Training and Workbook

Below you can find training in the form of practical exercises (1.-18.) and introspections into your true nature. Before you can perceive your true self, you must transcend the limitations of your mind and body at the levels of thought, emotion, and attitude. These exercises, excerpted from the book "Self-Concept," can help facilitate this change.

You can also order tailored-made "True Self Workbook" (the image above) that helps you to implement all the exercises into your life through journalling and introspections.

1. Transcending our mind and body

We must learn life lessons of self-knowledge, self-trust, and self-acceptance, to release limiting energy patterns that are stuck within us. We have to transcend our mental and energetic layers to reveal our true self. 

By integrating life lessons that we are supposed to learn, we can live peacefully with a balanced mind and without excessive reactions to our external environment.  

We must master our thoughts to release anger, bitterness, and resentment; dissipate energy to master emotions like fear and cultivate calmness; and respond skillfully to situations to master attitudes like arrogance and pride. Thoughts, emotions, and attitudes correspond to mind, energy, and spirit; together, they represent a unified whole.

2. Perceive yourself in objective reality

Start observing your objective reality; you will see yourself in it. Take a journal and begin documenting any negative thoughts, events, and situations. Be your own scientist and recognize your inner state in relation to these events and situations. Are you angry at some people because of past actions? Are you sad, as if something is missing in your life? Do you feel unworthy, constantly apologizing unnecessarily? Pause for a moment and recognize your current state; write it down in your journal. If you do this regularly, you will see patterns emerge in your life. Once you clearly see these repeating patterns, you will be able to let them go.

Thoughts weaken the mind. Integrating undone tasks into consciousness has consequences. Thoughts from your higher self will always reflect your current state of consciousness. Possessive behavior will similarly affect your thoughts.

You are what you experience because you cannot separate your subjective experience from objective reality. Your subjectivity is interwoven with objective reality. Observe and study objective reality; you will learn about yourself.

3. Self-inquiry

You cannot truly know yourself through intellectual understanding alone; you must experience yourself from your unique perspective of "I AM". You cannot point to a thing or concept and say, "This is who I am". To assign meaning or a label is to define it with the intellect. Labeling something confines it to our relative world. Before knowing our true inner selves, we must introspect on what influences our self-perception and how we, in turn, influence our perception of reality. Begin by asking yourself, "Who am I?" Then, introspect on different aspects of yourself.

Body: Are you your physical body—legs, hands, and head? By paying attention to different parts of your body, you will realize that this is not who you are, but merely what you are aware of and identify with as yourself.

Mind: Are you your mind? By paying attention to your mind, you will realize that there is no singular "mind," but merely thoughts that you are aware of and identify with as yourself.

Thoughts: Are you your thoughts? By paying attention to your thoughts, you will realize that you are not the thoughts themselves; you are merely an observer who identifies them as your own.

Thinker: Are you the conscious thinker? By paying attention to the thinker of your conscious thoughts, you will realize that this is not you; it is your intellect.

Intellect: Are you your intellect? By paying attention to your intellect, you will realize that there is no separate "intellect," but rather you are directing it through the power of your will.

Will: Are you your will? By paying attention to your will, you will realize that it is not you, but rather you possess a will that can direct your attention.

4. Inner will

We already know we possess a will, an intention that directs our attention. It's important to discover this inner will within ourselves to facilitate growth. Our higher self actually governs this will, for our will and divine will are one.

You can find your inner will by directing your attention to different parts of your body without using your senses. You can perform this exercise while reading. Focusing on the text won't create resistance or undue emphasis that would hinder the exercise's purpose: lightly focusing your attention on various body parts. This attention should be effortless and without force.

Begin at your toes and slowly move upward. It helps to silently recite each body part in your mind. Start by slowly becoming aware of your toes, ankles, and calves, then move to your knees and thighs, relaxing the lower body. There's no need to rush.

Next, become aware of your hips, abdomen, and stomach. Then slowly move upward to your other organs, heart, shoulders, hands, and fingers. Now become aware of your upper back, lower back, and spine. Relax your midsection and slowly move to the back of your neck, your head, the top of your head, your forehead, eyebrows, eyes and eyelids, nose, mouth, and teeth. Become aware of your cheeks, ears, and chin.

