“Who am I?”
How many times do we ask that question over the course of our lifetime? How may times have we heard others ask us, “Who are you?” Besides this one all-encompassing question, some people will most likely want to further define us in their mind, so they can perhaps, assess our worth or likeability. Their questions would probably continue, by asking things like, what are our hobbies? Did we go to college, and if so, where? Are we married? Do we have kids? What do we do for work? What kind of car do we drive? Where do we live? What are our spiritual beliefs or religion? What is our nationality?
If we are considered, by the culture or society that we live in, to be successful and prosperous, we will be proud to spout off our labels and accomplishments. Our voices will be strong and confident, our chests may pump up, our shoulders square broadly, and our chins may tilt toward the heavens. If not, the opposite will most likely occur. Our voices may be small or nearly muted, chests almost concave, shoulders slumped forward, and chins heading straight for our chest.
Before continuing, I would like to share a quote from one of the best spiritual books I have ever read, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.
“The ultimate truth of who are you, is not I am this or I am that, but I am. What a liberation to realize that the voice in my head is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that. The awareness that is prior to thought, the space in which the thought…or emotion or sense of perception happens.” Eckhart Tolle
So, the answer to the question, “Who am I,” depends upon which part of our self we most identify with at the time of the question, or who is asking the question, and which part of the self that person summons forth, the human part or the being part. If we are already on a spiritual path and have begun to awaken to our identity as a soul, we will most likely be able to recognize when the ego wants to boast and bluster about its accomplishments. Our soul can then firmly say, “I’ll take it from here, thank you,” and override the ego’s desperate attempt to control the narrative.
Should I be fully immersed in my human persona, the answer to the question of who I am would be something like this.
“I am Drusilla Burrough Cyphers. I am a white American female, 67 years old. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother. I am a massage therapist, spiritual consultant, and author. I live on Long Island, NY. I am divorced and remarried to an amazing man. We own a moderate house in a middle-class neighborhood, and I lease a bright blue Honda. My hobbies and passions include writing, working out, doing yoga, being at the beach and exploring wine country here on Long Island, which of course includes tasting lots of great wines.”
Is that a truthful assessment of who I am? Yes, from my human perspective. At the time of the question, had my current vibrational frequency been one of energy rather than physical form, my answer would most likely be quite different and much less verbose. That answer would simply be, “I am a spiritual being born of light and love! I need no other designation.”
Of course, we are both energy and form simultaneously and must work continuously to integrate our sometimes snarky, frightened ego with the that of our eternal soul. Therefore, as we ponder our soul’s evolution and our spiritual journey here on the earth plane, a question that begs an answer from both parts of our nature might be, “If we should lose any of the roles or labels that we believe define us, would that, in any way, diminish who we are?”
From the human or ego’s point of view the answer may be, “Yes, it surely would. If we should lose our job, our home, and our possessions, then people would judge us and label us a failure. If our spouse or significant other leaves us, we again may feel judged by others or ourselves and perhaps, feel unworthy of love. The ego would pronounce loudly,” In the eyes of the world we are nothing more than a pathetic disappointment.”
Yet, from our soul’s viewpoint, it may respond as follows, “None of those things define who we are and thus cannot diminish who we are.” Our soul is aware that any roles we choose to play or labels we have accumulated in the physical world are merely tools to help us accomplish our life purpose and evolve as a soul. Those roles and labels change continuously, not only during this lifetime, but also from lifetime to lifetime depending on our life mission and lessons we have chosen to learn, among other things.
Putting aside what the world thinks about us, and how we are perceived here on the earth plane, here is a more significant question. “Would losing labels, possessions or relationships change the way we feel about ourselves? Would it affect our self-worth, self-esteem, and self-love?” The answer to those questions depends on our level of spiritual awareness and consciousness. It depends on how attached we are to the transient nature of the physical world; and yes, it may depend on how much we depend on how others perceive us, and how willing we are to allow those perceptions to define us.
Here is the thing! For those of us determined to search, seek out and discover every possible spiritual truth, I say, “Bravo!” However, we can travel the world over and learn from great mystics and spiritual teachers. We can fill our bookshelves or our kindle and audible libraries with holy texts, inspired works from enlightened ones, and an infinite number of spiritual self-help books. Yet, in the end our journey will be one that ultimately leads back to ourselves.
Beyond the incessant stream of involuntary thoughts, compulsive obsessions and volatile emotions spewed at us from our egoic mind, is another quiet and sacred space. That mystical and transcendent place lies not out in the ethers somewhere or the far corners of the world, but in the warmth, comfort, and peacefulness of our inner realm. We find that therein lies the truth of who we are and have always been.
When we visit this supernal, ethereal reality that cannot be measured by any physical means, we remember how vast, infinite, and powerful we are. We find no judgement there, only a love so pure and unconditional that we are often brought to tears. We sense the heartbeat of the heavens and our creator. We experience the miraculous expansion and contraction of all of life and we feel a soft, tender, all-encompassing embrace that both energizes and eases us. Again, and again, we can journey home to ourselves for a quiet respite, and when we reemerge and continue our earthly journey, no one and nothing can confuse us ever again. We know that we are in this world but not of this world because we remember. We are fully committed to the truth of who we are and will continue to live out that truth every moment of our precious time here.
“I exist! We exist! I am! We are”, and that is sufficient! Yet if the world is confused by our response, we can compassionately clarify …
“We are peace! We are joy, and we are love!” That is who we all are now and throughout eternity, and so it is!