Does Life Sabotage Our Soul?

I really start to enjoy my mornings. Those quiet times I had to myself where mindful contemplation provided the opportunity to initiate a meaningful dialogue, over a cup of coffee, with my true inner spirit.

An intuitive time where I could ask questions and enjoy the forthcoming inspiration. They served as an expressive time prior to the process of journaling and authenticating the inevitable feelings of gratitude that occupied my mind.

“Me and God have this little arrangement. If He wakes me up to see another day, I promise to try and be better than I was yesterday”

Just as the lotus flower emerges from the muddy waters to bloom – my life was starting to reflect the benefits of disengaging from my ego and alternatively honoring the call of my authentic self – the steady progress of responding to the same situations in different ways.

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want”

-Lao Tzu

As with any journey, contrasts are inevitable but necessary. I realize that when I am alone I can monitor my self-talk – however, when in the company of other carers I find myself using ‘gossip as a bonding tool’ – trading kindness for acceptance.

This societal coping mechanism initiated a desire to do some soul searching to better understand why we ‘lose’ our authenticity (even momentarily), while in the company of others and the need to reconnect with the essence of our true nature!

When we are born, we are perfect, innocent and capable of living in the present. People’s opinions and judgments do not matter and self-worth comes from authenticity.

But then our thoughts come into focus over time and our authentic feelings are suppressed, denied, and disowned because they made us vulnerable and self-worth is at the mercy of others.

Different people expect different things from us and so we start to split up into various versions or personalities of ourselves in order to fit in.

It is at this point that we lose sight of who we actually are and then spend a lifetime searching for ”that person” (our true-self) who sees the world as it is and not as the illusion that we are living.

Acknowledging we have been shaped by society and formed layers of protective ‘clothing’, it is essential to remember that “we are spiritual beings having a human experience” and we are perfection incarnate.

Often one might spend a lifetime searching for ”that person”(their true-self) who is not copied but is rather genuine, real and true. ”That person” who sees the world as it is and not as the way one might be conditioned to believe it to be.

A beautiful way to look at this whole concept is to think about Michelangelo’s response when he was asked how he carved David. When asked, he simply stated that ”“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

David was was already in the giant piece of marble (our true self) and all he had to do was chip away (our spiritual practice) at what David was not.

Essentially living in our world of illusion we believe that we are the marble waiting for someone to make us great – when we already are!

“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. And the moment you are unafraid of the crowd you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion. A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom”

-Osho