My good friend Dolores, is known for her hilarious one-liners. Last night we were talking about how her life is so much simpler since she got rid of her car. In her usual way not trying to be funny, she said, “My personality complicates my life.” Dolores is one of the movers and shakers of our town who thinks outside the box and with her gregarious nature, she is often asked to be part of committees. So her life is extremely busy with also hosting two weekly local community radio programs, her stained glass art work her garden and her spiritual pursuits. Dolores’s statement is a classic aphorism from all spiritual traditions worded in different ways.
The ego is the personality that we take on that defines who we are, which we mistakenly believe is our true nature. This personality that we take on, masks our true nature or the Self. The nature of the Self is described in the scriptures of Shaivism as Truth, Auspiciousness,.and Beauty. As we progress along the spiritual healing journey, we begin to peel away the layers of this personality or ego like we peel away the layers of an onion. All these layers are composed of beliefs we have about ourselves; based on our upbringing, how society tells us to be, and decisions we made about who we are, resulting from both our positive and negative life experiences. These beliefs about ourselves, which we take to be the truth, are at the root of all our suffering.
In eastern mysticism, it is said that the ego not only derives its persona from the experiences of this life but from all our past lives. The first step in peeling away the layers of the ego to uncover our true nature is recognition. This is what Dolores’s statement, “My personality complicates my life” is. Recognizing that something is masking what her life is truly about is a profound spiritual practice. When we take the teachings and apply them to our lives, that is the path of the spiritual healing journey. We begin to detach from the morass that complicates our lives and begin to make choices that take us to the experience of the Self. One of my teachers puts it this way; “Does this action take me towards Love or away from Love?” That is a good barometer by which to make healthy choices.
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I find myself relating to your friend Delores! In fact, I think I would like her very much. Perhaps it is because I have the same problem. My personality complicates my life. Perhaps because I’m drawn outward, I often ignore the inward focus. It is so easy to become wrapped up in the details of the day – Getting Things Done. It is far to easy to be impressed with my own personality and forget that personality isn’t the point! You are reminding me to refocus. As fun as it is to be distracted by the details.
Kate
It’s so easy to get all caught up with the outer when everything is needing our attention and every time you remember to come back to caring for yourself it’s a bonus.
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