Now your body is completely relaxed from head to toe. Repeating this exercise several times will reveal the part of yourself that directs this attention. You will find your inner will, the inner center from which you can expand your state of being.

By exploring different aspects of yourself, you will realize you possess the power of will to direct your attention. Willpower can select an intention, and attention can amplify the energy of that intention. Only the energy of your being expands to match the energy of your intention; nothing outside of yourself is affected.

5. Finding inner strength

It's possible to discover and strengthen your inner will. In that moment of self-connection, external circumstances cannot disturb you, and negativity cannot touch you. To cultivate your inner will, release any external effort.

Try this: Imagine pressing your head against a wall. Once you make contact, let go of any outward force. You'll feel the pressure internally, not externally. Your head will be relaxed, yet you'll sense the pressure intensifying from within. Focus on that pressure at the center of your being, giving it your full attention without using any force.

Once you find your inner center, create a gap of no-mind: a state of high alertness without thinking. Unaffected by external circumstances or inner worries, you remain present within yourself. When you transcend time—past and future—you are left with the eternal now, God's essence.

6. Inner Resistance

Inner conflict arises when the mind and heart clash. This happens when we resist our experiences, worry about future outcomes, or deny our reality. We inflate our sense of self-importance, prioritizing a person, thing, or event excessively. This increased energy then requires a balancing, a restoration of divine order. Otherwise, the worst possible outcome may manifest as we are shifted to the opposite energetic spectrum.

We can find examples of inner resistance when we are attached to things, people, events, and situations.

Imagine you are conscious of your swollen legs. You have suffered pain in these legs before, and you need to do something to prevent it from happening again. You are going to elevate your legs, apply cream, and avoid physical exercise to protect them because you are worried.

You are resisting the pain. You are attached to it. You worry about your swollen legs and try to prevent the pain; in doing so, you are preparing for what you don't want. You are preparing for the pain. This increases the energy of your state (feeling) and creates a vibrational alignment with the pain. You and your emotional state are aligned with the pain. Your self-perception is that you are feeling the pain, which will manifest as actual pain.

To release this energy, don't deny the pain, but acknowledge it for what it is. Don't resist anything and stop being afraid of your legs. Take only necessary actions and stop preparing for what you don't want by increasing the energy of your emotional state. Don't take action directed at the problem.

Imagine you were restless in the cafe after sitting there for a while. Past similar experiences brought back uncomfortable memories and associations. You worried about being judged by others and missing your train. You felt judged and uncomfortable, trying to escape both the experience and the feelings it evoked.

Stop abandoning parts of yourself. Look at the situation truthfully: you feel judged, and this feeling is shaping your experience. The shift is from feeling judged and uncomfortable to being judged and uncomfortable. At this point, don't react to the feeling of being judged and uncomfortable, but don't resist the experience either. See it clearly and truthfully for what it is.

7. Effortless Attention

To release resistance, we need to direct our attention to different parts of our subtle body. This involves inner attention—not looking with our physical eyes, but with our "third eye," located between our eyebrows. This energy center is responsible for our imagination, a function also overseen by our higher self.

Can you focus your attention on the feelings and sensations you are aware of? Can you imagine that center of attention precisely where you feel resistance? These unpleasant sensations are part of you; you are not meant to eliminate them. However, by consciously acknowledging these sensations without resistance, you can release them. Using your imagination to direct your attention releases pressure. There is no need to possess these sensations; simply be conscious of them as consciousness, and as expressions of your higher self. This effortless attention directs focus to different bodily sensations without force.

8. Releasing Our Mind

Importance arises when something is given excessive significance. External importance refers to the excessive significance attributed to a person, object, or event.

Excessive importance that we create is excessive energy. Everything in our world is energy in its most basic sense. Excessive energy in any situation will likely be balanced by an opposite reaction. For every upward force, there's an equal and opposite downward force. Extremes compensate for each other. 

Emotions are like energy in motion, that is why we feel this excessive importance pretty intensely as emotions. In order to let go of this energy, we need to dissipate it. We need to enter the state of mindfulness and mind emptiness at the same time. Being completely present, without indulging ourselves in any external effort. We need to dissipate the layers of our mental and energetic body that are like a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions because of this excessive energy. You can dissipate it only when you stop all the mind and body activity. By doing that we arrive at the state of no mind.

