Integrating with Your Higher Self
Even if you’re not a particularly spiritual or religious person, you probably recognize when your actions are coming from a “higher place” or a “lower place.” For most people, the “higher place” includes the more altruistic aspects of life: being of service to others, being loving to others, or even just listening to and not judging others. Most would agree that the “lower place” may involve selfishness, greed, and hurting others.
One’s ideas about these things can get murky, however. There may be a tendency of falling into the trap of judging oneself through the puritanical lens of some of the world’s more popular religions. Even if you don’t wholeheartedly subscribe to the tenants of a given religion, it’s amazing how some of these values insidiously creep into one’s consciousness. A quick look at any of these religions’ lists of sins can leave you feeling like you're destined to sit at the right hand of Lucifer in hell. It can leave one feeling like a failure when it comes to being a good human being.
Could there be another way of evaluating ourselves?
It makes sense that a Higher Self must be guided by unconditional love. This is a pretty safe and easily understood blueprint to lay over any situation: Is this the unconditionally loving thing to do? The answer is usually quick and obvious–but we humans can even muck this one up. What if we are too selfless in our giving–what if we are unconditionally loving to the point that we sacrifice our own well-being?
Ahhhh. We have to apply the unconditional love to ourselves first–then with that as our guide, we can then use the idea of being unconditionally loving to others as our “sub-guide.” This is an effective way of integrating with your Higher Self. If we humans could even do that 50% of the time, the world would be in a much better place.
Unconditional self-love could possibly wipe out every self-help meme in existence. With loving yourself unconditionally as the first step, you kind of don’t need any other steps. It’s a self-driving vehicle. But is it that easy to put into practice?
No. Not that easy. You will have to do battle with your inner critic, probably installed by one of your parents, and supported by a worldwide media machine that is constantly trying to convince you that you are not good enough unless you buy this, watch that, and generally be something other than yourself. Tough opponents.
Yes, we’re about to go “Stuart Smalley” on your ass.
“I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”
Ok, that’s a little tough to say with a straight face. How about just, “I love myself unconditionally.” You don’t need to scream it on a crowded subway platform, but saying this out loud throughout the day has an immediate effect. Try saying it three times in a row, and concentrate on meaning it more and more with each repetition. By the last one, you’ll really be getting somewhere. If that starts to feel pretty natural, try throwing in, “I seek to integrate with my Higher Self.” Give it a try–what’s the downside?
The road to becoming the best version of ourselves is filled with potential potholes left in our way by well-meaning (or not) parents, our various cultures, and the world’s many complicated (and often conflicting) religions. By simplifying the way with only one GPS pin (unconditional self-love) we stand an infinitely better chance of reaching our destination.
Until next time
Scott and Lennart