One of the first barriers to expansion and inner growth is the repressive response of the superego. Exploring this voice, you will recognize its standards and commands, and the many ways that it manifests to suppress change. In turning your attention directly to the superego’s expression, you will discover what happens when you meet it face-to-face.

Compassion naturally arises in response to pain and suffering. It is also natural that your suffering is exposed as you begin to work deeply on yourself. Exploring the inherent responsiveness that occurs when pain and compassion meet allows your soul to relax, soften and deepen even in the midst of suffering.

Attempts to master your ego, your desires and your instincts are usually seen to be relatively ineffective in gaining freedom from life’s obstacles and a deeper self-understanding. The easier, more effective way is to go through the obstacles directly. Exploring how to do this and discovering its effectiveness, you will find a simple orientation towards spiritual practice in particular and life in general.

Investigating the truth of your experience requires a particular kind of questioning attitude; that orientation is a curiosity that embodies the openness of the heart to discover what is real and true in your life and in your essential nature. Exploring what moves you into the joy of openness, you will also encounter what dampens the heart’s love for what it knows to be true.

Avoiding the distractions of a noisy world you may want something simpler and quieter and you may get frustrated when these elude you. You want to be real, to be true to yourself. Being real happens when the noise settles, inside and outside, the noise of our mind and emotions. When these complexities and distractions settle, you may connect with who and what you are – and you become real.

Being vulnerable is something you will most likely defend against. Human beings are truly vulnerable to certain dangers and, at times, protection is needed. Often though, defending against real or imagined dangers closes you down to them by thickening your soul with a layer of protection. Exploring your defensive patterns through allowing your vulnerability, you can open to knowing more of who and what you truly are.

Here you will learn a little of your true nature, your essential nature beyond your historically conditioned personality. Contrasted with the personality, essence is seen as an aware substance that is very close and responsive to the needs of the moment. It manifests as a wide range of pure qualities and experiences. Each time you turn to your truth, essence gets that much closer, imbuing your life and the way you show up in the world.

What does it mean to live your spirituality? Religious teachings tend to have fixed perspectives that do have a certain place. Even so, the spiritual life is much less simply believing what you are told about your spiritual nature as it is discovering that nature through direct experience that then informs and enriches your life.

Seeking to live a more fulfilled life, making the effort to better yourself, rejecting your current experience you may end up rejecting who you really are in the moment. Being willing to allow and investigate any current experience, you begin to discover the truth of who you truly are at your deepest nature.