We have categories for what we eat: vegetarian, vegan or in my husband's case, meatatarian.
We have categories for the activities we do: blogger, knitter, yogi, golfer, runner, triathlete, student...
We have categories that define our relationships with other people: mother, aunt, grandfather, brother, friend, colleague.
We have categories for how we make money: engineer, real estate agent, teacher, nurse.
We even have categories for our gender and our sexual orientation: man, woman, bisexual, gay.
**This is by no means an exhaustive or even a lengthy list! I have chosen 'random' examples to help make my point.
We ARE all of these things, and yet, we are none of them. That is to say, they are not the ESSENCE of who we are.
What am I talking about? Well, make a list of all of the labels that you have ascribed to yourself (it will likely be a LONG list). Then say to yourself, 'My truest essence is none of these things.' Feel into this space, become it. Who are you when the labels are stripped away? I would be interested to hear your reply to this very esoteric and mystical question.
When I did this activity, I came to the conclusion that I am a soul. And if, when the labels are gone, I am a soul, than that naturally would mean that everyone around me is in fact also a soul as well. Not an earth-shattering conclusion for some, but this might be new territory for others.
I believe that souls are made up of the same fabric, which means that you and me, well, we're the same. We are one. There is no separateness between us. It brings a whole new meaning to the 'Love thy neighbour as thyself' teaching doesn't it?
This is what we are speaking of when we say Namaste in yoga - The Divine Light in me (that which is my soul), recognizes and acknowledges the Divine Light that is in you (aka your soul).
When we strip away those labels that we are so darned attached to, those words that we use to define us in our everyday existence, we are all really just souls having human experiences.
Namaste,
Marebare xoxo
Awwww... what a wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started making a living online, I had a website that was very tied into the whole MySpace craze (this was 2006). I essentially made cute little glitter graphics for kids to post on their MySpace pages.
I quickly learned that "self-identity" graphics were the most popular. It's like everyone was striving to define themselves as a "this" or a "that" - as if having a word or a category to fit into would give you a stamp of approval or an instant sense of belonging.
But the truth is that we are all unique, and we are all one.
Backatcha with the Namaste!
Thanks for your comment ECL... I hope that you are well! xoxo
Delete