THE FORTIFICATION OF FALSE SELF: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

The opportunity to offer up the shackle of our false self is always here. There are few takers, of course, as we are all over-identified with it. Our fashionable communal neurosis of social media abuse, diet, and exercise obsession, under the guise of spirituality or celebrity obsession, has a firm grip on the psyche. There is much personal pain and despair that is being reflected in the group gestalt. And yet, there is refusal to surrender the smile plastered on our face. Or the righteous indignation of “the other” being the cause of all our misery.

The good news in all this is, that the closer we come to the gig being up, the more opportunity there is to surrender the false and allow the true self to step forth. True self is not something we do, purchase, or consume. It is what shines through when we stop fortifying the false self. All our incessant busyness is what keeps this charade going.

The most important action we can take to invite our true self is to tolerate this immense anxiety that haunts us all. Notice our incessant internal and external activity. It is borne out of our abject terror of this anxiety. Checking the news one more time, eating even less or a lot more, will make no dent in it. 

Gently face yourself. It is crucial to stay out of our story while being in life. The story is just that: the original and primordial fake news. Want to suffer less? Loosen the knot of self-centeredness, it is not about you. Truly. 

Enjoy your life while always differentiating between the false mask you are presenting and the knowing part of you just beneath the surface. Want to help the planet and your fellow space travelers? Work at being, out of the need for helping yourself. That does not mean being perfect, more fit, more serene, more vegan, and certainly not more spiritual, for fuck’s sake. 

Conscious eclipse to you. Yet one more invitation, like the thousands that have come before it. This life goes fast. In order to taste it fully we need to surrender the full psychic armor we all wear and confuse as our true self. You want more ease, lightness, and fun in your life? Then at the very least, work on loosening this damn noose of the false self.