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authenticity
August 2007 
Authenticity
Posted on Dec 20th, 2006
by 
Wendy
Wendy
“This above all—to thine own self be true” ~ Shakespeare
This past summer, I made an intention to live a more authentic life. Sounds easy enough, right? I didn't realise it would be as difficult as I had originally thought. Being true to who I am and living my life with true intentions that are exhibited through my words, thoughts and actions are not easy tasks. This morning, I got an email (below) that reminded me that the path of authenticity is not always a smooth path.
With the obligations of the holiday season and the mass media that associates gift giving and get togethers with good times and being loved, I am reminded of my intention to live an authentic life. My challenge these days is to go beyond the social conditioning with which I have been brought up. Today, I am thinking, speaking and acting from my heart center and not from a place of obligation. The Universe has been providing me with many opportunities to live an authentic life. For that I am grateful.
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Authenticity
“The highest courage is to dare to appear to be what one is.”
-John Lancaster Spalding
-Lissa Coffey
Access: PublicTagged with: Authenticity
nothing harder and more worthwhile, especially if lived in freedom, joy and love! hugs, nicole
Wendy, that is PERFECT for me today!!!! So fitting for where I am right now. :)
I am not on my old profile now because of this to a very large extent. I risked judgement, and it feels divine!
Much love my friend. :)
Di
Wendy,
I too have taken up “the road less travelled”, and sometimes the choices we have to make to truly honor who we are can be some of the hardest choices that we will ever have to make. But, it sure does feel good when you have stood fast to your convictions and can give yourself a “high five”!
Namaste,
Laurie
Wonderful blog, dear Wendy. I love the word 'authentic', thanks so much for bring my attention to it again.
As an answer to the Questions and Reflections ”What's one thing you know you could do to improve your health”
I wrote: ” have the courage to make sure that every single thing I do or say is authentic and truthful.”
So much of my 'path' - the choices I've made - seem to be an endeavor for authenticity. The teachers I love - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Douglas Harding, Paul Lowe - all are 'pointing' towards this process: an uncovering of self, a ransparent way of living.
I recently came across this quote - from someone called Deeshan - I loved it.
“Watching is the key, nothing else matters, slowly slowly an understanding start growing, a witness arises and this witness is the bud of our being, the miracle that transforms, the miracle that heals, the miracle that gives birth to your authentic self.”
I suspect that the closer we get to authenticity, the closer we get to a place of 'no-self'.
And along the way we get to watch ourselves put on the masks, try to fit in, try to control our behaviour so it elicits a response that we feel comfortable with and so on… in a way it's fun. I got pretty serious about it for a while, and now, I'm more simply 'curious'… and smile when I 'see' myself doing something that is artifice, or manipulative, or not honest, or coy, or …. and I also remind myself to experiment again, next time, to come more from my heart. It's always more fun - I forget this.
what a kaleidoscope of selves we are!
I suspect most of us have been so deeply conditioned to be 'nice', this conditioning has gone far into our unconscious, and this unconscious more or less runs us. Some part of us feels we will be hurt, or hurt, if we are not 'nice' or do the 'right' thing.
Bruce Lipton writes: “The beliefs that primarily control us are those that are programmed into our subconscious minds (the subconscious being a million times more powerful than the conscious mind and the subconscious runs our biology from 95-99% of the day). Since we are generally unaware of our subconscious belief (hence the concept of “unconscious” processing), we rarely see that our own behavior is the sabotaging element we must face.”
I do sense that the 'watching' mentioned above is a way to dissolve the programming.
Much love,
Sandra