Who am I?
First written in May 2, 2019
Perhaps the most ubiquitous question of all time is, Who am I? If you’re human, you’ve likely pondered this question. And I’m not talking about defining yourself by the labels society has placed on you. For instance, I could be described as a daughter, wife, massage therapist, instructor, American, middle-aged, white woman, and so on. But those things are not ME. Those are just words used to describe common experiences. What happens when you strip all those adjectives away? Who am I? Who is that constant companion in my head? Not the noisy one but the one that sits back and quietly observes. That one. Who is that?
One thing we have learned from science is that this quiet observer has the power to affect matter in ways we don’t fully understand. Over a hundred years ago a famous experiment, known as the double-slit experiment, left scientists scratching their heads. They were trying to determine whether light was a particle or a wave. (See my blog The Big Conundrum: The Double Slit Experiment for more explanation) The results were perplexing and don’t make sense according to our current worldview paradigm. It showed that a proton, even an atom or molecule, has the ability to act like a particle or a wave, depending on whether an observer is observing. This is called the wave-particle duality in quantum physics. So it seems as if the very act of observing vibrates matter into existence from a field of possibilities.
The implications of this experiment are so mind-boggling that they force us to look at reality completely differently than we’ve been taught. Our old worldview paradigm, which is still very prevalent, showed us an objective world of cause and effect filled with solid particles that obey Newton’s laws of physics. The more we looked outside and tried to find the smallest pieces of matter, the more we neglected the most important part of the equation: the observer. We have explored the depths of the seas and the vastness of outer space and yet few have recognized the importance of the person observing it all. We were not taught the value of cultivating our inner landscape. More and more scientists are concluding that consciousness is fundamental, not the particles we continue to dissect. The evidence shows that solid particles do not exist as we have always thought. The particles that make up matter vibrate in and out of existence at extremely high speeds. So it turns out that what goes on inside us, our thoughts, emotions, and our inner dialogue, directly affects our so-called objective reality. It comes back to vibration and energy. When we cultivate our inner landscape, we raise our level of consciousness, which then raises our energy and hence our overall vibration.
When we ask the question, Who am I, we realize we are both the one asking the question and the one listening for the answer. It is our essence that is asking the question. It is YOU that is asking the question. Strip away all the nouns and adjectives and ask the question again, Who am I? Take away all the information from your five senses and ask the question again, Who am I? It’s like peeling back the layers of an onion as you dig deeper and deeper into the core of what makes you YOU. When you get past all the learned experiences and labels, you are not aware of male/female, tall/short, big/little, old/young, rich/poor. In that moment you are only aware of your awareness. Another way of putting it is, you are conscious of your consciousness. This is an excellent question to meditate on, Who am I? The more you ponder who you are, the closer you get to discovering your divine essence. We are simply consciousness becoming aware of itself through our human experiences. We are infinitely powerful once we realize that our only limitations are the ones we place on ourselves.
Ask the question frequently, Who am I? Cogitate, contemplate, and meditate on its answer. It is a vital and very relevant question and its answer will vary depending on your stage in life. Honor the answers, honor your essence, get to know yourself. This is necessary not only for raising your consciousness but, more importantly, for raising our collective consciousness. If we want the world to change, we must absolutely change ourselves first. This is the only way. We must be the example we want to see in the world, in every way possible!
Namaste!
Indigo Girl