Fourth Week of Advent, Thursday: The True Self

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

Many years ago I offered contemplation and meditation retreats during Advent to explore how the themes of the season could inspire our inner lives. One of the retreat exercises was to read the stories of the birth of Jesus from the gospels of Luke and Matthew and reflect on all of the elements of the story—including the people, animals, stars, and angels. Participants were invited to consider what quality these characters might represent to them. Perhaps the ox has you think about being steadfast, or of being “yoked”, tied to something that guides your life. The star brings to mind being guided by a vision, and so forth.

After an introduction to viewing the story metaphysically, participants would each draw a slip of paper with the name of a character or element from the story—could be the donkey, Mary, a shepherd, the manger, or any of the other parts. The person who drew the Christ child and the person who drew Herod often had very different experiences. What I found interesting was that year after year, the same thing would occur. The person with the invitation to reflect on the Christ child would find it mysterious, sometimes even difficult to connect to. But, time and again, the person drawing Herod would have no trouble recognizing the qualities he represents.

Herod is easily recognizable as the false self, the ego that must control everything in order to maintain his position. Herod demands to know where and what time the Christ child is born. He says he wants to worship him too but the wise men see through his cunning and do not return to inform him. Although Herod has a powerful role in the story, it is fitting that he is not included at the scene of the birth. The false self, which insists on being separate from God, cannot remain when the light of the true Self dawns.

Practice:
Contemplate the qualities of Christ, of our divine nature. Make a list of them—love, peace, compassion, generosity and more. All of these qualities of God exist within us and are meant to be expressed through us. One of the practices in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra instructs us to purify our hearts and our minds by contemplating the lives and consciousness of spiritually enlightened people who are free from attachment. Contemplate the life of a saint or sage who inspires you. Imagine what it would be like to experience that awakened consciousness. Know that same divine consciousness is within you.

Contemplate: It is only because of ignorance that the Self appears to be finite. When ignorance is banished, the Self, which does not admit to any multiplicity, reveals itself by itself like the sun when a cloud is removed.  –Shankara

When the fluctuations in one’s mind and awareness are transcended during meditation and consciousness is purified, the supreme Self is realized. –Lahiri Mahasaya

Reflect:Am I willing to claim my true identity and take responsibility for cultivating the divine qualities within me?