God said : “Inasmuch as We are One, what can be made of Our One Self? Who is speaking now, and Who is listening and writing down what I say?
It would seem that I AM, and you, the thought of you, are My fingers, and so My fingers type.
Understand, you are not lost in Me. The deepest Truth of Us is found, and so your personality finds your blessed Soul.” HL 4387
Which part of us is real?
If we question ourself about who we really are, it is because we are in doubt, we are uncertain. But uncertain of what? Are we uncertain that we exist? Most likely not. And we use external references to prove to ourself and to the outside world that we really exist as a distinct entity separated from other entities. The body is our ultimate reference supporting our perception that we are separate and distinct from anyone else. But if we are “relatively” certain that we exist as separate beings, it doesn’t seem enough to ascertain us of WHO WE ARE. To perceive ourself as separate does not seem sufficient enough to convince us that we are Real. The body is a perceived boundary but it does not give us any meaning, our meaning, which is the essence of an identity.
The real identity or meaning of WHO AM I? is more difficult to figure out because we can’t pretend we created ourself. And going upstream on our genealogical tree won’t answer the question. Simply asking the question WHO AM I? expresses the fact that I perceive myself as separated from my own meaning. So which is real and which is unreal, my perception of myself or my own meaning? Only one of the two must be real. Consequently, the other one must be unreal.
The splitting of the mind
This seems confusing and it is indeed. There is a part of our mind that must be trying to teach us what we are not or that we are not what we are. This part of the mind must be the one that identifies itself with the body. The other part of the mind must hold the meaning of Who I Am, must know what we are so it doesn’t have to raise any question of identity. It knows, so it IS. Meaning cannot be divided otherwise it is not a meaning. A meaning must be Whole, unchangeable, immutable.
The part of our mind that tries to teach us that we are not what we are is called ego. It is the part that is always uncertain, always doubting, always agitated, always upset, always guilty, always deceived, always unsettled, always feeling incomplete, always lacking. This is the “insane” part of the mind. It is insane because it is not sane, not healthy, not happy, it feels constantly sick. If it cannot recognize itself it maybe because it is unreal as darkness is not real since it is defined by the absence of light, therefore the absence of meaning. The other part of the Mind — the sane, healthy, happy part of it — that does not ask any question about its own identity is absolutely stable, calm, certain, holding itself, its meaning, in perfect serenity. This is the part of the mind that can see itself in its own light. Would it not be easy to call this Healthy Mind, a sparkle of God’s mind? Since the sane part of our mind holds with absolute certainty our meaning, therefore it holds and safeguards our identity, in Latin identidem or idem(the same)+ens,-entis(being) +idem(the same, repeatedly). Sameness with One is the essence of our IDENTITY.
But if it helps our understanding to make a distinction between the Sane, Healthy and Shiny Mind and the insane, dark one, it would be closer to Reality to say that our Real Mind is Whole while our insane mind is only a virtual mind. It does not really belong to our healthy mind. Only a whole mind can be real. A split mind does not have any consistency, any reality. Our healthy mind is real because it holds our meaning, our identity. The insane mind, the one that perceives itself as a separate entity can’t hold any meaning. It is fragmented and incapable of having any unity and coherence.
The reconciliation of the split mind
This brings us to a powerful insight: everything that is real must be based on EQUALITY. If our meaning as (human) beings is whole, it can’t bear any division, any levels, any hierarchy. Unless we recognize all human beings as equal, we can only see ourself as separated from our own meaning, thus experiencing ourself as unequal to something else, hence unreal.
When we feel divided, abandoned, deprived of love, lacking, we are experiencing ourself as if we are not what we are, hence experiencing ourself as unreal. When we feel whole, happy, giving, and loving, we are experiencing and being what we are, hence experiencing ourself as real.
We could identify our Real, Healthy Mind as being also our Heart because Reality is Whole, is One, is Meaningful. Our insane mind or ego is a fac-simile of the Mind, without any heart, that is without any content, meaningless.
Only what is shared is real. Egos can’t be shared, therefore they are not real.
Written by Normand Bourque on Jan 01, 2013
This is profound, Normand. Powerful. The last line of your post really sticks with me:
“Only what is shared is real. Egos can’t be shared, therefore they are not real.”
I want more!
Norman – Congratulations on your blog!! What a grand way to start the year!!
You really have a very patient way of explaining things to some people who are trying to wade through some questions presented by the mind. A knack of yours!
