Transparency: A Warrior's Choice

Transparency: A Warrior’s Choice

Secrecy, social presentations (FB, Gram, Snap etc.) and the motivational and new age industries, even the ancient Egyptians, Mayans, Incas, well hell perhaps humanity is the only species that tries to create and live a false front, a false presentation of self. I am not talking about dressing up for ceremony, or when one is in their “medicine power” as a Shaman or Healer. I am talking about working day and night to “present” to the public what you want them to see, in order to get something back: adoration, money, power, or sometimes just to be left alone. Often, this work, this presentation, becomes your drug of choice. You begin to believe your own BS (denial). It can be a powerful pain killer. “That’s my jam; It’s who I AM” can be the pill popping response to inner struggles with low self-esteem, addictive behaviors, poor body image.  Not the worse behavior in the world, or is it? Perhaps being an outright addict is more authentic. When you model deception, you teach deception. You teach other to ignore their intuition, their vibes, and to “buy” into deception. This in turn teaches a society to not look deep (like German citizens during the Nazi regime). It creates fertile ground for sociopathic and narcissistic personality types to bloom and flourish by creating an unending pool of those waiting to be bamboozled by deceit, bling, fast talkers, and clever presenters. Wait, that sounds like…. now.  It is.

What happened to live by example? Walk the talk, not talk the talk. Well for one thing, it doesn’t make money. For another, it takes the courage and persistence of a warrior, but you will lose public adoration and will not be able to lie to your Self anymore and that also means you will have to actually live your life and feel your feelings with no guarantee of acknowledged success or fame or awards.  Did I just lose you as a reader?  Be honest.

Transparency is complex. There are unbalanced people out there and revealing too much to narcissists, social climbers (those that “study” with a Teacher or Healer when their real agenda is to “get ahead”, to fuel their own vocabulary rather than actually learn something through a real Practice on their own, or by healing themselves first), or the still wounded people who will use personal information to lash out at some point when some unconscious unhealed wound gets triggered.  Boundaries are good. Personal safety is good.  Transparency takes discernment, honesty with the Self (Spirit already knows you, even if you lie to yourself), and courage. People will attack and betray. If they betray a false front, if they betray the lies you created and presented, you can feel like you are keeping yourself safe. After all, they are attacking your image not you. You created your image to hide who you really are. So a false front also serves as a “great” defense mechanism for those wanting to hide. 

So how does one live with transparency? How do you let people see what it really takes to have a Practice? How do you demystify the “guru” image without losing respect, without exposing yourself to boundary issues? Guidance, and there is no Guidance without a personal Practice. A personal Practice goes beyond applying oils, crystals, listening to music, “talking” to your “guides”, attending ceremonies, workshops, seminars or classes but not actually carrying out what you learn there on your own, home, alone, just you and Spirit. 

Being transparent is a choice and each choice, every time, will be individual based on the person, content, timing, and so much more.  Transparency has to be balanced with boundaries, and with an assessment of what information a person can handle at the time. For example, when, if ever, can a mother bear to hear her child was sexually molested by her husband?  Working with the Energy of Guidance, there can be a time that is not only appropriate, but also cathartic and healing. Not only is Guidance necessary, but so is self-awareness, mindfulness, and perhaps most of all, shadow work. How deep you are willing to go into your own self-healing with Spirit will determine how clear your channel is to receive Guidance without your wounds and ego getting in the way and distorting what you receive. And, the level of your own development determines the level of Energy you are able to receive and handle from Spirit.

So, where to start?  Start with knowing the Self and develop a deep relationship with yourself and Spirit.  Learn some earth plane skills such as boundaries, heal your childhood, and learn to identify dysfunctional personality types so you can be safe when working with muggles. Develop and keep a personal Spiritual Practice. Study with an Energy Teacher (if you can find one these days) who also has a Practice and who models transparency. Have the courage to be honest with yourself about your Self. Take a daily personal inventory on what is working and what needs more work. Learn to safely share about some of your deeper truths. Choose a safe environment to practice (12-step, meetings, group therapy, meditation classes with qualified Teachers, etc.) with other humans. This will help you develop courage, get support, learn to make mistakes and survive. Your practice in sharing with other humans and your personal Spiritual Practice will help you to develop detachment regarding caring less about what people think about you and you becoming comfortable about all parts of who you are (instead of hiding them in shame or due to your ego wanting to impress everyone because you still care what people think of you).

Why transparency?  An earmark of dysfunction and abuse is silence and secrecy. Abuse of power (sexual, physical, and economic) requires the silence, secrecy, and therefore compliance of the victims.  When a culture learns to “obey” via silence and secrecy, tyrants rise to power be in in the family, cults, or politics.  In this era of social presentation transparency, asking questions, being able to “feel” if someone is telling the truth, has become paramount. If your ego or wounded Self is running your life, you will be seduced by someone (or many) who will appeal to your overbearing ego or the holes created by your still weeping wounds.  You all have the potential to be a Healer. How? Model balance, a balance between transparency and appropriateness (boundaries and sensitivities), a balance between a “great rap” for all you talented talkers and enough transparency to prove you are walking the talk not just talking the talk. Teach others to ask questions by allowing yourself to be strong enough to be questioned. Demystify what it takes to be a good person and walk an Awakened Path by sharing your experiences, your learning through mistakes, and your humanity instead of building yourself up in the eyes of others. Don’t let others put you on a pedestal, climb on down and join hands with those coming to you for help or questions or guidance.  You cannot be this kind of Spiritual Warrior if you don’t know You, and you cannot do this if you are not working with Guidance and detachment, and you cannot get those without working on your Self and you need a Personal Practice to do all of this, or you can learn the harder way via Life experiences forcing you to grow and learn. One way you choose to be a warrior, the other, life will make you into one.

Journey On