Tolle’s book is proving to be a really exciting journey for me, and I’ve found another one that corresponds. It’s called “The Intimate Enemy”, and the authors are Guy Finley and Dr. Ellen Dickstein. The intimate enemy is, of course, the false self, the person we imagine ourselves to be. Many of us live an entire lifetime without ever guessing that we’re playing for the wrong team. The false self, with all its myriad guises, is an illusion. Finley and Dickstein call these guises the “Temporary Person in Charge.” In other words, these bad actors show up in response to whatever the false self perceives as the most pressing need. (Dickstein stated an example that really resonated with me. She said her closet is full of clothes one of these selves must have purchased, because she can never seem to find anything SHE wants to wear! I bet a lot of you recognize that one.) All this can only happen because we’re not aware of it. Once you consciously challenge these kalidescope selves, and demand identification, you’ll be surprised at how fast things start to turn around. The good news is, you can find and live from your true, authentic self. The bad news is, it’s work. Hard work. If you’re serious about feeling better (now there’s an oxymoron), buy these books and read them. “A New Earth” is in book stores now, in hardcover. You’ll have to find “The Intimate Enemy” on ebay or somewhere that deals in used books, but it’s out there, and it’s worth the search.
Tolle calls the false self the “pain-body”. For the sake of brevity, let me just say that the closest approximation I can think of for this phenomenon would be J.K. Rowlings’ Dementors. You have a pain body. I have a pain body. All God’s chillins got a pain body! If you don’t know it’s there, it will run your life. This is the reason for war and all kinds of violence. There aren’t any Real Selves out there on the battlefield–just a bunch of pain bodies, going at it. You see, pain bodies thrive on negativity, on hatred and prejudice and their very favorite dish of all, fear.
Today’s question: Who’s in charge of your life? The real you? Or is it your pain-body, Siamese twin to the ego?
We’ve been sold a bill of goods. We’ve listened to spy-lies. Now, it’s time to take back the village. More on this tomorrow.
In the meantime, BREATHE, as my pastor, the inimitable Richard Rogers of Unity of Phoenix often says. Stay present in the moment. We are not going to fight these enemies–remember, they thrive on conflict–we’re going to step back and observe them. You see, the one thing they cannot bear is being seen for what they are. Illusions, made of nothing, and surviving only on the power they get from our belief that they’re real.
