The famous Greek maxim Know Thyself was inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, which was the main cultural and religious hub for the Hellenic culture. But what does it mean, to know yourself? If you assume that you know who you are because who you are is what you think and feel, then what’s the purpose of this ancient adage? What else is there to know?
As the story goes, Zeus sent two eagles from each end of the Universe to find the point where their paths crossed, as this would be the navel of the Earth, his grandmother Gaia. This intersecting point was Delphi, so in ancient times this sacred site was also considered the center of the world. From a spiritual viewpoint, this is a symbolic reflection of your personal temple: the physical body that is the vehicle of expression for all the layers of your soul.
The navel connects you to the mother energy, and symbolizes your inherent creative potential. It is located between the 2nd and 3rd chakras, that is, where your creative energy (sacral chakra) and your power energy (solar plexus) connect. This area is where life is engendered, nurtured, and then manifest. The actual midpoint of your physical body is slightly above it, so you could imagine the words Know Thyself energetically imprinted there.
The essence of your soul is Infinite Consciousness playing hide-and-seek on the physical plane. It is all-encompassing awareness hiding from itself under the disguise of a separate ego to experience life in individual form. This virtual layer of energy has the purpose of veiling your perception of Oneness so you can contribute a separate, unique experience to the expansion of the Universe. It’s a divine game that goes on for a very long time, but at the center of your soul remains the drive to return to Oneness.
The Path To Oneness Is Within
This impulse shapes absolutely everything you perceive and do, since once you’ve gone through the full spectrum of human experience your ultimate goal is finding the way back to your Source. Knowing yourself is the individual path to get there, but it entails moving past the ego. It is by observing the ego-mind that you transcend the ego, however, so it’s not about being ‘good’ or ‘spiritual,’ but more about being radically honest with yourself.
On a physical level this means knowing where your strengths and weaknesses are to survive and keep your body working properly: strengthen weak spots, reduce excess and stress, and maintain optimum balance. Your body is your soul’s vehicle of expression, so consider it a sacred temple and trust its cellular intelligence. If you’re there for it it will be there for you.
If you take the mental and emotional aspects into account, then your path entails understanding what motivates you to do the things you do: which beliefs, habits, patterns, and memories shape your psychological makeup to give you the sense that you are you. Of course, since most of these are unconscious, knowing yourself requires delving into your emotional terrain to understand why you act the way you do in your interactions and what triggers either a negative or positive reaction.
Now, once you see clearly what pushes your buttons and why, and you can move past the interaction with others being the center of your life, what remains is the connection to your own divinity. This is a unique vibrational dynamic between the cosmos and the real you—your Self—that takes place on multiple dimensions at once. The perception of this infinite potential of your soul is the ultimate goal of your experience on the Earth plane.
You can read a million books and attend a thousand workshops, but if you don’t look within to discover who you really are, any transformation will be temporary, and your ego will trick you time and again to keep you stuck in your mind. So if you’re ready to master your emotional terrain, book a complimentary Discovery Session now to see where you’re at and find the best way to work together. Get to the core of who you really are to experience a higher reality!
© 2015 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
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