Would you be willing to take part in a quick little experiment where, in exchange for just a moment of your time, you might make a life-changing discovery?

Okay, then here it is:

First, as you read this, bring your attention back to yourself. Now, take a deep breath, look around you, and realize you’re alive; you’re breathing; you’re in a place surrounded by walls, or trees, or something; and your consciousness, your awareness of yourself, is at the center of all this experience.

Now, assuming you did that, let’s be honest. Did it strike you that until you performed that little experiment, you weren’t really aware of yourself while you were busily doing whatever you were doing? The fact is, most of us spend the vast majority of our day lost in thought, just aware enough to keep from running into walls, but not really aware of… ourselves.

This really is something we should consider because we’ve been taking ourselves for granted. Which means we’ve been taking our lives for granted. And that’s a shame.

What an incredible thing it is to be a human being. A creature with self-awareness, imagination, empathy; filled with contradictions and disturbances, and at the same time sensing there must be something greater than the life we see, something deeper about ourselves than we presently know.

What is all of that about? Who are we at our deepest level? It’s said we’re made in the image of God. How can we know that for ourselves and become conscious instruments of that higher nature instead of being the unwitting instruments of an undeveloped nature?

These are questions the great sages and philosophers have been asking since the beginning of time as they have sought to uncover the truth of who they are. The process of making these inner discoveries and beginning to embody them is sometimes referred to as Self-Realization. And those who have taken this journey have been generous in sharing what they have seen.

Here is a sampling of their wisdom over the millennia…

Higher, deeper, innermost, abides another life. — Bhagavad Gita (500 B.C.E.)

There is a force within that gives you life — seek that. In your body there lies a precious jewel — seek that. Oh, wandering Sufi, if you are in search of the greatest treasure, don’t look outside, look within, and Seek That. — Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207 – 1273)

Man does not know himself and does not know how to use the energies hidden in him, nor does he know that he carries the stars hidden in himself and that he is the microcosm, and thus carries within him the whole firmament with all its influence. — Paracelsus (1493 – 1541)

We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal One. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)

Nearly all mankind is more or less unhappy because nearly all do not know the true Self. Real happiness abides in Self-knowledge alone. All else is fleeting. To know one’s Self is to be blissful always. — Ramana Maharshi (1879 – 1950)

You possess a real and permanent nature. It is within you, awaiting your development of it. This authentic nature has total power to banish worry, loneliness, confusion and all other pains. It is the right door to pleasant human relations at home and in your love life. It always knows what to do for you. So seek this true self — it also seeks you. It is like discovering a secret map to a lost treasure. New inner riches will be yours to keep and enjoy. Just find out who you really are. The rest is done for you. — Vernon Howard (1918 – 1992)

And finally, here’s a quotation from OneJourney founder Guy Finley:

Each of us has been given an immeasurable gift, a specific role to play in a celestial story so great, so vast it can hardly be seen. And further still, as our eyes open and we realize the truth of this invisible prize, not only do we reclaim our own grand possibilities, but we also help everyone else do the same! — Guy Finley (1949)

The Door to Self-Realization Is All Around Us

Discovering our true selves is a great adventure, but it requires dedication and consistent effort. If that sounds a bit daunting, don’t ever be discouraged. The beauty of the process is that everything we need to follow it successfully is given to us every moment.

The universe is set up to help us fulfill the greatest possibilities born into us. Every person we meet, every experience we have, provides an opportunity for us to see ourselves more clearly, showing us where we stand in our own way, or actually cause our own problems. But those moments of self-awareness also show there is more to us than what we see. And that part that is able to see what is wrong is already at a higher level. Which means we always have the potential to be more frequently and consciously at that higher level.

The inspiration we need to keep going shines brighter as we realize we are each always in exactly the right place at the right time to take the next step in our individual journey — our unique part in the OneJourney that is the evolution of human consciousness.

As additional help, those who have preceded us on the journey have set down their experiences to guide us on our way. You can find volumes of helpful information at our website, OneJourney.net. And Guy Finley has written numerous books and articles and given thousands of talks on the topic that you can find at guyfinley.org — much of it free. I encourage you to take advantage of all these wonderful resources.

For now, you can get a little more insight into Self-Realization by following this link to an article by Guy I know you’ll find enlightening:

Click to read: We Are Pure Potential Seeking To Realize Our Own Greatest Possibility

Best wishes,

Dr. Ellen Dickstein
The OneJourney Project

PS: You are invited to join Guy Finley’s weekly FREE ongoing talks on these timeless principles. His talks are livestreamed every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning, and an entire replay archive is also available for free. For details visit guyfinley.org/freeclass