Post 13: Beyond Defining Ourselves and Moving to the Self

Title of Painting: San Ildefonso Pueblo V

I am done defining myself.

I dissolve

and become pure relationship

with everything.

This is what we are!

(The date of this social media post: Jan. 15, 2016)

There are two parts to this post. The first part deals with moving beyond defining oneself. The second part deals with what we are when we let our self-definitions go and we find ourselves in a different world of living relationships with all that surrounds us.

We are always defining our self and living within that definition. The definition can fluctuate with our different moods. One moment we may have an image of our self that is confident, the next image weak and self-critical. No matter what it is, we automatically call it “me.” From that definition or sense of self, we perceive and relate to our world. You may not believe it at this time, but it is a wholly artificial definition. This definition keeps out the realization of what we really are, which is very different. By willingly letting go of our ego’s urge to define itself, we are giving space for something new to come and take its place.

How do we encourage the experience of something new? We do not have to look far. We live in a dynamic world of relationships. We stand in living relationship to everything. These relationships are all around us. As we feel these relationships, they take us beyond just seeing objects and move us to the life we share. They move us from just perceiving form to swimming in pure energy.

Take a moment and casually look around you, and everywhere your attention falls, let yourself feel the energy of the relationship you share with that person or thing. Let yourself dissolve into the dynamic relationship. Can you sense that this is a new level of communication? Notice how, after a while, experiencing relationship moves you beyond the body, and space comes alive with the energy of the relationships we have with all things. This is the beginning of moving into your Self.