Real Self

What it is

The Real Self is the living center of our being. In its fullest expression, it is our Higher Self—our divine nature. Along the path, however, we first encounter the Real Self through honest awareness of what is actually present in us now, including the distortions currently present in the Lower Self.

Why it matters

The purpose of spiritual work is not self-improvement but self-revelation. As the Mask Self dissolves and the Lower Self is transformed, the true Real Self naturally emerges.

From Bones

~1~

As long as we cling to this manufactured version of ourselves, we won’t be able to find our Real Self. We’ll also lack the courage to accept that for now, we have a fairly large space in ourselves occupied by immature feelings. (Chapter 1)

~2~

If we boil it down, what obstructs the Real Self are our layers of confusion and error. On top of these sits our lack of awareness about our confusion and errors.

This means the only way to know our Real Self is to know ourselves. When we know we are confused, we are closer to our Real Self than when we are blind to our inner confusion.

This is true, even if we don’t have any solutions to our problems. (Chapter 5)

~3~

The Real Self is not something we can control with our mind or our will…

So we should turn off our brains? Not at all.

To do the arduous work of following a spiritual path, we want to use our intellect to understand our errors and confusion. And we want to see how we have misdirected our will.

Doing this will indirectly birth our Real Self, with all its spontaneity and creativity, into our reality. (Chapter 5)

~4~

An important difference between our superficial intellect and our Real Self is that we can direct, manipulate and govern the intellect using our will. We can’t do this with the Real Self.

Of the two, the Real Self is the more intelligent one.

It is more certain and more reliable, and it’s always working in our best interest. With the Real Self, there is no choice to make. It’s just there holding the truth, with no doubt or questioning.

The superficial intellect is the one with all the doubts and questions. (Chapter 5)

~5~

Through the natural process of growth, our Real Self will blossom.

Our intuition will bubble up and spontaneity will spill forth. This is the way to make the best of our lives.

Not because we no longer make mistakes. And not because we never fail or have any faults. But because our whole attitude and outlook about everything can change. (Chapter 7)

~6~

We convinced ourselves that if we just tried hard enough, one day we’d get there.

We’d become our idealized version of ourselves.

But this artificial process of squeezing ourselves into something we’re not can’t ever deliver authentic growth, self-improvement and self-purification. Because we’re building on a false base. And we’re leaving out the Real Self.

More than that, we’re desperately trying to hide it. (Chapter 6)

~7~

Yet we can die one Earth-life after another, and if we don’t find our Real Self, we can’t come home. We’ll remain lost until we find the center of our being. (Chapter 6)

Continue with: Higher Self • Lower Self • Waking up