for as they are our vehicles on this earth.  Our bodies host our spiritual self while experiencing a physical experience.   Our true self is love, energy, and light.  This is the story of old passed down through centuries and revered by many cultures. 

It may be time for you to close the door on what no longer reflects your true nature.  Turn to the opening door offering new beginnings.  Move towards the light or the sacredness that can be found in this life.  

Your true nature or your true self resides behind the life we create. Your true spiritual self is sacred loving kindness and so much more.