GETTING TO KNOW YOUR SPIRITUAL SELF

You have a spiritual self. You would benefit greatly from getting to know your spiritual self. If we reason critically we will find many facets of ourselves that we never know existed, components within ourselves that we haven’t ever explored. Carl Jug called the 12 steps of Alcoholics anonymous a programme in the deflation of ego. If we engaged in psychoanalysis with each other, even on a basic level, we would without doubt find out more about ourselves. We would find elevated, privileged parts of us that we never knew existed. Thus the challenge I put before you today is to find these superior levels – find your higher self.

We must also emphasize that while the most well known spiritual approach to recovery is the 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), spirituality is not limited to a belief in a power greater than oneself. Spirituality might more broadly include a belief that life has a meaning and purpose. Such a belief might provide a guideline for living according to that meaning and purpose. Restoring a meaning and purpose to life appears to be an essential ingredient to any successful recovery effort. Because many people’s recovery efforts have benefited from identifying their own unique understanding of life’s meaning and purpose, it is safe to conclude that spirituality can be an important component of recovery.

Firstly, let’s not get fancy. If you are to know your spiritual self what will it mean for you as a person. Will things be easier for you to do? Will you handle situations like a pro? Will you walk a straight line and find what it is you are looking for? Well, what do you think? Think about all the religions of the world, all the spiritual passages people venture down. There are the Tibetan monks involved with Buddhism, thousands of ‘spirituality’ sects all of whom claim to be holistic and offer wellness and spiritual growth on a new inspired level. These people use the term holistic far too freely, as most or none truly have a complete system by which they work. Even people who do karate or practice the ancient skill of martial arts Kung Fu try and use a ‘higher’ side of themselves to accomplish their tasks.

Osho, in his book Creativity, states that “When your ego disappears; you are healed, you are whole – the ego is your disease…when ego disappears you are no longer dormant, you start flowing with the immense flow of existence”. You see, ego is addiction. It is separation; it likes to work on its own searching ceaselessly for control and power through rationalisations. Rather, the realisation is that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. It is not an Indiverse or Egoverse, it is a Universe.

You must get the ego, or lower self, out of the way of your higher self as it does nothing but stop the flow of energy and power into your life. Ego is always in a hurry, it is obsessive and frantic and does not understand the paradox’s of life such as ‘it is in giving that we receive’. It cannot love itself never mind the neighbour. This relentless pursuit is the path that many of us are on, gaining momentum and chasing this and that only to be halted at the end of your physical life. I tell you, you are more than your ego, as Oshso says there is a flow of existence – as a conqueror you need to choose to be connected to it.

To heal through addiction, you must find the bridge between physical and spiritual to really know your spiritual self exists at all. I know it’s actually there already so let’s take a look at ourselves holistically. We are body, mind, soul and spirit. There are several models that differ slightly from this one however they are all similar. Some regard spirit and soul as one, and others include various other components. Your body is your outer core, your physical self. Your mind is the part of you that makes you conscious, allows you to think, function, and use the senses from the body etcetera. Your soul is your invisible essence (your core), which causes us to have life. It embodies your moral and emotional self – the person you really are.

Finally spirit is your Higher Power connection. It is the highest part of your being. It is argued that we are all joined together in spirit. So it’s not only the infamous ogre’s in DreamWorks’s Shrek who are like onions that ‘have many layers’. It’s us humans too. We have at least these five in fact; physiological, emotional, behavioural and feelings. Polar is spirit. These are some of the surface layers that we need to look into. We are not juts physiological, the fleshy matter that we see with our ocular tissue. Nor are we the cranial tissue that drives emotions and behaviour that gives us feeling. These things are mortal and limited. We are all these things and spirit. Without spirit, without know your spiritual self, life for us doesn’t work too well.

From Adam and Eve who ate an apple that they thought was an elixir to more power through to modern man who would still eat the apple if only they could find it; it must be known that we misdirect ourselves through our own will. We tend to issue blame everywhere else but upon ourselves to ensure we remain free from guilt and possible consequences. The only way to fly is to know that you have wings. Start implementing change on the level of miracles in your life by letting go of your ego and connecting to your spiritual source.

Choose to surrender yourself and your ego, choose to let go of your self; want of self esteem, power, confidence all of which you can only measure externally. Let go(d). This is the spiritual experience the 12 steps speak of. 

Begin to move mountains by knowing where they need to move to. Know where they should be in divine order. You may have a variety of things you need to align. These things may be physical or spiritual. It may be a physical problem, a series of bad relationships or even something that exists in your past that you need to align mentally and spiritually. How do we begin the process and end up with real palpable, measurable change? We begin with awareness a shift in consciousness that will allow you to rely on and use your knowing rather than your beliefs. Your ego, your self-esteem, your personality are made up of many external influences.

The thoughts from these influences buzz around your head daily. They interrupt the flow of spirit so much and take up so much of the space (consciousness) and time (presence) you spend in thought that often one will find that the link to spirit is completely lost. You need to practice living not only as a corporeal entity but as spiritual entity as well. Without your spirit you are no more than a mortal clump of cells…that gets lost in its own addictions and obsessions. Thank goodness that it is only the body we are capable of losing and not the spirit. The body is continuously regenerating itself while it lives, but its fate is certain; all the cells that came together to give you life and earthly opportunity will separate and disconnect from each other, but your spirit will not disconnect, it will remain.

For more information on how know your spiritual self contact Pathways Plett Rehab, 044 533 0330, and learn the art of self actualization, recovery and higher quality living.