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3Know Thyself

“Within each of us there are certainly great storehouses of abilities and capacities which we have never used. If they were manifested, we would see ourselves in a different light.”

There is an important psychological principle that says that we tend to form a self-image based upon the way that we affect others. This principle can be used in many different ways, depending upon one’s understanding of the nature of man. Some theorists have claimed that we are all seeking to gain power over others and that our self-image depends upon how much of this power we can accumulate. However, a theorist who starts with the assumption that we are all spiritual beings, equal in the sight of God, might use the principle differently. For him it is the act of sharing abilities and capacities with others that awakens a deep and meaningful self-image.

The question we all must face is, “How do we want to see ourselves?” There are certainly capabilities and memories stored within the soul to facilitate any self-image we imagine. If we want to see ourselves as powerful and important people in the world, we can build that. If we want to see ourselves as seekers and servants, we can find the necessary tools within, as well. What is important is the act of specifying the light in which we would like to see ourselves. By writing this down we take the first step toward realizing our aim.

Experiment: At the end of each day take time to review your experiences. Be aware of what you have thought of yourself at various times during the day (e.g., I thought I was really incapable of doing something; I had a self-image of being very knowledgeable; I had a self-image of being really foolhardy). You may feel that some of these self-images are not consistent with the highest spirit you know—they aren’t really helping you grow. For each of these, imagine a different light in which you would have preferred to have seen yourself in that incident. Write that down as a possible replacement. And if the opportunity arises, try out the replacement self-image the next day.

Example:

self-image:	I thought I was really incapable of doing something
replacement self-image:	I am an adventuresome person who is willing to try something new, even if I do fall flat in the effort.

“Christ, the Master, said: ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”

The power of the spoken word is referred to in many spiritual teachings. The readings mention the vibrational quality of speech; the Bible uses “the Word” to represent the Christ; in Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism. Lama Govinda calls speech “the vital expression of the human soul.”

… for the voice nerve center is the highest vibration in the whole nerve system …

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“If art can be called the re-creation and formal expression of reality through the medium of human experience, then the creation of language may be called the greatest achievement of art. Each word originally was a focus of energies, in which the transformation of reality into the vibrations of the human voice—the vital expression of the human soul—took place. Through these vocal creations man took possession of the world—and more than that: he discovered a new dimension, a world within himself, opening upon the vista of a higher form of life, which is as much beyond the present state of humanity as the consciousness of a civilized man is above that of an animal.”

(Govinda, Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism, p. 18)

When we are irritated or having a difficult time with something, it is often hard to keep from verbalizing our frustrations. Much has been made by the human potential movement in psychology and counseling of “getting it all out,” or expressing what we are feeling directly to the other person. This position may be a response to the extreme position that preceded this movement: that it is proper to suppress our feelings.

For most people the greatest growth probably lies somewhere between these two approaches. Communication by verbalizing our thoughts and feelings is important, and yet we need to be aware of our responsibilities for the creative power our spoken word has upon others—a power to awaken images and feelings in the other person.

Experiment: Be aware that there are no idle words. With your speech you are creating and having a strong effect upon the attitudes and feelings of your listeners. When you feel that it is possible to work through a particular difficulty on your own, refrain from the temptation to complain or talk about it in a negative way to others. Also look for opportunities to use the spoken word to uplift the consciousness of others.

“Each organ has its individual functions and desires, which are in themselves holy.”

The readings teach the unity of the body, mind and spirit. Conflicts between the spirit and the flesh can never be resolved because they begin from a denial of this underlying unity. The body is the temple, and its function is holy as we use it as a vehicle to meet the Christ spirit.

One of the most beautiful statements of this concept is found in Nikos Kazantzakis’ autobiographical Report to Greco. The narrator has traveled to Mt. Sinai and at the monastery he meets a monk who becomes his friend and teacher.

“He lowered his voice still more.

“‘Angels are nothing more—do you hear!—nothing more than refined devils. The day will come—oh, if only I could live to see it!—when men will understand this, and then …’

“He leaned over to my ear. For the first time, his voice was trembling.

