Connecting with Your True Self
Who are you?
If we were to ask you that question, what would you say? A mother? A lawyer? A student?
While these descriptions may be accurate, they relate to what you do not who you are. Who you are is something far deeper and it is unchanging. At Leaves Institute we refer to this profound and unchanging ‘you’ as “your true self”. Many of the practices we teach are designed to help you access this true self.
In this blog we will explore what we mean by “the true self” and why it is at the heart of personal growth and development.
Who is ‘the true self?
Your true self is the spiritual part of you, the essence of your being. ‘Spirit’ has no form so it can be hard for us as humans, to get our heads around what it is. This ‘true self’ is not our earthly identities or the roles that we use to define ourselves in this life. Instead, it is the pure, unchanging part of ourselves that is an aspect of spirit. Our true self is spirit incarnate.
Spiritual consciousness
From the perspective of our true self, our purpose in life is clear and the universe around us is perfect, even with all of its challenges and imperfections. When we can understand ourselves and our lives through this spiritual consciousness, we can start to see that whatever is happening in our lives, it is exactly where we need to be for our spiritual growth.
This can be hard to accept from our everyday perspective, particularly if life is not the way we want it to be or we are facing significant challenges or hardships. It’s understandable to think “why would I choose this?” We may even feel angry or upset at the suggestion that anyone would choose to suffer. However, the perspective of our true self is different. Its goal is align us to our deeper purpose in life and for us to grow and learn. As we learn to tune into our true self, we may start to have a different attitude towards the difficulties we face in our lives.
How the true self feels
The good news is connecting with the true self is not about striving or trying to work things out with our minds. Instead, it is about relaxing into a deeper connection that lies at the core of ourselves. It is about suspending the sense of ourselves as this body or these emotions and exploring that we might be something deeper and more profound, beyond our current consciousness. Our true self is not something that is separate from who we are. It is at the heart of it, waiting for us to reconnect.
Nothing has gone wrong
Sometimes people can feel that something has gone wrong in their lives that has caused them to lose touch with their ‘true self’. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the gap between our true self and the self who inhabits our everyday world (the everyday self) that gives us life. If there were no questions or challenges, if we were solely inhabiting the perfection of our true self, there would be no growth, nothing to learn or become. The everyday self helps us to discover the answers that are known at the deepest level by our true selves. Slowly, the everyday self and the true self converge in finding the answers.
Everything changes
Leaves Institute is founded on the ancient Japanese wisdom of impermanence which states that everything in this world changes, from the stones beneath our feet to our bodies. As humans we often find change frightening and there is a tendency to want to resist and hang onto what we have. Part of the process of connecting to our true self is letting go of our old identities – the everyday self. This can feel challenging but when we can accept that nothing stays the same and we don’t truly ‘own’ anything, then it becomes easier to let go.
No rush to awakening
Our true self already has such an awareness but, once again, it doesn’t mean that we have failed if we don’t yet see things in this way. We don’t need to rush towards awakening. We can take our time and, in our movement towards this awareness, we will discover greater meaning in our lives.
How to connect with the true self
There are different processes that we can use in our everyday lives to help us connect with our true selves. Meditation helps us to access the still place inside ourselves that is our true self. When we access this place of stillness, it can feel like finding our anchor or coming home to something that is very familiar. It is not always easy to quiet a busy mind when we meditate, but the secret is to relax as much as you can and not to try and force it.
Creativity is another way to access our true self. Again, be patient with yourself when nothing seems to be working or coming together in the way you would like. This is all part of the creative process and you will move through this into the expressive mode.
Bring yourself back to centre
A key thing to remember is that connecting with your true self is a source of profound comfort in the ups and downs of life. It does not bring an end to all suffering or provide absolute answers but it helps to bring peace and a deep knowing that you are following the right path. If you ever feel lost or alone, you can connect to it and bring yourself back to centre and the source of love.
To learn how to connect with your true self, contact us or register your interest in one of our short courses, retreats or Diplomas.