you do you, Boo.

When I asked my Guardian Angels and Guides what to write about today for this week’s blog, this was what I heard. So, let’s talk what it means to be our true selves and not some facsimile, some illusion of ourselves.

There are so many influences upon us when we are growing into who we will become. When we are born, depending on whether we are male or female, that’s when the expectations of how we are expected to be in the world begins. We are born into the culture of our family which itself can be a multicultural mixed bag of races, religions, and preconceived notions about how to think about ourselves and the world around us. And then there are all of the nuances of the culture of where we grow up that further contribute to the way that we perceive and define ourselves. But who are we if we strip away all the trappings of the outer world and go inside of ourselves and consider ourselves without all that extraneous window dressing? What would we find?

Have you ever stopped to consider who you are inside? How aware of your true Self are you? What qualities and personal quirks make you the unique individual that you are? What makes you, You? This thought of the process of self-examination may seem confusing to you. You might even be saying this is a pile of New Age B.S., but I’m here to tell you that it isn’t. The greatest minds since recorded history, philosophers, religious leaders, scientists, and more have been asking this, and many more questions, in their search for the meaning of their and our collective existence. So, once again, who are you beneath the pile of expectations we discussed in the previous paragraph? And have you had to create any masks for yourself to hide who you really are from ridicule? Have you had to deny, even to yourself, parts of yourself because you were taught that they were somehow unlovable or because you wanted to avoid being rejected?

Being a human is complicated, sometimes extremely so. But if we take the time to look deeply into ourselves and to recover all the golden nuggets of who we truly are we are the richer for it. When we do not have to pretend to be other than who we are, life is simpler and much happier for us. The amount of stress in self-denial takes an enormous toll on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Yes, your friends and family may not recognize you without the multilayered masks you were wearing. They may even try to force you to wear them so that they don’t have to learn to accept the real you, but you, you will be free. And you will be happier with yourself than you have ever been once you get used to just being you.

There will be a period of adjustment to being without all of the old defenses you have been lugging around. You may go through a period of feeling very vulnerable and fragile, like a newborn bird, and because you are not sure how to protect yourself. But be assured that once you are your true self, you will have your back faster and more freely than you did with all that rusted armor you once wore. You will be kinder, more generous, and more loving with yourself and consequently more, generous and loving with everyone else. You will certainly not allow yourself to be mistreated and will cast aside or set boundaries with old relationships that may have once been harmful to you, but that you put up with to keep the peace. And you will learn to do this without all the old guilt that you used to carry around with you like shackles around your neck.

And you will grow spiritually which is where Spirit wants me to finish up this blog with. Spiritual growth moves at a pace with each layer you excavate from your true self. The more clearly you resonate with your real self, the more of your spiritual essence you will experience. It’s like you were living in a house that wasn’t really yours until you stripped it down to the foundation and the studs and rebuilt it in a way that felt like home to you. The more at home in your own skin you are, the more your heart expands with self-love. The more self-love you feel for yourself, the more your spiritual Self comes into your awareness. The more your spiritual Self comes into your awareness, the more you experience the mystery of the Divine. The more you experience the mystery of the Divine, the more you realize that you are an intrinsic part of the Divine. It is very possible that this realization leads you to spiritually opening to having mystical experiences, and to an awakening of once deeply latent, psychic abilities. And then all of this leads you to a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Divine, and so on.

Life is complicated, like I said earlier, but it is quite the adventure if you allow yourself to be who you truly are. So, You do You, Boo, and have fun discovering exactly what that means. You’re worth it.

Namaste,

Jean 🌱