The Self, Alone?

Many self help guides advise to ignore everything around you. These books tell you that everything you see is an illusion and your soul is the only ‘real’ thing in existence. While I agree that the soul is most important, when I look out the window the world looks pretty real to me. This computer on which I am typing feels pretty real. My husband feels pretty real when I give him a smooch. That said, I don’t believe we should take the word “illusion” literally. What I believe these guides mean is that when you are seeking answers about yourself and your place in the world, your soul is the very essence of what it means to be you. This should take priority above other influences, such as material possessions, other people, and so on.

Your soul should take priority even over your own physicality. For example, if you lose a body part, you are still you, aren’t you? In fact, you were given this physical body to interact with the material world we inhabit. So, the soul may be our animator and of prime importance as to who we really are, but why not work with what we’ve got to have the fullest experience, both spiritually and physically, during our lives?

I don’t advise letting yourself completely “withdraw’ and forsake others’ advice, therapy, or help. I think a partnership amongst these things is more apt. Meditation is a powerful tool and while your own intuition will guide you in the right direction, unless you are alone on an island you have to relate to other people and the world around you at some point. My suggestion is to get advice from others, but choose how you will act from that point forward based on your own intuition and internal guidance. Working with outside influences will help you to create the best possible outcome, rather than having to go it alone.

I actually believe the word ‘Alone’ can be re-worked to mean “all one”, or al/one, referring to that connection, or life force, which we all share. So really, even when those other self help books tell you that you must go it alone, it really means you’re not alone after all.

Dana Prophet