How Vulnerable Are You?

As a boy I didn’t mind sharing my vulnerability but by the time I became a teenager I’d learned that being vulnerable was opening myself to judgement and condemnation so, like most of us, I worked at hiding, repressing and denying my vulnerability. I thought I had to be strong to get along in this world so that’s the trajectory I followed. The hard knocks of life taught me that this earth plane of personality didn’t honor the Essence we all share and yet I couldn’t forget it.

Over the years that followed even my so called strengths were challenged so I fought even harder to maintain my defenses that eventually turned offensive. As the decades followed I got worn down and now as I approach my seventieth birthday I’m back to allowing my many ego selves to be more vulnerable because I’ve been reconnecting with the Essence I share with everyone. It’s so much greater that our little personalities; more calm, centered and receptive.

Ram Dass has said: “From a personality point of view, you develop judgment, but from the soul’s point of view, you develop appreciation. This soul is also called Essence. It’s the eternal substantive part of us that’s our True Self. It’s also that which IS when we return to non physicality. It’s the Who That’s Really You, the Thee that’s Truly We. To make ourselves vulnerable is to calmly rest in this Essence which Knows beyond our ego knowing.

The longer we ‘sit’ with this Self Remembering the more we bring it into the world that’s so overloaded with personality. Also, the longer with spend with self observation which is simply witnessing our many small ego selves that love to control and make themselves the subject of our lives, the more we soften our hearts and allow ourselves to live in the strength of this eternal Essence. This is the paradox of being Human. This is the challenge of ‘waking up.’

As children we are mostly Essence while rapidly and overwhelmingly developing strong ego personalities. These small i’s are essential for our survival in every culture. Along the way however we must realize that we are so much more than these small i’s. To truly tap into the human spirit is to discover our Essence which is passively waiting for us to ‘wake up’ to it’s presence.This happens through great love, great loss and surrendering our ego attachments.

This ‘second education’ is a return to childlikeness or beginners mind. It’s loving, joyful, non competitive, peaceful and vulnerable with great strength and compassion. It’s the Meta Mind, Christ Mind, Buddha Mind, Heart Mind, the Essential Mind that lives inside you and every human being. It’s what all deep spiritual traditions proclaim as Presence. To give up control to this loving Presence that’s ever present takes us beyond our finite selves into our Infinite Self…

• Sometime this week allow yourself to share a vulnerability with someone you trust. Begin the process of discovering the strength of your Essence by surrendering your personality a bit.

• Through self observation notice how your personality judges while through Self Remembering notice how your Essence appreciates everything to bring love, joy, beauty and peace to you. Allow your Essence to guide you by being still, breathing deeply and asking: What does this moment ask of me? Place your hands over your heart.  Be Still . . Listen . . Follow . . Flow . .