<snip beginning of lecture>
When messages from the higher self are tainted with lower-self motives, a disorder is created
in the soul that makes its bearer emotionally ill. All the various tendencies have different colors and,
in many cases different tones and scents. For example, a person may want something selfish and
because he or she does not want to admit that this is selfishness, begins to rationalize the selfish
desire and fool himself or herself about it. We can see all this very clearly, and, indeed, this kind of
self-deception is very common among human beings. The forms of the higher self have an entirely
different character than those of the lower self.
There is another layer that is, unfortunately, not yet recognized sufficiently among human
beings for its full significance, and that is what I might term the mask self. The mask self is created
in the following way: When you recognize that you may get into conflict with your surroundings by
giving in to your lower self, you may still not be ready to pay the price for eliminating the lower self.
This would mean first of all that you would have to face it as it really is, with all its motives and
drives, since you can conquer only that which you are fully aware of. This means taking the narrow
path, the spiritual path. Many people do not want to think that deeply; instead they react
emotionally without thinking about facing the lower self. The subconscious feels it necessary to
present a different picture of the self in order to avoid certain difficulties, unpleasantness, or
disadvantages of all sorts. Thus people create another layer of the self which has nothing to do with
reality, either with that of the higher self, or with the temporary reality of the lower self. It is what
you might call phony or false; it is unreal.
I will return to the above example. The lower self dictates to the person to be quite ruthless
about a selfish desire. It is not difficult for anyone of even the most limited intelligence to realize
that by giving in to this desire he or she will be ostracized, or disliked by others -- an outcome no
one wants. Instead of overcoming selfishness by the slow process of development, people often act
as though they were already unselfish. But they actually are selfish, and feel the selfishness. They
hate the pressure of their higher selves to act contrary to the desires of their lower selves, but feel
compelled to put on an act, which disturbs their inner peace, since it does not agree with their still
predominant lower-self feelings. Their giving and their generosity are just a sham. In other words,
the right act is entirely unsupported by the unpurified feelings, and therefore the person is at war
within. The proper act becomes an act of necessity, of compulsion, instead of free choice. With
such superimposed goodness does not count in the real sense. While you may give something, you
may hate the idea. Not only do people remain convinced that they need to be selfish, but are also
untrue to their nature, violating their reality and living a lie. I am by no means suggesting that it is
advisable to give in to one's lower nature; one must fight for enlightenment and strive for
development in order to purify one's feelings and desires. But if this is not accomplished, there
should at least be no self-deception. One should have at least a clear and true picture about the
discrepancy between feelings and actions. In this way, no mask self can form.
However, too often people try to believe in their own unselfishness and in that way fool
themselves about their real feelings and motives by not showing them, and not wanting to look at
them. After a while the evil will sink into the subconscious where it will ferment and create forms
that have their effect and cannot be eliminated, because the person is unaware of them. The
example of selfishness is merely one instance; there are many other traits and tendencies that go
through the same process, my friends.
When people are emotionally sick, it is always a sign that in one way or another a mask self
has been created. They do not realize they are living a lie. They have built a layer of unreality that
has nothing to do with their real being. Thus they are not being true to their real personality. As I
said before, being true to oneself does not mean that you should give in to your lower self, but that
you should be aware of it. Do not fool yourself if you still act according to the necessity to protect
yourself and not out of enlightened vision and inner conviction. Be aware that your feelings are still
unpurified in this or that respect. Then you have a good basis from which to start. It will be easier
for you to face yourself in this manner when you realize that underneath the layers of your lower self
lives your higher self, your ultimate and absolute reality which you must eventually reach. In order
to reach it, you must first face your lower self, or your temporary reality, instead of covering it up,
because that puts an even greater distance between you and absolute reality, or your own higher self.
To face the lower self you must at all costs tear down the mask self. You can bring yourself to do so
when you visualize the three selves I am presenting here.
<continued at link below>
http://www.pathwork.org/lectures/P014.PDF
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