Who are you at your Highest Self?

I'm unsure whether to point fingers at the winter blues, or to the shedding of my own skin as I start to "Lift the Veil of Illusion" from all of the things I have thought so fondly of, that I became and truly believed in. Yet, I am hesitant with all of the things that I do and say at this point because I do not want to act out of any impulsive lacks of awareness. (Though I am accepting the setbacks I may have). However, this is the mantra that the yogic philosophy reminds us of; the Practice; the practice itself is the path to mastering "lifting the veil". The practice is the discipline of catching yourself in cyclic thoughts, in cyclic behaviors, in cyclic emotions, and in cyclic experiences and expressions. I have seen better days, and I have seen a degree of tough ones as well, now my practice is to remember that I once had the strength to outlive these moments that ebb and flow, and now I have the mindfulness to practice overcoming them. If I continue with this practice of "lifting the veil", and seeing things as they are through mindfulness, then I will be walking the path of being in touch with my Higher Self. Trusting, that this vessel and consciousness is meant to live what it becomes and believes to be.

Clearly, I can go into rabbit holes when it comes to these thoughts; (they are better organized when I write, not so much speaking in real time); but today I choose to free-write, rather than go back and forth within my writing to make sure I hold my grammar manners and don't go into tangents. I will allow this tunnel of thoughts, otherwise I won't have the opportunity for epiphanies and self-guidance to what I have already known, but needed to question. The reminder is the motivator. In the asana practice, I preach to ask yourself questions as you are in the posture but the same goes to these meditative thoughts. My what ifs turn into hows and the hows turn into can I and what else? And then these questions lead to further investigations, simply to try to understand why these questions arose. I dabble with a creative mind, where I am aware of all infinite scenarios of how things are currently playing out, both in reality and in my mind, and the outcome from these assumptions.

If you're curious about what the meditation process looks like- that was a little taste, there is plenty more, but one of the tips to resolve cognitive dissonance is to ask and seek the root, and once you think you have it, even question that same root to see where it planted its seed.

I say it in class all of the time; Who are you at your Highest Self? If it is true, that we are who we are right now, can we try to imagine seeing ourselves in a different, higher, luminescent light? The kind that doesn't feel heavy, or pessimistic; the kind that is a true reflection of an enlightened spirit that we might currently be unaware of having the potential to become. A light of infinite joys, whilst knowing we can alchemize pain into joy and consider our alchemizing dreams into reality. Words are powerful and the practice may be to play the game "catch" when we speak and think them, because we know that these words can manifest into the physical plane of our experience.

Of course, I (everyone) have the free will to choose what thoughts I let lead my every waking hour, and yet, when I am asleep, they manifest into dreams that may blur my vision the next day.

The subconscious, the dream state, the U in aum; this is creative insight, to your inner life, meaning we can get to know ourselves a lot better through such opportunity.

When someone tells you their dream and they ask you what you think it meant, it is best to ask, how they felt in the dream. The interpretation is up to the dreamer, they must dig a little deeper, especially if it has already made an impact in their conscious, waking state.

Granted, some dreams are obvious and correlate with the same feelings you'd get in the waking state. For example, it would sadden us to see a loved one hurt in a dream, just as much as if we saw this loved one hurt, in waking state.

I have had dreams that angered me, and upon waking I had to surrender to the reality that I have nothing to be angry about.

I have had dreams of joyous accomplishments and heightened truths of love; and have awoken to that same rush of emotion in my waking state, by acknowledging the beauty in my reality.

I have also daydreamed and fed myself stories of projects and ambitious ideas that weren't/haven't been fulfilled in the waking state.

The dream realm teaches us that there is no "one way", just like in the movies, there are multi-universes of infinite possibilities.

How do I recreate the ability to live my "dreams", as if I were attempting lucid dreaming in real life? AKA, a forever state of pure consciousness? AAAAAUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM_________________________________

I ask myself, are these thoughts manifesting in my dream world and in my real world, the same thoughts that my higher self would have?

