Tag Archives: True Self

DREAMING OF THE TRUE SELF

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We don’t age in dreams – or internal consciousness either
But we do in mirrors and other peoples’ reactions to us –
Teaching us what our external appearance shows.

God sees the same person at birth, childhood, young adulthood, maturity, and old age
Because, spiritually, we’re always the same age –
Which is why, sometimes, we believe we might survive
Even after our last breath’s been taken away.

If we could only remember that our “true self” doesn’t track physical age –
Whether young or old –
And also remember what our existence feels like in dreams –
We would understand our “true self” lies beyond success or failure,
Age, sickness or health.

Of course, our true self does have the ability to learn –
Especially in one’s attitude to gifts of the spirit – like truth, love, beauty, or justice –
And we’re always free to ask God to accept us just as we are
So that, in turn, we’ll be able to accept ourselves (and others) in the same manner.

Remember, don’t judge yourself by externalities –
But only by the internal feelings and intuitions
Arising out of your individually unique experience.

 

THE EGO AS DOLL

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Certainly, a cherished doll – more loved than your own mother –
More than wife or husband –
More than life itself.

That’s a pretty heavy “doll,” isn’t it?

It’s something we’re prohibited from thinking about –
With a self-reflection ratio of zero/zero –
To date, no religious laws permit transcending that prohibition –
No direct commandments of God either.

That’s because, historically speaking,
There’s been nothing more dangerous than looking at one’s self
Eyes wide open
Since you can’t do it without the ego shriveling up and “dying.”

Jesus taught this lesson every day of his life – until the very end –
He knew his ego self had to “die” for him to “see” God –
So, during his life, he “died” over and over again.

Not for you or me –
But because he needed it himself –
And, needing it, he realized everyone else needed it too.

To die to one’s “ego self” –
Not on a tree –
Not to provoke Jewish leaders or Roman governors –

But simply because it’s the only way
To become one’s “true self.”

THE NIGHT OF OUR DAY

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People watch other people
To see themselves through others’ eyes –
But since “they” aren’t actually there
All they’ll see are actors acting out
Cheers and jeers.

Alternatively, people project “ego selves” –
And then peek out to see how it’s going
Even though their “true self’s” hiding behind that “outer self” –
Patiently waiting for its turn to surface and come to life –
Typically, however, a lot of time can be wasted in waiting –
Sometimes, one’s entire life!

So, people look at other people
In order to “see” themselves –
But this is a poor substitute, isn’t it?
For seeing ourselves
Since only by confronting and accepting the painful “ugliness” we harbor
Can shards of true beauty start glimmering and shimmering through –
Resulting in the human being we’ve always had the potential of becoming –
Appearing, at first, in the night of our day.

 

A BEAUTY WE HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO IMAGINE

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First, there’s the “self” our mother celebrates –
A mother who loves her child –
This self is like a hard rubber ball
Rolling and bouncing around borderline realities.

Next is an incipient “God” self – which is aspirational –
The person we would like to become –
Prayers floating out ahead of us
Accompanied by whispered dreams – nearly coming true –
Which culminates in the “beloved” – essentially, your “true self.”

Then, finally, one day, we might even begin thinking about attempting the ultimate goal –
A no-thing who’s equally a non-persona –
More beautiful than beauty –
So much so that it stuns our eyes.

In this experience, we discover the kind of joy
Allowing us to forget who we are – or, even, who we ever were –
Revealing a beauty we haven’t been able to imagine –
A beauty we might actually achieve if we were “God”
Or, perhaps even, “God’s” God.

WHEN MEN ARE FREE TO BE BEAUTIFUL

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When men are free to be beautiful
And women become inspired by the bravery of Alexander –

When men start reflecting on the beauty of their surroundings
And women train night and day for competitive contests –

When men write poetry about their love of the natural world
And women burn with desire for stellar accomplishments –

Is the time when men and women will start switching roles –
And, then, switching back again –
Especially since such roles will no longer exist –
Nor the traditional hierarchies either –
And people’s historically stubborn egos will disappear forever.

When everyone becomes free enough to be their “true self”
They’ll also be free to ask what God would do – and then, actually, do it!

This is the spiritual space Jesus embodied himself,
Then perfected, and, subsequently, died for!

Now, two millennia later, it’s become somewhat easier to achieve –
Not, of course, a “gimme” –
But, certainly, more possible
Now than then!

“A TRUE HUMAN BEING IS NOT HUMAN!”

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From “A Surprise of Roses” by Rumi

Rumi is talking here about the “true self” –
While “humans” are egos with no idea who they really are –
So, the day a human can remove “herself” from herself –
Is like throwing a key away that no longer fits the lock
Like being surprised by a kiss that touches only air
Or a play marriage that children solemnly enact.

