Many popular spiritual books and writings today advocate using the 'I am' statement. I loved the "Conversations with God" trilogy of books and found them deeply inspiring. However Neale (the author) keeps repeating the statement 'choose who you now want to be' and it seems to have become a trend in many spiritual circles. But does it work?...

It was the one key thing that I had difficulty accepting when I read the books. However for a while, I did apply myself to that concept. Indeed initially it even seemed to work. I had an idea of what my true self really was and applied intention through meditations and my general way of being to seek to radiate that beingness through everything I did.

The 'I am' statement was very much in my consciousness. However, I didn't notice that over time I was building internal efforting trying to be a certain way in all of my daily interactions - I didn't notice the contradiction of feelings that were arising inside as a result of the efforting.

My spiritual awakening had been very rapid, brought on by a life threatening car crash in which I thought I would certainly die. In the smashed wreckage, I was caused to completely surrender and entered a state of profound bliss which stayed with me for many months.

When I started to apply the 'I am' teachings, they felt good at first because it seemed like I was being a positive influence on my environment. However trying to uplift others became a doctrine (although I wouldn't have called it this at the time) until finally I noticed I had lost the sense of liberation and absolute "okayness" following the crash. The 'life energy' was being strangled from me by my own internal efforting.

As soon as I realised this, I just completely let go once more and didn't try to 'be' anything. It was then that I really found my way forward in society's matrix of conditioning. That is to be awesomely okay with whatever is arising within us and trust that it has a deeper purpose.

So if you feel angry, BE ANGRY, if you feel upset, 'BE UPSET', if you feel mean 'BE MEAN'. However seek to be in the place of the observer of yourself in it and don't judge yourself for it - after all you chose exactly these circumstances to self realise.

If you don't judge yourself and stay as the observer, then all the negativity is released and then you transcend internal identity all together - there is no 'I am' inside at all.

When you do this, you become the all of it - beyond definition. In other words you become the absolute - the God that you already are.

Then 'right action' flows spontaneously in the moment in response to the natural energetic flow of the universe and your destined part in this - it is what we at Openhand call the 'true self'.

Rather than using the 'I am' statement, I found that if I ever lost my way, I would apply a process which I came to know as 'Openhand Way'. That is to always come from a place of 'open mind' and 'open heart'. In doing this, you receive the energy of the universe in truth ('receiving hand’).

In other words you see through the distortions of how the mind wants reality to be and instead connect with what is truly happening. Then it becomes clear what is your destined part to play in that moment and we can give ourselves to our highest truth (giving hand).

Then we find our destined state of beingness arises naturally without having to hold any idea about it at all. With this comes true liberation, consciousness expands and we become a naturally positive influence on our environment without having to 'do' anything.

So in my experience, when you try to create 'I am', all you really end up creating is 'I am not'!

If you would like to know more about 'Openhand Way' and how to apply it......click here. It is taught on our course 'Way of the Heart'. If you would like to come on the course, check our events section for when the next one is happening.

Interesting question.

In short, my experience shows me that we can indeed manipulate the illusion, and apparently 'be' who ever it is that we choose to. We have access to what appears to be a gigantic universal treasure chest of infinite possibilities. Who would not be tempted into such richies? I was too at one time. I'd spent my whole life searching for 'something' that I couldn't quite put my finger on, and surely it would be waiting for me in the treasure chest of infinite possiblities???

Infact, my experiences is that NO, it does not! It is beyond the illusionary reality of infinite creations.

As far as I observed creating our own reality only serves to keep us locked in the illusion, denying us the full experience out our true, unique authentic selves.

There is one thing I have learned to value in this world... the peace within my heart in knowing that I am complete and whole within myself... unity with the divine. To create that is impossible.

In Love and Light
Trinity

Emotions are part of the human experience.

Its okay to feel angry, frustrated, impatient etc...
Feeling the emotion is part of the process of healing from an experience. To let go, is to allow the feeling to flow through oneself and not hang on to it.

Enlightenment is knowing the difference to not "act" on the emotion.

Hi Wings in Flight,

Greetings and welcome to the forum

Well said indeed! It seems that frequently people would have us suppress emotions or push them under the proverbial carpet - in which case they tend to create a ruck over which sooner or later we are sure to trip.

What we resist persists - the only way out is through.

Best wishes

Chris

It's so refreshing to hear people say things that make sense. Yes, we can manipulate our realities...and we can entertain ourselves endlessly doing so. And that's fine. Sociopaths and narcissists do it all the time. Seemingly well adjusted people do it too. That's why fashion is popular application. I've done it myself and had the appropriate costumes for each identity/experience that I tried on during my youth. I masqueraded as a lot of things and I experienced the true " I am" of those moments. But it all just disguised my experience in different ways. It's sort of the same as method acting where one is submerged in the role.

