Identifying with Your Soul

On our journey toward greater awareness, the second step is about finding our identity. At some point in our life, for most of us, there comes a time when we ask the question, "Who am I?"

It may not come to us just like that, but it comes in some form or another. The first step in the process of becoming more aware of the answer to that question is about determining who we are not! We discover that we are not defined by what we do. This is often times a reflection of Ego. It is not 100% Ego, but most of us come to a point where too much of what we do is a reflection of Ego. Finally, we decide enough is enough and we begin to break out of the mold we have created for ourselves. We begin to let go of Ego!

As we begin letting go of our Ego-self, we step into this space of possibility. We have a choice now to decide who we wish to be and all sorts of possibilities from which to choose. So, how do we decide? All of a sudden it becomes a little bit scary to think we are in control here. We are responsible for the choices we make. We have to decide for ourselves what it is that we want in this life. We have to decide who we wish to be. We are no longer able to just go through the motions now, because we are waking up! Now is the time when we must go within to find the answers we seek. Now is the time to wake up to who we really are. Now is the time to see ourselves as not just connected to Source Energy, but rather an extension of It! Now is the time to identify with our true nature, our true Self, our Soul!

This process is only scary because we don’t know ourselves very well. That “Who am I?” question is really very important to answer. The way to remember who you truly are, and it is just a matter of remembering, is to go within. Spend time with yourself. You can do this through meditation, journaling, or any activity that allows you to reflect on your desires and choices in life. It is often important to get the perspective of others in life, but now is not one of those times. Go within! Get to know who you really are. Your magnificence is beyond anything you have yet imagined. Whatever method works for you to get in touch with your true self, do that! It is the most important journey you will ever take.

It is most important that you uncover for yourself your true nature, but sometimes we need encouragement in order to believe what we find. This is certainly one of those instances when what you find might seem “too good to be true” and therefore something you might justify not believing! So, I will relate to you my own thoughts and rememberings about who I am and the nature of All That Is! This is not to give you something to believe and accept as your own belief. This is simply a story about what I believe about my own true nature that may encourage you to believe what you find out about who you are. Hopefully, it will inspire you to see even more wondrous aspects of your own true nature!

As I began the real process of finding myself, I was drawn to a book called "Conversations with God", and I thought, “Who does this guy think he is to have a conversation with God, The Almighty!” Problem is, I really was drawn to this book. At first I ignored it and went on about my Christmas shopping, but the thought of someone actually having a conversation with God was intriguing. And, what if he really did? What did God say? I couldn’t get it out of my head and a couple of months later I bought the book and read it in 3 days. What I read and heard from that book changed my life! It began the process I continue today, some 13 years later, of getting to know who I am.

Let me tell you what I know about who I am and what I believe about who we all are and why we are here. I know that I am a spiritual being, connected to and part of this universe and all that it entails. I know this because I have seen and experienced the connection and how my thoughts, words and deeds affect me and all those I come into contact with as well as all those they contact and so on into infinity. I know this because I have seen others who have experienced the same connection. I know this because even science is beginning to understand that this connection exists. Imagine that, science and spirituality walking hand in hand!?

So then the question arises, What is this thing that connects us? This is where you have to decide for yourself what you wish to call it. This is where I begin to talk about what I believe. I definitely feel something beyond my own physical self that senses and knows more than my mind has learned. This was the beginning to understanding that I am more than this physical being. As I read "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch, I could feel the truth in what I read. It was as if I already knew all these things even though no one had taught them to me and I had never consciously thought them before. This was, for me, an experience of what it is like when I encounter real truth!

I am certain I had other experiences before that of real truth, but I am not aware of any. My encounter with real truth is an experience where I have absolutely no doubt in my heart. Notice I did not say, “no doubt in my mind”. Truth, real truth, resides in the heart. This is truth you can trust. Trust is essential to the process here. We all have felt at one time or another that we were in the middle of some vicious circle, unable to get out. That circle is caused when we are moving in the wrong direction within Life’s circle. Just by reversing directions, we are able to extricate ourselves from this cycle. It is sort of like unscrewing a bolt.

