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We all have a higher Self within; we were born with it. However, mostly, neither are we aware of it nor do we act from it. It remains dormant, but survives only to manifest at the right opportunity. Sometimes we get a fleeting glimpse of the Self when we spontaneously act out of unconditional love.Recall a sudden wave of empathy that engulfed you at the sight of a man shivering in the cold that prompted you to give him clothes; picking up a wounded animal on the road; the compassion on seeing the innocent face of a newborn, the deep sense of fulfillment on rescuing someone in trouble. These arouse an incredible flow of energy and feelings within.
Momentarily, you rise from an ordinary state of being to an extraordinary one that’s difficult to describe. The shift is spontaneous, unintentional and instinctive. During these moments, you are completely immersed in feeling for the other. You forget who you are — your status, position, your own troubles, and miseries; you act without assigning reason and logic. Neither do you expect reward or recognition in return. These are moments when your higher Self takes over to become active and alive. Undoubtedly, every act of the Self leaves behind a deep sense of fulfillment, worth, accomplishment and joy.
The Self is a vast storehouse of positive energy within that propels us to extend ourselves unconditionally. We drop our masks — our ego-self, the finite, entrenched in inhibitions, doubts, hesitations, ifs and buts. No sooner than the ego takes over, we again restrain ourselves from reaching out. The demands of the ego-self are fairly compelling. It has incredible influence on us and its conditioning wields tremendous gravitational pull that holds us back. Our conditioned mind constitutes our ego-self that endorses judgements, evaluations, biases, prejudices, and predispositions. We have gathered all this ignorantly, and continue this way out of sheer habit, thereby impeding manifestation of the Self.
The Self is the internal abundance that can be realised at our will any time. It’s capable of lifting us up from difficulties particularly during moments of stress, frustration, nervousness and duress. It has the power to nourish, nurture, absorb and inspire. All we need is to have faith and surrender our ego-self to the higher Self. The challenge we face, therefore, is not in allowing the Self to take charge but in surrendering ego-self. It’s fear that keeps the ego intact, preventing its surrender. Our ego-self survives and feeds on our fears, miseries, doubts, compulsions, obsessions and cravings which are nothing but self-created but that appears real. With continuous use, they have become our mindset. We tend to derive solace in them even if the payoff is pain.
Our social and professional demands keep our mind highly active, absorbing most of our attention. Cluttering of mind obscures the higher Self. Our mind occupies the primary circuit and our consciousness remains enveloped by ego. Therefore, withdraw yourself from such mental activities and enjoy silence and aloneness at frequent intervals. Practicing this distances us from mental chaos and creates inner space for the Self to manifest. Once you do this, the ground is created for recurrent manifestation of Self.
The more frequently you allow the Self to manifest, greater the possibility of it being active for longer durations. In due course, gradually, the way is paved for the Self to become fully functional.
Nonetheless, acting from the higher Self does not make things different; rather, we start seeing things differently, eventually enabling ourselves to transcend duality.
–Dhruva Bhargava
