You are far, far greater than you know, and all is well. ~Kahlil Gibran
What a strange culture we live in that teaches us to be less than we are. We are taught not to trust ourselves, not to know our own path. We are taught that we need external validation of our worth. We are taught to conform, fit in, play by the rules (someone else’s rules, of course). We are taught that our connection to the divine must be mediated through some organized structure that claims authority to judge whether we are worthy of admission. What is wild, unique, and natural within us is suspect, dangerous, even evil.
What other species so tightly binds the spirit of its young, much like the not so distant practice of breaking and binding the feet of girl children to fit in tiny crippling shoes? How did such psychic hobbling become the norm? And how have we come to rationalize it in the name of love?
If we step outside the way we’ve been taught to think and perceive for just a moment, if we set aside for just a moment the conditioning that we have internalized and now accept without question, if we look at ourselves and the world around us for just a moment with fresh eyes, what do we see? Who are we if we are not our assigned identities, our scripted roles, our labels and obligations and our “place”?
I’m not suggesting social and cultural anarchy here. I’m suggesting that we simply take an honest and fearless look at who we are, individually and collectively. Trace the source of the assumptions we take as givens. Consider whether the values we are taught, the values that are actually lived, not just spoken, are the values that resonate in our souls. Entertain, for just a moment, the possibility that we are so much more than what we have been told. Not just some of us, but all of us.
You might already be familiar with this passage by Marianne Williamson. Even if you already recognize it, just take a moment to read it carefully and really consider that it might be true. What would that mean for you?
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Lovely post, Galen. Ive been reading a book called ‘Dying to be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing’ byAnita Moorjani. What she talks about after her near death experience and subsequent healing from serious cancer, is exactly what you are saying here, plus Marianne Williamson. I listened to a couple of interviews with her, as I’m interested in near death experiences, and decided I wanted to know more about her. This idea of fear and social constraints from childhood, plus the limits we put on ourselves is the message she promotes based on her own journey. Whether one believes her story or not, and I think I do, the message of coming into yourself fully to be fully you, and living without fear or in fear of what we have the potential to be really resonates in any respect. Cheers, Galen.
Thanks, Lynne. As part of my apprenticeship with Death, which I wrote about recently, I’m reading books on the topic. I will add this one to the list! So much of what I’m reading describes what Moorjani experienced and the wisdom that comes from it. I don’t think it’s an accident that when I committed myself to liberation in 2023 “whatever it takes,” cancer was a surprising yet essential part of that awakening. Thanks for your comment.