2016-06-30
Excerpted with permission from "Codes of Light—The Power of Our Beliefs"

In the past thirty-five years, the spirituality and self-help markets have increased at an alarming rate. As a Spiritual Teacher and Medical Intuitive, I have seen many clients strive to change their lives and witnessed only small changes. Why are there are so many healers and the consciousness as a whole doesn’t leap forward? Why is lack and poverty, unhappiness and depression still so much a part of daily lives? What is missing? Have we simply forgotten how to know the true Self and get to the Absolute Truth and Awaken? For decades, so much information has been imparted with so many tools and so many lessons learned. Books tell us how to choose the correct words, do the right meditation and listen to the right music—so why aren’t things really shifting in life?

Many Masters, including Buddha and Jesus, preached “Know the Self.” By “Knowing the Self” Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha. In his search for enlightenment, he traveled for seven years only to learn that what he searched for lived right inside of him. The richness of his being vibrated deep at his inner core. He reached His awakened state of consciousness by understanding his own Self.

Why do we need so many reminders, endless encouragement and hours of meditation to “Know the Self?” What makes it so difficult? Striving for what? Do we even know? It’s time that we investigate what really dictates our life. We must look deep within at the belief patterns at our inner core self. This movement in consciousness is unavoidable.

So many people proclaim their spirituality and yet have no idea what makes them happy or sad. Do you actually know the inner workings of your own true Self? What creates happiness or sadness? Why do we co-create personal dramas and disasters to wake-up? Why is anger so potent when values are questioned? Or fear so scary? The true inner Self is not angry, jealous, or afraid. It is not our wounded female or male or even our crying inner child. The true Self is inner JOY and enthusiasm—it is our birthright—the innermost part of Self, which is free from limitation and completely abundant with unconditional Love.

The act of “being spiritual” means to love, honor, and accept the “whole self” (body/mind), every nook and cranny. It means to take the necessary steps to responsibly nurture ourselves on every level and live fully in the physical body. Wounds run deep. It’s surprising how many “spiritual” people get defensive or angry when they are questioned. Many can’t distinguish if they are thinking or feeling energy, although they are wizards at ‘woo-woo’ dialogues that would make anyone spin. There are so many tools to get you back to God that it gyrates me. Do you think Jesus sat in the garden of Gethsemane memorizing the color of the rays? Or Buddha sat under a Banyan tree with a pendulum deciding his next move? I don’t think so. They built inner relationships, stopped the mental chatter, calmed the emotions and remembered a distinct inner quality of Love. When we develop a healthy relationship with our own Self, the relationship we have with fear and illness changes. In the bigger picture, we know very little about the true Self.

I ask clients, “What would you like to do in life?” and silence prevails. Ask someone, “What brings joy and happiness into your life?” Do you know? Recently, I asked a long time client recovering from a divorce, “What brings you joy?” His response: “My son—whatever he likes, I like.” I asked him, “What would you like to do with your life now that you are single?” He couldn’t answer me. He only knew himself as a businessman. The first time I met Rodney he introduced himself by saying: “Hello, my name is Rodney; I’m a millionaire.” Now his millions split, so has his self-worth. How many of us identify with this? If not money, replace it with something very dear and important in life. Once we lose an external object like a spouse or career, we lose self-esteem and self-worth. Why?

This self-discovery journey (life) enlightens us. As we journey, we discover so many wonderful and not so wonderful parts. We uncover limitation in the form of fear, denial, resistance, anger, shame, doubts, and also positive characteristics of love, compassion, honesty, integrity, and so much more. All layered succinctly, negative or positive, makes us individuals and perfect reflections of God. We are beautifully designed into a sculptured mass of ingredients. As skilled architects, building house after house, life after life, we continue on the path of self-discovery. Revelations, along with judgments and fears, eventually fall away until a non-judgmental statement remains about the Self.


Buddhism is on the rise in America and around world because so many people are seeking just what Gautama Buddha and other Masters achieved: Enlightenment! Awakened! Ascension! Self-Realization! True Self! Choose the word that is best suited for you. They all mean the same thing. Buddha’s role, like Jesus and others, was as a living example of enlightenment—someone we would choose as a role model to awaken us. For at least 2,500 years, we are still trying to achieve what these masters have eloquently said—“Know the Self!” Once the Buddha was asked, “Who are you? Are you a man? Are you a saint?” His response, “I Am Awake!”

Copyright Paula Muran. All rights reserved.
more from beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad