I've been writing on the new book Radical Light for hours. Here is a sample:
"Student: So“simple but not easy” is literally true. Could you elaborate on why it (transformation, enlightenment, truth consciousness, etc.) doesn’t happen this literally and easily?


Why doesn’t this happen easily? Because of human self-importance. A part of your own consciousness won’t allow it to happen easily. Your ego won’t let it, your ego is programmed to control everything in your existence and the very nature of The Great Work requires you to deliberately let go of control—let go of wanting to control anything. This brings up your fear and when your fear comes up you think it is real, therefore, you have resistance. Resistance happens in the place where the ego is in charge. This is the hardest part of the Work, releasing the ego. "


Question for students: So-when your fear comes up you think it is real. Why do I say that? Is thinking that your fear is real part of self-importance? Why should we release the ego? Isn't the ego necessary if humans are to survive on Earth?

self-importance

Self-importance

Well, I have to say, I put on lipstick to go to the bathroom, and it’s okay with me. I give it no importance, I just like it. Also my ass!

I was talking with Sylvia about how some recent emotional letting go had been a catalyst for me to get back into my music, and she said “ Why do humans always have to be in pain to be creative or do what they really want to do??? What self-importance!” Which was such a radical perspective on the cultural cliché of creativity, I asked her to say more about it. This is what she said:

“With the human victim mentality pain makes humans feel important. It takes a huge catalyst to move the ego to let go of its grip on negative attention and that catalyst is pain but we do the opposite of what we are supposed to do with it - we get attention when we are in pain and we are attention junkies so we become addicted to pain and love to embrace our pain and dramatize our pain - we become the star of our own pain/self-pity syndrome - and that is certainly a description of self-importance. We could just let go, of course. But the pain addiction keeps us holding on.

Pain is a catalyst that tells us that something is out of balance. But instead of focusing on the point B which will right the balance we focus on our addiction to the pain. We process the PAIN instead of letting go. Even Eckhart Tolle who is a spiritual teacher talks about processing pain - as if if we don't process it we can't be healed -- when in truth we could just let go of it. But we Hold On to it for dear life...o, my pain...it makes me feel real...it tells me I am really living...o how I suffer....and I have to suffer if I am going to be creative..so I nurture my pain...o my pain... all that stuff. It might be that human beings are such powerful in their addiction to pain that they will never be able to shift into wholeness.”

So I (Ditto) was thinking, what would a new, gratitude, impeccability and accountability-based creativity be like? For me, it would be being responsible to my Soul. And choosing to do all the things that feed my soul. If my soul is a singing soul, how arrogant it is of me to squelch my singing out of fear. How self-important it is to imagine that my shyness matters if what nourishes my soul and spirit is self-expression. How perverse it is to deny myself the vibrant beauty that I crave, because I’m skeered. To be creative, to dedicate myself to the creation of beauty and atmosphere, is to be accountable to Me. I'm so grateful to get to explore this now.

Self Importance (Valerie)

I read Sylvia’s post several times, and it greatly expands my idea what self-importance is. It is so pervasive, and seems to be the essential expression of the ego’s agenda of separation, fear and lack. What I am trying to wrap my head around is that the opposites of self-importance are gratitude, accountability and impeccability. To me it would seem to be trust, freedom and unity. Perhaps I am confusing what is the root quality or belief and how it plays out in our lives? Or maybe I’m not yet grasping the subtlety and broad range of self-importance’s expression? Is self-importance the same as arrogance?

I will look at my life and recognize areas of self-importance and indentify choice points. Here are a few:

1. Vanity: Why do I put on lipstick to go to the grocery store? Or check my ass in the mirror when I put on leggings? I have a lot of judgment of myself and others, and also a need to be different or special. Choice: Letting go of judgment and being true to myself. Letting go of separation.

2. Perfectionism and control, being self-conscious. (similar to #1, but with a more intense visceral fear factor) Fear of being the center of attention, speaking in public, and fear of improvisation. Choice: letting go of fear and choosing freedom.

3. Opinions: Getting indignant when reading the news. Getting all fired up about health care and thinking republicans are jack-asses and commentators do-nothing crybabies! Maybe here is where accountability comes in. Doing my part and not concerning myself with what others are doing? Choice: accountability?

4. Indignation over lousy tips and not receiving enough money for my work. Thinking it’s ‘all about me’, and taking things personally. Coming from a place of lack. Choice: gratitude

Here are a few that I’m not sure about, but threw in anyway:

5. Trying to control my boyfriend’s behavior, eating habits. It’s not just about my being concerned about his welfare. I’ve made his health a factor in my well being.

6. Acting like a child, laziness, not taking care of business. Having a ‘fuck it’ attitude or just avoiding things.

7. Communication: I’m not always accountable in my communication, but expect others to be. Answering emails, returning phone calls, etc.

Self-importance (Sylvia)

As I work on the new book: Radical Light, I find myself thinking about self-importance a lot. It seems to be the most unrecognizable place we carry in our consciousness. In editing the new book I find that I go over and over the concept of self-importance--what is it and how do we recognize it in ourselves. It is meaningless to have an intellectual grasp of what it is--if we cannot recognize it in ourselves and use it as a power point, we are not transmuting it. And the whole point of transformation is to transmute self-importance. So I am sharing some excerpts from the book hoping to begin a discussion of this difficult theme.....


"Student Question: “You mention self-importance a lot. I think I get it but just how do I recognize when I am being self-important? This is where I get mixed up.”
How do you recognize self-importance? Embarrassment, resentment, petulance (a particularly nasty and childish combination of anger and self-pity), feeling misunderstood and mistreated and blaming others for that, guilt and defensiveness, a feeling that you are not receiving what you are owed. These qualities are an indication that your ego-centered beliefs have been activated.
Self-importance has to do with your fear of being judged, your fear of being wrong, and your determination to prove that you are right. Think of all the weird stuff that you are capable of doing when you are embarrassed, resentful, and defensive. Practice giving yourself the freedom to be wrong. What if you were never afraid to be wrong? There is nothing you wouldn’t be willing to try or be able to accomplish. .
Self-importance is the opposite of gratitude. Self-importance means that you spend most of your life offended by others. Self-importance is characterized by self-righteous indignation, an attachment to being right, an inability let go of judgments, a constant inquisition into other people’s motives, and a constant interpretation of what motivates others. Self-importance is self-pity and a constant search for vindication and a constant compulsion to make others “wrong”so that you can be “right”. Self-importance is an exaggeration of natural human qualities, of the natural human interest in other humans. It is a very subtle and exaggerated narcissism.
The opposite of self-importance is accountability and impeccability. Accountability means you accept your responsibility for everything—the good and the bad—that you create. Impeccability does not mean that you are always right, it means that you are always true."