I had lunch with family today (father’s day) and experimented a bit with shifting identification and where my center of gravity is in terms of identification.
THE FREEDOM OF FINDING THIS HUMAN SELF WITHIN WHAT I AM
Normally, I notice that the whole landscape – of this human self, others, and the wider world – happens within and as what I am. The field of sight, sound, smell, taste, sensations, and thoughts happen within and as what I am. It’s all happening within and as consciousness. It’s happening as a dream in that it’s created by consciousness and its nature, to me, is consciousness. To me, my world and all I am is consciousness.
This is freeing. It allows a noticing of this human self as he listens, speaks, feels, thinks, does, and so on. It allows a noticing of this human self as he lives his own life.
THE CLAUSTROPHOBIA OF BEING INSIDE THIS HUMAN SELF
I then tried to consciously shift identification more exclusively to this human self. How is it to imagine me as only this human self? Inside this skull? Looking out of these two openings in the skull onto others and the world.
For me, that immediately feels claustrophobic. I feel locked in. Looking out. The world feels more threatening. My social anxiety goes up several levels. I more easily become self-conscious in an uncomfortable way.
Note: I have written similar articles on distance, movement, time, the physical, and doership.
INITIAL OUTLINE
- The experience of our human self when we notice our nature
- look out from the eyes
- All happening within and as what we are, the whole landscape of this human self and the wider world
- Today, family gathering, imagined how it is to be identified with this human self, felt claustrophobic, inside of the scull looking out, and the other is freeing, notice this human self acting and talking and living its own life, much less pressure
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Normally, I notice that the whole landscape – of this human self, others, and the wider world – happens within and as what I am. The field of sensory experiences and mental representations happen within and as what I am. It’s all happening within and as consciousness. It’s happening as a dream in that it’s created by consciousness and its nature, to me, is consciousness. To me, my world and all I am is consciousness.