Welcome,
Everyone.
This is going to be a talk on one of my favorite subjects,
Which is,
What is authenticity?
So I wrote this blog post a few years back,
And I still come back to it once in a while,
So I'm going to read it out for you,
And my intention is for you to really feel into whether or not this quality is present in your life,
Is cultivated in your life,
And is embraced in your life.
So what is authenticity?
Authenticity is the quality of being yourself in the world.
It is the connection to your own sense of yes or no,
And the ability to stand for those choices without apologizing.
It is the connection to your own inner compass and the ability to follow it.
It is the connection to your own energy and expression in the world.
It is the connection to your own truth,
Whatever that truth may be in that moment in time.
It is the connection to your boundaries and your likes and dislikes.
It is the connection to the inner essence that is you.
Upon studying this topic for many,
Many years,
I'm now aware that there are layers to authenticity.
When we first begin to claim our space in the world,
We may remove ourselves from situations that no longer resonate,
That don't feel aligned or appropriate for us anymore.
That's the first layer.
Being true and honest with our environment and asking,
Does this work for me?
At this stage,
I realized that the corporate sales world wasn't really my thing and I removed myself from it.
Then,
We begin to explore our true desires and wants,
Independent of other people's expectations.
That is yet another layer.
At this stage,
I began continuously pursuing what some may still call woo-woo stuff,
Which is energy work,
And that was really authentic to me.
Then,
We may stumble upon shadow work and realize that there are places within ourselves that we continue to hide from,
Such as certain emotional states or feelings or unresolved situations that we're not quite ready to face yet.
We start to slowly peel away at those shadows,
Allowing them space to be,
Embracing and accepting them.
That's yet another deeper layer.
At this stage,
I recognized a lot of repressed anger and rage,
Plus a whole lot of other interesting stuff.
Then,
May come a point when you're ready for the next transformation of the self and what felt authentic before is no longer fitting.
Here,
An example may be exploring the opening of your voice to find out that it's huge and you can sing,
But you identify with a much smaller voice and I'm not a singer.
So,
Authenticity is fluid and it's got layers to it,
Like the Russian matryoshka doll.
The more that we observe societal conditioning and programming within,
The more we understand where we truly stand in relation to it.
The more that we explore,
The more our inner being guides us to the next truer expression of ourselves.
And so,
Infinity.
And then,
May come a point when the self dissolves and becomes one with the endless ocean of love.
I wonder what becomes then of authenticity?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and what is authenticity to you.
How do you connect with it?
Thank you for tuning in and I'll be with you next time.
Blessings.
