Bringing the best version of you to the here and now

Greetings & Salutations!

Before I get into this week’s message, I want to share a short announcement about another way you can connect with my work…

Okay, onto this week’s newsletter…

In last week’s message, I shared how I battled with depression throughout college and how that made me feel like a victim of my own psyche—until I learned how to transform my consciousness through meditation.

Today I want to delve more into the topic of how we can take the reins of consciousness into our own hands through meditation.

Fortunately, you don’t have to have battled with depression to have experience with the challenge I’m going to focus on this week.

It might help, however, if you got to know my 4th grade buddy, Dan.

My 4th grade buddy, Dan

Dan was the new kid in school and he was assigned to the seat next to mine. That meant we sat together all day long because in my grade school you didn’t move around from class to class all day. You parked your little hinder at your desk and only got up from it for recess and lunch.

When we introduced ourselves on the first day of class I said, Hi, my name is Simon. He said, Hi I’m Dan. People call me Dan, Dan, the ladies man.

Damn, I thought. This guy is advanced. My friends and I only giggle about girls.

Me and Dan became fast friends. He was the most fun friend this fourth grade boy could have hoped for. His lexicon of dirty words far exceeded that of our peers. He claimed to drink and smoke, too.

Well, as you might have guessed, Dan introduced me to the world of trouble.

By Christmas my grades were tanking, I had been in numerous fights at recess, and the teacher discovered that Dan and I had ruined a number of textbooks by scribbling dirty words all over them.

That wasn’t my first or only encounter with trouble as a boy. But things got serious enough with Dan that it was the first time I came to understand responsibility. A part of me wanted to run with Dan. A part of me realized it was bad for me. I had to chose what direction I wanted to go in life.

My parents and teachers helped to make my decision a bit easier. My teachers took a measure I hadn’t seen or heard of before and switched me to another class mid-year.

My parents forbade my friendship with Dan and pressed me to start hanging out with the friends in my neighborhood I had left behind when I started up with the ladies man.

Which version of yourself will the world see today?

On a day to day, moment to moment basis, we all have a similar choice to make. We all have different versions of ourselves that we can show up in the world with. Which one will manifest?

For example, I sometimes find myself petty and vindictive. Is that me? Well, I don’t see anyone else I can pin that guy on. So yes, that’s a side of me that I can show up in the world as.

What about the times that I’m willing to be self-sacrificing, ready to take one for the team—is that me? Well, of course that’s me! I’m always happy to claim that chap.

I also feel within myself this great potential that’s often unrealized… is that me? I definitely want it to be.

Throughout our days, different situations and people draw out different facets of my persona.

Okay, but which is the real me?

Meet your higher self

I think most psychologists would say that all of those facets of your personality are you—but you may arrive at a different answer if you sit in mediation.

When you pull away from identification with your thoughts and feelings in the way that meditation facilitates, and you begin to experience the part of you who is above it all, what you begin to see is that in this state you won’t find the petty and vindictive part of yourself—far from it.

You come in touch with a peaceful, loving, compassionate self. You also come in touch with power. Lots of power. An inner well of strength.

And what’s more is that you will also find that this person that exists above the clouds, the you that you find when you have gone into the core of your heart, is your truest self.

In meditation you can have the experience that your highest self is also your truest self.

I’m not trying to put forth a philosophical or theological idea that I want you to to embrace—though I’m sure it sounds like it.

I’m sharing an experience that you can (and I hope will) have for yourself.

The Eagle Meditation

In the Self Salutation there are seven meditations and the first is one to call forth your higher self. I call it the Eagle Meditation

When I designed the Self Salutation, I tried many different practices before I settled on the approach. I wanted to find the simplest, most powerful practice; one that could give people an experience of their highest self in just 3 minutes if possible.

I found the best way to experience the higher self is to set that intention and keep at it.

The essence of the Eagle meditation is quite simple. You focus your mind on calling forth your wisest, highest self—the most honest self, best version of you that you are capable of manifesting in the next ten breaths.

Then with each inhale and exhale you recommit yourself to your intention, trying to have more and more sincerity with each repetition of your intention. The goal is that by the end of the meditation, your heart is really burning with this desire.

You can always add another round of ten breaths if you need to.

To begin with, I recommend that you just focus on the intention and release yourself from any expectation about who this higher self is and what that means.

When we’re are on a lower rung of consciousness, when we’re caught in the spinning wheels of the mind, it’s hard to know exactly what the world looks like from the perspective of our wisest self.

We can be caught in the muck and so impose upon ourselves a contrived idea about what our higher self looks like.

In other words, the idea of calling forth your higher self can easily trigger the perfectionist in you. Yikes! Danger scenario. No fun.

So just have a bit of curiosity to see who will manifest. Keep the beginners mind.

The ultimate step of responsibility

When I began this meditation in my own life, it gave me remarkable sense of freedom and I hope it brings you the same.

After all, what more can anyone possibly ask of you than to bring your best self to any particular moment?

Because of this, I often use this meditation just before making any important decision or entering an important meeting.

When you’ve done this meditation, you’ve taken ultimate responsibility for the state of your consciousness. You showed up for life in the fullest way possible in this moment in time.

Because of this, this simple practice can help you relax into your life in a new way. You’ll know that whatever anyone might think or say, you’ve truly done the best you can.

Peace,
Simon

P.S. Don’t forget to find me on my podcast tour! I spoke with Catherine Rodriguez on the Cycle Podcast about Mindfulness, meditation, and what it was like to be a monk. You can listen to it here.

I also spoke with Valeria Teles on the Fit for Joy Podcast about “Why self-love beats perfectionism any day.” You can listen to it here.