Re the “identity question”: I really like being part of a group identity. Luckily, my assignments in this life have always been in group environments. The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts…magic math!! Everyone goes home a winner!! Everyone gets to practice equality, too!!
Regarding the insanity: Lately God has “hinted” to me (this has been the way he/she gets me to “take notes”/investigate possibilities. It might be some folks are suffering from something similar to “schizophrenia” in our “right/wrong” world. Hm…m…m
Years ago, God shut this “right/wrong” silliness down by emphatically communicating to me this little tidbit of wisdom: One cannot make themself “right” by making another “wrong”. It’s a “magic” saying, in my book!! Warning: It’s also a “double-edge” sword…lol!!
Regarding the ego: The ego is going to die. It objects. But nevertheless, it’s toast. If folks were more informed concerning reincarnation, they might have less of a problem with ego issues.
Thanks Norman, for being here…REALLY!! It’s fun to share…
Bonnie
Congratulation for this blog, dear Normand.
I would like to spend few words on the concept of “equality”, in short I do not believe in it.
You say that “everything that is real must be based on EQUALITY.”
I deduce that this world based on illusion is necessarily UNEQUAL and can’t possibly be made of equal beings. In fact our “ egos” are by nature unequal as they are fictitious.
So for me “equality” is just an idea, a concept of the mind, often an ideology attempting to regulate human relationships, which is a desperate case, because the problem is in the perceived duality which can be solved only with the experience of Oneness, the only Reality.
And is there equality in Oneness? I would’t say that, as you cannot compare a thing to itself.
If by “equal” you mean sharing the same core essence, then yes, we are all equal, equal also with cats, ants, trees and dinosaurs…ah and stones of course.
But all Creation is based on levels of awareness, human beings are not equal to animals nor are they equal to one another, as they show a different quality of Being according to their different “stations” of awareness. Also the Heavens, which can be considered as a subtler manifestation of the One, are described as based on hierarchy, a Cherub is not an Archangel, up to Christ consciousness and to the Throne of God. And to me it makes sense that “as above so below”. Hierarchy seems to be the natural law of manifestation.
No, we are not equal here, odds are that also our DNA is different. For me there is Oneness in Reality and endless differentiation in Creation.
Happy New Year!
Ciao, Emilia, good morning, good to see you here, happy new year, dear. Meeting in Australia would have been a strange thing for European neighbors a few years ago. Today it’s, well, a very strange thing indeed.
It’s funny how, as we start thinking about things — separation, meaning, split mind, equality — they dissolve into little clouds of question marks. You wrote: “For me there is Oneness in Reality and endless differentiation in Creation.” Take the innocent little “is” in this sentence. What meaning could it possibly have? What difference could there possibly be between reality and creation?
Thinking is not the enemy. It only tends to create distance, and perceived distance – called separation in Normands posting – hurts quite badly since it negates reality. But that’s a good thing. The deeper the separation the greater its healing power.
And now we are here, you, me and others we know. How nice. I think there will be other meeting places in the future, giving us a chance to meet in … Kinshasa? La Paz?
Hello, dear Jochen and happy New Year to you too.
The whole of life stands on this “innocente little Is”.
Your questions must be rethorical, if I know you a tiny bit. But let’s say that creation is something while reality is nothing.
Are you sure we are here? Anyway, it’s nice whatever it is that we happen to be if it is that we be.
Emilia, Hi!!
This just “occurred” to me when reading your comment, so I’m just throwing it in for consideration: WHAT IF the concept of hierarchy was our misinterpretation of the concept of specialization??!! Factor in the fast-becoming-reality of telepathy and instinct/inspiration as a sort of “sixth sense”.
Also the possibility that has been suggested that for instance dolphins are at least equal in intelligence as humans, and that old saying that says those that know don’t HAVE TO speak. Well of course not!! They use telepathy!! But until we can get that “hundredth monkey” phenomena up-and-running in these new areas for us humans, we’re regulated to the awkwardness of language.
Bonnie
Hello, Bonnie, brilliant mind and unconventional heart ( it’s long since I wanted to tell you).
Yes, “hierarchy” may well stand for “specialization” and also for “talent” or “natural proclivity”, but hierarchy has also to do with “order”; if humanity is the body of God, there will be hands and eyes and minds, hands are supposed to follow eye’s sight and eyes are supposed to follow mind’s vision, if this order is lost we fall from Kosmos ( order) into Kaos and then we need God intervention to set it all up again!
