Something I have spent much time contemplating lately:
It is very easy to relate one’s Self to one’s personality. If someone asked me to describe myself, I would likely tell them “I am an artist” or “I am an emotional person” or “I enjoy traveling and trying new things”. All of these are aspects of the personality I currently hold- biases that tend to shape my experiences in life.
However, over the past few years I have had several experiences in which my personality was dramatically altered in an almost instantaneous fashion. The most notable was when I received hormone inhibitors to treat a medical condition. Within a very short time I found that most of my emotional capacity had completely evaporated due to the suppression of my hormones. Without emotional filters, the world around was me was in crystal clear focus, and I saw things from an angle I’d never seen from before. Many of the emotionally-related habits that seemed to define the very essence of my being fell away like torn wrapping paper and within a matter of days I had become an entirely different person- cold, calculating and morally flexible, doing things I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing only a few weeks earlier.
I eventually had to go off the inhibitors because they gave me terrible insomnia on top of everything else, and when my emotions began slowly coming back, I was very disturbed by the entire process I’d experienced. I didn’t know the person I had been for the past several months. I felt that I had been kidnapped from my own mind, that I had become something other than myself, but then as I analyzed the experience I realized that there was nothing that took place from beginning to end that was not “me”. I was only experiencing parts of myself that had been previously overshadowed by more prominent traits, such as an adeptness at the black arts that had long been suppressed by the desire to be a “good” person. I was never unaware of what I was doing, and retained a continuity of consciousness that linked both personalities together like a river.
This experience caused me to look back on other experiences in my life- points when I changed from one person into another, and I eventually realized that this is, in fact, a process that happens daily. The personality never remains solid; it experiences minute changes nearly every second of the day. It only seems to be a singular identity because our brains tend to “fill in the blanks”. With further study I realized that even my physical appearance changes, sometimes quite dramatically, depending on the personality I am radiating at the time. I’ve done many photographic experiments with this phenomenon and found that even my underlying bone structure can change from day to day, yet no one notices these changes unless they are specifically pointed out. They continue to see a singular physical form just as I continue to see a singular personality, though both flicker from moment to moment, because the truth would be uncomfortable.
The truth is that we are not solid and continuous. We perpetually reform ourselves at a subconscious level, physically, mentally, and perhaps more. Seeing this, I have lost nearly all attachment to my personality because I know it will be gone tomorrow, replaced with something else. It is more something to observe and learn from that to identify with. Even my emotions have become curiosities I study without any real sense of ownership. It is an odd state of consciousness to hold, though a relief in many ways. I do not feel completely disambiguated, but my sense of identity has become very lax and flexible, and it feels as if a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
Still, there are many questions on my mind. What is the exact function of the personality? What part of the Self would persist if it were completely stripped away? I am not my personality, yet when I reach beneath it in meditation I find things that cannot be put into words. Things my mortal mind is simply incapable of fully grasping. It’s easy enough to think there’s a higher “me” there- an essence that persists through change, but to actually feel and attempt to comprehend it is another matter entirely. Could one have an identity without a personality (would the Creator have any actual autonomy or sense of self?), and how far can a personality be stretched before it ceases to be?
I suppose it all comes down to the “who am I?” question that seems to define everything. Is it possible to truly transcend the personality within the physical form, and if so, would this be linked to contacting Intelligent Infinity? Can one pass through the gateway with their personality in tact, or would an understanding of its transience be necessary to even do so? It gives me much to consider in the discovery of my Self.
(03-08-2015, 09:30 AM)Yera Wrote: [ -> ]Still, there are many questions on my mind. What is the exact function of the personality? What part of the Self would persist if it were completely stripped away? I am not my personality, yet when I reach beneath it in meditation I find things that cannot be put into words. Things my mortal mind is simply incapable of fully grasping. It’s easy enough to think there’s a higher “me” there- an essence that persists through change, but to actually feel and attempt to comprehend it is another matter entirely. Could one have an identity without a personality (would the Creator have any actual autonomy or sense of self?), and how far can a personality be stretched before it ceases to be?
my question would less be about how one experiences one's own personality, but rather, how others experience your personality.
for eg, we can get quite caught up in who we think we are, in our own minds, and yet others are the best mirror for changes we think we might be going through.
