The basis for conscious interactions is expressing your authenticity

“The moment you become aware of the ego within you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego, but just an old, conditioned mind pattern. Ego implies unawareness. Awareness and ego cannot co-exist.” – Eckhart Tolle

In our complex world, every interaction we have is an intricate dance between our internal selves and the external world. How we perceive others, their conditioned perspectives, and the labels we apply all play a significant role in shaping these interactions. It’s crucial to recognize the interplay between our internal and external worlds to foster authentic connections. We’ll explore the concept of conscious interactions by delving into both the external and internal aspects that influence them.

External Reality Construct:

Our external world is shaped by conditioned perspectives and labels that have been introduced to us and we accepted them as “fact”. We position ourselves in relations to others as either, superior, equal, or subordinate by judgement filtered through our conditioned perspectives. Others will put us in those categories in relation to their perspectives as well, which often is the source of conflict when the “placements” don’t align. Societal archetypes influence the roles we adopt and play, most often a the behest of those that influence us. The question that arises here is: What motivates these conditioned perspectives? Are they born out of fear, societal norms, or genuine understanding? The distance between the authentic expressions of our true selves and the conditioning is a relatively good measure of the malady disconnectedness we experience.

Internal Fragmentation:

When we start to reflect on our internal experiences, it’s essential to recognize which aspects of ourselves show up in interactions. Tools from Parts Therapy can be very useful here, where we explore what “part” of ourselves that show up in different situations. For example, I would get triggered when something wasn’t done to my exacting specification, and then I would react to that experience from the perspective of the child who was taught that he wasn’t good enough and needed to compete to be valued and loved. This is the part that showed up when the trigger is activated and I would then assume the part and the expression would be based on the limitations that I held as that child, i.e. the response would have been expected from a 7 year old, but quite unreasonable coming from an adult. We all carry within us wounded parts, often stemming from past traumas. These wounded parts can significantly impact our interactions, leading to behaviours that may not align with our true selves. Authenticity requires us to be aware of these parts and heal them.

Comparing External and Internal Realities:

To have conscious interactions, it’s vital to compare our internal and external worlds. Are they aligning? Do they “come from the same place”? If not, what are the similarities, and where do they diverge? Understanding where our internal and external perspectives come from is the first step in bridging the gap. My daily objective is to become the optimal version of myself, which is the authentic version of myself. The distance between my external experience vis a vis my authenticity is the space of healing I need to traverse to reach that goal. My choice in any experience is how I think, express and act in response to that experience. I cannot control how other show up in interactions with me, but I can choose how I respond to the experience. I always try to use the “Four Agreements” when comparing the external and internal experiences; never assume anything about anybody, don’t take anything personally, always express myself impeccably and always to my best. These agreements allow me to allow anybody to show up how they choose to without me mirroring...