Connection

December 30, 2023

Over the years, I have heard many people express that sometimes they feel so empty that they do not know who they are. They say that sometimes shame and self-alienation sweep over them when alone, like in the car or the shower. They feel like an imposter. They realize they are in their body but feel there is much more to themselves than just a body. They want to feel solid, not flimsy. They want to feel they are of substance, not fragile. When feelings of loneliness, emptiness, and anxiety overcome them, they quickly find a distraction. This story is just one of many that signify the times when we are not intimate friends with ourselves.

When feelings of fear and shame sweep over me, I want to crawl under the sheets. But when aware, I eventually realize that these feelings are caused by my ego's chatter. My ego's strategy is its fixation of doing and doing and doing more to prove I am worthy, substantive, and solid. So, in a way, the ego shames me into getting the fixation going again. Yet, with dear friends and the support of the Divine, I am learning to be friends with my soul. In shifting from the ego to the soul, the clatter stops.

To be connected to our entire self, we relate to our personality, ego structure, and shadow. When we are connected, we learn more and more about ourselves, including our souls. It does not require a college education to be conscious of our true selves, because this is a soul capacity.

We connect to ourselves through self-sensitivity, self-inquiry, and sharing with others. We relate to our beings by learning from our spiritual teachers. We connect to ourselves through self-compassion. When connected to ourselves, we make friends with all parts of ourselves. The first friend we make is our essence, our soul.

Inquiry: Are you on the pathway of connecting to yourself?

Dear God,

"Show me the hidden things. Take me down to the spring of my life and tell me my nature and my name." Amen

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