Many of us wear masks to protect ourselves and others, but the kinds of masks I refer to in this Annual Happy Halloween post don’t protect you as much as they create new problems via the innocent but misguided motive of concealing your true self–even from you!
Are you hiding behind wearing a mask instead of expressing
your “in-the-moment” self?
Being caught up in our own image can leave us pretending or performing in ways that is not who or how we genuinely want to be. In fact—It might be that the only time we aren’t engaged in seeing ourselves a certain way, and wanting others to see us that way too, is when we’re sleeping!
When we take a gentle, compassionate second look, we see for ourselves that holding on to an identity is one of the greatest sources of pain and conflict in our lives. Spending so much time at home (with a “smaller audience”) provides a precious opportunity to take that compassionate second look, set aside your masks, and reconnect with your authentic self.
Does your masked performance provide cover for your authentic self? Your authentic feelings, emotions, or desired responses?
Since people love to revisit this “MOXUND PUPPIES” post and see how they are doing at dissolving their masks, I added some simple steps that can be used as a meditation or “mask busting cheat sheet”! You can use it to evolve yourself or to help yourself out of a painful situation by diffusing those identity traps and motives.
Look Again
How do you project an identity that hides who you really are or how you really feel from others (and from yourself)? It’s just what we do, until we have learned to question it.
Where Did YOU Go?
When that programming falls away, what’s left is as present, spontaneous, loving, and playful YOU.
In honor of waking up to what we are projecting (awakening is one of the early meanings of this holiday), CLICK THIS LINK AND READ a brand new version of one of my VERY FIRST email broadcasts which we just made into a tiny new ebook!
I hope this PDF gives you a fun way to wake up to the thinking you came to believe along the way. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
As part of the Defensiveness Module in my courses, it’s important to look at why we hold so tenaciously to caring about what others think of us.
That starts with noticing the identities we are programmed to defend and seeing that they aren’t accomplishing for us what our childlike mind originally thought they could.
For now… be kind to your MASKS… they think they are saving you!
XOX
🙂 Shawn
(That is my smiley face mask — who would I be without it?)
P.S. Another link to the free PDF EBOOK—OUR MASKS AND INNOCENT MOTIVES