Just as there is an ego so there is a higher self. But what is it? People often think that human beings are inherently good. And that personal development simply involves getting in touch with one’s true self. They believe a life, filled with compassion, joy, and peace, defines the true nature of each individual.
However, there is a lot of unhappiness around – a far cry from this idea of our true self. We are a bit of a mix. We switch from being generous to being selfish, from being fair to dishonest, from being conscientious to careless. Don’t we need to be vigilant in applying our ideals to how we think and feel?
Swedenborg’s idea of our higher self
According to spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, if one’s life is currently focused on outer matters such as one’s possessions, then one tends to lack higher thought – what he calls ‘reason’.
The idea here is that in daily life all the time we can decide to try to give attention to the thoughts of our higher self – about what is good and right. This would entail reflecting and taking into account general principles of living. Swedenborg refers to this as consulting genuine reason.
When a man is in … (the desire for bodily pleasure or possessions), he consults reason but little, and thus has but little consciousness of what he is doing … Mere bodily (appetites) … have in them but little reason. (Emanuel Swedenborg)
Swedenborg is saying that if we focus on comfort, ease and property, then we are not sensible of deeper things; not alive to our higher self. Our experience of life tends to stay fixed in worldly concerns. According to this view, one will not find any unity or harmony in oneself if staying emotionally attached to the ways of the physical world; prey to its illusions, and blown this or that way according to its changing circumstances. Being focused on trivial things, can sadly lead to repeated failings, and a continuation of unhappiness or even embarrassing or even shameful faults.
Self-assessment
However, this doesn’t mean we cannot take stock and notice this spiritual condition within ourselves. And this is where self-assessment comes in. We can take a look back at conduct as well as our thoughts and feelings. The ones that habitually pass across our minds. In the light of heavenly light, conscience tells us what is bad and unwholesome.
From a Swedenborgian perspective, we can move from self-observation to reflection to evaluation.
- By observing our mind we can disentangle ourselves from its passing thoughts and feelings.
- We can then reflect on what we have observed possibly gaining insight
- We can then evaluate our reflections in the light of our values and conscience.
Waking up to one’s higher self
You may be familiar with the following tale. There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.” So he divided his property between them. The younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. He began to be in need. So he went and worked feeding pigs. He was hungry but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! So he got up and went to his father.
When they met, he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” ‘But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best clothes for him. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.
Due to the dire circumstances he found himself in, the son was obliged to reflect on his circumstances and examine his actions. He came to his senses realising in his attachment to riotous living he had gone against the principles he had learned as a child. So he was no longer worthy to live with his father as a son.
Discernment
Likewise, we can take time to take a look at our own actions. We should use discernment regarding our thoughts and feelings. Society would fall to pieces without social discernment about what is acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour. There may have been times when we have been self-indulgent, uncaring, or even hurtful to others.We can ignore the tiny prick of conscience which points this out at the time. Or we can choose to face up to what our higher self is suggesting where we have gone wrong. This isn’t just to do with what we have done bad but also what we have failed to do that is good.
If our bad intentions were hidden, they would not surface, and we would not see them and therefore not admit to them; consequently, we would not be in a position to resist them.
The son could have been self-righteous blaming others for his plight and demanding his family position back. But no, he assessed his conduct and chose to face the music in a humble way.
Self-discovery
The recognition that we need to change in order to grow spiritually is not an easy discovery. We can be very resistant and sometimes need to learn the same lessons time and again before we are willing to accept them. You might say “To face the music like the wastrel son of the story requires a broken spirit.” I would say yes it requires a broken sense of pride but not a broken feeling of self-compassion. Only when we look kindly – as did the father in the story – at our own failings can we face them with courage without making up excuses to try to justify ourselves.
The origin of self-compassion is symbolised by the father in the story. Swedenborg teaches that there is a universal spirit of compassion that is beyond as well as within us. It is the origin of a wise love that sees the inherent worth in all people. He emphasizes this as the spiritual source for human qualities of forgiveness and mercy. This higher self is the opposite of holding a grudge and condemnation. So, the basis and starting point origin of kindness, as a quality of being considerate, compassionate, and benevolent towards oneself and others, is a central teaching in his writings.
Thus it is conceivable how self-dissatisfaction or self-disgust can be transformed into a sense of self-acceptance. But there must be genuine remorse. The son wasn’t too proud to ask for forgiveness.
Ask and it will be given to you (Gospel of Matthew)
Copyright 2024 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of The Great Questions of Life
