By Wayne Hoover
The most common word in the english language is “I” and it’s conjugations like “mine” and “me”. Interestingly one of the most important blocks to progress on the spiritual path is the “ego” which is the all pervading thought thread of “I am separate”. By brining awareness to the assumptions of our language around the word I, and consciously changing our behavior we can hasten higher levels of consciousness.
There is an all pervasive thought that is inherit to our language, It is the thought of “I am” but really it is the thought: “I am separate”. “My thoughts” are separate thoughts, “My car” is my separate car. The separateness to “I am” is so hegemonic that we are scarcely aware that it is even there, that is to say it is so obvious we don’t bother to append the phrase “separate” to I am. Usually everything with “mine” and “me” is understood to be separate.
The realization that you are not separate is a fast track to spiritual growth. The key insight is that I AM. Simply I am. There are thoughts, there are feelings, there are cars, and houses, and people, and the constant is that I AM. I AM is not possessive, the is the key understanding. I AM simply is, there is no thing that owns the awareness, there is only the thought that think it is separate, this is in fact what the ego is, the thought that experience is “mine” but when you really begin to investigate what this “mine” is you realize it is empty, there is no “mine” but rather a thought of it.
This can be hard to understand, because it is naturally hard to go beyond language with language. BUT there are ways for one to become more aware of this, and one of those ways is to be aware of language its shortcomings and begin to use it in a way that helps one become aware of truth.
One potent way to use language for growth is to keenly be aware of when the words “I”, “mine” and “my” are used. To remember what the subtle thought behind them, the ego thought, the thought of separateness. Remember that when we use the phrase I am we usually mean this I am that is separate.
One even might try to stop using the words I, me and mine and see how it aligns more with truth. So for example instead of “my car” try “the car.” instead of “my thoughts” or “my feelings” try “the thoughts” or “the feelings.”
We don’t have to go crazy with this and speak of everything in the 3rd person and loose the ability to communicate with others, the key is to remember the subtle thought behind our daily usage of “I”, “me” and “mine” we want to keep in mind the truth.
Detachment from identifying with whatever you identify with, the more you do it the more peace there will be, because there is nothing that is you that you can define, you simply ARE. Remember how your words either can keep one the dream of separateness or actually have the opposite effect of being keen reminders to the truth that you simply ARE. I am.