You Are Your Only Authority

February 9th, 2008

I’ve had a lot of things happen in my life that have caused me to ask the question “who’s in charge here”? Who can I look to for recourse when bad things happen? Why was that person able to get away with what they did? Why was this allowed to happen to me? These questions became especially relevant after I identified and kicked “The Judge” out of my psyche. The answer that kept coming back was simultaneously liberating and, in a sense, terrifying.

There is no higher authority in your universe than you. There is nobody judging, controlling or overseeing your life in the truest sense.

*Cue heated internal debate lasting several weeks*

Me: Wait… what was that again? So there isn’t anyone “in charge” to look to when things are going wrong? Or rather what I’m really asking is, there’s no universal complaint department whose door I can beat down to air my grievances? Okay, what I’m really really asking is, there’s nobody who’s going to fix situations and smite evildoers on my behalf?

Myself: No, I don’t believe there is. Well holy crap, then where do I go from here?

I: Inward.

When I had this revelation, even though my rational mind was protesting vigorously, my solar plexus chakra (the seat of personal power and will) was going nuts and my energy was crankin’, as if to shake me vigorously and say “YES! You’re onto something! For the love of God man, go with it!” So I did.

Speaking of God, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up a belief in a higher power. I believe there are any number of beings who are higher in awareness; some can even be approached for comfort, guidance and assistance, if they choose to give it of their own free will. More significantly I believe there is only ONE power that all personal power is derived from. The Upanishads summarized the situation with the statement “tat tvam asit,” or “thou art that.” Similarly, Christ rattled the power structures of his day with the statements “I and my father are one,” as well as “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” To the extent that we identify with this power, we exercise our own authority. When Adam and Eve metaphorically “ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” they (we) succumbed to the illusion that there are two powers. But the dark, negative polarity has no power in and of itself; it can only take power away from those who aren’t exercising their own. Which brings me to another truth I’ve come to recognize…

Whatever authority you relinquish, consciously or not, someone or something will gladly step in to take from you, and they will have their own best interest in mind, not yours.

From birth, we’re conditioned to believe that someone or something else has authority and control over our lives. Parents, teachers, religion, government, media. In a sense many of these things are vying for control over our us. Every day, someone is telling us how to spend our time and money, how to think, what to believe, trying to influence our likes, dislikes and opinions. And what about children, who aren’t in a position to make their own decisions? Ideally, young kids would be raised to be secure in their personal power and authority; it would be safely guarded until they are ready and able to start exercising it. Unfortunately the case is usually just the opposite – the indoctrination and disempowerment starts early, and some people never question or break free of it. But through the lifelong process of questioning our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and the influences we allow into our lives, and by taking responsibility for ourselves and our experience, we can begin to break free.

How many of your daily decisions are made by you, and how many by others? How many of your beliefs and opinions are truly yours? How much of your time and money is spent consciously and deliberately? How much of your life are you taking full personal responsibility for on a daily basis?

Now, if you’re not completely satisfied with your answers, what are you going to do about it?

Tomorrow I’ll post a technique I’ve developed for changing false, limiting, even self-destructive beliefs at their root, in order to be free of their effects.

–Palehorse

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