9. State of No Mind

When you realize the truth about yourself and no longer identify with your mind, you arrive at the state of no-mind. No-mind is a state of emptiness, a feminine path to Buddhahood and surrender. It is a mental state where the usual stream of thoughts and mental chatter ceases. This doesn't mean a blank mind, but rather a mind that is not fixated on any particular thought or idea. It's about being present in the moment without judgment or analysis.

10. Mastering Our Thoughts

Our thoughts are merely borrowed from the great database of consciousness. To master our thoughts, we must realize that we are not responsible for them. We must stop identifying with them as if they were our own. We should observe our thoughts as they come and go without reacting. 

Imagine watching a highway full of cars driving by. As you watch, you don’t identify them as your cars. You are not responsible for these cars; they are simply passing by. Observe the cars, don't resist them, and see them clearly for what they are.

11. Highway Manifesto

Speaking and living the truth, in the best interests of everyone involved, and without violating anyone's free will. Acting according to our internal beliefs, but without excessive self-importance.

12. Middle Way

Excessive self-importance can be dealt with adjusting to the situations unfolding in the present moment.

This middle way avoids extremes—excessive importance or energy. Excessive energy in any situation will likely be balanced by an opposite reaction. For every upward force, there's an equal and opposite downward force. Extremes compensate for each other. Therefore, instead of oscillating between extremes, we choose the middle way. The middle way is like a river flowing through a corridor: it adapts to changing circumstances. It's a dance; you may not be in control, but you move with grace and dignity.

13. Self-acceptance

When we accept our hidden flaws and shortcomings, we no longer resist embodying our true selves. This involves releasing resistance stemming from past memories and associations with our old identity.

We are essentially releasing all attachments and resistance to our former selves.

Self-acceptance is a form of non-resistance taken to a new level. We need to remain in a non-reactive state of mind, avoiding labeling experiences as good or bad.

It was hidden in darkness but must now be brought to light, because darkness cannot hide.

In this way, you purify your subtle body (energy) from the conditioning patterns that formed your old self (identity). 

14. Purifying Our Intent

We need to release any resistance hindering our true selves. We often feel resistance to do certain things because it doesn’t feel natural. It is not who we are.

We need to intent to embody our true self, "I think I AM that".

When we feel resistance to embody our true self, "I feel I AM not that".

We feel inner resistance because we don't believe that we are that. Our self-concept is not in alignment with our being. Our mind and heart are in discord.

To reveal these limiting beliefs, we need to follow the "highway manifesto": Speaking and living the truth, in the best interests of everyone involved, and without violating anyone's free will. Acting according to our internal beliefs, but without excessive self-importance. 

15. Speaking the truth into existence

By speaking your internal truth often and with conviction, you bring it into existence. This makes the goal feel more natural because you've identified with it. It is our internal attitudes, not external effort, that matter.

Imagine feeling your natural inner confidence—a state where you don't need to prove your worth or wear a mask to protect a false identity. Inner confidence requires no effort; it is our natural, effortless state.

16. Master of Illusions

When we perceive negative events or situations in the outside world, we should neither react to nor resist them, but instead see them clearly for what they are. Reacting or resisting them engages the ego. We need to be in a non-reactive state of mind and become the master of illusions.

17. Living in the end

Our self-concept is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. As the story goes, so goes the reality. Our perspective on ourselves in relation to the outside world determines the kind of reality we live in. Our self-concept primarily consists of our beliefs.

Live as if you are already your true self. Don't think about the process of getting there; instead, live from the perspective of having already achieved it. You are living the end.

18. Intention and Attention

Two key parameters in our lives are attention and intention, both governed by consciousness. Intention is the direction of our will; attention is our deliberate focus, an effortless engagement of our imagination, not just our eyes. Neither attention without intention nor intention without attention can be effective. The inner alignment is only the expansion of our being, nothing external is affected.

We may intend to raise our hand, but without focused attention—engaging our imagination in the act of raising it—nothing will happen. Conversely, we may imagine raising our hand, but without directing our will toward that action, nothing will occur. Try this with any other activity.