“‘… and then the religion of Christ will take another step forward on earth. It will embrace the whole man, all of him, not just half as it does now in embracing only the soul. Christ’s mercy will broaden. It will embrace and sanctify the body as well as the soul; it will see—and preach—that they are not enemies, but fellow workers. Whereas now, what happens? If we sell ourselves to the devil, he urges us to deny the soul; if we sell ourselves to God, He urges us to deny the body. When will Christ’s heart grow sufficiently broad to commiserate not only the soul but also the body, and to reconcile these two savage beasts?’

“I was deeply moved.

“‘Thank you, Father, for the precious gift you have given me.’”

(Kazantzakis, Report to Greco, p. 290)

Experiment: Be aware of your body each day. Take special note of its desires and functions and try to keep an awareness of holiness as these activities are fulfilled (e.g., eating a meal with a sense of holiness}.

“The soul will seek that which it has builded, not only in the material plane but in the universal, for ‘as a tree falls, so will it lie.’”

One of the most exciting fields of research in our times is the study of altered states of consciousness. A question that has concerned researchers is “What determines the level of awareness to which a person shifts as he alters his consciousness?” Whether the altered state is meditation, hypnosis, drug states or dreams, certain factors seem to be very important: the feelings and attitudes of the person before the change in consciousness and the environmental setting of the experience.

The quotation from the Bible, “In the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.” (Ecclesiastes 11:3), which is so often used in the readings, seems to refer to the same principle. That which the mind is dwelling upon as it makes a transition in consciousness will determine the kind of experience the person will have. The analogy of the falling tree, of course, most clearly refers to death. A person’s experiences immediately after death are largely determined by the attitudes and feelings prior to passing over. However, this concept can be applied as well to the transition in consciousness that we make daily—from the waking state to the sleeping state. If we fall asleep with an attitude of thankfulness and desire to know our real selves, our dream life is more likely to provide insightful growth experiences.

Experiment: Each night before falling asleep say a prayer asking that in your dreams you will be guided to experience that which is best for your growth. Try to retain this sense of seeking as you fall asleep. Keep a careful record of your dreams and of your feelings when you awaken in the morning.

“We know that we cannot be true to others unless we are first true to ourselves.”

There is a oneness to the inner and outer world. Often we misunderstand or forget this principle and we experience conflict between the things we perceive outside of ourselves and the things that are within us. Yet a deeper insight into the nature of reality reveals that all of life is synchronized: the inner and the outer, the above and the below. Two people will experience the same event in very different ways. To one person the outside world seems not at all the same as it does to the other. The reason, of course, is that their inner worlds are different, and perceptions of the outer world are being filtered through different sets of memories, desires and beliefs.

Carl Jung developed a concept of the way in which various aspects of the universe are working together. He suggested that there was not only a Law of Causality (which we might compare to karma and “as you sow you shall reap”), but a Law of Synchronicity as well. We have all experienced this second law and probably called it “coincidence” (e.g., I’m thinking about a person I haven’t seen for years and that same day someone else mentions his name or that person unexpectedly calls me). A frequent way in which the Law of Synchronicity expresses itself to us is by the reflection of our inner world in the events and circumstances about us.

As we attune ourselves to that within which is loving and peaceful, we are developing in ourselves the capacity to relate to those around us in the same way. As we focus our attention and energy upon our capacity to be honest and truthful with ourselves, we are able to see ways in which to be honest and truthful with the outer world.

Experiment: Choose some other person with whom you feel a special need to be truthful and honest, and write down that person’s name. Each day observe your relationship with this person and take a few moments (perhaps at the end of the day) to consider the question, “What does the highest spirit within me want for this relationship?” Write down your thoughts and feelings in answer to this question. Through your thoughts and actions make an effort to be true and honest with yourself regarding those things you have written down. Allow your expressions of truth and honesty to that person to be a reflection of this initial effort to be true to yourself and the highest that you know.

“Let us dare to see ourselves as others see us … It is well to know what the other fellow thinks of us. We must, without any feeling of shame or humiliation, be willing to be measured by the standard that we have given him the impression we hold.”

In a society that teaches “Do your own thing,” these words from A Search for God might be accused of being old-fashioned: “It is well to know what the other fellow thinks of us.” And yet, this approach from the readings is perhaps much more in keeping with the spirit of the New Age than one that recommends lack of concern for how others respond to us.

