Part 10 - The Barking Dog Dilemma

Imagine a dog living in a suburban neighborhood, where detached houses are arranged in closely-packed lots along each street. The dog knows that it is supposed to bark at people who get too close to its home. So, naturally, every time one of the neighbors comes out of their home, the dog barks endlessly at the neighbor.

Hopefully a solution can soon be found to such a situation, but I mention it here to illustrate a situation which can arise with the human ego.

The human ego's function is to protect the boundaries of your individuality. If it feels that those boundaries are threatened, its natural function is to make warning noises.

Most spiritual seekers have already found ways to be at peace with their egos when it comes to exploring ways that may expand their consciousness. Any steps toward higher consciousness are steps of exploration and - let's face it - they are the essence of life itself to the adventurous soul!

Spiritual seekers live to explore higher consciousness. Our mission in life is to find ways to continually raise our consciousness, whether through insights, meditation, or the experiences of life.

In general, the egos of spiritual seekers understand that pursuing such avenues of exploration is perfectly fine because that's where the fun in life lies! There is no way that we would shy away from the excitement of new discoveries in our pathway toward higher consciousness.

So, off we go, following a magical yellow brick road with our ego-sense of identity happily in tow because adventure is afoot!

But, what happens when you meet another version of yourself face to face?

Is your sense of identity threatened? Do you feel horrified and say, "Oh, gosh, that's me, standing there... just like me, but a little bit different." After all, you've never met what seems to be a clone of you face to face. It would be like suddenly finding out you have a twin, but even stranger than that. All because your sense of identity has been surprised by what must, at first, seem very strange.

However, like the barking dog that is trying to help but actually causing an unnecessary problem, your ego needs have no fear that its identity is threatened. That alternate you is a created projection, a simulation that will cease to exist the moment your sense of curiosity is satisfied.

It is curiosity that creates alternate versions of you and it is the satisfaction of curiosity that ends the simulation.

A more appropriate reaction to seeing a created version of you is to see how it is different in ways you intended and then figure out how to gain from such information while you have the opportunity.

To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes' favorite saying to his friend as he prepared to rush out on an exciting quest to solve the next mystery, "Come, Watson, the game is afoot!"... and so it is with us.

Come, the adventure is afoot!

Exercise: Soul Guidance

Next, repeat the Soul Simulation technique given in Part 9, but make the following change to the procedure. This will be an opportunity to gain direct soul guidance in creating a better life in a way that is most meaningful to you.

Instead of deciding on the intention of this soul simulation session, ask your soul consciousness to provide the potential version of you that would be the most educational for you at this time.

Part 1, The Nature of the Mind is available here!
Part 2, The Soul Connection Technique is available here!
Part 3, The Soul's Function is available here!
Part 4, Levels of Consciousness is available here!
Part 5, Inner Mind versus Outer Mind is available here!
Part 6, The Dream of the Soul is available here!
Part 7, The Real Matrix is available here!
Part 8, Your Infinite Possibilities is available here!
Part 9, The Soul Simulation Technique is available here!
Part 10, The Barking Dog Dilemma is available here!

Owen Waters is a spiritual researcher and author.  For articles and books by Owen Waters, visit InfiniteBeing.com