Self-Consciousness

21 - (3370) 21-Is there a self who am I - YouTube. 

What is the Self? Who am I? What's the difference between the self 

and the ego? Should we totally remove our ego? What role 

does the ego play in our life?

The Insider Speaks

August 20, 2023

Nestled in the beautiful unspoiled landscapes of pristine elements, I offer a refuge for those seeking a retreat from the outside world. As one enters, silence takes over, transporting you into another realm far removed from the distractions of the secular world.

This inner domain is sacred, sanctified by the Eternal Source, from whom one seeks sanctuary to be transformed into a divine person by its grace. Such divine transformation is achieved in silence and solitude and must be experienced through the performance of diverse liturgical services like meditation, prayers, invocations, rosary beads, mantras, songs, dances, offerings, and so on.

The new dweller, then, all the more enhances the holiness of the place and deepens its union and communion with the Eternal Source. Eventually, there is no more distinction between the Eternal Source, called in the four-dimensional words “God” and the individual dweller, we call the “Self” or “I Am.”

This passing from the exterior to the interior is full of meaning and it’s something spiritual. The inner world becomes a place of spiritual asceticism. The passage is a transition from the physical to the spiritual, from the secular to the divine, from the profane to the divine.

This spiritual transformation and living is reflected in the fervor of the individual as it does its daily household chores like cooking, laundering, ironing, eating, etc. The energy of one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions at the same time sanctifies the external world and the entire living beings and becomes reflected in how the individual deals with its office mates, neighbors, surrounding, and society.

Yes, this is an insider’s story as has been also told by our ancient ancestors and handed down to us as their most profound legacy. Whether we are doing it as a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Islam, atheist, or other beliefs, cultures, and traditions of indigenous peoples and communities, it does not matter. And it does not also matter if these spiritual services makes the individual a Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Christian, Protestant, Jew, Christian, Islam, atheist, or all of these beliefs.

From Cosmic Consciousness Back to Self-Consciousness

August 16, 2023

We’re practically living in a vast expanse of a mysterious, albeit unparalleled beauty of our Cosmos where adventure is never far away. Its majesty invites both awe and fear, the reason why it can be as intimidating as inviting as it is.

Because of its vastness, many times, we feel that our Cosmos is inaccessible and impenetrable. Yet, curiosity and the excitement of finding something more elemental to our life and existence always inspire humanity to explore its deepest horizon even if our relentless efforts to intrude into its inner sanctum may remain uncertain.

But we explore it just the same realizing that we would not have been what and who we are today had it not been because of our fearless courage to keep on searching into its still unknown enigma.

In the end, we will come to realize that what we’re really searching for is in us. It has been within us all along and has never left us. Neither will it leave us.

For it is the essence of our core being, referred to by many as Self, spirit, Consciousness, soul, energy, or God.

Whatever its name is, it is that which represents the most fundamental of our being and identity.

While the outside world may inspire and nourish our core being, ultimately, we have to rely more on the reservoir of our unlimited wealth and resources that may still lie untapped to many of us until today.

Yes, from the realm of cosmic consciousness, we have to go back to realm of Self-Consciousness, but not to sever our cosmic connection, for the Cosmos forms the backdrop and context within which we restructure our inner Self.

For those who are not used to going inwards, the journey within can be horribly horrifying and nightmarish as well as daunting and formidable.

Nevertheless, entering our very own dark rabbit hole might all the more offer us a deeper sense of wisdom, meaning, and fulfillment in understanding who and what we are, why we are here, and what our future really is.

To Be Conscious is to Commune and Be United with One’s Own Being

December 7, 2022

Consciousness remains a ticklish issue for both science and religion because this is something subjective, perceived and experienced only by the individual. It is not measurable because it has no mass, volume, and weight; it is non-local and timeless.

It transcends matter, space, time, and energy. If we are in a state of Consciousness, we are in another dimension of life and existence that is much higher than the physical and mental realms.

Call this Consciousness that is within us "Self," "I am," or by any other name like soul, spirit, twin mate, or guardian angel. But all these labels are immaterial. They cannot approximate our essence and being.

Consciousness is not given to us by society, government, science, or religion. It is innate in each of us and can be accessed primarily in solitude and silence.

In the state of pure Consciousness, one gradually realizes that a new world is being open, a new horizon that offers several opportunities and potentialities for the meditator to access.

Together with this new vista is the shift in one's view of the world that can offer an alternative paradigm for responding to the fundamental concerns and problems that each of us has been mulling through the ages.

Self-Communion

Paul J. Dejillas, Ph.D. - December 4, 2020

To Be Conscious is to Commune and Be United with One’s Own Self.

Consciousness remains a ticklish issue for both science and religion because this is something subjective, perceived and experienced only by the individual. It is not measurable because it has no mass, volume, and weight; it is non-local and timeless.

It transcends beyond matter, space, time, and energy. If we are in a state of Consciousness, we are in another dimension of life and existence that is much higher than the physical realm.

And there can be different levels of dimension depending on our own subjective opinions and individual experiences. Yet, our Consciousness is only one, related to each other since we all came from the same Cosmic Source. Call it Self or by any name.

The Self can only be found inside us in solitude and silence. It is us who can only say: “I am enlightened, self-aware, fully conscious, happy, joyful, or blissful.”

If we are really searching for that experience inside us and it is not there, our claim to be conscious and enlightened are just empty words, making us hypocrites like the Pharisees in the New Testament bible.

If we are conscious, we can only define ourselves by who we are now, not who we were. For who we were is already past. We can never resurrect and make our past alive again in the present moment, except when we recall them through our memory.

At the present moment, our identity as reflected in our bio-data is dissolved in favor of that who is fully conscious and aware of the Self observing what's going on around, without being identified with them.

In the process of introspection and self-reflection, rationality gives way to observation without any mental judgement. In its place, one experiences feelings of peace, communion, and oneness with everything around its own little world.

No judgement, no thinking, no feeling, no aspirations, no plans, no questioning, no answering since events are laid down all at once for one to see.

The question-and-answer method of Socrates is no longer part of the inside lexicon. The mind exits gracefully in favor of the heart.

As this feeling sinks deeper inside, one realizes simultaneously that a new world has been created, a new world that is not a figment of one's own imagination but a new creation that emerges from the conscious insider.

It is hard to reconcile the fact that we are swallowed beneath a world that resembles anything but logic, reason, or even natural law. For we are entering a realm beyond the edges of materiality.

This new creation narrative is not the making of others. Neither is it a product of external conditioning, subtly imposed on us as a veneer since birth to hide our real essence and being.

This new creation story is an endless birthing account of new events and opportunities that are continually nourished, sustained, and propelled by the force of the conscious observer.

Some are already experiencing a shift in their view of the world and reality. Because of what is happening today, many are realizing that this separatist, isolationist, and divisive kind of life is no longer viable as an approach. It needs to be replaced with an alternative that is consciousness-based.