Will the True Self Please Stand Up

[zeitgeist]

We take for granted that whatever we see, feel and think is us, but then we are told there is much more to us. Deep down inside there is the true self that is connected to God, knows our life's mission statement and, from time to time, gently reminds us that there is more to life than what we currently perceive. How can we discover our true self and be guided by it? And how can we push the ego, the endless chatter of narrow-minded noise, into the background? I am surprised that there is not more written about the art and science of discovering your true self. I believe Gary Zukov, in the Seat of the Soul, calls this field spiritual psychology, but I am not aware of this literature and would be grateful if you could guide me to it. As always, I have a few ideas below, but would be interested in hearing others descibe their paths towards self-discovery.

Reflections

[awakentransform]

There are tons of books on this subject. My favorite account of one's personal journey is "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Parmahansa Yogananda.

Eckhart Tolle's books are very popular right now. He gives a lot of information about letting go of the ego. One of my favorite authors is Sanaya Roman. Her book "Spiritual Growth - Being Your Higher Self" is practical, easy to read, and inspiring. Her other book "Opening to Channel" teaches you how to receive guidance from your higher self or other high beings.

I think David Joshua Stone has a book on Spiritual Psychology. This field is also known as Transpersonal Psychology. You can find books on Psychosythesis that are part of this genre.

Regular meditation, self-reflection, and present moment awareness are my favorite tools for taming the ego.

[zeitgeist]

Many thanks Awaken!

Zeitgeist

[dave marshall]

I too can recommend Autobiograhy of a Yogi, it is a real favourite for me.

My own journey has been through various exploration over the last 20 years and has resulted in my own experiences of self guidence.

For me the key was the realisation that if i took some time out, reduced the drama in my life and consciously aknowledged that my identity 1. existed within and without of the physical world 2. that I was part of something broader and deeper, with accepting those two ideas I have become an explorer of myself and the nature of my identity.

The key was to reduce the distractions to this inner exploration and make it the priority of my life, to know and experience more of myself.

Dave

[zeitgeist]

Thanks Dave, I can relate to that. I have recently discovered that you can distinguish the ego from the soul pretty easily. The inner voice speaks load and clear once you start searching for an answer. But this spiriual journey seems quite private in that your voice uses symbols of communication that are dear to your heart and most of the times only you would understand.

Zeitgeist

[awakentransform]

Originally Posted by zeitgeist

But this spiriual journey seems quite private in that your voice uses symbols of communication that are dear to your heart and most of the times only you would understand.

So true. When I started on my journey of spiritual awakening 10 years ago, I had a lot of weird experiences and no context to place them in. I was a bit obsessed with exploring and understanding this whole inner world, as if a door appeared that I never knew existed. I would meditate for 3 hours straight and I read everything I could get my hands on about metaphysics and spirituality.

At that time I couldn't seem to find anyone who was going through the same thing. It took me a couple years to realize what you said above. No one else had the answers for me. I kept looking for validation of my experiences from the outside and wondering if I was normal because I couldn't find it. As soon as I realized that, it seemed that people started to show up in my life with the same spiritual interests.

Still, even with that understanding, I do really love to read books about a person's spiritual awakening. Each one is so unique and so inspiring. Another one I like is called "Christ Consciousness" by Norman Paulsen, a disciple of Yogananda.