Welcome to The Universe of Self, which is an attempt to share some perspectives on life, the Universe and Self. If we identify with the Universe and we identify with Self (the thing that we call "I") then we are left with an interesting paradox. You will not find many religious references here as this is not the intention of this website but a more traditional statement would be something like "...you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst...". For the context of this website, we are in the Universe and the Universe is within us. So, how do we feel about this paradox and how to we deal with it? The dualistic approach will tell us that we are separate from the Universe and that our individuality is clear. The non-dualistic approach will tell us that there is no real difference between us and the Universe, we are merely a different perspective of it. It will, perhaps, take some time for that concept to sink in.
The definition of Hollistic is "everything is connected" and if we are able to adopt the Hollistic approach then we should not be concerned about separating ourselves from the Universe. In this case it could be said that we can have a non-dualistic outlook, there is not a Universe and a Self as such but instead a mystical relationship that appears as two and is actually one. If we are comfortable to move forwards with this Hollistic approach it is going to require some faith for our mystical paradox. There will be few direct answers to many of the questions we might have but hopefully we will be able to let go of the general suffering and discontent that many experience with their lives. Some refer to such suffering and discontent as "the core wound", the burdening ache that it seems we were born with and carry around our whole lives where we feel there is something missing and needs fixing.
The Journey that we embarked on when we were conceived by our parents is simply that, a Journey. With any Journey we would like to know where we are going, why we are going and how we will get there. The Journey of life is not one that can have such a controlled approach and therefore we have to develope sufficient "discernment" to be able to take the next best step(s) on the path. For me, Discernment is one of the single most important words for my Journey, we can't always know what is the next best step and therefore we need to put our next foot forwards with mindfulness and awareness. Essentially we have to be open to constant and unknown change, to make this happen we will require untold amounts of willingness, acceptance and surrender.
As you will see in the Journey section, the Goal is to simply take the next best step(s) and that will come as a surprise for many, our nature is to want to control everything, as that is what makes us most comfortable. We want to begin on the start line, see the finish line and aim directly for it at full speed. Knowing that there is no finish line and no short cuts to get there is not going to sit with us very well. Knowing that the steps we take, efficiently or not, will contribute to the Universe is pretty much all we will have to cling on to. So, there is not much in terms of security to keep us feeling comfortable, the faith that this represents is that we walk a constant tight-rope along a razors edge, feeling nothing more than pupose and a constant sense of panic!
On our Journey we have, for company, ourselves, the Self that is so fondly refered to in many of the texts here. What we consider to be our Self will vary from person to person. The latin expression "...Cogito ergo sum..." (I think therefore am) is not only well known but also the source of great disussion and disagreement. For the context here, it is simply to pose the question of what do you consider to be "I", the Self in this equation.
This website is not intended to change anyone's perspectives nor to preach about what is correct or incorrect, if you find something useful, that is great, if not I hope it didn't waste too much of your time.