In Ancient Greece, carved on the stone of the entry to the Oracle of Delphi, there was an inscription:
γνῶθι σεαυτόν
It translates to “know thyself”
What does it mean to know thyself? For me, it is everything. It is the key to living an authentically feel good life and finding the value in everything that happens, good and bad. It's the medicine to a world gone mad, truly. It can truly bring us back to center.
At first glance, we might discount this phrase as rhetoric. We may truly think we know our selves. With deeper introspection we can find we don’t know our core truth, but are relating to all the media programing, old experiences, and belief systems we’ve adopted from others, and from personal trials (traumas) and good fortunes. All of these facets create a general idea of what we think is our truth. I can come to this conclusion through the work I do with others who will get stuck in cycles and situations that don’t feel good to them, and yet there is some reason they continue to attract, commit and go through the same trying, unsuccessful, almost deadening experiences, whether professional, relational, emotional, or physical. Which brings the question, how do we truly connect to our selves and begin to live a life that feels aligned, congruent to our values and beliefs and thrive in our day to day life? These questions can often create the path of self knowing.
Knowing thyself begins with the authentic curiosity and desire to truly find the key to our best self, mind, body and soul, and releasing fear, doubt and anxiety. We seek real medicine to heal our lives and move into self mastery instead of outer mastery.
Self Awareness is important for many reasons because it offers us a route to greater fulfillment in all areas our lives. A lack of self-awareness leaves us open to others motives and wants, and unconscious effects from our own worn out programming We can journey adrift not knowing ourselves. Through our cultivation of self-awareness, we have a greater arsenal for avoiding traps in our daily life with others and in the creation of a life that is aligned with our true values, ethics, and desires. We feel more connected to the experiences presenting themselves and find much more clarity in our navigation system, per say. We learn to stand strong in our own core truths and alignments and create a life that feels more empowered. For me, that's priceless! We can't really place a price on personal peace, confidence and wellness.
Humans are beings whose minds are divided into a conscious and unconscious process. Understanding the way that both work together is essential to knowing the way we are consistently processing our environment around us at every moment, whether conscious of it or not. The Brain, or hard drive of our miraculous central nervous system, has two processing centers that work together to keep you safe and also move you forward with confidence. The Unconscious mind is taking into account, as it processes the past experiences that may be similar to what you're perceiving in the moment, and the feelings that are being initiated by such. The Conscious mind is often completely oblivious of this underlying process happening in the back ground. These two processing portals of the experience is where we often get stuck, sabotage, soar or move through with enthusiasm in all areas of life. Of course, the brain is only attempting to keep us safe and out of danger (thank you brain). Unfortunately it can become a master manipulator if not kept in check. This is where self awareness becomes the key to shifting our life into better alignment and feeling more confident in who we are and how we operate! We can choose to be peaceful, choose to be intune with our selves and live a life of genuine peace and empowerment. We didn't come with a manual, but it may have been nice to have on the journey!
The happiest and most content humans I know, know themselves and have wrestled with their own unconscious beliefs and feeling, creating more confidence in creating a life that not only looks good but feels good!
Knowing the self is medicine, and it is powerful medicine, especially in todays over stimulated reality of subliminal messaging and unconscious messaging from media, news, group settings, and environmental cues that we are connected to.
It's often through grief or pain that we are moved to cultivate self awareness so that we don’t keep repeating the same cycles in our lives; relationships, family, career, health, life. Without sounding too vague, we create most of our reality from old worn out belief systems and thought frames that we unconsciously created to protect our conscious self/ego. Yes, the dreaded ego is a culmination of all the beliefs that you’ve accepted as real and true.
You may be living a life right now that is based on at least 80% of old programs running in the unconscious mind and likely have no awareness of its happenings. This can be both terrifying and liberating. The beauty is that is can be illuminated and present as some of the most empowering and life changing experiences we can create for ourselves and our reality. Through illuminating this process, we can begin to see the patterns we have created and we can then begin to shift them. How empowering! This is more fun than you would think too. I am a huge advocate of laughing at ourselves as we find these blockages or worn out programs that have been operating! We tend to take ourselves so damn seriously, which I admit I am guilty of, often. With the awareness I am able to observe and shift my feelings and attitude with a conscious choice to do so.
Improving self-awareness helps you feel empowered, achieve your goals, communicate more effectively, and more. It’s been common, in my work, that I observe people and their projections creating mountains out of molehills or distrust in self as they will think that the projection is a type of intuitive sign or a knowing that something is what their mind or feelings are indicating it is. This is a sure way that our past experiences held in the unconscious portion of our brain can hold us hostage if we don’t choose to work on becoming aware of the way that our mind and body are processing the event being experienced.
Example, we see a Man and he’s stumbling. We will make an assumption such as:
- He’s drunk, look at him sway, I’ve seen this before, I’m positive he’s drunk.
- He’s in danger, he may be having a heat stroke, he may need help.
- He’s dancing and swaying to a good song, I see his headphones in, he’s definitely dancing.
All three are projections. The assumption is not based in truth, its based on your past experiences and the way that it feels right for you to feel safe and right in your perception. Wild to consider, right?
Understanding that we can be completely unaware of what we are projecting should give us a sense of compassion to our selves as we begin to step up into self awareness and higher conscious living.
If you are seeking more self awareness, I would suggest that you begin with a journal, mindful meditation, and slowing down enough to become the observer of the mental chatter happening internally.
Here are a few questions to get you started on your journey.
What am I doing when I feel my absolute best?
What kind of person do I want to be?
What life situations make me feel badly and insecure?
What is working well in my life and work today?
If I had a magic wand, how would my life be better in 3 months?
If I change nothing, what will your life look like three months from now? How does this make me feel?
These questions will help you come closer to your self. You won't always have the perfect answer, and that is the point. The point is to be aware of what comes up around these questions so you can truly come to appreciate, value and honor the things that make you, YOU. I think that's some powerful work in these days. Choosing to spend even 15 minutes a day in a self reflection space, will create more awareness and more confidence in the life that you are living. Go ahead, do something for you! You deserve it all! Another question for you, Do you believe you deserve all you desire? I do! Go ahead, get empowered!
Please feel free to share with me what you come up with here!
As always, if you would like to work with me to create and cultivate an empowered life and find your authentic expression, let’s connect!
Be so good to you ~
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