Megan Lacy

Self-Actualization - what a luxurious idea. 

In case you didn’t know, though, it is included on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  It’s at the tippy top of the pyramid, and it feels like it could just be an afterthought - something only trust fund spiritual gurus of SoCal could pretend to experience. 

Maybe that’s right.

But maybe it really is something to consider as we map out our lives, and move forward toward the vision of ourselves within an emerging new world.

SELF-ACTUALIZATION IS THE DISCOVERY AND EMBODIMENT OF YOUR TRUE BEING.

Rather than constantly finding things to add to yourself in order to feel whole, self-actualization is an uncovering, or "dis-covering", of your true nature.

You do this by shuckin’ all the shit that ain’t actually you.

Most of us know that human beings have an ego identity, which is essentially the identity of the mind.  The EGO is all the things you believe yourself to be in this life. If you’re not careful, your mind will invite you to believe that you are it…  

And you’re scared of AI?

Your mind is like a computer.  Like it or not, it has been programmed. 

For the first 7 years of your life, your brain alternated between alpha and theta states - theta is the go-to state of mind for programming. It is a less active, more receptive state of mind. Your mind also enters into a theta state during times of relaxation, thus your mind is particularly vulnerable to “software updates" while you are passively watching television programming.  

Dude, look it up.

In the first 7 years of your life, you were programmed with the software that creates:

the reality you experience, and 

your ego identity 

for the rest of your life. 

That is, unless somewhere along the line you discover that you are something other than the programming in your mind.

So if you aren’t your mind, then who are you?

Let’s begin here:

Do you remember if there was anything that existed in you before your mind got a hold of things?

I do.

I remember vividly observing reality before I had much thought about it all. I just took it in. I enjoyed seeing all the different materials present in my room - quilted and stitched fabrics, the glow of soft lights. I remember hearing things that jingled, smelling talcum powder, knowing the love of my family.  

These things were all so simple, so engaging. Yet, I just observed them in the beginning. I simply saw them, touched them, heard and smelled them. The staunch opinions of my personality, and the conditioning of my generational programming had not tucked in to my psyche yet.

It was pretty glorious to live happily, and without a personality.

However, once I had a personality, I seemed to become my personality. Arguing for my opinions and beliefs like my life depended on it. Arguing for the survival of the idea of myself.

Well…

Who do you think you are?

What are some attributes of your personality?

I bet you have beliefs that you live by - most of us do. What are they?

What are the things you like most about yourself? How about the things you hate?

Chances are you’ve never looked in the mirror - looked straight into your own eyes - and said, “I love you.”

Why would you do something like that? 

Who does that?

My question is, how have we grown so disconnected from ourselves that we can’t even speak to ourselves in a brief, authentic, loving way? It’s not wrong. It’s not right. It is what it is.

IT IS PROGRAMMING.

The first time I tried to look myself in the eyes and say, “I love you,” I was so disgusted I could have punched the mirror.  Some people would punch the mirror.

To hurt themselves. 

Because they believe they deserve to be hurt. 

For who they believe they are.

Maybe that’s you.

I want to invite you to recognize something in this scenario:

If you were to punch the face in the mirror, you would be punching the idea of your face, but you would be hurting your actual hand.

This is what happens when we interact with our idea of something. We hurt ourselves or someone else in real life because we are thinking about hurting our concept of something.  We act out our thoughts in this reality.

When you look at the chaos on the news, don’t wonder why it is this way.

Recognize that people are interacting with their idea of things in the real world.

This is what is referred to as UNCONSCIOUSNESS.

People don't recognize what they're doing in reality because they are listening to the programming in their mind, they are thinking about something that is not actually happening, and they are interacting with the thoughts in their mind. 

The idea gets acted out in this reality.  We are UNCONSCIOUS of what we're doing.  

This is why Jesus said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

I’ll tell you a true story. My regret is that this kind of thing happened throughout my entire life without my noticing, unconsciously, and there's no way to go back and change it.  I can only move forward with forgiveness for my unconscious actions, and recognize these movements as they come up in my life.

I have aligned with animals my whole life, and along with many other programmed qualities I’m gaining awareness of, frustration in my emotional body has been present for a very long time.

Within the last 8 years I began to notice that if I was having an internal dialogue where I was arguing or angry with someone in my mind, and I was on a walk with my dog, who was on a leash, I would sometimes wake up to myself angrily snatching the leash with impatience as my dog was sniffing or checking something out.

This was a real world action

because I was

experiencing an emotion of frustration

as I engaged in an

unreal argument in my mind.

Have you ever done this? Maybe someone has done it to you.

Maybe you’ve done it, but you haven’t noticed.

Maybe you’re beginning to recognize this in yourself.

If you add this as a fault to the list of things you think you are, you cannot help the situation.

If it is your intention, you will begin to notice yourself in the moment, make a choice to do something different, and learn to forgive yourself for having done it before.

FORGIVENESS is as simple as RECOGNITION.

Accept the facts as they are. Observe without opinion. It is the quickest way to become who you truly are.

I have to accept my programming as it is, so that I may deprogram myself to be who I really am.  

Unconditional.

This process is not a denial of my prior self, or a denial of any expression thereof.

Self-actualization is a path of transcendence, which means we encompass and surpass our prior expressions, we do not deny or mask them.  The mind denies, masks, pretends, justifies. 

If you feel the need to justify something, recognize the movement of programming in your mind.  What is it telling you about your beliefs?  About how you view yourself?  About what you think you deserve?

This is a key to unlocking the programming in your mind that keeps you stuck in patterns you don't enjoy, situations you can't seem to find your way out of, and a constant state of lack or loss.  

You're the only one who can save yourself, and you are the light of the world.  

Actualize yourself.  

Save the world.

Look in the mirror.

Do you accept what you see? 

Your true Self is untainted by the program your mind has been running.

If you have done unlawful, unloving, unforgettable things, you are not those things.  

You have been covered over by those things.  

It's time to dig yourself out.

You don’t have to say it out loud.  

You will know by how you feel when you find your eyes in the mirror if you truly accept yourself as you are.

You are not wrong if you don’t accept yourself. 

You have been programmed. 

But what does it take to accept yourself so you can truly be yourself? 

It is repetition that programmed you, and repetition that will reprogram you. You choose the reps.

I started with affirmations.

I love yous in the mirror. 

"I AM" statements of all the things I wished I was brave enough to be.

I AM willing to change. I AM a beautiful singer. I AM healthy. I AM strong. I AM enough. I AM gifted.

Then I moved to more specific statements.  

I LIVE in a house that I love.  It is filled with light.  I know my purpose.  I bring beauty to whatever I touch.  I heal myself.  I love unconditionally.

My current affirmations goes like this:

Thank you, God, for giving me a complete understanding of how to use my voice. (I write this on a piece of paper and tape it to my water glass, and I drink the words in).

Your mind is your tool to use.  It is not meant to be controlling you, you are meant to be using it to create a life you love to live.  Why wouldn't you reprogram a system infected with a self-destructive program?  

REFURBISH YOURSELF

I expect my affirmations and prayers to be created.  I don't wish for things.  I know that what I love exists, and I am willing to change so that I may align with it.

I understand what it's like to be afraid of what you might change once you open your mouth to speak your true desires into existence.  Don't you want the choice?  If not, you probably didn't make it this far down the page.

You don’t have to believe the things you have been programmed to believe.

You must begin to see the programming in order to choose whether or not to change it.

THIS IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

THIS IS SELF-ACTUALIZATION