My-selves

Another over-used ( and misunderstood) word in spiritual circles is 'Higher Self'........In my understanding there are primarily two selves in me (as in every one else)....One self (small s is being used only to distinguish it from the other self.....I could also call it self-1) is my ego-personality (the unique role that I am essaying in this particular incarnation), while the other self (self-2 or Self with a capital S or so-called Higher Self) is my mind+soul+spirit entity.

It is often referred to as 'Higher' self only because it has the larger vision; knows the larger game plan; is privy to the whole script (in movie parlance it is the man behind the role; the actor- the one who KNOWS exactly what is happening behind the scenes). It is not Higher (as in holier/ better/ more important) than the ego-personality.

Can Aamir Khan say if he is 'Higher' than Bhuvan of Lagaan??? Both are equally important in their respective space. However, one is real while the other is an illusion.

Similarly, self-1 (ego-personality) is an illusion (The actor is not the character s/he is essaying in the movie. Those actors, who identify too much with their screen persona- and are too attached to their roles- are usually unhappy). self-2 (so-called Higher Self or the mind + soul + spirit entity) is who I am (the actor/director/ producer/ observer/ witness/ and the one who is watching the movie and enjoying).

We don't need to justify our unique ego-personality to anyone, including (more importantly) ourselves.....Let us just remain who we are at the ego-personality level and at the Higher Self (mind+soul+spirit) level....in full acceptance of both....Our humanity (ego-personality) and our divinity (Higher Self).

Our problem with accepting our ego-personality (finding faults with it) reeks of our most basic issue- I am not good enough!!! And this issue is the construct of our society and its systems- including the systems of spiritual seeking........The Billion-Dollar Spiritual Industry ----which while seeking to solve the root problem, ends up exacerbating  it.....albeit in a different avatar...with newer symptoms.....ego-bashing is one such symptom!

Unless we start thinking for ourselves, we shall remain bogged down by dogmas of all kinds- including spiritual dogmas (and least understood jargon)...:)