By Mark Walstrom
The notion of letting go of the ego self to find lasting happiness and freedom is not a new one.
It’s one we’ve seen in the teachings of countless masters, sages, and teachers throughout history. It’s often referred to as: The Heroes Journey, The Road Less Traveled, enlightenment, salvation, drala, Wu Wei, conversion, metamorphosis, and many other names. Whatever name you choose to call it, the process is always a daily conscious decision to be present in every moment.
I’d like to break this process up into a few key definitions:
The Self: This is the identity we’ve carefully constructed for ourselves and it’s often based on our approval ratings from others. This is who we THINK we are, but not to be confused with our Truest Nature (more on this in a moment). We invest significant amounts of time, energy and resources into constructing this self, and unfortunately, these investments are quite poor because the self is only a shell; it lacks substance. This is what we want to lose in order to access our truest nature.
Truest Nature: This is pure life unbound,. When you witness anything in nature, be it a tree, or creature, there is no confusion of identity and therefore no conflict. A flower is a flower and an eagle an eagle, and you, you are a part of life’s natural order. You belong to the web of life, and when you are living from your Truest Nature (your essence), you release yourself from external demands and pressure because your thoughts, emotions, physical being, and breath are all moving harmoniously with each other. We call this being in a flow state. While living from your Truest Nature, you’re able to make conscious decisions that break unhealthy patterns. Rather than getting distracted with yet another task or social media, maybe you focus on the completion of one thing or drop everything for a few minutes and enjoy the quiet of the moment. It’s a small example, but our small conscious decisions lead to greater ones down the road as we continually challenge ourselves to be fully present and awake in each moment and further lose the Self.
Happiness: In relation to the Self, this is often perceived as the accumulation of things, personal achievements, or fleeting moments (a relocation , graduation, promotion…etc) The Happiness you experience when you are living your Truest Nature is different. This Happiness can’t be possessed or trapped in a moment because it is the joy that grows from the expression of our Truest Nature. As we move closer to this, our Happiness grows and, because there is no limit to our Truest Nature, there is no limit to the Happiness we can experience.
Freedom: This is every living being’s birthright. No one can give you Freedom and your freedom cannot be taken away. However, when you concede to the battle plans of your Self, your Freedom may be lost or diminished. Living from your Truest Nature enables you to experience Freedom even if you are physically imprisoned.
Losing: Though it functions as a verb in the title of this post, Losing actually entails doing nothing. When you experience each moment from your Truest Nature, you are real, vulnerable, transparent, and in conscious, intimate relationship with others. You aren’t bound by anxiety about what may be out of place or what should be done or fixed because you are fully in tune with yourself and your surroundings. You are doing nothing and letting life, love, and creativity flow through you.
Waking Up: The passive act of being consciously connected and present in each moment; you aren’t looking ahead with fear or back with dismay. Letting the Self take over is a lot like going to sleep. When you wake up, you choose to truly and fully live each moment.
The process of Losing your Self doesn’t immediately lead to happiness. Often the darker parts of ourselves that we tried to repress will emerge. Pain is the messenger and the message is to wake up, slowly and while demonstrating grace towards yourself; you have a lifetime to get there and having a trusted companion guide helps immensely. This person is someone who has been through the challenges of losing the Self and has learned the signposts and a few strategies for getting to the other side. They are the mid-wife of the consciousness and will challenge you to wake up and begin your own journey to your Truest Nature to help you discover a life unfettered and full.
As a companion guide, my purpose is to serve as a catalyst for movement in the direction of that which is within you, and every one of us, and which we must discover for ourselves.