Good point, Plenum. I wonder if this is why certain individuals, sometimes lauded as gurus or masters, tend to elicit a sense of reverence in those around them, with their mere presence alone. We are all mirrors of one another, yet if a person casts a perfectly (or near-perfectly) clear reflection, it seems that an essence of pure holiness is what comes through. Even those of a crass nature would find it hard to disrespect such an individual, because they are being shown their own holy nature, yet some might respond violently because they see it as a threat to their own identity, such as what happened with Jesus.
I know I often feel threatened by those who seem wiser or more intelligent than I am, because I place a great deal of value on my own wisdom and intelligence. These things I cling to more tightly than some of my other traits, and so I react violently, at least on the internal level, toward those who make me feel stupid and foolish.
(03-08-2015, 09:30 AM)Yera Wrote: [ -> ]my underlying bone structure can change from day to day,
1st of all, is this actually possible?
i don't think it's possible to transcend the personality within the physical form. i think that as long as you're a person you've got a PERSONality - whether you can perceive it or not.
When I was a little girl—single digits—I existed as two entities. There was the me in this world with my personality, and an older, wiser me, one with no personality emotions. The older me was the observer. I have very clear memories of existing as these two simultaneously. The older one would be watching the personality and observe me "acting." For instance, I might be manipulating my mother to let me go outside and play by crying and whining, and the older me would watch and observe that my behavior was interesting but be very unmoved—not unloving, just objective. The two of me collectively knew I was "acting" and the personality part of me sometimes wanted to laugh about it.
The older part of me was always there and helped me in ways I did not remember or understand until I was an adult in my thirties. For instance, in school I would protect myself by visualizing a box around me with a window in the front so I could see what the teacher was doing.
I think having a personality here allows us to experience 3D and other beings here. It may allow us to work out cause and effect—free will. The older part of me did not seem to have any alignment with choice—it just was. Certain aspects of existence seem to contribute to the creation of the personality self in 3D such as where all the planets are when born. Possibly we choose conditions because of karma or magnetism. But personality seems, to me, to have been a choice before we came in, a tool or lens through which to act in this place.
I have a theory about wanderers in this context. My theory is that those who came here to help at this time may have chosen very diverse human backgrounds. The reason for this could be that in surmounting chosen adversities, here, where the current of negativity is so strong and with the veil in place, the movement of this change creates a pathway, an energy, that allows others to hook into more easily. So if one were, for instance, born into an abusive family, there would be a wounded or damaged personality. To rise above the personality damage by becoming the observer in 3D and aligning with the larger picture, and seeing through the more eternal eyes that don't blame or judge, would allow the damage to just melt away as its purpose would have been superseded by a quantum leap in consciousness rather than the long, laborious baby steps of learning as the human experience demonstrates. And when this happens, I think a new energetic pathway is formed, like a wormhole, and because it has been created, it has the ability to "pull" others through who might be ready to shift in that particular area.
Speaking of being a little girl, when I was younger, I always startled myself because of my seeming lack of personality. I felt pretty broken for a long time because of it. It's not that I was just dull (though I'm sure some thought I was), nearly without fail, I would take on the personality of others who I was around. The more time I spent around a person, the more I behaved like them. Now, older and with a wider perspective, I can see that one of my "gifts" is being a constant mirror to others - mostly, it seems, as a means to offer comfort with personality mirroring. It's also super easy to communicate with people when you speak their language - quirks and all. Accents, slang, facial expressions, and even the way I laugh has always been totally fluid and dependent on who captivated most of my time. Now that I know this can be used as a service, I just try to embrace it and go with the flow. Sometimes that means I too readily absorb distortions/blockages of others - I try to recognize when this happens and not be embarrassed when I behave in what seems like a strange way.
in my opinion, it's mostly defined by your body type and astrological and numerological configurations. They seem to be the most in effecting your personality. Also the culture of your city and your country can be said.
