How do you know who you are?

Article Title: How Do You Know Who You Are?
Author: Darren Bartolo (©2017)

I was in part two of a multipart dream training sequence. My guides had set up seven different soul paths for me to experience, each one evolving through their own unique life times. I intuited that one of the objectives of the training was to show me how consciousness evolves as we move from lifetime to lifetime. Cycling me through seven separate soul paths would give me a broader perspective on how different the experience can be depending on the age of the soul and the circumstances it’s born in.
I had just picked out a brush to practice Chinese calligraphy when my consciousness shifted into another body. It was all of a sudden very sunny. I felt disoriented (which was new, because the shifts up until that point where smooth, and my surroundings were quickly understood). I couldn’t really perceive anything beyond my body; it was bright, my eyes not adjusting. My mind felt cloudy. I was having trouble moving any part of my body. I didn’t have any language to explain how I was feeling. Maybe that body didn’t possess language. So, I don’t even know if I was thinking through this whole process, or I am just attributing a verbal description to it afterwards.
I became aware of my arms. They felt bound in some way. I was struggling to move them. I was panicked. And then, I looked down at the ground. A wave understanding. I saw my shadow. I was a butterfly! My were not bound; my wings were just emerging! All of sudden my panicked was replaced with clarity, hope, and excitement. I looked beautiful and graceful.
I had never been a butterfly before so I didn’t know how to make my wings flap! After a bit more struggle and some experimentation, I got them going and began to fly. It was awkward moving around without the use of my legs. But, it was a quick practice, and I soon flew off to explore the landscape.
I woke up. Wow. The thought immediately came to me: How would we ever know our form if we never saw our shadow? How would we ever know our features if we never looked at our reflection? We must practice observing our reflection.
SELF-REFLECTION, meditation, mindfulness, gives us space to understand our features.
I meet many people who do not understand how amazing they are - how resilient, how courageous. I can see it. But, they have never seen it because they have never been taught to purposefully and neuatrally self-reflect. They have never been taught how meditation temporarily gives them a vantage point to see their thoughts and actions from the outside, that mindfulness can reflect to them their decisions and impact on the world.
Yes, some of what they might see would be their upclose imperfections. But, nothing in life is perfect; nature thrives on variation. If they only took the time to practice self-reflection, they would slowly move their site back and their imperfections would fade, because they would see how those minute variations came together to form the magnificence of their whole being. Resilient. Courageous. Ready to fly.


***I use the term “guides” to name possible entities that have been conversing with me in my dream state since I was in college. Back then, I had been working to connect physically to the ethereal entities that may be helping me on my life’s journey. And, sure enough they started showing up, giving me some advice, some deeper insight, and some possible visions of my future. I’m both a mystic and scientist, so whether these “guides” showing up in my dream over the past 15 years come from a mystical sources or just my subconscious is up for fascinating debate. At this point, I don’t really care about the source because I usually end up getting great advice!