Living From Your Higher Self
One of the most unique human struggles is dealing with the voice of judgment that often plays on a continuous loop inside our heads. Having that chattering mind be your principal source of inner feedback erodes confidence and peace of mind. It wakes you up in the wee hours and doesn’t let you get back to sleep. Worries about getting it all done and doing it well enough are the undercurrent. For many, it can be the source of finding yourself in perpetual cycles of perfectionism and procrastination. Life is lived from the perspective of avoiding pain because the chattering mind sees the potential for grief everywhere.
The programming of the chattering mind (also referred to as the ego) is to unearth negative possibilities. It does this as a protective mechanism, but like a weed one anxious thought multiplies into thinking about other scary scenarios. As the thoughts become a cacophony, the connection to the insight and calm of the higher self gets lost in the noise.
While the higher self tends to communicate more quietly, its message stems from a place of wisdom. Whether you call that source divine, and/or evolved consciousness, it’s part of our wiring and always has a presence. Tuning into that presence is the objective of spiritual practice and psychological inquiry. For example, in working with clients struggling with self-sabotaging thoughts, we talk about spending time in meditation calling forth inner heroes and heroines, or the empowered parts of the self. The exercise re-acquaints the person with forgotten aspects of their best natures, helping them to experience the higher self within them, in real time. Having your inner wisdom weigh in can alleviate fear in how we express ourselves in the world because it changes how you actually see and encounter all that is around you. In regard to the chattering mind, the higher self carries such a level of insight that when its invited in, it works to highlight the parts of the ego that help us take care of our responsibilities and bolster the discipline it takes to live a meaningful life. Thus, keeping the ego in check.
Living from your higher self stems from feeling connected and keeping that connection clear and open. Like mentioned above, this is both a psychological and spiritual practice. Below are ideas to strengthen the link:
- Thank your chattering mind (ego) for looking out for you but push back by questioning what it’s telling you. Notice it’s inherent drama. If it tells you that all is lost if you don’t get everything done on your To Do list perfectly, ask that part of yourself, “ Is that really true?” Since the chattering mind is fed by stirring up fears, it may dominate your feelings and actions. The more you can question it, the less power it will have over your experience and motivation. (See Byron Katie’s thework.com for more info on this process).
- Wayne Dyer teaches that the practice of regular meditation is a way of “clearing the corrosion” from the mind. Marianne Williamson talks about using prayer to specifically ask that the fearful thoughts from the ego be healed so that thoughts from the higher self can more easily arise and take the forefront of our awareness.
- Fill your consciousness with higher self-knowing. Reading texts that speak to your soul, watching a YouTube video of a speaker that teaches from the voice of wisdom and being part of a group that meets with the intention of living from spirit all strengthen your relationship with your higher self.
- Nature and the higher self are deeply linked. Placing yourself within natural surroundings and creating a practice of being aware of how you are a part of this greater whole, also opens the connection directly to your highest and best self.
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