In life, we have a choice to accept who we are or deny our true nature. What happens in our lives is a direct result of which path we choose. When we deny our true nature we must deny our feelings. This is because our feelings are communications with Spirit, Universal Consciousness. This leads us to deny God, Spirit. Because we deny our Self, feelings, and our connection with All That Is, we begin to see ourselves as separate from everyone and everything. This leads to mistrust of Spirit. Seeing ourselves as separate means that it is possible for something outside of ourselves to do us harm. If we can be harmed, then we have something to fear. All negative experiences are, in some way, a result of fear.

If, however, we choose to accept and embrace who we really are, we open to our feelings. We trust these communications with the Divine Consciousness. The more we follow our feelings the more we trust them and the more we experience Life as it is meant to be. That trust leads to trust in our own Self and in Spirit. Trust is essential in the process of learning to love unconditionally. When we start loving ourselves, unconditionally, our true nature blossoms and we become the magnificent being that is an extension of the Divine Essence that is Life!

This is how we begin to see who we truly are! This is the process that leads us to accept our true nature and to begin to identify with our true selves, our Souls! Love of Self is crucial in the process of loving God, All That Is! Understanding our true nature leads us to the understanding that we are all part of the same Life Energy, connected to each other, part of each other, One with each other. Now, we realize there is nothing to fear!

Now the fun begins! And life really is meant to be fun. Even before the circumstances of my life began to change, my experience of life changed dramatically when I realized that I am a Spiritual Being, endowed with all the power of the Life Force that creates this universe we live in! I am only beginning to understand how to utilize this creative energy to experience all that I desire, but I do know that it is there, here, at my beck and call. It is also at yours! My Soul is not just an extension of Spirit, it is Spirit! Our Soul is not something that belongs to this physical being, but rather it is a magnificent Light Being, eternal and limitless. This physical being is but a tool that I use to experience being whatever part of the All That Is I wish to experience in this life. Knowing this allows me to be free of the limits I once imagined being a burden to me.

As children, this concept was easy to accept. Then everyone around us trained the idea right out of our head, but not out of our heart. In all fairness, those who did this believed they were teaching us about life. They thought it was essential that we learn these things early in life so that we would be better prepared for life’s trials and tribulations. They were blinded by their own training. They believed the illusion that separation is real. They believed that there is much to be afraid of in life. They still believe these things. That does not mean they are right. Truth resides in the heart, not the mind. No matter how hard we try, we cannot wrap our minds around Life’s Truth. It is too big. Only the heart can comprehend it. Trust your heart!

Listen with your heart when I tell you that You are a magnificent Being of Light! You are beyond all limits! You are connected to the Divine! Not only are you connected to the Divine, but You are Divine! Your true nature is pure, unconditional Love! You are an extension of the All That Is. You are Life expressed! Whatever you wish to call this energy that breaths life into this universe, is this universe, You are It! Don’t try to wrap your head around that concept. Just let it rest in your heart for a moment.

This Life Energy is in everything and everyone. It has no boundaries or limits. It has no beginning and no end. Sound familiar? So just where does it stop being me and start being you? Where is the cutoff point, boundary, that separates you from the air around you and the air around you from the person next to you? Remember, it is the same energy that makes up the air and your skin. The energy is combined in different ways to create different experiences, but the energy is the same! When we get down to the basic elements and the building blocks of those elements we begin to understand the true nature of the universe, but it is still difficult to get our heads around the idea that we are the Creative Energy and not the creation.

It is important to break it down to this level in order to open up the mind to what the heart already knows. We do not have to understand it mentally, but we do have to be open to it. Otherwise, the mind will get in the way of real spiritual expression. Can you begin to feel the truth in this concept or are you thinking too much about it. I am not saying here that what I say is your truth, but it is my truth as I understand it and I feel it in my heart. There is truth in this idea and it is up to you to feel your own truth in it.

We are each here expressing our own piece of what is the whole truth. No one has the whole truth, but my truth, expressed honestly, will inspire you to express your own truth. And, as we all begin to express our truths, we, as a community, are expressing Life. Life expresses Itself through each of us, individually, and through all of us, collectively. Whether you know it or not, this is what you are doing. Whether we know it or not, this is what we are doing. Knowing what it is we are doing, awareness of what is, allows us to create on purpose and with purpose.