All the problems that exist in the world are also going on in the human soul. Everytime we betray ourself in any way, great or small, this is the force behind killing ourself (my word for the collective singular form of we). Everytime we go against our feelings inwardly, it keeps us from living in truth. When we each take a stand for what is authentic, in our own way, with our hearts leading, only then we will be united across the earth in authenticity.
Everytime we attack another with our words or deeds for simply, authentically being themselves, we are engaged in the same forces that are involved in murder. Everytime we come against our feelings inwardly, we are engaged in the same forces that are behind all rape and sexual assault. Everytime we condemn our own experience, we are engaged in the same forces that lead to discrimination and ultimately to genocide. I see suicide in false apology. I see homicide in words of blame. I see rape when our thoughts condemn our feelings. I see genocide when we judge our inner experience. Every act against the self is suicide. Every act against another is homicide. Every act against our feelings is rape. Every act against our experience is genocide.
When we can address these causes in our own heart and soul, we stand a true chance at changing the world. Until everyone gets this, we’re going to be stuck in the current cycles of violence and cruelty. When we can truly end violence against ourself, we will no longer have violence in the world. Everything that exists in the human experience can be found inside each one of us. Just as the drop of ocean water has the DNA of the whole sea so, too, are we inextricably intertwined with all of humanity. We are a microcosm and the world is a macrocosm.
I love authenticity in all its shapes, forms, sizes, and colors. I welcome your true authentic and beautiful soul to blaze forth in a full soul expression of whoever you truly are.
Defining Authenticity
I define authenticity as a quality of being completely real with what one is experiencing in the moment, without any need to hide information or consciously filter or modify one’s natural state. This rare state of being is almost extinct on earth currently. We are tortured by a set of laws, rules, and conditioning that has us acting inauthenticly in order to be “appropriate” in this world. Our true nature lives buried deep inside, often unwelcome and unable to come out. Revolutionary authenticity breathes life into existence. It helps us reveal what’s buried deep. Ultimately, inspiration and all life comes from the stars.
How should we be?
How am I supposed to be? How am I supposed to live? What is the right way to live as a human being? These questions have plagued humanity since the dawning of time, or more accurately, since the time when we experienced more connection to ourself and nature. (The Garden of Eden story from Christianity, is a tale of the fall from innocence and connection, which has similar stories in many other traditions.) At some time in human history, we first let the parasitic aspects of the human mind begin separating humanity from its organic way of being. We can stop the tale of “mind over being” inside ourselves now.
Authenticity can’t be taught! No one else knows better than you about how to be you. You are the one who gets to decide how to be. You know everything you need to know to be yourself and fulfill your destiny. You came with instructions inscribed in your heart. Trust these instructions, and be open to what you really feel. There is no class or teacher who can show you how to be. It lives inside your heart and soul. Unlock it. Open to your destiny.
Authenticity is Always True
Authenticity is being true to who you are and where you are right now. It may not be pretty, it may not be balanced, it may not be a whole set of other things, but it is just where you are. Honesty and authenticity are nearly interchangeable. Authentic is a state of being in which you are honest. You can’t be authentic without being honest. Honest is a description of a quality in your speech, when you speak the truth. When you are honest enough, you become authentic. Authentic people honor the way of truth and strive to be as honest as possible. We do not compromise on our authenticity, even given the pressures in the corrupt state of the world.
Manners Block Authenticity
Mindlessly following manners is the exact opposite of being authentic. Manners impose a set of rules that we must conform to in order to be acceptable in society. Manners are different from basic agreements of respect. Treating each other with respect and empathy is common courtesy. Manners, however, are an imposed set of rules from the outside, for which behaviors are okay and which are not okay. For example, it is not acceptable to cry in public or tell the truth if it hurts another person’s feelings. This is unadulterated horseshit. Any manner that represses authentic feeling and authentic being is complete wet hot crap. It’s okay to attack and destroy any manners that stand in the way of being. It’s like disobeying a socially unconsionable law like Apartheid, or any other discriminatory or unjust practice. Any law that stands against truth, goodness, and authenticity should be broken.
Without Trying
Trying is a great imposition on authenticity. As Yoda said to Luke in the movie “Empire Strikes Back” (the second released Star Wars movie), “Do or do not, there is no try.” When we try we attempt to force something with our conscious will, our conscious can only go so far. We might be able to get a job or a partner or some material success in the world this way. However, true happiness and deep fulfillment in life often eludes the conscious will. There’s another force of will that goes beyond the conscious will. This force is the sentient will. It’s the force of nature that drives all things. When we tap into this force of nature, we get more in touch with our very human nature. From here, we can allow things to happen. We can be more authentic to ourselves and respectful of who we are.
Authentic Being Opens the Door to the Miraculous
When we surrender to our deeper being, we enter the realm of the miraculous. Who we are is so full and replete with power and impact that our unique gifts blaze forth and we become like a star or sun. We shine. We don’t ask permission to shine, we simply shine in the way we are meant to shine like a beacon lighting up the world around us and lighting the way for future generations. When we shine, we change everything around us, just like a star changes the night sky.
Authenticity and Fear
Being authentic about our fear is a wonderful way of loosening fear’s grip on us. Having fear is not a problem. Being run by fear is a different story though. When we suppress our fear, or pretend we don’t have fears, we empower them to run our lives. When we face our fear honestly, admit to it, and do not let it stop us from being outrageously ourself, then we can open to life, love, and live authentically.
Just like a bird, a deer, or a flower, authenticity is a part of nature. A child acts authentically. There’s a natural way to be that is the way we are meant to be. Identification with fear makes us inauthentic. When we are ruled by fear, we never find who we truly are meant to be. Fear is here to help us develop courage. We must use our fear to enhance our lives, not to make us smaller. It’s okay to have fear. It’s even okay to act from it. As soon as you notice though, stop acting from fear and return to the love.
Authentically Being Yourself is What You Are Meant to Be
You were born to be a certain way in this world. If you were meant to be someone else, you would have been born as them. You were meant to share your specific gifts. The tragedy of humanity is self-hatred, which has been inflicted on us as a disease of thinking there’s something wrong with us. When we believe there’s something wrong with us, we start trying to be what we are not. The ego hates itself. It has a built-in self-hating mechanism. Only when we dedicate our ego to our deeper being can we overcome this hatred. We must face it, accept it, and not embody hatred. We are meant to embody love! We are meant to be authentically ourselves in every waking moment. Join me in an authenticity revolution that ripples out across our lands as we rise up and be ourselves together.
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