What does it mean to be your true self?
Father Richard Rohr is a spiritual writer and best-selling author of the novel Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self. In this novel, he preaches the idea of how we can resurrect our hidden true selves from the overpowering and man-made false self.
Rohr was featured in an episode on Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations podcast back in July, where he talked about the meaning behind finding your true self.
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The true self is the soul. It is the core of our being. He illustrates the soul as a diamond: beautiful and indestructible. Rohr describes our soul as “the face you had before you were born. It is your inherent dignity that no one can give to you and no one can take from you.” Along with our soul comes our false self. This is the fabricated persona that has been with us ever since the beginning. It is our psychological being that has been created from our experiences.
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What is keeping us from letting our diamond shine? Some of Rohr’s thoughts include the idea of perfection and success, personal change and growth, and unlearning our past to shape our future. These three elements prevent us from expanding ourselves. When we suffer, we let this energy take control, and when we are not in control we reveal the false self.
Imperfection is inevitable. “Perfection is a mathematical concept,” says Rohr. “It is not a human concept. Humans are inherently imperfect.” Perfection is an idea that our is created by our false self. Success ties into the idea of perfection because it is something that we as Americans yearn for in our lives. Rohr has a different perspective of success, though. “Success is hardly ever your true self,” says Rohr. “It is only your early window dressing. It gives you some moment for the journey, but it never the real goal.” This idea encompasses a counterculture perspective, for success is only meant to feed your ego.
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How do we get there? Well, because we are in a constant battle with our minds it is not always an easy path. Our souls expand when we are faced with humiliation, rejection, betrayal, etc. It is from the struggles of our false self that reveals our true self. Change is scary because we are letting go of the negative energy of the false self. Rohr says, “When we do not need to play the victim or create the victim you are free. The blame game is a waste of energy.”
Finding your true self requires what Rohr puts it as “an unlearning and dying” process. This involves letting go of the false self, and as what Oprah mentioned in her podcast, “relearning a new normal.” When we let our psychological being fall, we will feel a greater sense of freedom.
This is our diamond. Transforming our suffering and letting ourselves expand.