Letting Go of the I

The I is woven into the fabric of the True Self and the two are inseparable until the day when the I starts falling off by the wear and tear of our spiritual journey. Eventually, you will be in your birth-suit and you feel warm, cozy and just great the way you are. But the process is a confusing one; when is it time to just let go - to illustrate my point, let me tell you the story of the two spiritual travelers.

There was once a beautiful girl in a shining, colorful sari who traveled along a river when she saw a holy man, completely naked, jumping into the river shouting 'I Am He'. When she saw the bliss on his face a thought crossed her mind 'I must be holy like him' and she ripped off her clothes, threw it on the ground and jumped into the water. A little boy came by and said 'Sister, take better care of your beautiful gown', took the sari and washed it in the river for her.

There was also a man in the same town who traveled along a dusty road, the sun was hot that day and his heavy coat made him sweat. The little boy came along and said, 'Brother, give me your coat, I will keep it for you until you are back', but the man responded 'No, you don't understand, the fall is coming quicker than you think, I better hang on to it'.

Our spiritual community often refers to the True Self and the I, claiming that if you just let go of the I you will be able to discover your True Self. I myself love the notion of being on a spiritual path, waving time into the equation. There are times when you can redirect the demands of the I and express yourself beautifully and spiritually, and burn off your personality and karma in the process. And then there are times when you have outgrown certain aspects of your personality and it is time to just let go. As always, only you know at what stage of your spiritual evolution you are, but the times of struggle should be short. Never fight yourself, only you will lose out in the process.

May your path be blessed!
Zeitgeist