Within each of us, there exists two selves.
One is the lower self, driven by pride, ego, lust, judgement and resentment.
The other is the higher self, driven by compassion, empathy, self-respect and harmony.
Our two selves are in constant battle for the driver’s seat of our lives. I know for me, it fluctuates on a daily, sometimes momentary basis. One moment I’ll be filled with love and compassion for the world and my neighbor, the next I’ll be filled with darkness. This stark contrast has been so severe at times I’ve wondered if I’m bipolar. I’m not, but I’ve certainly entertained the possibility. It’s been so noticeable that in college my two faces had two different nicknames, “White Tee” and “Jet Black”. You can guess which one is which.
This duality can be found not only within ourselves, but within all things in the material plane. Good vs. evil, light vs. dark, soft vs. hard, existence vs. non-existence. The very fabric of the reality in which we live depends on this dichotomy - you’ve heard the phrase, “You can’t have light without the dark.” That’s true metaphorically, but also literally. Without the idea of “no-thing”, “some-thing” doesn’t exist.
This brings us to the concept of Unity. I like to think of Unity as God, but I’ll explain that another time. If we want to find that thing we’re always looking for (a.k.a. peace, happiness, tranquility, whatever you want to call it), we can’t just will our way into acting from the higher self. That creates all kinds of shadows - the example of the pedophile priest comes to mind here. It’s not about repression but integration, and that only comes with awareness.
Have you ever gotten acutely angry, lustful or judgmental? In these moments we often become blind to our higher selves. We’re consumed by the desires of the lower self in such a way that the higher self seems non-existent. The Buddhists call this avidyā, a.k.a. Ignorance. The first step against this is awareness, and the next step is action - noticing we are being driven by our lower self, yet finding the constitution to act from our higher self. This is the process of integration, and it can be extraordinarily difficult. It’s getting cut off on the highway by a reckless driver and making the immediate and conscious decision to let it go, without reaction. Is that what you would do?
My challenge for you this week is to pay attention to your two selves. Don’t try to change anything - focus on simply being aware. See if you can gain access to any parts of your higher self while your lower self is at the wheel. You may find this challenging at first, as we often experience the lower self as “autopilot,” or numbness. Keep your focus on your awareness, and you’ll inevitably pierce the veil that your lower self has created.
That’s one step closer to Unity.