The Real You February 23, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Meditation, Spirit & Ego.trackback
You have never been frightened.
You have never felt lonely.
You have never been scared.
You have never been filled with doubt.
You have never been worried.
You have never felt guilty or ashamed.
You have never been abandoned.
You have never felt anger.
You are always happy and at peace with the world as it is.
The real you . . . the essential you . . . is connected to the loving source of all.
When you feel that connection, all your extraneous worries, fears, doubts, pain, and self-imposed suffering fade away.
Not because you are a human being having a spiritual experience, but because you have remembered that you are a spiritual being having a human experience.
When we know WHO we are . . . we know HOW to live. ~ Goethe
When you eject your false self (with its incessant concerns, demands, and desires) from the building . . . your true self emerges filling you with the light, love, peace, and happiness that is your birthright.
Be Here Now.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote to Ponder: There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~ Ben Williams
Related posts: If You Want To Be Free, Be Free * Letting Ourselves Be Seen * Thursday Thoughts (View from the Side) * Living With The Pain (Random Thoughts From Midlife)
Artwork by Maitte Van Arsdel ~ available at Island Gallery West.
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Spirit Lights The Way 
A lovely post – thank you!
Lorraine
For the past few days, if my thoughts turn “south” . . . I rein them in with, “You have never been unhappy.”
It reminds me who I am . . . so I can get back to equilibrium.
Reminds me of a C.S. Lewis quote: “You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
I love that quote, Maggie. Perfect!
That is my favorite quote.
A post to savor. Thank you. xoxo
Thanks, Jackie. When we remember who we are, we walk in peace and beauty. 😀
Nancy, this is such a beautiful post and such an insightful perspective…thank you so much
Thanks, Kathy. I’m reading “Letting Go” by Gus Finley, In it, he reminds us that we need to be “the driver of the bus.” When we let go of the extraneous, and kick the “false self” out of the driver seat, the “essential self” surfaces . . .and warmth and peacefulness flood our BEING:
You have never been afraid of X. The only thing you have ever been frightened by is your own thoughts about X. Yes, you did feel fear, but the fear you felt was in what you thought about X. Amazing, isn’t it? You have been afraid of your own thoughts! Now you can let those thoughts go.
When we step back and watch our interactions with others and watch our thoughts as they arise . . . we realize we are NOT our thoughts. Our thoughts are not us.
And with that realization, we are freed from their tyranny.
Hi Nancy. It is always a pleasure to be inspired by you. Stop by my blog. My latest posts are on chakra colors for healing meditation and other spiritual musings. Have a great day.
Thanks, Walter. Will do! 😀
Lovely post…thanks for the reminder as I still fail at times…
This week, I’ve been reminding myself any time I feel a *flicker* of annoyance ~ “you have never been unhappy.”
It works wonders!
If we believe that the suffering we experience is part of who we are . . . we find it hard to let go of anger, pain, guilt, resentment, etc.
As soon as we realize that our essential selves are UNTOUCHED and UNSCATHED by the suffering our human personas (and EGOS) experience . . . we release the pain and allow pure LOVE and LIGHT to surface.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Wow! Interesting new concepts for me to ponder, I am definitely receiving messages to let go of my self-imposed melancholy and move on. I love the image of the couple coming out from behind their masks!
Thanks, wightrabbit! Pain serves a purpose . . . to get our attention to focus on something that is “out of alignment.” Once it’s served that purpose, we can CHOOSE to let it go at anytime ~ the sooner . . . the better.
Some think that hanging on to pain makes them stronger . . . or is a way to honor the memory of those we have lost.
I disagree. Hanging on to pain just holds us back from the PROMISE of THIS moment . . . because we are exhausted from carting around our “wheelbarrow of woe.”
Hardship is inevitable. Misery is optional . . . and is NEVER a good use of our limited time and energy.
So true, we should always try to be who we really are. Great reminder!
The more we watch our thoughts with mindfulness, the more easy it is to see that we are the OBSERVER of the thoughts . . . not the thoughts themselves.
Once we see that dichotomy . . . our foot is IN THE DOOR. We start to sense WHO we really are underneath the EGO’s incessant demands and desires.
When we push aside Ego . . . our real self emerges . . . and we are radiant and resplendant from the pure love that shines from within.
Aah . . . that’s better!
very true
giving someone else the power to decide who we are and approve or reject us on the basis of that is so very destructive
Once we stop using an “external compass” . . . our inner light shines forth like a beacon.
