“To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”.

– William Shakespeare

How are you not being truly yourself?  I have a friend.  He was a Monk for 30 years.  He taught me tools to “be” fully present in the now and how to live in the present rather than with stories and programs that keep you small and “safe”.  Of course, it is an illusion to believe that a thought or idea can keep you safe.  Ask anyone whose life has suddenly, traumatically and drastically changed in a flash. You can know you are in a past “story” when you feel a well of emotion bubbling up inside of you that makes you uncomfortable.  Many people chose to ignore this and distract themselves, drink it away or other unhealthy behavior to “escape themselves”. No judgement, we all do it.  However, if you are very lucky, universal energy taps you on the shoulder (it can feel more like you have been hit in the head), and the soul awakens and this is no longer acceptable to yourself.  You desire more than anything to be your free liberated and fully authentic self.  This is the journey and purpose of life as I see it, and one I am actively involved with.

Your body is so intelligent and it tells you when you are not aligned with your true self if you are willing to listen.  Your body speaks through disease, discomfort and often times anxiety. We have learned through traumatic events in this life, and past lives for that matter, that it is not “safe” to take certain actions.  In the past, those actions didn’t turn out so well, and in fact could have had and often have had emotionally devastating results.  So we try and protect ourselves from hurt in the future, by creating a “story” (a crystallized belief system) that comes out of fear and past conditioning of “right” and “wrong”.  We become convinced of a “truth” that is not true in other words.

We falsely believe it is the only way not to repeat the same “mistake” and stay ‘emotionally secure.  However, these stories or beliefs keep us limited and not able to authentically be our true selves and that takes the joy and freedom out of our life.  In essence our fears run the show.   We are more often than not unconscious of these stories.  In faith and self-love, we can experience much personal growth and courageously transform into a new expanded version of ourselves. William Shakespeare said “To Thine Own Self Be True, and it must follow as the Night the Day, thou canst not then be false to any man”. … so true…love you very much RJ