After one stops claiming their human ego –
What’s left is God – and nothing but God.
Perhaps it may take you a long while to accept this –
Perhaps you’ll hear friends and neighbors muttering, “How dare you!”
And yet, there’s no going back – given what little’s left behind.

It’s true that, at this point, one has no alternative
But to continue going forward and claim God for oneself!
Especially, given that God is free, you might well decide – why not you too?
Why not escape your narrow ego commitments and become free yourself?

God freely fills the night sky with bright and pulsing stars –
Also, God’s always free to laugh – any time and any place –
And, God as a child, one day, became Jesus
Willing to die “ugly” on a cross.

Since no one has ever been able to kill God however –
Whenever they have tried, the result has only been infinitely more God!

 

 

JESUS SAYS

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Jesus says: “Build my church with love” –
Not stones.

Jesus says: “Build my church with truth” –
Not nationalism.

Jesus says: “Build my church with justice” –
Not prejudice.

Jesus says: “Build my church with beauty” –
Not inside a parking lot.

Jesus says: “Be like me” –
The “me” that’s the same as the true self you.

TO BE A MYSTIC IS TO BE FEMININE

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To be a mystic is to be feminine –
That is, beautiful in a spiritual way –
Especially since we now know there’s no “church” available to mystics –
Because, originally, churches were established for transmitting male doctrines
Of “abbots,” “fathers,” and “ministers” –
Male establishment figures authorized to direct people to God.

In truth, however, there’s only God and the “true self” – and nothing else –
God is a universal Spirit extending infinitely beyond human spirit –
While the true self is “nothing,” i.e., “no thing,” as well as, of course, “no ego.”

Traditional religions have largely been based upon the erroneous idea
That human life is hierarchical –
However, we know that life’s much too “spontaneous” for that!

A true prophet or enlightened individual will always be a “wild” combination –
Like a child endowed with the understanding of a wise old man –
Or a wise old man with the spontaneity of child.

Jesus, on earth, was a vulnerable human being with enough courage to embody God –
Or, perhaps, God had decided it was finally safe to merge with a human being –
Anyway, Christian theology might actually be correct
In its clumsy, overwrought, and often misunderstood way –
Especially the part about salvation,
And, most especially, life after death.

Jesus tried his best to “save” the world he lived in
And he’s still trying to do the same today –
It’s just that, over time, he became transformed into something else –
Something, unfortunately, he would never have been able to recognize.

“THE STRONGEST PERSON IN THE WORLD IS THE PERSON WHO STANDS MOST ALONE” Henrik Ibsen (from “An Enemy of the People”)

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If, one day, you’re successful at becoming your “true self,”
Does that mean you’ll end up all alone?

Perhaps not – yet solitude is often thought to be a requirement for meeting God –
It’s what hermits try to accomplish through acts of renunciation
Which, however, ultimately don’t work.

Actually, there’s no special requirement for becoming a “true self”
Other than giving up your ego –
The one so loved by your mother.

The moment you decide to become your “true self” –
Satan and all the other “dark gods” of materialism, anxiety, and violence
Will come rushing towards you – as if in a bad dream –
Knowing you’ve made the decision to join in the Spirit of God
While remaining in human form.

If this experience doesn’t immediately convince you to put on a cloak of humility
And urgently request the protection of God –
Then you must be a fool.

God’s fool, that is –
However, before you step off the cliff on a perfect sunny day,
Before you enter the air
Think about how much God loved Jesus
Before he was crucified.

Jesus didn’t know (even though he might have intuited)
That his brutal death would create so much life for others –
He didn’t know his act would become emblematic of the true life of God –
He simply let himself suffer, alone, trusting in God instead of himself,
And, consequently, became “the strongest person in the world.”

THE EGO IS AN ACTOR

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The ego is an actor
With a chest full of costumes suitable for playing its various roles.

A “true self,” however, will put away all those costumes
And become no one –
With no roles, no desire to manipulate others,
And, of course, not much power or riches either.

The ego is an actor
Playing to an audience of one – and sometimes many –
But, primarily, manipulates itself
In the vain hope of, one day, overcoming the world.

The “no self” is spontaneous –
Empty of everything except for joy,
But, certainly, overflowing with that!

The ego carries out the roles
That family and friends recognize –
And never, ever, forgets the specific part it’s supposed to play.

A lifetime passes
During which we’re regularly fed, entertained, and comforted –
But this type of quotidian ego can never reflect the person we really could have been –
That is, someone who solely serves God –
And whose real name is “Freedom.”