The Secrets of Humbleness

Dear Spiritual Partner,     Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be as empowered as it is possible for you to be, to be on a track that leads you continually toward joy and meaning, vitality and richness, gratitude and contentment? These are the experiences of authentic power. They are also the experiences of Love. Love is not an emotion or a feeling. It is a state of being, and getting to and into and staying in that way of being may take you to places that you do not often associate with love - such as anger, jealousy, vindictiveness, and more, including every obsessive thought, compulsive activity, and addictive behavior you have. These are the parts of yourself that block your experiences of and expressions of Love. These experiences are the ones that you were born to heal, just as you were also born to give gifts that your soul wants you to give. Giving the gifts that you were born to give and healing the parts of your personality that prevent you from giving them - the parts that keep you from loving without restriction or reservation - combine in the creation of authentic power.   The characteristics of an authentically empowered personality are humbleness, clarity, forgiveness, and Love. Love is the big one. Each time you have the courage to feel the sensations beneath the impulse to shout in anger, withdraw in jealousy, judge or disdain, or need to please, for example, and instead of acting on it, act from the healthiest part of yourself that you can access - even if that means simply remaining motionless and silent with a good intention for the person or people you are with, you create authentic power. The more you create authentic power, the more the characteristics of authentic power become your characteristics, and the more meaning, purpose, and joy enter your life.   This Spring through the beginning of Summer, we are going to explore each of the characteristics of an authentically empowered personality in a different edition of Soul Connections. This month we are beginning with a characteristic of authentic power that few people have thought about - humbleness. What do you think it is, really? What do you think it is not, really? And last, why do you think it would be good to develop humbleness?   We are looking forward to sharing with you.

A humble person walks in a familiar world. He or she sees friends everywhere he or she looks, wherever he or she goes, with whomever he or she meets. His or her perception goes beyond the shell of appearance and into essence. He or she sees the attributes of people around him or her - big body, small body, strong body, weak body, quick intellect, slow intellect, yellow skin, brown skin, male or female, young or old - and on and on - as costumes. He or she does not believe that anyone will change this costume at the end of the day, but he or she also knows that everyone will leave it behind at the end of a lifetime. Ashes will return to ashes, and dust will return to dust. That is the way it is with costumes. They do not last forever. They do not even last very long - a century at best and much less for most people. The soul is a different story. The soul is immortal.  So the humble person is not as interested in these temporary clothes as in what is wearing them. The soul is wearing them. When a friend walks into the room with a dress or suit that you do not like, do you stop liking your friend? You know about her. You know her challenges, hopes, and aspirations. You know how difficult her life is, as is yours,  and that it also has experiences of elation, joy, and contentment, or at least how much she wants to have these experiences. You cannot feel superior to her because you know how much your life is like hers. The humble person see everyone as a friend because he or she knows that everyone's life is as complex and as difficult as his or her own. How could he or she ever push anyone away who is on the same challenging journey that he or she is on, and so often struggling just as hard. That is what makes the world friendly to a humble person. He or she sees the soul that is wearing the costume and loves that soul, even if the personality (costume) is difficult to be around for too long, or is angry, or jealous. The next time you feel less than someone else, inadequate, or inferior, remember that "humbleness" does not have anything to do with those experiences any more than it means lowering yourself to make a connection. There are no lower levels to a humble person. There are no higher levels, either. There are only souls. There is only love. Humbleness is one of the great gifts of authentic power - and you give it to yourself.