This article was inspired by Involution: Inner Transformation and Self-Mastery
Understand the different stages of involution and use the knowledge to improve the perception of your own self and your journey towards self-mastery.
Involution is the process through which the heart, mind, and soul evolve to achieve a higher level of consciousness. Like many other things in life, involution also takes place in a variety of interconnected stages.
In this article, we will discuss the seven different elements associated with involution and living authentic, intelligent, and whole lives.
We are all subject to these elements to varying degrees, whether or not we are trying to achieve involution.
The key is to understand all of these elements and determine your growth in each of them and which element needs the most work. Now let’s briefly explore each of the seven paths:
7. Self-Awareness
Self-Awareness or Self-Consciousness is the ability to observe and understand our own thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Self-aware persons are perfectly capable of identifying what they feel, but not why they feel it.
A lack of self-awareness is commonly associated with animals who mostly react to their surroundings and do not really think.
It is considered as the primary driver of introspection and leads to being aware of our current thoughts and actions.
6. Self-Exploration
As the name suggests, it is the study or analysis of our inner selves or our inner thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and ideals.
It is important to be aware of our internal processes, which is essential when trying to understand why we function the way we do.
The process of self-exploration is rather complex and requires a great deal of introspection, research, and patience. It allows us to explore and understand how we are feeling and creates the desire to acquire knowledge through a variety of means such as books, documentaries, etc.
5. Self-Discovery
Self-discovery is the simple process of understanding ourselves. Self-exploration is the first step, which enables a person to embark upon self-discovery.
People with self-discovery skills have the ability to delve deeper than the superficial facades we create and look into the truths that uphold our beliefs, attitude, and behaviors.
It allows us to acquire insights into the reasons of what, how and why we feel and behave in the ways that we do.
4. Self-Understanding
Self-understanding is also known as self-knowledge. It is our ability to understand what, how, and why we do the things we do.
For this reason, it is closely linked with self-discovery and it allows us to formulate logically coherent understanding of our actions, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It allows us to try and understand our strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, attitudes, motives, defenses and actions.
3. Self-Love
Self-love is a result of being self-understanding. This is because one simply cannot love oneself without understanding to accept their strengths and weaknesses.
People who love themselves understand that they, along with everyone else, are imperfect beings. However, they stop criticizing and punishing themselves for these imperfections and embrace them in their entirety. It allows them to accept themselves in every regard. It is the primary source of high self-esteem.
2. Self-Transformation
Only when people are capable of loving themselves despite their numerous flaws are they able to experience what true inner transformation is like.
The transformational experience is one of the most profound experiences – one that transcends beyond previous limitations and destructive tendencies. It allows us to experience changes in our lives, allowing us to increase our harmony in this world.
1. Self-Mastery
Self-Mastery is the primary goal for those striving for involution. In essence, the master of self becomes completely and utterly aware of their feelings and thoughts, allowing the master to simply observe every humanly internal aspect without reacting to it.
This is because the self-master has transcended beyond his or her momentary feelings and thoughts, hence, they have transcended beyond themselves, living a life that is truly tranquil, harmonious, and spiritually whole.
It is important to remember that self-mastery shouldn’t be confused with austerity or being in control, as the popular perception depicts them.
The master of one-self is simply not a slave to their own thoughts or emotions, which is the primary driving force of an almost absolute majority of the world.
Self-mastery allows us to observe our internal processes without the humanly tendency to identify with them. It is the only way to experience what it means to realize that we are more than our thoughts and emotions. It is the epitome of internal peace.
Self-masters have been extremely rare and only a few individuals have been able to achieve this state.
The following are a few notable individuals who can be regarded as self-masters: Gautama Bhudda, Lao Tzu, Zoroaster, Jesus of Nazareth, Diogenes, Sri Ramakrishna, George Gurdjieff, Socrates, and Diogenes.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this information will allow you to determine how far you have come in regards to all seven paths to achieving self-mastery.
As long as you remember that it is an inter-connected path and the journey will allow you to learn different and progressively more complex aspects of yourself, you too can achieve involution and become a self-master.
Image by Adam Scott Miller
This article was inspired by Involution: Inner Transformation and Self-Mastery, which was written by Don Mateo Sol. He is the author and co-founder of popular spiritual website LonerWolf.com. As a shamanic practitioner, teacher and soul guide, Sol has helped to lead thousands of people throughout the world on their journeys of self-discovery, healing and wholeness. You can follow Sol’s work on Facebook.
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