- "What exactly is the Higher Self?"
- "What is the difference between connecting directly to God -- or to Divine Source, or to the Creator -- and connecting to my Higher Self? Or are they the same thing?"
- "When I contact my spirit guides am I in essence speaking with different aspects of my higher self, just as I have different aspects of my personality?"
These represent a sampling or common denominator of questions I've received from readers. We're talking about the Mysteries here, and the more abstract the concept, the more likely my guides present me with clairvoyant (visual) information, as opposed to clairaudient (verbal/wordy) explanations. Bear with me as I attempt to translate between the two formats. This is how I see it:
Picture the Source as a flame Start with a single candle flame -- this is the Original Soul, the Source, the Divine. How many other fires can you make from this One?
Picture individual souls as cloned flames You can light another candle, and then another, and then another... An infinite number of souls. You can replicate them from the First, or from one another. You can clone the Original Parent flame as many times you like.
Are the sibling flames the same or different from the Original Parent? Are the sibling flames the same or different from one another?
Picture your life, your incarnation, as a candle holder The qualities of the fire can vary depending upon the material that burns or the material that houses or surrounds the light. Place the candles in differently colored votives, luminaries, lamps, and lanterns -- view them through differently hued glass, in different environments, from different perspectives and the lights take on unique qualities.
Your body, your life circumstances, and your environment are filters; the flame itself hasn't changed.
The Same Flame When you connect to your Higher Self, you are connecting to a clone of God. Isn't this essentially the same energy? Your Higher Self is that light existing independent of any material filter.
Your spirit guides as well as other people are sibling flames -- perhaps some are closer to you than others. Your spirit guides are like your Higher Self in that they are not filtered by the various material circumstances and conditions of the Third Dimension.
Parents, Siblings, Aunts & Uncles I like Andrea Hess's description in Unlock Your Intuition:
"If our Higher Self can be regarded as our parent aspect on the spiritual plane, then our Spirit Guides are the caring aunts and uncles that are deeply invested in our growth and well-being… In the physical, we have many teachers and mentors beyond our parents. Similarly, we are offered a broad range of assistance and information through our Spirit Guides on the spiritual plane."
Collective Consciousness Picture all our lights gathered together, illuminating a common space. When I ask my guides to show me what this might look like, they invariably tell me to "Look into the night sky."
What's your metaphor? How do you visualize this invisible concept? How do you view your spark of light in relation to others? Please share your understanding in the comments.
Image by Dean Forbes | Flickr via Creative Commons