What do we mean by persona, mask, and identity?
Our country, our family, our name, the schools we attended, our character, gender, profession, and habits all shape our identity. These are the anchors that ground us in this world. Through them we express our life’s purpose in practical ways and find our place in society.
As you may sense, these aspects carry a certain weight, much like gravity itself. They help us stay grounded. They correspond to our lower three energy centers—the worldly dimension of our existence. There is nothing wrong, negative, or shameful about them. They are simply part of being human.
Opening the Heart
When we begin to awaken our fourth energy center—the heart chakra—we experience a subtle sense of freedom from the confines of the material world.
We begin to love trees, cats, birds, our friends, siblings, parents, partners, and ultimately all human beings. At first, we love because of something. A deeper stage is loving despite something. When even that ‘despite’ disappears, love becomes unconditional, and the heart opens completely.
How beautiful it is to love without conditions. Step by step, through experience, we gradually move closer to unconditional love.
Divine Love
God loves us unconditionally. With every mistake we make, He offers new experiences and fresh opportunities so that we may grow and learn. He is infinitely patient. He is infinite love. He never abandons us and is closer to us than our own heartbeat. Every gift, talent, and virtue we possess comes from Him. He is the source of our sustenance and the author of our destiny.
Higher Awareness
As our higher energy centers awaken, the qualities of heaven become more tangible. The fifth chakra allows authentic expression and unity, the sixth awakens intuition through the third eye, and the seventh connects us with the crown of consciousness. Through deep breathing practices these centers can be activated. Beyond them, there are even higher dimensions of consciousness still waiting to be explored.
As these higher centers unfold, we begin to bring divine light and wisdom into the world. Lightworkers hold this light and anchor it on Earth, standing like lighthouses that guide ships safely through storms.
Through meditation, our awareness expands. The more centered we become, the more transparent we are. Negative energies simply pass through us instead of remaining within us. Our capacity to hold the light grows. Meditation is our path of purification, awareness, and service.
The True Self
The greatest service we can offer is to work on ourselves. As we remain present, live meditatively, and practice regularly, the energy we radiate becomes clearer and more harmonious. Our quality of life improves. Holding the light and allowing consciousness to expand is perhaps the highest form of service.
Alongside our personality—our body, mind, thoughts, emotions, and character—there exists another dimension: the silent witness, our true essence. The more we live from this essence instead of identifying exclusively with our personality, the healthier, happier, and more meaningful our lives become. We also serve others more effectively and express our gifts more fully.
Living from Essence
As one of my teachers beautifully expressed, it is possible to distinguish our essence from our identity and gradually live from that deeper reality. In doing so, we come into harmony with nature and reconnect with our authentic being.
Our thoughts, emotions, and physical body may be symbolized by the right hand, while the witnessing awareness—the silent observer—may be represented by the left hand. When we learn to experience the left hand as distinct from the right, we begin to live from our essence.
In my own experience, simply becoming aware of this inner witness from time to time has allowed me to live with greater peace and happiness. Once this awareness has awakened, it cannot truly be lost. The question then becomes: how do we strengthen it? The answer is through meditation and mindful awareness. With regular practice, the presence of the inner witness naturally becomes more vivid throughout the day.
Remain in meditation. Remain in awareness. Live from your essence.
With love,
Izzet