And it's additionally helpful to be aware that we actually do have the right to identify and even reject any premise of even credible spiritual figures in leadership roles. Gone are the days of assuming that one person is the ultimate authority and giving our power away.

Many thanks, Lisa

I find it interesting that the application of "creating our reality" is the one thing holding us back from experiencing a full reality of the heart.

For example: I wanted money. I wrote something down on a piece of paper, and I put it in my wallet to manifest it. I then said, hold on a minute, Im attached, I really want this money, this is getting in my way and I feel stuck. I decided to throw that piece of paper in my drawer, and "not care" about it anymore (ie. not be attached), even though I had absolutely no money at all. As soon as I authentically didn't mind, money arrived.

This goes for many things I have noticed, and money is a minor example. In a way, we receive what we are authentically not attached to. And you can't really fake that non-attachment to receive what you want. I've tried for many years (the secret) hahaha. For me "the secret" is "the wrong way".

As for the: make yourself love yourself, make yourself happy (put on an act of love and happiness), and when in meditation shut off the mind. I did it for quite some time, and it is the past few months that I realize it doesn't feel right. With this comes a "new age" dilemma for me. The emotions come, and yet, I dont know how to not identify with them yet. Before, it was more of a "cold" shut off. I am not sure if its supposed to be a "seperation" of awareness and thought. Also, when I let my mind do what it wants, what I notice is a propagation, and over-identification. Then again, letting the mind run wild doesn't feel quite right either, or doesn't feel good.

Although, one time in meditation, I was okay with everything, all my problems, etc.... What the heck did I do then???

Another issue I have is that, when I am sad, I feel like I am too sad all the time for some people. Like, I cant function. I also tend to lay around, not eat, stop everything, and give up. Im okay to be sad around people, but for a long period of time? I guess Im afraid people will not accept that lengthy self pity.

Dear Cody, that one time you were okay with yourself during a meditation, did you feel like looking at yourself from a distance?
registating the emotions but not living in them? Maybe you can try this when you talk to a friend about yourself, as if you were looking trough there eyes at you...?
This has helped me alot, I never really meditate that much but I do speak to friends about my process and how I see myself stepping into the same trap as I've always done. This helps me to see it when it actually happens and not fall into my emotions as I used to.
I know that rejection is my 'thing'and that I project this onto others, now I've created a little space between myself and this reaction so I do not fall into it anymore. So step by step I am discovering that there is another way to see and be. I did had to go into the deepest emotional hell and back before I could heal myself, one cannot block out what is inside of us. I had to understand what had happened in the past that made me hurt so bad.And I still have therapy to deal with the emotions, untill I see the root of it and I let it go. I hope this will help you to deal with your struggle. love and light to brighten your path, Laura

Well, it was like I was at a distance from "issues" yet at the same time I felt incredibly close to "myself" like the real me. So issues were still there, but because I wasn't entwined in them, I could understand them, and feel a deep true peace.

Well one of the things is that with my closest friend, we both feel exactly what each other are talking about. We are both quite sensitive right now.

But its coming to a point now, where Im not really struggling anymore. So thats pretty cool! There are still things, but its just so much better to go through them now.

Thanks so much for the support Lara,

Cody

This is a great conversation!

The question, "can I choose who I want to be in each moment?" is sort of like a Koan to which I would answer, "MU!"

Sure, "I" can choose who "I" want to be in each moment. "My" mind can always choose who it wants to be. But is there an "I" or a "me" to choose to be in the first place? If I'm making a choice, I'm still in my mind. If I am in my mind, I am not Being - I am storytelling and exchanging one thought for another based on my mind's conditioning and what it thinks it wants.

When we operate from the mind - we can absolutely choose who we want to be in each moment, because the mind functions in terms of constructs and we are choosing which constructs we wish to identify with.

For those who are creating their lives from the mind, for those who hold the mind as the authority over their lives, then sure - choosing who their "I" wants to be in every moment is not only possible, but can feel empowering and liberating. Trading in an undesirable story for a desirable one, attaching themselves to a new chosen identity - it feels good... for a while... but engaging in this creates more suffering because the "I" is always grasping at what the mind thinks it wants...

For those who do not operate from the mind, whose body is their authority, this question is akin to asking if they use a fork or a knife to drink their water.

The concept of "You Can Create Your Own Reality" is an interesting concept. I find it odd that many people teach others how to manifest the life of their dreams by first identifying a desire, becoming attached to that desire, then they are instructed to let go of that attachment to the desire in order to manifest the desire.

Why create an attachment we need to let go of in order to manifest it? This approach doesn't make sense. Why not just let go in the first place without forming attachments to desires and allow life to be smooth? Ahh but then we couldn't manifest Ferraris and mansions and all the specific things our mind has been conditioned to think it wants in order to be happy...

Once we manage to transcend the illusion of mind, the mainstream concept of manifestation comes toppling down like a house of cards... and becomes another MU!

<3