The great discovery that emerges in the New Age is the extraordinary capacity of the mind. We are discovering not only the fact that there are many levels of consciousness within the mind, but that it has incredible creative power (e.g., “mind is the builder”). Let us consider as well that one of the central teachings of the Search for God material is taking responsibility for the fact that there is a oneness of all life (i.e., I am my brother’s keeper). And so it is not surprising to find that this material suggests that we are responsible for the way in which we influence others in their thinking and mental creations.

Being concerned over what the other fellow thinks of us does not mean we compromise our actions so that he will like us. It is such a misunderstanding that has led to the reaction of “Do your own thing no matter what anyone else thinks.” Instead, our responsibility is to live in such a way that others are able to recognize what our ideals are. We need to be aware of how other people see us, not because they are our judges and we must live up to their expectations, but because we create through our own actions and through the minds of others who watch us.

Experiment: At the end of the day review the things you have done with others. Try to step outside yourself for a moment and imagine how other people understood the things you did. What would they likely have assumed your ideals or standards are from having observed your actions? Write down the ways they might possibly have perceived you. Work each day to let your actions express to others what your ideals really are.

“If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me.”

Our understanding of this beautiful statement from the Psalms of the omnipresence of God can be extended as we realize that we are more than just physical beings. God is not only in every place that our bodies might take us in the world, He is also in every place that our minds might take us in consciousness.

One of the real challenges to spiritual growth is to retain a feeling of thankfulness in periods of pain or confusion. One of the first things the spiritual seeker finds is that “there is no birth in consciousness without pain” (C.G. Jung). We can expect periods of being troubled in mind and spirit as we let go of old patterns. Can we recognize God’s presence in these times of difficulty? Can we see ourselves from another perspective that allows insight into the purposefulness of trying experiences?

In his book The Ultimate Revolution, Walter Starcke suggests that we must learn to have a sense of appreciation for our lows, for they serve a part of God’s purpose in revealing Himself to us. He uses a word coined by Robert Heinlein and begins by defining it.

“To grok something is to understand it from all levels: to see it, to comprehend it, to understand it both spiritually and physically, to experience it, to identify with it, and, above all, to discern what it is ‘for’ …

“In the past, we just wanted to escape from lows as soon as possible, to get rid of them, and that was all. Now we see that we must grok the lows. They have their purpose. So when we have a low, let’s not be cheated. Let’s experience it. Look at it. See what it has to tell us. Probably when we have grokked it, we will never have to experience that kind of low again. It will have served its purpose.”

(Starcke, The Ultimate Revolution, pp. 42, 44)

Experiment: When you are feeling low or troubled, affirm that this is just a part of a larger growth process, that since you have set a spiritual ideal, your pain is but a part of a new self being born. Look for ways to appreciate the down times and listen for God’s presence in the midst of them.

“… that we—as lights in Thee—may give the better concept of Thy Spirit in this world.”

Mankind’s concept of God is in a state of evolution. Historically, there have been periods in which God was seen as being vengeful and jealous and at other periods as being judgmental. Jesus came to give a new concept of God. He taught that God is merciful and that He can be met within ourselves. Jesus’ work was not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it—to make it more full of understanding, for mankind had interpreted the Law and God in a very narrow way.

Undoubtedly, the message of Jesus has undergone some misinterpretation during the past two thousand years. The exciting thing about current times is that the depth and beauty of this new concept of God once again finds a significant portion of mankind receptive. The renewed interest in our world for information concerning the nonmaterial, the psychic and the spiritual offers us a special opportunity. The movement that asserted that “God is dead” has virtually passed away, and many people are now searching for a better concept of God and their own spiritual nature. What do we want that new and better concept of His Spirit to be? How will we help express it in the world?

Experiment: Take time to consider your own concept of God and His Spirit. List the ideas and thoughts that you have (e.g., I think God is responsive to sincere prayer, I think God’s Spirit is within every person). Choose one aspect of your concept of God and write down two or three specific ways that you could work on expressing this in your relationship with others over the next few days. Work on giving this better concept of His Spirit to the world.

Example:

aspect of my concept of God:	I think God is responsive to sincere prayer
specific ways I can express this concept:	1. have a prayer time each day2. share my enthusiasm for the power of prayer with those who are receptive