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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Meeting the Man in the Mirror - Part 2

As I gaze into the mirror, I have to wonder: which side am I on? Which of these two Annaërullos is me? Obviously, it's the one who goes about his day when there is no mirror around. But how do I know that other one isn't thinking the same thing?

We do live in a world that is mainly illusion, a recursive image, like when two mirrors face each other. The face in the mirror is a representation of my physical face, just as my physical face is a representation of my true self. I Am no more this physical body than I Am my thoughts and emotions.

Eckhart Tolle describes his awakening experience as the moment when he said, "I just cannot live with myself anymore." Then came the realization, Who is the "I," and who is the "self" I cannot live with? There must be two! As the Light of Consciousness shone on him in that moment, his "shadow self" disappeared, and he was left with the bliss of Silence. Tolle calls this "shadow self" Ego. Ego is the Glass through which we view and interact with the world. In many myths, it is referred to as "the veil." Fiona Apple has a great song in which she describes it as the "Window." It is the "Selfish Self," the personality we create. It is the story we tell to give ourselves identity. It is the system of past thoughts and emotions which clings to you, and keeps you thinking and feeling the same things over and over again. It's the "Blue Pill," and "many of [us] are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that [we] will fight to protect it."
(-Morpheus, The Matrix)

The Ego wants to live. It lives to feed. It feeds on negative emotion, delusions of grandeur, and strong opinions. It creates and feeds on these like a demon; it's no wonder the Hebrews called it "Ha-satan," which means "adversary," but you get the picture. The classical "Devil" is a symbol of the Ego. The Devil really does live in all of us. But so does the Divine Presence. Tapping into that Presence is not easy for everyone, but it IS possible, for everyone. All it takes is quieting the mental and emotional "noise" of the Ego. "My story" is my Ego attempting to stay alive.

All it takes, ultimately, is telling a different story.

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