(03-09-2015, 12:00 AM)Jade Wrote: [ -> ]Speaking of being a little girl, when I was younger, I always startled myself because of my seeming lack of personality. I felt pretty broken for a long time because of it. It's not that I was just dull (though I'm sure some thought I was), nearly without fail, I would take on the personality of others who I was around. The more time I spent around a person, the more I behaved like them. Now, older and with a wider perspective, I can see that one of my "gifts" is being a constant mirror to others - mostly, it seems, as a means to offer comfort with personality mirroring. It's also super easy to communicate with people when you speak their language - quirks and all. Accents, slang, facial expressions, and even the way I laugh has always been totally fluid and dependent on who captivated most of my time. Now that I know this can be used as a service, I just try to embrace it and go with the flow. Sometimes that means I too readily absorb distortions/blockages of others - I try to recognize when this happens and not be embarrassed when I behave in what seems like a strange way.
i've struggled w this too. sometimes i wonder wut kind of amoebajellyfish i am to not have a proper shape. everything sort of depends on the context.
(03-09-2015, 12:00 AM)Jade Wrote: [ -> ]Speaking of being a little girl, when I was younger, I always startled myself because of my seeming lack of personality. I felt pretty broken for a long time because of it. It's not that I was just dull (though I'm sure some thought I was), nearly without fail, I would take on the personality of others who I was around. The more time I spent around a person, the more I behaved like them. Now, older and with a wider perspective, I can see that one of my "gifts" is being a constant mirror to others - mostly, it seems, as a means to offer comfort with personality mirroring. It's also super easy to communicate with people when you speak their language - quirks and all. Accents, slang, facial expressions, and even the way I laugh has always been totally fluid and dependent on who captivated most of my time. Now that I know this can be used as a service, I just try to embrace it and go with the flow. Sometimes that means I too readily absorb distortions/blockages of others - I try to recognize when this happens and not be embarrassed when I behave in what seems like a strange way.
haha. i've encountered lots of people that would do that - some worse than others. i caught myself doing it on occasion too. i think it's a very common thing.
& i still find myself doing it sometimes to this day. if i like something enough i pick it up & it becomes a part of my ever-transforming personality.
Hitler's personality disintegrated according to Ra. Polarizing too quickly to be able to integrate the experience can cause one to go insane.
(03-08-2015, 09:30 AM)Yera Wrote: [ -> ]I suppose it all comes down to the “who am I?” question that seems to define everything. Is it possible to truly transcend the personality within the physical form, and if so, would this be linked to contacting Intelligent Infinity? Can one pass through the gateway with their personality in tact, or would an understanding of its transience be necessary to even do so? It gives me much to consider in the discovery of my Self.
your personality is your identity.
ra says that there's only identity, that everything is that identity, & that that identity is the infinite creator. therefore, i'm inclined to think that the (seemingly-separate-from-the-creator) personality isn't as transient as we'd like to imagine.
http://www.bring4th.org/forums/showthrea...#pid172902 that says, "there can be only one"
There is only the Void. The personality is the Void looking unto itself. It is the reflection of what it sees.
I am the Void and I see only me.
(03-09-2015, 05:09 PM)Gemini Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]I didn't know that Wingdings was a language.
lol it's not
(03-09-2015, 04:10 PM)AngelofDeath Wrote: [ -> ]There is only the Void. The personality is the Void looking unto itself. It is the reflection of what it sees.
I am the Void and I see only me.
Now there's an energy I recognize.
(03-08-2015, 09:30 AM)Yera Wrote: [ -> ]Still, there are many questions on my mind. What is the exact function of the personality? What part of the Self would persist if it were completely stripped away? I am not my personality, yet when I reach beneath it in meditation I find things that cannot be put into words. Things my mortal mind is simply incapable of fully grasping. It’s easy enough to think there’s a higher “me” there- an essence that persists through change, but to actually feel and attempt to comprehend it is another matter entirely. Could one have an identity without a personality (would the Creator have any actual autonomy or sense of self?), and how far can a personality be stretched before it ceases to be?
