Personality & Individuality

I just love learning about how we work...! There are so many ways to approach the way we're created ... so many terms, models, understandings to consider. What resonates for one may sound like a bunch of malarkey to another.

I rather prefer to collect it all ... put it on the shelf to consider, and allow all the components to come together to form a "bigger picture" ... threads of a tapestry, perhaps. And I notice that the tapestry becomes more clear, more detailed, as more component-threads are added to it ... and threads which previously seemed out of place can suddenly "fit" when another thread is found.

Given all that, I'm enjoying reading about personality and individuality ... as understood and taught by Edgar Cayce. It meshes well with what Tolle teaches about the ego and the Spirit. Of course, as always, use whatever fits for you ... perhaps suspend the rest.

Cayce makes this bold claim: "Jesus the Christ is an example for us of the right relationship between personality and individuality."

Of course, to understand what he meant by that, we have to understand what these terms mean.

Personality is the outer self that we present to the rest of the world, to others. Jung would call it the "persona". It's the mask we each wear, that which we hide behind ... that which carries us through daily life. It's our familiar self-identity. It's the "story we tell ourselves" ... that which we believe about ourselves ... our familiar routine ways ... those inner voices with which we second-guess and criticize/judge ourselves.

The personality is consumed with itself, and its own sense of self-importance. It desires to have others recognize it's personal superiority (and this can be oh-so-subtle! if we see it in another, we have it in ourselves). It puts itself in the center of all things. The personality operates both consciously and unconsciously... though it tends to be unconscious most of the time, for most people. Thus, so many operate on "auto-pilot" ... with strong habit patterns influencing or even driving us.

On the other hand, individuality is our authentic being. The higher self. Not perfect, but that which has capacity for growth ... and it even inherently leans in the direction of growth (whereas the personality is quite addicted to status quo, and resists growth/change).

Individuality is that part of us that can be awakened in meditation ... it's the real self beneath the personality-chatter. It's who we find recognizes God, when we get still, and know that God Is (not conceivably, but experientially -- there is a difference).

The personality is consumed with self, whereas the individuality is concerned with the Whole. The personality sees separation, whereas the individuality is aware that it is only experientially/temporarily distinct -- that it is inherently part of the Whole -- it knows all is One. The personality says "what's in it for me?" whereas the individuality says, "what's best for all?"

Now, obviously, in this material world we're experiencing, the personality is necessary, as is the physical body. Clearly we do need to look out for ourselves, take care of ourselves, and even develop helpful habits and routines.

The problem comes when we lose touch with our individuality (true self/Spirit-connection) and believe that our personality (false self/ego) is all there is.

I found this to be helpful ... just another thread to weave into the unfolding tapestry...!

Shalom, Dena