Knowing Yourself

This post was inspired by David Lynch the American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor who passed on Jan 15, 2025. He is quoted below.

“You don’t know yourself by talking to yourself or looking in the mirror. You know yourself by diving in and experiencing the self.”

Ah. Yes.

I like that and tend to agree with Mr. Lynch.

Unless we’re ready to stand in front of our favorite mirror and stare directly into our eyes for 5,748 hours. That’s only 239.5 days of no eating, no sleeping, no anything except staring!

You up for that challenge?

No, me neither.

Instead, as Mr. Lynch stated, “You know yourself by diving in and experiencing the self.”

So, how does that work, exactly?

How does one dive in?

Many years ago I was in a weekend retreat in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with my beloved, Ashara and about 100 other people most of whom we did not know. It was one of those retreats where we gave our car keys and wallets and mobile phones to be held in a locked storage unit for the weekend. We signed a waiver holding harmless the company that hosted the retreat and committed to staying the entire weekend, NO MATTER WHAT.

What did I sign up for?

Actually, it was a fascinating (and very cold) weekend where we learned how to know ourselves through introspective practice, asking questions, meditation and walking outside for a hour during the day and again at night (repeating it was very cold) with a billion stars twinkling overhead.

The process allowed me to metaphorically dive in as I was given one of three statements by the person sitting in front of me (in a dyad format): tell me who you are; tell me what you are; and the third which escaped my memory.

To answer I envisioned diving off a ledge into myself somewhat like diving from a high-diving board into a pool of water. This image helped me dive under the surface of ego and into the deeper elements of self over a period of time.

Introspection at very deep levels.

There was a brief moment of time during the weekend that I began to experience myself in the broader context of The Universe as if I actually was the expanse of Infinite Wisdom.

That was an illuminating few moments that raised the question:

I wonder if that is our true nature outside of 3-dimensional time and space?

So, how does one know oneself?

How do we dive in and experience the self?

I would say through the practices of meditation and minfulness in everything we do.

The practice of meditation can be accomplished by sitting on a cushion or a mat or on the floor (hard!) or walking while watching your breathing in and out allowing the mind to quiet. This is a life-long endeavor folks…and so good!

The practice of being mindful in everything we do means slowing down, watching our actions as if we are watching another person while paying attention to each moment.

Imagine mindfully cooking where you ‘dive in’ to the practice of washing vegetables under a slow stream of water, watching every droplet fall into the sink in slow motion. Then mindfully drying each vegetable taking care to completely remove each bead of water. Slowly lifting the knife and making deliberate cuts and slices of the vegetables. Next, mindfully heating oil in the pan or skillet and then gently releasing the vegetables into the heated and shimmering oil with much care ensuring the oil caresses each piece of the food. Slowly adding ingredients, spices, and herbs while maintaining a steady hand of stirring the food while cooking to perfection. When ready to eat mindfully give thanks to everyone who was involved in growing, picking, packaging and transporting the food and then thanking the food for your nourishment and optimal health.

We could apply the same mindfulness to anything we do. Try brushing your teeth with that level of mindfulness!

The experiencing self knows only the present moment. (ref: https://www.headspace.com/articles/remembering-vs-experiencing)

Meditation and mindfulness raises our awareness of the present moment. Life happens in the present moment.

I’ll end this post with a quote from one of my teachers:

“When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

May you be well.

Glenn