The Self Made Aware

We have to become as simple and as wordless as the growing corn or falling rain. We must just be. − Etty Hillesum

The Self Made Aware

Self-remembering is the simplest description of the Work, as well as of virtually every esoteric teaching of which I am aware. The state of Presence itself is indeed simple and this one-sentence explanation from Etty Hillesum is also beautifully and poetically simple. But there is nothing simple about the level of effort, specificity, and perseverance of self-work that is required to achieve Self-remembering as a permanent focus of my life. Self-remembering or being present in this moment, as you read these words, is our birthright and rightful place—your birthright and rightful place.

In my normal state of sleep, the mechanical habits, psychological weaknesses, and lack of unity of my machine are formidable foes to awakening. These obstacles are complex, complicated, and ubiquitous, like the resilient plastic waste all over Earth nowadays. To overcome our own manmade obstacles, we need to know that other states of consciousness exist and are attainable. Self-remembering is not just an imaginary whim, nor is it a petty fancy reserved exclusively for a special class of people.

When the self becomes aware of itself, it will magnetically be attracted to the state and long to return. Unfortunately, without sufficient training and practice, we take the state for granted and assume it is more readily available than it is due to our diverse and disparate parts. In the absence of unity, our memories and perceptions are clouded by the many parts of our unfocused and false identity. These disparate parts and synthetic-like creations are uninterested in the idea of higher states and will happily settle for something less. Unless we have the right help and self-discipline, we are ill-prepared and unable to summon the state of self-remembering on command. But we are both the problem and the solution.

We are the solution because we contain an inherent ability, albeit small, to value and pursue this higher calling. By resisting the drive of the lower parts and through greater preparation, we place ourselves in a better position to remember ourselves. Self-discipline, self-control, and humility are some of the things that prepare us for overcoming our mechanical tendencies. Luck, our Teacher reminds us, is a factor too. Sometimes simply letting go of what is troubling us is enough. Sometimes being as simple as the falling rain and growing corn is enough—for there is nothing inherently wrong with this moment, dear reader. You can be right now. Feel your feet, look around, hear the sounds near you, breathe in and out, and embrace the uncluttered, divine Self made aware.

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Julie Le Brun Looking in a Mirror - Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun