Listen to Yourself

"You can experience true freedom when you learn to listen to that still, small voice inside you and not what anyone else may say, regardless of popularity of circumstance."

On this path, you will encounter both external and internal resistance as I have written about previously.  Conquering the internal resistance helps you when you encounter resistance outside yourself.  For example, recognizing when the ego crops up internally and learning how to observe it, rather than act on it helps your outer life.  When we encounter other's personal egos or even collective egos, we can learn how to observe that too.  Both practices have a synergistic effect on one another, such that you learn how to become an observer in all things.

This is easier said than done unfortunately.  This is because we have all been socialized into an idea of external reality.  This is, of course, the domain of the ego.  The ego thinks that it only exists through the eyes and opinions of other people.  The worth system is reversed.  Rather than obtaining your worth through the sole fact that you are an eternal, supernatural Being, your worth is measured by what others think of you.

A common practice when others are giving you advice is to employ the idea of a "them" or "they."  They may harmlessly refer to a respected group that could either disapprove of you or even affect you in some way.  This is a way for them to reinforce their point, so you may be dealing with a bunch of egos, personal and collective, as a way to sway you.  When we get criticism from others, even constructive, it is like getting a banana peel thrown at you.  What do you do?  You duck, but, before you duck, open the peel and see if there  is a banana in there.  If there is, eat the banana and throw the peel away.  In other words, examine their opinion with your internal Voice and take anything away that is of substance.

We all have people in our lives that will offer unsolicited opinions.  A lot of this opinion does not come from a centered place.  You can quickly see that adopting this opinion as reality, even though it may be popular will bring you into an uncentered place as well.  We, of course, have a few people in our lives that are our spiritual mentors.  They may offer advice that resonates deep within you and not with your ego.

On an energetic level, any time you take on someone else's opinion as your own, you literally are plugging a cable from your energy center to them and energy is being drained from you.  Call back your spirit from that individual or even collective ego that you are plugged into.  Mentally imagine pulling the plug on that cable so that you are free.  You can experience true freedom when you learn to listen to that still, small voice inside you and not what anyone else may say, regardless of popularity of circumstance.

For me, personally, as I unplug from other's opinions, reality begins to shift as these "distortion fields" are removed.  Much of our anxiety comes from attempting to live up to this distorted reality, which, many times, is comprised of future projections.  This is a process that needs to be done continually so that we are not giving our power away to others.  How good it is to experience true freedom that comes with living an authentic life.

When We Encounter External Resistance

"We must offer no resistance to the challenges of others, because this is precisely what the collective ego desires."

Breaking out of old belief systems can take a bit of work, not just because you will experience internal resistance but because you may experience external resistance as well. This external resistance may come in the form of the collective unconscious of others. This can also be called the collective shadow.

This collective shadow is unseen by anyone who participates in it, even the givers and the receivers. This is the subtext that governs are interactions with others. What is happening is the other group "egos" we participate in: family, friends, and society at large do not like it when this group ego shrinks. As you begin to wake up, the shrinking of your ego is a threat to these other entities.

The collective egos respond through the collective shadow, using whatever tricks necessary to "get us back." Again, our family, friends and others do not even know they are doing this or why they are doing this.

If we have done our internal work of grappling with our own shadow, then we are prepared to handle the resistance of others. How are we to respond to challenges to our new way of Being? We are to respond with love, kindness, gentleness and compassion. We must offer no resistance to the challenges of others, because this is precisely what the collective ego desires. The ego grows through dissension, bickering and fighting. It shrinks through love and selflessness.

The irony is the more that we offer no resistance, the more resistance may come at first. An attempt to listen to others opinions or even confrontations without reacting will come across as "holier than thou." At its core, the collective ego does not understand freedom that comes with detachment. It is not fair to the ego that we can live a life removed from guilt, shame and fear. The collective ego wants to absorb our ego back into itself.

All that we can do on this path is be prepared when this resistance comes. Even when you have made great progress internally, you may encounter resistance in your interactions with others. We can disable this resistance through not reacting to it and loving others. Others, through their collective egos, do not have power over you anymore. They are a part of the forms of this world. Connect with those who challenge you through the Formless, see them as Spirit, and your love will transmute any resistance into harmony with others.