Outline
- There are no awful “parts” of ourselves hidden within us.
- There are no magnificent “parts” of ourselves hidden within us.
- We are as we are when we are that way.
- We disclose to others what we wish, and not what we don’t wish to disclose.
- “Not liking” ourselves is really the beginning of liking something other than what we liked in the past.
Introduction
In this writing, Bruce Di Marsico discusses the myth of the hidden self.
There are no awful “parts” of ourselves hidden within us, some hidden evil or disgusting part. There are also no magnificent “parts” of ourselves hidden within us. In every moment, we are entirely as we are when we are that way, and there is no “other” self hidden away.
If we choose not to disclose an aspect of ourselves to others, that aspect is not hidden to us. If we are “Not liking” ourselves, what we are experiencing is really the beginning of liking something other than what we liked in the past. The “self” that we do not like is the manifestation of our past self, and not our present self. We always perfectly like our present self. Not liking our past self need have no more implication than not liking strawberry ice cream. We know what we like, now.
There is nothing hidden within us.
There is nothing awful hidden within us. No evil, no problems, no secret thoughts, no hidden beliefs, no fears, no reluctance, no unhappiness, etc.
These are ways of behaving when and only when we behave that way.
There are also no great things hidden within us.
No love, no secret urges, no beauty, no greatness, no unborn children, no goodness that we hide, no holiness, no happiness, no secret magnificence, no creative ideas, no unwritten songs, books, no unpainted paintings, no hidden sexuality, no secret masculinity or femininity waiting to be disclosed. Nothing.
We are whatever we are when we are being that way. We are not unfolding or blossoming flowers.
There is no future self hidden within us waiting to emerge.
Although we can talk of ourselves this way and there be even a real truth about what we are potentially, we have to understand potentiality in a more real and present sense.
We are what we are now. What is that, though?
It is the sum total of all that I am now. My thoughts, my desires, my feelings, my awareness of myself, and all that I am doing that I am not aware of in addition to what I am aware of.
It is in the reality of what I am doing unawares that the question of capability arises.
If I wish to speak of what I am capable of I can only be referring in some way to who I already presently am and what I am presently doing that I don’t seem to be aware of. We must realize that when we refer to that activity of ours, that we are not seemingly aware of, we are not talking about a hidden, not yet manifested, self.
It is like saying “I am hiding the true showing of my liver which someday could be disclosed to the world, or to me, in its full glory”. As if someday our livers will be enshrined outside our bodies.
Hidden, in the sense of unseen, unaware, does not mean “shall be seen, should be seen or even desired to be seen”.
Simply, that which is hidden, unseen, or unaware is not desired to be manifested unless, or until, it is actually manifested.
It is not desired while it is hidden or unaware because desire means to be aware of desiring something. If we find ourselves desiring to be beautiful, loving, wise, etc., it must be because we are already becoming aware of the reality that we are already beginning to do that.
To want to be loving is the awareness of becoming loving, etc. This “being loving” does not come from some hidden vault within our something-or-others (mind, heart, soul, etc.). It is not “coming” from anywhere. We are doing it, now!
We know how to do it and we know ourselves so we know when to do it. It “comes from” our knowing when to do what we do. What we call desires is really our knowing when to begin doing that which we now say we desire.
“Knowing” ourselves does not mean we are aware, but it certainly means that since we do indeed do whatever it is that we do, for example, heartbeat, without awareness, we must know that we do it. We do not do it without our own “permission”. We do it by ourselves, by using ourselves, by being ourselves. We do whatever we do for ourselves. Simply – our unaware activity is to serve our awareness. Our awareness is our happiness and joy and feeling and doing what we are aware of wanting and beginning to feel and do.
Nothing is hidden other than what we know must be done without awareness (such as the function of our liver), so that our awareness be served best.
We only believe in secret selves because we are aware of becoming (that is, desiring to be) what we are naturally beginning to be.
If we are aware (or have a fear) of that secret self as undesirable sometimes, if we believe we may have hidden fears, unhappiness, self-destructiveness, etc., it is because we are beginning to become aware that we do not want to be that way. “Do not want” means “beginning to want something else”. “Wanting” means becoming aware of being what we want to become aware of being, etc.
The belief in a secret self is the desire, or becoming aware. that I serve myself and am doing what I am doing (both aware and unaware) in just the way that I am beginning to approve of, in just the way I am beginning to enjoy. I am beginning to be happy about the way I do things which is the way I become happy.
All desires are the beginning of actually doing that.
We know when to manifest our desires.
Our desire to be aware of doing only what we want to do, which is our enjoyment, is the cause of our doing all that we do.
Our beginning to become aware of doing only what we begin to do is the cause of our doing all that we do.
Questions for Reflection
Do you believe there is an aspect of yourself that is “tucked away”, “hidden”, “not fully manifested”, “in your subconscious”?
How are you aware of this hidden part of yourself?
Do you want to manifest this aspect of yourself (not necessarily visibly to others, but somehow in your life)?
If so, why do you not?
If not, then do you disagree with your “hidden” self?
If so, who is your “real” self?
What aspects of yourself do you want to make manifest to others, and which do you not?
Meditation for the Week
You are exactly as you want to be. You manifest your attitude as you wish, and choose not to disclose it when you don’t wish to manifest it.