At that point, we stop being led astray by the good and bad opinions that others hold of us, which are (of necessity) based on LIMITED knowledge and exposure to who we are CLOUDED by their own life experiences.
Far better to steer our own ship.
exactly, use their opinion as a reference to test some decisions, but don’t take decisions that are wrong for yourself (unless they damage another)
Quote to Ponder: There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~ Ben Williams
If I let a puppy lickmy face I’d need a psychiastrist LOL 🙂
Actually, I feel a bit the same, PiP . . . you never really know WHERE their tongue has been. 😉
So, to paraphrase, There is no psychiatrist in the world like being in the moment while watching puppies, children, or kittens at play.
This is so amazing, I read the first three lines as ” I have been frightened, and then my mind went to seeing, I have been lonely, scared – but then I realized I was not reading what you wrote. I guess, it’s projections of what I have experienced in life. 😉
“You have never been frightened.
You have never felt lonely.
You have never been scared.”
I agree, when we are able to tune in to that inner presence we become observers of our lives… (read your comments). I have been in observer mode a few times and it’s a different connection to life.
Great post!
Thanks, Marie. Once we realize that we are NOT the “false self” that our Ego has built, we sense the connection with Spirit within more often. And each time we do . . . all the mud that life has thrown at us falls away.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Excellent, Nancy. Things we all need to remember about ourselves, because they’re all true.
This week, every time my thoughts started “running away with me” . . . I reined them in with a “you have never been unhappy.”
With that thought . . . peace resurfaced and my smile returned.
Just what I needed AS ALWAYS. I need to print this and read the first paragraphs to myself every morning 🙂
Oh, I’m so glad it resonated with you, Tori. It’s so easy to get caught up in the negative webs we weave. Extricating ourselves is simple . . . we need only remember to let go.
Just to add to your great message, Nancy, Sufism connects the false self with “likes” and “dislikes”. We masquerade them in many ways, but “I want…”, for example, is one of the two.
Thanks, Amy. Good point. The “false self” gets attached to people, places, and things and doesn’t “want” to let go of them even when hanging on creates unnecessary suffering.
It fusses and fumes about “this, that, and the other thing” even when those things cannot be changed because they are “water over the dam.”
Love it…and need to hear it. TY! 😉
Debra (The Blue Lotus Cafe) shared an excellent thought related to this yesterday:
Just sitting means just that. That ‘just’ endlessly goes against the grain of our need to fix, transform, and improve ourselves. The paradox of our practice is that the most effective way of transformation is to leave ourselves alone.
The more we let everything be just what it is, the more we relax into an open, attentive awareness of one moment after another.
~ Barry Magid, “Leave Yourself Alone”
Yes, I’m in the mood for just being … of late.
That’s wise, E! The more aware we are of ALL the choices that we make . . . the better we exercise our FREEDOM of choice. 😀
“When you eject your false self (with its incessant concerns, demands, and desires) from the building . . . your true self emerges filling you with the light, love, peace, and happiness that is your birthright.”
Very inspirational! Thank you.
Thanks, Theresa. When we allow things to BE as they are, we are able to navigate the shoals without running aground ~ we just go with the flow and stop running “against the wind.”
The other comments covered my thoughts on this, but I had to tell you that the picture you used was intriguing (and perfect for the post.) I had to stop and stare at it for a bit 🙂
Isn’t that a phenomenal painting? I love Maitte’s watercolors ~ vibrant and enticing.
[…] Judith of GrowingYoungerEachDay in Words, Words and More Words, and Nancy of SpiritLightsTheWay in The Real You, wrote posts today that touched on something that made me want to sit and be still. As we scuttle […]
My granddaughters are the equivalent of the puppy licking the face! Recently my husband and I have started saying–outloud and to ourselves, that our blessings so outweigh our irritations that we need to focus only on the blessings so as not to rob them of their value to us. It does take practice, though, don’t you agree? I love your focus here, Nancy! Good way to start my day 🙂 Debra
Thanks, Debra. I do agree. It takes constant practice to change our focus from the past and the future to gratitude for the present.
But it’s a gift . . . so we might as well enjoy it! 😀
[…] of Growing Younger Each Day in Words, Words and More Words, and Nancy of Spirit Lights The Way in The Real You, wrote posts today that touched on something that made me want to sit and be still. As we scuttle […]
breathing in, breathing out, reminding myself to be.
You go, girl! Following the breath is the quickest way I’ve found to return to the NOW.
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