“Everything is weird; I hate it here!” That’s what I say to myself sometimes as I look around at the mayhem of the world. It feels a lot like I’m in The Twilight Zone when I step out of my door into the world. Pandemics, war, greed—humans are just exhausting!
As millions of people have dealt with the decision to vaccinate or not while having their livelihoods threatened, others have continued to live superficial lives, oblivious to the new world that has been orchestrated around them, where that freedom of obliviousness is snatched.
Amidst the chaos, I dedicated the past few years post-COVID to aligning my spiritual beliefs and practices. I know that whatever happens, I am prepared, and the Universe, as a manifestation of The Divine Spirit (God), has my back 1,000%! Because I am tapped into The Divine Spirit that dwells within me and every living thing on this planet, I remember that I shape my individual reality by allowing my higher self, that piece of The Divine Spirit, to sit in the driver’s seat of my daily life. I am literally unbothered by the things of this world, and I model that sentiment for those around me. That is being conscious-centered!
In this post, I talk about self-awareness of the higher and lower selves, managing your emotions through self-mastery, and how to disconnect from distractions and set boundaries so we can all learn to be more conscious-centered and live in a healthy and more harmonious way. We can figure out what’s going on in our minds through spiritual practices, mindful awareness, and practical metaphysics. These help us figure out what behaviors, emotions, and social conditioning are holding us back from spiritual growth. Overcoming the labels and things that divide us, like race, class, gender, and social norms, makes it possible for us to connect deeply with our divine nature and reach our fullest potential. Come with me as I talk about how self-mastery, conscious-centered living, and making one conscious choice at a time can change our lives and lead to our own Heaven on Earth.
Higher Self & Lower Self
Being conscious-centered means being able to distinguish between the higher self, a piece of The Divine Spirit, and the lower self, focused on the ego and animalistic body. One is no better or worse than the other, and both are necessary to animate our bodies. Both should be understood, embraced, and cared for. Allowing the higher self to drive one’s life, however, will bring greater self-mastery into one’s reality. More on self-mastery later. Through spiritual practices and mindful awareness, one learns to identify the limiting behaviors, emotional reactions, and judgments of the ego. These are the things that keep people in mental and sometimes physical bondage. These are the things that fill up jails, create family disharmony, and start wars.
Cultivating conscious-centered living allows one to eventually know the highest spiritual path for every situation, every decision, and every deed of their lives and respond accordingly. By managing all the things of the ego through spiritual practices and mindful awareness, or practical metaphysics and self-mastery, as I say, you take ultimate accountability by choosing your own actions based on mindful living and the loving influence of The Divine Spirit.
There are some things that being conscious-centered is not. First, it has nothing to do with race, class, gender, or all the other divisive elements of the world. All of these things are largely of the ego and are designed to keep one away from spiritual evolution. These divisive elements keep the higher self locked in a box while the lower self, or ego, runs your life. The lower self is connected to the things of the world; it stays in control through attachments.
Religion is a special case, as most can lead to spiritual evolution if you understand the motivations behind each and study from a certain lens. I study religions and apply sacred texts metaphysically, adopting a universal way of relating to them. This allows me to see beyond the surface level differences and connect with the underlying spiritual truths that are present in all religions. By transcending the ego-driven divisions and attachments, I am able to deepen my spiritual evolution and connection to The Divine Spirit.
So many things keep us distracted, such as the media, our jobs, and even the people around us if we allow them. Race, religion, class, and their offspring—politics and government—all of these things shape our society and our perceptions of each other, and unfortunately, we allow all of these things to divide us and influence our individual and collective realities. This is by design of the powers that be, and we participate in this low vibrational dance as we choose to stay attached to the things of this world. As long as we are attached to the things of this world, we remain stagnant in our spiritual evolution, blocking our path to creating our Heaven on Earth.
In my knowledge, Heaven and Hell are states of mind, and we create them in our reality. The things of this world, as mentioned above, keep us stuck in these states of mind. But Heaven on Earth in our individual realities is indeed attainable when we learn to master ourselves. The Kingdom of God is within, as Luke 17:21 states, meaning that when we connect to the divinity within ourselves and begin to lead with our higher selves, we develop the knowledge and strength to detach from the things of this world that keep us distracted and bound. It sounds like new age mumble jumble right? Well, there is nothing new about new age, and these universal concepts have existed throughout time. Just keep listening as I walk you through mastering yourself so you can detach and begin to create the reality YOU want—your Heaven on Earth.
Self-Mastery & Managing Emotions
Self-mastery and managing emotions are vital to navigating this crazy world. My very first lesson in metaphysics was having the need to manage my emotions, specifically in intimate relationships. The first time I became aware of my erratic emotions was from an acquaintance I felt I was in competition with over the affections of a male. She told me that I was way too emotional, and in hindsight, she was absolutely right. At that time, however, I did not have the knowledge of self to reflect on what she was saying. The second, I posted a question in a group I am in about my relationship, and although the response offended my ego, it was spot on! I was told I was putting too much focus on my guy and I needed to work on my mental alchemy. Hearing the constructive criticism, from that moment on, I began a quest to achieve self-mastery by learning practical ways of managing my emotions.
