Honoring the Self
A few weeks ago, I wrote how we can expand our self-concept by making a conscious effort to accept all of our thoughts and feelings, including those we believe are unacceptable. By reintegrating into our experience these discarded parts of the Self we become more receptive to new experiences and increase our sense of self-fulfillment and inner wholeness. Now I would like to discuss how we can honor these emerging parts of the Self by giving them tangible expression.
To give something tangible expression requires that a physical or symbolic action be enacted. For example, if I discern within me an impulse to sing or dance, I could honor this impulse by singing one song or dancing one dance. No elaborate planning needs to occur, as my intent is not to perform or to improve my artistic ability. My intent is to encourage the Self to further reveal itself to me. Nor does it matter how much time the activity takes. The only requirement is that action occurs in the physical realm. Too often, we think about doing something but dismiss the idea prematurely, thereby missing an opportunity to expand our subjective world.
Once we begin to do things that reflect our in inner experience a momentum develops because giving physical expression to the Self is an energizing activity. We may find ourselves laughing aloud because we never imagined we were capable of being so self-expressive. How we choose to symbolically express our inner experience can also be the source of much joy and creativity.
We need to remember that by honoring all aspects of the Self we are encouraging ourselves to be who we are, which is a rich experience indeed.
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