We are conditioned to wear many different masks to face the world outside of us. Different masks for different people and different situations. Trying to show them what we think they want to see in us as we export our need for validation and love. We want to fit in, we want to be liked and we want to be special. This is how the ego works.
The deeper our wounds, the greater our traumas, the stronger our limiting beliefs, the more complex our system of masks becomes and the more tiring it becomes to manage them all. We are actors on a stage, but the play never seems to end.
Mental health issues, particularly addiction, pushes this egoic process to an extreme through shame, guilt, and fear. There is so much shame and guilt, and there is so much to hide out of fear. The masks become costumes and our lives become completely unmanageable. The thickest mask is the one we wear to face ourselves. We lose ourselves in it.
Unmanageability becomes insanity and the game is up as we lose the ground beneath us. The ONLY solution is to take off the masks and allow that which lies beneath to emerge. Our old identity no longer serves us. We lose ourselves only to find ourselves. It is a spiritual journey.
The freedom, serenity, and capacity to love that emerges from this process is beyond words.
There are only two ways we change. We are either forced to change or we have the intuition to change. The process of change is the same.
To change, the starting point is complete honesty and to surrender. This is non-negotiable. The rest of the journey involves seeking to raise one’s consciousness and, it never ends. You don’t want it to.
When we start, our actions don’t always match our words. When we are deep into our journey, not only do our actions match our words, but our words match our thoughts. The mask becomes a veil and there is nothing left to manage. This is freedom from the bondage of self.
If you feel called to change then find a guide, teacher or Wayshower and start the journey. This is your terrain, but a map or guide helps.
The Way
Comments