My journey started with exploring mental alchemy through resources like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Alchemy by Dennis William Hauck. Mental alchemy involves using psychological techniques to refine one’s character and enhance one’s personal growth. It involves understanding how your subconscious, the four elements (air, earth, fire, and water), and planetary bodies influence your personality and temperament, then using that knowledge to benefit our lives no matter the situation. It involves knowing when to respond, when to yield, and how to channel emotions in constructive ways. When you understand your energetic influences, you are better equipped to manage your emotions, and managing your emotions helps you control your individual reality. This is why self-mastery and managing your emotions are so important.
Self-mastery begins with knowledge of self—you are a soul having a human experience. That experience can be whatever you desire it to be. The problem is that we get swept up in the ideas of what our families, our friends, our culture, and society’s systems expect us to be. We never really understand who we are or the full potential we have within us to be co-creators in our own human experience. The most dominant system that takes that sovereignty away from us is religion. Religion has been the most successful social engineering endeavor ever invented. I’m not knocking religion because some people need that structured path to The Divine Spirit. But most religions teach one to seek divinity outside of oneself, so most never fully realize their true spirit nature. When you realize that you are energy and a piece of The Divine Spirit, reality looks very different.
Each person on planet Earth creates an individual reality that impacts their environment. Multiple realities in agreement create a community. Multiple communities in agreement create religions, governments, and power structures. What you end up with is a collective consciousness agreeing to a particular set of morals, standards, and rules that may not resonate with your individual reality. The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz explains this very well. If you have not cultivated self-mastery and managed your emotions, you will experience needless suffering in your personal reality and within society. Our prisons are filled with men and women who failed at managing their emotions. Domestic disturbances, assault, and road rage are all failures of self-mastery. These emotional imbalances, in essence, drive the economy. Less extreme are the ways marketers, entertainers, and media prey on our emotions to push their products, become their followers, and shape the behavior of society at large.
With this knowledge, it is important to be aware of where you place your attention, your energy, and your currency. Your energy is the real currency; where do you spend it? Being aware of what you direct your energy toward assists greatly in managing your emotions. This also includes having an awareness of what you identify with, such as race, gender, class, etc. Those attachments to labels have the potential to dictate where you direct your energy. Most people place a higher priority on things they have no control over. The most recent example I can think of is the attachment people have to the outcome of the American presidential election. Years ago, I learned about circles of influence and concern from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Proactive people concentrate their efforts on things that are within their circle of influence, in turn having more stability in their lives, while reactive people concentrate their efforts on things outside of that circle, in turn being stressed and enduring needless suffering.
Limit Distractions & Set Boundaries
So now that you have an understanding of being conscious-centered and self-mastery, other practical ways to put these concepts into action are by limiting distractions and setting boundaries. Easier said than done, but with discipline and consistency, these will be attainable. Limiting distractions involves identifying what activities or habits are taking up your time and energy without adding value to your life. This includes habits like excessive social media use, prolonged TV watching, and indulging in gossip. By setting boundaries, you are creating a clear line between what you will and will not tolerate in your life. This could mean saying no to people who drain your energy or setting limits on how much time you spend at work outside of office hours. By practicing both of these habits of limiting distractions and setting boundaries consistently, you will find yourself more focused, productive, and at peace.
Entertainment and media are especially distracting in these current times, especially with social media and how invested we can be in influencers and celebrities. Social media influencers are mostly invested in raising their social capital and will do just about anything attention-worthy to build it. Celebrities are paid top dollar to keep us entertained, and as we obsessively focus on what they do, we neglect to cultivate our spiritual selves. Setting boundaries with these distractions can be as simple as limiting your screen time or setting specific times during the day when you allow yourself to engage with entertainment and media. By prioritizing your own personal growth and well-being over your favorite celebrity’s or influencer’s business, you can create a healthier balance between staying informed and entertained and focusing on your own spiritual development. It may take time and effort to break these habits, but by staying disciplined and consistent, you can achieve a greater sense of self-awareness and inner peace.
Anything that takes us off the path of our goals is a distraction, and we must limit those distractions. One way to limit distractions is to be intentional about practicing mindfulness. In Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, Tolle emphasizes the importance of being present, observing thoughts without judgment, mindful attention to daily activities, inner peace through meditation and mindfulness, and detachment from the ego. By cultivating awareness of the present moment, observing thoughts, and practicing mindfulness, individuals can reduce distractions and focus on what truly matters. By rising above desires rooted in the ego, individuals can attain heightened clarity and significantly reduce their vulnerability to external distractions.
Final Thoughts
If you want to live your life from a place of consciousness, you need to be aware of the interplay between your higher self and your lower self and how each influences your experience of the world. One can achieve more self-mastery and spiritual progress by letting the higher self direct their actions and decisions. Emphasizing inner awareness and distancing oneself from worldly distractions is what being conscious-centered is all about, not external labels or divides.
In order to face life’s obstacles with composure and strength, it is crucial to learn to control our emotions and develop self-mastery. Focusing on what’s important and being true to our greater purpose are both made easier when we are aware of the energetic impacts on ourselves and others, establish healthy boundaries, and cut out unnecessary distractions.
Consistent effort, self-control, and introspection form the foundation of conscious-centered living, guiding individuals towards self-awareness and spiritual advancement. By staying present, letting go of egocentric wants, and making spiritual development a top priority, we can bring about a world that reflects our highest ideals, all under the loving guidance of The Divine Spirit who dwells inside each of us.
I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. Specializing in Conscious-Centered Living program from the University of Sedona, University of Metaphysics, International Metaphysical Ministry. For more information, visit https://universityofsedona.com/doctoral-degrees-uos/.
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