I suppose it all comes down to the “who am I?” question that seems to define everything. Is it possible to truly transcend the personality within the physical form, and if so, would this be linked to contacting Intelligent Infinity? Can one pass through the gateway with their personality in tact, or would an understanding of its transience be necessary to even do so? It gives me much to consider in the discovery of my Self.
Great questions, Yera.
I think almost all aspects of personality can be stripped away, ie. Likes, dislikes, preferences, conditionings both in the present lifetime and others. Our personality is a sum of all we have experienced and how we express ourselves in relation to that.
But there are things in 3d that we cannot strip away by nature of the material world such as our gender, the color of our skin and hair and eyes, our body type. These aspects reflect to others and would elicit their biases and so I think in being part of a collective, there will always be an aspect of personality, little " i" that is present in our current incarnation.
I think when we identify with our big "I", the Self, it is a more expansive identity based on awareness , existence, and beingness but less confined by the physical.
The personality is a form of identity that is unknown to itself. This is why it is referred to as a "shell". We are incubated into a persona and as I understand things, piercing the veil is akin to breaking the shell.
I like to say that personality is the clothing of the soul.
I would describe personality as a pair of sunglasses that consciousness is wearing for the duration of an incarnation, and then after incarnation when the sunglasses are off, you are still wearing contacts that don't distort things quite as much as the sunglasses, but they still do to some degree. Eventually they are taken off as well, and the seeingness is undistorted.
(02-28-2016, 07:02 AM)GentleWanderer Wrote: [ -> ]Beyond the always changing personality there is what is felt as the "I" or "I AM".
It is always the same no matter what age you're or what experience you're going through.
When reading this post you can feel or sense that "I" am reading these worlds.
You are correct.
And that is why we are so thankful to the Law of One.
My opinion at 3am:
The personality (is ego a corollary?) is a vehicle for navigating the social environment or the social self. It is the seat of agency, and since third density action is predicated on social dynamics it is precisely as sophisticated as the society needs it to be. I believe I saw in a documentary once that there actually have been children raised by wolves, and they have no sense of self-awareness or "personality". And I'm not sure you can be recognizably, identifiably self-conscious without having your avatar in the video game of society, with all the requisite inputs and outputs.
I know the veil and the personality are distinct phenomena, but they strike me as related. The personality is a consequence of veiled consciousness. Without the veil, there would be no break or mystery in the continuum of self to otherself; without the personality, we'd have no station within the continuum from which it could be explored as "other" (read: as mediated, and therefore inherently more than it seems to the personality vehicle). This would make third density unrecognizable, as our interface point to all its hardships and experiences stems from the stake these personality constructs have in it, even if the full benefits accrue to a deeper portion of self. But I'm starting to feel I'm stating really obvious things.
The personality is the personal Egregore created from all the ideas you have about yourself.
It's a cumulative of life experiences that develop the personality.
(03-09-2015, 12:00 AM)Bring4th_Jade Wrote: [ -> ]Speaking of being a little girl, when I was younger, I always startled myself because of my seeming lack of personality. I felt pretty broken for a long time because of it. It's not that I was just dull (though I'm sure some thought I was), nearly without fail, I would take on the personality of others who I was around. The more time I spent around a person, the more I behaved like them. Now, older and with a wider perspective, I can see that one of my "gifts" is being a constant mirror to others - mostly, it seems, as a means to offer comfort with personality mirroring. It's also super easy to communicate with people when you speak their language - quirks and all. Accents, slang, facial expressions, and even the way I laugh has always been totally fluid and dependent on who captivated most of my time. Now that I know this can be used as a service, I just try to embrace it and go with the flow. Sometimes that means I too readily absorb distortions/blockages of others - I try to recognize when this happens and not be embarrassed when I behave in what seems like a strange way.
I am exactly like that. Some have called me without a soul. But maybe at the time I was unconsciously mirroring back to someone who's experience felt like soulless because that someone had not awakened to it's true nature.