True Authenticity – It’s All You

I believe that we are here to learn and grow, and in the process to work our way back to the Source from which we sprang.  Our very individuality is an illusion, but a purposeful one.  Our purpose, as tiny sparks flung off the Creative Fire of Source, is to experience creation as fully as possible and so provide the Creator Source with the experience of Itself.

In the course of this process of working our way back to our source, what we are really doing is re-discovering what we are – Divine Beings in our own right.  The more we discover about our own true nature, the closer we get to our own Divinity.  This is authenticity.  And since we are still in the stage of separation and individuality, this authenticity can be, in fact must be, very different for each of us.  If it weren’t, it would be robbing Source of the most complete set of  experiences possible.

That being the case, it pays to be careful when anyone else makes an attempt to tell us what is “authentic” for us.

Before my own re-wakening, I was vaguely aware of the “New Age” movement.  My impression then was not a particularly favorable one.  I was not an atheist; far from it.  I would probably have been best-described as a “hopeful agnostic”.  I knew that mainstream religions didn’t have much to offer me, but I really as yet had no alternative.  And, the theatrics of the New Agers, as presented in the media, turned me off almost more than the Bible-thumping did.  I could not, would not believe that God would require us to dance around singing Namaste to one another – any more than He would need constant praise from congregations of supplicants in churches “worshiping” Him (I assume that God knows he’s pretty cool and doesn’t need us to tell Him that).

As I studied and researched and came to conclusions, building my own personal belief system, I became aware of more details around the New Age movement (which really isn’t so new any more, but has evolved to a great extent over the past 30-40 years or more).  Some of what I learned resonated quite well with me…in fact, some of the more “far out” beliefs and practices make perfect sense to me now.  Indeed, my own profession is built upon principles and practices that a few years ago I would have dismissed out of hand.  But I’ve worked my way up to my beliefs in a way that provides a solid foundation.

But (isn’t there always a “but”?)…what I have also observed is a phenomena that is fairly peculiar, and at the same time completely predictable.  That is, much of what drove seekers away from mainstream religion has now become a large part of the New Age movement – and in a big way.

Yesterday I attended my local Meetup group, which I established mostly because there was nothing else comparable available in the area in which I live.  We are small in numbers but include a wide variety of stages of seeking, belief systems and personality types – a good thing of course, because it leads to more stimulating discussion.

At the meeting was one gentleman who had, in the past, done a good bit of study in the spiritual area.  He’d lived in Sedona for a while, had attended Buddhist retreats, etc. and seemed quite knowledgeable about various practices.

Another attendee, a lovely young mother who had been heavily involved in a mainstream religion, had become disenchanted and had  “awakened” fairly recently, was speaking on her reluctance to “come out” to her friends and family.  This local area is to a great extent very conservative and traditional (it has been called the “Georgia of the Northeast” by political pundits), which makes it difficult to be different and still function in local society.  You know what I mean.

Her story and current state resonated very well with me.  I myself have been hesitant to bring my beliefs to the local community (in fact establishing the Meetup group was a purposeful part of that process).  In fact, my extended family to this day has only a vague (if any) impression of what I’m about.

As we discussed this situation, I related my complete understanding of what the young woman as going through.  I also said that I saw no reason to force it.  If it suited me to work almost exclusively on the internet, where it was easiest to find like-minded souls and people who need my help, that is what works for me.  In my case, proselytizing to my family or friends, some of whom I knew for certain would not be receptive, seemed counterproductive.

My new, well read friend at the meeting took issue with that.  He noted, correctly, that authenticity is of utmost importance in finding one’s spiritual path.  I certainly took no issue with that.  However, he went on to assert that by not making it a point to discuss our beliefs with others we were denying ourselves.

My response to that was that I just couldn’t see how sharing my beliefs in an “evangelistic” manner would serve any purpose in certain cases.  For example, I have a sister who adores Catholicism.  She figures the Pope is the ultimate religious authority, that sin is all around us, and that those who don’t believe as she does are in danger of going to Hell.  Pure and simple.  I am absolutely certain that, should I discuss my true beliefs with her, she would begin feverishly praying for my soul, think I am involved in witchcraft, dark magic, and possibly a depraved human being.  It would strain family relations, cause my elderly mother some pain…and all that.  So, since I am secure in my beliefs and need no validation from my family or anyone else, I see nothing wrong with keeping my stuff to myself in this case – given the likely consequences of doing otherwise.  This was a part of my version of authenticity.

My new friend, looking for another angle to his argument, responded that perhaps, by withholding my beliefs, I was preventing others from an opportunity for growth for themselves. Ah…on the surface, this would seem a good argument.  For who are we to “prevent” others from waking up?

But (there’s that word again!)…who am I to feel obligated, or even moved, to wake anyone up?  Trust me…no one single-handedly lead me by the hand onto this path.  There was an instance where one sentence uttered by a person turned on a light bulb for me…but it was certainly nowhere close to explaining or espousing any particular tenet or belief . (For that story, download my free report, “Change Your Life Before It Changes For You”.)  No, my renewed seeking came from nowhere else but the whispers within my own soul.  These nudges from my own guidance system came in the form of not only intuitive claircognizant insights, but from physical synchroniticites manifest by myself and my own spiritual “team”.  Frankly, had anyone been moved to actively “educate” me in anything remotely smacking of “New Age” thinking, I would have run the other way.  In fact, I now find it humorous that in the beginning, after I had gone fairly deeply into my spiritual studies, I was horrified to learn that I was studying things linked to the term New Age.  I was so shocked that I almost quit!  🙂

And so, I believe, it is for each of us.  Certainly not in exactly the same way (the entire point of this essay), but I hold firmly to the notion that it is up to each of us to awaken in our own time and manner.  It matters not a bit if I share my beliefs with everyone, or with no one.  No one is “missing out” if I withhold what I know, because if they are going to wake up, they will.  And so on several levels, by doing what is perfect for me at this time, I am honoring the authenticity of those around me in the best possible way.  Through their own free will as fully Divine Beings in their own right, they will tread the path most suited to them.  They say that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.  I propose that a horse is perfectly capable of finding a source of water on his own – probably, a lot better source than you can provide.  In most cases animals are instinctively able to tell a poisoned water supply from a pure one, no?

All of which is to point out that “new” rules and laws are still rules and laws that have been promulgated by others, not by you.  I advise my clients to trust and follow their own guidance completely.  Yes, one needs to study and research the ideas that have been developed, and take them in, and keep the parts that serve them.  But to accept and swallow whole any part of anyone else’s idea of what is “right” or authentic for us is…inauthentic.