"Lifting the veils of illusion means being able to remember who you are and what your higher purpose is"... "It is knowing that your consciousness is your primary, causal reality. It is learning to see the world through the eyes of your Higher Self, knowing what is truth and what is illusion". Spiritual Growth, Sanaya Roman

What my understanding of lifting the veil of illusion teaches me, may only be a tough practice if I choose to see it as a tough practice; my Higher Self would want me to live out this practice. It is a mantra of a higher vibration that can naturally lift the veil for me, simply, by becoming what I seek to be, in which tells me I need to stop looking so hard, and lift the veil to find clarity.

Would my higher self be happy with getting only 6 hours of sleep?

Or is my higher self agreeing to the work right now? Knowing that I subtract a few hours of sleep to fulfill my craving of silence at night, and the enjoyment of the organic creativity that flushes my brain at this time? Perhaps my Higher Self sees this as an opportunity of realignment with all I have once picked up, but never hit Publish with. (;

What I believe will be all I know to be true; What I feel will lead that belief.

Perhaps at times my Higher Self prefers to give me a little nudge of intuition to help me walk the paths of the unknown with a courageous heart when I lolled a connection with mind and spirit.

This is how the process begins. We start questioning who we are in the moment, and how we can be the bestest versions of ourselves in those same moments. The universe is forgiving; if our response is not in alignment with our Highest Self, it will cycle back to test us in other ways. "I should have responded like this.." is what I call a glitch in the system. There was a disconnect for whatever reason, but it is not too late to realign. Acknowledging the not so "spiritually aligned" responses is also a practice for lifting the veil.

So now my game play is to keep reminding myself of who I see myself to be at my Highest Self. It happens in the moment because that is when we lift the veil to whatever illusive thoughts we were believing. To see things as they are is to listen to the present moment and to remind yourself of that repeatedly.

SAT CHIT ANANDA : Truth, consciousness, bliss or as Ram Dass calls it, Soul Joy. [Journey of Awakening]

One has to be devoted to seeing this reality as is, in a conscious state; otherwise how else will your heart (anahata) and throat (visuddha) and third eye (ajna) and crown (sahasrara) chakras surge into JOY?

I am dedicating this last month to prep myself for the wild ride that my thoughts will have the opportunity to explore, and to hopefully turn into another version of my Highest Self. I trust in what has created me with the pure intention that I will do my very best, just like the fourth agreement. {The Four Agreements}

I know that this month will fly by and come to a close, ending the year at the pace that it is set. By the second week of February 2025, the ambitious New Year's resolutions may become empty promises, and this is when we will need the reminder all over again. Come Spring time, we will feel the adrenaline rush to create something, and hopefully it will be art through the lenses of our Highest Self.

Sat-Chit-Ananda

~ Look around you; what is clear, what is real? Find the joy, it is there. ~

Inspiration

I owe these inspiring thoughts to a book, in which was gifted to me by an acquaintance when I was in college. At the time I received it, I had a hard time reading and processing it; Maybe I lacked the motivation or didn't have much experience in awareness to be able to understand it. However, this time around as I cleansed and re-organized my space on Thanksgiving Day; this book, like a teacher, found me, knowing I, the student, was ready.

As I opened this book like an oracle, a few days after, Chapter 17: Lifting the Veils of Illusion, shook me out of my winter blues..

Integrity is living the truth you know. ; Integrity is an important aspect of spiritual growth. It is acting, talking, talking, and behaving in ways that honor yourself and others. It is examining things before you do them and doing all of the things you know to be true.

You would have a clear vision of your purpose and know what actions to take to accomplish it. You would see beyond people's personalities to their Higher Selves. You would not let self-doubts or thoughts that you weren't good enough pull you from your path. Believing in yourself and your path, you would have greater strength and courage to carry out your work.

Spiritual Growth: Being Your Higher Self by Sanaya Roman.

I chose to share these thoughts and book excerpts in hopes it resonates with you as much as it did with me.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti