Rosa Veritas Learning

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Becoming aware of the I AM

An excerpt from an article in Living Metaphysics: A practical spiritual guide, 'Becoming aware of the I AM'. A guide that may help you to think about developing a more finely tuned and deeper connection with the essential nature and power of your own inner being so that this may flow into all areas of your life.

IN THE PROCESS of spiritual development we are wanting to cultivate a potential which is already there. It is not a matter of striving for something outside of ourselves or wanting to be something which we are not. One of the first requirements to become aware of your own I AMness is to accept yourself as you are, regardless of your faults, problems and inadequacies. Self-acceptance only comes when we stop trying to put a nice gloss on who and what we are and face up to the facts. This is always difficult and requires honesty.

As long as we do not accept ourselves we will be unable to change in a fundamental way. We must refrain from using the word "should" and eliminate it from our vocabulary. Statements like, "I should be less critical. I should be more attentive. I should visit my parents more often", must be deliberately avoided because they accentuate our uncertainty and inability to do what we think is right. It is advisable to leave "the land of should" and start dealing with that which is. This brings us to the law of identity – I AM. By coming to terms with the nature of our I AMness we begin to discover that life develops a new centre of gravity and we start to realise that many more things are within our power than we previously thought was the case.

The I AM, the Real Self or the Christ
We know that what we are or what we are aware of now is only a fraction of what there is in us. Medical scientists inform us that we only use about ten per cent of the capacity of the brain. The reason that at times a feeling of discontent or restlessness arises within us is because the spirit is urging us on to be what we are capable of overcoming, to express what we truly are.

St Augustine, one of the early church fathers, said of God, "You have made us for yourself and our souls are restless until they find their rest in thee." So to be restless and discontented with your life can actually be a good sign because it means your spirit doesn't want you to be content with what you are now. As spiritual beings there is an inner motivation within us to unite again with God, or spirit.

The first step towards abiding in spirit, expressing spirit fully, is to realise that as offspring of the divine, all we normally ascribe to God or an external deity is a description of our real self. Part of studying metaphysics is learning to recognise the seed of the divine within self. All the qualities we usually ascribe to God are in fact part of us. By thinking of God in a particular way we are externalising aspects of our inner self. If we see God as the ultimate authority, then that authority is part of us; there is no greater authority than our own self. If we see God as a being to believe in, then that belief should start with believing in our self. If we think God is love, then let us begin by loving our self and allowing our love to flow out to others. If we regard God as the source of truth then we too are truth.

The principle:
My most important relationship is with my real self

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