One can never tell about any human heart, we do not know where each one of them stands, this is a private affair between that heart and God.
For sure there are men who are less intelligent than mussels let alone of dolphins.
Yes, verbal language is awkward and primitive.
thank you for sharing your insights in this way. I too live in Quebec in ‘Les Cantons de ‘ south east of Montreal and returned here after living in the US for 25 years and UK for 3 years. I’ve been reading HeavenLetters for 3 year now and almost finished A Course in Miracles which takes about a year to complete. A book I’m currently reading called ‘ The Intethered Soul’ by Michael A Singer is about what you explain so well in this blog and finding this today and from someone whom is originally from Quebec felt like a gift. thank you for articulating so well what I am learning. it’s so opposite to what we generally believe. I am finally transcending the Ego but it’s not been easy and we need people like you to explain this process and I see that we are all evolving into this new consciousness. Thank you for translating all this into French as well as you can reach my French brothers all around me.
Dear Pamela,
I started translating the blog in french. It needs a new website setup. The french blog should be available in a couple of weeks. I should release 3 or 4 translations for the “opening” while catching up with the english blog. I’ll let you know when it is done.
Wonderful idea, Normand! I know because I was myself thinking about buying a MoFlow for a blog but knew I wouldn’t have the time to keep it up. I envision your blog as being hugely successful in terms of substantial and numerous contributions. Congratulations – and have a spectacular year 2013!
There is one thing I would like to ask right away so as to be able to appreciate your entry fully. I am having difficulties understanding the term “meaning” or, more specifically, the sentence introducing it: “The real identity or meaning question WHO AM I is more difficult to figure out because we can’t pretend we created ourself.” If I read “…or the meaning of the question…”, the sentence makes sense to me, but I don’t know if this was your intention.
I love the Heaven quote you chose. Finding its Letter marked as a special one on my personal list, I took a peek at it and had to laugh about your superb choice of quotation. I’m really looking forward to a discussion inspired by your posting and that Heavenletter.
The drama I live as you in the world is a story of body and soul, is it not?
Jochen…Greetings to You!! I am so happy that you are here!! And it’s always so bright when you and Emilia get on a “verbal roll”…y’all could have a TA-DA Internet Act together!! Informative AND entertaining…AND it’s spontaneous, too!!
Bonnie
I thank you all for this warm welcome of yours. Through this blog, I want to share my understanding with all those who are also turning their eyes towards the inner revolution we are living as well as witnessing.
I’d surely like to reply to all of your comments and get involved into discussions because they offer openings and extensions of our collective thinking. Some comments would deserve an answer that could constitute a blog in itself. Yet, in my present writing process, I need to concentrate on publishing this blog both in English and in French. This means that I have to translate myself. So I apologize for not having time to answer your comments. At this time, open discussions with the readers might bring me out of focus. But occasionally, I might appear on the forum.
I definitely encourage you to comment and share your thoughts on this forum. Your feedback is important to me and I will surely use some elements of your comments for certain blogs to come.
I also encourage some commentators here to go ahead and have their own blog because they have a lot to say and we can learn a lot from them.
There is a login, but I can’t find a way to register, and so the login does not take whatever I enter.
Dear Jochen, you don’t have to register to this blog. But thanks for noticing me that the Login button is visible to the public. This button is for Editing and Admin purposes. I’ll check with the Moflow team.
Dear Normand, two days ago I posted a reply to Emilia’s comment which does not appear. Is it a technical glitch? Something else?
At the moment I am able to see Bonnie’s not-yet-published second posting – hi Bonnie, thanks Bonnie – which I guess I should not, or what would the moderation quarantine be for?
Of course, it’s no problem, especially not in the beginning, when all things do not work smoothly right away. But I would sure like to know what became of my reply to Emilia. Maybe the reply button is visible but not operating (like the login button). On the other hand, the system confirmed my posting, displaying it to me with that green bar “Your comment is awaiting moderation”, which I now see under Bonnie’s comment.
Hope it’s not too difficult to work this out. But I think it’s important to get it fixed soon.
Sorry about that, Jochen. Unfortunately the system doesn’t send me any notice when a new comment is incoming. It has to be done manually so I’ll have to check manually periodically if any new comment has been received. Hope this function will be implemented soon in Moflow.
I am a tester for Moflow, so we might need some period of fine tuning. Anyway, your notices are appreciated, Jochen.
No problem at all, Normand. Now that we know it’s a little tricky for you to keep track, we will simply wait patiently.